१२३

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सायण-भाष्यम्

‘अयं वेनः’ इत्यष्टर्चमेकादशं सूक्तं भार्गवस्य वेनस्यार्षं त्रैष्टुभम् । वेनो देवता । तथा चानुक्रान्तम् - अयं वेनो वैन्यम् ’ इति । प्रवर्ग्येऽभिष्टव आद्यानुवक्तव्या । सूत्रितं च — ‘ स्रक्वे द्रप्सस्यायं वेनश्चोदयत्पृश्निगर्भाः ’ ( आश्व. श्रौ. ४. ६ ) इति । वैश्वदेवशस्त्रेऽप्येषा धाय्या । सूत्रितं च –’ तक्षन्रथमयं वेनश्चोदयत्पृश्निगर्भाः’ ( आश्व. श्रौ. ५. १८) इति ।।

Jamison Brereton

123 (949)
Vena
Vena Bhārgava
8 verses: triṣṭubh
A famous and mystical hymn, whose opacity still defies complete comprehension although its main features are clear. The subject is announced in the first words of the first verse: “this Seeker” (ayám vénaḥ), and the Anukramaṇī also attributes the hymn to the same figure, or his multiform: Vena Bhārgava. This poet is also credited with the soma hymn IX.85 by the Anukramaṇī, and the last four verses of that hymn (9–12), which contain phraseology quite similar to X.123 and which we might term “Vena without Tears,” help clarify X.123. What is at issue is the common identification of Soma and the Sun, united in the Seeker figure, who is also identified as a Gandharva (vss. 4 and 7) and as a bird (vss. 5–6). Most verses are applicable to either Soma or the Sun, and, as is common in hymns with such dual referents, the effort of fashioning phraseology that works for both referents accounts for many of the enigmas in the hymn, beginning with the birth and first appearance of the Seeker in verses 1–2.

It is noteworthy that the Seeker is also eagerly sought: the inspired poets pursue him (vss. 1, 4, probably 6), as do women seeking a husband (vs. 2) and mothers (vs. 3)—both feminine references probably standing for the hymns produced by these poets. Needless to say, both Soma and the Sun are regularly the object of such poetic attentions, and the intimate bond between poets and what they celebrate is a prominent theme in the hymn.

Less prominent, but perhaps not less important, is the theme of name-and-form. This first surfaces explicitly in verse 4, where it is their recognition of the form of the Seeker that inspires the poets’ longing for him. In the same verse the Seeker, as Gandharva, finds “the immortal names.” Later, in verse 7, this same Gandharva engenders his own names. These verses seem to adumbrate the later preoccupation with name and form as representing the creation of the multiplicity of objects in the world by the division of the formless into “forms” and the assignment of “names” to each in order to differentiate them. This theme is treated with great skill and subtlety also in III.38. In this hymn here the Gandharva’s engendering his own names in the penultimate verse of the hymn leads to a climax of sorts in the final verse (8), though one that is quite downplayed. In that final verse the undifferentiated figure of Soma/ Sun is actually divided into its two constituent parts, though neither is mentioned by name. The first half of the verse concerns the drop (drapsá), a word regularly used of Soma, while the second half has as its subject bhānú “radiance,” which is especially characteristic of the Sun. Through the power of the poets’ perception of the true “form” of things and their ability to assign them “names,” Sun and Soma emerge at the end of the hymn as separate, though mutually dependent, entities.

01 अयं वेनश्चोदयत्पृश्निगर्भा - त्रिष्टुप्

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अयं᳓ वेन᳓श्+++(=शुक्रः)+++ चोदयत् पृ᳓श्नि+++(=तनु)+++-गर्भा
ज्यो᳓तिर्-जरायू+++(=गर्भाच्छादनः)+++ र᳓जसो विमा᳓ने ।
इम᳓म् अपां᳓+++(=प्रातर्-नीहार-बिन्दुनां कर्मणां वा)+++ संगमे᳓ सू᳓र्यस्य
+++(गो-)+++शि᳓शुं न᳓ वि᳓प्रा मति᳓भी रिहन्ति+++(=लिहन्ति)+++ ॥
+++(सन्ध्यासु हि सूर्यसमीपे वर्तते वेनः।)+++

02 समुद्रादूर्मिमुदियर्ति वेनो - त्रिष्टुप्

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समुद्रा᳓द् ऊर्मि᳓म् उ᳓द् इयर्ति वेनो᳓
नभोजाः᳓ पृष्ठं᳓ हर्यत᳓स्य दर्शि
ऋत᳓स्य सा᳓नाव् अ᳓धि विष्ट᳓पि भ्रा᳓ट्
समानं᳓ यो᳓निम् अभ्य् अ᳡नूषत व्राः᳓

03 समानं पूर्विरभि - त्रिष्टुप्

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समान᳓म् पूर्वी᳓र् अभि᳓ वावशाना᳓स्
ति᳓ष्ठन् वत्स᳓स्य मात᳓रः स᳓नीळाः
ऋत᳓स्य सा᳓नाव् अ᳓धि चक्रमाणा᳓
रिह᳓न्ति म᳓ध्वो अमृ᳓तस्य वा᳓णीः

04 जानन्तो रूपमकृपन्त - त्रिष्टुप्

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जान᳓न्तो रूप᳓म् अकृपन्त वि᳓प्रा
मृग᳓स्य घो᳓षम् महिष᳓स्य हि᳓ ग्म᳓न्
ऋते᳓न य᳓न्तो अ᳓धि सि᳓न्धुम् अस्थुर्
विद᳓द् गन्धर्वो᳓ अमृ᳓तानि ना᳓म

05 अप्सरा जारमुपसिष्मियाणा - त्रिष्टुप्

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अप्सरा᳓ जार᳓म् उपसिष्मियाणा᳓
यो᳓षा बिभर्ति परमे᳓ वि᳓ओमन्
च᳓रत् प्रिय᳓स्य यो᳓निषु प्रियः᳓ स᳓न्
सी᳓दत् पक्षे᳓ हिरण्य᳓ये स᳓ वेनः᳓

06 नाके सुपर्णमुप - त्रिष्टुप्

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ना᳓के सुपर्ण᳓म् +++(→सूर्यं)+++ उ᳓प य᳓त् प᳓तन्तं
हृदा᳓ वे᳓नन्तो अभ्य᳓चक्षत त्वा ।
हि᳓रण्य-पक्षं +++(शतभिषक्-स्थ-)+++व᳓रुणस्य दूतं᳓
यम᳓स्य यो᳓नौ +++(→भरण्यां)+++ शकुनं᳓ भुरण्यु᳓म्+++(←भृ)+++ ॥

07 ऊर्ध्वो गन्धर्वो - त्रिष्टुप्

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ऊर्ध्वो᳓ गन्धर्वो᳓ अ᳓धि ना᳓के अस्थात्
प्रत्य᳓ङ् चित्रा᳓ बि᳓भ्रद् अस्या᳓युधानि
व᳓सानो अ᳓त्कं सुरभिं᳓ दृशे᳓ कं᳓
सु᳓वर् ण᳓ ना᳓म जनत प्रिया᳓णि

08 द्रप्सः समुद्रमभि - त्रिष्टुप्

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द्रप्सः᳓ समुद्र᳓म् अभि᳓ य᳓ज् जि᳓गाति
प᳓श्यन् गृ᳓ध्रस्य च᳓क्षसा वि᳓धर्मन्
भानुः᳓ शुक्रे᳓ण शोचि᳓षा चकान᳓स्
तृती᳓ये चक्रे र᳓जसि प्रिया᳓णि