०३९

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सायण-भाष्यम्

‘यो वाम्’ इति चतुर्दशर्चं दशमं सूक्तम् । कक्षीवतो दुहिता घोषा नाम ब्रह्मवादिन्यृषिः । अन्त्या त्रिष्टुप् । शिष्टा जगत्यः । अश्विनौ देवता । तथा चानुक्रान्तं – यो वां षळूना काक्षीवती घोषाश्विनं हि त्रिष्टुबन्तम्’ इति । प्रातरबुवाकाश्विनशस्त्रयोर्जागते छन्दसीदमादीनि त्रीणि सूक्तानि । सूत्रितं च— यो वां परिज्मेति त्रीणि त्रिश्चिन्नो अद्य ’ ( अश्व. श्रौ. ४. १५) इति ॥

Jamison Brereton

39 (865)
Aśvins
Ghoṣā Kākṣīvatī
14 verses: jagatī, except triṣṭubh 13
This first hymn in the series is in most ways a standard Aśvin hymn, especially in the Kakṣīvant mode. After the first verse devoted to the chariot and a plea to the Aśvins for lavish gifts (vs. 2), the hymn settles into the familiar pattern of many Aśvin hymns, in a list form briefly mentioning good deeds performed and benevolent treatment meted out by those two gods. The first catalogue is fairly brief, consisting of the two verses 3–4, with a formulaic summary (“I shall proclaim your ancient heroic deeds…”) in verse 5. The poet promises to make the Aśvins “new” (5c), just as they famously made Cyavāna young again (4ab). A second longer catalogue of deeds, more formally constructed, occupies verses 7–11.
But these lists are interrupted (in vs. 6) by a surprising, 1st-person intrusion: a woman (the feminine pronoun iyám opens the verse and makes the gender of the speaker unmistakable) calls upon the Aśvins and begs them to serve as her parents and aid her in her plight, since she lacks friends and relations. The reason for her distress is not given, but the traditional view that she is asking them to find her a hus
band seems reasonable, given that an orphaned girl would have no marital prospects and would be quite vulnerable to mistreatment. Her verse closely echoes the first verse of the hymn: she uses the same verb “invoke” and uses a paternal image like that in verse 1d.
This heartrending verse seems to have no sequel in the hymn. Although it is not impossible that the following catalogue verses are also her speech, it seems unlikely because of their strict conformity to Aśvin-hymn diction. While it is certainly true that the next verses mention several females helped by the Aśvins (the wife for Vimada, the aid given to Vadhrimatī and to Puraṃdhi, vs. 7; to Viśpalā in vs. 8), males are just as often recipients of their favor in those verses, and the most striking female figure, the spinster growing old in her parents’ house in verse 3, who is identified with the woman in verse 6 and indeed with Ghoṣā by many commentators, is not in a verse that our female speaker could be saying.
The female speaker in this hymn foreshadows and complements the female speaker, explicitly identified as Ghoṣā, in the next hymn (X.40.5–8), and the speaker in this hymn is often said to be that same Ghoṣā. However, in the opinion of one of us (SWJ) this is quite unlikely because our speaker bemoans her lack of kin, while Ghoṣā in X.40.5 is said to be a king’s daughter. Instead, the two female speakers seem meant to contrast with each other and to reflect extreme poles of women’s sta
tus in a marital context. The other of us (JPB) sees the speaker’s lament in 39.6 that she has no friends or relatives as a metaphorical and hyperbolic characterization of her unhappy life rather than a literal description of it. In that case the speaker in X.39 could the woman called Ghoṣā in X.40.
Another, enigmatic reference to a woman is found in verse 11, which ends the cat alogue. The verse declares that no trouble afflicts a man if the Aśvins put his chariot and his wife (pátnī) “in front.” What exactly is meant here is unclear, but we sug gest that this is yet another fleeting reference to the introduction of the Sacrificer’s Wife (pátnī) into the ritual in late R̥gveda; the chariot and the wife leading the way remind us of the Mudgala/Mudgalānī hymn (X.102), in which Mudgala’s wife, Mudgalānī, serves as successful charioteer in a chariot race—a hymn we have also interpreted as a reference to the new ritual institution of the Sacrificer’s Wife. (For further discussion, see the introduction to X.102.)

The hymn ends with a return to the Aśvins’ chariot drive (vs. 13), with a few more incidental good deeds, and a summary verse announcing our own praise hymn (vs. 14).

01 यो वाम् - जगती

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यो᳓ वाम् प᳓रिज्मा सुवृ᳓द् अश्विना र᳓थो
दोषा᳓म् उषा᳓सो ह᳓वियो हवि᳓ष्मता
शश्वत्तमा᳓सस् त᳓म् उ वाम् इदं᳓ वय᳓म्
पितु᳓र् न᳓ ना᳓म सुह᳓वं हवामहे

02 चोदयतं सूनृताः - जगती

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चोद᳓यतं सूनृ᳓ताः पि᳓न्वतं धि᳓य
उ᳓त् पु᳓रंधीर् ईरयतं त᳓द् उश्मसि
यश᳓सम् भागं᳓ कृणुतं नो अश्विना
सो᳓मं न᳓ चा᳓रुम् मघ᳓वत्सु नस् कृतम्

03 अमाजुरश्चिद्भवथो युवम् - जगती

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अमाजु᳓रश् चिद् भवथो युव᳓म् भ᳓गो
अनाशो᳓श् चिद् अविता᳓रापम᳓स्य चित्
अन्ध᳓स्य चिन् नासतिया कृश᳓स्य चिद्
युवा᳓म् इ᳓द् आहुर् भिष᳓जा रुत᳓स्य चित्

04 युवं च्यवानम् - जगती

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युवं᳓ च्य᳓वानं सन᳓यं य᳓था र᳓थम्
पु᳓नर् यु᳓वानं चर᳓थाय तक्षथुः
नि᳓ष् टौग्रिय᳓म् ऊहथुर् अद्भिय᳓स् प᳓रि
वि᳓श्वे᳓त् ता᳓ वां स᳓वनेषु प्रवा᳓चिया

05 पुराणा वाम् - जगती

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पुराणा᳓ वां वीरि᳓या प्र᳓ ब्रवा ज᳓ने
अ᳓थो हासथुर् भिष᳓जा मयोभु᳓वा
ता᳓ वां नु᳓ न᳓व्याव् अ᳓वसे करामहे
अयं᳓ नासत्या श्र᳓द् अरि᳓र् य᳓था द᳓धत्

06 इयं वामह्वे - जगती

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इयं᳓ वाम् अह्वे शृणुत᳓म् मे अश्विना
पुत्रा᳓येव पित᳓रा म᳓ह्य° शिक्षतम्
अ᳓नापिर् अ᳓ज्ञा असजातिया᳓मतिः
पुरा᳓ त᳓स्या अभि᳓शस्तेर् अ᳓व स्पृतम्

07 युवं रथेन - जगती

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युवं᳓ र᳓थेन विमदा᳓य शुन्ध्यु᳓वं
नि᳓ ऊहथुः पुरुमित्र᳓स्य यो᳓षणाम्
युवं᳓ ह᳓वं वध्रिमत्या᳓ अगछतं
युवं᳓ सु᳓षुतिं चक्रथुः पु᳓रंधये

08 युवं विप्रस्य - जगती

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युवं᳓ वि᳓प्रस्य जरणा᳓म् उपेयु᳓षः
पु᳓नः कले᳓र् अकृणुतं यु᳓वद् व᳓यः
युवं᳓ व᳓न्दनम् ऋश्यदा᳓द् उ᳓द् ऊपथुर्
युवं᳓ सद्यो᳓ विश्प᳓लाम् ए᳓तवे कृथः

09 युवं ह - जगती

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युवं᳓ ह रेभं᳓ वृषणा गु᳓हा हित᳓म्
उ᳓द् ऐरयतम् ममृवां᳓सम् अश्विना
युव᳓म् ऋबी᳓सम् उत᳓ तप्त᳓म् अ᳓त्रय
ओ᳓मन्वन्तं चक्रथुः सप्त᳓वध्रये

10 युवं श्वेतम् - जगती

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युवं᳓ श्वेत᳓म् पेद᳓वे अश्विना᳓शुवं
नव᳓भिर् वा᳓जैर् नवती᳓ च वाजि᳓नम्
चर्कृ᳓तियं ददथुर् द्रावय᳓त्सखम्
भ᳓गं न᳓ नृ᳓भ्यो ह᳓वियम् मयोभु᳓वम्

11 न तम् - जगती

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न᳓ तं᳓ राजानाव् अदिते कु᳓तश् चन᳓
नां᳓हो अश्नोति दुरितं᳓ न᳓किर् भय᳓म्
य᳓म् अश्विना सुहवा रुद्रवर्तनी
पुरोरथं᳓ कृणुथः᳓ प᳓त्निया सह᳓

12 आ तेन - जगती

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आ᳓ ते᳓न यातम् म᳓नसो ज᳓वीयसा
र᳓थं यं᳓ वाम् ऋभ᳓वश् चक्रु᳓र् अश्विना
य᳓स्य यो᳓गे दुहिता᳓ जा᳓यते दिव᳓
उभे᳓ अ᳓हनी सुदि᳓ने विव᳓स्वतः

13 ता वर्तिर्यातम् - जगती

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ता᳓ वर्ति᳓र् यातं जयु᳓षा वि᳓ प᳓र्वतम्
अ᳓पिन्वतं शय᳓वे धेनु᳓म् अश्विना
वृ᳓कस्य चिद् व᳓र्तिकाम् अन्त᳓र् आसि᳓याद्
युवं᳓ श᳓चीभिर् ग्रसिता᳓म् अमुञ्चतम्

14 एतं वाम् - त्रिष्टुप्

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एतं᳓ वां स्तो᳓मम् अश्विनाव् अकर्म
अ᳓तक्षाम · भृ᳓गवो न᳓ र᳓थम्
नि᳓ अमृक्षाम यो᳓षणां न᳓ म᳓र्ये
नि᳓त्यं न᳓ सूनुं᳓ त᳓नयं द᳓धानाः