०४०

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सायण-भाष्यम्

‘रथं यान्तम्’ इति चतुर्दशर्चमेकादशं सूक्तं काक्षीवत्या घोषाया आर्षं जागतमाश्विनम् । ‘रथं यान्तम् ’ इत्यनुक्रान्तम् । प्रातरनुवाकाश्विनशस्त्रयोरुक्तो विनियोगः ॥

Jamison Brereton

40 (866)
Aśvins
Ghoṣā Kākṣīvatī
14 verses: jagatī
As suggested in the introduction to X.39, we two translators have different interpretations of the ritual context for this pair of hymns. Accordingly we have contributed contrastive, signed discussions of the hymn’s context in this introduction.
SWJ
As already noted, the hymn begins with a mention of the Aśvins’ chariot journey (vs. 1) and indeed continues with speculations on their whereabouts (vss. 2–3) and a description of our attempts to attract them to our sacrifice (vs. 4). These verses contain vivid imagery, especially the contrastive pictures of sexual pairing in verses 2–3 (see also X.39.14c, which is a mirror image of 40.2d).
These erotic images prepare the way for the scenes of apparent betrothal and marriage that follow (vss. 5–11). These verses open with the speech of a woman identified as Ghoṣā, whose status as king’s daughter contrasts with that of the bereft, unnamed woman who speaks in X.39.5 (see the introduction to that hymn). Ghoṣā boldly addresses the Aśvins themselves and demands to know if they will “be there” for her (vs. 5). The scene sketched is, in my opinion, a Svayaṃvara or woman’s “self-choice” marriage. The stage has been set for this in verse 3d, where the Aśvins are described as coming to soma-pressings “like kings’ sons” (rājaputrā́).

This tatpuruṣa compound is found only here in the R̥gveda and would neatly iden tify the Aśvins as appropriate suitors coming to a Svayaṃvara, where the woman making the choice would likewise be a king’s daughter (5b). Her unabashed speech, questioning them about their suitability as husbands and supporters, would be fit ting in a Svayaṃvara context.
The next verses (6–8) seem to depart from the marriage theme, and it is not possible to be certain that they are spoken by Ghoṣā. I believe they are, however, because the marital theme continues beneath the surface: verses 5–7 contain four somewhat problematic instances of the preverb pári “around” (5a, 6a, 6c, 7c), in the same metrical position, but in awkwardly unidiomatic verbal lexemes. The problems they cause for the translator are seen in the somewhat “off” English that represents them. This intrusive pári is, in our opinion, an insistent reminder of the wedding context, evoking one of the important parts of the wedding ceremony, the circumambulation of the fire, and also evoking the consummation of the marriage, the embrace of the bride, found close to the end of these wedding verses, in 10d “the wives are to be embraced (pariṣvajé).”
Ghoṣā’s likely speech ends with verse 8, ostensibly praising the Aśvins for “giv ing freedom/wide space” to various individuals and opening up an enclosure with all the characteristics of the Vala cave, a deed not usually attributed to the Aśvins. The wide space created and the opening up of the enclosure can (perhaps fancifully) be taken metaphorically here, in this wedding context, for the deflowering of the virgin bride.
The following two verses (9–10) return to the narrator/poet and describe the wedding itself, but develop the theme identified in the previous verse. In the first pāda of verse 9 the maiden is born—presumably born into womanhood, after the “opening up” just performed. The “little lad” in flight in the same pāda may be her bridegroom, or even a pet diminutive for his penis. The next two pādas (9bc), with sprouting plants and flowing rivers, are generally interpreted as expressing nature’s approval of the marriage; in contrast we again consider them metaphorical, express
ing the advent of sexual maturity and sexual awakening. The sprouting sprouts of pāda b remind us of the maiden Apālā’s prayer that her pubic hair would grow along with the plants in the fields (VIII.91.5–6); the rivers of pāda c might either be her first menstrual blood, the blood from her deflowering, or sexual fluids produced by arousal. This verse ends with the same phrase that Ghoṣā used in her question to the Aśvins, “be there for the day,” but with a reversal of genders (the bride will be there for her husband, as Ghoṣā asked the Aśvins to be there for her), followed by the triumphant “this is marriage!” While verse 9 treats marriage as an intimate exchange between the two principals, verse 10 brings us back to the social aspects of marriage: the exchange relation created between the families and the effort required to bring it about. The mysteries of sex are, mysteriously, touched on in verse 11.
The hymn ends with three verses (12–14) more conventionally addressed to the Aśvins with requests for goods and aid, though the final verse (14) echoes the ques tions about the whereabouts of the Aśvins that began the hymn. JPB
An alternate view of the ritual context of X.39–40 is that both hymns find a place in an Atirātra, an Overnight Soma Sacrifice, in the morning rites that conclude the ceremony. In these rites, which are a continuation of the rites of the Third Pressing from the previous evening, the Aśvins return in the morning of the second day to receive a last offering of soma. The references to the night between evening and morning oblations (e.g., X.40.2), to the soma offerings (X.39.4, 40.13, 14), and, of course, to the Aśvins, to whom both hymns are dedicated, accord with the ritual context of an Atrirātra.
One of the themes of the Third Pressing in the classical soma rites is the fertil ity of the sacrificing couple. Since this is a relatively late hymn, the Wife of the Sacrificer may already have been a participant in the rite for which these hymns were composed. Therefore, the hymns might have been an appeal to the Aśvins to help make the marriage of the sacrificing couple a success by giving them a son. Thus, the “little lad” who “has taken flight” in the puzzling verse 9 might be the hoped-for child, whose birth marks the success of their marriage. His “flight” can refer to his conception; the image of an embryo “flying” to the womb also occurs in X.162.3. For a detailed study of the hymn that reflects this interpretation, see Brereton 2013.

01 रथं यान्तम् - जगती

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रथं॒ यान्तं॒ कुह॒ को ह॑ वां नरा॒ प्रति॑ द्यु॒मन्तं॑ सुवि॒ताय॑ भूषति ।
प्रा॒त॒र्यावा॑णं वि॒भ्वं॑ वि॒शेवि॑शे॒ वस्तो॑र्वस्तो॒र्वह॑मानं धि॒या शमि॑ ॥

02 कुह स्विद्दोषा - जगती

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कुह॑ स्विद्दो॒षा कुह॒ वस्तो॑र॒श्विना॒ कुहा॑भिपि॒त्वं क॑रतः॒ कुहो॑षतुः ।
को वां॑ शयु॒त्रा वि॒धवे॑व दे॒वरं॒ मर्यं॒ न योषा॑ कृणुते स॒धस्थ॒ आ ॥

03 प्रातर्जरेथे जरणेव - जगती

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प्रा॒तर्ज॑रेथे जर॒णेव॒ काप॑या॒ वस्तो॑र्वस्तोर्यज॒ता ग॑च्छथो गृ॒हम् ।
कस्य॑ ध्व॒स्रा भ॑वथः॒ कस्य॑ वा नरा राजपु॒त्रेव॒ सव॒नाव॑ गच्छथः ॥

04 युवां मृगेव - जगती

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यु॒वां मृ॒गेव॑ वार॒णा मृ॑ग॒ण्यवो॑ दो॒षा वस्तो॑र्ह॒विषा॒ नि ह्व॑यामहे ।
यु॒वं होत्रा॑मृतु॒था जुह्व॑ते न॒रेषं॒ जना॑य वहथः शुभस्पती ॥

05 युवां ह - जगती

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यु॒वां ह॒ घोषा॒ पर्य॑श्विना य॒ती राज्ञ॑ ऊचे दुहि॒ता पृ॒च्छे वां॑ नरा ।
भू॒तं मे॒ अह्न॑ उ॒त भू॑तम॒क्तवेऽश्वा॑वते र॒थिने॑ शक्त॒मर्व॑ते ॥

06 युवं कवी - जगती

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यु॒वं क॒वी ष्ठः॒ पर्य॑श्विना॒ रथं॒ विशो॒ न कुत्सो॑ जरि॒तुर्न॑शायथः ।
यु॒वोर्ह॒ मक्षा॒ पर्य॑श्विना॒ मध्वा॒सा भ॑रत निष्कृ॒तं न योष॑णा ॥

07 युवं ह - जगती

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यु॒वं ह॑ भु॒ज्युं यु॒वम॑श्विना॒ वशं॑ यु॒वं शि॒ञ्जार॑मु॒शना॒मुपा॑रथुः ।
यु॒वो ररा॑वा॒ परि॑ स॒ख्यमा॑सते यु॒वोर॒हमव॑सा सु॒म्नमा च॑के ॥

08 युवं ह - जगती

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यु॒वं ह॑ कृ॒शं यु॒वम॑श्विना श॒युं यु॒वं वि॒धन्तं॑ वि॒धवा॑मुरुष्यथः ।
यु॒वं स॒निभ्यः॑ स्त॒नय॑न्तमश्वि॒नाप॑ व्र॒जमू॑र्णुथः स॒प्तास्य॑म् ॥

09 जनिष्थ योषा - जगती

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जनि॑ष्ट॒ योषा॑ प॒तय॑त्कनीन॒को वि चारु॑हन्वी॒रुधो॑ दं॒सना॒ अनु॑ ।
आस्मै॑ रीयन्ते निव॒नेव॒ सिन्ध॑वो॒ऽस्मा अह्ने॑ भवति॒ तत्प॑तित्व॒नम् ॥

10 जीवं रुदन्ति - जगती

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जी॒वं रु॑दन्ति॒ वि म॑यन्ते अध्व॒रे दी॒र्घामनु॒ प्रसि॑तिं दीधियु॒र्नरः॑ ।
वा॒मं पि॒तृभ्यो॒ य इ॒दं स॑मेरि॒रे मयः॒ पति॑भ्यो॒ जन॑यः परि॒ष्वजे॑ ॥

11 न तस्य - जगती

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न तस्य॑ विद्म॒ तदु॒ षु प्र वो॑चत॒ युवा॑ ह॒ यद्यु॑व॒त्याः क्षेति॒ योनि॑षु ।
प्रि॒योस्रि॑यस्य वृष॒भस्य॑ रे॒तिनो॑ गृ॒हं ग॑मेमाश्विना॒ तदु॑श्मसि ॥

12 आ वामगन्त्सुमतिर्वाजिनीवसू - जगती

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आ वा॑म् अगन्त् सुम॒तिर्, वा॑जिनी(=अश्वी)वसू॒
न्य् (हे) अश्वि॑ना, हृ॒त्सु (गृहप्राप्ति)कामाꣳ॑ अयꣳसत(=नियती कृताः) ।
अभू॑तङ् गो॒पा मि॑थु॒ना शु॑भस्पती
प्रि॒या अ॑र्य॒म्णो दुर्याꣳ॑(=गृहान्) अशीमहि(=प्रविशेम) ।

13 ता मन्दसाना - जगती

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ता(=तौ) म॑न्दसा॒ना(=स्तूयमानौ) मनु॑षो दुरो॒ण(=गृहे)
आ ध॒त्तꣳ र॒यिं द॒श-वी॑रं वच॒स्यवे॑(=वचनवते) ।
कृ॒तं(=कुरुतं) ती॒र्थꣳ सु॑-प्रपा॒णꣳ शु॑भस्-पती (अश्विनौ),
स्था॒णुं प॑थे॒ष्ठाम् अप॑ दुर्म॒तिꣳ ह॑तम् ।

14 क्व स्विदद्य - जगती

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क्व॑ स्विद॒द्य क॑त॒मास्व॒श्विना॑ वि॒क्षु द॒स्रा मा॑दयेते शु॒भस्पती॑ ।
क ईं॒ नि ये॑मे कत॒मस्य॑ जग्मतु॒र्विप्र॑स्य वा॒ यज॑मानस्य वा गृ॒हम् ॥