Part 23-24 - Story of Soma’s flight from the Gods

109. The following hymn, The cow' (gaul : viii. 94), is addressed to the Maruts; the following six, 'Hither to thee ' (a tva : viii. 95-100), are addressed to Indra. B In the second hymn of these (96) they say there is a story (itihasa) : a Soma, oppressed by fear of Vxtra, fled from the gods; a tvai ° br, hya tvai ° Aml fk - itihasam fkr, itihasya b. 1 oged is not found in Am', but in B only. - apakramya tu Am's, apacakrama B. - * The following passage ( 109 f - 115 ) is quoted by Sayana on Rg-veda viii. 96. 13 (ep. Rg-veda 1. 130. 8) : cp. var. lect., Max Müller, Rg-veda 2 vol. iii, p. 39 f. See Vedische Studien, vol. iii, p. 49 f. The story refers to Rg-veda viii. 96. 13-15. 110. and he betook himself to a river named Amsumati a in (the country of) the Kurus. Him approached, with Brhaspati only b, the slayer of Vxtrac, r, r namna hdm' bfk, nama rrrrn, (°ti0 ) namnim 1, nama s. -°bhyatisthat hm'r 2 r's, •bhyatisthan b, bhyattisthat , tyatisthat 'r 111, nyatistheta n. - kurun 12 rns, kuntan b, kutta f, gurun Am'. - • kena abhyayad , kenapyabhyayad hdm', 'kenanvayad b, kenatvaya 1, drcanvayad rr 7, so'bhyayad 9, so'bhyagad n.

viii. 96 * Cp. Rg-veda viii. 96. 13: ava drapso amsumatim atisthat. brhaspatina yujendrah sasahe; cp. Aitareya Brahmana vi. 36. 14: brhaspatinaiva yuja. sloka is quoted by the Nitimanjari on Rg-veda viii. 95. 7. Cp. viii. 96. 15: (C) This 111. being about to fight a in company with the greatly rejoicing Maruts, armed with various weapons. Soma, seeing them approaching, stood in array with his forces, 1 yotsyamanah br, yoksyamanam '',', yotsyamanam hdm' fks. - susamhrster hr bfk, ca samhrstaih r±r 4 r॰.-tanayatah somah hdrb, tamnayatah soma, tanayatamtsomam 21, . - vyavasthitah hdrbk, f¹¹(R). a The accusative yotsyamanam cannot be right, as this would imply that Soma was already about to fight, and that he was accompanied by the Maruts, while drstva tan ayatah would then become unintelligible. The situation appears to be this. Indra, accompanied by Brhaspati alone among the gods whom Soma had left, approaches the latter, while on a warlike expedition in association with his allies the Maruts. Soma, on seeing Indra's host, takes it for Vrtra's army and assumes the defensive. Brhaspati then comes forward and explains that it is Indra with his Maruts. 112. thinking Vrtra was approaching with a hostile host, intent on slaying (him). To him, arrayed and ready with his bow, Brhaspati spoke : manvano vrtramayantam hdm 'rbfk, manvanam putramayantam r' r* r". 113. This is the Lord of the Maruts, O Soma; come back to the gods, O Lord.' B Hearing the speech of the preceptor of the gods, which was unavailing because he believed it was Vrtra, soma ehi m'r, somaihi hdfb, somesahi k, soma maihi rrrr', soma prehi s. - 113 ed is not found in A, but in Bm¹ only.- kr, b.-The end of the varga is here marked by 23 in bfk. The varga has five and a half slokas, but 113 ed is probably a later addition; for it is both superfluous and omitted not only by Sayana but also by m¹, which almost invariably has the additional readings of B. 24. Story of Soma's flight (continued). 114. he replied 'No.' (So) the mighty Sakra, taking him by force, went to the gods in heaven. The celestials (then) drank him in due form.

240 svarga eva A, ojasaiva m's, ojasvaiva b, rnarjasvaiva f. - devanadaya Am's, devana- yantam br, devanatam f. 115. And having drunk (him) they slew in battle nine times ninety a demons. All this is related in the triplet 'Down' (ava: viii. 96. 13-15) b. ava ityasmimstrce hdm', api ya tasmimstrce r'rr', apyava drapsa ityasmindvrce, apyava drapsastrce B. a Cp. vi. 51; vii. 51. b 109 cd-115 is translated in Vedische Studien, vol. iii, p. 50. B 116. (The seer praises) Indra, and the Maruts, and also Brhaspatia: for these are the deities of the triplet; Saunaka says that Indra alone (is the deity). indram ca bfkm'.-brhaspatim bkm', 'pati f. - 11646 is found in bfkm' only.- hyeta hm' r' B, tasya r. a In connexion with the following line, 116 ab seems necessary. Mitra makes no reference to it, though it must be in his B MSS. also. As the names are in the accusative in the MSS., I have assumed the ellipse of stauti, which has frequently to be supplied in the Brihaddevata, though hardly ever in so forced a way as here. B 117. But in the Aitareya (Brahmana) a it (the triplet) is said to be addressed to Indra-Brhaspati. With the triplet 'Here I' (ayam: viii. 100. 1-3) Nema, son of Bhrgu, praised b Indra without seeing him c. - ukto m'bfk, ukta 1. - 117 ab is found in B and m' only. - trcenendram hrbfk, trce- nendram dr' r'. - apasyamtam hdm bf, apasyan tam '17, apasyamte k, adrsyantam r'rr°. a Aitareya Brahmana vi. 36. 12. b Tustava from 118ª. because it is Nema who does not see Indra. s Apasyams tam is necessary 118. And Indra (then) with a couplet (4, 5) (says), Here I am, behold me, seer a.' B For Nema, being alone (eka) while praising (Indra), had also said, 'There is no Indra b.' dvrcenayam br, dvrcenaham mfk, parabhyam tu hd. - aham pasya ca mamrse br, arha pasya ca mamrse m', arha pasya ca ma trse 1, ayamasmiti mamiti hd. - 118 ed is found in B and m' only. - stuvanneva r, stuvamnena b, stuvantena m', stuvamtena fk - The end of the varga is here marked by 28 in bfk. a . Op. Rg-veda viii. 100. 4: ayam asmi jaritah pasya ma iha. astiti nema u tva aha. Cp. ibid., 3 nendro