०२४

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सायण-भाष्यम्

‘ का सुष्टुतिः’ इत्येकादशर्चं तृतीयं सूक्तं वामदेवस्यार्षमैन्द्रम् । दशम्यनुष्टुप् शिष्टास्त्रिष्टुभः। तथा चानुक्रमणिका- का सुष्टुतिरुपान्त्यानुष्टुप् ’ इति । विनियोगो लैङ्गिकः ॥

Jamison Brereton

24 (320)
Indra
Vāmadeva Gautama
11 verses: triṣṭubh, except anuṣṭubh 10
For most of its length (vss. 1–7), this hymn expresses in vivid language the familiar notion of competing parties invoking Indra for help and offering him sacrificial oblations and praise in return. Verses 3–5 are especially focused on the desperate efforts of the human antagonists to enlist Indra’s might on their own side. It is also clear that the offerings made by the successful supplicants must be made just so: in addition to soma, a whole sacrificial menu is specified, with a special emphasis on cooked foods (see esp. vss. 5, 7).
The last three verses (8–10, before the Vāmadeva refrain in 11) lay bare the mecha nism of the divine–human bargain that lies behind the first part of the hymn, and indeed behind the whole R̥gvedic enterprise more generally. Rather than casting the exchange relations between men and gods in the rosy light of mutual benefit and voluntary cooperation, the verses present the acquisition of Indra’s aid by mortals as a matter of cold-blooded haggling and crass calculations of price versus value received. In our interpretation, Indra even has an agent, in the person of his own wife. These verses are difficult, enigmatic, and apparently use the lexicon and phraseology of commercial transactions, a linguistic level barely attested elsewhere in Vedic. Consequently the meaning of the verses is much disputed, and we will provide here only our own interpretation (which follows Geldner’s in many, but not all, ways).
In verse 8 Indra (or perhaps his wife, a possibility raised by Oldenberg and Geldner) takes a long hard look at the hostilities he’s being asked to participate in, and his wife calls him back home, presumably to sit out the conflict or at least to hold out for a better offer. In fact, in verse 9 Indra reports on a failed bit of hag
gling. An unidentified party seems to have made a bad deal, offering a higher price for an inferior product, in this case probably the help of a god less powerful than Indra (9a). With Indra’s own offer not accepted, he goes happily home “unsold” (9b), remarking that the other party did not seize his chance to replace the inferior product with a greater one, namely Indra himself (9c). He ends with what appears to be a maxim, mocking the negotiation prowess of the other party (9d). Verse 10, in our view (and ours alone?), is spoken by Indra’s wife, hawking her husband and his obstacle-smashing talent and naming her price for his sale. The price, ten cows, seems very low for such a god (especially considering how many hundreds of cows are elsewhere given to mortal poets and priests, at least according to dānastutis), and so it is possible or even likely that this is a bitter and rhetorical question, com plaining about the stinginess of mortal purchasers. In any case, it’s a limited-term offer, as she expects Indra to be returned at the end of his mercenary service.
The allusion to dānastutis above was purposeful, for this little set of verses not only occupies the position of a dānastuti in this hymn, but also has the slangy and derisory tone of many dānastutis and the same recognition of the commer cial underpinnings of the relationship between patron and client. It may even be that, using Indra’s withdrawal as model, the poet is indirectly complaining about an ungenerous patron and threatening to withhold his poetic production unless he receives a better deal.

Jamison Brereton Notes

Indra

01 का सुष्थुतिः - त्रिष्टुप्

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का᳓ सुष्टुतिः᳓ श᳓वसः सूनु᳓म् इ᳓न्द्रम्
अर्वाचीनं᳓ रा᳓धस आ᳓ ववर्तत्
ददि᳓र् हि᳓ वीरो᳓ गृणते᳓ व᳓सूनि
स᳓ गो᳓पतिर् निष्षि᳓धां नो जनासः

02 स वृत्रहत्ये - त्रिष्टुप्

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स᳓ वृत्रह᳓त्ये ह᳓वियः स᳓ ई᳓ड्यः
स᳓ सु᳓ष्टुत इ᳓न्दरः+ सत्य᳓राधाः
स᳓ या᳓मन्न् आ᳓ मघ᳓वा म᳓र्तियाय
ब्रह्मण्यते᳓ सु᳓ष्वये व᳓रिवो धात्

03 तमिन्नरो वि - त्रिष्टुप्

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त᳓म् इ᳓न् न᳓रो वि᳓ ह्वयन्ते समीके᳓
रिरिक्वां᳓सस् तनु᳓वः कृण्वत त्रा᳓म्
मिथो᳓ य᳓त् त्याग᳓म् उभ᳓यासो अ᳓ग्मन्
न᳓रस् तोक᳓स्य त᳓नयस्य सातउ᳓

04 क्रतूयन्ति क्षितयो - त्रिष्टुप्

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क्रतूय᳓न्ति क्षित᳓यो यो᳓ग उग्र
आशुषाणा᳓सो मिथो᳓ अ᳓र्णसातौ
सं᳓ य᳓द् वि᳓शो अ᳓ववृत्रन्त युध्मा᳓
आ᳓द् इ᳓न् ने᳓म इन्द्रयन्ते अभी᳓के

05 आदिद्ध नेम - त्रिष्टुप्

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आ᳓द् इ᳓द् ध ने᳓म इन्द्रियं᳓ यजन्त
आ᳓द् इ᳓त् पक्तिः᳓ पुरोळा᳓शं रिरिच्यात्
आ᳓द् इ᳓त् सो᳓मो वि᳓ पपृच्याद् अ᳓सुष्वीन्
आ᳓द् इ᳓ज् जुजोष वृषभं᳓ य᳓जध्यै

06 कृणोत्यस्मै वरिवो - त्रिष्टुप्

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कृणो᳓ति अस्मै व᳓रिवो य᳓ इत्था᳓
इ᳓न्द्राय सो᳓मम् उशते᳓ सुनो᳓ति
सध्रीची᳓नेन म᳓नसा᳓विवेनम्
त᳓म् इ᳓त् स᳓खायं कृणुते सम᳓त्सु

07 य इन्द्राय - त्रिष्टुप्

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य᳓ इ᳓न्द्राय सुन᳓वत् सो᳓मम् अद्य᳓
प᳓चात् पक्ती᳓र् उत᳓ भृज्जा᳓ति धानाः᳓
प्र᳓ति मनायो᳓र् उच᳓थानि ह᳓र्यन्
त᳓स्मिन् दधद् वृ᳓षणं शु᳓ष्मम् इ᳓न्द्रः

08 यदा समर्यम् - त्रिष्टुप्

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यदा᳓ समर्यं᳓ वि᳓ अ᳓चेद् ऋ᳓घावा
दीर्घं᳓ य᳓द् आजि᳓म् अभि᳓ अ᳓ख्यद् अर्यः᳓
अ᳓चिक्रदद् वृ᳓षणम् प᳓त्नी अ᳓छा
दुरोण᳓ आ᳓ नि᳓शितं सोमसु᳓द्भिः

09 भूयसा वस्नमचरत्कनीयोऽविक्रीतो - त्रिष्टुप्

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भू᳓यसा वस्न᳓म् अचरत् क᳓नीयो
अ᳓विक्रीतो अकानिषम् पु᳓नर् य᳓न्
स᳓ भू᳓यसा क᳓नीयो ना᳓रिरेचीद्
दीना᳓ द᳓क्षा वि᳓ दुहन्ति प्र᳓ वाण᳓म्

10 क इमम् - अनुष्टुप्

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क᳓ इमं᳓ दश᳓भिर् म᳓म
इ᳓न्द्रं क्रीणाति धेनु᳓भिः
यदा᳓ वृत्रा᳓णि ज᳓ङ्घनद्
अ᳓थैनम् मे पु᳓नर् ददत्

11 नू ष्थुत - त्रिष्टुप्

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नू᳐᳓ ष्टुत᳓ इन्दर+ नू᳓ गृणान᳓
इ᳓षं जरित्रे᳓ नदि᳓यो न᳓ पीपेः
अ᳓कारि ते हरिवो ब्र᳓ह्म न᳓व्यं
धिया᳓ सियाम रथि᳓यः सदासाः᳓