०५५

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सायण-भाष्यम्

‘ को वस्त्राता ’ इति दशर्चं दशमं सूक्तं वामदेवस्यार्षं विश्वदेवदेवताकम् । अष्टम्याद्यास्तिस्रो गायत्र्यः शिष्टा अनादेशपरिभाषया त्रिष्टुभः । तथा चानुक्रम्यते -’ को वो दश वैश्वदेवं त्रिगायत्र्यन्तं तु ’ इति । विनियोगो लैङ्गिकः ॥

Jamison Brereton

55 (351)
All Gods
Vāmadeva Gautama
10 verses: triṣṭubh 1–7, gāyatrī 8–10
The only hymn dedicated to the All Gods in Maṇḍala IV, it is clearly a composite hymn in two different meters, divisible into 1–7, 8–10. The last three tacked-on verses are extremely simple; not so the first and more substantial part of the hymn, which is full of difficulties and uncertainties, especially in verses 2 and 6.
This first section opens with questions about identity (vs. 1): who among the gods will protect and defend us, and who (among mortals?) will provide a safe space at the sacrifice for the gods. The hymn provides a number of possible answers to the first question, starting in fact in the first verse: Heaven and Earth, Aditi, Mitra and Varuṇa. All of these recur in subsequent verses, along with others: Night and Dawn (vs. 3); Aryaman, Agni, and Indra and Viṣṇu (vs. 4); the Maruts (vs. 5); in addition to lesser divinities and powers like the Sindhu (vs. 3); Ahi Budhnya (vs. 6); and so on. It is likely that the hymn does not envisage a single answer to the question, though Aditi and the Ādityas continually surface in these verses, and Aditi, Mitra,

and Varuṇa, named in verse 1, are again named in verse 7, which forms a ring with verse 1. Although a clear answer to the first question is not given, the verses describ ing or invoking these named gods’ help are relatively clear (3–5, in addition to 1, 7).
This leaves the second and second-to-last verses (2 and 6), symmetrically paired in this structure. In examining the hymn thus structurally, one can form the hypoth esis that, since the other verses suggest answers to the first question in verse 1, these two verses provide the answer to the second question (1d): “Who will establish wide space for you at the ceremony, o gods?” Although this hypothesis does not solve all the difficulties, especially of the cryptic verse 2, it does offer a means to approach the problems. Certainly verse 2 can be interpreted as the depiction of a dawn sacri fice: the Dawns appear to be the subject of pāda b (discriminators because they mark the boundary between night and day), and the chanters of pāda a can then be the priests. Pāda c can then refer to the distribution of the dakṣiṇā, priestly gifts, at the dawn ritual, and the subjects of pāda d can be the Dawns, the gods present at the sacrifice, or the poets—or all three. The sacrificial context returns, somewhat more clearly, in verse 6, where it seems that the priests reveal the actual sacrificial sub stance in the same manner as the gods revealed the contents of the Vala cave (using the same verb). In both of the “sacrificial” verses, then, it seems that divine charac teristics and mythical exploits are attributed to the presumably mortal participants.
If these speculations about the structure of this hymn are at all correct, it is striking that the gods are identified by name and by role quite clearly, but the rit ual participants are left deliberately unclear. This may be another example of the poets’ reflection on the mystical nature of the sacrifice and of the transformations it effects not only in the sacrificed substance but in the sacrificers themselves, tempo rarily endowing the latter with a touch of divinity.

Jamison Brereton Notes

All Gods For the structure of the hymn and its parts, see published introduction. As indicated there, the first 7 vss. (in Triṣṭubh) are concentrically structured, with the agenda set by the questions posed in vs. 1. There are a number of difficulties, and much remains uncertain. The final three vss. (in Gāyatrī) appear to have originally been a separate hymn, as has long been recognized, and are quite straightforward.

01 को वस्त्राता - त्रिष्टुप्

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को᳓ वस् त्राता᳓ वसवः को᳓ वरूता᳓
द्या᳓वाभूमी अदिते त्रा᳓सिथां° नः
स᳓हीयसो वरुण मित्र म᳓र्तात्
को᳓ वो ऽध्वरे᳓ व᳓रिवो धाति देवाः

02 प्र ये - त्रिष्टुप्

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प्र᳓ ये᳓ धा᳓मानि पूर्विया᳓णि अ᳓र्चान्
वि᳓ य᳓द् उछा᳓न् वियोता᳓रो अ᳓मूराः
विधाता᳓रो वि᳓ ते᳓ दधुर् अ᳓जस्रा
ऋत᳓धीतयो रुरुचन्त दस्माः᳓

03 प्र पस्त्याथ्मदितिम् - त्रिष्टुप्

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प्र᳓ पस्ति᳓याम् अ᳓दितिं सि᳓न्धुम् अर्कइः᳓
सुअस्ति᳓म् ईळे सखिया᳓य देवी᳓म्
उभे᳓ य᳓था नो अ᳓हनी निपा᳓त
उषा᳓सान᳓क्ता करताम् अ᳓दब्धे

04 व्यर्यमा वरुणश्चेति - त्रिष्टुप्

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वि᳓ अर्यमा᳓ व᳓रुणश् चेति प᳓न्थाम्
इष᳓स् प᳓तिः सुवितं᳓ गातु᳓म् अग्निः᳓
इ᳓न्द्राविष्णू नृव᳓द् उ षु᳓ स्त᳓वाना
श᳓र्म नो यन्तम् अ᳓मवद् व᳓रूथम्

05 आ पर्वतस्य - त्रिष्टुप्

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आ᳓ प᳓र्वतस्य मरु᳓ताम् अ᳓वांसि
देव᳓स्य त्रातु᳓र् अवरि भ᳓गस्य
पा᳐᳓त् प᳓तिर् ज᳓नियाद् अं᳓हसो नो
मित्रो᳓ मित्रि᳓याद् उत᳓ न उरुष्येत्

06 नू रोदसी - त्रिष्टुप्

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नू᳓ रोदसी अ᳓हिना बुध्नि᳓येन
स्तुवीत᳓ देवी अ᳓पियेभिर् इष्टइः᳓
समुद्रं᳓ न᳓ संच᳓रणे सनिष्य᳓वो
घर्म᳓स्वरसो नदि᳓यो अ᳓प व्रन्

07 देवैर्नो देव्यदितिर्नि - त्रिष्टुप्

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देवइ᳓र् नो देवी᳓ अ᳓दितिर् नि᳓ पातु
देव᳓स् त्राता᳓ त्रायताम् अ᳓प्रयुछन्
नहि᳓ मित्र᳓स्य व᳓रुणस्य धासि᳓म्
अ᳓र्हामसि प्रमि᳓यं सा᳓नु अग्नेः᳓

08 अग्निरीशे वसव्यस्याग्निर्महः - गायत्री

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अग्नि᳓र् ईशे वसव्य᳡स्य
अग्नि᳓र् महः᳓ सउ᳓भगस्य
ता᳓नि अस्म᳓भ्यं रासते

09 उषो मघोन्या - गायत्री

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उ᳓षो मघोनि आ᳓ वह
सू᳓नृते वा᳓रिया पुरु᳓
अस्म᳓भ्यं वाजिनीवति

10 तत्सु नः - गायत्री

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त᳓त् सु᳓ नः सविता᳓ भ᳓गो
व᳓रुणो मित्रो᳓ अर्यमा᳓
इ᳓न्द्रो नो रा᳓धसा᳓ गमत्