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 2.23.17

Sanskrit text [Accents, Plain, Transliterated]:

विश्वे॑भ्यो॒ हि त्वा॒ भुव॑नेभ्य॒स्परि॒ त्वष्टाज॑न॒त्साम्न॑:साम्नः क॒विः । स ऋ॑ण॒चिदृ॑ण॒या ब्रह्म॑ण॒स्पति॑र्द्रु॒हो ह॒न्ता म॒ह ऋ॒तस्य॑ ध॒र्तरि॑ ॥
विश्वेभ्यो हि त्वा भुवनेभ्यस्परि त्वष्टाजनत्साम्नःसाम्नः कविः । स ऋणचिदृणया ब्रह्मणस्पतिर्द्रुहो हन्ता मह ऋतस्य धर्तरि ॥
viśvebhyo hi tvā bhuvanebhyas pari tvaṣṭājanat sāmnaḥ-sāmnaḥ kaviḥ | sa ṛṇacid ṛṇayā brahmaṇas patir druho hantā maha ṛtasya dhartari ||

English translation:

Tvaṣṭā engendered you (chief) amongst all beings, (whence) you are the reciter of many a holy hymn: Brahmaṇaspati acknowledges a debt to the performer of a sacred rite; he is the acquitter (of the debt), and the destoyer of the oppressor.”

Commentary by Sāyaṇa: Ṛgveda-bhāṣya

When you are the reciter: sāmnaḥ sāmnaḥ kaviḥ, the reicter or another of every sāma, sarvasya sāmnaḥ uccārayitā kartāsi; or kavi refers to tvaṣṭā, further explained as the sage who created Brahmaṇaspati by the efficacy of the sāma: sāmnaḥ sāreṇa tvam ajījanat; acknowledges a debt: ṛṇacit stotṛkāmam ṛṇam iva cinoti, he takes the intention of the praiser as if it was a debt, or obligation; acquitter of the debt: ṛṇaya is explained as the discharger or remover of the debt which is of the nature of sin: pāparūpasya ṛṇasya pṛthak kartā

Details:

Ṛṣi (sage/seer): gṛtsamadaḥ śaunakaḥ [gṛtsamada śaunaka];
Devatā (deity/subject-matter): brahmaṇaspatiḥ;
Chandas (meter): bhuriktriṣṭup ;
Svara (tone/note): Swar;

Padapatha [Accents, Plain, Transliterated]:

विश्वे॑भ्यः । हि । त्वा॒ । भुव॑नेभ्यः । परि॑ । त्वष्टा॑ । अज॑नत् । साम्नः॑ऽसाम्नः । क॒विः । सः । ऋ॒ण॒ऽचित् । ऋ॒ण॒ऽयाः । ब्रह्म॑णः । पतिः॑ । द्रु॒हः । ह॒न्ता । म॒हः । ऋ॒तस्य॑ । ध॒र्तरि॑ ॥
विश्वेभ्यः । हि । त्वा । भुवनेभ्यः । परि । त्वष्टा । अजनत् । साम्नःसाम्नः । कविः । सः । ऋणचित् । ऋणयाः । ब्रह्मणः । पतिः । द्रुहः । हन्ता । महः । ऋतस्य । धर्तरि ॥
viśvebhyaḥ | hi | tvā | bhuvanebhyaḥ | pari | tvaṣṭā | ajanat | sāmnaḥ-sāmnaḥ | kaviḥ | saḥ | ṛṇa-cit | ṛṇa-yāḥ | brahmaṇaḥ | patiḥ | druhaḥ | hantā | mahaḥ | ṛtasya | dhartari

Multi-layer Annotation of the Ṛgveda

[Rigveda 2.23.17 English analysis of grammar]

viśvebhyo < viśvebhyaḥ < viśva

[noun], ablative, plural, neuter

“all(a); whole; complete; each(a); viśva [word]; completely; wholly.”

hi

[adverb]

“because; indeed; for; therefore; hi [word].”

tvā < tvad

[noun], accusative, singular

“you.”

bhuvanebhyas < bhuvana

[noun], ablative, plural, neuter

“Earth; being; world; bhuvana [word].”

pari

[adverb]

“from; about; around.”

tvaṣṭājanat < tvaṣṭā < tvaṣṭṛ

[noun], nominative, singular, masculine

“Tvaṣṭṛ; Viśvakarman; sun.”

tvaṣṭājanat < ajanat < jan

[verb], singular, Imperfect

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

sāmnaḥ < sāman

[noun], ablative, singular, neuter

“Sāman; Sama-Veda; song; sāman [word]; hymn.”

sāmnaḥ < sāman

[noun], ablative, singular, neuter

“Sāman; Sama-Veda; song; sāman [word]; hymn.”

kaviḥ < kavi

[noun], nominative, singular, masculine

“poet; wise man; bard; Venus; Uśanas; kavi [word]; Kavi; prophet; guru; Brahma.”

sa < saḥ < tad

[noun], nominative, singular, masculine

“this; he,she,it (pers. pron.); respective(a); that; nominative; then; particular(a); genitive; instrumental; accusative; there; tad [word]; dative; once; same.”

ṛṇacid < ṛṇacit

[noun], nominative, singular, masculine

ṛṇayā < ṛṇayāḥ < ṛṇayā

[noun], nominative, singular, masculine

brahmaṇaspatir < brahmaṇaspatiḥ < brahmaṇaspati

[noun], nominative, singular, masculine

“Brahmaṇaspati.”

druho < druhaḥ < druh

[noun], genitive, singular, feminine

“deception; druh; misrepresentation; fraudulence; offense; injury.”

hantā < han

[verb], singular, periphrast. future

“kill; cure; māray; remove; destroy; hit; injure; damage; destroy; paralyze; hurt; forge; beat; cut off; stop; overwhelm; kick; hunt; affect; strike; hammer; love; obstruct; shoot.”

maha < mahaḥ < mah

[noun], genitive, singular, neuter

“great; great; distinguished; much(a); adult; long; high.”

ṛtasya < ṛta

[noun], genitive, singular, neuter

“truth; order; fixed order; ṛta [word]; law; custom; custom.”

dhartari < dhartṛ

[noun], locative, singular, masculine

“supporter.”

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