Vedic Hymns, Part I (SBE32): Vedic Hymns: I, 88. To the M... | Internet Sacred Text Archive

MANDALA I, HYMN 88.

ASHTAKA I, ADHYÂYA 6, VARGA 14.

To the Maruts (the Storm-gods).

1. Come hither, Maruts, on your chariots charged with lightning, resounding with beautiful songs 1, stored with spears, and winged with horses! Fly 3 to us like birds, with your best food 2, you mighty ones!

2. They come gloriously on their red, or, it may be, on their tawny horses which hasten their chariots. He who holds the axe 1 is brilliant like gold;—with the tire 2 of the chariot they have struck the earth.

3. On your bodies there are daggers for beauty; may they stir up our minds 1 as they stir up the forests. For yourselves, O well-born Maruts, the vigorous (among you) shake 2 the stone (for distilling Soma).

4. Days went round you and came back 1, O hawks, back to this prayer, and to this sacred rite; the Gotamas making prayer with songs, pushed up the lid of the well (the cloud) for to drink.

5. No such hymn 1 was ever known as this which Gotama sounded for you, O Maruts, when he saw you on golden wheels, wild boars 2 rushing about with iron tusks.

6. This comforting speech rushes sounding towards you, like the speech of a suppliant: it rushed freely from our hands as our speeches are wont to do.

NOTES.

This hymn is ascribed to Gotama, the son of Rahûgana. The metre varies. Verses 1 and 6 are put down as Prastâra-paṅkti, i. e. as 12 + 12 + 8 + 8. By merely counting the syllables, and dissolving semivowels, it is just possible to get twenty-four syllables in the first line of verses 1 and 6. The old metricians must have scanned verse 1:

â̄ vīd̆yūnmāt-bhīh mărŭtāh sû̆-ārkaīh
răthēbhīh yâ̄ta ̄͡rishtĭmāt-bhĭh āsvă-pārnaīh.

[paragraph continues] Again verse 6:

ēshâ̄ sy̆â̄ vāh mărŭtāh ănŭ-bhārtrî̄
prătī stōbhătĭ vâ̄ghătāh nă vâ̄n̆î̄.

[paragraph continues] But the general character of these lines shows that they were intended for hendecasyllabics, each ending in a bacchius, though even then they are not free from irregularities. The first verse would scan:

â̄ vīdy̆ūnmāt-bhīh mărŭtāh sŭ-ārkaīh
răthēbhīh yâ̄ta ̄͡rishtĭmāt-(bhĭh) āsvă-pārnaīh.

[paragraph continues] And verse 6:

ēshâ̄ sy̆â̄, vāh mărŭtah ̄͡anŭ-bhārtrî̄
prătī stōbhătĭ vâ̄ghătāh nă vâ̄nî̄.