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 1.164.4

Sanskrit text [Accents, Plain, Transliterated]:

को द॑दर्श प्रथ॒मं जाय॑मानमस्थ॒न्वन्तं॒ यद॑न॒स्था बिभ॑र्ति । भूम्या॒ असु॒रसृ॑गा॒त्मा क्व॑ स्वि॒त्को वि॒द्वांस॒मुप॑ गा॒त्प्रष्टु॑मे॒तत् ॥
को ददर्श प्रथमं जायमानमस्थन्वन्तं यदनस्था बिभर्ति । भूम्या असुरसृगात्मा क्व स्वित्को विद्वांसमुप गात्प्रष्टुमेतत् ॥
ko dadarśa prathamaṃ jāyamānam asthanvantaṃ yad anasthā bibharti | bhūmyā asur asṛg ātmā kva svit ko vidvāṃsam upa gāt praṣṭum etat ||

English translation:

“Who has seen the primeval (being) at the time of his being born; what is that endowed with substance which the unsubstantial sustains; from earth are the breath and blood; but where is the soul; who may repair to the sage to ask this?”

Commentary by Sāyaṇa: Ṛgveda-bhāṣya

Tha endowed with subtance: asthanvantam yad anasthā bibharti = liṭ, that which having bone the boneless sustains; the boneless is the prakṛti of the sāṅkhya, or the māyā of the vedāntins, which is formless matter, or spiritual illusion, from which the material and visible world proceeds; where is the soul: bhūmyā asur-asṛg-ātmā kva svit: bhūmi = sthūla śarīra, gross body;

Asuḥ = breath, the sūkṣma śarīra, or suble body;

Asṛj = blood, the aggregate elements of which the body is formed; ātmā or cetanā, the thinking principle, although connected with gross and subtle form, is nowhere perceptible as a separate object, and not to be apprehended, either by pupil or teacher

Details:

Ṛṣi (sage/seer): dīrghatamā aucathyaḥ [dīrghatamas aucathya];
Devatā (deity/subject-matter): viśvedevā:;
Chandas (meter): nicṛttriṣṭup ;
Svara (tone/note): Swar;

Padapatha [Accents, Plain, Transliterated]:

कः । द॒द॒र्श॒ । प्र॒थ॒मम् । जाय॑मानम् । अ॒स्थ॒न्ऽवन्त॑म् । यत् । अ॒न॒स्था । बिभ॑र्ति । भूम्याः॑ । असुः॑ । असृ॑क् । आ॒त्मा । क्व॑ । स्वि॒त् । कः । वि॒द्वांस॑म् । उप॑ । गा॒त् । प्रष्टु॑म् । ए॒तत् ॥
कः । ददर्श । प्रथमम् । जायमानम् । अस्थन्वन्तम् । यत् । अनस्था । बिभर्ति । भूम्याः । असुः । असृक् । आत्मा । क्व । स्वित् । कः । विद्वांसम् । उप । गात् । प्रष्टुम् । एतत् ॥
kaḥ | dadarśa | prathamam | jāyamānam | asthan-vantam | yat | anasthā | bibharti | bhūmyāḥ | asuḥ | asṛk | ātmā | kva | svit | kaḥ | vidvāṃsam | upa | gāt | praṣṭum | etat

Multi-layer Annotation of the Ṛgveda

[Rigveda 1.164.4 English analysis of grammar]

ko < kaḥ < ka

[noun], nominative, singular, masculine

“what; who; ka [pronoun].”

dadarśa < dṛś

[verb], singular, Perfect indicative

“see; observe; view; visit; look; learn; meet; read; teach; examine; watch; see; notice; perceive; diagnose; travel to; show; detect; know; know; understand; understand; follow.”

prathamaṃ < prathamam < prathama

[noun], accusative, singular, masculine

“first; prathama [word]; third; young; chief(a); best; antecedent.”

jāyamānam < jan

[verb noun], accusative, singular

“become; originate; be born; transform; happen; result; grow; beget; produce; create; conceive; separate; cause; give birth; grow; produce; generate; be; become; arise; come on.”

asthanvantaṃ < asthanvantam < asthanvat

[noun], accusative, singular, masculine

“boned; bony.”

yad < yat

[adverb]

“once [when]; because; that; if; how.”

anasthā < anastha

[noun], nominative, singular, feminine

“boneless.”

bibharti < bhṛ

[verb], singular, Present indikative

“bring; hold; fill; support; wear; possess; carry; nourish; keep; hire; have; satiate; follow; bear.”

bhūmyā < bhūmyāḥ < bhūmi

[noun], genitive, singular, feminine

“floor; earth; Earth; real property; region; pṛthivī; location; Earth; place; bhūja; floor; pit; bhūmi [word]; one; hole; shop; distance; country; space; land; territory; topographic point.”

asur < asuḥ < asu

[noun], nominative, singular, masculine

“life.”

asṛg < asṛk < asṛj

[noun], nominative, singular, neuter

“blood; bleeding; menorrhea.”

ātmā < ātman

[noun], nominative, singular, masculine

“self; nature; Ātman; mind; soul; self; body; character; ātman [word]; person; life; peculiarity.”

kva

[adverb]

“wherein; how; kva [word].”

svit < svid

[adverb]

“svid [word].”

ko < kaḥ < ka

[noun], nominative, singular, masculine

“what; who; ka [pronoun].”

vidvāṃsam < vid

[verb noun], accusative, singular

“know; diagnose; perceive; know; accord; notice; deem; mind; learn; specify; watch; recognize; detect; call.”

upa

[adverb]

“towards; on; next.”

gāt <

[verb], singular, Aorist inj. (proh.)

“go; enter (a state); arrive.”

praṣṭum < pracch

[verb noun]

“ask; ask; ask; consult; interrogate.”

etat < etad

[noun], accusative, singular, neuter

“this; he,she,it (pers. pron.); etad [word].”

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