१३१

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

‘ अप प्राचः’ इति सप्तर्चं तृतीयं सूक्तं कक्षीवतः पुत्रस्य सुकीर्तेरार्षम् । चतुर्थ्यनुष्टुप् शिष्टाः षट् त्रिष्टुभः । चतुर्थीपञ्चम्यावश्विदेवत्ये शिष्टा ऐन्द्र्यः । तथा चानुक्रान्तम्— ‘ अप प्राचः सुकीर्तिः काक्षीवतो मध्येऽनुष्टुप्सोत्तरा चाश्विन्यौ ’ इति । षष्ठेऽहनि ब्राह्मणाच्छंसिन उक्थशस्त्र एतत्सूक्तम् । सूत्रितं च –‘सुकीर्तिं ब्राह्मणाच्छंसी वृषाकपिं च पङ्क्तिशंसम् ’ ( आश्व. श्रौ. ८.४) इति । चातुर्विंशिकेऽहनि माध्यंदिने सवने मैत्रावरुणस्य ‘ अप प्राचः’ इत्येषारम्भणीया कद्वत्प्रगाथानन्तरं शंसनीया । सूत्रितं च—-‘कद्वन्तः प्रगाथा अप प्राच इन्द्र विश्वाँ अमित्रान्’ (आश्व. श्रौ. ७.४) इति । अहर्गणेष्वपि द्वितीयादिष्वहःसु तस्यैव तस्मिन्नेव शस्त्र आरम्भणीया । सूत्रितं च —– ‘ आरम्भणीयाः पर्यासान् कद्वतोऽहरहःशस्यानीति होत्रका द्वितीयादिष्वेव’ (आश्व. श्रौ. ७.१) इति ॥

Jamison Brereton

131 (957)
Indra (1–3, 6–7), Aśvins (4–5)
Sukīrti Kākṣīvata
7 verses: triṣṭubh, except anuṣṭubh 4
The Anukramaṇī attributes this hymn to a descendant of Kakṣīvant, the clever wordsmith of I.116–26, and, although the poem is framed by conventional prayers for help to Indra (vss. 1, 6–7), there is more than a flash of Kakṣīvant’s brilliance in the intermediate verses, especially 2–3. Moreover, almost half of Kakṣīvant’s output consists of Aśvin hymns (I.116–120), indeed, more than half by verse count, and verses 4–5 of our hymn allude to a myth not otherwise found in the R̥gveda but prevalent in later Vedic, in which the Aśvins figure prominently.
Verses 2 and 3 have a slightly folksy air, using homely images to provide a model for Indra’s behavior toward us. In verse 2 the model is the harvesting and threshing of grain; if our interpretation is correct, the poet compares the threshing of the grain, which gets rid of the chaff and keeps only the wholesome grain, to deci
sions Indra should make about how to distribute goods he has acquired. The goods should come only to us [=the good grain], not to those [=the chaff] who neglect their sacrificial tasks. This image has the type of twist that Kakṣīvant enjoys: the audience thinks at first that the grain is being compared to the “goodies” to be distributed, and when that interpretation doesn’t work, they must dig deeper to redistribute the metaphorical roles.
Verse 3 is not as conceptually complex, but it displays a virtuosic density. The first pāda contains the entire metaphorical model: a one-horse vehicle won’t suc ceed, or in an expanded and more literal paraphrase, “there is nothing that, when drawn by a single animal, has traveled in the right way.” The implications are then worked out: pāda b suggests that relying on oneself alone will not bring fame; the last half of the verse provides the solution: seek Indra as helper and yokemate.
This message, that everyone needs a helper, is then projected onto the mythologi cal plane, indeed onto the greatest hero—often presented as acting triumphantly alone—Indra. The little snatch of the Aśvin story found in verses 4–5 emphasizes how they and Sarasvatī “helped” Indra in his need. This myth has been much

discussed in the literature (see especially Bloomfield [1893] and Oldenberg [1893], as well as Jamison [1991: 98–103]), especially in its relationship to the later Sautrāmaṇī ritual, which in fact utilizes some of the verses in this hymn and which owes its name to the epithet of Indra found in verses 6–7, sutrā́man “of good protection.” We will not pursue the issue in detail here. In brief summary, Indra became sick after drinking an excess of soma, and in order to heal him the Aśvins and Sarasvatī
had him drink the usually forbidden alcohol surā, which they obtained in one way or another (the methods are different at different periods in Vedic) from the asuric Namuci. The surā was not pure but mixed, and both the Aśvins and Indra are here depicted as performing the singular feat of separating the two mixed liquids in the course of drinking them.
If even Indra occasionally needs helpers, we need feel no shame in seeking one ourselves, and in the last two verses (6–7) we express the hope that Indra will fill this role for us.

01 अप प्राच - त्रिष्टुप्

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

अ᳓प प्रा᳓च इन्द्र वि᳓श्वाँ अमि᳓त्रान्
अ᳓पा᳓पाचो अभिभूते नुदस्व
अ᳓पो᳓दीचो अ᳓प शूराधरा᳓च
उरउ᳓ य᳓था त᳓व श᳓र्मन् म᳓देम

02 कुविदङ्ग यवमन्तो - त्रिष्टुप्

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

कुवि᳓द् अङ्ग᳓ य᳓वमन्तो य᳓वं चिद्
य᳓था दा᳓न्ति अनुपूर्वं᳓ वियू᳓य
इहे᳓हैषां कृणुहि भो᳓जनानि
ये᳓ बर्हि᳓षो न᳓मोवृक्तिं न᳓ जग्मुः᳓

03 नहि स्थूयृड़्तुथा - त्रिष्टुप्

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

नहि᳓ स्थू᳓रि ऋतुथा᳓ यात᳓म् अ᳓स्ति
नो᳓त᳓ श्र᳓वो विविदे संगमे᳓षु
गव्य᳓न्त इ᳓न्द्रं सखिया᳓य वि᳓प्रा
अश्वाय᳓न्तो वृ᳓षणं वाज᳓यन्तः

04 युवं सुराममश्विना - अनुष्टुप्

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

युवं᳓ सुरा᳓मम् अश्विना
न᳓मुचाव् आसुरे᳓ स᳓चा
विपिपाना᳓ शुभस् पती
इ᳓न्द्रं क᳓र्मसु आवतम्

05 पुत्रमिव पितरावश्विनोभेन्द्रावथुः - त्रिष्टुप्

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

पुत्र᳓म् इव पित᳓राव् अश्वि᳓नोभा
इ᳓न्द्राव᳓थुः का᳓वियैर् दंस᳓नाभिः
य᳓त् सुरा᳓मं वि᳓ अ᳓पिबः श᳓चीभिः
स᳓रस्वती त्वा मघवन्न् अभिष्णक्

06 इन्द्रः सुत्रामा - त्रिष्टुप्

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...
१२ इन्द्रः सुत्रामा ...{Loading}...

इ᳓न्द्रः सुत्रा᳓मा स्व᳓वाँ+++(=स्ववान्)+++ अ᳓वोभिः
सुमृळीको᳓ भवतु विश्व᳓वेदाः।
बा᳓धतां द्वे᳓षो, अ᳓भयं नः कृणोतु
सुवी᳓र्यस्य प᳓तयः स्याम ॥

07 तस्य वयम् - त्रिष्टुप्

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...
१३ तस्य वयं ...{Loading}...

त᳓स्य वयं᳓ सुमतौ᳓ यज्ञि᳓यस्य᳓+
अ᳓पि भद्रे᳓ सौमनसे᳓ स्याम ।
स᳓ सुत्रा᳓मा स्व᳓वाँ+++(न्)+++ इ᳓न्द्रो अस्मे᳓
आरा᳓च् चिद् द्वे᳓षः सनुत᳓र्+++(=अन्तर्हितं)+++ युयोतु+++(←यु पृथक्करणे)+++ ॥