Part 3 - Vasistha and the dog of Varuna

Rg-veda vii. 86-89. B 11. In the hemistich Aloft the light' (ud u jyotih vii. 76. 1 ab) the Middle (Agni) is praised. During a the night Vasistha in a dream b approached the house of Varuna c. - 11 ab is not found in A or m', but only in B. - svapna acarat hm'r, svapnamacarat fkn(cgh), svapnamacaran bn(am)s, svapnavaccarat n (b), cauryamacarat 15. a b c 11 ed-15 ab are quoted in the Nitimanjari on Rg-veda vii. 55. 2; and 11 cd-13 in Sayana on Rg-veda vii. 55-3 See Vedische Studien, ii, p. 56 (cp. 55). Cp. Rg-veda vii. 86. 6: svapnas caned anrtasya prayota; and vii. 88. 5: brhantam manam, varuna, . . sahasradvaram jagama grham te. 12, 13. He then entered. A dog there ran at him, barking. B Pacifying the hound which was making a din and running (up) with intent to bite, he lulled him to sleep a (vyasusvapat) with the two (stanzas) When, O bright one' (yad arjuna: vii. 55. 2, 3). ( He sent him b as well as the other attendants of Varuna to sleep c. tam tatra bfkrns, tam tvatra hd, tvam tatra m' - 0bhyadhavata Am', °bhyavartata Bns. - 12 d and 13 ab are not found in A, but in B and m¹ only. - m¹n (h)s, fk, b drastum rn. - 13. dvabhyam m bfks, tribhih rn. - vyasusvapat m' bfr, vyasupyayat k, vyasusupat n, hyasusupat s. - sa tam Am', evam Bns. - prakhapayamasa bfra, prasrapayamasa k, prasthapa- yamasa hdm's. - -

The anomalous form vyasusvapat is evidently based on the refrain of Rg-veda vii. 55. 2-4, ni su svapa. I was therefore tempted to make the emendation nyasusvapat. The reading of B evam connects 13 ed with 13 ab, that of A sa tam, 13 Cp. Vedische Studien, ii, p. 56, note 2. b C cd cd with 12 ab 14, 15. Then king Varuna bound a him with his fetters. Bound (thus) he (Vasistha) praised his father (Varuna) with the next (itah) b following four (hymns) 'The wise' (dhira: vii. 86-89). Then his father released him. A As soon as the (stanza) Thee in the fixed' (dhruvasu tva: vii. 88. 7) had been uttered, the fetters dropped (pramocire)c from him. svaih pasaih pratyabadhyata Am' (prati om ' ), svanpasanpratyamuncata Bn. - sa baddha hm/rfkn, sa buddha r r 4 r, sa budhva b. - bhirita hdr, •bhirata bfk. 15. tatah pita hm bf, vadhah pita k, tathantyaya n. - 15°d is the reading of Am'; instead of it, but after 14 ab, Bm¹ read: baddhah sa ' varunaih pasairdhruvasu tveti ' drsyate | ± 2 ',', duvastutveti b, rcastutveti fk. 1 frrr 7, vaddhai sa k, tadvah sa b. Both forms of the line are omitted in n.-The end of the varga is here marked by 3 in m', after 15 ab (pita) in bfk (as the B form of 15 cd comes before 15 ab), not at all in hd. 0 a Here the root bandh is conjugated as an Atmanepada of the fourth class; cp. v. 134 and vi. 23 (duhyati in A). b That is, after the group 82-85 mentioned in 10. The anomalous form pramocire must be meant for the 3. plur. perfect passive (by false analogy from forms like pecire). The whole line has been adapted from Rg-veda vii. 88. 7: dhruvasu tva asu ksitisu ksiyanto vy asmat pasam varuno mumocat. The reading of B would mean: 'In the stanza dhruvasu tva he appears bound with the fetters of Varuna.'