०४६

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सायण-भाष्यम्

‘हयो न’ इत्यष्टर्चं द्वितीयं सूक्तं प्रतिक्षत्रस्यार्षम् । अष्टमी द्वितीया च त्रिष्टुभौ शिष्टाः षट् जगत्यः । आदितः षड्वैश्वदेव्यः सप्तम्यष्टम्योर्देवपत्न्यो देवता । तथा चानुक्रान्तं - हयोऽष्टौ प्रतिक्षत्रोऽन्त्यो द्वृचो देवपत्नीस्तवोऽन्त्या त्रिष्टुप् द्वितीया च’ इति । सूकविनियोगो लैङ्गिकः ॥

Jamison Brereton

46 (400)
All Gods
Pratikṣatra Ātreya
8 verses: jagatī, except triṣṭubh 2, 8
Renou pronounces this hymn “banal,” and certainly the long enumeration of divin ities, listed with little or no characterization or action, does not engage the audience in the same way that the intricacies of the previous All God hymns in this maṇḍala do. However, there are two features of note in the hymn, and these features have, in our view, a covert connection. The hymn ends with two verses praising the Wives of the Gods in general and particular gods’ wives by title: Indrāṇī, Agnāyī (wife of Agni), Aśvinī, Varuṇānī (vs. 8); the Wives (of the Gods) are also mentioned in verse 2, and other goddesses are also featured in the hymn: Sarasvatī (vs. 2), Aditi (vss. 3, 6), the Waters (vs. 3), the Rivers (vs. 6). The second feature is that the first verse is very different from the rest—the invocation of divinities only begins in verse 2. In verse 1 the 1st-person poet-sacrificer describes himself as hitched to a chariot-pole and, despite the effort involved, does not wish to be released from this yoking.
Now it is certainly possible that the yoking image only refers to the poet-sacrificer’s usual tasks at the sacrifice. However, in conjunction with the emphasis on the gods’ wives (pátnīḥ) later in the hymn, we suggest that what this hymn is ever so delicately concerning itself with is an important and controversial innovation: the introduc
tion of the Sacrificer’s Wife (pátnī) as a necessary participant in the ritual. As has been argued elsewhere (Jamison 2011, forthcoming a and b), though the Sacrificer’s Wife is a fixture already in early middle Vedic ritual (see Jamison 1996a), there is no evidence for her participation in early R̥gvedic ritual. The introduction of the Sacrificer’s Wife in the middle to late R̥gveda (presumably beginning with only one or a few priestly circles) seems to have been, understandably, controversial, and though it is not referred to directly in the text, there are covert arguments, pro and con, in a number of hymns. One of the important images of the new ritual pairing of Sacrificer and Wife is that of a pair of draft-animals jointly yoked to a chariot-pole (e.g., VIII.33.18, X.102.10), pulling the sacrifice together, though with the husband maintaining a slight edge in strength and effort. It seems quite possible that this image is found in verse 1: the male yoked to the pole, pulling a feminine referent (the chariot-pole, which is grammatically feminine, but also secondarily the wife), and with no desire to return to the old state of affairs. The last word in this verse, neṣati “he will lead,” reminds of the priestly title, Neṣṭar “Leader,” the priest whose duty it is to lead the Sacrificer’s Wife around the sacrificial ground in later śrauta ritual; he is already marginally represented in the R̥gveda as a leader of the Wives of the Gods (see especially I.15.3).
If this scenario is correct—that verse 1 represents an argument in favor of the new model of sacrifice including the Sacrificer’s Wife—then the lists of gods that follow might be a form of insurance. Every possible divinity is called upon to wit ness and give tacit approval to the innovation. And the Wives of the Gods, who provide the divine model for the Sacrificer’s Wife, are called on especially insistently to come to the sacrifice and provide their help and support.

Jamison Brereton Notes

All Gods On my hypothesis concerning the reason for this hymn, viz., support for the ritual innovation of the Patnī, see published introduction. Save for the final two vss. devoted to the wives of the gods, there seems no rationale for the deities included or excluded from the enumerative vss. or for the repetition of some and not others.

01 हयो न - जगती

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ह᳓यो न᳓ विद्वाँ᳓ अयुजि स्वयं᳓ धुरि᳓
तां᳓ वहामि प्रत᳓रणीम् अवस्यु᳓वम्
ना᳓स्या वश्मि विमु᳓चं ना᳓वृ᳓तम् पु᳓नर्
विद्वा᳓न् पथः᳓ पुरएत᳓ र्जु᳓ नेषति

02 अग्न इन्द्र - त्रिष्टुप्

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अ᳓ग्न इ᳓न्द्र व᳓रुण मि᳓त्र दे᳓वाः
श᳓र्धः प्र᳓ यन्त मा᳓रुतोत᳓ विष्णो
उभा᳓ ना᳓सत्या रुदरो᳓+ अ᳓ध ग्नाः᳓
पूषा᳓ भ᳓गः स᳓रस्वती जुषन्त

03 इन्द्राग्नी मित्रावरुणादितिम् - जगती

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इन्द्राग्नी᳓ मित्रा᳓व᳓रुणा᳓दितिं सु᳓वः
पृथिवीं᳓ द्या᳓म् मरु᳓तः प᳓र्वताँ अपः᳓
हुवे᳓ वि᳓ष्णुम् पूष᳓णम् ब्र᳓ह्मणस् प᳓तिम्
भ᳓गं नु᳓ शं᳓सं सविता᳓रम् ऊत᳓ये

04 उत नो - जगती

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उत᳓ नो वि᳓ष्णुर् उत᳓ वा᳓तो अस्रि᳓धो
द्रविणोदा᳓ उत᳓ सो᳓मो म᳓यस् करत्
उत र्भ᳓व उत᳓ राये᳓ नो अश्वि᳓ना
उत᳓ त्व᳓ष्टा उत᳓ वि᳓भ्वा᳓नु मंसते

05 उत त्यन्नो - जगती

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उत᳓ त्य᳓न् नो मा᳓रुतं श᳓र्ध आ᳓ गमद्
दिविक्षयं᳓ यजत᳓म् बर्हि᳓र् आस᳓दे
बृ᳓हस्प᳓तिः श᳓र्म पूषो᳓त᳓ नो यमद्
वरूथि᳓यं व᳓रुणो मित्रो᳓ अर्यमा᳓

06 उत त्ये - जगती

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उत᳓ त्ये᳓ नः प᳓र्वतासः सुशस्त᳓यः
सुदीत᳓यो नदि᳓यस् त्रा᳓मणे भुवन्
भ᳓गो विभक्ता᳓ श᳓वसा᳓वसा᳓ गमद्
उरुव्य᳓चा अ᳓दितिः श्रोतु मे ह᳓वम्

07 देवानां पत्नीरुशतीरवन्तु - जगती

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देवा᳓नाम् प᳓त्नीर् उशती᳓र् अवन्तु नः
प्रा᳓वन्तु नस् तुज᳓ये वा᳓जसातये
याः᳓ पा᳓र्थिवासो या᳓ अपा᳓म् अ᳓पि व्रते᳓
ता᳓ नो देवीः सुहवाः श᳓र्म यछत

08 उत ग्ना - त्रिष्टुप्

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उत᳓ ग्ना᳓+++(=देव्यः)+++ व्यन्तु देव᳓पत्नीर्
इन्द्राण्य् अ᳓१᳓ग्ना᳓य्य् अश्वि᳓नी रा᳓ट् ।
आ᳓ रो᳓दसी+++(=लोकौ, मरुत्पत्न्यौ)+++ वरुणानी᳓ शृणोतु
व्य᳓न्तु देवी᳓र् य᳓ ऋतु᳓र् ज᳓नीनाम् ॥