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 4.18.12

Sanskrit text [Accents, Plain, Transliterated]:

कस्ते॑ मा॒तरं॑ वि॒धवा॑मचक्रच्छ॒युं कस्त्वाम॑जिघांस॒च्चर॑न्तम् । कस्ते॑ दे॒वो अधि॑ मार्डी॒क आ॑सी॒द्यत्प्राक्षि॑णाः पि॒तरं॑ पाद॒गृह्य॑ ॥
कस्ते मातरं विधवामचक्रच्छयुं कस्त्वामजिघांसच्चरन्तम् । कस्ते देवो अधि मार्डीक आसीद्यत्प्राक्षिणाः पितरं पादगृह्य ॥
kas te mātaraṃ vidhavām acakrac chayuṃ kas tvām ajighāṃsac carantam | kas te devo adhi mārḍīka āsīd yat prākṣiṇāḥ pitaram pādagṛhya ||

English translation:

“Who has made your mother a widow? who has sought to slay the sleeping and the walking? what deity has been more gracious than you since you have slain the father, having seized him by the foot?”

Commentary by Sāyaṇa: Ṛgveda-bhāṣya

Since you have slain the father: yat prākṣiṇāḥ pitaram pādagṛhya; cf. Taittirīya Saṃhitā 6.1.3.6)

Details:

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

Padapatha [Accents, Plain, Transliterated]:

कः । ते॒ । मा॒तर॑म् । वि॒धवा॑म् । अ॒च॒क्र॒त् । श॒युम् । कः । त्वाम् । अ॒जि॒घां॒स॒त् । चर॑न्तम् । कः । ते॒ । दे॒वः । अधि॑ । मा॒र्डी॒के । आ॒सी॒त् । यत् । प्र । अक्षि॑णाः । पि॒तर॑म् । पा॒द॒ऽगृह्य॑ ॥
कः । ते । मातरम् । विधवाम् । अचक्रत् । शयुम् । कः । त्वाम् । अजिघांसत् । चरन्तम् । कः । ते । देवः । अधि । मार्डीके । आसीत् । यत् । प्र । अक्षिणाः । पितरम् । पादगृह्य ॥
kaḥ | te | mātaram | vidhavām | acakrat | śayum | kaḥ | tvām | ajighāṃsat | carantam | kaḥ | te | devaḥ | adhi | mārḍīke | āsīt | yat | pra | akṣiṇāḥ | pitaram | pāda-gṛhya

Multi-layer Annotation of the Ṛgveda

[Rigveda 4.18.12 English analysis of grammar]

kas < kaḥ < ka

[noun], nominative, singular, masculine

“what; who; ka [pronoun].”

te < tvad

[noun], genitive, singular

“you.”

mātaraṃ < mātaram < mātṛ

[noun], accusative, singular, feminine

“mother; mātṛkā; mātṛ [word]; parent; Salvinia cucullata Roxb.; Citrullus colocynthis Schrad.; cow.”

vidhavām < vidhavā

[noun], accusative, singular, feminine

“widow.”

acakracchayuṃ < acakrat < kṛ

[verb], singular, Plusquamperfect

“make; perform; cause; produce; shape; construct; do; put; fill into; use; fuel; transform; bore; act; write; create; prepare; administer; dig; prepare; treat; take effect; add; trace; put on; process; treat; heed; hire; act; produce; assume; eat; ignite; chop; treat; obey; manufacture; appoint; evacuate; choose; understand; insert; happen; envelop; weigh; observe; practice; lend; bring; duplicate; plant; kṛ; concentrate; mix; knot; join; take; provide; utter; compose.”

acakracchayuṃ < śayum < śayu

[noun], accusative, singular, masculine

“lying.”

kas < kaḥ < ka

[noun], nominative, singular, masculine

“what; who; ka [pronoun].”

tvām < tvad

[noun], accusative, singular

“you.”

ajighāṃsac < ajighāṃsat < jighāṃs < √han

[verb], singular, Imperfect

“kill.”

carantam < car

[verb noun], accusative, singular

“car; wander; perform; travel; bore; produce; make; dwell; dig; act; observe; enter (a state); observe; cause; crop; behave; practice; heed; process; administer.”

kas < kaḥ < ka

[noun], nominative, singular, masculine

“what; who; ka [pronoun].”

te < tvad

[noun], genitive, singular

“you.”

devo < devaḥ < deva

[noun], nominative, singular, masculine

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

adhi

[adverb]

“on; from; accordingly.”

mārḍīka < mārḍīke < mārḍīka

[noun], locative, singular, neuter

āsīd < āsīt < as

[verb], singular, Imperfect

“be; exist; become; originate; happen; result; be; dwell; be born; stay; be; equal; exist; transform.”

yat

[adverb]

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

prākṣiṇāḥ < prakṣi < √kṣi

[verb], singular, Imperfect

“run down; emaciate; exhaust.”

pitaram < pitṛ

[noun], accusative, singular, masculine

“father; Pitṛ; ancestor; parent; paternal ancestor; pitṛ [word]; forefather.”

pādagṛhya

[adverb]

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