The Vedas
Page 53
Maruts who perform domestic rites those born after a long
time; to the sportive Maruts those born together; to the
self-strong Maruts those born in succession.
Called contemporaneous, the dappled belonging to Indra-Agni;
those with projecting horns to Mahendra; the many-coloured
to Vishvakarman.
Smoke-coloured, those of brownish hue, to be offered to the
Soma-possessing Fathers (Somavantah); the brown and the smoky-looking
to the Fathers who sit on sacred grass (Barhishadah); the black and
the brownish-looking to the Fathers who have been tasted
by Agni (Agnishvattah); the black and the spotted belong to Tryambaka.
Called contemporaneous, the dappled belong to Shuna and
Sira; white ones to Vayu; white ones to Surya.
To Spring he offers kapinjalas; to Summer sparrows; to
the Rains partridges; to Autumn quails; to Winter kakaras; to the Dewy Season vikakaras.
To the Sea he sacrifices porpoises; to Parjanya frogs; to
the Waters fishes; to Mitra kulipayas; to Varuna nakra (possibly crocodiles).
To Soma he sacrifices wild geese; to Vayu female cranes;
to Indra-Agni curlews; to Mitra divers; to Varuna chakravakas.
To Agni he sacrifices cocks; to Vanaspati owls; to Agni-Soma
blue jays; to the Ashvins peacocks; to Mitra-Varuna pigeons.
To Soma he sacrifices quails; to Tvashtr, kaulikas; mynas
to the Gods’ Consorts; kulikas to the Gods’ Sisters;
parushnas to Agni, Lord of the Homestead.
To Day he sacrifices doves; to Night sichapus; to the Joints
of Day and Night (evening and morning twilight) bats; to the Months gallinules; to the
Year great eagles.
To Ground he sacrifices rats; to Firmament field-rats; to Day voles; to the Quarters mongooses; to the Intermediate Spaces brownish ichneumons.
To the Vasus he sacrifices blackbucks; to the Rudras stags;
to the Adityas nyanku deer; to the All-Gods spotted deer;
to the Sadhyas kulinga antelopes,
To Ishana he sacrifices wild asses; to Mitra gauras; to Varuna
buffaloes; to Brihaspati gayals; to Tvashtr camels.
To Prajapati he sacrifices male elephants; to Vak white ants;
to Sight flies; to Hearing black bees.
To Prajapati and to Vayu a gayal is to be offered; to Varuna
a wild ram; to Yama a black ram; to a human king a
monkey; to the Tiger a red doe; to the Bull a female
gayal, to the Kshiprasyena a quail; to the Nilangu a
worm; to the Sea a porpoise; to the Snowy Mountain an
elephant.
The kinnara belongs to Prajapati; the Ula, the Halikshna,
the cat (vrishadamsha) belong to Dhatr; the heron belongs to the Quarters;
the dhunksha to Agni; sparrow, red snake, saras, these are Tvashtr’s; the curlew belongs to Vak.
To Soma an antelope is to be offered; wild goat, mongoose,
saka, these are Pushan’s; the jackal is the Mayu’s; the
gaura Indra’s; pidva, antelope, cock, these are Anumati’s;
the chakravaka is for Echo.
The female crane is Surya’s; sarga, srijays, sayandaka,
these are Mitra’s; to Sarasvati belongs the human-voiced
myna; to Ground the porcupine; tiger, wolf, viper belong
to Passion; to Sarasvan the human-voiced parrot.
The eagle is Parjanya’s; the ati (ibis), the vahasa, the woodpecker,
these are for Vayu; for Brihaspati Lord of Speech is the paingaraja; the alaja belongs to Firmament;
pelican, cormorant, fish, these belong to the Lord of Rivers; the tortoise belongs to Heaven and Earth.
The buck belongs to the Moon; iguana, kalaka, woodpecker,
these belong to the Vanaspatis; the cock belongs to Savitar;
the swan is Vata’s; crocodile, dolphin, kulipaya, these belong to the Sea; the porcupine to Modesty.
The black doe belongs to Day; frog, female rat, partridge,
these belong to the Serpents; the jackal belongs to the Ashvins; the Blackbuck to Night; bear, bat,
sushilika, these belong to the Other Folk (that is, fairies); the polecat belongs to Vishnu.
The cuckoo belongs to the half-months; antelope, peacock, eagle, these are the Gandharvas’; the otter belongs to the Months; tortoise, doe-antelope, iguana, golathika
belong to the apsaras; the black snake belongs to Death.
The frog belongs to the Seasons; the vole, the rat, the mouse,
these are the Fathers’; the python, the balava belong to
the Vasus; kapinjala, pigeons, owl, hare belong to Nirriti;
the wild ram to Varuna.
The white animal belongs to the Adityas; the camel, the ghrintivan, the rhinoceros to Mati
(Thought or Devotion); the srimara belong to the Forest-God; the Raru buck is Rudra’s; kvayi,
cock, gallinule, these are the Vajins’; the cuckoo belongs to Kama.
The khanga is the All-Gods’; the black dog, the long-eared,
the ass, the hyena, these are the rakshasas; the boar is
for Indra; the lion is for the Maruts; the chameleon,
the pippaka, the vulture, these belong to Sharavya; the
spotted antelope belongs to the All-Gods.
NOTE: Sharavya: arrow, regarded as a deity; sacrifices: literally takes and ties up; for more on the ashvamedha and for an identification of animals and birds mentioned here, see chapters 10 and 6.
SAMA VEDA
from the purvarchika
To Agni
Come, Agni, praised with song, to feast and sacrificial offering: sit
as hotr on the holy grass!
O Agni, you have been ordained hotr of every sacrifice,
by gods, among the people.
Agni we choose as envoy, skilled performer of this holy rite,
hotr, possessor of all wealth.
Served with oblation, kindled, bright, through love of song may Agni, bent
on riches, smite the Vritras dead!
I praise your most beloved guest like a dear friend, O Agni, him
who, like a chariot, wins us wealth.
O Agni, with great might guard us from all malignity, and from the hate of mortal!
O Agni, come; I will sing other songs of praise to you.
grow mighty with these Soma drops!
May Vatsa draw your mind away even from your loftiest dwelling place!
Agni, I yearn for you with song.
Agni, Atharvan churned you from the sky, for the benefit of all who offer sacrifice.
O Agni, bring us radiant light to be our mighty help, for
you are our visible deity!
(1.1.1.1; based on the translation by R.T.H. Griffith)
NOTE: Each verse in this and other dashats is by a different rishi, put together from different parts of the Rig Veda.
To Indra
Our praises moving towards Indra, go and reside in him, and beg of him superior might.
O ye Gods, we slaughter no victim, we use no sacrificial stake, we worship by the repetition of sacred verses.
I have now come while the night is departing. O offerer of praise, sing loudly and well. O you, who walks within the sacred enclosure, praise the (generative) god Sarita.
The matchless lovely Dawn has just come to take up her abode in the heavens. I praise you, twin sons of Ashvini, with all my might.
The invincible Indra slew ninety times nine of his foes with the bones obtained from the rishi, Dadhicha’s head.
Come, O Indra, delight in our food, along with our preparations of Soma; for you are the mighty one that excels in strength.
O Indra, slayer of our enemies, come to our sacred enclosure. O mighty god, come with all prevailing aids.
His mi
ght, whereby he encircles heaven and earth, as the skin does the body, appears in all its splendour.
You approach the sacrifice with the eagerness the male pigeon does his mate; let then these prayers of mine reach your ear.
Let him come as our medicine, and the conferrer of happiness, and the inspirer of vigour into our breasts; and let him prolong our lives.
(1.2.2.4; based on the translation by J. Stevenson)
To Soma
O dripping, purifying divinity, sit down speedily among our guests, strain the strengthening liquid.
The purifiers lead you, the supplier of nourishment, with cords to the place where the sacred grass is spread, as men lead a horse.
The orator divinity (Soma) narrates the illustrious actions of you as well as Shukra himself, and he, the brother of the pure, the purifier, the assumer of the form of a boar, marches to us on foot, singing holy songs.
Agni, the sacrifice attracting divinity, produced the three Vedas, the rite of sacrifice and the Brahmanical incantations; and as the cows approach the lord of the herd, so do the inquisitive, loving intelligences approach the god Soma.
The god who passionately desires the sacrifice, the purifier, the golden one, and who, along with the gods, prepares the liquor and the pressed juice, the singer of holy hymns, the inviter of the gods, comes to his state of purity with the eagerness the officiating priest goes to the house where there is an animal sacrifice.
Soma is being purified; he is the father of intelligences, the father of heaven, the father of fire, the father of the Sun, the father of Indra, the father even of Vishnu.
The moon-plant (Soma) is being sprinkled with waters as copious as from the sea in the place where are the three daily sacrifices, the procurers of rain, the stay of bread, the support of multitudes—here are the lovely voices of the chanters, and the much desired gifts.
The great, overflowing, indestructible sea of Soma juice proceeded forth in the beginning, creating and producing all beings. It is the lord of the world, produced on the mountain tops, and dripping near the sacred increase-causing goats’ skins.
The purifying, green coloured Soma juice, uttering its own praise, rests upon the womb of its water-containing receptacle, and drawn out by men, is prepared for our solemnities, and then brings forth native intelligence, as well as sustains bodily vigour.
O Indra, that sweet-flavoured moon-plant of yours, the drencher of him who drenches (the earth) is being distilled into the holy receptacle: it, the giver of thousands as well as the giver of hundreds, the giver of manifold gifts, that is stationed on the eternal, food-providing, sacrificial grass.
O sweet, truth inspiring liquid, O overshadowing Soma, be purified, you who are produced on the mountains, and prepared over the goats skins; do you, most sweet, inebriating liquor, of which Indra drinks, descend into the sacred receptacle.
(1.6.1.4; based on the translation by J. Stevenson)
NOTE: In this hymn, Soma is described as the supreme spirit.
Uttararchika
All translations in this section are based on the translation by R.T.H. Griffith.
To Soma Pavamana
Om. Glory to the Sama Veda! To Lord Ganesha glory! Om. (This invocation is a late addition.)
Sing forth to Indu, O you men, to him who now is purified,
Gladly to pay worship to the Gods!
Together with your pleasant juice the Atharvans have mixed milk.
Divine, God-loving, for the God.
Bring health to cattle with your flow, health to the people, health to horses,
Health, O King, to growing plants!
(2.1.1.1)
To Mitra-Varuna
Varuna, Mitra, wise pair, pour rain on our pastures, pour
Mead on the regions of the air!
Gladdened by homage, ruling far, you reign by majesty of might,
Pure in your ways, for evermore.
Praised by Jamadagni’s song, sit on the sacrificial seat:
Drink Soma, you who strengthen Law!
(2.1.1.5)
NOTE: Here, Jamadagni could refer to the famous rishi of that name or to Vishvamitra, who in the Rig Veda is the author of these verses.
To Indra
Sing a song, to make him glad, to Indra, Lord of tawny steeds,
the Soma-drinker, O my friends!
To him, the bounteous, chant the hymn of praise, and let us glorify, as men
may do, the giver of true gifts!
O Indra, Lord of boundless might, for us you seek spoil and cattle,
you seek gold for us, good Lord!
(2.1.2.2)
Agni
Agni we choose as envoy, skilled performer of this holy rite,
Hotr, possessor of all wealth.
With constant calls they invoke Agni, Agni, Lord of the house,
Oblation-bearer, much-beloved
Bring the Gods here, Agni, born for him who trims the sacred grass:
you are our Hotr, worthy of praise!
(2.2.1.6)
Soma Pavamana
Impetuous, bright, have they come forth, unwearied in their speed, like bulls,
Driving the black skin far away.
May we attain the bridge of bliss, leaving the bridge of woe behind:
The riteless dasa may we quell!
The mighty Pavamana’s roar is heard as ‘twere the rush of rain
The lightning flashes move in heaven.
Indu, pour out abundant food with store of cattle and of gold,
Of heroes, Soma! And of steeds!
Flow onward, dear to all mankind! Fill the mighty heaven and earth,
As Dawn, as Surya with his beams!
On every side, O Soma, flow round us with your protecting stream,
As Rasa flows around the world!
(2.3.1.3)
NOTE: Rasa is a river, both mythical and real.
Soma Pavamana
Flow, Soma, Indu, dear to Gods, swift through the purifying sieve,
And enter Indra with your strength
As mighty food speed here, Indu, as a most splendid steer:
Sit in your place as one with power
The well-loved mead was made to flow, the stream of the creative juice:
The Sage drew waters to himself.
The mighty waters, yes, the floods accompany you mighty one,
When you will clothe yourself with the milk.
The lake is brightened in the floods. Soma, our friend, heaven’s prop and stay,
Falls on the purifying cloth.
The tawny Bull has bellowed. Fair as mighty Mitra to behold
He gleams and flashes with the Sun.
Songs, Indra, active in their might, are beautified for you, wherewith
you deck yourself for rapturous joy.
To you who gives ample room we pray, to win the wild delight,
That you may have exalted praise.
Winner of cattle Indu, you are, winner of heroes, horses, and spoil:
Primeval soul of sacrifice.
Pour on us, Indu! Indra-strength with a full stream of sweetness, like
Parjanya, sender of the rain!
(2.4.1.3)
Soma Pavamana
Guard of all being, generating creatures, loud roared the sea as highest law commanded. Strong in the filter, on the fleecy summit, pressed from the stone, Soma has become mighty.
Make Vayu glad, for furtherance and bounty: cheer Varuna and Mitra, as they cleanse you! Gladden the Gods, gladden the host of Maruts: make Heaven and Earth rejoice, O God, O Soma!
Soma, the mighty, when, the water’s offspring, he chose the Gods, performed that great achievement. He, Pavamana, granted strength to Indra; he, Indu, generated strength in Surya.
(2.5.2.1)
Surya
May Surya, the bright God drink glorious Soma-mingled mead, giving
the lord of sacrifices, unbroken life;
He who, wind-urged, in person guards our offspring well,
nourishes them with food and shines over many a land.
Radiant, as high Truth, cherished, best at winning strength,
Truth based upon the statute that supports the heavens,
He rose, a light that kills Vritras and enemies, best slayer of the dasyus, asuras, and foes.
This light, the best of lights, supreme, all conquering, winner of riches, is exalted with high praise.
All-lighting, radiant, mighty as the Sun to see, he spreads wide unshaken victory and strength.
(2.6.3.5)
Agni
Invincible is Agni, he who goes before the tribes of men,
A chariot swift and ever new.
By bringing offerings unto him the mortal worshipper obtains
A home from him whose light is pure.
Inviolable power of Gods, subduing all his enemies, Agni is mightiest in fame.
(2.7.2.9)
Heaven and Earth (Dyaus-Prithivi)
To both of you, O Heaven and Earth, we bring our lofty song of praise,
Pure pair! to glorify you both.
You sanctify each other’s form, by your own proper strength you rule:
Further the sacrifice evermore!
Promoting and fulfilling, you, mighty ones, perfect Mitra’s law:
You sit around our sacrifice.
(2.7.3.14)
Vishnu
What, Vishnu, is the name that you proclaimed when you declared, I am Shipivishta?
Hide not this form from us, nor keep it secret, since you did wear another shape in battle.
This offering today, O Shipivishta, I, skilled in rules, extol, to you the noble.
Yes, I, the poor and weak, praise you, the mighty, who live in the realm beyond this region.
O Vishnu, to you I cry Vashat! Let this offering of mine, Shipivishta, please you!
May these my songs of eulogy exalt you! Do preserve us for ever with your blessings!
(2.8.1.4)
NOTE: Shipivishta: ‘clothed with rays of light’ (according to the commentator, the name Vishnu took when he helped Vasishtha in battle); Vashat: a sacred exclamation.
Dawn
This Lady, excellent and kind, after her sister shining forth, Daughter of Heaven, has shown herself.