Your prowess is brilliant, your minds furious; the shout of the daring host is like one possessed.

We have likewise the dative sárdhâya, the instrumental sárdhena, and the acc. plur. sárdhân; and in most cases, except in two or three where sárdha seems to be used as an adjective, meaning strong, these words are applied to the host of the Maruts.

But the other word sárdhas is equally well authenticated, and we find of it, not only the nominative, accusative, and vocative sing. sárdhas, but likewise the nom. plur. sárdhâmsi.

The nominative singular occurs in our very hymn:

I, 37, 5. krilám yát sárdhah mâ´rutam.

Which is the sportive host of the Maruts.

I, 127, 6. sáh hí sárdhah ná mâ´rutam tuvi-svánih.

For he (Agni) is strong-voiced like the host of the Maruts.

IV, 6, 10. tuvi-svanásah mâ´rutam ná sárdhah.

Thy flames (Agni) are strong-voiced like the host of the Maruts.

V, 46, 5. utá tyát nah mâ´rutam sárdhah â´ gamat.

May also that host of the Maruts come to us.

II, 1, 5. tvám narâ´m sárdhah asi puru-vásuh.

Thou (Agni), full of riches, art the host of the men.

This host of men seems to me intended again for the Maruts, although it is true that in thus identifying Agni with different gods, the poet repeats himself in the next verse:

II, 1, 6. tvám sárdhah mâ´rutam.

Thou art the host of the Maruts.

If this repetition seems offensive, the first narâ´m sárdhas might be taken for some other company of gods. Thus we find:

VII, 44, 5. srinótu nah daívyam sárdhah agníh i srinvántu vísve mahishâ´h ámûrâh.

May the divine host, may Agni, hear us, may the Visve hear us, the strong, the wise.

Or III, 19, 4. sáh â´ vaha devâ-tâtim yavishtha sárdhah yát adyá divyám yágâsi.

Bring thou hither, O Agni, the gods, that you may sacrifice to-day to the divine host.

Or I, 139, 1. â´ nú tát sárdhah divyám vrinîmahe.

We chose for us now that divine host.

As in these last, so in many other passages, sárdhas is used as a neuter in the accusative. For instance,

I, 106, 1; II, 11, 14. mâ´rutam sárdhah.

II, 3, 3; VI, 3, 8. sárdhah marútâm.

The vocative occurs,

V, 46, 2. ágne índra váruna mítra dévâh sárdhah prâ yanta mâ´ruta utá vishno (íti).

Agni, Indra, Varuna, Mitra, gods, host of the Maruts, come forth, and Vishnu!

We see how throughout all these passages those in which sárdha and sárdhas are applied to the Maruts, or to some other company of gods, preponderate most decidedly. Yet passages occur in the Rig-veda where both sárdha, and sárdhas are applied to other hosts or companies. Thus V, 53, 10, sárdha refers to chariots, while in I, 133, 3, sárdhas is applied to evil spirits.