12. The Dasagvas (Maruts?) 1 carried on 2 the sacrifice first; may they rouse us at the break of dawn. Like the dawn, they uncover the dark nights with the red (rays), the strong ones, with their brilliant light, as with a sea of milk.

13. With the (morning) clouds, as if with glittering red ornaments 1, these Maruts have grown great in the sacred places 2. Streaming down with rushing

splendour 3, they have assumed their bright and brilliant colour.

14. Approaching 1 them for their great protection to help us, we invoke them with this worship, they whom Trita may bring near, like the five Hotri priests for victory 2, descending on their chariot to help.

15. May that grace of yours by which you help the wretched 1 across all anguish, and by which you deliver the worshipper from the reviler, come hither, O Maruts; may your favour approach us like a cow (going to her calf)!

NOTES.

Hymn ascribed to Gritsamada. Metre, 1-14 Gagatî, 15 Trishtubh, according to the paribhâshâ in the Sarvânukramanî 12, 13. See also Ludwig, III, p. 59; Bergaigne, Recherches sur l’histoire de la liturgie védique, 1889, pp. 66 seq.; Oldenberg, Prolegomena, p. 144. None of its verses occurs in SV., VS., AV. The first verse is found in TB. II, 5, 5, 4, with three various readings, viz. tavishébhir ûrmíbhih instead of távishîbhir arkínah, bhrúmim instead of bhrímim, and rípa instead of ápa.

Verse 1.

Note 1. Dhârâvarâ´h, a word of doubtful import, possibly meaning wishing for rain, or the suitors of the streams of rain. The Maruts are sometimes represented as varas or suitors; cf. V, 60, 4.

Note 2. Cf. II, 33, 11.

Note 3. Bergaigne, II, 381, translates arkínah by chantres, singers, deriving it, as it would seem, from arka which, as he maintains (Journ. Asiat. 1884, IV, pp. 194 seq.), means always song in the RV. (Rel. Véd. I, 279). This, however, is not the case, as has been well shown by Pischel, Ved. Stud. I, pp. 23 seq. Besides, unless we change arkinah into arkinah, we must connect it with arki, light. Thus we read VIII, 41, 8, arkínâ padâ´.

Note 4. Tavishébhir ûrmíbhih, the reading of the Taittirîyas, is explained by Sâyana by balavadbhir gamanaih. It may have been taken from RV. VI, 61, 2.

Note 5. On rigîshín, see I, 64, 125; I, 87, I.

Note 6. Bhrími seems to me a name of the cloud, driven about by the wind. The Taittirîyas read bhrúmim, and Sâyana explains it by megham dharnantas kâlayantah. In most passages, no doubt, bhrimi means quick, fresh, and is opposed to radhra, IV, 32, 2; VII, 56, 20. In I, 31, 16, as applied to Agni, it may mean quick. But in our passage that meaning is impossible, and I prefer the traditional