Vedic Hymns, Part I (SBE32)
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Vedic Hymns, Part I (SBE32): Vedic Hymns: I, 85. To the M...

The fact is that whenever upastutá has the accent on the last syllable, it is intended as a proper name, while, if used as a participle, in the sense of praised, it has the accent on the first.

VIII, 5, 25. yáthâ kit kánvam â´vatam priyá-medham upa-stutám.

As you have protected Kanva, Priyamedha, Upastutá. Cf. I, 112, 15.

VIII, 103, 8. prá mámhishthâya gâyata—úpa-stutâsah agnáye (accent of the vocative).

Sing, O Upastutás, to the worthiest, to Agni!

X, 115, 9. íti tvâ agne vrishti-hávyasya putrâ´h upastutâ´sah ríshayah avokan.

By these names, O Agni, did the sons of Vrishtihavya, the Upastutás, the Rishis, speak to you.

Vrishan occurs once more as a proper name in VI, 16, 14 and 15:

tám ûm (íti) tvâ dadhyáṅ ríshih putráh îdhe átharvanah, vritra-hánam puram-darám.
tám ûm (íti) tvâ pâthyáh vríshâ sám îdhe dasyuhántamam, dhanam-gayám ráne-rane.

Thee, O Agni, did Dadhyak kindle, the Rishi, the son of Atharvan, thee the killer of Vritra, the destroyer of towns;
Thee, O Agni, did Vrishan Pâthya kindle, thee the best killer of enemies, the conqueror of wealth in every battle.

Here the context can leave no doubt that Dadhyak and Vrishan were both intended as proper names. Yet as early as the composition of the Satapatha-brâhmana, this was entirely misunderstood. Dadhyak, the son of Atharvan, is explained as speech, Vrishan Pâthya as mind (Sat. Br. VI, 3, 3, 4). On this Mahidhara, in his remarks on Vâg. Samh. XI, 34, improves still further. For though he allows his personality to Dadhyak, the son of Atharvan, he says that Pâthya comes from pathin, path, and means he who moves on the right path; or it comes from pâthas, which means sky, and is here used in the sense of the sky of the heart. He then takes vrishan as mind, and translates the mind of the heart. Such is a small chapter in the history of the rise and fall of the Indian mind!

Footnotes

151:a The dual vríshanau occurs only when the next word begins with a vowel. Before an initial a, â, i, the au is always changed into âv in the Samhitâ (I, 108, 7-12; 116, 21; 117, 19; 153, 2; 157, 5; 158, 1; 180, 7; VII, 61, 5). Before u the preceding au becomes â in the Samhitâ, but the Pada gives au, in order to show that no Sandhi can take place between the two vowels (VII, 60, 9; p. 152 X, 66, 7). Before consonants the dual always ends in â, both in the Samhitâ and Pada. But there are a few passages where the final â occurs before initial vowels, and where the two vowels are allowed to form one syllable. In four passages this happens before an initial â (I, 108, 3; VI, 68, 11; I, 177, 1; II, 16, 5). Once, and once only, it happens before u, in VIII, 22, 12.

Next: I, 86. To the Maruts (the Storm-gods)

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