NOTES
OF THE FIRST SECTION.
READING 1.
[English Version by Google Translate]
(1) There exist simultaneously two manners of dividing the Rig-Veda: these two manners are distinguished and at the same time merge sufficiently so that one cannot indicate them at the same time without inconvenience. They must have been introduced at different times or by different schools: one of these divisions, which we will follow, is in eight sections, called achtacas; an achtaca contains eight chapters or readings, adhyayas. Each reading contains about thirty, more or less, vargas. The varga is a collection of verses or couplets called rig, which vary from three to eight. The subdivision by hymn, soukta, does not belong to this system of division, but to the other system, which is that of the mandalas. There are ten mandalas, divided into anouvacas. Each anouvaca contains a number of hymns or souktas. We have not been able to fully admit either of these two divisions: we have taken the division by achtaca (section) and adhyaya (reading); then for the subdivision by vargas we have substituted that which is made by souktas (hymns). We have numbered these souktas according to the number contained in each adhyaya.
(2) Agni, ignis, is the god of fire. This beginning of the Rig-Veda, which begins with a hymn to Agni, gave rise to the mythological legend which brings the Rig-Veda out of the mouth of Agni. (Commentary by Sayana-Atcharya, copy of Paris, t. I, p. 5.)
(3) Hotri has a double meaning, depending on whether it is taken from the word hou, to sacrifice, or from the word hwe, to invoke, to call.
(4) The fire, kindled for the sacrifice, gives the gods a signal to which they hasten.
(5) This word angiras, like many other ancient names, does not seem to me to be of Sanskrit origin. However, the commentator seeks to explain it, sometimes by bringing it closer to the word angara, coal, sometimes by giving it the meaning of anganasila, endowed with ornament. It is the name of a sage, father of a priestly family. A legend identifies the richi Angiras with fire. As the word angiras can mean priest in general, it is not surprising that it is applied to Agni.
(6) This is, with regard to a god, a means of capture which will seem unworthy to our civilization. We shall see more than one example of this in the course of this work. Isn't this the character of one of those ancient religions, in which one takes by one's interest the god whom one adores, and who one breaks when he does not show himself favorable?
(7) The word rita has a number of varied and confusing meanings. As an adjective, it means pure, radiant. As a substantive, it is used for things and substances which can have these qualities, that is to say, light, fire, sacrifice, and, according to the commentator, water; morally, truth, justice. Forced to choose between these various meanings, and wanting to put a certain unity in my translation, I have almost always preferred the meaning of sacrifice, fire of sacrifice.
(8) Vayou is the god of wind or air.
(9) These liqueurs were made with grains that were allowed to ferment, or with the juice of asclepias acida [milkweed], called soma.
(10) Indra is the god of ether, considered as the first of the elements: it is the sky that envelops the world. Indra's name means king.
(11) These dishes consisted of butter (ghrita), quail (dadhi) mixed with flour, cakes. They are called here by the general name of prayas; elsewhere, named vadja.
(12) Mitra and Varouna are two forms of the sky, or rather of the sun. They are the sun by day and the sun by night: for the latter is supposed to return, during the darkness, to resume its place in the east. These two characters together represent the astronomical day; Mitra is the day, and Varuna the night.
(13) Or else: grant the prayer that accompanies the butter (of the sacrifice). In the other version, the word ghrita indicates rain, which is like butter intended to fertilize the earth.
(14) The Aswins or Cavaliers are two divinities by which two states are personified, two appearances of the sky. It is likely that these are the two twilights. The commentator has somehow confused them with the Sky and the Earth, and even with the Sun and the Moon, according to the authority of Yasca.
Yaska is the author of the Nirukta...
The Nirukta attempts to explain how certain words get to have their meanings, especially in the context of interpreting the Vedic texts.
-- Yāska, by Wikipedia
(15) With these gods, what the poet calls hands and arms are the rays of light.
(16) Translation of the two words dasra and nasatya, which are the ordinary names of the Aswins.
(17) The offerings were laid out, and the ministers of the sacrifice seated on layers of a turf called varhis, cousa, darbha (poa cynosuroides).
(18) Paraphrase indicated by the comment to render the word Rudra. I would gladly translate: following the road of Roudra, that is to say the way of the air.
(19) Vipra, the priest who presides over the sacrifice.
(20) I try to render the word hari in this way.
(21) The word viswa means everything. This collective name designates all the gods invoked elsewhere separately, and does not seem to apply to a particular class of divinities.
(22) Translation of the compound word ehimdyasah, on the origin of which commentators seem confused. They tell a little legend on this subject; they say that the fire, called Sotchica, having hidden himself in the waters because his three brothers had been killed, the Viswadevas called him back, saying: Ehi, ma yasih (Veni, ne abeas).
(23) Saraswati is the goddess of speech, vag devata. She is, in the sacrifice, accompanied by two goddesses, Ila and Bharati: Ila is the poetic word, the hymn; and Bharati, speech accompanied by gesture, declamatory action.
(24) The commentator would like this verse to refer to the Saraswati River. I could not share his opinion, and do not admit this confusion of characters. This flag that Saraswati raises, it seems to me that it is the fire kindled for the sacrifice. The myth of Saraswati does not seem to me yet form; Brahma is only the sacrifice; and if Saraswati was said to be daughter or wife of Brahma, it would mean that she is born of the sacrifice or that she accompanies him. The prayers pronounced in their honor are called Women of the Gods. However Saraswati is the name of one of the seven rivers often mentioned in hymns.
(25) I find this idea in the word dasma, which is in the 6th line of this hymn; and I borrow the sense that I give it, not from the commentary which makes it an epithet of Indra, but from the dictionary of Mr. Wilson.
(26) Literally: honored by a hundred sacrifices. The number one hundred is here for an indefinite number. Such is the explanation given by the commentator, who indicates two more, represented by the words bahoucarman and bahoupradjna. We did not yet know the fable which supposes that Indra is dispossessed of his celestial kingdom by the one who celebrated a hundred sacrifices called aswamedhas.
(27) Vritra is a name given to the enemy of Indra; it is the darkness of the clouds, which the power of the god dissipates. Indra makes war on the Vritras, as the Greek Jupiter does on the Titans.
(28) This quail is called dadhi.
(29) Allusion to the immensity of the sky, lit in the morning by the rays of the day.
(30) The chariot that one prepares for a god is the sacrifice.
(31) By means of these three epithets, the commentator, full of modern ideas, here forms a syncretism of Indra with the sun, the fire and the wind; he also identifies it with the stars that shine in the firmament. I see in this place only a poetic description of the sky, personified in Indra, and represented at the time of dawn.
(32) This invocation is called Swaha.
(33) The Marouts are the winds: we will see, later, that this name is given to a class of priests.
(34) I could not adopt the meaning of the comment.
(35) Here we give to the wind the same name as to the fire, Vahni. The idea is probably different.
(36) We are going to try to explain this image, which must be represented often. First, the word cow, in poetic language, is anything that provides an advantage; this benefit is the milk that is obtained from this cow. This name will therefore be given to the sacrifice, to the prayer, to the earth, to the cloud, to the libation, to the rays of the sun, etc. Here the cow must be the cloud, or rather the light, the ray. In the bosom of the night, represented as a vast cavern, are enclosed the rays], removed and guarded by the Asuras, children of Bala, and named Panis. Vrihaspati, otherwise Agni, the fire of sacrifice, claims these cows: a divine female dog, named Sarama, and who is only the voice of prayer (vag devi), is sent to discover. Indra, the god of the sky who begins to light up, walks with the Marouts and the Angiras (that is to say the priests), to the deliverance of these cows, and he breaks the cave where they are confined. From all these details a legend has been composed, of which we have just indicated a few features, and which may have some connection with the fable of Cacus. The cows that I call celestial seem to me here to be the rays of the sun: in other passages, this word will designate the clouds which spread water over the earth, which is for it a species of milk. I am very mistaken, if this explanation should not also be that of the story of the cow Io among the Greeks, which is given as a warning to Argus, the Sahasrakcha (millioculus).
(37) The sun, according to the commentator.
(38) I believe that the true meaning must be: docile to the voice of the priest who harnesses them in prayer; literally, harnessed by the word.
(39) What are these five classes of beings? The commentator thinks these are the four castes, to which he adds the Nichadas. He explains in the same way the word pantchadjanya, which will be presented later. But I believe that the castes did not yet exist at the time when these hymns were composed, and, moreover, the Nichadas were not a caste. Yasca supposes that by these five classes are meant Gandharvas, Pitris, Devas, Asuras and Rakchasas. Another author finds the five classes in the Devas, the Men, the Gandharvas, the Apsaras and the Serpents, or else in the Devas, the Men, the Pitris, the Quadrupeds and the Birds. On the other hand, the Indians recognize five elements. Would it not be the beings belonging to each of these elements? Mr. Wilson gives the word pantchadjanya an etymology which relates to this explanation. I must say that the same idea occurs in the 5th section, 8th reading, and these five classes are called children of Manu, pantcha Manouchah.
(40) Literally, with fists: the commentator indicates the meaning that I have adopted.
(41) Sousipra; this epithet is remarkable, and means having a beautiful nose or beautiful jaws. What relationship do these traits of beauty have with the particular character of Indra?
(42) Literal translation.
(43) The word arih corresponds to the Latin word herus. It is the master of the house bearing the cost of the sacrifice.
(44) This passage contains the word vansa, which means reed and family. The commentary, explaining this word in the first sense, says that the jumpers raise a reed, which is a kind of greasy pole. It seems to me, to me, that this reed must be like the staff of a flag. In the second sense, the commentary thinks that the vansa is a family brought up by the virtues of a father.
(45) Before the day of the sacrifice, the head of the family had to send to the mountains to fetch the soma (asclepias acida or sarcostema viminalis), collect the wood, and make all the arrangements for the offerings and the meal.
(46) Repetition required by the text.
(47) Cousica is a king of the solar race. He desired a son whose power was equal to that of Indra; Indra himself wanted to be born of him, and bore, in this incarnation, the name of Gadhi. Some authors form from the word cousica an adjective which would mean son of Cousa, and then the father of Gadhi would be called Cousanabha or Cousambha. Cosica would mean descendant of Cousa.
(48) The clouds are considered by the poet as cities inhabited by the Asuras. Indra strikes them with his lightning, to bring out the rain, which these enemies of the gods hold back.
(49) Souchna is the name of an Asura. This word means drying. By the word magic is meant the art with which he creates those physical appearances which seduce our eyes.
(50) Two pieces of wood compose the arani, and from the friction of these two pieces of wood one draws the fire of the sacrifice.
(51) Filthy spirits, enemies of gods and men.
(52) This passage must allude to the distinction of fires, which are three in number: Ahavaniya or sacrificial fire, Garhapatya or domestic fire, and Dakchina or fire placed on the southern side.
(53) Djouhou is a wooden vase in the shape of a crescent. I believe that this word is used here for the hearth vase itself, which is earthen.
(54) This hymn is devoted to a class of divinities called Apris: they are forms of the god Agni, and divine personifications of the things which contribute to the sacrifice. The 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 10th and 11th couplets are dedicated to Agni, under the names of Sousamiddha, Tanounapat, Narasansa, Ilita, Twachtri and Vanaspati. The 5th couplet celebrates the sacred turf; the 6th, the gates of the sacrificial enclosure; the 7th, night and dawn; the 8th, two deities who must preside over the sacrifice; the 9th, Ila, Saraswati and Bharati i.e. poetry, eloquence and declamation; the 12th, the Swaha, or exclamation employed at the time of the holocaust. These beings thus deified become like the ministers of the sacrifice offered in honor of a principal divinity: in this quality, they bear the name of Devas.
(55) That is to say, well ignited.
(56) This word Tanounapat receives several explanations. As the word napat can hardly be explained, wherever I see it, except by the meaning of child, of grandson, I understand that the word Tanounapat is understood as child of his body. Agni is born and lives at the expense of wood, which is like his body. Another meaning given to it is destructive of one's own body. I think I have to remove the sense of destroyer that we give to napat.
(57) This word means sing. Narasansa, above, means famous by men.
(58) The name Manu is taken in a general way to signify the man, or in a special way to designate the patriarch whom the Indians regard as the founder of their race. It seems to me that the institution of the worship of fire is attributed to him in several places. The expression Manourhita can still be translated as constitutes for man.
(59) The painting that the poet makes of these two divinities hardly allows me to identify them with the Aswins. These are, as the commentary indicates, two forms of Agni, the fire of the earth and the fire of the air. Wouldn't it be rather the two sacrifices of morning and evening?
(60) See note 23 above. Mahi, which means great, is an epithet of Bharati.
(61) Twachtri is Agni regarded as giving form; it is the plastic fire. He is attributed the works of art, he forges the thunderbolt of Indra: he is the Vulcan of this mythology. I suppose that Twachtri is the third form of Agni, diffused in the air and constituting the vital heat.
(62) Word for word, master of the wood. It is the fire presiding over the stake of the sacrifice, and even over the pieces of wood which are used there, youpagni.
(63) The swaha is an exclamation uttered at the time of the holocaust. They make her a wife of Agni, because the prayers are the wives of the gods.
(64) Canwa is an ancient sage, descended from a royal race: nothing in fact seems to me, in this work, to announce the distinction of castes. Canwa was a priest, and father of priests, but not a Brahman. His father was Apratiratha (perhaps also called Ghora), a descendant of Purou, prince of the lunar dynasty. He gave birth to Medhatithi, author of this hymn, from which came the Canwas, devoted to the service of the altars. The commentator sometimes regards the word Canwa as a common noun, meaning sage, priest.
(65) Mythological characters twelve in number: these are the twelve forms of the sun, regarded as the sons of Aditi.
(66) The chamu or tchamasa is a vase which contains the soma: it is also the spoon with which it is served. Sometimes this word is used for the skin filter through which the drink is passed to clarify it, and perhaps also for the press.
(67) The wives of the gods are the particular prayers that are said in honor of each of these gods.
(68) Exclamation used at the time of the Holocaust.
(69) Gods of the seasons, six in number.
(70) The name of this cup is potra: one of the priests is called potri.
(71) This word means conductor; it must be a name of the god Agni.
(72) The wife of Agni is a prayer, an invocation, like Swaha.
(73) The sacrifice takes place three times a day, in the morning, at noon, and in the evening: from the expression trichavana.
(74) The expression is gravahasta, lapidem manu tenens; and the word graven no doubt designates the earthen vessels used in the sacrifices. It could well also be the mortars or the stones which were used to clean the barley or to crush the soma: however the mortar seems to have been made of wood.
(75) That is, who gives wealth or strength.
(76) This cup is called nechtra; one of the priests, and Agni himself, bears the name of nechtri, leader.
(77) The word touriyam seems obscure to me. I noticed that the name of Dravinodas was invoked four times, and I made up my mind accordingly.
(78) See. footnote 52.
(79) These grains are called dhanah.
(80) I have moved away from the meaning given by the commentator, who does not distinguish between the three sacrifices.
(81) Gora means a white deer, goramriga.
(82) Vritra is the main name under which one personifies the cloud which covers the sky; it is therefore the enemy of Indra, who strikes him with his thunderbolt, and sends to the earth the water which he retained.
(83) Epithet of Agni, meaning master of the sacred thing, of sacrifice.
(84) Cakchivan is a holy Richi, considered as the putative son of a king of Calinga or Anga, who, overwhelmed by age, wanted to raise up for himself a son of Dirghatamas. The queen, blushing at accepting the king's wishes, substituted in her place her slave Ousidj, who bore Cakchivan. He later married the daughter of Prince Swanaya, son of Bhavayavya, named Vrichaya.
(85) Soma is not the god Lunus; it is the libation of the personified soma.
(86) Name of Agni. Voy. footnote 52.
(87) Another name of Agni, meaning master of the pious assembly.
(88) See footnote 56.
(89) This meaning was taken from Mr. Wilson's dictionary.