०१६

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सायण-भाष्यम्

’ मैनम् ’ इति चतुर्दशचं षोडशं सूक्तं यमपुत्रस्य दमनस्यार्षम् । आदितो दश त्रिष्टुभः ततश्चतस्रोऽनुष्टुभः । अग्निर्देवता । तथा चानुक्रान्तं-’ मैनं दमन आग्नेयं चतुरनुष्टुबन्तम् ’ इति । दीक्षितमरण आद्याः षडृचः शंसनीयाः । सूत्रितं च–’ मैनमग्ने वि दहो माभि शोच इति षट् पूषा त्वेतश्च्यावयतु प्र विद्वान् ’ ( आश्व. श्रौ. ६ १०) इति । दह्यमानस्य प्रेतस्योपस्थानेऽप्येता शंसनीयाः ।।

Jamison Brereton

16 (842)
Agni
Damana Yāmāyana
24 verses: triṣṭubh, except anuṣṭubh 11–14
The focus on the cremation fire in the last part of the preceding hymn (X.15) is enlarged upon here. This fire is seen both as a blessed release of the dead man to the realm of the ancestors and as a menace to the vulnerable dead body. This ambivalence is clearly on display in the first verse, where the fire is begged not to burn up the body, but, on the other hand, to make the dead man “cooked” and ready to go to the forefathers. The same sentiment is repeated in verse 2, and the journey undertaken. The dead body itself is addressed in verse 3, with its parts consigned to the corresponding cosmic entities. Two more verses to Agni follow (4–5), continuing the themes of verses 1–2. In verses 6–7 the body is addressed again: in verse 6 it is reassured that the physical indignities it has undergone since death will be fixed by the cremation fire and by soma, but in verse 7 it is urged to protect itself against the same fire. The cremation seems to end with verse 8.
With the cremation concluded, the next verses (9–12) treat the inauspicious but powerful cremation fire and the means to render it harmless and to reintegrate it into the generally auspicious sphere of fire. The “flesh-eating fire” is first explicitly distinguished from “the other” fire, the ritual fire that receives the oblations to the gods, and the flesh-eating fire is assigned the task of taking the sacrifice to the ancestors and bringing them to the sacrifice here. Since this task is parallel to that of the other fire, the gods’ ritual mediator, the negative aspects of the flesh-eating fire can be set aside, and it can be conceptually reconfigured as a positive force, a transformation completed in verse 12.
In the final two verses (13–14) the place where the cremation took place returns to nature, with the fire extinguished and plants growing again. The import of the final apostrophe to a cool and chilly feminine entity is clear, even though the refer ent (a water plant?) is not.

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Jamison Brereton

The next ten hymns (X.10–19) form a Yama cycle, though the subject matter found in the individual hymns is quite various. Yama, the son of Vivasvant, is king of the land of the dead because he was the first mortal to die. Yet he was apparently born immortal (see esp. I.83.5) and chose to become mortal, subject to death, “for the sake of the gods…and for the sake of offspring” (X.13.4). The opening hymn in the cycle, the dialogue of Yama and his twin sister Yamī, on the fraught topic of embarking on incestuous sex in order to produce offspring, addresses Yama’s change of status and his choice, but in a deliberately oblique and misleading fashion, as Yama spurns the sexual advances of his sister, and at the end of their bitter argument there seems little likelihood of children. The last six hymns in this cycle (X.14–19) are collectively known as funeral hymns. The first, X.14, is devoted especially to Yama in his role as king of the realm of the dead, while the others, especially 15–18, concern various aspects of death and the treatment of the dead—for example, the forefathers who preceded us to Yama’s realm in X.15, the cremation fire in X.16, the funeral itself in X.

The intermediate hymns, X.11–13, have less superficially clear connections to the Yama saga, but both X.12 (vss. 6–7) and X.13 (vss. 4–5) make important comments on Yama and on Yama’s choice.

There is also an underlying unifying theme, that of duality and twinned-ness: the absolute disjunction between and the ultimate complementarity and unity of the mortal and the immortal, life and death, men and gods, men and women, heaven and earth, sacred and profane. It is appropriate that the cycle should begin with the dialogue between the primal twins, Yama and Yamī, whose very names mean “twin” and who bridge the gap between mortal and immortal.

01 मैनमग्ने वि - त्रिष्टुप्

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मइ᳓नम् अग्ने वि᳓ दहो मा᳓भि᳓ शोचो
मा᳓स्य त्व᳓चं चिक्षिपो मा᳓ श᳓रीरम्
यदा᳓ शृतं᳓ कृण᳓वो जातवेदो
अ᳓थेम् एनम् प्र᳓ हिणुतात् पितृ᳓भ्यः

02 शृतं यदा - त्रिष्टुप्

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शृतं᳓ यदा᳓ क᳓रसि जातवेदो
अ᳓थेम् एनम् प᳓रि दत्तात् पितृ᳓भ्यः
यदा᳓ ग᳓छाति अ᳓सुनीतिम् एता᳓म्
अ᳓था देवा᳓नां वशनी᳓र् भवाति

03 सूर्यं चक्षुर्गच्छतु - त्रिष्टुप्

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सू᳓र्यं च᳓क्षुर् गछतु वा᳓तम् आत्मा᳓
दियां᳓ च गछ पृथिवीं᳓ च ध᳓र्मणा
अपो᳓ वा गछ य᳓दि त᳓त्र ते हित᳓म्
ओ᳓षधीषु प्र᳓ति तिष्ठा श᳓रीरैः

04 अजो भागस्तपसा - त्रिष्टुप्

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अजो᳓ भाग᳓स् त᳓पसा तं᳓ तपस्व
तं᳓ ते शोचि᳓स् तपतु तं᳓ ते अर्चिः᳓
या᳓स् ते शिवा᳓स् तनु᳓वो जातवेदस्
ता᳓भिर् वहैनं सुकृ᳓ताम् उलोक᳓म्†

05 अव सृज - त्रिष्टुप्

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अ᳓व सृज पु᳓नर् अग्ने पितृ᳓भ्यो
य᳓स् त आ᳓हुतश् च᳓रति स्वधा᳓भिः
आ᳓युर् व᳓सान उ᳓प वेतु शे᳓षः
सं᳓ गछतां तनु᳓वा जातवेदः

06 यत्ते कृष्णः - त्रिष्टुप्

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य᳓त् ते कृष्णः᳓ शकुन᳓ आतुतो᳓द
पिपीलः᳓ सर्प᳓ उत᳓ वा श्वा᳓पदः
अग्नि᳓ष् ट᳓द् विश्वा᳓द् अगदं᳓ कृणोतु
सो᳓मश् च यो᳓ ब्राह्मणाँ᳓ आविवे᳓श

07 अग्नेर्वर्म परि - त्रिष्टुप्

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अग्ने᳓र् व᳓र्म प᳓रि गो᳓भिर् व्ययस्व
स᳓म् प्रो᳓र्णुष्व पी᳓वसा मे᳓दसा च
ने᳓त् त्वा धृष्णु᳓र् ह᳓रसा ज᳓र्हृषाणो
दधृ᳓ग् विधक्ष्य᳓न् परिअङ्ख᳓याते

08 इममग्ने चमसम् - त्रिष्टुप्

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इम᳓म् अग्ने चमस᳓म् मा᳓ वि᳓ जिह्वरः
प्रियो᳓ देवा᳓नाम् उत᳓ सोमिया᳓नाम्
एष᳓ य᳓श् चमसो᳓ देवपा᳓नस्
त᳓स्मिन् देवा᳓ अमृ᳓ता मादयन्ते

09 क्रव्यादमग्निं प्र - त्रिष्टुप्

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क्रव्या᳓दम् अग्नि᳓म् प्र᳓ हिणोमि दूरं᳓
यम᳓राज्ञो गछतु रिप्रवाहः᳓
इहइ᳓वा᳓य᳓म् इ᳓तरो जात᳓वेदा
देवे᳓भ्यो हव्यं᳓ वहतु प्रजान᳓न्

10 यो अग्निः - त्रिष्टुप्

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यो᳓ अग्निः᳓ क्रव्या᳓त् प्रविवे᳓श वो गृह᳓म्
इम᳓म् प᳓श्यन्न् इ᳓तरं जात᳓वेदसम्
तं᳓ हरामि पितृयज्ञा᳓य देवं᳓
स᳓ घर्म᳓म् इन्वात् परमे᳓ सध᳓स्थे

11 यो अग्निः - अनुष्टुप्

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यो᳓ अग्निः᳓ क्रव्यवा᳓हनः
पितॄ᳓न् य᳓क्षद् ऋतावृ᳓धः
प्रे᳓द् उ हव्या᳓नि वोचति
देवे᳓भ्यश् च पितृ᳓भ्य आ᳓

12 उशन्तस्त्वा नि - अनुष्टुप्

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उश᳓न्तस् त्वा नि᳓ धीमहि
उश᳓न्तः स᳓म् इधीमहि
उश᳓न्न् उशत᳓ आ᳓ वह
पितॄ᳓न् हवि᳓षे अ᳓त्तवे

13 यं त्वमग्ने - अनुष्टुप्

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यं᳓ त्व᳓म् अग्ने सम᳓दहस्
त᳓म् उ नि᳓र् वापया पु᳓नः
किया᳓म्बु अ᳓त्र रोहतु
पाकदूर्वा᳓ वि᳓अल्कशा

14 शीतिके शीतिकावति - अनुष्टुप्

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शी᳓तिके शी᳓तिकावति
ह्ला᳓दिके ह्ला᳓दिकावति
मण्डूकि᳓या सु᳓ सं᳓ गम
इमं᳓ सु᳓ अग्निं᳓ हर्षय