Vedic Hymns, Part I (SBE32): Vedic Hymns: I, 86. To the M... | Internet Sacred Text Archive

MANDALA I, HYMN 86.

ASHTAKA I, ADHYÂYA 6, VARGA 11-12.

To the Maruts (the Storm-gods).

1. O Maruts, that man in whose dwelling you drink (the Soma), ye mighty (sons) of heaven, he indeed has the best guardians 1.

2. You who are propitiated 1 either by sacrifices or from the prayers of the sage, hear the call, O Maruts!

3. Aye, the powerful man to whom you have granted a sage, he will live in a stable rich in cattle 1.

4. On the altar of this strong man (here) 1 Soma is poured out in daily sacrifices; praise and joy are sung.

5. To him let the mighty 1 Maruts listen, to him who surpasses all men, as the flowing rain-clouds 2 pass over the sun.

6. For we, O Maruts, have sacrificed at many harvests, through the mercies 1 of the swift gods (the storm-gods).

7. May that mortal be blessed, O chasing Maruts, whose offerings you carry off 1.

8. You take notice either of the sweat of him who praises you, ye men of true strength, or of the desire of the suppliant 1.

9. O ye of true strength, make this manifest with might! strike the fiend 1 with your lightning!

10. Hide the hideous darkness, destroy 1 every tusky 2 fiend. Make the light which we long for!

NOTES.

This hymn is ascribed to Gotama.

Verse 1 =VS. VIII, 31; AV. XX, 1, 2; TS. IV, 2, 11, 1.

Verse 2=TS. IV, 2, 11, 2.

Verse 6=TS. IV, 3, 13, 5.

Verse 8= SV. II, 944.

Verse 1.

Note 1. Vímahas occurs only once more as an epithet of the Maruts, V, 87, 4. Being an adjective derived from máhas, strength, it means very strong. The strong ones of heaven is an expression analogous to I, 64, 2. diváh rishvâ´sah ukshánah; I, 64, 4. diváh nárah. The Ait. Brâhmana VI, 10, takes gopâ, guardian, as Indra.

Verse 2.

Note 1. The construction of this verse is not clear. Yagñá-vâhas has two meanings in the Veda. It is applied to the priest who carries or performs the sacrifice:

III, 8, 3, and 24, 1. várkah dhâh yagñá-vâhase.

Grant splendour to the sacrificer!

But it is also used of the gods who carry off the sacrifice, and in that case it means hardly more than worshipped or propitiated; I, 15, 11 (Asvinau); IV, 47, 4 (Indra and Vâyu); VIII, 12, 20 (Indra). In our verse it is used in the latter sense, and it is properly construed with the instrumental yagñaíh. The difficulty is the gen. plur. matînâ´m, instead of matíbhih. The sense, however, seems to allow of but one construction, and we may suppose that the genitive depends on the yagña in yagñávâhas, 'accepting the worship of the prayers of the priest.' Benfey refers yagñaíh to the preceding verse, and joins hávam to víprasya matînâ´m: 'Durch Opfer—Opferfördrer ihr!—oder ihr hört—Maruts—den Ruf der Lieder, die der Priester schuf.'