०७८

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सायण-भाष्यम्

‘अश्विनावेह’ इति नवर्चं षष्ठं सूक्तम् । अत्रानुक्रमणिका- अश्विनौ नव सप्तवध्रिस्त्र्युष्णिगादि चतुर्थी त्रिष्टुप्पञ्चानुष्टुभः’ इति । सप्तवध्रिर्नामात्रेय ऋषिः । आदितस्तिस्र उष्णिहश्चतुर्थी त्रिष्टुप् शिष्टाः पञ्चानुष्टुभः । प्रातरनुवाक आश्विने क्रतौ औष्णिहे छन्दसि आश्विने शस्त्रे चाद्यस्तृचो विनियुक्तः । सूत्रितं च - अश्विना वर्तिरस्मदाश्विनावेह गच्छतमिति तृचौ ’ ( आश्व. श्रौ. ४, १५ ) इति । दशरात्रे तृतीयेऽहनि प्रउगशस्त्रेऽयमाश्विनस्तृचः । सूत्रितं च- अश्विनावेह गच्छतमा याह्यद्रिभिः सुतम् ’ ( आश्व. श्रौ. ७. १० ) इति ॥

Jamison Brereton

78 (432)
Aśvins
Saptavadhri Ātreya
9 verses: uṣṇih 1–3, triṣṭubh 4, anuṣṭubh 5–9
In the normal arrangement, hymns of more verses precede those of fewer verses, but this hymn of nine verses follows hymns of five, a discrepancy that suggests that this hymn is either a later addition to the collection or a composite, created of originally separate hymns, or both. Formally and thematically it appears to be a composite. It uses three different meters, unevenly divided among its verses. The first three verses, which invite the Aśvins to the soma-pressing, are all in the same meter, begin with an invocation to the Aśvins, and have a common refrain. They thus form a coherent piece. The last three verses, likewise in the same meter, are an incantation to facilitate childbirth at the proper time. Verse 7 apparently addresses the father of the child, verse 8 the child himself, and verse 9 the Aśvins or whatever other powers might help the childbirth. As Pirart (2001: 330–31) notes, this incantation has parallels at Atharvaveda Śaunaka I.11.6 and Vājasaneyisaṃhitā Mādhyaṃdina VIII.28.
The middle three verses provide a transition from the invocation in verses 1–3 to the incantation in verses 7–9. Verse 4, which alone is in triṣṭubh meter, continues to ask the Aśvins to come, but they are to come not to attend the soma rite but to bring help, as they did when they rescued Atri. Atri’s situation, stuck within the earth cleft and unable to come out, is compared to that of a woman in need, probably a woman in a difficult pregnancy whose child does not come out. Then verses 5–6 likewise compare the situation of Saptavadhri. He too is stuck and needs to be set free by the Aśvins, and his release is similarly compared to the opening of the womb so that a child may be born. The details of Saptavadhri’s difficulty and even Saptavadhri’s identity are unclear—he appears to be Atri in X.39.9 but else
where he is a different seer. According to Sāyaṇa he was trapped in small wooden casket from which the Aśvins set him free, but this narrative is likely a commentarial invention.
The entrapment of these seers, already compared in the telling to the situation of a woman in labor, not only introduce the incantation in the last verses, but also provide paradigmatic narratives for the birth of the child. As the Aśvins released these seers, so they will release the child from the body of his mother.

01 अश्विनावेह गच्छतम् - उष्णिक्

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अ᳓श्विनाव् ए᳓ह᳓ गछतं
ना᳓सत्या मा᳓ वि᳓ वेनतम्
हंसा᳓व् इव पततम् आ᳓ सुताँ᳓ उ᳓प

02 अश्विना हरिणाविव - उष्णिक्

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अ᳓श्विना हरिणा᳓व् इव
गौरा᳓व् इवा᳓नु य᳓वसम्
हंसा᳓व् इव पततम् आ᳓ सुताँ᳓ उ᳓प

03 अश्विना वाजिनीवसू - उष्णिक्

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अ᳓श्विना वाजिनीवसू
जुषे᳓थां यज्ञ᳓म् इष्ट᳓ये
हंसा᳓व् इव पततम् आ᳓ सुताँ᳓ उ᳓प

04 अत्रिर्यद्वामवरोहन्नृबीसमजोहवीन्नाधमानेव योषा - त्रिष्टुप्

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अ᳓त्रिर् य᳓द् वाम् अवरो᳓हन्न् ऋबी᳓सम्
अ᳓जोहवीन् ना᳓धमानेव यो᳓षा
श्येन᳓स्य चिज् ज᳓वसा नू᳓तनेन
अ᳓गछतम् अश्विना शं᳓तमेन

05 वि जिहीष्व - अनुष्टुप्

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वि᳓ जिहीष्व वनस्पते
यो᳓निः सू᳓ष्यन्तिया इव
श्रुत᳓म् मे अश्विना ह᳓वं
सप्त᳓वध्रिं च मुञ्चतम्

06 भीताय नाधमानाय - अनुष्टुप्

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भीता᳓य ना᳓धमानाय
ऋ᳓षये सप्त᳓वध्रये
माया᳓भिर् अश्विना युवं᳓
वृक्षं᳓ सं᳓ च वि᳓ चाचथः

07 यथा वातः - अनुष्टुप्

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य᳓था वा᳓तः पुष्करि᳓णीं
समिङ्ग᳓यति सर्व᳓तः
एवा᳓ ते ग᳓र्भ एजतु
निरइ᳓तु द᳓शमासियः

08 यथा वातो - अनुष्टुप्

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य᳓था वा᳓तो य᳓था व᳓नं
य᳓था समुद्र᳓ ए᳓जति
एवा᳓ त्वं᳓ दशमासिय
सहा᳓वेहि जरा᳓युणा

09 दश मासाञ्छशयानः - अनुष्टुप्

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द᳓श मा᳓साञ् छशयानः᳓
कुमारो᳓ अ᳓धि मात᳓रि
निरइ᳓तु जीवो᳓ अ᳓क्षतो
जीवो᳓ जी᳓वन्तिया अ᳓धि