०३८

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सायण-भाष्यम्

’ अभि तष्टेव’ इति दशर्चं नवमं सूक्तम् । अत्रानुक्रमणिका – अभि तष्टेव दश प्रजापतिः स वैश्वामित्रो वाच्यो वा द्वौ वा तौ न वैकोऽपि ’ इति । विश्वामित्रगोत्रः प्रजापतिर्वाचः पुत्रः प्रजापतिर्वा ऋषिः । तावुभावपि समुच्चितावस्य सूक्तस्य ऋषी’ इति द्वितीयः पक्षः । अथवा नोभावपि किंतु विश्वामित्र एवेति तृतीयः पक्षः । त्रिष्टुप् छन्दः । इन्द्रो देवता ॥

चातुर्विंशिकेऽहनि माध्यंदिने सवनेऽच्छावाकशस्त्रे अभि तष्टेव ’ इत्यहरहःशस्यनामकं सूक्तम् । सूत्रितं च-’ उदु ब्रह्माण्यभि तष्टेवेतीतरावहरहःशस्ये ’ ( आश्व. श्रौ. ७. ४ ) इति । एवं सर्वत्राहर्गणेषु द्वितीयादिष्वहःसु माध्यंदिने सवनेऽच्छावाकशस्त्र एतत्सूक्तम् ।।।

Jamison Brereton

38 (272)
Indra
Viśvāmitra Gāthina or Prajāpati Vaiśvāmitra or Prajāpati Vācya
10 verses: triṣṭubh
A dense and difficult, but rewarding, hymn. Although the hymn is found in the midst of the Maṇḍala III Indra hymns and is assigned to Indra by the Anukramaṇī, the name Indra is not found in the hymn (save in the appended Viśvāmitra refrain), and indeed it is not at all clear that there are any references to Indra in the hymn. Not surprisingly the hymn has given rise to much discussion.
Any interpretation of its contents and intent will necessarily be speculative, and the richness and multivalence of the images should not be reduced to a single and simple paraphrase. Nonetheless, we will attempt a sketch here. It is regularly remarked that the hymn is cosmogonic. In fact, it seems to concern two creations: the Ur-creation of undifferentiated material and the subsequent establishment of indi
vidual name and form. As usual in ancient India, creation is conceived of as an act of division and individuation, rather than of assemblage. This second, and more interesting, creation was carried out by the equivalent of poets, and the current poet of this hymn identifies himself and his activities with the authors of this second creation and seeks their model for his own poetic work. The large number of neu
ter pronouns of unclear reference throughout the hymn seem to be a grammatical reflection of the undifferentiated material of the first creation, and the poet seems almost to be inviting us to participate in the second creation by ourselves assigning them name and form.
The poem begins with three verses in the poet’s own voice, concerning the older generations of poets and the poetic tradition. In verse 1 he sounds both tremulous and self-assured, mindful of the tradition he belongs to but also proud of his own insight. In the second verse, addressing himself (as so often) in the 2nd person, he exhorts himself to seek models from the earlier poets, and introduces the notion that they “crafted heaven for themselves,” a reference to the second creation. The third verse fleshes out this statement, in describing just how the older poets set about this creation. Most important is the final pāda, in which they “put apart” the two worlds—the primal act of separation that makes life possible.
Verse 4 moves abruptly to a new subject, or rather to an older one. A previously unmentioned figure is introduced obliquely, and though he is explicitly credited

with a “name” in pāda c, it is not at all clear what that name is—possibly Viśvarūpa “possessing all forms” of pāda d. In verse 5 it appears that this bull is responsible for the Ur-creation preceding the separation just described. The lack of differentia tion in the Ur-creation may be signaled by the androgyny of its source—“the bull gave birth.” The same verse also introduces two unnamed kings, “sons/descendants of heaven.” This epithet in the dual usually refers to the Aśvins, but this identifica tion seems unlikely here. Other suggested pairs are Mitra and Varuṇa (Grassmann, Geldner) or Indra and Varuṇa (Sāyaṇa, Renou, Oberlies); either pairing is perhaps possible, but the fact that the poet forebears to name them suggests that a precise identification may run counter to the poet’s intentions. It might also be noted that the only identifiable dual entities in the hymn are the two world-halves (vss. 3, 8, probably 9), and in verse 8 they “set all in motion.” It therefore seems possible that in this hymn the “two descendants of heaven” could in fact be the two worlds, which have dominion over (vs. 5) and tend to (vs. 6) the “(cosmic) division,” both as products of the primal separation in the second creation and producers of the further individuation occurring in that second creation: note the increasing num
bers in verse 6ab.
In verse 7a we return to the androgynous Ur-creator, now explicitly identified as both bull and cow; the rest of the verse introduces the second creation characterized by “names” and “form.” The creators here are “masters of artifice,” poets perhaps. Verse 8 essentially repeats verse 7, as is signaled by the identical opening phrase, but this time it is the current poet himself (who made a brief reappearance in vs. 6cd), who by his praise hymn is responsible for movement in the world (i.e., the second creation) contrasted to the static golden emblem (8b) arising from the first creation. The poet thus implicitly identifies himself with the masters of artifice, the poets, in verse 7. In the final verse (aside from the refrain) both the unnamed dual pairing, quite possibly the two worlds, and the masters of artifice return to bear witness to the creative actions of the poet himself, who through his powerful tongue seems to control the individuated forms. We have thus returned to the issues raised in verse 1, but with the poet having successfully assumed his vocation and commanded the respect of his predecessors in the creative act.

Jamison Brereton Notes

Indra In addition to the usual tr., it is worth consulting Renou’s alternative tr. in his Hymnes spéculatifs (29-31 + nn.), in addition to his later one in EVP XVII.

My interpr. both in detail and in overall outline differs significantly from others, but it is internally consistent and attempts to fit the many puzzling details into an overall schema. That this sometimes requires making interpretive leaps is a price I’m willing to pay. I lay out and support my choices in the comments on individual vss., though I do not chart every deviation from the various other tr. and defend them against those tr.

01 अभि तष्थेव - त्रिष्टुप्

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अभि᳓ त᳓ष्टेव दीधया मनीषा᳓म्
अ᳓त्यो न᳓ वाजी᳓ सुधु᳓रो जि᳓हानः
अभि᳓ प्रिया᳓णि म᳓र्मृशत् प᳓राणि
कवीँ᳓र् इछामि संदृ᳓शे सुमेधाः᳓

02 इनोत पृच्छ - त्रिष्टुप्

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इनो᳓त᳓ पृछ ज᳓निमा कवीना᳓म्
मनोधृ᳓तः सुकृ᳓तस् तक्षत द्या᳓म्
इमा᳓ उ ते प्रणि᳓यो व᳓र्धमाना
म᳓नोवाता अ᳓ध नु᳓ ध᳓र्मणि ग्मन्

03 नि षीमिदत्र - त्रिष्टुप्

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नि᳓ षीम् इ᳓द् अ᳓त्र गु᳓हिया द᳓धाना
उत᳓ क्षत्रा᳓य रो᳓दसी स᳓म् अञ्जन्
स᳓म् मा᳓त्राभिर् ममिरे᳓ येमु᳓र् उर्वी᳓
अन्त᳓र् मही᳓ स᳓मृते धा᳓यसे धुः

04 आतिष्टन्तं परि - त्रिष्टुप्

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आति᳓ष्ठन्तम् प᳓रि वि᳓श्वे अभूषञ्
छ्रि᳓यो व᳓सानश् चरति स्व᳓रोचिः
मह᳓त् त᳓द् वृ᳓ष्णो अ᳓सुरस्य ना᳓म
आ᳓ विश्व᳓रूपो अमृ᳓तानि तस्थौ

05 असूत पूर्वो - त्रिष्टुप्

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अ᳓सूत पू᳓र्वो वृषभो᳓ जिया᳓यान्
इमा᳓ अस्य शुरु᳓धः सन्ति पूर्वीः᳓
दि᳓वो नपाता विद᳓थस्य धीभिः᳓
क्षत्रं᳓ राजाना प्रदि᳓वो दधाथे

06 त्रीणि राजाना - त्रिष्टुप्

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त्री᳓णि राजाना विद᳓थे पुरू᳓णि
प᳓रि वि᳓श्वानि भूषथः स᳓दांसि
अ᳓पश्यम् अ᳓त्र म᳓नसा जगन्वा᳓न्
व्रते᳓ गन्धर्वाँ᳓ अ᳓पि वायु᳓केशान्

07 तदिन्न्वस्य वृषभस्य - त्रिष्टुप्

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त᳓द् इ᳓न् नु᳓ अस्य वृषभ᳓स्य धेनो᳓र्
आ᳓ ना᳓मभिर् ममिरे स᳓क्मियं गोः᳓
अन्य᳓द्-अन्यद् असुरि᳓यं व᳓साना
नि᳓ मायि᳓नो ममिरे रूप᳓म् अस्मिन्

08 तदिन्न्वस्य सवितुर्नकिर्मे - त्रिष्टुप्

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त᳓द् इ᳓न् नु᳓ अस्य सवितु᳓र् न᳓किर् मे
हिरण्य᳓यीम् अम᳓तिं या᳓म् अ᳓शिश्रेत्
आ᳓ सुष्टुती᳓ रो᳓दसी विश्वमिन्वे᳓
अ᳓पीव यो᳓षा ज᳓निमानि वव्रे

09 युवं प्रत्नस्य - त्रिष्टुप्

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युव᳓म् प्रत्न᳓स्य साधथो महो᳓ य᳓द्
दइ᳓वी सुअस्तिः᳓ प᳓रि णः सियातम्
गोपा᳓जिह्वस्य तस्थु᳓षो वि᳓रूपा
वि᳓श्वे पश्यन्ति मायि᳓नः कृता᳓नि

10 शुनं हुवेम - त्रिष्टुप्

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शुनं᳓ हुवेम मघ᳓वानम् इ᳓न्द्रम्
अस्मि᳓न् भ᳓रे नृ᳓तमं वा᳓जसातौ
शृण्व᳓न्तम् उग्र᳓म् ऊत᳓ये सम᳓त्सु
घ्न᳓न्तं वृत्रा᳓णि संजि᳓तं ध᳓नानाम्