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 4.6.4

Sanskrit text [Accents, Plain, Transliterated]:

स्ती॒र्णे ब॒र्हिषि॑ समिधा॒ने अ॒ग्ना ऊ॒र्ध्वो अ॑ध्व॒र्युर्जु॑जुषा॒णो अ॑स्थात् । पर्य॒ग्निः प॑शु॒पा न होता॑ त्रिवि॒ष्ट्ये॑ति प्र॒दिव॑ उरा॒णः ॥
स्तीर्णे बर्हिषि समिधाने अग्ना ऊर्ध्वो अध्वर्युर्जुजुषाणो अस्थात् । पर्यग्निः पशुपा न होता त्रिविष्ट्येति प्रदिव उराणः ॥
stīrṇe barhiṣi samidhāne agnā ūrdhvo adhvaryur jujuṣāṇo asthāt | pary agniḥ paśupā na hotā triviṣṭy eti pradiva urāṇaḥ ||

English translation:

“When the sacred grass is strewn and the fire is kindled, the Adhvaryu rises, propitiating (the gods), and Agni, the offerer of the oblation, ancient and multiplying (the offering), thrice circumambulates (the victim) like a keeper of cattle.”

Commentary by Sāyaṇa: Ṛgveda-bhāṣya

Thrice circumambulates: paryagnistriveṣṭyeti, Agni goes round, having thrice returned, trir āvṛtya paryeti, or trirhi paryagniḥ kriyate, Agni is thrice made around, which would imply that the fire was thrice circumambulated; the next stanza, however, clearly shows that it is Agni who goes round, either the altar or the victim; perhaps, it is the latter: parito gacchati paśum

Details:

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

Padapatha [Accents, Plain, Transliterated]:

स्ती॒र्णे । ब॒र्हिषि॑ । स॒म्ऽइ॒धा॒ने । अ॒ग्नौ । ऊ॒र्ध्वः । अ॒ध्व॒र्युः । जु॒जु॒षा॒णः । अ॒स्था॒त् । परि॑ । अ॒ग्निः । प॒शु॒ऽपाः । न । होता॑ । त्रि॒ऽवि॒ष्टि । ए॒ति॒ । प्र॒ऽदिवः॑ । उ॒रा॒णः ॥
स्तीर्णे । बर्हिषि । सम्इधाने । अग्नौ । ऊर्ध्वः । अध्वर्युः । जुजुषाणः । अस्थात् । परि । अग्निः । पशुपाः । न । होता । त्रिविष्टि । एति । प्रदिवः । उराणः ॥
stīrṇe | barhiṣi | sam-idhāne | agnau | ūrdhvaḥ | adhvaryuḥ | jujuṣāṇaḥ | asthāt | pari | agniḥ | paśu-pāḥ | na | hotā | tri-viṣṭi | eti | pra-divaḥ | urāṇaḥ

Multi-layer Annotation of the Ṛgveda

[Rigveda 4.6.4 English analysis of grammar]

stīrṇe < stṛ

[verb noun], locative, singular

“spread; kill; lay; cover.”

barhiṣi < barhis

[noun], locative, singular, masculine

“Barhis; barhis [word].”

samidhāne < samindh < √indh

[verb noun], locative, singular

“kindle; blaze.”

agnā < agnau < agni

[noun], locative, singular, masculine

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

ūrdhvo < ūrdhvaḥ < ūrdhva

[noun], nominative, singular, masculine

“upper; up(a); upper; upward; erect; more(a); raised; ūrdhva [word]; acclivitous; overturned; loud; eminent; high.”

adhvaryur < adhvaryuḥ < adhvaryu

[noun], nominative, singular, masculine

“Adhvaryu; adhvaryu [word]; Yajur-Veda.”

jujuṣāṇo < jujuṣāṇaḥ < juṣ

[verb noun], nominative, singular

“enjoy; endow; possess; frequent; accompany; induce; consume; approve; affect; attend; befit; blend; contract.”

asthāt < sthā

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

“stay; stand; situate; exist; [in]; resist; endure; put; soak; be; stop; adhere; get stale; concentrate; grow; trust; wake; consociate; last; dwell; lie; stand; stop.”

pary < pari

[adverb]

“from; about; around.”

agniḥ < agni

[noun], nominative, singular, masculine

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

paśupā < paśu

[noun], masculine

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

paśupā < pāḥ <

[noun], nominative, singular, masculine

“protecting.”

na

[adverb]

“not; like; no; na [word].”

hotā < hotṛ

[noun], nominative, singular, masculine

“Hotṛ.”

triviṣṭy < triviṣṭi

[adverb]

“thrice.”

eti < i

[verb], singular, Present indikative

“go; travel; enter (a state); return; walk; continue; reach; ask.”

pradiva < pradivaḥ < pradiv

[noun], ablative, singular, masculine

“age-old; long.”

urāṇaḥ < vṛ

[verb noun], nominative, singular

“choose; ask.”

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