Rig Veda

Text & Audio

MAṆḌALA 1

Sūkta 66

2. Audio

▪   by South Indian brahmins
▪   by Sri Shyama Sundara Sharma and Sri Satya Krishna Bhatta. Recorded by © 2012 Sriranga Digital Software Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

1. 1946¹

1.66.1-2. He is like a wealth richly diverse and like the all-seeing of the Sun. He is as if life and the breath of our existence, he is as if our eternal child. He is like a galloper bearing us. He clings to the forests: he is like a cow with her milk. He is pure-bright and wide is his lustre.

1.66.3-4. He holds all our good like a pleasant home; he is like ripe corn. He is a conqueror of men and like a chanting Rishi; there is word of him among the folk: he is as if our exultant steed of swiftness; he upholds our growth.

1.66.5-6. He is light in a house difficult to inhabit²; he is as a will ever active in us; he is like a wife in our abode and sufficient to every man. When he blazes wonderfully manifold, he is like one white in the peoples: he is like a golden chariot; he is a splendour in our battles.

1.66.7-8. He is like an army running to the charge and puts strength in us: he is like the flaming shaft of the Archer with its keen burning front. A twin he is born, a twin he is that which is to be born: he is the lover of the virgins and the husband of the mothers.

1.66.9-10. We by your movement, we by your staying, come to him when his light is kindled as the cows come home to their stall. He is like a river running in its channel and sends in his front the descending Waters: the Ray-Cows move to him in the manifesting of the world of the Sun³.

2. July 1920⁴

1. He is as if a marvellous shining riches and like the wide seeing of the sun. He is as if life and the breath of our existence and he is as if our eternal child.

2. He is like a galloper that bears us. He fastens on the woodlands. He gives of his substance as the cow its milk. He is wide and lustrous, he is very bright and pure.

3. He is pleasant like a home and holds all our good. He is to us like ripe corn. He is a conqueror of men

4. and like a chanting Rishi; the word of him is among the folk. He is like an exulting steed and he lays on us our birth to knowledge.

5. He is light in a house difficult to inhabit⁵. He is as an eternal will that acts in us; he is like a wife in our chamber and sufficient to every man.

6. When he burns out wonderful and manifold, he is as if the white horse in the peoples. He is like a chariot made of gold: he is like a keen flame in the battles.

7. He is like an army running to the charge and puts strength in us: he is like the flaming shaft of the Archer that has a keen burning face.

8. He is the twin that is born and the twin who is that which is to be born. He is the lover of the virgins and the husband of the mothers.

9. When his light is kindled, we come to him as the herds come to their home: we come to him by your journeying, O gods, and we come to him by your sitting still.

10. He is like a river running in its channel and sends in front the downward Waters: the herd of the Rays move to him in the seeing of the world of the Sun.

3. Circa 1917–20⁶

1.66.1-2

चित्रा. चायनीयो विचित्ररूपो वा like wealth

संदृक् संद्रष्टा (दर्शयिता of all things वस्तूनां) like the sun — may it not be “seeing of the sun”?

आयुः संचरन् like the breath moving (in the mouth) or as the प्राणवायुरायुर्जीवनमवस्थापयति (S. यावद्ध्यस्मिन् शरीरे प्राणो वसति तावदायुः)

नित्यो न सूनुः ध्रुवः पुत्र इव प्रियकारी because Agni gives Swarga.

Sru[ti]: पुत्रः पित्रे लोककृज्जातवेद इति

Parallel passages

तक्वा गतिमानश्वः तक हसने. अत्र गत्यर्थः as that is one of its meanings.

भूर्णिः भर्ता आरयति पोषयति — may it not be “swift”?

धेनुः प्रीणयिता

सिषक्ति दग्धुं समवैति सेवते वा

1.66.3-4

क्षेमं. स्तोतृभ्यो दत्तस्य धनस्य रक्षणं धारयति = कर्तुं शक्नोति

रण्वः delightful or गंतव्यः — गृहवत्सर्वैः प्राप्यते

यवः is उपभोग्य because it is पक्वः ripe, Agni because he cooks पाकादिकार्यहेतुतया!!

जनानां of enemies मध्ये

स्तुभ्वा देवानां स्तोता

प्रशस्तः famous प्रख्यातः among Yajamanas.

वाजी as a horse goes joyfully to battle, so Agni joyfully carries the offerings.

वयः अन्नं दधाति दधातु let him give us

1.66.5-6

दुरोकशोचिः दुष्प्रापतेजाः उच समवाये

क्रतुः — firm as a कर्मणां कर्ता. As he is firm, without negligence and wakeful in his works, so Agni is firm and wakeful in burning the Rakshasa

cf 1.5

अरं. अलं भूषणं — as a wife in a house so Agni is अग्निहोत्रादिगृहे an ornament for every sacrificer

चित्र 2 meanings

श्वेतः शुभ्रवर्ण आदित्य इव one at night, the other at day. But what of the white horse?

त्वेषः दीप्तः — keen flaming

समत्सु समानं माद्यंत्येष्विति समदः संग्रामाः यद्वा सम्यगत्ति भक्षयति वीरानिति समत्

1.66.7-8

सेना इनेन सह वर्तत इति सेना

अमं दधाति भयं करोति बलं दधाति वा = is strong — Yaska.

दिद्युत् वज्रनाम here = इषु like the shining faced arrow of the shooter it frightens the enemy

यमः Agni is giver of desires to praisers यच्छतीति or twin because born with Indra. All creatures born or to be born are Agni, because all भावs are subject to Agni on account of आहुति — सर्वेषां भावानामाहुतिद्वाराग्न्यधीनत्वात्

Possible “Like Yama he controls what is born and what is to be born.”

जारः पतिः S. quotes a Rik.

सोमो॑ ददद्गंध॒र्वाय॑ गंध॒र्वो द॑दद॒ग्नये॑ ।

र॒यिं च॑ पु॒त्रांश्चा॑दाद॒ग्निर्मह्य॒मथो॑ इ॒मां ॥ [10.85.41]

and तथा चाख्यायते

अनुपजातपुरुषसंभोगेच्छावस्थां स्त्रियं सोमो लेभे । स च सोम ईषदुपजातभोगेच्छां तां विश्वावसवे गंधर्वाय प्रादात् । स च गंधर्वो विवाहसमयेऽग्नये प्रददौ । अग्निश्च मनुजाय भर्त्रे धनपुत्रैः सहितामिमां प्रायच्छत् । Agni is the lover at the time of marriage, because then their virginity ceases.

But Yaska Ni. 10.21 तृतीयोऽग्निस्ते पतिरित्यपि निसमो भवति

Or, says S, he is the जनीनां पालयिता because he gives the fruit by the sacrifices performed.

1.66.9-10

चराथा चरथया — चरथः पशुः । तत्प्रभवैर्हृदयादिभिः साध्याहुतिरपि चरथेत्युच्यते — the effect being expressed by the cause

वसत्या पुरोडाशाद्याहुत्या (in the Sadhyahuti) — निवसतीति स्थावरो व्रीह्यादिर्वसतिः — Yaska

नक्षंते So P.P. 3rd for 1st person व्याप्नुयाम? But obviously it must be नक्षंतः. For present participle in place of verb,

Parallel passages

नीचीः इतस्ततो नितरामुद्गच्छंतीर्ज्वालाः as the stream goes quickly downward

प्रैनोत् प्रेरयति

स्वर्दृशीके नभसि वर्तमाने दर्शनीयेऽग्नौ

गावः गमनस्वभावा रश्मयः

नवंते संगच्छंते

¹ Hymns to the Mystic Fire, 1946 // CWSA.– Vol. 16.– Hymns to the Mystic Fire.– Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo Ashram, 2013, pp. 31-113.

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² Or, he is a light difficult to kindle;

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³ Or, when the Sun appears.

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⁴ Parashara’s Hymns to the Lord of the Flame // CWSA.– Vol. 15.– The Secret of the Veda.– Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo Ashram, 1998, pp. 580-582. 1-st published: Arya: A Philosophical Review. Monthly.– Vol.6, No 12 – July 1920, pp. 767-768.

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⁵ Or, “He is a light difficult to kindle.”

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⁶ CWSA.– Vol. 14.– Vedic and Philological Studies.– Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo Ashram, 2016, pp. 448-455. (Part 4 № 4).

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