१७९

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सायण-भाष्यम्

‘पूर्वीरहम्’ इति षडृचं पञ्चदशं सूक्तं त्रैष्टुभम् । उपान्त्या बृहती । अत्र त्रयाणां द्वृचानां लोपामुद्रागस्त्यतच्छिष्यैर्दृष्टत्वात्त एवर्षयः । सूक्तप्रतिपाद्योऽर्थों रतिर्देवता । अत्रानुक्रमणिका- पूर्वीः षड्जायापत्योर्लोपामुद्राया अगस्त्यस्य च द्वृचाभ्यां रत्यर्थं संवादं श्रुत्वान्तेवासी ब्रह्मचार्यन्त्ये बृहत्यादी अपश्यत्’ इति । विशेषविनियोगो लैङ्गिकः ॥

Jamison Brereton

179
Agastya and Lopāmudrā [Anukramaṇī: Rati “Delight”]
Lopāmudrā 1–2, Agastya 3–4, student 5–6 (so the Anukramaṇī)
6 verses: triṣṭubh, except br̥hatī 5
This justly famous and memorable hymn compresses much matter in a few verses. The first four verses consist of a dialogue between the seer Agastya, the poet of this hymn cycle (I.165–191), and his wife Lopāmudrā. It concerns, and contains in embryo, a persistent theme in Indian religious literature and thought, the com
peting and incompatible goals of male religious figures: ascetic practice and the production of sons, and it also presents the figure who mediates these goals: the sexually eager woman who seduces the ascetic, who can thus attain the second goal without actively abandoning the first (see, e.g., Jamison 1996a: 15–17).
Lopāmudrā speaks the first two verses, urging her husband to allow them both to cease their ritual labors and have sex. She mentions the deleterious effects of old age (vs. 1c) and cites as a precedent for her proposed course of action the pious ancients who nevertheless also stopped working from time to time (vs. 2). In our view (and that of the Anukramaṇī and Sāyaṇa, inter alia, contra a number of mod
ern scholars, who assign vs. 4 to Lopāmudrā), Agastya speaks the next two verses (3–4). In verse 3 he counters her proposal with a vigorous call to renewed reli gious endeavor, which he casts as a battle against a tricky and numerous enemy that they, as a married couple (mithunaú), can defeat together. The word mithunaú is a charged one, because it of course can refer specifically to a sexual pairing. And this is what appears to be rather graphically illustrated in verse 4, where Agastya suc cumbs to his lust, as Lopāmudrā engages him in intercourse. The “steadfast” (dhī́ra) man is undone by the “flighty” (ádhīra) woman.
The next two verses (5–6) are assigned by the Anukramaṇī to a student, and at least verse 5 may contain the expiatory statement of someone, quite possibly a brahmacārin or Vedic student, who has broken a vow, quite possibly the vow of chastity, and has undertaken ritual purification. The myth embodied in the previous dialogue acts as a Legendenzauber, a magic spell that provides a myth
ological precedent for the misdeed and its expiation. (See Thieme 1964: 76.) The final verse (6) summarizes the happy results for Agastya, despite—indeed because of—his lapse: he attained offspring as well as power and a place among the gods.
Although verse 5 provides support for the expiatory theory, we are inclined to think there is something more going on, and that the conflict between Agastya and Lopāmudrā reflects a theological struggle dimly perceptible beneath the sur face of the late R̥gveda—the struggle between the innovative theologians who favor introducing the new ritual model involving the Sacrificer’s Wife as partner on the ritual stage, and the conservatives who consider it a dangerous model with poten tially disastrous side-effects. Agastya in verse 3 appears to be a spokesman for the innovators, urging an energetic ritual partnership between husband and wife—a

partnership that deteriorates in the next verse into a mere sexual encounter. In this reading Agastya must undertake the penance in verse 5, and although everything comes out right for him, the hymn cannot be seen as a ringing endorsement of the introduction of the Sacrificer’s Wife.

Jamison Brereton Notes

Agastya and Lopāmudrā

01 पूर्विरहं शरदः - त्रिष्टुप्

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पूर्वी᳓र् अहं᳓ शर᳓दः शश्रमाणा᳓
दोषा᳓ व᳓स्तोर् उष᳓सो जर᳓यन्तीः
मिना᳓ति श्रि᳓यं जरिमा᳓ तनू᳓नाम्
अ᳓प्य् ऊ नु᳓ प᳓त्नीर् वृ᳓षणो जगम्युः

02 ये चिद्धि - त्रिष्टुप्

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ये᳓ चिद् धि᳓ पू᳓र्व ऋतसा᳓प आ᳓सन्
साकं᳓ देवे᳓भिर् अ᳓वदन्न् ऋता᳓नि
ते᳓ चिद् अ᳓वासुर् नहि᳓ अ᳓न्तम् आपुः᳓
स᳓म् ऊ नु᳓ प᳓त्नीर् वृ᳓षभिर् जगम्युः

03 न मृषा - त्रिष्टुप्

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न᳓ मृ᳓षा श्रान्तं᳓ य᳓द् अ᳓वन्ति देवा᳓
वि᳓श्वा इ᳓त् स्पृ᳓धो अभि᳓ अश्नवाव
ज᳓यावे᳓द् अ᳓त्र शत᳓नीथम् आजिं᳓
य᳓त् सम्य᳓ञ्चा मिथुना᳓व् अभ्य् अ᳓जाव

04 नदस्य मा - त्रिष्टुप्

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नद᳓स्य मा रुधतः᳓ का᳓म आ᳓गन्न्
इत᳓ आ᳓जातो अमु᳓तः कु᳓तश् चित्
लो᳓पामुद्रा वृ᳓षणं नी᳓ रिणाति
धी᳓रम् अ᳓धीरा धयति श्वस᳓न्तम्

05 इमं नु - बृहती

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इमं᳓ नु᳓ सो᳓मम् अ᳓न्तितो
हृत्सु᳓ पीत᳓म् उ᳓प ब्रुवे
य᳓त् सीम् आ᳓गश् चकृमा᳓ त᳓त् सु᳓ मॄळतु+
पुलुका᳓मो हि᳓ म᳓र्तियः

06 अगस्त्यः खनमानः - त्रिष्टुप्

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अग᳓स्तियः ख᳓नमानः खनि᳓त्रैः
प्रजा᳓म् अ᳓पत्यम् ब᳓लम् इछ᳓मानः
उभउ᳓ व᳓र्णाव् ऋ᳓षिर् उग्रः᳓ पुपोष
सत्या᳓ देवे᳓षु आशि᳓षो जगाम