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 4.2.18

Sanskrit text [Accents, Plain, Transliterated]:

आ यू॒थेव॑ क्षु॒मति॑ प॒श्वो अ॑ख्यद्दे॒वानां॒ यज्जनि॒मान्त्यु॑ग्र । मर्ता॑नां चिदु॒र्वशी॑रकृप्रन्वृ॒धे चि॑द॒र्य उप॑रस्या॒योः ॥
आ यूथेव क्षुमति पश्वो अख्यद्देवानां यज्जनिमान्त्युग्र । मर्तानां चिदुर्वशीरकृप्रन्वृधे चिदर्य उपरस्यायोः ॥
ā yūtheva kṣumati paśvo akhyad devānāṃ yaj janimānty ugra | martānāṃ cid urvaśīr akṛpran vṛdhe cid arya uparasyāyoḥ ||

English translation:

“Fierce (Agni), when (Indra) proclaimed the near presence of the herd of the kine of the divine (Aṅgirasas) as a herd of cattle in a well-stored stall, the progeny of mortals were thereby enabled (to perform pious acts), and the master of the family rendered competent to (provide for) the increase of posterity and (the support of) dependants.”

Commentary by Sāyaṇa: Ṛgveda-bhāṣya

Herd of cattle: āyūtheva kṣumati paśvoḥ akhyat devānām yaj janimāni = liṭ, like a herd in food-possessing animals, he has said to the gods that which birth is nigh;

Janāmā = go saṅgham;  martānām cid urvaśīrakṛpranvṛdhe cid arya uprasya ayoḥ: urvaśiḥ = prajā,progeny;

Akṛpran = were made able (cf. Nirukta 5.13: urvaśiḥ = apsaras, i.e. urvabhya aśnuta;or, urubhyām aśnuta, who pervades or proceeds from the thigh. The legend is that Urvaśi was born from the thigh of Nārāyaṇa

Details:

Ṛṣi (sage/seer): vāmadevo gautamaḥ [vāmadeva gautama];
Devatā (deity/subject-matter): agniḥ ;
Chandas (meter): nicṛttriṣṭup ;
Svara (tone/note): Swar;

Padapatha [Accents, Plain, Transliterated]:

आ । यू॒थाऽइ॑व । क्षु॒ऽमति॑ । प॒श्वः । अ॒ख्य॒त् । दे॒वाना॑म् । यत् । ज॒नि॒म । अन्ति॑ । उ॒ग्र॒ । मर्ता॑नाम् । चि॒त् । उ॒र्वशीः॑ । अ॒कृ॒प्र॒न् । वृ॒धे । चि॒त् । अ॒र्यः । उप॑रस्य । आ॒योः ॥
आ । यूथाइव । क्षुमति । पश्वः । अख्यत् । देवानाम् । यत् । जनिम । अन्ति । उग्र । मर्तानाम् । चित् । उर्वशीः । अकृप्रन् । वृधे । चित् । अर्यः । उपरस्य । आयोः ॥
ā | yūthāiva | kṣu-mati | paśvaḥ | akhyat | devānām | yat | janima | anti | ugra | martānām | cit | urvaśīḥ | akṛpran | vṛdhe | cit | aryaḥ | uparasya | āyoḥ

Multi-layer Annotation of the Ṛgveda

[Rigveda 4.2.18 English analysis of grammar]

ā

[adverb]

“towards; ākāra; until; ā; since; according to; ā [suffix].”

yūtheva < yūthā < yūtha

[noun], accusative, plural, neuter

“herd; troop; battalion.”

yūtheva < iva

[adverb]

“like; as it were; somehow; just so.”

kṣumati < kṣumat

[noun], locative, singular, masculine

paśvo < paśvaḥ < paśu

[noun], genitive, singular, masculine

“domestic animal; sacrificial animal; animal; cattle; Paśu; stupid; Paśu; herd; goat.”

akhyad < akhyat < khyā

[verb], singular, Thematic aorist (Ind.)

“name; describe; call; enumerate; watch; know.”

devānāṃ < devānām < deva

[noun], genitive, plural, masculine

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

yaj < yat

[adverb]

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

janimānty < janimā < janiman

[noun], nominative, plural, neuter

“birth; offspring; origin; kind; being.”

janimānty < anti

[adverb]

ugra

[noun], vocative, singular, masculine

“powerful; awful; dangerous; intense; mighty; potent; colicky; atrocious.”

martānāṃ < martānām < marta

[noun], genitive, plural, masculine

“man.”

cid < cit

[adverb]

“even; indeed.”

urvaśīr < urvaśīḥ < urvaśī

[noun], nominative, plural, feminine

“Urvaśī.”

akṛpran < kṛp

[verb], plural, Root aorist (Ind.)

vṛdhe < vṛdh

[verb noun]

“increase; grow; vṛdh; increase; succeed; strengthen; grow up; spread.”

cid < cit

[adverb]

“even; indeed.”

arya < aryaḥ < ari

[noun], genitive, singular, masculine

uparasyāyoḥ < uparasya < upara

[noun], genitive, singular, masculine

“later(a); future(a); nether.”

uparasyāyoḥ < āyoḥ < āyu

[noun], genitive, singular, masculine

Like what you read? Consider supporting this website: