MANDALA I, HYMN 147.

ASHTAKA II, ADHYAYA 2, VARGA 16.

1. How, O Agni, have the resplendent ones worshipped thee, aspiring through the powers of the Ayu , when the gods, obtaining kith and kin of both races (human and divine?), rejoiced in the song of Rita (or Right) ?

2. Give heed to this my proffered hymn, O youngest one, which is most rich in liberal gifts , O self-dependent one! The one abuses thee, the other praises thee: I thy reverer revere thy body, O Agni !

3. Thy guardians, O Agni, who saw and saved the blind son of Mamata from distress --he the possessor of all wealth has saved them who have done good deeds . The impostors, trying to deceive, have not deceived.

4. The niggard, O Agni, the harmful and malicious who injures us by falsehood: may the heavy spell recoil on him; may he injure his own body by his evil words .

5. And, O strong one, whatever mortal knowingly injures another mortal by falsehood: from such a one, O praised Agni, protect him who praises thee. Agni! Do not deliver us to distress.

NOTES.

The same Rishi and metre.--Verse 2 = VS. XII, 42; TS. IV, 2, 3, 4; MS. II, 7, 10. Verse 3 = RV. IV, 4, 13; TS. I, 2, 14, 5; MS. IV, 11, 5.

Verse 1.

Note [1:147:1:1]1. The Ayu seems to be Agni himself. Or is it admissible to interpret ayoh as standing metri causa for ayavah? Then the hemistich would refer to the mythical sacerdotal tribe of the Ayus, the ancient worshippers of Agni. Comp., for instance, X, 7, 5; 46, 8. The translation would be, 'How, O Agni, have the resplendent Ayus worshipped thee, aspiring with their powers?'

Note [1:147:1:2]2. 'Because.' M. M.

Note [1:147:1:3]3. Comp. VIII, 103, 7. ubhe toke tanaye dasma vispate parshi ra'dhah maghonam.

Note [1:147:1:4]4. As to ritasya sa'man, comp. Vag. Samh. XXII, 2, and ritasya slokah, Rig-veda IV, 23, 8. Our Pada recurs IV, 7, 7 with the reading ritasya dha'man.

Verse 2.

Note [1:147:2:1]1. With vakasah mamhishthasya compare mamhishthabhih matibhih, VIII, 23, 23.

Note [1:147:2:2]2. Cf. Aufrecht, Kuhn's Zeitschrift, III, 200.

Verse 3.

Note [1:147:3:1]1. Dirghatamas the son of Mamata is the reputed author of this section of the first Mandala which belongs indeed to a family of priests claiming descent from him. The story of the blindness of Dirghatamas and of the distress into which he fell is told in the Mahabharata I, 4179 seq., ed. Calc.; comp. also Geldner, Vedische Studien, II, 145.