MANDALA I, HYMN 69.

ASHTAKA I, ADHYAYA 5, VARGA 13.

1. Bright, flaming, like the lover of the Dawn , he has, like the light of the sky, filled the two (worlds of Heaven and Earth) which are turned towards each other.

2. As soon as thou wert born thou hast excelled by thy power of mind; being the son of the gods thou hast become their father.

3. (Agni is) a worshipper (of the gods), never foolish, (always) discriminating; (he is) like the udder of the cows; (he is) the sweetness of food --

4. Like a kind friend to men, not to be led astray , sitting in the midst, the lovely one, in the house;

5. Like a child when born, he is delightful in the house; like a race-horse which is well cared for , he has wandered across the clans .

6. When I call (to the sacrifice) the clans who dwell in the same nest with the heroes, may Agni then attain all divine powers .

7. When thou hast listened to these heroes, no one breaks those laws of thine.

8. That verily is thy wonderful deed that thou hast killed , with thy companions, (all foes), that, joined by the heroes, thou hast accomplished thy works .

9. Like the lover of the Dawn resplendent and bright, of familiar form: may he (thus) pay attention to this (sacrificer).

10. Carrying (him) they opened by themselves the doors (of heaven). They all shouted at the aspect of the sun .

NOTES.

The same Rishi and metre.

Verse 1.

Note [1:69:1:1]1. The lover of the Dawn is here the Sun. See Pischel, Vedische Studien, I, 31.

Verse 3.

Note [1:69:3:1]1. Agni is the sweetness of food (comp. V, 7, 6. sva'danam pituna'm); it is not probable that sva'dma and u'dhah should depend on viganan, as Ludwig believes.

Verse 4.

Note [1:69:4:1]1. I adopt Boehtlingk-Roth's conjecture ahuryah. Ahu'ryah would mean, 'he who is to be led astray.'

Verse 5.

Note [1:69:5:1]1. See above, 66, 4.

Note [1:69:5:2]2. 'He has overcome the (hostile) clans.' M. M.

Verse 6.

Note [1:69:6:1]1. Perhaps devatva' is an instrumental, as Ludwig takes it. In this case we should have to translate: 'may Agni by his divine power attain everything.'--Prof. Max Muller translates this verse: 'When I with my men call the clans of the same nest (the gods), Agni will obtain all divine honours.'

Verse 8.

Note [1:69:8:1]1. The first hemistich of this verse has eleven syllables instead of ten and shows the regular Trishtubh type. The same irregularity occurs in 70, 4. 10. As I have shown in my Prolegomena, p. 97, this metrical irregularity does not necessitate corrections of the text,