०१८

सर्वाष् टीकाः ...{Loading}...
सायण-भाष्यम्

‘अयं पन्थाः’ इति त्रयोदशर्चमष्टमं सूक्तं त्रैष्टुभम् । अत्रानुक्रमणिका- अयं पन्थाः सप्तोना संवाद इन्द्रादितिवामदेवानाम् ’ इति । ’ यस्य वाक्यं स ऋषिः या तेनोच्यते सा देवता ’ इति परिभाषितत्वात् ऋषिदेवते तत्र तत्र ज्ञातव्ये । अस्मिन् सूक्ते इन्द्रादितिवामदेवसंवादरूपिणी काचित् आख्यायिका श्लोकरूपेण सूच्यते–’ गर्भस्थो ज्ञानसंपन्नो वामदेवो महामुनिः । मतिं चक्रे न जायेय योनिदेशात्तु मातृतः ॥ १ ॥ किंतु पार्श्वादितश्चेति ज्ञात्वा नु जननी त्विदम् । दध्यौ शान्त्यै शचीं देवीमदितिं त्विन्द्रमातरम् ॥ २ ॥ अदितिस्त्विन्द्रसहिता गर्भिणीमभ्यगाद्वने । अदितीन्द्रवामदेवाः संवादमथ चक्रिरे ॥३॥संवाद इति सूत्रेण कथा सैषात्र सूच्यते। नोक्तो वक्तृविशेषोऽत्र ह्युपदेशेष्वनुक्तितः ॥ ४ ॥ अर्थतस्त्ववगन्तव्यो वक्तृभेद इति स्थितिः । इन्द्रोऽदितिर्ऋषिश्चास्मिन्मिथः सूक्ते समूचिरे ॥५॥ गर्भे शयानं सुचिरं मातुर्गर्भादनिर्गतम् । वामदेवं प्रतिब्रूत आद्ययर्चा शतक्रतुः ॥ ६ ॥ द्वितीयादिभिःरर्धर्चैर्ऋषिरत्राह पञ्चभिः । न ही न्वस्येति सप्त स्युरर्धर्चा अदितेर्वचः ॥ ७॥ ममच्चन त्वा युवतिरित्यृचः पञ्च वै मुनेः । दौर्गत्यशान्तिमत्राह वामदेवस्तथान्त्यया ॥ ८ ॥ एवमर्थाद्वक्तृभेद इति बह्वृचशासनम् । अर्थो विवेकस्पष्टत्वादुपदेशेषु नेरितः ॥ ९॥ ऋषिदेवतसिद्धयर्थं विवेकादर्थ ईरितः’ (अनु. भा. ४. १८) इति ॥

Jamison Brereton

18 (314)
Indra
Vāmadeva Gautama
13 verses: triṣṭubh
A famous and enigmatic hymn recounting the prodigious and unnatural birth of Indra, partly in dialogue form. The hymn begins with a two-verse exchange between Indra’s mother and the as-yet-unborn Indra: she tries to persuade him to be born in normal fashion, but, like many heroes world-wide, he insists on an unusual exit, from her side. Indra is already conscious of his great destiny (see vs. 2cd). The preg
nancy has lasted abnormally long (see vs. 4ab), and after the birth Indra’s mother appears to abandon him to make his own way (vss. 3ab, 4ab, 8ab, 10cd), but also hides him (vs. 5ab) and worries about his fate (vs. 11ab). Again like heroes the world over, Indra is born full-grown and ready to perform great feats (see vs. 5cd), so that his mother’s protection is not necessary. In verse 3 he follow his mother as she abandons him and ends up at Tvaṣṭar’s house, where he drinks Tvaṣṭar’s soma. Elsewhere Tvaṣṭar is presented as Indra’s father (e.g., III.48.2–4, possibly in the previous hymn IV.17.4), and by stealing and drinking his soma, Indra defeats him (see III.48, where Indra’s mother abets him). Our verse contains no mention of this rivalry and conflict, but it may be alluded to indirectly toward the end of the hymn (see below).
In the middle part of the hymn (vss. 6–9) another set of voices (at least in our opinion) joins the dialogue, that of various waters. These waters seem to represent benevolent foster mothers (see esp. vss. 7–8), like the rivers attending the birth of Urvaśī’s son in X.95.7, and their protective aid for Indra contrasts with his mother’s ambivalence and alienation. But they are also assimilated to the waters released by Indra in the Vr̥tra myth, as Indra’s mother makes explicit in verse 7. It may be that both identities were suggested by a natural phenomenon, the breaking of a preg
nant woman’s waters right before birth; the sudden release of those waters is remi niscent of the release in the Vr̥tra myth, while the association of the waters with the infant being born suggests their beneficent relationship with the fetus in the womb. Indra’s mother ends this section by disavowing any blame for Indra’s temporary disadvantage in the Indra–Vr̥tra battle (vs. 9). If we are correct, the second pāda of this verse alludes glancingly to snakes’ ability to reconfigure their jaws to swallow large prey, a striking naturalistic image—one of the incidental fragments of realia to be gleaned from the R̥gveda.
The final verses of the hymn are even more puzzling than what precedes them. After the episode of the waters and the Vr̥tra battle, we return to the original scene of Indra’s birth and his mother’s abandonment of him (vs. 10), though in her worry about his isolation she follows him (vs. 11ab), a mirror image of him following her in verse 3ab. He does find a companion to aid in the Vr̥tra battle, namely Viṣṇu, in verse 11cd. The next verse (12) asks a series of rhetorical questions—or they would be rhetorical if we were certain of the answers. The questions center around a family tragedy of a type very familiar from world mythology: a father with mur derous intent toward his son (possibly still in the womb; vs. 12b) and the killing of the father by the son (vs. 12d), an act that leaves his mother a widow (vs. 12a). Is the father Tvaṣṭar, mentioned briefly and without hostility in the earlier part of the hymn (vs. 3), or Vr̥tra, whose destruction was depicted several times (vss. 7cd, 9)—or both, or neither? In any case the questions are reminiscent of the question near the end of the famous Indra-Vr̥tra hymn I.32, when Indra flees after winning the battle: verse 14 “Whom did you see, Indra, as the avenger of the serpent when fear came into your heart after you smashed him, / and when you crossed over the ninety-nine flowing rivers, like a frightened falcon through the airy realms?” And the final verse of IV.18 (13) seems to depict Indra after such a flight, alone and in exile, eating taboo food out of necessity and witness to the dishonoring of his mother because of her widowed state. His own condition only improves when the falcon steals soma and brings it to him (vs. 13d), a tale that will be treated later in this cycle in IV.26–27.
Although the abrupt shifts of scene and chronology and the lack of context in each new scene produce some frustration in the reader (not to speak of the

translator), the vivid focus of each episode and the dramatic tension in each snippet of speech cause the hymn to resonate in the imagination long after a more rational account would have done.

Jamison Brereton Notes

Indra For general discussion of my interpr. of this hymn, see published introduction.

Geldner

Die Mutter:

01 अयं पन्था - त्रिष्टुप्

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

अय᳓म् प᳓न्था अ᳓नुवित्तः पुराणो᳓
य᳓तो देवा᳓ उद᳓जायन्त वि᳓श्वे
अ᳓तश् चिद् आ᳓ जनिषीष्ट प्र᳓वृद्धो
मा᳓ मात᳓रम् अमुया᳓ प᳓त्तवे कः

02 नाहमतो निरया - त्रिष्टुप्

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

ना᳓ह᳓म् अ᳓तो नि᳓र् अया दुर्ग᳓हैत᳓त्
तिरश्च᳓ता पार्शुवा᳓न् नि᳓र् गमाणि
बहू᳓नि मे अ᳓कृता क᳓र्तुवानि
यु᳓ध्यै तुवेन सं᳓ तुवेन पृछै

03 परायतीं मातरमन्वचष्थ - त्रिष्टुप्

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

परायती᳓म् मात᳓रम् अ᳓न्व् अचष्ट
न᳓ ना᳓नु गानि अ᳓नु नू᳓ गमानि
त्व᳓ष्टुर् गृहे᳓ अपिबत् सो᳓मम् इ᳓न्द्रः
शतधनि᳓यं चमु᳓वोः सुत᳓स्य

04 किं स - त्रिष्टुप्

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

किं᳓ स᳓ ऋ᳓धक् कृणवद् यं᳓ सह᳓स्रम्
मासो᳓ जभा᳓र शर᳓दश् च पूर्वीः᳓
नही᳓ नु᳓ अस्य प्रतिमा᳓नम् अ᳓स्ति
अन्त᳓र् जाते᳓षु उत᳓ ये᳓ ज᳓नित्वाः

05 अवद्यमिव मन्यमाना - त्रिष्टुप्

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

अवद्य᳓म् ऽव° म᳓न्यमाना गु᳓हाकर्
इ᳓न्द्रम् माता᳓ वीरि᳓येणा नि᳓ऋष्टम्
अ᳓थो᳓द् अस्थात् स्वय᳓म् अ᳓त्कं व᳓सान
आ᳓ रो᳓दसी अपृणाज् जा᳓यमानः

06 एता अर्षन्त्यललाभवन्तीऋड़्तावरीरिव - त्रिष्टुप्

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

एता᳓ अर्षन्ति अललाभ᳓वन्तीर्
ऋता᳓वरीर् इव संक्रो᳓शमानाः
एता᳓ वि᳓ पृछ कि᳓म् इद᳓म् भनन्ति
क᳓म् आ᳓पो अ᳓द्रिम् परिधिं᳓ रुजन्ति

07 किमु ष्विदस्मै - त्रिष्टुप्

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

कि᳓म् उ ष्विद् अस्मै निवि᳓दो भनन्त
इ᳓न्द्रस्यावद्यं᳓ दिधिषन्त आ᳓पः
म᳓मैता᳓न् पुत्रो᳓ महता᳓ वधे᳓न
वृत्रं᳓ जघन्वाँ᳓ असृजद् वि᳓ सि᳓न्धून्

08 ममच्चन त्वा - त्रिष्टुप्

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

म᳓मच् चन᳓ त्वा युवतिः᳓ परा᳓स
म᳓मच् चन᳓ त्वा कुष᳓वा जगा᳓र
म᳓मच् चिद् आ᳓पः शि᳓शवे ममृड्युर्
म᳓मच् चिद् इ᳓न्द्रः स᳓हसो᳓द् अतिष्ठत्

09 ममच्चन ते - त्रिष्टुप्

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

म᳓मच् चन᳓ ते मघवन् वि᳓अंसो
निविविध्वाँ᳓ अ᳓प ह᳓नू जघा᳓न
अ᳓धा नि᳓विद्ध उ᳓त्तरो बभूवा᳓ञ्
छि᳓रो दास᳓स्य स᳓म् पिणक् वधे᳓न

10 गृष्थिः ससूव - त्रिष्टुप्

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

गृष्टिः᳓ ससूव स्थ᳓विरं तवागा᳓म्
अनाधृष्यं᳓ वृषभं᳓ तु᳓म्रम् इ᳓न्द्रम्
अ᳓रीळ्हं वत्सं᳓ चर᳓थाय माता᳓
स्वयं᳓ गातुं᳓ तनु᳓व इछ᳓मानम्

11 उत माता - त्रिष्टुप्

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

उत᳓ माता᳓ महिष᳓म् अ᳓न्व् अवेनद्
अमी᳓ तुवा जहति पुत्र देवाः᳓
अ᳓थाब्रवीद् वृत्र᳓म् इ᳓न्द्रो हनिष्य᳓न्
स᳓खे विष्णो वितरं᳓ वि᳓ क्रमस्व

12 कस्ते मातरम् - त्रिष्टुप्

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

क᳓स् ते मात᳓रं विध᳓वाम् अचक्रच्
छयुं᳓ क᳓स् त्वा᳓म् अजिघांसच् च᳓रन्तम्
क᳓स् ते देवो᳓ अ᳓धि मार्डीक᳓ आसीद्
य᳓त् प्रा᳓क्षिणाः पित᳓रम् पादगृ᳓ह्य

13 अवर्त्या शुन - त्रिष्टुप्

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

अ᳓वर्तिया शु᳓न आन्त्रा᳓णि पेचे
न᳓ देवे᳓षु विविदे मर्डिता᳓रम्
अ᳓पश्यं जाया᳓म् अ᳓महीयमानाम्
अ᳓धा मे श्येनो᳓ म᳓धु आ᳓ जभार