In what character dost thou light up our work, and what character dost thou assume, when thou art praised?

IV, 58, 4; IV, 45, 6.

I, 64, 4. sâkám gagñire svadháyâ.

They (the Maruts) were born together, according to their nature; very much like ánu svadhâ´m, I, 6, 4. One can hardly render it here by 'they were born by their own strength,' or 'by spontaneous generation.'

In other passages, however, svadháyâ, meaning originally by its own power, or nature, comes to mean, by itself, sponte suâ.

VII, 78, 4. â´ asthât rátham svadháyâ yugyámânam.

She, the dawn, mounted the chariot which was harnessed by itself, by its own power, without requiring the assistance of people to put the horses to.

X, 129, 2. â´nît avâtám svadháyâ tát ékam.

That only One breathed breathlessly (or freely) by its own strength, i. e. by itself.

In the same sense svadhâ´bhih is used in several passages: I, 113, 13. amrítâ karati svadhâ´bhih.

The immortal Dawn moves along by her own strength, i. e. by herself.

VIII, 10, 6. yát vâ svadhâ´bhih adhi-tíshthathah rátham.

Or whether ye mount your chariot by your own strength, ye Asvins.

I, 164, 30. gîváh mritásya karati svadhâ´bhih ámartyah mártyena sá-yonih.

The living moves by the powers of the dead, the immortal is the brother of the mortal. III, 26, 8; V, 60, 4.

There are doubtful passages, such as I, 180, 6, in which the meaning of svadhâ´bhih, too, is doubtful. In VI, 2, 8, svadhâ´ looks like an adverb, instead of svadháyâ, and would then refer to párigmâ. The same applies to VIII, 32, 6.

But svadhâ´ means also food, lit. one's own portion, the sacrificial offering due to each god, and lastly, food in general.

I, 108, 12. yát indrâgnî (íti) út-itâ sû´ryasya mádhye diváh svadháyâ mâdáyethe (íti).

Whether you, Indra and Agni, delight in your food at the rising of the sun or at midday.

X, 15, 12. tvám agne îlitáh gâta-vedah ávât havyâ´ni surabhî´ni kritvî´, prá adâh pitrí-bhyah svadháyâ té akshan addhí tvám deva prá-yatâ havî´mshi. 13. yé ka ihá pitárah yé ka ná ihá yâ´n ka vidmá yâ´n ûm (íti) ka ná pra-vidmâ, tvám vettha yáti té gâta-vedah svadhâ´bhih yagñám súkritam gushasva. 14. yé agni-dagdhâ´h yé ánagni-dagdhâh mádhye diváh svadháyâ mâdáyante, tébhih sva-râ´t ásunîtim etâ´m yathâ-vasám tanvâ´m kalpayasva.

12. Thou, O Agni Gâtavedas, hast carried, when implored, the offerings which thou hast rendered sweet: thou hast given them to the fathers, they fed on their share. Eat thou, O god, the proffered oblations. 13. Our fathers who are here, and those who are not here, our fathers whom we know and those whom we do not know, thou knowest