००३

• देवता - अग्निः
• ऋषिः - भरद्वाजो बार्हस्पत्यः
• छन्दः - त्रिष्टुप्

अ꣡ग्ने स꣡ क्षेषद् ऋतपा꣡ ऋतेजा꣡
उरु꣡ ज्यो꣡तिर् नशते देवयु꣡ष् टे
यं꣡ त्व꣡म् मित्रे꣡ण व꣡रुणः सजो꣡षा
दे꣡व पा꣡सि त्य꣡जसा म꣡र्तम् अं꣡हः

Strata
Archaic

Pāda-label
genre M
genre M
genre M
genre M

Morph
ágne ← agní- (nominal stem)
{case:VOC, gender:M, number:SG}

kṣeṣat ← √kṣi- (root)
{number:SG, person:3, mood:SBJV, tense:AOR, voice:ACT}

r̥tapā́ḥ ← r̥tapā́- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

r̥tejā́ḥ ← r̥tejā́- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

sá ← sá- ~ tá- (pronoun)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

devayúḥ ← devayú- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

jyótiḥ ← jyótis- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:N, number:SG}

naśate ← √naś- 1 (root)
{number:SG, person:3, mood:SBJV, tense:AOR, voice:MED}

te ← tvám (pronoun)
{case:DAT, number:SG}

urú ← urú- (nominal stem)
{case:ACC, gender:N, number:SG}

mitréṇa ← mitrá- (nominal stem)
{case:INS, gender:M, number:SG}

sajóṣāḥ ← sajóṣas- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

tvám ← tvám (pronoun)
{case:NOM, number:SG}

váruṇaḥ ← váruṇa- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

yám ← yá- (pronoun)
{case:ACC, gender:M, number:SG}

áṁhaḥ ← áṁhas- (nominal stem)
{case:ABL, gender:N, number:SG}

déva ← devá- (nominal stem)
{case:VOC, gender:M, number:SG}

mártam ← márta- (nominal stem)
{case:ACC, gender:M, number:SG}

pā́si ← √pā- 1 (root)
{number:SG, person:2, mood:IND, tense:PRS, voice:ACT}

tyájasā ← tyájas- (nominal stem)
{case:INS, gender:N, number:SG}

अग्ने॑ । सः । क्षे॒ष॒त् । ऋ॒त॒ऽपाः । ऋ॒ते॒ऽजाः । उ॒रु । ज्योतिः॑ । न॒श॒ते॒ । दे॒व॒ऽयुः । ते॒ ।
यम् । त्वम् । मि॒त्रेण॑ । वरु॑णः । स॒ऽजोषाः॑ । देव॑ । पासि॑ । त्यज॑सा । मर्त॑म् । अंहः॑ ॥

• agne ← agni
• [noun], vocative, singular, masculine
• “fire; Agni; sacrificial fire; digestion; cautery; Plumbago zeylanica; fire; vahni; agni [word]; agnikarman; gold; three; jāraṇa; pyre; fireplace; heating.”

• sa ← tad
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine
• “this; he,she,it (pers. pron.); respective(a); that; nominative; then; particular(a); genitive; instrumental; accusative; there; tad [word]; dative; once; same.”

• kṣeṣad ← kṣeṣat ← kṣi
• [verb], singular, Aorist conj./subj.
• “govern; inhabit; dwell; stay; predominate; bide; own.”

• ṛtapā ← ṛta
• [noun], neuter
• “truth; order; fixed order; ṛta [word]; law; custom; custom.”

• ṛtapā ← pāḥ ← pā
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine
• “protecting.”

• ṛtejā ← ṛtejāḥ ← ṛtejā
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine

• uru
• [noun], accusative, singular, neuter
• “wide; broad; great; uru [word]; much(a); excellent.”

• jyotir ← jyotiḥ ← jyotis
• [noun], accusative, singular, neuter
• “light; star; luminosity; fire; jyotis [word]; digestion; planet; light; sunlight.”

• naśate ← naś
• [verb], singular, Present indikative
• “reach; achieve; enter (a state); reach.”

• devayuṣ ← devayuḥ ← devayu
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine
• “devout; devoted.”

• ṭe ← te ← tvad
• [noun], genitive, singular
• “you.”

• yaṃ ← yam ← yad
• [noun], accusative, singular, masculine
• “who; which; yat [pronoun].”

• tvam ← tvad
• [noun], nominative, singular
• “you.”

• mitreṇa ← mitra
• [noun], instrumental, singular, masculine
• “friend; Mitra; mitra [word]; sun; ally.”

• varuṇaḥ ← varuṇa
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine
• “Varuna; varuṇa [word]; Crataeva religiosa Forst.; Varuṇa; varuṇādi.”

• sajoṣā ← sajoṣāḥ ← sajoṣas
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine
• “consentaneous; combined; associated; united.”

• deva
• [noun], vocative, singular, masculine
• “Deva; Hindu deity; king; deity; Indra; deva [word]; God; Jina; Viśvedevās; mercury; natural phenomenon; gambling.”

• pāsi ← pā
• [verb], singular, Present indikative
• “protect; govern.”

• tyajasā ← tyajas
• [noun], instrumental, singular, neuter

• martam ← marta
• [noun], accusative, singular, masculine
• “man.”

• aṃhaḥ ← aṃhas
• [noun], accusative, singular, neuter
• “trouble; sin.”

हे अग्ने सः यजमानः क्षेषत् क्षियति निवसति । चिरकालं जीवेदित्यर्थः । कीदृशो यजमानः । ऋतपाः ऋतस्य यज्ञस्य पालकः ऋतेजाः यज्ञनिमित्तं जातः । उषित्वा च ते त्वदीयं देवयुः देवानात्मन इच्छन् स यजमानः उरु विस्तीर्णं ज्योतिः सूर्याख्यं नशते प्राप्नोति । हे देव द्योतमानाग्ने यं मर्तं मनुष्यं यजमानं मित्रेण वरुणः । तृतीयार्थे प्रथमा । वरुणेन च सजोषाः सह प्रीयमाणः त्वं त्यजसा त्याजनसाधनेनायुधेन अंहः अंहसः पापात् पासि रक्षसि स यजमानः इति पूर्वत्र संबन्धः ॥

English translation:

“The offerer of sacrifice, born for religious rites, who lives devoted, Agni, to you, obtains abundant light, and is a man whom you, sympathizing in satisfaction with Mitra and Varuṇa, protect by your shield from iniquity.”

Commentary by Sāyaṇa: Ṛgveda-bhāṣya

By your shield, tvajasā: tvāJanasādhanena āyudhena, by a weapon which is the instrumental ument of causing abandonment or escape

O Agni, he who protects the truth and is born in truth will dwell in peace; he who seeks you as god will reach broad light,
that mortal whom you, o god, as Varuṇa in concert with Mitra, protect from narrow straits along with abandonment.

The standard tr. take ṭe with jyótiḥ, i.e., “your light.” Because of its somewhat unusual pāda-final position, however, I construe it rather with immediately preceding devayúṣ “seeking you as god.” The retroflexion in devayúṣ ṭe might have been interpr.

as an indication of constituency and therefore as support for my interpr., but this argument does not hold. For retroflexion of te after a rukified or -fiable -s, cf. I.11.6, 7 (I.131.4, IV.42.7) vidúṣ ṭe, I.48.6 (I.69.7, VIII.24.17) nákiṣ ṭe, I.104.1 (VII.24.1) yóniṣ ṭe, IV.4.3 (VIII.71.8) mā́kiṣ ṭe, IV.10.4 ābhíṣ ṭe, V.38.1 uróṣ ṭe, VI.44.11 (VIII.40.9) pūrvī́ṣ ṭe, VII.3.4 prásitiṣ ṭe, VII. 18.18 rāradhúṣ ṭe, VIII.14.3 dhenúṣ ṭe, VIII.17.6 svādúṣ ṭe, VIII.44.23 syúṣ ṭe, IX.104.4 góbhiṣ ṭe, X.33.7 pitúṣ ṭe, X.38.3 asmā́bhiṣ ṭe, X.56.2 tanū́ṣ ṭe, X.85.40 agníṣ ṭe, X.112.1 ukthébhiṣ ṭe.

Counterexamples: I.80.8 bāhvós te, I.147.2 vandā́rus te, I.163.3 āhús te, III.55.22 niṣṣídhvarīs te, IV.12.1 trís te, IX.79.5 āvis te, IX.86.5 prabhós te [VII.99.7 váṣaṭ te].

In other words, retroflexion is the most common outcome of te after a word ending with a ruki-fiable s, though it is not without exception. Constituency does not seem to play a role, nor (though this is not clear from the examples just assembled) does metrical position: all of the non-rukified examples occur first in their pādas, but rukified examples occur in every sort of metrical position, including, regularly, initial in pāda. See also the data on retroflexion discussed just above ad VI.2.6.

In the 2nd hemistich áṃhaḥ is the most problematic form. In the syntagm pā́si … mártam áṃhaḥ we should like an ablatival reading: “you protect the mortal from narrow straits.” There are several ways to achieve this reading or to configure the form in a syntactically different way. For general disc. of this problem see Oldenberg, ZDMG 55: 280-81, and Schindler, Root noun, pp. 10-11. Grassmann (fld. by Kuiper IIJ 1: 49 [1957]) invents a root noun áṃh- for just this passage, beside the very wellattested s-stem áṃhas-, to which our form could be the abl. Although this solves the immediate problem, inventing a stem for a single occasion otherwise has little to recommend it, and we should in any case expect accent on the ending, *aṃháḥ.

Others take it as an abl. to the s-stem, truncated in some way and at some period. M.

Hale (Fs. Melchert) sees it as an archaic zero-grade abl. to the s-stem, preserved from a pre-proto stage of IE – though he otherwise sets forth quite cogently the arguments against positing the preservation of such archaisms. Wackernagel (AiG III.80) interprets it as a haplology from *áṃhasaḥ, an ad hoc solution that again solves the problem, but rather crudely. Schindler, flg. an oral suggestion of Hoffmann’s (in turn fld by Scarlatta 135, 300), takes it as the acc. it appears to be, governed by a participle to be supplied (he suggests ā́√ṛ, on the basis of V.31.13): “den Sterblichen, den du, O Gott, beschützt, wenn er durch Verlassenheit in Bedrängnis (gerät).” This again takes care of the form, but requires supplying material from nowhere.

I also am inclined to take it as an acc., but not via the same mechanism as Schindler (/Hoffmann), but by way of syntactic ambiguity plus metrical convenience.

I start with the fact that 1) abl. áṃhasaḥ is common with √pā, often final in a Jagatī cadence; in this cycle cf. VI.16.30, 31 (though these two are actually in dimeter cadences) … pāhy áṃhasaḥ#. 2) Another, semantically similar, expression involves áṃhas- and (ví) √muc ‘release’, but this expression can have two different syntactic realizations: personal ACC. + ABL. of the danger, or ACC of danger + personal ABL.

Cf., e.g., I.118.6 ámuñcatam vártikām áṃhaso níḥ “you two released the quail from áṃhas-” versus II.28.6 (etc.) vatsā́d ví mumugdhy áṃhaḥ “release áṃhas- from the calf.” The same duality of construction is found with √pṛ ‘carry across, rescue’. Cf. in the next hymn VI.4.8 párṣy áṃhaḥ “carry (us) across narrow straits” versus VII.16.10 tā́n áṃhasaḥ piprhi ̥ “rescue them from narrow straits.” I suggest that here we have a blend of these constructions extended to semantically similar √pā. The person remains in the ACC., but the danger is put into the ACC. as well. The similarity of the expression here … pā́si … áṃhaḥ# and, in the next hymn, VI.4.8 párṣi áṃhaḥ# may have contributed. And I don’t think we should discount metrical convenience: the expected abl. áṃhasaḥ is fine for a Jagatī cadence but doesn’t fit a Triṣṭubh cadence like this one, whereas áṃhaḥ is quite common in Triṣṭubh cadences.

So if the poet can find a syntactically principled way to use acc. áṃhaḥ here, he will — and, in my opinion, he did. Note also áṃho mártam in the next vs. (2d), the same words in opposite order to our mártam áṃhaḥ, as well as áṃhaḥ in the previous hymn, VI.2.4.

A less pressing problem is how to construe the instr. tyájasā. In the Hoffmann/Schindler interpr., it is simply construed with the invented participle: “wenn er durch Verlassenheit in Bedrängnis (gerät).” Both Geldner and Renou take it as the cause leading to áṃhaḥ, e.g., Geldner “… vor Not infolge einer Unterlassungssünde,” but Geldner suggests in a n. (1) that it could be an instr. of accompaniment with áṃhaḥ (“vor Not und Sünde”). That is the tack I adopt here, but I consider tyájas- as something that might befall the hapless mortal rather than something he might commit (like Sünde) and bring about his bad fortune. On the semantics of tyájas- here and elsewhere in the RV, see Oldenberg, ZDMG 55.280-82.

TRUE, guardian of the Law, thy faithful servant wins ample light and dwells in peace, O Agni,
Whom thou, as Varuna in accord with Mitra, guardest, O God, by banishing his trouble.

Agni! Friedlich wird er wohnen, die Wahrheit hütend, in der Wahrheit geboren, dein weites Licht wird der gottergebene Sterbliche erlangen, den du, ein Varuna vereint mit Mitra, vor Not infolge einer Unterlassungssünde schützest, o Gott.

Der wohnt in Frieden, Agni, dir ergeben, der glänzet weit, wer fromm ist, fromm verbleibet, Wen du, o Gott, und Varuna mit Mitra vereint beschirmst durch kräft’ge That vor Unglück.

О Агни,, будет жить в мире, храня закон, рожденный в законе,
(И) достигнет твоего широкого света, преданный богам,
Тот смертный, кого ты (как) Варуна, единодушный с Митрой,
О бог, хранишь от беды, вызванной отречением.

• अग्निः
• भरद्वाजो बार्हस्पत्यः
• त्रिष्टुप्
• धैवतः

अब आठ ऋचावाले तीसरे सूक्त का आरम्भ है, उसके प्रथम मन्त्र में फिर विद्वानों को क्या करना चाहिये, इस विषय को कहते हैं ॥

पदार्थान्वयभाषाः - हे (देव) सुख के देनेवाले (अग्ने) बिजुली के सदृश तेजस्वी विद्वान् जैसे (ऋतपाः) सत्य का पालन करने और (ऋतेजाः) सत्य में प्रकट होनेवाला सूर्य्य (उरु) बड़े (ज्योतिः) प्रकाश को (नशते) प्राप्त होता है, वैसे (देवयुः) विद्वानों की कामना करता हुआ (ते) आपके (मित्रेण) मित्र के सहित (वरुणः) श्रेष्ठ (सजोषाः) तुल्य प्रीति का सेवन करनेवाला वर्त्तमान है और (यम्) जिस (अंहः) अपराधी (मर्त्तम्) मनुष्य की (त्वम्) आप (त्यजसा) त्याग से (पासि) रक्षा करते हो (सः) वह पुण्यात्मा होता हुआ (क्षेषत्) निवास करता है ॥१॥

भावार्थभाषाः - इस मन्त्र में वाचकलुप्तोपमालङ्कार है । जैसे ईश्वर से रचा गया सूर्य्य सम्पूर्ण जगत् को प्रकाशित करता है, वैसे ही विद्वानों के सङ्ग से हुए विद्वान् सब के आत्माओं को प्रकाशित करते हैं और जैसे सूर्य्य अन्धकार का नाश करके दिन को प्रकट करता है, वैसे ही विद्या को प्राप्त हुआ धार्मिक विद्वान् अविद्या का नाश करके विद्या को प्रकट करता है ॥१॥

अन्वय: हे देवाग्ने ! यथर्तपा ऋतेजाः सूर्य उरु ज्योतिर्नशते तथा देवयुस्संस्ते मित्रेण सहितो वरुणः सजोषा वर्त्तते यमंहो मर्त्तं त्वं त्यजसा पासि स पुण्यात्मा सन् क्षेषत् ॥१॥

पुनर्विद्वद्भिः किं कर्त्तव्यमित्याह ॥

पदार्थान्वयभाषाः - (अग्ने) विद्युदिव तेजस्विन् विद्वन् (सः) (क्षेषत्) निवसति (ऋतपाः) य ऋतं सत्यं पाति (ऋतेजाः) य ऋते सत्ये जायते (उरु) बहु (ज्योतिः) प्रकाशम् (नशते) प्राप्नोति (देवयुः) देवान् कामयमानः (ते) तव (यम्) (त्वम्) (मित्रेण) सख्या (वरुणः) वरः (सजोषाः) समानप्रीतिसेवी (देव) सुखप्रदातः (पासि) रक्षसि (त्यजसा) त्यागेन (मर्त्तम्) मनुष्यम् (अंहः) पापम्। अपराधरूपम् ॥१॥

भावार्थभाषाः - अत्र वाचकलुप्तोपमालङ्कारः । यथेश्वरेण सृष्टः सूर्य्यः सर्वं जगत् प्रकाशयति तथैव विदुषां सङ्गेन जाता विद्वांसो सर्वेषामात्मनः प्रकाशयन्ति यथा सूर्य्यस्तमो हत्वा दिनं जनयति तथैव जातविद्यो धार्मिको विद्वानविद्यां हत्वा विद्यां प्रकटयति ॥१॥

या सूक्तात अग्नी व विद्वान यांच्या गुणांचे वर्णन असल्यामुळे या सूक्ताच्या अर्थाची यापूर्वीच्या सूक्तार्थाबरोबर संगती जाणावी.

भावार्थभाषाः - या मंत्रात वाचकलुप्तोपमालंकार आहे. जसा ईश्वराने निर्माण केलेला सूर्य संपूर्ण जगाला प्रकाशित करतो तसे विद्वानांच्या संगतीने तयार झालेले विद्वान सर्वांच्या आत्म्यांना प्रकाशित करतात व जसा सूर्य अंधकार नष्ट करून दिवस उत्पन्न करतो तसे विद्याप्राप्ती केलेले धार्मिक विद्वान अविद्येचा नाश करून विद्या प्रकट करतात. ॥ १ ॥

• देवता - अग्निः
• ऋषिः - भरद्वाजो बार्हस्पत्यः
• छन्दः - त्रिष्टुप्

ईजे꣡ यज्ञे꣡भिः शशमे꣡ श꣡मीभिर्
ऋध꣡द्वाराय अग्न꣡ये ददाश
एवा꣡ चन꣡ तं꣡ यश꣡साम् अ꣡जुष्टिर्
नां꣡हो म꣡र्तं नशते न꣡ प्र꣡दृप्तिः

Strata
Archaic

Pāda-label
genre M
genre M
genre M
genre M

Morph
ījé ← √yaj- (root)
{number:SG, person:3, mood:IND, tense:PRF, voice:MED}

śámībhiḥ ← śámī- (nominal stem)
{case:INS, gender:F, number:PL}

śaśamé ← √śamⁱ- (root)
{number:SG, person:3, mood:IND, tense:PRF, voice:MED}

yajñébhiḥ ← yajñá- (nominal stem)
{case:INS, gender:M, number:PL}

agnáye ← agní- (nominal stem)
{case:DAT, gender:M, number:SG}

dadāśa ← √dāś- (root)
{number:SG, person:3, mood:IND, tense:PRF, voice:ACT}

r̥dhádvārāya ← r̥dhádvāra- (nominal stem)
{case:DAT, gender:M, number:SG}

ájuṣṭiḥ ← ájuṣṭi- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:F, number:SG}

caná ← caná (invariable)
{}

evá ← evá (invariable)
{}

tám ← sá- ~ tá- (pronoun)
{case:ACC, gender:M, number:SG}

yaśásām ← yaśás- (nominal stem)
{case:GEN, gender:M, number:PL}

áṁhaḥ ← áṁhas- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:N, number:SG}

mártam ← márta- (nominal stem)
{case:ACC, gender:M, number:SG}

ná ← ná (invariable)
{}

ná ← ná (invariable)
{}

naśate ← √naś- 1 (root)
{number:SG, person:3, mood:SBJV, tense:AOR, voice:MED}

prádr̥ptiḥ ← prádr̥pti- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:F, number:SG}

ई॒जे । य॒ज्ञेभिः॑ । श॒श॒मे । शमी॑भिः । ऋ॒धत्ऽवा॑राय । अ॒ग्नये॑ । द॒दा॒श॒ ।
ए॒व । च॒न । तम् । य॒शसा॑म् । अजु॑ष्टिः । न । अंहः॑ । मर्त॑म् । न॒श॒ते॒ । न । प्रऽदृ॑प्तिः ॥

• īje ← yaj
• [verb], singular, Perfect indicative
• “sacrifice; worship; worship.”

• yajñebhiḥ ← yajña
• [noun], instrumental, plural, masculine
• “yajña; religious ceremony; Vishnu; yajña [word]; Yajña; Shiva.”

• śaśame ← śam
• [verb], singular, Perfect indicative
• “calm; go out; end; die; pacify; heal; labor; make peace; rest.”

• śamībhir ← śamībhiḥ ← śamī
• [noun], instrumental, plural, feminine
• “Prosopis spicigera Linn.; śamī [word]; Acacia sundra; attempt; labor.”

• ṛdhadvārāyāgnaye ← ṛdhat ← ṛdh
• [verb noun]
• “boom; stick to.”

• ṛdhadvārāyāgnaye ← vārāya ← vāra
• [noun], dative, singular, masculine
• “treasure; choice.”

• ṛdhadvārāyāgnaye ← agnaye ← agni
• [noun], dative, singular, masculine
• “fire; Agni; sacrificial fire; digestion; cautery; Plumbago zeylanica; fire; vahni; agni [word]; agnikarman; gold; three; jāraṇa; pyre; fireplace; heating.”

• dadāśa ← dāś
• [verb], singular, Perfect indicative
• “sacrifice; give.”

• evā ← eva
• [adverb]
• “indeed; merely; thus; even; surely; same; eva [word]; successively; immediately; in truth.”

• cana
• [adverb]
• “not even; cana [word].”

• taṃ ← tam ← tad
• [noun], accusative, singular, masculine
• “this; he,she,it (pers. pron.); respective(a); that; nominative; then; particular(a); genitive; instrumental; accusative; there; tad [word]; dative; once; same.”

• yaśasām ← yaśas
• [noun], genitive, plural, masculine
• “esteemed; celebrated; glorious; honorable.”

• ajuṣṭir ← ajuṣṭiḥ ← ajuṣṭi
• [noun], nominative, singular, feminine

• nāṃho ← na
• [adverb]
• “not; like; no; na [word].”

• nāṃho ← aṃhaḥ ← aṃhas
• [noun], nominative, singular, neuter
• “trouble; sin.”

• martaṃ ← martam ← marta
• [noun], accusative, singular, masculine
• “man.”

• naśate ← naś
• [verb], singular, Present indikative
• “reach; achieve; enter (a state); reach.”

• na
• [adverb]
• “not; like; no; na [word].”

• pradṛptiḥ ← pradṛpti
• [noun], nominative, singular, feminine

यः यजमानः ऋधद्वाराय ऋधत्समृद्धं वारं वरणीयं धनं यस्य तादृशाय अग्नये ददाश हवींषि ददाति स यजमानः यज्ञेभिः सवैर्यज्ञैः ईजे इष्टवान् भवति । तथा शमीभिः कर्मभिः कृच्छ्रचान्द्रायणादिभिः शशमे शान्तश्च भवति । आग्नेयेन यागेन सर्वं फलं लभत इत्यर्थः। अपि च तं यजमानं यशसां यशस्विनां पुत्राणाम् अजुष्टिः अप्राप्तिः न एव नशते नैव प्राप्नोति । पुत्रवान् भवत्येवेत्यर्थः । तथा मर्तं मनुष्यं तम् अंहः पापं न नशते । तथा प्रदृप्तिः अनर्थहेतुः प्रदर्पश्च तं न प्राप्नोति ॥

English translation:

“He who has presented (oblations) to Agni, the possessor of desired (wealth), sacrifices with (all) sacrifices, and is sanctified by (all) holy acts; him, the wand of excellent (posterity) does not afflict, nor does sin or pride affect a mortal.”

He has sacrificed with sacrifices, he has labored with ritual labors; for Agni who brings wishes to success he has performed pious work—
so the displeasure of eminent ones will never reach that mortal, nor will narrow straits, nor delusion.

As Geldner points out, pāda a recalls VI.1.9a with īje śaśamé as here; the addition of ṛdhát- in pāda b also recalls VI.2.4a ṛ́dhat … śaśámate. In fact, the diction of the first hymns in this Agni cycle is very similar; cf. e.g., the repetition of áṃhas- (VI.2.3, 11; 3.1.2, 4.8), the use of the verb √naś (ā́naṭ VI.1.9, aśyām VI.1.13, naśat 2.5, naśate 3.1, 2, aśyā́ma 4x 5.7), etc. Other echoes have been treated elsewhere in the comm. The two forms of naśate in these first two vss. express mirror images: the first (1b) has the virtuous mortal as subject, suitably rewarded by attaining the light; the 2nd (2d) has the same mortal as object, with the verb negated, to express the evils that will not reach the mortal.

He hath paid sacrifices, toiled in worship, and offered gifts to wealth-increasing Agni.
Him the displeasure of the famous moves not, outrage and scorn affect not such a mortal.

Er hat ihm Opfer geopfert, mit Opferdienst gedient, dem wunscherfüllenden Agni reichlich gespendet. So trifft den Sterblichen weder das Mißfallen der Angesehenen, noch Not, noch Verblendung.

Wer Opfer opfernd und mit Werken wirkend, dem Gütermehrer Agni stets gedient hat, Den Mann trifft nie der Angesehnen Misgunst, Bedrängniss nicht, noch freche Ueberhebung.

Он пожертвовал жертвы, потрудился трудами (праведными),
Почтил Агни, умножающего избранные дары.
В таком случае этого смертного никогда не настигнет
Ни недовольство видных (людей), ни нужда, ни безумие.

• अग्निः
• भरद्वाजो बार्हस्पत्यः
• निचृत्त्रिष्टुप्
• धैवतः

फिर उसी विषय को कहते हैं ॥

पदार्थान्वयभाषाः - जो विद्वान् (यज्ञेभिः) विद्वानों की सेवा और सत्य भाषण आदिकों के साथ (ईजे) उत्तम प्रकार मिलता है और (शमीभिः) शुभ कर्म्मों से (शशमे) शान्त होता है (ऋधद्वाराय) उत्तम प्रकार बढ़ानेवाला सत्य स्वीकार करने योग्य व्यवहार जिसका उस (अग्नये) अग्नि के सदृश वर्त्तमान सुपात्र के लिये (ददाश) देता है (तम्) उसको (एवा) ही (चन) निश्चय से (मर्त्तम्) मनुष्य को और (यशसाम्) धनों वा अन्नों का (अजुष्टिः) असेवन (न) जैसे वैसे (अंहः) अपराध (न) नहीं (नशते) प्राप्त होता है और (प्रदृप्तिः) अत्यन्त मोह प्राप्त होता है ॥२॥

भावार्थभाषाः - इस मन्त्र में उपमालङ्कार है। जो सत्यभाषण आदि धर्म्म के अनुष्ठान करनेवाले योगी अभय देनेवाले हैं, वे पाप और मोह का त्याग करके विज्ञान को प्राप्त होकर सुखी होते हैं ॥२॥

अन्वय: यो विद्वान् यज्ञेभिरीजे शमीभिः शशमे। ऋधद्वारायाऽग्नये ददाश तमेवा चन मर्त्तं यशसामजुष्टिर्नांहो न नशते प्रदृप्तिः प्राप्नोति ॥२॥

पुनस्तमेव विषयमाह ॥

पदार्थान्वयभाषाः - (ईजे) सङ्गच्छते (यज्ञेभिः) विद्वत्सेवासत्यभाषणादिभिः (शशमे) शाम्यति (शमीभिः) शुभैः कर्मभिः (ऋधद्वाराय) ऋधत्संवर्धकः सत्यो वारस्स्वीकरणीयो व्यवहारो यस्य तस्मै (अग्नये) अग्निरिव वर्त्तमानाय सुपात्राय (ददाश) ददाति (एवा) अत्र निपातस्य चेति दीर्घः। (चन) अपि (तम्) (यशसाम्) धनानामन्नानां वा (अजुष्टिः) असेवनम् (न) इव (अंहः) अपराधः पापम् (मर्त्तम्) मनुष्यम् (नशते) प्राप्नोति (न) निषेधे (प्रदृप्तिः) प्रकृष्टो मोहः ॥२॥

भावार्थभाषाः - अत्रोपमालङ्कारः । ये सत्यभाषणादिधर्मानुष्ठाना योगिनोऽभयदातारः सन्ति ते पापं मोहं च त्यक्त्वा विज्ञानं प्राप्य सुखिनो भवन्ति ॥२॥

भावार्थभाषाः - या मंत्रात उपमालंकार आहे. जे सत्यभाषण इत्यादी धर्माचे अनुष्ठान करणारे, योगी, अभय देणारे असतात ते पाप व मोहाचा त्याग करून विज्ञान प्राप्त करून सुखी होतात. ॥ २ ॥

• देवता - अग्निः
• ऋषिः - भरद्वाजो बार्हस्पत्यः
• छन्दः - त्रिष्टुप्

सू꣡रो न꣡ य꣡स्य दृशति꣡र् अरेपा꣡
भीमा꣡ य꣡द् ए꣡ति शुचत꣡स् त आ꣡ धीः꣡
हे꣡षस्वतः शुरु꣡धो ना꣡य꣡म् अक्तोः꣡
कु꣡त्रा चिद् रण्वो꣡ वसति꣡र् वनेजाः꣡

Strata
Archaic

Pāda-label
genre M
genre M
genre M
genre M

Morph
arepā́ḥ ← arepás- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:F, number:SG}

dr̥śatíḥ ← dr̥śatí- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:F, number:SG}

ná ← ná (invariable)
{}

sū́raḥ ← sū́ra- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

yásya ← yá- (pronoun)
{case:GEN, gender:M, number:SG}

ā́ ← ā́ (invariable)
{}

bhīmā́ ← bhīmá- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:F, number:SG}

dhī́ḥ ← dhī́- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:F, number:SG}

éti ← √i- 1 (root)
{number:SG, person:3, mood:IND, tense:PRS, voice:ACT}

śucatáḥ ← √śuc- (root)
{case:GEN, gender:M, number:SG, tense:AOR, voice:ACT}

te ← tvám (pronoun)
{case:DAT, number:SG}

yát ← yá- (pronoun)
{case:NOM, gender:N, number:SG}

aktóḥ ← aktú- (nominal stem)
{case:GEN, gender:M, number:SG}

ayám ← ayám (pronoun)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

héṣasvataḥ ← héṣasvant- (nominal stem)
{case:ACC, gender:M, number:PL}

ná ← ná (invariable)
{}

śurúdhaḥ ← śurúdh- (nominal stem)
{case:ACC, gender:M, number:PL}

cit ← cit (invariable)
{}

kútra ← kútra (invariable)
{}

raṇváḥ ← raṇvá- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

vanejā́ḥ ← vanejā́- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

vasatíḥ ← vasatí- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:F, number:SG}

सूरः॑ । न । यस्य॑ । दृ॒श॒तिः । अ॒रे॒पाः । भी॒मा । यत् । एति॑ । शु॒च॒तः । ते॒ । आ । धीः ।
हेष॑स्वतः । शु॒रुधः॑ । न । अ॒यम् । अ॒क्तोः । कुत्र॑ । चि॒त् । र॒ण्वः । व॒स॒तिः । व॒ने॒ऽजाः ॥

• sūro ← sūraḥ ← svar
• [adverb]
• “sun; sky; sunlight.”

• na
• [adverb]
• “not; like; no; na [word].”

• yasya ← yad
• [noun], genitive, singular, masculine
• “who; which; yat [pronoun].”

• dṛśatir ← dṛśatiḥ ← dṛśati
• [noun], nominative, singular, feminine

• arepā ← arepāḥ ← arepas
• [noun], nominative, singular, feminine
• “immaculate.”

• bhīmā ← bhīma
• [noun], nominative, singular, feminine
• “awful; amazing; terrific; enormous; bhīma [word]; fearful.”

• yad ← yat
• [adverb]
• “once [when]; because; that; if; how.”

• eti ← i
• [verb], singular, Present indikative
• “go; travel; enter (a state); return; walk; continue; reach; ask.”

• śucatas ← śucataḥ ← śuc
• [verb noun], genitive, singular
• “mourn; grieve; flame; glow; burn; repent.”

• ta ← te ← tvad
• [noun], genitive, singular
• “you.”

• ā
• [adverb]
• “towards; ākāra; until; ā; since; according to; ā [suffix].”

• dhīḥ ← dhī
• [noun], nominative, singular, feminine
• “intelligence; prayer; mind; insight; idea; hymn; purpose; art; knowledge.”

• heṣasvataḥ ← heṣasvat
• [noun], genitive, singular, masculine

• śurudho ← śurudhaḥ ← śurudh
• [noun], accusative, plural, feminine

• nāyam ← na
• [adverb]
• “not; like; no; na [word].”

• nāyam ← ayam ← idam
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine
• “this; he,she,it (pers. pron.); here.”

• aktoḥ ← aktu
• [noun], genitive, singular, masculine
• “night; dark; beam.”

• kutrā ← kutra
• [adverb]

• cid ← cit
• [adverb]
• “even; indeed.”

• raṇvo ← raṇvaḥ ← raṇva
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine
• “agreeable; happy; delightful; gay.”

• vasatir ← vasatiḥ ← vasati
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine

• vanejāḥ ← vanejā
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine

सूरो न सूर्यस्येव यस्य अग्नेः दृशतिः दर्शनम् अरेपाः पापरहितम् । हे अग्ने यत् यस्य ते तव शुचतः ज्वलतः धीः धारयित्री ज्वाला भीमा भयंकरा सती आ समन्तात् एति गच्छति । यः अयम् अग्निः हेषस्वतः शब्दयुक्ता: शुरुधो न शुचः शोकस्य रोधयित्रीर्गाश्च अक्तोः । अक्तुरिति रात्रिनाम । तेन च तंत्र संचारी राक्षसादिर्लक्ष्यते । राक्षसादेः स्वभूता ददातीति शेषः । सोऽयं वसतिः सर्वेषामावासभूतः वनेजाः अरण्ये जायमानः कुत्रा चित् क्वचिदेव स्थाने पर्वताग्रादौ रण्वः रमणीयो भवति ॥

English translation:

“When the fearful flames of you, whose appearance is (as) faultless as (that of) the sun, spread on every side as (if they were) the lowing heifers of the night, then this Agni, the asylum of all, genitive rated in the woods, is everywhere beautiful.”

Commentary by Sāyaṇa: Ṛgveda-bhāṣya

Spread on every side…: heṣasvataḥ śurudho na ayam aktoḥ kutrā cid raṇvaḥ: śurudhaḥ = obstructors, or removers of sorrow, i.e., cows; śokasya rodhayitr. gāḥ;

Aktu = night;

Pur = night-walkers, rākṣasas rākṣasādeḥ svabhūtā dadāti: she, night, gives them their properties;

Raṇvaḥ = an epithet of ayam, this, Agni, ramaṇīya = agreeable, beautiful

(You) whose appearance is spotless like that of the sun: when your fearsome insight comes here as you blaze,
rich spoils (become yours), since (you are) armed. (But) on his own this one here [=you, Agni], born in the wood(s), is sometimes a cozy nest.

This vs., esp. its 2nd half, bristles with difficulties and has been interpr. in an exhausting variety of ways (not only the usual tr., but also, e.g., Oldenberg at length in ZDMG 55.283-84=KlSch 742-43; Thieme Unters.; Lüders, AcOr 13 [=Phil.Ind.]; Scarlatta 146-47; Gonda, Ved.Lit. 219). I will not treat these other interpr. in detail, but merely lay out my own, which is in closest agreement with Lüders (“Ved. heṣant-…,” Philol. Ind.: 781ff.) through the first half of c. The general point of the vs. seems to be, as often, to contrast the fearsome and militant aspects of Agni with his benign ones.

It might also be pointed out that pāda a, which is the most straightforward part of the vs., has a bad cadence that is not easily fixable; in fact it presents an unusual sequence of 5 light syllables: (sū́ro ná yá)sya dṛśatír a(repā́). I do not see any way to make -tír heavy. The first question, in the relatively transparent 1st hemistich, is what bhīmā́ modifies. Though Geldner and Renou take it with dṛśatíḥ – that is, Agni’s appearance is both spotless (arepā́) and fearsome – the pāda boundary weakly suggests that bhīmā́ should be construed with the other fem., namely dhī́ḥ. On the assumption that this dhī́- is Agni’s, bhīmā́identifies the dhī́- with the violent side of Agni.

In c, with Geldner and Lüders inter alia, I assume that a new clause begins with nā́yám and, also with Lüders, that héṣasvant- means ‘possessing arms, armed’. The opening of this pāda héṣasvataḥ śurúdhaḥ then is a nominal clause, with the gen. héṣasvataḥ expressing possession. Cf. III.38.5 imā́asya śurúdhaḥ santi pūrvī́ḥ “here are his many proliferating riches”; sim. IV.23.8 ṛtásya hí śurúdhaḥ sánti pūrvī́ḥ “Of truth there exist many riches.” The rich spoils that fall to Agni are presumbly the various materials he burns.

The published translation importantly omits aktóḥ. It should be corrected to “(But) on his own, by night, this one here …” This temporal adverb implicit contrasts with sū́ro ná of pāda a. That is, the appearance of the militant Agni is compared to the sun, the light of day, whereas the benign Agni described in the second half of c + d is a phenomenon of night.

On the famous crux nā́yám see comm. ad VIII.2.28 and my 2013 Fs. Hock article. Pace Thieme (1949: 51-52) and Lubotsky, who classifies this passage separately, I believe that nā́yám here belongs with the other occurrences of this syntagm.

The adj. raṇvá- recurs here from VI.2.7. On its indirect association with ‘home, dwelling’ in that passage and its direct associations elsewhere, see comm. ad loc. Here it might be better to render the phrase raṇvó vasatíḥ as “delightful dwelling” rather than “cozy nest” to bring out the echoes with the passage in the previous hymn.

I take kútrā cid as temporal rather than spatial.

Bright God, whose look is free from stain like Surya’s, thou, swift, what time thou earnestly desirest,
Hast gear to give us. Come with joy at evening, where, Child of Wood, thou mayest also tarry.

Dessen Anblick fleckenlos wie die Sonne, furchtbar, wenn deine, des Glühenden, Hastigen Absicht auf Beute ausgeht, derselbe ist des Nachts überall ein angenehmer Hausbewohner, der Holzgeborene.

Wenn strahlenreich mit hehrem Glanz du nahest, ganz fleckenlos an Aussehn wie die Sonne, Dann gleichst du nächtlich Pfeil-versehnen Helden; stets lieblich ist dein waldentsprungner Wohnsitz.

Чей вид лишен пятен, как у солнца,
(И) страшен, когда у тебя, пылающего, ревущего, замысел
Устремляется к добыче – (тот) ночью не таков:
Веселый, где бы ни было (его) жилье, он рожден в дереве.

• अग्निः
• भरद्वाजो बार्हस्पत्यः
• त्रिष्टुप्
• धैवतः

फिर विद्वानों की बुद्धि कैसी होती है, इस विषय को कहते हैं ॥

पदार्थान्वयभाषाः - हे विद्वन् ! (यस्य) जिन (हेषस्वतः) प्रसिद्ध शब्द विद्यमान जिसके उन (शुचतः) शोक से व्याकुल (ते) आपका (यत्) जो (दृशतिः) दर्शन और (अरेपाः) पाप से रहित और (भीमा) भयकारक (धीः) बुद्धि (सूरः) सूर्य्य के (न) जैसे वैसे (आ, एति) प्राप्त होती है उसका (अयम्) यह (शुरुधः) अन्धकार को नाश करनेवाले तेज का धारण करनेवाला सूर्य्य (अक्तोः) रात्रि का दूर करनेवाला (न) जैसे वैसे (कुत्रा) (चित्) कहीं भी (रण्वः) सुन्दर (वनेजाः) किरणों के समुदाय में उत्पन्न होने और (वसतिः) निवास करनेवाला वर्त्तमान है, उसकी हम लोग सेवा करें ॥३॥

भावार्थभाषाः - इस मन्त्र में उपमालङ्कार है। जिस विद्वान् की सूर्य्य की ज्योति वा बिजुली के सदृश बुद्धि है, वही सम्पूर्ण, जितना योग्य उतने, विज्ञान को प्राप्त होता है ॥३॥

अन्वय: हे विद्वन् ! यस्य हेषस्वतः शुचतस्ते यद्या दृशतिररेपा भीमा धीस्सूरो न आ एति तस्याऽयं शुरुधोऽक्तोर्निवर्त्तको न कुत्रा चिद्रण्वो वनेजा वसतिर्वत्तते तं वयं सेवेमहि ॥३॥

पुनर्विदुषां बुद्धिः कीदृशी भवतीत्याह ॥

पदार्थान्वयभाषाः - (सूरः) सूर्य्यः (न) इव (यस्य) (दृशातिः) दर्शनम् (अरेपाः) निष्पापः (भीमा) भयङ्करीः (यत्) या (एति) प्राप्नोति (शुचतः) शोकातुरस्य (ते) (आ) (धीः) प्रज्ञाः (हेषस्वतः) हेषाः प्रसिद्धाः शब्दा विद्यन्ते यस्य तस्य (शुरुधः) यः शुरुमन्धकारहिंसकं तेजो दधाति स सूर्य्यः (न) इव (अयम्) (अक्तोः) रात्रेः (कुत्रा) (चित्) अपि (रण्वः) रमणीयः (वसतिः) यो निवसति सः (वनेजाः) किरणसमुदाये जायते सः ॥३॥

भावार्थभाषाः - अत्रोपमालङ्कारः । यस्य विदुषः सूर्य्यस्य ज्योतिरिव वा विद्युदिव प्रज्ञा वर्त्तते स एव समग्रं यावद्योग्यं तावद्विज्ञानं प्राप्नोति ॥३॥

भावार्थभाषाः - या मंत्रात उपमालंकार आहे. ज्या विद्वानाची बुद्धी सूर्याच्या ज्योतीप्रमाणे किंवा विद्युल्लतेप्रमाणे असते तो संपूर्ण किंवा जितके योग्य असेल तितके विज्ञान प्राप्त करतो. ॥ ३ ॥

• देवता - अग्निः
• ऋषिः - भरद्वाजो बार्हस्पत्यः
• छन्दः - त्रिष्टुप्

तिग्मं꣡ चिद् ए꣡म म꣡हि व꣡र्पो अस्य
भ꣡सद् अ꣡श्वो न꣡ यमसान꣡ आसा꣡
विजे꣡हमानः परशु꣡र् न꣡ जिह्वां꣡
द्रवि꣡र् न꣡ द्रावयति दा꣡रु ध꣡क्षत्

Strata
Archaic

Pāda-label
genre M
genre M
genre M
genre M

Morph
asya ← ayám (pronoun)
{case:GEN, gender:M, number:SG}

cit ← cit (invariable)
{}

éma ← éman- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:N, number:SG}

máhi ← máh- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:N, number:SG}

tigmám ← tigmá- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:N, number:SG}

várpaḥ ← várpas- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:N, number:SG}

āsā́ ← ā́s- (nominal stem)
{case:INS, gender:N, number:SG}

áśvaḥ ← áśva- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

bhásat ← √bhas- (root)
{number:SG, person:3, mood:SBJV, tense:AOR, voice:ACT}

ná ← ná (invariable)
{}

yamasānáḥ ← yamasāná- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

jihvā́m ← jihvā́- (nominal stem)
{case:ACC, gender:F, number:SG}

ná ← ná (invariable)
{}

paraśúḥ ← paraśú- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

vijéhamānaḥ ← √jeh- (root)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG, tense:PRS, voice:MED}

dā́ru ← dā́ru- (nominal stem)
{case:ACC, gender:N, number:SG}

dhákṣat ← √dah- (root)
{case:NOM, gender:N, number:SG, tense:AOR, voice:ACT}

drāvayati ← √dru- (root)
{number:SG, person:3, mood:IND, tense:PRS, voice:ACT}

dravíḥ ← draví- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

ná ← ná (invariable)
{}

ति॒ग्मम् । चि॒त् । एम॑ । महि॑ । वर्पः॑ । अ॒स्य॒ । भस॑त् । अश्वः॑ । न । य॒म॒सा॒नः । आ॒सा ।
वि॒ऽजेह॑मानः । प॒र॒शुः । न । जि॒ह्वाम् । द्र॒विः । न । द्र॒व॒य॒ति॒ । दारु॑ । धक्ष॑त् ॥

• tigmaṃ ← tigmam ← tigma
• [noun], nominative, singular, neuter
• “sharp; pointed; fiery.”

• cid ← cit
• [adverb]
• “even; indeed.”

• ema ← eman
• [noun], nominative, singular, neuter

• mahi
• [noun], nominative, singular, neuter
• “great; firm.”

• varpo ← varpaḥ ← varpas
• [noun], nominative, singular, neuter
• “form; look; disguise.”

• asya ← idam
• [noun], genitive, singular, masculine
• “this; he,she,it (pers. pron.); here.”

• bhasad ← bhasat ← bhas
• [verb], singular, Present injunctive
• “chew; snatch.”

• aśvo ← aśvaḥ ← aśva
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine
• “horse; aśva [word]; Aśva; stallion.”

• na
• [adverb]
• “not; like; no; na [word].”

• yamasāna ← yamasānaḥ ← yamasāna
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine

• āsā ← ās
• [noun], instrumental, singular, neuter
• “mouth.”

• vijehamānaḥ ← vijeh ← √jeh
• [verb noun], nominative, singular

• paraśur ← paraśuḥ ← paraśu
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine
• “ax.”

• na
• [adverb]
• “not; like; no; na [word].”

• jihvāṃ ← jihvām ← jihvā
• [noun], accusative, singular, feminine
• “tongue; tongue; jihvā [word]; fire.”

• dravir ← draviḥ ← dravi
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine

• na
• [adverb]
• “not; like; no; na [word].”

• drāvayati ← drāvay ← √dru
• [verb], singular, Present indikative
• “melt; liquefy; chase away; dissolve.”

• dāru
• [noun], accusative, singular, neuter
• “wood; log; lumber.”

• dhakṣat ← dah
• [verb noun], nominative, singular
• “burn; cauterize; heat; burn; burn; burn; roast; blaze; burn; distress; destroy.”

अस्य अग्नेः एम गमनसाधनभूतो मार्गः तिग्मं तीक्ष्णं स्प्रष्टुमशक्यत्वात् । अस्य च वर्पः रूपं महि महत् प्रभूतं भसत् दीप्यते ॥ ’ भस भर्स्।नदीप्त्योः’ इति धातुः । कीदृशोऽग्निः । अश्वो न अश्व इव आसा आस्येन यमसानः तृणादिकं नियच्छन् । तथा परशुर्न । यथा परशुः स्वकीयां धारां काष्ठे प्रक्षिपति तथा स्वकीयां जिह्वां ज्वालां विजेहमानः तरुगुल्मादौ प्रक्षिपन् । तथा दारु काष्ठं धक्षत् दहन् द्रविर्न। द्राविर्राथावयिता स्वर्णकारः। स यथा स्वर्णादिकं द्रावयति तथा सर्वं वनं द्रावयति । मूर्तभूतं सर्वं भस्मसात्करोतीत्यर्थः ॥

English translation:

“Sharp is his path, and his vast body shines like a horse champing fodder with his mouth, darting forth his tongue like a hatchet, and burning timber to ashes, like a goldsmith who fuses (metal).”

Commentary by Sāyaṇa: Ṛgveda-bhāṣya

Like a goldsmith: dravir na drāvayati dāru dhakṣat = as a melter causes to melt, he burns the timber; yathā svarṇakāraḥ svarṇādikam drāvayati tathāgnir vanam bhasmasāt karoti, as a goldsmith fuses gold and the res, so Agni reduces the wood to ashes; this may imply something more than mere fusion of metals; the alchemical calcining or permutation of the metals would be more akin to the burning of timber, or reducing the metals to asheṣ

Sharp is his course, great his form. He will snap with his mouth like a horse being bridled.
Lolling his tongue out, like an axe (its blade), he makes the wood “run” like runny stuff [=liquefies it] as he burns.

This vs. continues with the description of violent Agni.

Pāda d has caesura after 3; there are two other exx. of this metrical irregularity in the hymn, 6b and 8b, both of which have bad cadences as well. Here the early caesura might be calling attention to the extreme alliteration of the pāda: dravír ná drāvayati dā́ru dhákṣat. The same is not true of the others.

The 3rd sg. bhásat is most likely a subj. to a root aor.; see Gotō 82.

The hapax yamasāná-, an apparent participle to a supposed “Doppelstamm” to √yam, does not fit the pattern of most of the other -asāná- stems, on which see comm. ad IV.3.6 – in that it neither falls into the semantic sphere of violent activity nor has an associated s-stem. Note here, however, that rabhasāná-, which meets both criteria, is found in the last vs. of this hymn (8d) and could have provided a model for this formation. I also wonder if yamasāná- is not a pseudo-cmpd. of yáma- ‘bridle’ (e.g., V.61.2) and √sā ‘bind’, as if with a middle part. of the root aor. asāt, etc.

(viṣā́ṇa- in V.44.1, identified as a part. by Grassmann, is better taken as an -ana- nom. to the same root [←sā́-ana-]; cf. AiG II.2.193). Hence, ‘being bound to the bridle’. Needless to say, this would not be well formed by standard Vedic compounding rules, but is not completely out of the question as a nonce inspired by rabhasāná-, itself a nonce.

Note also the phonological figure (yam)asāná āsā́. The simile in c, vijéhamānaḥ paraśúr ná jihvā́m, has been variously interpr. I take the frame to be (agníḥ) … jihvā́m – that is, the tongue is Agni’s, as usual, and refers to his flame(s). As for the comparandum, the ax – I assume that its tongue is its blade, extending from the handle as a tongue does from a mouth. The blade might be found in the next vs. in dhā́rā (5b). See VI.2.7-8, where I argue that a word missing from vs. 7 is found or gestured toward in the following vs. The hapax dravíḥ in the next pāda is universally taken as a nom. sg. masc. to an i-stem draví- meaning ‘smelter’ (so Grassmann, etc., and cf. AiG II.2.297) or ‘cutter’ (so Hoffmann, Aufs. 420, to √drū ‘cut’, rather than √dru ‘run’). But agent nouns in simple -í-, though they do exist (see AiG II.2.296-97), are not exactly thick upon the ground. I suggest instead that it is a neut. -ís-stem like havís- ‘oblation’, sarpís- ‘melted butter’ (on this type, including those built to aniṭ roots, see AiG II.2.364-67).

It would then be a cognate object to drāvayati in the simile and, on the one hand, be a more likely substance to be caused to run than wood (dā́ru) and, on the other, refer to the parts of wood that really do ‘run’, like sap. It might be worth noting that the much later cvi formation dravī-bhū (etc.) means ‘become liquid, liquefy’. (This of course has nothing to do with the -í- in dravíḥ, but does show that ‘run’ is used of liquids, a reasonably widespread semantic extension – e.g., in English.) The standard tr. take dā́ru as the obj. of dhákṣat ‘burning’, rather than of drāvayati. This is, of course, the safer course. But cf. V.41.10 ní riṇāti vánā “he liquefies the trees” (also of Agni), V.58.6 riṇaté vánāni “the trees dissolve,” both with the root √ri ‘flow’.

Fierce is his gait and vast his wondrous body: he champeth like a horse with bit and bridle,
And, darting forth his tongue, as ’twere a hatchet, burning the woods, smelteth them like a smelter.

Scharf ist sein Gang, groß seine angenommene Gestalt; er schnappt mit dem Maul wie ein Roß, das gezügelt wird. Die Zunge bleckend wie das blinkende Beil, schmelzt er es wie ein Schmelzer, wenn er das Holz verbrennt.

Sein Gang ist scharf, erhaben sein Erscheinen; gleich wie ein Ross, das vorn man zügelt, kaut er; Dem Beile gleichend, vor die Zunge streckend, entbrannt zerschmilzt das Holz er wie ein Schmelzer.

Остер его ход, велик меняющийся облик.
Он хватает пастью, словно взнуздываемый конь.
Высовывая язык, словно (сверкающий) топор,
Он плавит (всё), как плавильщик, сжигая древесину.

• अग्निः
• भरद्वाजो बार्हस्पत्यः
• त्रिष्टुप्
• धैवतः

फिर विद्वानों को कैसा वर्त्ताव करना चाहिये, इस विषय को कहते हैं ॥

पदार्थान्वयभाषाः - हे मनुष्यो ! जिस (अस्य) इस विद्वान् के (तिग्मम्) तीव्र (महि) बड़े (वर्पः) रूपका (यमसानः) नियम करता और (विजेहमानः) शब्द करता हुआ (अश्वः) शीघ्र चलनेवाला घोड़ा (न) जैसे वैसे (आसा) मुख से (भसत्) प्रकाशित करता है और (परशुः) कुठार (न) जैसे वैसे (जिह्वाम्) वाणी को (द्रविः) द्रवी होकर उच्चारण की क्रिया (न) जैसे वैसे (द्रावयति) गीला करता है और (दारु) काष्ठ को (धक्षत्) जलावे उसको (चित्) निश्चय से हम लोग (एम) प्राप्त होवें ॥४॥

भावार्थभाषाः - इस मन्त्र में उपमालङ्कार है। हे विद्वन् ! जैसे उत्तम प्रकार से शिक्षित घोड़ा मनुष्य को मार्ग में पहुँचाता है, वैसे धर्ममार्ग को हम लोगों को पहुँचाइये और जैसे बढ़ई परशुसे काष्ठ को काटता है, वैसे हम लोगों के दोषों को काटिये और जैसे तालु से उत्पन्न आर्द्ररस जिह्वा को प्राप्त होता है, वैसे विद्या के रस को प्राप्त कराइये तथा जैसे अग्नि काष्ठों को जलाता है, वैसे ही हमारे दुर्व्यसनों को जलाइये ॥४॥

अन्वय: हे मनुष्या ! यस्यास्य तिग्मं महि वर्पो यमसानो विजेहमानोऽश्वो नाऽऽसा भसत् परशुर्न जिह्वां द्रविर्न द्रावयति दारु धक्षत् तं चिद्वयमेम ॥४॥

पुनर्विद्वद्भिः कथं वर्त्तितव्यमित्याह ॥

पदार्थान्वयभाषाः - (तिग्मम्) तीव्रम् (चित्) अपि (एम) प्राप्नुयाम (महि) महत् (वर्पः) रूपम् (अस्य) विदुषः (भसत्) भासयति (अश्वः) आशुगन्ता तुरङ्गः (न) इव (यमसानः) नियन्ता सन् (आसा) आस्येन। (विजेहमानः) शब्दायमानः (परशुः) कुठारः (न) इव (जिह्वाम्) वाणीम् (द्रविः) द्रवीभूत्वोच्चारणक्रिया (न) इव (द्रावयति) (दारु) काष्ठम् (धक्षत्) ॥४॥

भावार्थभाषाः - अत्रोपमालङ्कारः । हे विद्वन् ! यथा सुशिक्षितोऽश्वो जनं मार्गं नयति तथा धर्म्मपथमस्मान्नय। यथा तक्षा परशुना काष्ठं छिनत्ति तथास्माकं दोषाञ्छिन्धि यथा तालुज आर्द्रो रसो जिह्वां प्राप्नोति तथा विद्यारसं प्रापय। यथाग्निः काष्ठानि दहति तथैवास्माकं दुर्व्यसनानि दह ॥४॥

भावार्थभाषाः - या मंत्रात उपमालंकार आहे. हे विद्वाना! उत्तम प्रकारे प्रशिक्षित घोडा माणसाला मार्गक्रमण करीत घेऊन जातो तसे तू आम्हाला धर्ममार्गाने घेऊन जा. जसा सुतार कुऱ्हाडीने लाकूड कापतो तसे आमचे दोष नाहीसे कर. जसा टाळूपासून उत्पन्न झालेला आर्द्र रस जिभेला मिळतो तसा विद्येचा रस प्राप्त कर व जसा अग्नी लाकडाला जाळतो तसे आमच्या दुर्व्यसनाचे दहन कर. ॥ ४ ॥

• देवता - अग्निः
• ऋषिः - भरद्वाजो बार्हस्पत्यः
• छन्दः - त्रिष्टुप्

स꣡ इ꣡द् अ꣡स्तेव प्र꣡ति धाद् असिष्य꣡ञ्
छि꣡शीत ते꣡जो अ꣡यसो न꣡ धा꣡राम्
चित्र꣡ध्रजतिर् अरति꣡र् यो꣡ अक्तो꣡र्
वे꣡र् न꣡ द्रुष꣡द्वा रघुप꣡त्मजंहाः

Strata
Archaic

Pāda-label
genre M
genre M
genre M
genre M

Morph
asiṣyán ← √as- 2 (root)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG, tense:FUT, voice:ACT}

ástā ← ástar- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

dhāt ← √dhā- 1 (root)
{number:SG, person:3, mood:INJ, tense:AOR, voice:ACT}

ít ← ít (invariable)
{}

iva ← iva (invariable)
{}

práti ← práti (invariable)
{}

sáḥ ← sá- ~ tá- (pronoun)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

áyasaḥ ← áyas- (nominal stem)
{case:ABL, gender:N, number:SG}

dhā́rām ← dhā́rā- 2 (nominal stem)
{case:ACC, gender:F, number:SG}

ná ← ná (invariable)
{}

śíśīta ← √śā- ~ śī- (root)
{number:SG, person:3, mood:INJ, tense:PRS, voice:MED}

téjaḥ ← téjas- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:N, number:SG}

aktóḥ ← aktú- (nominal stem)
{case:GEN, gender:M, number:SG}

aratíḥ ← aratí- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

citrádhrajatiḥ ← citrádhrajati- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

yáḥ ← yá- (pronoun)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

druṣádvā ← druṣádvan- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

ná ← ná (invariable)
{}

raghupátmajaṁhāḥ ← raghupátmajaṁhas- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

véḥ ← ví- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

सः । इत् । अस्ता॑ऽइव । प्रति॑ । धा॒त् । अ॒सि॒ष्यन् । शिशी॑त । तेजः॑ । अय॑सः । न । धारा॑म् ।
चि॒त्रऽध्र॑जतिः । अ॒र॒तिः । यः । अ॒क्तोः । वेः । न । द्रु॒ऽसद्वा॑ । र॒घु॒पत्म॑ऽजंहाः ॥

• sa ← saḥ ← tad
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine
• “this; he,she,it (pers. pron.); respective(a); that; nominative; then; particular(a); genitive; instrumental; accusative; there; tad [word]; dative; once; same.”

• id
• [adverb]
• “indeed; assuredly; entirely.”

• asteva ← astā ← astṛ
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine
• “archer; shot.”

• asteva ← iva
• [adverb]
• “like; as it were; somehow; just so.”

• prati
• [adverb]
• “towards; per; regarding; respectively; according to; until.”

• dhād ← dhāt ← dhā
• [verb], singular, Aorist inj. (proh.)
• “put; give; cause; get; hold; make; provide; lend; wear; install; have; enter (a state); supply; hold; take; show.”

• asiṣyañ ← asiṣyan ← as
• [verb noun], nominative, singular
• “shoot; remove.”

• chiśīta ← śiśīta ← śā
• [verb], plural, Present imperative
• “sharpen; whet; strengthen.”

• tejo ← tejaḥ ← tejas
• [noun], accusative, singular, neuter
• “magnificence; luminosity; glory; fire; semen; fire; heat; light; quintessence; brilliance; glare; dignity; beauty; tejas; potency; ferocity; power; edge; efficacy; ardor; authority.”

• ‘yaso ← ayasaḥ ← ayas
• [noun], genitive, singular, neuter
• “iron; kāntaloha; ayas [word]; tīkṣṇaloha; metallic element; weapon.”

• na
• [adverb]
• “not; like; no; na [word].”

• dhārām ← dhārā
• [noun], accusative, singular, feminine
• “blade; edge; acme; nostrils.”

• citradhrajatir ← citra
• [noun]
• “manifold; extraordinary; beautiful; divers(a); varicolored; bright; bright; bright; outstanding; agitated; aglitter(p); brilliant; painted; obvious; patched; bizarre.”

• citradhrajatir ← dhrajatiḥ ← dhrajati
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine

• aratir ← aratiḥ ← arati
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine
• “charioteer.”

• yo ← yaḥ ← yad
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine
• “who; which; yat [pronoun].”

• aktor ← aktoḥ ← aktu
• [noun], genitive, singular, masculine
• “night; dark; beam.”

• ver ← veḥ ← vi
• [noun], genitive, singular, masculine
• “vi; bird; vi.”

• na
• [adverb]
• “not; like; no; na [word].”

• druṣadvā ← druṣadvan
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine

• raghupatmajaṃhāḥ ← raghu
• [noun]
• “low; fast.”

• raghupatmajaṃhāḥ ← patma ← patman
• [noun], neuter
• “flight.”

• raghupatmajaṃhāḥ ← jaṃhāḥ ← jaṃhas
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine

स इत् स खल्वग्निः अस्तेव बाणादेः क्षेप्तेव प्रति धात् स्वकीयज्वालां प्रतिधत्ते । यथा धन्वी लक्ष्याभिमुख्येन बाणं संधत्ते तथा ज्वालां संधत्त इत्यर्थः । प्रतिधाय च असिष्यन् ज्वालां प्रक्षेप्स्यन् तेजः स्वकीयं शिशीत निश्यति तीक्ष्णीकरोति । तत्र दृष्टान्तः । अयसो न धाराम् । यथा अयोमयस्य परश्वादेर्धारां प्रक्षेप्तुकामस्तीक्ष्णीकरोति तद्वत् । तीक्ष्णीकृत्य च चित्रध्रजतिः विचित्रगतिः अक्तोः रात्रेः अरतिः अभिगन्ता वेर्न पक्षीव द्रुषद्वा वृक्षेषु सीदन् रघुपत्मजंहाः लघुपतनसमर्थपादः । एवंभूतः सन् यः अग्निर्वर्तते स इति पूर्वत्रान्वयः ॥ ॥ ३ ॥

English translation:

“He casts (afar his flames) as an archer (his arrows), and sharpens when about to dart his radiance, as (a warrior whets) the edge of his metal (weapons), he who, variously moving, passes through the night, like the light-falling foot of a bird perched upon a tree.”

Commentary by Sāyaṇa: Ṛgveda-bhāṣya

The edge of his metal: ayaso na dhārām

He, just like an archer, has aimed (his arrow), about to shoot. He has whetted its point like a blade of copper—
he, the spoked wheel (of the sacrifice), who is like a bird whose swooping is brilliant by night, who sits in the woods [/on wood], whose plumage is (fit for) rapid flight.

This vs. is comparatively straightforward, esp. the first hemistich.

I take téjaḥ in its literal etymological value: ‘sharpness’ à ‘point’, given tigmá- ‘sharp’ in 4a.

In c note the phonetic play of (citrádh)rajatir aratír.

Despite the pāda boundary, I take vér ná as the simile with both c and d, unlike most, who limit it to d. The root √dhraj ‘swoop, soar’ (found in the b.v. citrádhrajati-) is generally limited to birds (cf. I.165.2, IV.40.3) and the wind, and so comparison to a bird here would be apt. Note also that a form of √dhraj and an uncompounded form of pátman- are found together in 7c.

Though most interpr. take aktóḥ as a gen. either with aratíḥ, imposing a forced reading on the latter (Geldner “der Lenker der Nacht,” Lüders [Philol.Ind. 783] “als Herr der Nacht”), or with a gapped “Agni” (Thieme [Unters.] “der (Agni) des Nachts”), I think it likely that it is adverbial, as it is two vss. earlier (3c) in the same metrical position. So also Renou

Our druṣádvan-, a hapax, exists beside 2 occurrences of the simple root noun cmpd. druṣád- – one of which is in an exactly parallel context: IX.72.5 #vér ná druṣád (like our #vér ná druṣádvā). I assume that the extension by the derivational suffix -van- simply serves metrical convenience, since the forms seem identical semantically. Several other -sád- cmpds have the same extension: nṛṣádvan- (1x), pariṣádvan- (1x), and admasádvan-, found once in the very next hymn (VI.4.4), and - van- extensions are not rare in root noun cmpds, esp. to roots ending in -ā, such as vājadā́van- ‘giving prizes’, sahasradā́van- ‘giving thousands’, etc.

The final word of the vs., the b.v. raghu-pátma-jaṃhāḥ, is unusual for the RV in having three full members, as Renou notes. He discusses the cmpd at some length and considers it a “conglomérat” of a tatpuruṣa *raghu-pátman- (entirely parallel to raghu-pátvan-) and the attested bahuvrīhi kṛṣṇá-jaṃhas-, tr. “(dieu) au vol rapide, au plumage (noir)” (I.141.7). I see no reason to involve the latter cmpd., detach the (compounded) first member raghu-pátman- from the second, jáṃhas-, and insert a ‘black’ not found in the text to qualify the second member. The English designation “flight feathers” would have the same structure (save for the bahuvrīhi) as raghupátma-jaṃhas-, that is, “feathers suitable/specialized for flight.” Note that in this bahuvrīhi with a cmpd first member, “first member accent” actually falls on the second member of the first cmpd., matching that of the original tatpuruṣa (cf. just cited raghu-pátvan-) – in other words, when the bahuvrīhi is formed, the internal structure of its first member is no longer visible to the process.

Archer-like, fain toshoot, he sets his arrow, and whets his splendour like the edge of iron:
The messenger of night with brilliant pathway, like a tree-roosting bird of rapid pinion.

Wie ein Schütze, der schießen will, legt er den Pfeil auf; er schärft seine Flamme wie eine Klinge von Eisen. Da der Lenker der Nacht von wunderbarer Schnelligkeit ist, er ist wie ein Vogel, der auf dem Baum sitzt, seine Schwingen rasch bewegend.

Dem Schützen gleich, der schiessen will, legt an er, und schärft den Glanz, wie eines Eisens Schneide; Der hellen Fluges in der Nacht sich abmüht, auf Aesten sitzt gleich leichtbeschwingtem Vogel.

Он вкладывает стрелы, словно стрелок, собирающийся стрелять;
Он оттачивает пламя, словно клинок из железа.
Кто ночью – посланник (?) с замечательным порывом,
(Тот,) словно птица, сидящая на дереве, с крыльями, (способными) к быстрому полету.

• अग्निः
• भरद्वाजो बार्हस्पत्यः
• निचृत्त्रिष्टुप्
• धैवतः

फिर मनुष्य कैसा वर्त्ताव करें, इस विषय को कहते हैं ॥

पदार्थान्वयभाषाः - हे मनुष्यो ! (यः) जो (चित्रध्रजतिः) विचित्रगमनवाला (अरतिः) नहीं रमण करता हुआ (अक्तोः) रात्रि से और (वेः) पक्षी से (न) जैसे वैसे (द्रुषद्वा) द्रवीभूत आदि पदार्थों में स्थित होने और (रघुपत्मजंहाः) लघुपतन का त्याग करनेवाला ही प्रकट होता है (सः) वह अग्नि (अस्तेव) फूँकनेवाले के सदृश (असिष्यन्) बन्धन को नहीं प्राप्त होता हुआ (अयसः) सुवर्ण के (न) जैसे (तेजः) तेज को वैसे (धाराम्) वाणी को (प्रति, धात्) धारण करता है, वह (इत्) ही तेज को (शिशीत) तीक्ष्ण करता है ॥५॥

भावार्थभाषाः - इस मन्त्र में उपमालङ्कार है। जो मनुष्य अग्नि को बांध और तीक्ष्ण करके युद्ध आदि कार्य्यों में प्रयुक्त करते हैं तो पक्षि के सदृश आकाश में जाने को समर्थ होवें ॥५॥

अन्वय: हे मनुष्या ! यश्चित्रध्रजतिररतिरक्तोर्वेर्न द्रुषद्वा रघुपत्मजंहा इत्तज्जायते। सोऽस्तेवासिष्यन्नयसो न तेजो धारां प्रतिधात् स इत्तेजः शिशीत ॥५॥

पुनर्मनुष्याः कथं वर्त्तेरन्नित्याह ॥

पदार्थान्वयभाषाः - (सः) अग्निः (इत्) एव (अस्तेव) प्रक्षेप्ता इव (प्रति) (धात्) दधाति (असिष्यन्) बन्धनमप्राप्नुवन् (शिशीत) तीक्ष्णीकरोति (तेजः) (अयसः) सुवर्णस्य (न) इव (धाराम्) वाचम्। (चित्रध्रजतिः) विचित्रगतिः (अरतिः) अरमणः (यः) (अक्तोः) रात्रेः (वेः) पक्षिणः (न) इव (द्रुषद्वा) यो द्रुषद्द्रवीभूतादिषु पदार्थेषु सीदति (रघुपत्मजंहाः) यो लघुपतनं जहाति सः ॥५॥

भावार्थभाषाः - अत्रोपमालङ्कारः । यदि मनुष्या अग्निं बद्ध्वा तीक्ष्णीकृत्य युद्धादिकार्येषु प्रयुञ्जते तर्हि पक्षिवदाकाशे गन्तुं शक्नुयुः ॥५॥

भावार्थभाषाः - या मंत्रात उपमालंकार आहे. जी माणसे अग्नीवर नियंत्रण करून तो तीक्ष्ण करून युद्ध इत्यादीमध्ये वापरतात तेव्हा ती पक्ष्याप्रमाणे आकाशात जाण्यास समर्थ असतात. ॥ ५ ॥

• देवता - अग्निः
• ऋषिः - भरद्वाजो बार्हस्पत्यः
• छन्दः - त्रिष्टुप्

स꣡ ईं रेभो꣡ न꣡ प्र꣡ति वस्त उस्राः꣡
शोचि꣡षा रारपीति मित्र꣡महाः
न꣡क्तं य꣡ ईम् अरुषो꣡ यो꣡ दि꣡वा नॄ꣡न्
अ꣡मर्तियो अरुषो꣡ यो꣡ दि꣡वा नॄ꣡न्

Strata
Archaic

Pāda-label
genre M
genre M
genre M
genre M

Morph
īm ← īm (invariable)
{}

ná ← ná (invariable)
{}

práti ← práti (invariable)
{}

rebháḥ ← rebhá- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

sáḥ ← sá- ~ tá- (pronoun)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

usrā́ḥ ← usrá- (nominal stem)
{case:ACC, gender:F, number:PL}

vaste ← √vas- 2 (root)
{number:SG, person:3, mood:IND, tense:PRS, voice:MED}

mitrámahāḥ ← mitrámahas- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

rārapīti ← √rap- (root)
{number:SG, person:3, mood:IND, tense:PRS, voice:ACT}

śocíṣā ← śocís- (nominal stem)
{case:INS, gender:N, number:SG}

aruṣáḥ ← aruṣá- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

dívā ← dívā (invariable)
{}

īm ← īm (invariable)
{}

náktam ← nákt- (nominal stem)
{case:ACC, gender:F, number:SG}

nr̥̄́n ← nár- (nominal stem)
{case:ACC, gender:M, number:PL}

yáḥ ← yá- (pronoun)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

yáḥ ← yá- (pronoun)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

ámartyaḥ ← ámartya- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

aruṣáḥ ← aruṣá- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

dívā ← dívā (invariable)
{}

nr̥̄́n ← nár- (nominal stem)
{case:ACC, gender:M, number:PL}

yáḥ ← yá- (pronoun)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

सः । ई॒म् । रे॒भः । न । प्रति॑ । व॒स्ते॒ । उ॒स्राः । शो॒चिषा॑ । र॒र॒पी॒ति॒ । मि॒त्रऽम॑हाः ।
नक्त॑म् । यः । ई॒म् । अ॒रु॒षः । यः । दिवा॑ । नॄन् । अम॑र्त्यः । अ॒रु॒षः । यः । दिवा॑ । नॄन् ॥

• sa ← saḥ ← tad
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine
• “this; he,she,it (pers. pron.); respective(a); that; nominative; then; particular(a); genitive; instrumental; accusative; there; tad [word]; dative; once; same.”

• īṃ ← īm ← īṃ
• [adverb]

• rebho ← rebhaḥ ← rebha
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine
• “bard; eulogist.”

• na
• [adverb]
• “not; like; no; na [word].”

• prati
• [adverb]
• “towards; per; regarding; respectively; according to; until.”

• vasta ← vasto ← vastu
• [noun], genitive, singular, feminine
• “dawn.”

• usrāḥ ← usrā
• [noun], accusative, plural, feminine
• “cow; dawn.”

• śociṣā ← śocis
• [noun], instrumental, singular, neuter
• “fire; flare; burn; radiance.”

• rārapīti ← rārap ← √rap
• [verb], singular, Present indikative

• mitramahāḥ ← mitra
• [noun], masculine
• “friend; Mitra; mitra [word]; sun; ally.”

• mitramahāḥ ← mahāḥ ← mahas
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine
• “greatness; festival; glory; reward; gladness.”

• naktaṃ ← naktam ← nakta
• [noun], accusative, singular, neuter
• “night; night.”

• ya ← yaḥ ← yad
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine
• “who; which; yat [pronoun].”

• īm ← īṃ
• [adverb]

• aruṣo ← aruṣaḥ ← aruṣa
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine
• “red; red.”

• yo ← yaḥ ← yad
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine
• “who; which; yat [pronoun].”

• divā ← div
• [noun], instrumental, singular, masculine
• “sky; Svarga; day; div [word]; heaven and earth; day; dawn.”

• nṝn ← nṛ
• [noun], accusative, plural, masculine
• “man; man; nṛ [word]; crew; masculine.”

• amartyo ← amartyaḥ ← amartya
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine
• “immortal.”

• aruṣo ← aruṣaḥ ← aruṣa
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine
• “red; red.”

• yo ← yaḥ ← yad
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine
• “who; which; yat [pronoun].”

• divā ← div
• [noun], instrumental, singular, masculine
• “sky; Svarga; day; div [word]; heaven and earth; day; dawn.”

• nṝn ← nṛ
• [noun], accusative, plural, masculine
• “man; man; nṛ [word]; crew; masculine.”

स ईं सोऽयमग्निः रेभो न स्तुत्यः सूर्य इव उस्राः दीप्ता ज्वालाः प्रति वस्ते आच्छादयति । तथा मित्रमहाः सर्वेषामनुकूलप्रकाशः सन् शोचिषा तेजसा रारपीति भृशं शब्दं करोति । यः ईं योऽयमग्निः नक्तं रात्रौ अरुषः आरोचमानः सन् दिवा अहनीव नॄन् मनुष्यान् स्वस्वकार्ये प्रेरयति । पुनर्यच्छब्दः पूरकः । तथा अमर्त्यः अमरणधर्मा अरुषः आरोचमानो रोषरहितो वा यः अग्निः दिवा द्योतमानेन तेजसा नॄन् नेतॄनात्मीयान् रश्मीन् प्रेरयति स इति पूर्वत्र संबन्धः । यद्वा । नक्तं रात्रौ योऽयमग्निररुष आरोचमानो यश्च मरणरहितोऽग्निर्दिवा अह्नि नॄन् नेतॄन् देवान् हविर्भिः संयोजयति । यः दिवा नॄनिति पुनरुक्तिरादरार्था ।

English translation:

“Like the adorable sun, he clothes himself with brilliant (rays); diffusing friendly light, he crackles with (his fame); (he it is) who is luminous by night, and who lights men (to their work) by day; who is immortal and radiant; who lights men by day.”

Like a hoarse-voiced (singer), at the dawning of the ruddy (dawn), he keeps muttering [=crackles] with his flame, he of Mitra’s might,
the ruddy one who (mutters) to them by night, who (mutters) by day to men—the immortal ruddy one who (mutters) by day to men.

The noun rebhá- is generally tr. ‘singer’ and the root √ribh from which it is derived, ‘sing’. However, as I discussed in “On Translating the Rig Veda” (2000, Proceedings of UCLA IE conf.) and again in the Intro. to the published translation (p. 78), the limited number of attestations of the verbal root and the variety of contexts in which it is found suggest that its meaning is more specific than ‘sing’. That the sound of √ribh can be compared to that made by birds of prey (IX.97.57) or by ungreased wood on a wagon (TS VII.1.1.3) suggests something on the lines of ‘squawk, squeak, rasp’ – a hoarse or husky voice quality that would perhaps not be surprising in a middle-aged man in antiquity, esp. one who spent a lot of time huddled over fires.

The verb with which rebháḥ is construed in this passage, rārapīti, is likewise usually rendered in very general fashion, as ‘speak, praise’ or the like. But again it seems to have a more specific sense: ‘mutter, murmur’ vel sim. (see EWA and, e.g., Schaefter, Intens., both s.v. rap). So the anodyne tr. of Geldner “Wie ein Bard ruft er … laut” and Renou “comme un barde … il parle-puissamment” (both ascribing real intensive sense to rārapiti rather than the more likely frequentative) can be replaced with something both more pointed and more appropriate to Agni, who is the referent here: “like a hoarse-voiced (singer) he keeps muttering (=crackling) with his flame.” The phrase práti vasta usrā́ḥ should be read with accented vásta, an old correction, endorsed by Oldenberg inter alia. Cf. pāda-final vásta usrā́ḥ at IV.25.2, VII.69.5, VIII.46.26. The erasure of accent here may be redactional, based on the verb vaste in the next hymn, VI.4.3b. It should be noted, however, that Renou interpr.

vasta as a finite verb form to √vas ‘wear’ (“Comme un barde, il se revêt des aurores”), and he is followed by Lubotsky That the exact phrase, but with accent, occurs 3x elsewhere makes this interpr. unlikely. There remains, however, the question of what the underlying form is. The Pp analyzes it as vaste, but Oldenberg prefers -o (both here and for the other occurrences of the phrase), a loc. to vástu-. On -o (from -au) as u-stem loc., see AiG III.153-54. As for usrā́ḥ, in this phrase it appears to be an anomalous gen. sg. to the notional stem usr-, whose gen. sg. also appears as usráḥ (III.58.4, possibly also VI.12.4, but see comm. there). See AiG III.213. The long-vowel -ā́ḥ ending seems to be the result of “feminizing” the form; cf. loc. sg. usrā́m in X.6.5 (on the pattern of devy-ā́s, devy-ā́m). Alternatively, since in all four instances of vásta usrā́ḥ, usrā́ḥ is at the end of the pāda, the length may be redactional for *usráḥ, since the forms would be metrically equivalent. We should also bring into the mix II.39.3 … práti vásta usrā, with an unaccented dual voc. usrā referring to the Aśvins, and perhaps IV.45.5 usrā́jarante práti vástor aśvínā, where the usrā́may be again be a dual modifying the Aśvins (so Geldner, implicitly Pp.) or a masc. nom. pl. (usrā́ḥ out of sandhi) modifying the fires that ended the preceding pāda - or another gen. sg. usrā́ḥ to be construed with práti vástoḥ.

Although práti is not found in the other 3 exx. of the phrase, práti vástor is attested in II.39.3, IV.45.5, X.189.3, so it is likely to form part of the phrase here.

Given its position, it would be difficult to take it as a preverb with rārapīti, esp. since √rap isn’t otherwise construed with práti; see comm. ad V.61.9.

As noted previously, pāda b is metrically bad, with caesura after 3 and a bad cadence mitrámahaḥ, where we should have a heavy penult.

The īm in Wackernagel’s position in pāda a is, in my opinion, a long-distance anticipation of the īm in c, and both are placeholders for nṝ́n at the end of c and d.

This might be clearer if the published translation read “he keeps muttering to them.” The second hemistich consists of a pair of parallel relative clauses with no overt verb. It also, quite unusually, shows verbatim repetition after the caesura: x x x x / aruṣó yó divā́nṝ́n. Such tag repetitions are far more characteristic of short echo pādas in meters like Atyaṣṭi, and even in those meters there tends to be some patterned variation. I don’t know what function this repetition serves here. I would attribute it to the poet’s flagging imagination, except the rest of the hymn bursts with imagination.

There have been various solutions to the lack of verb in these relative clauses.

Oldenberg, fld. by Renou, supplies ‘protects’ (√pā). There’s nothing wrong with this – it provides a verb to govern acc. pl. nṝ́n, and “protect men” is a relatively common predicate, as Oldenberg points out. But there’s nothing in the context that imposes this addition; the closest we can come is pā́si in 1d. Geldner takes these as nominal clauses – “der bei Nacht, der am Tage das rötliche (Ross) der Männer ist” – which saves him from supplying an unmotivated verb, but requires nṛ́̄n to be a gen. pl., which I think we should avoid if at all possible. The simplest solution, at least as far as I can see, is simply to continue the verb of the first hemistich, rārapīti. The īm of 6a, echoed by īm in c, may suggest that the clauses follow the same template, and as noted above, īm in 6a is easiest to explain if it anticipates nṛ́̄n in the relative clauses. Needless to say, when a verb needs to be supplied in the RV, a silent iteration of a verb in a previous nearby pāda or verse is often the best choice. And in this case the intensive (=frequentative) form of rārapīti in b may be reflected iconically in the implied repetition of Agni’s muttering in the rest of the verb. The next two vss. provide some further support for this suggestion. In 7ab an intensive in the relative clause of pāda is matched by an intensive to the same root in pāda b, and in 8a supplying an intensive in the rel. cl. to match the one in the main clause of b also makes sense.

Although I still think the 2nd half of this vs. is clumsy, it may be clumsy apurpose.

In beams of morn he clothes him like the singer, and bright as Mitra with his splendour crackles.
Red in the night, by day the men’s possession: red, he belongs to men by day, Immortal.

Wie ein Barde ruft er bei jedem Aufgang der Morgenröte laut mit seiner Flamme, der wie Mitra Gefeierte, der bei Nacht, der am Tage das rötliche Roß der Männer ist.

In Morgenroth gekleidet wie ein Sänger, spricht murmelnd er im Licht der Freunderfreuer; Der roth bei Nacht bei Tag erfreut die Männer, am Tag’ die Männer, flammenroth, unsterblich.

Словно певец, он одевается в зори.
Он громко кричит (своим) пламенем, великий, как Митра,
Кто ночью, кто днем, алый, (охраняет) мужей,
Бессмертный, кто днем, алый, (охраняет) мужей.

• अग्निः
• भरद्वाजो बार्हस्पत्यः
• निचृत्त्रिष्टुप्
• धैवतः

फिर उसी विषय को कहते हैं ॥

पदार्थान्वयभाषाः - (यः) जो (अरुषः) रक्तगुण के सहित वर्त्तमान (नक्तम्) रात्रि को (ईम्) सब ओर से (यः) जो (अमर्त्यः) अपने रूप से मृत्युरहित (दिवा) कामना से (नॄन्) नायक मनुष्यों को (यः) जो (अरुषः) मर्मस्थलों में वर्त्तमान हुआ (दिवा) कामना वा प्रीति के साथ (नॄन्) नायक जनों के साथ मिलता है (सः) वह (ईम्) जल और (रेभः) आदर करने योग्य विद्वान् वा विद्वानों का सत्कार करनेवाला (न) जैसे वैसे (शोचिषा) दीप्ति के सहित वर्त्तमान (उस्राः) किरणों को (प्रति, वस्ते) आच्छादित करता है और (मित्रमहाः) मित्रों का आदर करनेवाला (रारपीति) अत्यन्त शब्द करता है ॥६॥

भावार्थभाषाः - इस मन्त्र में उपमालङ्कार है। हे मनुष्यो ! जैसे सूर्य जल का आकर्षण कर और उस जल को वर्षाय के प्राणियों के लिये सुख देता है, वैसे विद्वान् पुरुष गुणों का आकर्षण कर और गुणों को दे करके सब जिज्ञासु जनों को सुख देता है ॥६॥

अन्वय: योऽरुषो नक्तमीं योऽमर्त्यो दिवा नॄन् योऽरुषो दिवा नॄन् सङ्गच्छते स ईं रेभो न शोचिषोस्राः प्रति वस्ते मित्रमहा रारपीति ॥६॥

पुनस्तमेव विषयमाह ॥

पदार्थान्वयभाषाः - (सः) (ईम्) उदकम् (रेभः) पूजनीयो विद्वान् विदुषां सत्कर्त्ता वा। रेभतीत्यर्चतिकर्म्मा। (निघं०३.१४) (न) इव (प्रति) (वस्ते) आच्छादयति (उस्राः) किरणान् (शोचिषा) दीप्त्या सह (रारपीति) भृशं शब्दयति (मित्रमहाः) यो मित्राणि पूजयति (नक्तम्) रात्रिम् (यः) (ईम्) सर्वतः (अरुषः) रक्तगुणविशिष्टः (यः) (दिवा) कामनया (नॄन्) नायकान् (अमर्त्यः) स्वरूपेण मृत्युरहितः (अरुषः) योऽरुष्षु मर्मसु सीदति सः (यः) (दिवा) कामनया प्रीत्या सह वा (नॄन्) नेतॄन् ॥६॥

भावार्थभाषाः - अत्रोपमालङ्कारः । हे मनुष्या ! यथा सूर्यो जलमाकृष्य वर्षयित्वा प्राणिभ्यः सुखं ददाति तथा विद्वान् गुणानाकृष्य प्रदाय सर्वान् जिज्ञासून् सुखयति ॥६॥

भावार्थभाषाः - या मंत्रात उपमालंकार आहे. हे माणसांनो ! जसा सूर्य जलाला आकर्षित करून वृष्टीद्वारे प्राण्यांना सुख देतो. तसा विद्वान पुरुष गुण ग्रहण करून ते इतरांना देतो व सर्व जिज्ञासू लोकांना सुखी करतो. ॥ ६ ॥

• देवता - अग्निः
• ऋषिः - भरद्वाजो बार्हस्पत्यः
• छन्दः - त्रिष्टुप्

दिवो꣡ न꣡ य꣡स्य विधतो꣡ न꣡वीनोद्
वृ꣡षा रुक्ष꣡ · ओ꣡षधीषु नूनोत्
घृ꣡णा न꣡ यो꣡ ध्र꣡जसा प꣡त्मना य꣡न्न्
आ꣡ रो꣡दसी व꣡सुनादं꣡ सुप꣡त्नी

Strata
Archaic

Pāda-label
genre M
genre M
genre M
genre M

Morph
diváḥ ← dyú- ~ div- (nominal stem)
{case:GEN, gender:M, number:SG}

ná ← ná (invariable)
{}

návīnot ← √nu- ~ nū- (root)
{number:SG, person:3, mood:INJ, tense:PRS, voice:ACT}

vidhatáḥ ← √vidh- (root)
{case:GEN, gender:M, number:SG, tense:AOR, voice:ACT}

yásya ← yá- (pronoun)
{case:GEN, gender:M, number:SG}

nūnot ← √nu- ~ nū- (root)
{number:SG, person:3, mood:INJ, tense:AOR, voice:ACT}

óṣadhīṣu ← óṣadhī- (nominal stem)
{case:LOC, gender:F, number:PL}

rukṣáḥ ← rukṣá- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

vŕ̥ṣā ← vŕ̥ṣan- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

dhrájasā ← dhrájas- (nominal stem)
{case:INS, gender:N, number:SG}

ghŕ̥ṇā ← ghŕ̥ṇi- (nominal stem)
{case:LOC, gender:F, number:SG}

ná ← ná (invariable)
{}

pátmanā ← pátman- (nominal stem)
{case:INS, gender:N, number:SG}

yáḥ ← yá- (pronoun)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

yán ← √i- 1 (root)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG, tense:PRS, voice:ACT}

ā́ ← ā́ (invariable)
{}

dám ← dám- (nominal stem)
{}

ródasī ← ródasī- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:F, number:DU}

supátnī ← supátnī- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:F, number:DU}

vásunā ← vásu- (nominal stem)
{case:INS, gender:N, number:SG}

दि॒वः । न । यस्य॑ । वि॒ध॒तः । नवी॑नोत् । वृषा॑ । रु॒क्षः । ओष॑धीषु । नू॒नो॒त् ।
घृणा॑ । न । यः । ध्रज॑सा । पत्म॑ना । यन् । आ । रोद॑सी॒ इति॑ । वसु॑ना । दम् । सु॒पत्नी॒ इति॑ सु॒ऽपत्नी॑ ॥

• divo ← divaḥ ← div
• [noun], genitive, singular, masculine
• “sky; Svarga; day; div [word]; heaven and earth; day; dawn.”

• na
• [adverb]
• “not; like; no; na [word].”

• yasya ← yad
• [noun], genitive, singular, masculine
• “who; which; yat [pronoun].”

• vidhato ← vidhataḥ ← vidh
• [verb noun], genitive, singular
• “worship; offer.”

• navīnod ← navīnot ← nonāv ← √nū
• [verb], singular, Imperfect
• “bellow.”

• vṛṣā ← vṛṣan
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine
• “bull; Indra; stallion; Vṛṣan; man.”

• rukṣa ← rukṣaḥ ← rukṣa
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine

• oṣadhīṣu ← oṣadhī
• [noun], locative, plural, feminine
• “herb; plant; drug; herb.”

• nūnot ← nū
• [verb], singular, Plusquamperfect
• “praise; shout.”

• ghṛṇā ← ghṛṇi
• [noun], locative, singular, masculine
• “sunbeam.”

• na
• [adverb]
• “not; like; no; na [word].”

• yo ← yaḥ ← yad
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine
• “who; which; yat [pronoun].”

• dhrajasā ← dhrajas
• [noun], instrumental, singular, neuter

• patmanā ← patman
• [noun], instrumental, singular, neuter
• “flight.”

• yann ← yan ← i
• [verb noun], nominative, singular
• “go; travel; enter (a state); return; walk; continue; reach; ask.”

• ā
• [adverb]
• “towards; ākāra; until; ā; since; according to; ā [suffix].”

• rodasī ← rodas
• [noun], accusative, dual, neuter
• “heaven and earth; Earth.”

• vasunā ← vasu
• [noun], instrumental, singular, neuter
• “wealth; property; gold; vasu [word]; ruby; treasure; jewel.”

• daṃ ← _ ← √_
• [?]
• “_”

• supatnī ← su
• [adverb]
• “very; well; good; nicely; beautiful; su; early; quite.”

• supatnī ← patnī
• [noun], nominative, dual, feminine
• “wife; mistress; queen.”

दिवो न दीप्तस्य सूर्यस्येव विधतः विधातू रश्मीकुर्वतः यस्य अग्नेः नवीनोत् भृशं शब्दोऽभूत् । एतदेव व्याचष्टे । वृषा कामानां वर्षिता रुक्षः दीप्तः सोऽग्निः ओषधीषु दह्यमानासु नूनोत् भृशं शब्दमकरोत् । यः च घृणा न संचलनशीलेन दीप्तेनेव ध्रजसा गमनशीलेन तेजसा पत्मना इतस्तत उत्पतता यन् गच्छन् वर्तते सोऽग्निः दम् अस्मच्छत्रून् दमयन् सुपत्नी शोभनपतिके रोदसी द्यावापृथिव्यौ वसुना धनेन आ पूरयति ।

English translation:

“Of whom a sound is heard when scattering his rays like (that) of the sun; the brilliant showerer (of benefits) clamours among the (burning) plural nts; he who, moving not with a shifting, variable motion, but, humbling (our foes), fills the well-wedded earth and heaven with wealth.”

Commentary by Sāyaṇa: Ṛgveda-bhāṣya

Fills the well-wedded: ā rodasī vasunā supātnī, śobhanapatikā dyāvā pṛthivyau dhanena pūrayati = he fills with wealth heaven and earth, both having a brilliant husband or lord; may be a reference to Agni or Indra

He whose (roar), like that of heaven, keeps roaring as he does honor, (that) bull keeps roaring in the tree, in the plants— he who, like a traveler in the (sun’s) heat, going with a swoop, with a flight, has *stretched with his goods to the two world-halves, who
(thus) have (in him) a good husband.

More or less with Geldner (fld. also by Renou), I supply a word for sound or noise as the subj. of pāda a; see Geldner’s parallels cited in his n. 7a. They opt for ‘voice’, while I favor something generated from the two verbs in this hemistich, both derived from √nu ‘roar’, e.g., nāvá- ‘roar(ing)’.

The two verbs themselves require comment, návīnot and nūnot, both pādafinal. First, note that the accent on the first but not the second requires that pāda b must be the main clause to pāda a. The stems of the two verbs are similar but not identical; both have heavy or intensive redupl. and appear to mean pretty much the same thing. návīnot is clearly an intensive to √nu (or √nū? see EWA s.v.); the stem is attested once elsewhere in the RV (VII.87.2), though the better-attested intens.

stem is ánono/u-. The other verb nūnot, which is also attested once elsewhere (V.45.7), is less clear morphologically. Wh classifies it as a redupl. aor., and Schaeffer (Intens. p. 147) also attempts to argue for this identification. There are two problems with taking it as a redupl. aor. First, there is no causative attested to this root — nāvayati is only found in the Skt. lexica, not independently in text, at least acdg. to Whitney (Rts) — but a redupl. aor. of this shape should be secondarily generated to a causative. Second, a redupl. aor. should have transitive/causative value, but neither occurrence of nūnot has this sense, and in our passage it is difficult to see how to construct such a contrastive value for nūnot in opposition to návīnot. They seem to be used in identical fashion. Schaeffer in fact does try to claim that nūnot has factitive-transitive value, translating návīnot as “brüllt” and nūnot as “Gebrüll erregt.” But “Gebrüll erregt” is a translational sleight of hand – simply a phrasal paraphrase of “brüllt,” enabled by German (similarly in English “shouted” / “raised a shout”).

There is no acc. obj. in the Skt.; the noun “Gebrüll” is a dummy noun. I therefore think we should take them both as intensives with the same meaning. I do not understand the reduplication vowel of nūnot; metrically *nonot would have been equivalent and could belong to the better attested intensive stem cited above – though it should be noted that the attested 3rd sg. to that stem is a (pseudo?) seṭ nónavīti, so the secondary form might be expected to be *nonavīt. All of this is made more complicated by the metrical irregulariy of pāda b, which has only 10 syllables.

However, (oṣa)dhīṣu nūnot provides a fine cadence to this line, while repeating navīnot from pāda a would yield enough syllables but a bad cadence, (oṣadhī)ṣu navīnot, and the hypothetical *nonavīt would also produce a bad cadence.

rukṣá- is a hapax. It is generally taken as a nom. sg. -as out of sandhi with a meaning ‘shining’, derived from √ruc. So Grassmann, Geldner, EWA s.v., etc. This is perfectly possible, harmless, and not very interesting. I favor the more daring hypothesis: that it is a loc. in -e out of sandhi and belongs to a *rukṣá- ‘tree’, found also in the widespread MIA rukkha- ‘tree’ (Pāli, Pkts.), which is probably a metathesis of vṛkṣá- ‘id.’ (see EWA s.v. vṛkṣá-). So also Renou In this context it could be indirectly alluding to its source by its position after vṛ́ṣā, which is phonologically close to vṛkṣá-. The second hemistich presents its own difficulties. A crucial problem is the apparent lack of a verb. Geldner and Renou supply ‘fill’ (e.g., “Himmel und Erde mit Gut (erfüllt)”). I follow Oldenberg’s suggestion (ZDMG 55.290=KlSch 749; not very enthusiastically alluded to in the Noten) that we should emend dáṃ in d to tán (root aor. injunctive to ā́√tan ‘stretch’). As he points out, this lexeme with ródasī (vel sim.) as object/goal, often Agni as subject, and an instr. is quite common, esp. in this set of hymns (VI.1.11, 4.6, 6.6 [recall how tight the phraseology is in this Agni cycle]); cf., e.g., ā́yás tatántha ródasī ví bhāsā́. Although I strenuously resist emendation ordinarily, the echo of IV.19.7 dáṃsupatnīḥ might have led to the change here. (On that form see comm. ad loc.) In any case, pace the Pp. (see also Lubotsky s.v. dám-), I think it unlikely that the sequence contains the accented monosyllable dáṃ followed by an accented supátnīḥ. Inter alia, the root noun dám- outside of the cmpd dámpati- and esp. the archaic gen. dán in the phrase pátir dan are confined to Maṇḍalas I and X. If the emendation of dáṃ to *tán seems too radical (and I’m inclined now to think it is), I would read *dáṃsupatnīḥ with one accent, supply a verb, and tr. “… (fills) with goods the two worlds, who (thus) have (in him) a wondrous husband.” In c I take the participle yán with both the simile and the frame.

Note the return of √dhraj (dhrájasā) and pátman (pátmanā) from 5cd.

Like Heaven’s when scattering beams his voice was uttered: among the plants the radiant Hero shouted,
Who with his glow in rapid course came hither to fill both worlds, well-wedded Dames, with treasure.

Dessen Stimme, wenn er die Götter verehrt, wie die des Himmels ertönt, der glänzende Stier brüllt in den Pflanzen, der wie bei Sonneglut in Eile, im Fluge geht und Himmel und Erde mit Gut erfüllt, die beide in ihm einen guten Hausgebieter haben.

Er, dessen Keule, wie des Himmels, donnert, der helle Stier, er brüllt bei den Gewächsen, Er, der mit Glut im Windzug geht im Fluge, mit Gut zu beiden wohlvermählten Welten.

Чей (голос) громко ревет, когда он почитает (богов), словно (голос) неба,
(Тот) бык громко ревет в дереве, в растениях.
Кто двигаясь, словно (собственным) жаром, в порыве, в полете,
(Наполняет) добром оба мира, для которых он добрый хозяин дома…

• अग्निः
• भरद्वाजो बार्हस्पत्यः
• निचृत्त्रिष्टुप्
• धैवतः

फिर वह कैसा है, इस विषय को कहते हैं ॥

पदार्थान्वयभाषाः - (यस्य) जिस वैद्य के (दिवः) प्रकाश का (न) जैसे वैसे (विधतः) विधान करते हुए का (वृषा) बलिष्ठ (रुक्षः) तेजस्वी जन (नवीनोत्) अत्यन्त स्तुति युक्त होता है तथा (ओषधीषु) ओषधियों के निमित्त (नूनोत्) अत्यन्त स्तुति करता है और (यः) जो (घृणा) दीप्ति (न) जैसे वैसे (ध्रजसा) गमन और (पत्मना) उद्गमन से (वसुना) और धन से (सुपत्नी) सुन्दर स्वामीवाली (रोदसी) अन्तरिक्ष और पृथिवी को (यन्) प्राप्त होनेवाला वह (दम्) इन्द्रियों के निग्रह करनेवाले की (आ) सब ओर से अत्यन्त स्तुति करता है, वह अग्नि सब से जानने के योग्य है ॥७॥

भावार्थभाषाः - इस मन्त्र में उपमालङ्कार है । जो अग्नि पृथिवी आदिकों में पूर्ण हुआ घिसने आदि से प्रकाशित होवे, वह मनुष्यों के अनेक प्रकार के कार्य्यों को करनेवाला होता है ॥७॥

अन्वय: यस्य दिवो न विधतो वृषा रुक्षो नवीनोदोषधीषु नूनोद्यो घृणा न ध्रजसा पत्मना वसुना सुपत्नी रोदसी यन्दमाऽऽनूनोत् सोऽग्निः सर्वैर्वेदितव्यः ॥७॥

पुनः स कीदृश इत्याह ॥

पदार्थान्वयभाषाः - (दिवः) प्रकाशस्य (न) इव (यस्य) वैद्यस्य (विधतः) विधानं कुर्वतः (नवीनोत्) भृशं स्तुतीभवति (वृषा) बलिष्ठः (रुक्षः) तेजस्वी (ओषधीषु) (नूनोत्) भृशं स्तौति (घृणा) दीप्तिः (न) इव (यः) (ध्रजसा) गमनेन (पत्मना) उद्गमनेन (यन्) य एति (आ) समन्तात् (रोदसी) द्यावापृथिव्यौ (वसुना) धनेन (दम्) यो दमयति तम् (सुपत्नी) शोभनः पतिर्ययोस्ते ॥७॥

भावार्थभाषाः - अत्रोपमालङ्कारः । योऽग्निः पृथिव्यादिषु पूर्णो घर्षणादिना प्रकाश्येत स मनुष्याणामनेकविधकार्य्यकारी भवति ॥७॥

भावार्थभाषाः - जो अग्नी पृथ्वीत पूर्ण भरलेला असून घर्षणाने प्रकाशित होतो तो माणसांचे अनेक कार्य करतो. ॥ ७ ॥

• देवता - अग्निः
• ऋषिः - भरद्वाजो बार्हस्पत्यः
• छन्दः - त्रिष्टुप्

धा꣡योभिर् वा यो꣡ यु꣡जियेभिर् अर्कइ꣡र्
विद्यु꣡न् न꣡ दविद्योत् सुवे꣡भिः शु꣡ष्मैः
श꣡र्धो वा यो꣡ मरु꣡तां᳐ तत꣡क्ष
ऋभु꣡र् न꣡ त्वेषो꣡ रभसानो꣡ अद्यौत्

Strata
Archaic

Pāda-label
genre M
genre M
genre M
genre M

Morph
arkaíḥ ← arká- (nominal stem)
{case:INS, gender:M, number:PL}

dhā́yobhiḥ ← dhā́yas- (nominal stem)
{case:INS, gender:N, number:PL}

vā ← vā (invariable)
{}

yáḥ ← yá- (pronoun)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

yújyebhiḥ ← yújya- (nominal stem)
{case:INS, gender:M, number:PL}

davidyot ← √dyut- (root)
{number:SG, person:3, mood:INJ, tense:PRS, voice:ACT}

ná ← ná (invariable)
{}

śúṣmaiḥ ← śúṣma- (nominal stem)
{case:INS, gender:M, number:PL}

svébhiḥ ← svá- (pronoun)
{case:INS, gender:M, number:PL}

vidyút ← vidyút- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:F, number:SG}

marútām ← marút- (nominal stem)
{case:GEN, gender:M, number:PL}

śárdhaḥ ← śárdhas- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:N, number:SG}

tatákṣa ← √takṣ- (root)
{number:SG, person:3, mood:IND, tense:PRF, voice:ACT}

vā ← vā (invariable)
{}

yáḥ ← yá- (pronoun)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

adyaut ← √dyut- (root)
{number:SG, person:3, mood:IND, tense:AOR, voice:ACT}

ná ← ná (invariable)
{}

rabhasānáḥ ← rabhasāná- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

r̥bhúḥ ← r̥bhú- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

tveṣáḥ ← tveṣá- (nominal stem)
{case:NOM, gender:M, number:SG}

धायः॑ऽभिः । वा॒ । यः । युज्ये॑भिः । अ॒र्कैः । वि॒ऽद्युत् । न । द॒वि॒द्यो॒त् । स्वेभिः॑ । शुष्मैः॑ ।
शर्धः॑ । वा॒ । यः । म॒रुता॑म् । त॒तक्ष॑ । ऋ॒भुः । न । त्वे॒षः । र॒भ॒सा॒नः । अ॒द्यौ॒त् ॥

• dhāyobhir ← dhāyobhiḥ ← dhāyas
• [noun], instrumental, plural, neuter

• vā
• [adverb]
• “or; optionally; either.”

• yo ← yaḥ ← yad
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine
• “who; which; yat [pronoun].”

• yujyebhir ← yujyebhiḥ ← yujya
• [noun], instrumental, plural, masculine
• “adequate to(p); appropriate; united; allied.”

• arkair ← arkaiḥ ← arka
• [noun], instrumental, plural, masculine
• “Calotropis gigantea Beng.; sun; copper; Surya; hymn; twelve; fire; beam.”

• vidyun ← vidyut
• [noun], nominative, singular, feminine
• “lightning; Vidyut; thunderbolt.”

• na
• [adverb]
• “not; like; no; na [word].”

• davidyot ← davidyut ← √dyut
• [verb], singular, Imperfect
• “flash.”

• svebhiḥ ← sva
• [noun], instrumental, plural, masculine
• “own(a); respective(a); akin(p); sva [word]; individual; present(a); independent.”

• śuṣmaiḥ ← śuṣma
• [noun], instrumental, plural, masculine
• “vigor; energy; fire; hiss; courage.”

• śardho ← śardhaḥ ← śardhas
• [noun], accusative, singular, neuter
• “troop.”

• vā
• [adverb]
• “or; optionally; either.”

• yo ← yaḥ ← yad
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine
• “who; which; yat [pronoun].”

• marutāṃ ← marutām ← marut
• [noun], genitive, plural, masculine
• “Marut; vāta; wind; Vayu.”

• tatakṣa ← takṣ
• [verb], singular, Perfect indicative
• “produce; shape; fashion; chisel; invent.”

• ṛbhur ← ṛbhuḥ ← ṛbhu
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine
• “Ribhus.”

• na
• [adverb]
• “not; like; no; na [word].”

• tveṣo ← tveṣaḥ ← tveṣa
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine
• “awful; brilliant; aglitter(p); bright.”

• rabhasāno ← rabhasānaḥ ← rabhasāna
• [noun], nominative, singular, masculine
• “shining.”

• adyaut ← dyut
• [verb], singular, Athematic s aor. (Ind.)
• “shine; inflame.”

यः अग्निः धायोभिर्वा धारकैरश्वैरिव युज्येभिः युज्यैः स्वयमेव युज्यमानैः अर्कैः अर्चनीयैः दीप्तिभिर्गच्छति सोऽग्निः विद्युन्न विद्युदिव स्वेभिः स्वकीयैः शुष्मैः शोषकैस्तेजोभिः दविद्योत् विद्योतते । यः च मरुताम् एतत्संज्ञकानां देवानां शर्धो वा बलमिव ततक्ष तनूकरोति सर्वं तीक्ष्णीकरोति । शोषयतीति यावत् । सोऽयम् ऋभुर्न उरु भासमानः सूर्य इव त्वेषः दीप्तः रभसानः वेगं कुर्वन् अद्यौत् विद्योतते प्रकाशते ॥ ॥ ४ ॥

English translation:

“He who (goes) with sacred (rays), as if with self-harnessed, well-governed (steeds), who shines like lightning with his own scorching (flames), who impairs the vigour of the Maruts, he glows radiant and rapid as the wide-shining sun.”

Commentary by Sāyaṇa: Ṛgveda-bhāṣya

Ṛbhur-na = uru bhāsamāna sūrya iva, i.e. as the wide-shining suṇ..

Or who (flashes) at his feedings (of fuel) and at the associated chants [/with his associated rays], (that one) keeps flashing like lightning with his own tempests.
Or who fashioned the troop of Maruts like a R̥bhu [/craftsman], he, turbulent and wild, has flashed.

The vs. is structured as two vā alternatives; the reason for this is unclear. See Klein II.203-4.

The rel. cl. of pāda a has no verb, and the verb of b, davidyot, must belong to a main clause because of its lack of accent. Geldner, Renou, and Klein (II.203-4) supply “become strengthened’; this certainly makes sense, but there is nothing in context or parallel passages that encourages this invention. Kümmel (206) goes for a more restrained “versehen ist,” a nominal clause with predicative instrumentals, I suppose. But given the twin rel. cl./main cl. intensives in 7ab (návīnot … nūnot) and the intens. davidyot in 8b, I wonder if the same pattern holds here, and we should supply an intens. form of √dyut in a.

The arká- of pāda a are most likely both chants and rays.

Pāda b is once again metrically irregular: it has a caesura after 3 and its cadence consists of 4 heavy syllables (s u )vebhiḥ śúśmaiḥ.

Who, with supporting streams and rays that suit him, hath flashed like lightning with his native vigour.
Like the deft Maker of the band of Maruts, the bright impetuous One hath shone refulgent.

Der durch Labungen oder durch die ihm gehörigen Preisgesänge gestärkt wird, er leuchtet wie der Blitz aus eigenem Drange auf. Oder der die Heerschar der Marut wie ein Ribhu gebildet hat, der ist heftig, blendend aufgeleuchtet.

Wenn er mit seinen eignen Flammen züngelt, so strahlt er blitzgleich hell mit seinen Lichtern; Wenn kunstvoll er die Marutschar geformt hat, dem Künstler gleich, so strahlt er funkelnd, glanzreich.

(Тот,) кто (усиливается) жертвенными кушаньями или связанными (с ним) песнями,
Словно молния, сверкает своими вспышками.
Или кто вытесал стаю Марутов,
Словно Рибху, засверкал, опасный, готовый схватить.

• अग्निः
• भरद्वाजो बार्हस्पत्यः
• भुरिक्पङ्क्ति
• पञ्चमः

अब कैसा मनुष्य राजा होने के योग्य है, इस विषय को कहते हैं ॥

पदार्थान्वयभाषाः - हे विद्वन् ! (यः) जो (धायोभिः) धारण करनेवालों वा गुणों से और (युज्येभिः) युक्त करने योग्य (स्वेभिः) अपने (शुष्मैः) बलों और गुणों से (वा) वा (विद्युत्) बिजुली (न) जैसे वैसे (स्वेभिः) अपने (अर्कैः) सत्कारों योग्य कारणों से (दविद्योत्) प्रकाशित होता है (यः) जो (वा) वा (मरुताम्) मनुष्यों के (शर्धः) बल को (ऋभुः) बुद्धिमान् जन (न) जैसे वैसे (ततक्ष) तीक्ष्ण करता है तथा (त्वेषः) प्रकाशयुक्त और (रभसानः) वेगयुक्त जैसे (अद्यौत्) प्रकाशित होता है, वही राजा संस्थापित करने योग्य है ॥८॥

भावार्थभाषाः - इस मन्त्र में उपमालङ्कार है । हे मनुष्यो ! जो बिजुली के सदृश प्रतापी, बलवान्, पदार्थों के संयोग और वियोग की विद्या में चतुर, बुद्धिमान्, विद्वान्, धर्मात्मा, इन्द्रियों को जीतनेवाला और प्रजापालनप्रिय क्षत्रिय होवे, वही राजा होने के योग्य होवे ॥८॥ इस सूक्त में अग्नि और विद्वान् के गुणवर्णन करने से इस सूक्त के अर्थ की इससे पूर्व सूक्त के अर्थ के साथ सङ्गति जाननी चाहिये ॥ यह तीसरा सूक्त और चौथा वर्ग समाप्त हुआ ॥

अन्वय: हे विद्वन् ! यो धायोभिर्युज्येभिः स्वेभिः शुष्मैर्गुणैर्वा विद्युन्न स्वेभिरर्कैर्दविद्योद्यो वा मरुतां शर्ध ऋभुर्न ततक्ष त्वेषो रभसानो नाद्यौत्स एव राजा संस्थापनीयः ॥८॥

अथ कीदृशो नरो राजा भवितुं योग्यः स्यादित्याह ॥

पदार्थान्वयभाषाः - (धायोभिः) धारकैर्गुणैर्वा (वा) (यः) (युज्येभिः) योक्तव्यैः (अर्कैः) अर्चनीयैस्सत्कारहेतुभिः (विद्युत्) (न) इव (दविद्योत्) प्रकाशते (स्वेभिः) स्वकीयैः (शुष्मैः) बलैः (शर्धः) बलम् (वा) (यः) (मरुताम्) मनुष्याणाम् (ततक्ष) तीक्ष्णीकरोति (ऋभुः) मेधावी (न) इव (त्वेषः) देदीप्यमानः (रभसानः) वेगवान् (अद्यौत्) प्रकाशते ॥८॥

भावार्थभाषाः - अत्रोपमालङ्कारः । हे मनुष्या ! यो विद्युद्वत्प्रतापी बलिष्ठः संयोग-वियोगविद्यायां विचक्षणो मेधावी विद्वान् धर्म्मात्मा जितेन्द्रियः पितृवत्प्रजापालनप्रियः क्षत्रियः स्यात्स एव राजा भवितुमर्हेत् ॥८॥ अत्राग्निविद्वद्गुणवर्णनादेतदर्थस्य पूर्वसूक्तार्थेन सह सङ्गतिर्वेद्या ॥ इति तृतीयं सूक्तं चतुर्थो वर्गश्च समाप्तः ॥

भावार्थभाषाः - भावार्थ ः या मंत्रात उपमालंकार आहे. हे माणसांनो, जो विद्युल्लतेप्रमाणे पराक्रमी, बलवान, पदार्थांच्या संयोग वियोग विद्येत चतुर, बुद्धिमान, विद्वान, धर्मात्मा, जितेन्द्रिय, प्रजापालप्रिय क्षत्रिय असेल तर तो राजा होण्यायोग्य असतो. ॥ ८ ॥