Rig Veda (translation and commentary)

by H. H. Wilson | 1866 | 1,999,864 words | ISBN-10: 8171101380 | ISBN-13: 9788171101382

The Rig-Veda, English translation, including the commentary of Sayana and grammatical analysis. The hyms of the Rigveda Samhita represents some of the oldest and complex of Hindu Sanskrit literature. In ten books, these mantras form the core essence of rituals and ceremonies once widely performed throughout ancient India. This edition contains the...

Disclaimer: These are translations of Sanskrit texts and are not necessarily approved by everyone associated with the traditions connected to these texts. Consult the source and original scripture in case of doubt.

Rig Veda 1.1.1

Sanskrit text [Accents, Plain, Transliterated]:

अ॒ग्निमी॑ळे पु॒रोहि॑तं य॒ज्ञस्य॑ दे॒वमृ॒त्विज॑म् । होता॑रं रत्न॒धात॑मम् ॥
अग्निमीळे पुरोहितं यज्ञस्य देवमृत्विजम् । होतारं रत्नधातमम् ॥
agnim īḻe purohitaṃ yajñasya devam ṛtvijam | hotāraṃ ratnadhātamam ||

English translation:

“I glorify Agni, the high priest of the sacrifice, the divine, the ministrant, who presents the oblation (to the gods), and is the possessor of great wealth.”

Commentary by Sāyaṇa: Ṛgveda-bhāṣya

Agni = purohita, the priest who superintends family rites; or, he is one of the sacred fires in which oblations are first (pura) offered (hita);

Deva: a god, the bright, shining, radiant; from div, to shine; or, one who abides in the sky or heaven (dyushāna); or, liberal, donor (in the sense of giving);

Ṛtvij = a ministering priest, he is also the hotā (Aitareya Brāhmaṇa 3.14), the priest who presents the oblation or who invokes or summons the deities to the ceremony; from hu, to sacrifice; or, from hve, to call;

Ratnadhātama: lit. holder of jewels;

Ratna = wealth in genitive ral; figurately, reward of religious rites

Details:

Ṛṣi (sage/seer): madhucchandāḥ vaiśvāmitraḥ [madhucchandas vaiśvāmitra];
Devatā (deity/subject-matter): agniḥ ;
Chandas (meter): gāyatrī;
Svara (tone/note): Swar;

Padapatha [Accents, Plain, Transliterated]:

अ॒ग्निम् । ई॒ळे॒ । पु॒रःऽहि॑तम् । य॒ज्ञस्य॑ । दे॒वम् । ऋ॒त्विज॑म् । होता॑रम् । र॒त्न॒ऽधात॑मम् ॥
अग्निम् । ईळे । पुरःहितम् । यज्ञस्य । देवम् । ऋत्विजम् । होतारम् । रत्नधातमम् ॥
agnim | īḷe | puraḥ-hitam | yajñasya | devam | ṛtvijam | hotāram | ratna-dhātamam

Multi-layer Annotation of the Ṛgveda

[Rigveda 1.1.1 English analysis of grammar]

agnim < agni

[noun], accusative, singular, masculine

“fire; Agni; sacrificial fire; digestion; cautery; Plumbago zeylanica; fire; vahni; agni [word]; agnikarman; gold; three; jāraṇa; pyre; fireplace; heating.”

īḍe < īḍ

[verb], singular, Present indikative

“praise; invite; raise.”

purohitaṃ < purohitam < purohita

[noun], accusative, singular, masculine

“Purohita; purohita [word].”

yajñasya < yajña

[noun], genitive, singular, masculine

“yajña; religious ceremony; Vishnu; yajña [word]; Yajña; Shiva.”

devam < deva

[noun], accusative, singular, masculine

“Deva; Hindu deity; king; deity; Indra; deva [word]; God; Jina; Viśvedevās; mercury; natural phenomenon; gambling.”

ṛtvijam < ṛtvij

[noun], accusative, singular, masculine

“ṛtvij; ṛtvij [word].”

hotāraṃ < hotāram < hotṛ

[noun], accusative, singular, masculine

“Hotṛ.”

ratnadhātamam < ratna

[noun], neuter

“jewel; wealth; best; treasure; vajra; property; jewel; ruby; jewelry.”

ratnadhātamam < dhātamam < dhātama

[noun], accusative, singular, masculine

“giving.”

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