Vedic Hymns, Part I (SBE32)
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Vedic Hymns, Part I (SBE32): Vedic Hymns: VII, 58. To the...

After dhâman meant what is settled, it has sometimes to be translated by law, by nature, sometimes by class, or clan, where it comes very near to nâman, name, while sometimes it may best be rendered by a general and abstract suffix, or even by a plural. Thus in our passage, daívyasya dhâ´mnah is not very different from devânâm.

What is peculiar to our passage is the genitive governed by tuvishmân. After all the learning which Bergaigne has expended on the analysis of dhâman, he does not help us to a translation of our sentence. If we translate 'of the divine law, powerful,' we have words, but no sense. I take daívyasya dhâ´mnah as a genitivus partitivus, such as AV. IV, 37, 5. óshadhînâm vîrúdhâm vîryẫvati:. See Kuhn, Zeitschrift XIII, 120; Siecke, Genitivus, p. 14. Grassmann: 'Die mächtig walten in der Götter Wohnsitz.' Ludwig: 'Die von göttlicher natur, die starke.' He denies that tuvishmân could be followed by the genitive. I do not maintain that I am satisfied on that point. All I say in this as in many other cases is that my translation gives something which we can understand. Let others give us something better.

Note 2. On Nirriti, see Hibbert Lectures, p. 245; Lect. Science of Lang., vol. ii, p. 562. Avamsá, literally without beams of support, or bottomless.

Verse 2.

Note 1. On ganûs, see Lanman, p. 571.

Note 2. Svardrík, according to Grassmann, der lichte Himmel; according to Ludwig, jeder der das licht schaut. Sâyana, among other meanings, gives that of tree. See VII, 83, 2.

Verse 3.

On the construction of this verse, see Delbrück, Syntax p. 384, and Bergaigne, Mélanges Renier, p. 82.

Verse 5.

Note 1. With regard to tâ´n mîlhúshah rudrásya, 'these bounteous (sons) of Rudra,' see VIII, 20, 3.

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