०७३

सर्वाष् टीकाः ...{Loading}...
सायण-भाष्यम्

‘ जनिष्ठाः’ इत्येकादशर्चं पञ्चमं सूक्तं शक्तिपुत्रस्य गौरिवीतरार्षं मारुतं त्रैष्टुभम् । तथा चानुक्रान्तं— जनिष्ठा एकादश गौरिवीतिः’ इति । अग्निष्टोमे मरुत्वतीयशस्त्र इदं सूक्तं निविद्धानम् । सूत्रितं च – ‘ जनिष्ठा उग्र इत्येकभूयसीः शस्त्वा मरुत्वतीयां निविदं दध्यात् ’ ( आश्व. श्रौ. ५, १४ ) इति । सौमिकचातुर्मास्येषु वैश्वदेवेऽप्येतन्मरुत्वतीयं निविद्धानम् । सूत्रितं च– ‘ जनिष्ठा उग्र उग्रो जज्ञ इति माध्यंदिनः ’ ( आश्व. श्रौ. ९.२ ) इति । महाव्रतेऽपि निष्केवल्य एतत्सूक्तम् । तथैव पञ्चमारण्यके सूत्रितं- जनिष्ठा उग्रः सहसे तुरायेति निविद्धानम् ’ ( ऐ. आ. ५.१.१ ) इति ॥

Jamison Brereton

73 (899)
Indra
Gaurivīti Śaktyā
11 verses: triṣṭubh
A dense and difficult hymn, with many cryptic allusions to Indra’s birth and some of his exploits. The Anukramaṇī ascribes it to the same poet as V.29, the first Indra hymn in the Vth Maṇḍala, and indeed this hymn has links to some of the fragmen tary narratives in the early Indra hymns of V, especially V.30 and 31.
The hymn begins and ends with the birth of Indra; the unusual and difficult nature of that birth was also the subject of IV.18. In verses 1–2ab it seems that Indra’s mother was beset with some trouble at the time of his birth. Nonetheless, he was successfully born but required strengthening by the Maruts. The account of his birth at the beginning of the hymn is quite straightforward when compared to the one given in verse 10, where several alternative sources of Indra are sug
gested. The common opinion seems to be that he “came from a (male) horse,” though “I” (the poet) have a different view. And the last word (or non-word) is Indra’s: “whence he was born, only Indra knows that.”
The material immediately after the birth story is extremely cryptic, and our interpretation is quite speculative. We believe that verses 2cd–5ab combine two motifs: a ritual situation, the early-morning sacrifice, and a mythological one, the image of Indra as cosmic begetter and tender parent. The dawn ritual is suggested by the Aśvins’ journey to the sacrifice with Indra (3d, 4b) and the apparent men
tion of early morning in 2d. The mythological material is harder to evaluate and to bring into a coherent schema. In 2cd it seems that something, quite possibly the worlds, were covered, perhaps sexually, by a “great foot(print),” and from the dark ness there came embryos, presumably engendered in this encounter. Since Indra’s feet are mentioned in the next verse (3a), it seems likely that the “great foot” in verse 2 is Indra, covering the worlds and begetting the embryos.
Verse 4 brings us the curious image of Indra with a thousand hyenas in his mouth. Though Geldner, for example, considers this simply a measure of how big a mouth Indra has and specifically denies that it has anything to do with the wide spread Brāhmaṇa stories of Indra and the hyenas, this seems disingenuous. Since the hyena word appears only twice in the R̥gveda and only once in conjunction with Indra, it seems perverse not to explore the possible connection with these later tales. The Brāhmaṇa narratives and the light they may shed on this passage are discussed at length in Jamison (1991: pt 1). Suffice it to say that hyenas carry their young around in their mouths like cats, and the image here suggests that Indra is functioning as an attentive parent to his brood. Another aspect of Indra’s parental role may be found in the next verse (4cd), where Indra “makes fast” thousands in an otherwise unidentified female: “make fast” seems a reasonable euphemism for impregnate or implant embryos. This section concerning Indra’s fatherhood seems to come to an end in 5ab.

After this we turn to Indra’s great deeds, especially the slaying of Namuci (5cd– 7), a deed also treated in the related hymn V.30.7–8. Why the abrupt switch from Indra as parent to Indra as killer? The answer probably lies in the early-morning context of this hymn. Indra famously vowed not to kill Namuci by day or by night, or with a weapon dry or wet. The weapon, according to later accounts, was foam (also glancingly alluded to in VIII.14.13), and the time of slaughter the morning twilight—the exact time depicted in the hymn. We also consider the “darkening mists and darkness” of 5d to be the weapon used for the slaughter (rather than the later foam), since mist, too, counts neither as wet nor as dry. This mist, diffused like smoke, though directed at Namuci, settles “even on the two of the same name,” whom we identify as the Aśvins, mentioned several times previously in the hymn, who make their journey during the early morning twilight.
Verse 8 summarizes Indra’s accomplishment of his deeds by way of his epi thets and acknowledges the applause of the gods, but it ends (8d) with a cryptic allusion to another of Indra’s deeds, continued, in our view, in the first pāda of verse 9. Another tale favored in the early Indra hymns of Maṇḍala V is the chariot race between Indra and the Sun, in which Indra steals the Sun’s wheel and puts his chariot in front of the Sun’s, though it had been behind (see, e.g., V.31.11). The “topsy-turvy” outcome of 8d and the stuck wheel of 9a are suggestive of this myth. The rest of verse 9 simply celebrates Indra’s fructifying of the plants and animals, which may remind us of his parental role earlier in the hymn, and with verse 10 we return to his mysterious birth. In the final verse (11) the poets ask Indra for aid in their plight.

01 जनिष्टा उग्रः - त्रिष्टुप्

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

ज᳓निष्ठा उग्रः᳓ स᳓हसे तुरा᳓य
मन्द्र᳓ ओ᳓जिष्ठो बहुला᳓भिमानः
अ᳓वर्धन्न् इ᳓न्द्रम् मरु᳓तश् चिद् अ᳓त्र
माता᳓ य᳓द् वीरं᳓ दध᳓नद् ध᳓निष्ठा

02 द्रुहो निषत्ता - त्रिष्टुप्

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

द्रुहो᳓ नि᳓षत्ता पृशनी᳓ चिद् ए᳓वैः
पुरू᳓ शं᳓सेन वावृधुष् ट᳓ इ᳓न्द्रम्
अभी᳓वृतेव ता᳓ महापदे᳓न
ध्वान्ता᳓त् प्रपित्वा᳓द् उ᳓द् अरन्त ग᳓र्भाः

03 ऋष्वा ते - त्रिष्टुप्

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

ऋष्वा᳓ ते पा᳓दा प्र᳓ य᳓ज् जि᳓गासि
अ᳓वर्धन् वा᳓जा उत᳓ ये᳓ चिद् अ᳓त्र
तुव᳓म् इन्द्र सालावृका᳓न् सह᳓स्रम्
आस᳓न् दधिषे अश्वि᳓ना᳓ ववृत्याः

04 समना तूर्णिरुप - त्रिष्टुप्

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

समना᳓ तू᳓र्णिर् उ᳓प यासि यज्ञ᳓म्
आ᳓ ना᳓सतिया सखिया᳓य वक्षि
वसा᳓व्याम् इन्द्र धारयः सह᳓स्रा
अश्वि᳓ना शूर ददतुर् मघा᳓नि

05 मन्दमान ऋतादधि - त्रिष्टुप्

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

म᳓न्दमान ऋता᳓द् अ᳓धि प्रजा᳓यै
स᳓खिभिर् इ᳓न्द्र इषिरे᳓भिर् अ᳓र्थम्
आ᳓भिर् हि᳓ माया᳓ उ᳓प द᳓स्युम् आ᳓गान्
मि᳓हः प्र᳓ तम्रा᳓ अवपत् त᳓मांसि

06 सनामाना चिद्ध्वसयो - त्रिष्टुप्

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

स᳓नामाना चिद् ध्वसयो नि᳓ अस्मा
अ᳓वाहन्न् इ᳓न्द्र उष᳓सो य᳓था᳓नः
ऋष्वइ᳓र् अगछः स᳓खिभिर् नि᳓कामैः
साक᳓म् प्रतिष्ठा᳓ हृ᳓दिया जघन्थ

07 त्वं जघन्थ - त्रिष्टुप्

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

तुवं᳓ जघन्थ न᳓मुचिम् मखस्युं᳓
दा᳓सं कृण्वान᳓ ऋ᳓षये वि᳓मायम्
तुवं᳓ चकर्थ म᳓नवे सियोना᳓न्
पथो᳓ देवत्रा᳓ अ᳓ञ्जसेव या᳓नान्

08 त्वमेतानि पप्रिषे - त्रिष्टुप्

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

तुव᳓म् एता᳓नि पप्रिषे वि᳓ ना᳓म
ई᳓शान इन्द्र दधिषे ग᳓भस्तौ
अ᳓नु त्वा देवाः᳓ श᳓वसा मदन्ति
उप᳓रिबुध्नान् वनि᳓नश् चकर्थ

09 चक्रं यदस्याप्स्वा - त्रिष्टुप्

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

चक्रं᳓ य᳓द् अस्य अप्सु᳓ आ᳓ नि᳓षत्तम्
उतो᳓ त᳓द् अस्मै म᳓धु इ᳓च् चछद्यात्
पृथिविया᳓म् अ᳓तिषितं य᳓द् ऊ᳓धः
प᳓यो गो᳓षु अ᳓दधा ओ᳓षधीषु

10 अश्वादियायेति यद्वदन्त्योजसो - त्रिष्टुप्

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

अ᳓श्वाद् इयाय इ᳓ति य᳓द् व᳓दन्ति
ओ᳓जसो जात᳓म् उत᳓ मन्य एनम्
मन्यो᳓र् इयाय हर्मिये᳓षु तस्थौ
य᳓तः प्रजज्ञ᳓ इ᳓न्द्रो अस्य वेद

11 वयः सुपर्णा - त्रिष्टुप्

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

व᳓यः सुपर्णा᳓ उ᳓प सेदुर् इ᳓न्द्रम्
प्रिय᳓मेधा ऋ᳓षयो ना᳓धमानाः
अ᳓प ध्वान्त᳓म् ऊर्णुहि᳓ पूर्धि᳓ च᳓क्षुर्
मुमुग्धि᳓ अस्मा᳓न् निध᳓येव बद्धा᳓न्