C. THE WORLD OF MAN
Manushyaloka
The seers in the beginning, desiring the excellent and searching the heavens, embarked upon fervor and consecration.
Thence were born energy, force, and kingship. Let the Gods bestow them upon this man!
AV XIX, 41, 1
Man is not an individual but a person; in other words, he is not an isolated being but a constitutive relationship. This relatedness exists not only between Man and God but also between Man and his fellowman. To manushyata, humanity, manushyaloka, the human world, is both a complement and often a supplement. There is no human life, no true humanness, in disjunction from the world of Man. Man is Man in and with his environment, and this environment is composed not only of the world of humans. It is also the world of things, the universe that surrounds him and in and with which he toils. Man is not reduced to nakedness in his dealings with his fellowmen. He is “clothed” with a whole world of utensils and instruments, for human relationships involve an exchange of human worlds. There is no man without a house, no woman without a dowry, and no citizen without weapons or utensils, be they ploughs, needles, or pen and parchment. All this, however, is not “given”; it is made, fabricated, conquered, and even created. The tissue of Man’s life is no longer nature but culture.
Our antiphon gives magnificent expression to the integrated human experience. The first two lines affirm that this ideal of perfect bliss and human well-being has haunted Man since the beginning, though only the poet-sages whose minds and hearts were directed heavenward toward the light have been able to articulate it. The two key words for this aspiration are tapas, concentration, fervor, ardor, austerity, penance, and diksha, consecration, initiation, religious preparation, dedication. Freedom and sovereignty, that is, mastery over nature, are reached primarily by means of these two activities: tapas and diksha. We are encountering here a fundamental human attitude toward the world. Man is here on earth not to “work” on nature, to conquer it, and thus to reign over it, but to consecrate it, to “concentrate” it, and thus to attain strength and sovereignty.
Tapas and diksha often appear together in the shruti. 73 and the latter is even said to be the womb of the former. 74 In the womb of consecration, that is, in the act of offering and sanctifying, takes place the transformation of reality, which is the function of tapas. The activity of tapas effects an increase in ontic reality, a concentration in the density of the real. By means of Man’s integral effort reality is changed; it is no longer diluted and amorphous, but it acquires shape, weight, and relevance. Moreover, by this act “things” become, are incorporated into, Man’s world. The attitude of Vedic Man toward the universe is a fundamentally religious attitude, or rather an attitude of communion and consecration. In fact, diksha does not refer only to the ceremony of consecrating an altar or a temple, or to the preparatory rite for a sacrifice; it means primarily that act by which the “thing” is converted into a bit of “world,” or rather into “human world,” into a living relationship with, and indeed part and parcel of, Man. Consecration transforms a thing into “person;” it personifies. A consecrated thing is no longer an excommunicated lifeless “object” but it is incorporated; that is, it is made one body together with the rest of the living community of real persons. It is by tapas and diksha that Man enters into relationship with, or rather constructs, his world. The religious ceremonies connected with all human activities by no means distract Man from dedicating himself to these activities; on the contrary, they allow him to assimilate them in such a way as to build a higher unity, which integrates “individual” and “thing” into a living person.
The whole congregation of Gods, say the two last lines of our verse, will readily yield to the man practicing tapas after his diksha. He dominates nature not by sheer power but by harmonious collaboration with the lords of nature, who, having witnessed within him this process of dedication and concentration, incline themselves favorably toward him.
This is the prevailing mood of the following text, and other similar texts. The attention they give to the particular subjects of human activity does not detract from their general attitude, which regards human activities as being undertaken with only one ultimate aim, namely, that of making Man’s world the habitat of the Gods, also of converting the three worlds into one.
a) Knowing the Earth
Bhumi matr
Food is given by God and possesses deep symbolic meaning, as we have seen in an earlier section. Food comes, certainly, from nature, and the trees seem almost to drop their fruits into our laps, but Man’s relation both with the Divine and with the Earth is not one of pure passivity. Man has a very concrete and terrestrial way of collaborating both with God and with the world, and this is his involvement in the process of producing food. Man is learning to work with nature, to till the earth, and to grow his own food: he is learning to know the Earth as well as to know God.
The relationship between Man and nature is not a technical one, in either a technocratic or a scientific sense; it is not a relationship of dominion or of exploitation, as if nature were itself devoid of anything human and were there only to furnish Man with the possibility of increasing his standard and quality of life. It is rather a relationship of partnership and collaboration. Just as a cow is thankful if human hands relieve her of the burden of her extra milk, so the earth is happy to be worked by Man. To give a more complete picture of the situation, we should broaden this simile so as to include the gratitude of the bull for the “work” done on the cow. To till the earth is not only to help her to produce more and to reach her own plenitude; it is also to collaborate with the Gods in the overall action of sacrifice, to help promote the dynamism of the world and the continuance of life. It is to participate actively in that “commerce,” that cosmic and divine exchange, of which the mystery of food has already provided us with an insight. 75
Every knowledge has its sacred aspect, but the knowledge of the earth--because of its integral character--has a special sacredness of its own, perhaps because in regard to the earth the different dimensions of knowledge cannot be separated one from another, nor can there exist a merely theoretical knowledge divorced from the practical and existential one. There is no need to elaborate here on fertility cults or on religious practices connected with the relationship of Man with nature, such as found expression mainly in the agricultural golden age of human civilization.
Our first hymn is addressed to the Lord of the field, kshetrapati. Kshetra is a word that later acquires a long history in a more philosophical and moral sense, as for example in the very beginning of the Gita. 76 This hymn begs the Lord of the field to watch over the ploughman’s toil and to cause the earth to produce bountifully. It concludes with an invocation to the God of rain: “May Parjanya bedew the earth with honey and water!” Here the whole of human life is seen placed under divine protection. The text from the Atharva Veda (AV III, 17) which follows is no less explicit, and shows man’s relation with the riches of nature. It is a prayer that the ploughing and the sowing of seed may be blessed with an ample harvest. Mention is made of corn (the crop most cultivated at that time) and of the horse, the symbol of wealth.
When the tilling of the soil is over, then comes the Harvest Song and the prayer for a bountiful Harvest (AV III, 24; AV VI, 142). Men pray for an abundance, even for a superfluity, of corn which is compared with a spring gushing forth in a thousand streams and yet remaining inexhaustible. The last verse of Atharva Veda III, 24 mentions Reaping and Garnering as the two distributors or attendants of Prajapati, the Lord of creation, while the second verse powerfully personifies the Deity of Reaping.
A rather intriguing symbolism of numbers is apparent in this hymn. Verse 1 mentions one thousand as signifying infinity, verse 3 plays on the number five, whereas verses 4 and 5 use again one hundred and one thousand. Verse 6 speaks of three and four, which perhaps could mean 3/12 and 4/12 (or smaller portions) so as to allow for the “amplest” part of the corn to be given, probably, to the owner of the field.
To pray for a good harvest and corn in plenty would be meaningless if there was not a place, a home, or granary, where the product of the harvest could be kept and from which Man could obtain his daily bread. But even in a well-kept home the corn may be damaged by a violent storm. Therefore, the prayer for security and prosperity (AV VI, 79) is addressed to the Lord of the clouds; he is asked, with utter confidence, not only to protect the stores of the house but also to grant abundance to the family.
The hymn addressed to Rain (RV V, 83) has a beauty of its own and expresses most forcefully the type of relationship we try to describe at the beginning of this introduction. Once Man has done everything in order that the earth may yield its fruit, what is still lacking? The blessings of God, says almost every agricultural civilization. Thus it is Parjanya, the personification of rain, the God of the waters from heaven, who is here invoked. This divinity is likened to a bull whose vitalizing activity will fertilize the earth and its plants.
The marvelous descriptions of the rain contain a wealth of human-cosmic warmth which we today may call poetic imagery: banked-up clouds, rumblings of thunder, the overcast sky, the roaring wind, lightning flashes, Oh joy! the welcome rain, which spills over from the chariot of Parjanya on the earth wide open to receive it, into the pools where the cattle come to quench their thirst. Parjanya, the bringer of fertility, life, and growth is often called “Father.” The rain, however, must not be too heavy and too prolonged or there will be risk of flooding. So when the earth has drunk her fill, Parjanya is begged to hold back the rain and earn Men’s gratitude once more.
It is not from utilitarian motives that Men praise and glorify the forest (RV X, 146) as the reservoir for earth and Men or as the ecological redresser of Men’s excessive activism. The forest, which may simultaneously both frighten and allure Man, is regarded by him as an intimate part of his life and experience. The hymn portrays in a striking fashion the nightlife of the earth’s densely wooded areas, when insects are humming, and that teeming wildlife is active which the poet describes as “creaking like a cart;” it depicts the lonely forest from which one can hear the sounds of Man in the distance, and the hospitable forest which is always scented and generous in its provision of food and restful hiding places. The hymn is dedicated to Aranyani, the Sprite of the Forest.
Lord of the Field
Kshetrapati
19
RV IV 57
1. We, with the Lord of the Field as our friend
and helper, obtain for our cattle and horses
food in plenty, that they may be sleek and well-fed.
May he graciously grant us his favor!
2. O Lord of the Field, like a cow yielding milk,
pour forth for us copious rivers of sweetness,
dripping honey like nectar and pure as pure ghee.
May the Lords of the Law grant us mercy!
3. Sweet be the plants for us, sweet be the heavens,
sweet be the waters and the air of the sky!
May the Lord of the Field show us honey like sweetness,
May we follow his furrow unharmed!
4. In contentment may men and oxen both plough,
in contentment the plough cleave the furrow,
in contentment the yoke be securely attached
and the ploughman urge on his oxen!
5. Ploughshare and Plough, to our chant be propitious!
Take of the milk you have made in heaven
and let it fall here on this earth!
6. Auspicious Furrow, we venerate you.
We pray you, come near us to prosper and bless
and bring us abundant harvests.
7. May Indra draw the Furrow, may Pushan
guide well its course! May she yield us milk
in each succeeding year!
8. In contentment may the ploughshare turn up the sod,
in contentment the ploughman follow the oxen,
celestial Rain pour down honey and water.
Ploughshare and Plough, grant us joy!
1. Lord of the Field: kshetrapati, God of the ploughshare and of happiness. Cf. AV III, 17, 5 (§ II 20) and Sayana’s commentary.
2. Lords of the Law: rtasya patayah.
3. Sweet: lit. rich in honey.
4. In contentment: lit. for (man’s) happiness.
5. Ploughshare: shuna.
Plough: sira.
6. Auspicious Furrow: sita. Sita is compared with the milk cow and is called Indrapatni. In the Ramayana Sita is said to have sprung from a furrow made by Janaka while he was ploughing the ground in preparation for a sacrifice for obtaining progeny. Cf. AV, III, 17, 4 (§ II 20) which repeats this verse.
7. Perhaps shuna and sira are Indra (Rama) and Pushan guiding and guarding sita from every side. Cf. also TB II, 5, 9, 2.
8. Celestial Rain: Parjanya, the God of rain.
A Harvest Blessing
Krshi
20
AV III, 17, 1-4; 8-9
1. Skillful men make ready the ploughs
and the yokes for the oxen; those who are wise
offer a prayer to the Gods for favor.
2. Harness the plough, then, yoke the stout oxen;
here in the furrow prepared sow the seed.
O Gods, may our ears of corn be abundant!
May the grain in due season fall before our sickles!
3. May the blade of the plough, the smooth-handled plough,
cleaving well the furrow, produce for our joy
much cattle and sheep, a horse for a chariot, a handsome girl!
4. May Indra guide the Furrow, may Pushan guard it
on every side; may the Furrow, like a milch cow,
yield to us copiously year after year!
8. O blessed Furrow, we bring you our homage.
Turn your face to us; grant us your favor
and bear fruits for us abundantly.
9. The Furrow is steeped in ghee and honey.
She is blessed by all Gods. Channel hither, O Furrow,
your milky streams, rich in vigor and oil.
1. Skillful men: kavayah, skillful artists. “Skilled artistry” is applicable to the practice of agriculture also.
4. Cf. RV IV, 57, 7 (§ II 19).
Furrow: sita. There is a tendency to divinize the furrow in this hymn (w. 8-9). All the action of the farmer have a symbolic meaning. Cf notes on preceding hymn.
5-8. Belong to RV IV, 57.
5. Cf.§ II 19 (v. 8).
6. Cf. ibid. (v. 4).
7. Cf. ibid. (v. 5).
8. Cf. ibid. (v. 6), the same text in a different translation.
As a Spring Gushes Forth in a Thousand Streams
Samrddhiprapti
21
AV III, 24
1. Brimful of sweetness is the grain,
brimful of sweetness are my words;
when everything is a thousand times sweet,
how can I not prosper?
2. I know one who is brimful of sweetness,
the one who has given abundant corn,
the God whose name is Reaper-God;
him we invoke with our song.
He dwells in the home of even the lowly
who are debarred from sacrifice.
The God whose name is Reaper-God,
him we invoke with our song.
3. Let the five directions and races of men
bring to our doors prosperity,
as after the rains (in a swollen flood)
a river carries down driftwood.
4. As a spring gushes forth in a hundred, a thousand,
streams, and yet stays inexhaustible,
so in a thousand streams may our corn
flow inexhaustibly!
5. Reap, you workers, one hundred hands,
garner, you workers, one thousand hands!
Gather in the bounteous corn that is cut
or still waits on the stalk.
6. Three measures I apportion to the Spirits,
four measures to the mistress of the house,
while you I touch with the amplest measure
(of all that the field has yielded).
7. Reaper and Garnerer are your two
distributors, O Lord of creation.
May they convey hither an ample store
of riches never decreasing!
1. Brimful of sweetness: lit. rich in milk.
2. The God whose name is Reaper-God: sambhrtva nama yo devah, the “collector.”
Debarred from sacrifice: lit. who do not sacrifice: referring to the non-Brahmins, the working people.
5. Lit. hundred-handed and thousand-handed, as if referring: o groups of fifty and five hundred workers.
6. Spirits: Gandharvas. Some have interpreted the mistress of the house as referring to the Apsarases, the female counterparts of the male Gandharvas.
7. Lord of creation: Prajapati
For a Bountiful Harvest
Bahur bhava, yava
22
AV VI, 142
1. Spring up, become fair, be distended, O barley,
with your own increase!
Burst all vessels designed to contain you!
May lightning not smite you
in that place where we make our appeal to you.
2. In response, divine barley, to our invocation,
rise up there tall as the sky, inexhaustible
as the boundless sea!
3. May those who tend you prove inexhaustible,
inexhaustible their barns,
inexhaustible those who offer you in sacrifice
and those who consume you!
3. Inexhaustible: akshita, undecaying, imperishable.
For Prosperity at Home
Samsphana
23
AV VI, 79
1. May the Lord of the clouds protect our stores,
piled high in our homes!
2. May the Lord of the clouds give us vitality in our homes,
granting goods and riches!
3. O generous God, Lord of thousandfold Abundance
impart to us now a share of Abundance;
may we have a share in prosperity!
1. Lord of the clouds: nabhaspati.
Stores: samsphana, nourishment, bread.
2. Vitality: urjas, vigor, sap, fatness, invigorating drink.
3. Abundance: samsphana, growing fat, prosperity.
You Have Poured Down the Rain
Parjanya
24
RV V, 83
1. Invoke with this song the powerful God,
renowned Parjanya; win him by your worship.
Like a bellowing bull with quickening streams
he deposits a seed of life in the plants.
2. He flattens the trees and smites the demons;
the whole world fears his powerful stroke.
Even the innocent flee from this God’s strength,
when Parjanya thundering strikes the wicked.
3. Like a driver urging with a whip his horses
we see him driving his heralds of storm.
From afar is heard the roaring of the lion
when Parjanya makes the heavy rain clouds.
4. The winds burst forth, the lightnings flash,
the plants shoot up, the heavens stream,
the sap surges up in every stem,
when Parjanya quickens the earth with his seed.
5. You at whose bidding the earth bows low,
you at whose bidding the hoofed creatures scamper,
you at whose bidding flowers don various colors
and shapes, O Parjanya, grant us protection!
6. Gladden us, O Storm-Gods, with rain from heaven;
may the Stallion emit his life-producing flow!
Bring here your thundering, pour forth your rain floods.
You are Divine, our heavenly Father!
7. Thunder and roar! Release the seed.
Circle in your chariot heavy-laden with rain.
Tip downward your waterskin duly loosened.
Level the high places, fill in the hollows!
8. Draw the great vessel up, let it spill over,
let the floodwaters burst forth and flow far.
Saturate both heaven and earth with fatness;
give to the cattle fair thirst-quenching pools.
9. When, O Parjanya, roaring in fury
and thundering loudly you smite the wicked,
then the whole universe shouts for joy
and everything that is on earth rejoices.
10. You have poured down the rain; now withhold it, we pray you!
You have made the deserts fit for travel.
To serve as food you have made the plants flourish.
Receive from us in return grateful praise!
4. Cf. AV XII, 1, 12(§ I 19).
5. At whose bidding: yasya vrate.
6. Storm-Gods: Maruts.
Stallion: ie., Parjanya, the rain.
Divine: Asura.
8. Vessel: kosha, i.e., for the storage of rain.
Fatness: ghrta, symbol of fertility.
10. From us: lit. mom the creatures.
Praise: manisha, thought, prayer.
Sprite of the Forest
Aranyani
25
RV X, 146
1. Sprite of the Forest, Sprite of the Forest,
slipping so quietly away,
how is it that you avoid people’s dwellings?
Have you no fear all alone?
2. When the cicada emits his shrill notes
and the grasshopper is his accompanist,
it’s the Sprite of the Forest they hail with their praises,
as with cymbals clashing in profession.
3. Cows seem to loom up yonder at pasture,
what looks like a dwelling appears.
Is that a cart with creaking wheels?
The Sprite of the Forest passes!
4. Hark! there a man is calling a cow,
another is felling a tree.
At evening the guest of the Sprite of the woods
fancies he hears someone scream!
5. The Sprite of the Forest never slays,
unless one approaches in fury.
One may eat at will of her luscious fruits
and rest in her shade at one’s pleasure.
6. Adorned with fragrant perfumes and balms,
she needs not to toil for her food.
Mother of untamed forest beasts,
Sprite of the wood, I salute you!
1. Sprite of the Forest: aranyani, the “wife” of aranya (the forest), overseer of the woods.
4. Guest of the Sprite of the woods: i.e., the forest dweller.
b) Human Work
Karman
A refreshing feature of the Vedic way of life, as we have already seen, is its healthy combination of the sacred, and the secular. The intuitions underlying the concept of sacrifice demonstrate this to the full. Sacrifice is sacred, for it effects a breakthrough from the human plane to the divine and leads us to a new dimension of human existence; but it is also secular, for it requires human collaboration and engages the whole world in its performance. The three hymns we present in this subsection emphasize this idea and, though coming from differing backgrounds, all refer to sacrifice. The first one, RV X, 101, is a hymn addressed to the priests who offer the Soma-juice. It does not devote itself, as one might expect, to praise of the sacred office of the priest and to a detailed account of the various rites he must piously perform, but to a vivid and realistic description of the sacrifice in full swing with its atmosphere of busy activity, the various ritual acts being coordinated with careful precision.
At daybreak the sacred fire is lit and then, to use the accustomed phrase, the sacrifice is “set out,” “stretched,” just as threads may be set out on a loom. Sacrifice is next compared to a boat that transports the sacrificer to the opposite, that is, the heavenly, shore. Verses 3 and 4 compare sacrifice to ploughing. It is the priests who, being knowledgeable in the art of winning divine favor, yoke the ploughs. Verse 5 alludes in some detail to Soma, the “fount unfailing.” Verse 7 goes on to compare sacrifice to a chariot and its ritual performance to a race course, while further mention is also made of the pressing stones which, under this new symbolism, become the chariot wheels. Verse 9 is a prayer that the divinity may be pleased to lend his ear, show himself favorable to the one who offers sacrifice, and shower abundant blessings upon him, “like milk from a bountiful cow.”
The second hymn, which we have entitled “The Diverse Callings of Men,” is dedicated to Soma and seems to be in a humorous vein. The third refers to the controversial purushamedha or human sacrifice, whether performed actually or symbolically. All three give a vivid picture of the highly organized Vedic society and the performance within it of a wide range of human activities.
There is no question here of presenting any human age of the past as a model for the present, nor of extolling the past to the detriment of the present. The importance lies in our observing how past ages have managed to deal with the human condition in the most variegated situations and to what extent a certain degree of specialization has enhanced or harmed human harmony and wholeness.
Work is not regarded in the Vedas as unworthy of Man or as the occupation of slaves alone; nor, on the other hand, is it the highest human activity. Of this these hymns are a proof. In the first everything is concentrated upon a higher action; in the second the poet is sufficiently far removed from the scene to view it with a humorous eye. In the third text the seer seems to be so convinced that the highest values lie on another level as to suggest that Man’s proper course consists in the sacrifice of his activities, at least as a sincere token of total surrender.
In the third hymn, which is concerned with human sacrifice, we have inserted some explanations in square brackets, so as to make more specific the range of human activities under consideration. The rite of human sacrifice consists in binding representatives of all classes, professions, and types of men and women to the sacrificial stake and offering them symbolically to Prajapati (v. 22). Collective humanity thus represents the one purusha and his primordial sacrifice. This rite was considered to be even more efficacious than the famous ashvamedha, horse sacrifice, Man being the most noble of all victims. 77 “The irony, the relation among the different human trades, and the value each represents are obvious and require no commentary. It goes without saying that we are taking this hymn out of its context. We simply give it as an example of the many human activities of Vedic Man. 78
Priestly Task
Rtvijah
26
RV X, 101
1. Awake, my friends, united in heart.
Kindle the fire, my numerous comrades.
I call to your aid the attendants of God,
the Fire, the Sun-Horse, the Goddess Dawn.
2. May your thoughts be harmonious; spin them out properly.
Construct a rowboat to cross the broad waters.
Do all things in order; make ready the implements.
My friends, let the sacrifice now proceed.
3. Fix well the ploughshares, fasten the yokes.
The furrows are ready, sow then the seed!
If your word is received by attentive hearers,
the richer the harvest will be for our sickles.
4. The Seers prepare the ploughshares for ploughing;
they lay the yokes on either side.
These are they who, possessed of wisdom,
know how to win the favor of the Gods.
5. Arrange the buckets in their proper places
with ropes securely adjusted beneath.
We desire to draw from a copious fountain
where water flows freely, inexhaustible.
6. From the fountain whose bucket is well-prepared
with good strong ropes, where water flows freely--
from this copious fountain we draw, inexhaustible.
7. Refresh the horses and win the prize!
May your chariot become a vehicle of good fortune,
with press stones as wheels, its armor the sacred
vessels, its chassis the soma-vat!
From this I will draw the beverage of heroes.
8. Prepare a cowshed where your lords will drink.
Stitch a coat of armor strong and broad.
Make castles of iron unassailable.
Fix well your vessel. Let it not leak!
9. I bend to our cause at this solemn moment,
O Gods, your divine and holy attention.
May a thousand streams gush forth from this offering
like milk from a bountiful pasture-fed cow.
1. God: Indra.
Fire: Agni.
The Sun-Horse: dadhikra, a divine figure of a horse, representing the rising sun.
Dawn: Ushas.
2. A reference to spinning as the symbol of sacrifice, which “spins” the whole world.
Implements: lit. weapons, all the instruments for the ritual
4. Seers: kavayah, the skillful (or wise) sages, poets, the priest-poets. Cf. RV I, 76, 5; X, 63, 7, the sacrifice instituted by the first man and first poet.
5. Fountain: probably an allusion to Soma.
8. Cowshed: vraja, the place where soma is prepared (the idea common to both being the flowing of an invigorating drink). Soma also has the function of invigorating and protecting; hence the similes of the armor and the castle.
10-12. Omitted.
The Diverse Callings of Men
Vi vratani jananam
27
RV IX, 112
1. We all have various thoughts and plans
and diverse are the callings of men.
The carpenter seeks out that which is cracked,
the physician the ailing, the priest the soma-press.
Flow, Soma-juice, for the sake of the Lord!
2. The smith with his store of seasoned plants,
with his feathers of birds and stones for the tips,
enkindles the flame to make arrows and then
seeks out a client bulging with gold.
Flow, Soma-juice, for the sake of the Lord!
3. I am a singer, my Dad’s a physician,
my Mummy’s task is to grind the corn.
Diverse are our callings but we all aim at wealth;
we run in its wake like a cowherd trailing cows.
Flow, Soma-juice, for the sake of the Lord!
4. A horse desires to draw a light cart,
gay hosts to evoke a laugh and a jest,
a male desires his mate’s approach,
a frog a flood to plunge within.
Flow, Soma-juice, for the sake of the Lord!
The worshiper pours out the Soma-juice (indu) to the words of the refrain invoking Indra, the lord.
4. The literal translation of line 3 is much more realistic the phallus desires a hairy fissure.
The sacrifice of Secular Man
Purushamedha
28
YV XXX
1. Inspire, O Vivifier God, the sacrifice, inspire
the lord of the sacrifice to take his share!
May the heavenly Angel, the purifier of the will, purify our wills!
May the Lord of the Word make pleasant our word!
4. We call upon the Lord, distributor of wonderful bounty,
the One who looks upon men.
[I bind to the stake in form of a token:]
[The Establishment]
5. for the priesthood a priest
[The Guild of Entertainers]
6. for Song a public dancer
for Duty a courtier
for Laughter a comedian
[The Guild of Construction Workers]
for Dexterity a wainwright
for Firmness a carpenter
[The Guild of Artificers]
7. for Trouble a potter’s son
for Invention a craftsman
for Beauty a jeweler
[Guild of Instrument Makers]
for Injury a bowmaker
for Fate a ropemaker
[Food Producers]
for Death a hunter
8. for Rivers a fisherman
[The under and overemployed]
9. for Garrulity an unemployed man
10. for Purification a physician
[Professional inquirers]
for Insight an astrologer
for Thirst of Knowledge an inquisitive man
for Moral Law a judge
[Animal Tenders]
11. for Eye Disease a mahout
for Speed a groom
for Nourishment a cowherd
[Rural workers]
for Manliness a shepherd
for Keenness a goatherd
for Refreshment a ploughman
[Business promoters]
for Sweet Beverage a distiller
for Welfare a watchman
for Ease a wealthy man
[Workers skilled in transforming things]
12. for the Gods in heaven a wood-carver
for Sacrifice a laundress
for Delight a woman skilled in dyeing
[Domestic employees]
13. for Strength a servant
for Plenty a courier
14. for Passion an ironworker
[Miscellaneous workers]
for Form a snob
for Virtue a pharmacist
15. for Lakes a fisherman
[Handlers of gold]
17. for Color a goldsmith
for Balance a shopkeeper
18. for the Dice King a gambler
[The endowed or less endowed by Nature]
20. for Pastime a prostitute
for Lust a woman with a spotty skin
for Pleasure a musician
22. Now he binds to the stake the following eight types of men:
one too tall one too short
one too stout one too thin
one too pale one too dark
one too bald one too hairy
--all to be offered to Prajapati.
1. Vivifier God: deva savitah.
Lord of the sacrifice: yajnapati, the one who organizes a sacrifice.
Heavenly Angel: divyo gandharvah.
Lord of the Word: vacaspati.
2. The Gayatri mantra (RV III, 62, 10).
3. The same as RV V, 82, 5 (§ IV 8).
4. Lord: Savitri.
5. sq. The list is not complete: we have restricted it to the professions.
c) The Happy Life
Sukha
Desire for a good life has always and everywhere been a human aspiration. Many forms of religiousness, however, perhaps over-zealous in defending the rights of the Gods, have tended to consider the human condition as essentially fallen and thus to accept suffering and dissatisfaction as the normal condition of mankind; they have expected thus to foster a desire for the other (eternal) life and also to exempt God from responsibility for the existence of suffering and evil in this world. Not so the Vedic Revelation. It does not ignore evil or minimize suffering, but it stands unequivocally for the opposite viewpoint: happiness and joy are not abnormal situations nor is Man always under stress nor is he a constantly unsatisfied being. He is indeed frail and sometimes wretched, but not corrupt or evil. He asks the Gods for protection and blessings and knows that the Gods are free to bestow or withhold their graces, but he knows also that the order of the world and Man’s role within it tend toward happiness and satisfaction as the normal accompaniments of the functioning of the universe. The human condition is not one of bondage or entanglement or of patient waiting for another really worthwhile form of existence. There is, certainly, another life; there is a fuller form of existence, but this temporal life is not a shadow, nor is it something so provisional as to be devoid of authenticity.
Vedic optimism is not anthropological but, on the whole, cosmological, or rather it is based on the cosmotheandric view of reality. It does not say that Man is good or bad, nor does it consider the world as good or bad, as provisional or definitive. It starts from a more holistic perspective which views Man and cosmos as a dynamic unity in which both are engaged in maintaining the very existence of the universe. 79 In other words, reality is as it is, and Vedic Man has no Platonic paradigm before his eyes telling him how the world should or could be. In later periods this does in fact occur, but the Shruti is relatively free from such an ideal noetic world. The world of the Gods is as real, bountiful, and imperfect as that of Men.
The texts we select here are simple examples of a spirit pervading the whole of the Vedic Revelation. We have one almost enstatic hymn as the poet contemplates the beauty of the sun, the symbol of life and light, and also the more ecstatic songs directed toward Man’s desire for long life and freedom from all fears. We also have hymns directing our attention to the potentialities of different human activities for filling Man’s life with joy and peace.
We close Part II with two hymns from the Atharva Veda and the Yajur Veda. They express for us within the compass of a few lines the deep desire for peace found in the Vedic era, for tranquillity and serenity, both in the world at large and in the hearts of Men. The Upanishads also make mention of peace but it is an internal and personal peace, the peace that characterizes the patient search for the One. 80 We may ponder without further comment the deep insight into the nature of happiness that the Chandogya Upanishad reveals to us:
When one obtains happiness then one proceeds to act.
No one acts without first obtaining happiness.
Only by obtaining happiness does one act. 81
May I Attain the Span of a Hundred Winters
Rudra
29 The optimism of Vedic Man is so deeply rooted in his world view that even when he is obliged to face the terrible aspect of the divinity, represented here in Rudra, the destroyer, the thunderer, the father of the Maruts or Storm-Gods, he is not taken aback and asks from this same God what his mercy can do. He approaches him with wily prudence, entreating him with due care so as to avoid arousing his anger. He enters boldly into his presence to request from him all the boons that, precisely, the terrible aspect of the divine can grant. The destructive and punishing God is always and also the benevolent and merciful one. This hymn in praise of Rudra is an expression of the varied emotions that this God simultaneously inspires.
It is difficult to decide whether or not there is a certain conscious diplomacy or strategy in this Vedic prayer. It gives the impression of being the sincere and genuine approach of a Man who does not question, though he cannot always understand, the power and whims of the divine. In any event, this masterpiece of entreaty requests happiness and converts the fear of God into another way of approaching the divine. It is Rudra to whom Man prays, whose destructive energy he desires to quiet. He begs him to be merciful, for he desires to escape his destructive might and to benefit from his healing power.
Rudra
RV II, 33
1. O Father of Storms, may your favor flash upon us!
Do not deprive us of the sight of the sun.
May the hero mounted on his charger spare us!
Grant us, O God, to live forth in our children.
2. Thanks to your wholesome remedies, O God,
may I attain the span of a hundred winters!
Drive far from us all hatreds and troubles;
scatter to the four winds every sort of sickness.
3. O thunder-wielding God, you of all beings
are most renowned and mightiest of the mighty.
Conduct us to the further shore of sorrows
in peace and frustrate all assaults of evil.
4. May we not anger you, O God, in our worship
by praise that is unworthy or by scanty tribute.
Restore our warriors with your medicaments.
I know, O mightiest, you are the best of healers.
5. With invocation and offering I approach him,
eager to appease this God with my praises.
May the God of mercy, of dark, handsome looks,
who is easy of entreaty, spare us his anger!
6. His Mightiness, escorted by the Storms, has brought me
strong comfort in distress. May I unharmed
find shelter with him as from glaring heat!
May I secure the goodwill of God!
7. How I long, O God, for the gracious touch
of your hand which heals and brings refreshment,
which softens all chastisements of the Gods.
Regard me, O Mighty One, with an indulgent eye.
8. To the great one, the brown and whitish Bull,
I offer a powerful hymn of praise.
Adore his splendor with adorations!
We glorify the mighty name of God.
9. This God of firm limbs, of many forms, the brown one,
the mighty, has decked himself with golden ornaments.
The power divine of this sovereign God,
the ruler of the universe, never dwindles.
10. Worthy are you of the bow and arrows,
worthy of the many-colored, noble insignia;
worthy are you to combat every horror,
for none, O God, is more powerful than you.
11. Praise to the youthful, far-famed God,
enthroned on high, who slays like a wild beast!
Have mercy on your singer when he sings your praises!
May your hosts spare us and cast down some other!
12. As a son salutes with reverence his father,
so I bow down, O God, at your approach.
I praise you, mighty Lord, giver of treasures.
Grant us your medicines when we extol you.
13. Your remedies so pure, O powerful Storms,
afford us relief and bring us joy.
Those which our father Manu chose
I beg from the Lord for my own well-being.
14. May God’s missile be deflected from us,
may the anger of the blazing God overshoot us!
Relax your bow of wrath toward our well-wishers.
Have pity on our sons and on their children!
15. O mighty Power, the God who never slumbers,
be here attentive, O Lord; hear our cry.
Not for you, O God, to be angry or destroy!
May we speak, as men of valor, a strong word!
1. Storms: Maruts, the Storm-Gods.
Flash upon: a . . . etu, come upon (us), erupt.
The word “God” is used for Rudra throughout this hymn. Cf. SU III, 1-6 (§§ V 18; I 28).
4. Mightiest: lit. bull.
6. His Mightiness, escorted by the Storms: lit. this bull, escorted by the Maruts.
7. Lit. where is your gracious hand which heals and refreshes?
Mighty One: lit. bull.
9. Power divine: asurya.
10. Many-colored: vishva-rupa, or of all forms (cf. the same word in BG Xl, 16, etc.).
Every horror: vishvam abhvam (about abahva, cf. IV Introduction).
11. Have mercy: mr¬a, cf. § IV B Introduction.
12. Lord: satpati, true master.
13. Powerful Storms: Maruts.
Manu: probably an allusion to the legend according to which Manu selected and saved certain herbs during the great flood (for the deluge cf. § V 17).
15. O mighty Power: lit. O brown-hued Bull.
Lord: Rudra.
A strong word: lit. in the assembly (vidathe).
The Cows Have Come
A gavo agman
30 This hymn was later used as a blessing upon the cows returning to the stall; it expresses in a beautiful way the joy of the Man who lives in positive symbiosis with the animal world.
Whatever origin or value we may ascribe to the sanctity and worship of the cow in India, the fact remains that for a predominantly agricultural civilization the worth of the cow cannot easily be over estimated. Cows are not only the source of almost inexhaustible riches; they also symbolize dignity, strength, and endurance as well as work, maternity, and service.
The Vedic world often utilizes the cow as a symbol. Cows draw the car of Dawn and are also called its beams; reference is made to the rain cloud as a cow and even the Gods are sometimes said to be born of cows. For Men, cows represent riches and all the blessings of a happy earthly existence. In their honor the Rig Veda has a special blessing 82 and the Atharva Veda several magnificent hymns. 83
A gavo agman
RV VI 28
1. The Cows have come and have brought us good fortune.
In our stalls, contented, may they stay!
May they bring forth calves for us, many-colored,
giving milk for Indra each day.
2. Indra seeks to help him who offers and gives,
augmenting, not diminishing, his possessions.
Evermore increasing his treasure, he places
the pious in a realm inviolate.
3. These Cows shall not be lost, no robber shall harm them,
no enemy dare to mislead them.
With the man who sacrifices and offers to the Gods
the lord of the Cows will long tarry.
4. The swift horse, raising the dust, does not catch them.
Never do they go to the shambles.
The Cows of the man who sacrifices roam
on wide-extending pastures of fearlessness.
5. The Cows are Bhaga, the Cows are Indra,
or a first-poured draught of Soma.
Truly these Cows are Indra, my brothers,
Indra for whom my soul yearns!
6. You make, O Cows, the thin man sleek;
to the unlovely you bring beauty.
Rejoice our homestead with pleasant lowing.
In our assemblies we laud your vigor.
7. Abound in calves, graze on good pastures,
drinking pure water at the springs.
Owned neither by thief nor by wicked man,
may you be spared the darts of Rudra!
8. May this potion, enhanced by the seed of the bull
and by your power, O Indra,
bring to these Cows fertility!
1. The same hymn is also found in AV IV, 21 (except that there is an eighth stanza in the RV).
2. Treasure: rayi.
The pious: devayu, the one who worships, reveres the Gods, the God-loving.
Realm inviolate: abhinna khilya, lit. undivided realm. It may also refer simply to a field.
5. The cows are the embodiment of all human and divine virtues. Bhaga is the one who gives, the bestower (cf. RV III, 36, 5: Bhaga is Indra). Indra symbolizes power and Soma the strengthening factor.
8. This stanza seems to be a charm for fertility. It is not clear what kind of potion or mixture is referred to.
The Blessing of a House
Salapratishtha
31 Man is an inhabitant of the earth, but his dwelling place is not simply what the earth offers; it is also the product of his hands and his skill. A happy human life is hardly understandable without a home, and a home has no meaning for man without its mistress, the woman of the house. Here is no “bourgeois” utopianism but an embodiment of man’s desire for self-identity through recognition of his stable connection with the earth and all earthly values. A man without a house is like a man without a name, and in fact the name of a person is very often the name of his house. The house is to a man what roots are to a tree; the house is the first attribute of a free man, for even a slave has wife and children but has no house of his own. To evaluate a man by his status is a sign of a decadent culture, but to consider that there is such a thing as a man without status is a sign of a culture that is not yet mature.
The blessing of a house does not constitute the sanctioning of the principle of ownership in our modern sense. The house of the Vedic period does not “belong” to its “proprietor;” the house is part of the Man, just as his body is. One can have plenty of cattle but one cannot have many houses, in the same way as one cannot have two bodies.
Another point, the stress laid on stability and firmness, is also noteworthy. Not only the language, but also the whole atmosphere of this hymn, praises the condition of being established and settled in life. The house is firmly rooted and stands firm as a rock against all assaults from outside. It is a symbol of man’s strength and stability. To be a householder is a sacred duty for all those who aspire to be full citizens of the world. The others are either as yet too young or have already left the dimensions of geography and history.
Salapratishtha
AV III, 12
1. Here do I fix my dwelling. May it stand firm,
flowing with melted butter!
May we approach you, O House, with all our people,
sound in heart and limb.
2. Here do you stand, firm dwelling, rich in horses
and cattle, pleasantly resounding,
wealthy in food abundant, ghee, and milk.
Stand erect for great good fortune!
3. A refuge are you, O House, with broad roof
and stores of good clean grain.
At evening may the calf and the young son enter
your gates with a stream of cattle.
4. May Savitri and Vayu, Indra and Brhaspati,
protect this dwelling, the Maruts
besprinkle it with water and with ghee.
May King Bhaga enrich its cornfields.
5. O Goddess made by the Gods in the beginning,
the mistress of this dwelling, our shelter and joy,
be robed in grass. May you ever treat us graciously,
giving us sons and wealth.
6. Stay firm on your post, O Pillar. May your righteousness shine far,
driving away all foes!
Let your inmates not suffer any harm, may we
and all men live a hundred autumns!
7. To this house, together with the calf and other beasts,
has come the newborn boy;
to this house a jug filled full of foaming drink,
together with bowls of curds.
8. Bring forward, woman, this full jar, a stream of ghee
mingled with life’s elixir.
Anoint those who drink with immortality. May our votive offerings
ever protect this dwelling!
9. I bring this water free from all impurity.
I bring this immortal Fire.
With these I set my foot within this dwelling
and take possession of it.
1. Melted butter (ghee): ghrta, always the symbol of abundance and an important ingredient of the sacrifice.
2. Pleasantly resounding: sunrtavati, full of exultation.
4. Bhaga: the God of fortune.
Cornfields: krshi, agriculture.
5. Goddess: devi, the personification of the house; cf. AV IX, 3, 7 (§ II 32).
Shelter: sharana. refuge.
The robe of grass of the Goddess of the house refers to the thatched roof.
Sons: sahavirah lit strong men.
6. Stay firm: rtena; lit. in the right order, which may also mean “according to the laws of stability”
7. Beasts: jagat living creatures.
Foaming drink: parisrut; it may refer to Soma.
8. The lady of the House is requested to bring forward certain objects which are symbols of fullness and immortality (jar: kumbha; elixir: amrta).
Votive offerings: ishtapurta, wish-fulfilling sacrifices.
9. Immortal Fire: amrtena sahagmina, lit. “along with the immortal Agni.” The first things to be brought into the new house are Water and Fire, i.e., the fundamental human and divine elements, necessary for life and sacrifice.
This House is Built by Worship
Brahmana shalam nimitam
32 The building of a house, or even any transaction concerning it, is not just a matter of masonry or of business. It is in both instances a liturgical act, in which human lives as well as the powers above and below are involved. A house is not real estate, but a human dwelling place, the prolongation, in a sense, of a Man’s body; it is the first extension of Man’s real world. To take leave of one’s house is to take leave of the world. The ascetic leaves the house and by the fact of so doing he leaves the world.
It is no wonder that even up to our own times the human habitat has been the last bastion to succumb to the desacralizing process. In almost all human traditions there have been innumerable blessings and spells, enchantments, and magic practices concerned with houses. The Atharva Veda is full of this kind of thing and special attention is paid to the purification of a house from all evil forces. A house is not only shelter for the body; it is shelter for the whole world also, for in the house sacrifice will often be performed. In fact the word shala meant, first of all, the sacrificial building, and then came to signify a home, once sacrifice began to be performed regularly in people’s homes. Because sacrifice is the center of the house and of Man’s family life, the house is said to be built by brahman, liturgical action and sacred word, to be designed by the kavi, the poet or wise man, and to be the abode of rta, cosmic order.
Brahmana shalam nimitam
AV IX, 3
1. O Pillars of this House of countless treasures,
O buttresses and crossbeams,
we loosen your bonds!
2. What is bound in you, who contain all riches,
those fetters and knots,
with a powerful word I unloose, like Brhaspati
breaking open the cavern.
3. [The sorcerer] stretched out the rope and tied it,
fixing firmly the knots.
Like a skillful butcher cleaving the joints,
with Indra’s help we loosen them.
4. We unite the bonds of your beams and clasps,
of your thatch and your sides,
O House of all riches.
5. We loosen the bonds of the clamps and bundles,
of all that encircles
and binds the Lady of the House.
6. These hanging loops, which are tied for enjoyment
within you, we loosen.
May the Lady of the House, when established within her,
be gracious toward us!
7. Receptacle of oblation and hall of Agni,
abode and domain of the wives are you.
You, Goddess House, are the seat of the Gods.
8. By Holy Word we unfasten the extended
thousand-eyed net
which rests upon the central beam,
well-placed and well-fastened.
9. May the one who receives you as a gift,
O House, queen among dwellings,
and the one who built you both enjoy long life
and reach ripe old age!
10. Here let her come to meet her owner.
Firmly fastened
and adorned are you, whose limbs and joints
we proceed to loosen!
11. The one who collected the trees, O House,
and built your walls,
the Highest Lord of creatures, has made you
for the increase of children.
12. To him be homage! Homage to the donor
and to the master of the House! Homage
to Agni and homage to the one
who performs his rites!
13. Homage to the cows and the horses,
to all that is born in this House!
O future scene of births and young life,
we loosen your bonds!
14. In your innermost heart, with both creatures and men,
you cherish God Agni.
O future scene of births and young life,
we loosen your bonds!
15. The expanse that lies between heaven and earth
I accept together with this your House.
The air it encloses I make a container
for wealth. I receive thus this House for her owner.
16. Abounding in food, abounding in milk,
with firm foundation set on the earth,
receptacle of every nourishing thing,
do no harm, O House, to those who receive you.
17. Covered with thatch and clothed in straw,
the House, like night, gives rest for her inmates,
she stands firm-fixed, her broad feet planted
on the earth like an elephant cow’s.
18. I untie, remove, your covering of reed.
That which Varuna has tightly closed,
let Mitra open again in the morning!
19. This House is founded on Worship, designed
and built by the wise.
May Indra and Agni, the immortals, protect this House,
the abode of Soma.
20. One nest is placed upon a second, one container
laid upon another.
Within is born a mortal. From here
all things originate.
21. This House is constructed with two sides, with four,
with six, eight, or ten. In this Mistress dwelling
lies Agni like an unborn babe in the womb.
22. Facing you, O House, who are facing me,
I approach you peacefully:
sacred Fire and Water are within,
the main doors to Cosmic Order.
23. I bring here these waters free from disease,
destroyers of disease.
In this House, together with Fire immortal,
I take up my abode!
24. Do not bind us with fetters. May we find you a light,
not a weighty, burden!
Whithersoever we will, O House,
we lead you, like a bride.
25. From the eastern direction I summon a blessing
to the glory of this House.
Praise to the Gods, the praiseworthy,
forever and ever!
26-31. From the southern direction,
from the western direction,
from the northern direction,
from the depths below,
from the heights above,
I summon a blessings
to the glory of this House.
Praise to the Gods, the praiseworthy,
forever and ever!
1. Loosen your bonds: the spells that are “binding” the house are removed by this prayer.
2. Powerful word: vac, spell.
Cavern: bala (vala?) Reference to the myth relating how Brhaspati broke open by a spell the rock that was retaining the waters.
5. Lady of the House: the personification of the house (cf. v. 7.)
7. Goddess House: cf. AV III, 12, 5 (§ II 31).
8. Holy Word: brahman.
Net: akshu referring perhaps to a cloth covering the ceiling.
11. Highest Lord of creatures: parameshthi prajapatih. He is the Lord of the House as far as progeny is concerned.
14. Lit. Agni is hidden in the center of the house.
15. This verse recited for the acceptance of the house by the (new) owner. The house does not consist of walls but mainly of the space contained within it and above it.
18. Varuna is the night, Mitra the day.
19. Founded on Worship: brahmana shalam nihitam. Brahman (prayer, sacred word, the sacred) is the true foundation of the house, and the wise, the inspired poets (kavi), are the real architects, i.e., those who know rita, cosmic order, and cosmic connections.
Indra and Agni: Indra protects from outside, Agni from within (possible interpretation).
20. Birth always takes place in an enclosed place and from there life is spread throughout the universe (vishva).
21. The image is that of the house as a woman (patni) who bears in her womb Agni, who is as yet
22. Peacefully: ahimsatim. This verse underlines the importance of a peaceful intention in the one who is about to occupy the house by using the ahimsa to signify the resolve of the householder to keep all forms of violence far from his house.
Sacred Fire and Water: Agni and apas.
Main doors prathama dvah, lit. the first (and foremost) entrance. Here again the house is regarded as the abode of sacrifice, which maintains rta, holy order.
Cosmic Order: rita.
23. Disease: yakshma, evil.
24. A house is often a burden. This prayer asks that the house may be of service to man (as a woman follows her husband) and not an encumbrance.
A Merchants Prayer
Panyakamah vanijah
33 We have already on several occasions warned against catastrophic interpretations, that is, against interpreting with our present-day categories situations that have emerged from and are understandable only within the framework of altogether different assumptions. We may remember that our previous text does not extol the principle of property, as a superficial glance might suggest, nor does it uphold a model of bourgeois existence; similarly this present hymn is not advocating sheer egoism and antisocial attitudes. The fresh innocence and naivete of this Merchant’s Prayer bear witness not only to its authenticity but also to a world view altogether different from the modern one, in the context of which such a prayer would be less pure (though it is possible that more than one modern merchant might regret his inability to pray in these terms!).
However that may be, we have here a fine example of what could be called the way of familiarity with God, which is common in many religions and which gives rise to so many abuses. Nevertheless it is at its best another way of “religio,” that is, of bridging the gap between an unapproachable Godhead and an abandoned Man. If God is to have any practical value (which idea one can contest, obviously--but then we have another problem altogether) he must be not only “available” but also approachable in our own “human” (and all too human) fashion. The following hymn is a fine specimen of this form of religiousness.
Another remark may be not inappropriate, especially for those who, imbued with the idea of Man’s sinfulness, may find such a prayer strange. Vedic Man does not consider that creation or the human order is basically wrong or radically sinful. There are certainly suffering and sin, but human life is not suffused with tears. It is not thought to be wrong to ask for one’s own success and material wealth, and one does not feel the need of justifying such a prayer by adding that one will thus be enabled to help one’s neighbor better or to perform a more valuable social task. Vedic Man is simpler than all this and most certainly no hypocrite.
Panyakamah vanijah
AV III, 15
1. First, now, I call upon the Lord,
as merchant upon Merchant.
May he come and be our example!
May he drive away those that would harm us,
the robber and the wild beast!
May he, all-powerful, grant me riches!
2. Many are the paths of the Gods,
winding heavenward.
May they stream for me with favors,
bringing me milk and butter!
Thus in my business
may I succeed and accumulate treasure!
3. I offer this wood and this butter
in your honor, O Lord,
with a prayer for energy and strength.
These sacred words I now chant
with all my devotion,
to win by this hymn a hundredfold.
4. Please pardon, O Lord, our hardness,
our long travels for gain.
May we purchase and sell with profit!
May the barter of goods make us prosperous!
Good luck to our journeys!
Have regard, both Gods, to our offering.
5. My pile of gold for my trading,
seeking wealth through wealth,
may it ever increase and not dwindle!
By this offering to the Gods, O Lord,
check and frustrate
those who would spoil our profit.
6. The wealth which I use for trading,
seeking, O Gods,
wealth to accrue to my wealth--
in this may Indra, Prajapati,
Savitri, Soma,
and Agni grant me renown!
7. To you, O Lord, the Priest
Beloved of all men,
we bring our praise with reverence.
Keep watch over our children
and ourselves, we pray.
Guard both our lives and our cattle.
8. Thus, steadfast and firm as a horse,
we shall offer you praises,
Omniscient Lord, forever.
Replete with food and with riches,
being close to you always,
may we never suffer reverses!
1. The dialogue and prayer are based on the idea of a certain give-and-take between kindred person. Cf. RV III, 18, 1 (§ VII 37), “as friend to friend.”
Lord: Indra.
3. Cf. RV III, 18, 3, which is identical, although given in VII 37 in a different version.
Lord: Agni, also in vv. 4; 5; 7.
4. Cf. RV I, 31, 16, from which the beginning of this verse is taken.
The two Gods are Indra and Agni. The merchant asks Agni’s forgiveness for failing to perform the agnihotra in foreign lands.
6. Renown: ruci, splendor, etc.
7. Beloved of all men: vaishvanara, invocation to Agni.
8. Omniscient Lord: jatavedas, Agni.
Increase of Wealth
Rayisamvardhana
34 After the merchant’s prayer comes, quite naturally, the prayer for increase of wealth. This prayer is for everyone, both those who are engaged in trade and business and those who cultivate their fields. It is a morning prayer, appropriate for a time when men are looking forward to the new day, full of hope and confidence. When the first rays of the Sun appear and the hour of sacrifice approaches, what will men request from the Gods, if not the treasures of health, wealth and, offspring? 84 We should remember, however, that the word rayi, used several times in this hymn, does not refer exclusively to material wealth. 85 The innocence and candor that are found here, as well as in many other hymns of this type, derive precisely from the fact that human perfection and happiness are always viewed from an integrated perspective, which embraces both material and spiritual values in one indivisible and harmonious unity.
In this hymn all the Gods are addressed; all are considered to be present and accessible to the worshiper’s petitions: Agni, Indra, Soma, Varuna, Surya, Savitri, Brhaspati, Tvashtr, Vayu, Vata, Vishnu, Aryaman, Bhaga, even Sarasvati and the Goddesses, are invoked in turn. The prayer starts with an address to Agni, the most friendly of the Gods, and concludes with an invocation to the Sun, the giver of life, who graciously grants the new day.
Not only are the Gods besought to give abundantly so that there may be a sufficiency, but they are also requested to give “over and above” so that the worshiper may share and pass on wealth in his turn (v. 5). The miser is not spared. He is urged not to resist the contagion of this liberal spirit, appropriate to both Gods and Men (v. 8) and exemplified even in the magnitude of the expanses of heaven (v. 9), but rather to give with a generous hand. In its simple and realistic way this prayer expresses Man’s search for plenitude and the infinite.
Rayisamvardhana
AV III, 20
1. This is your appointed origin.
From here once born, you shine.
Knowing this, O Agni, arise
and cause our wealth to increase!
2. Be present, O Agni. Speak!
Turn hither, benevolent.
Enrich us, Lord of peoples.
You are the source of our treasure.
3. May Aryaman enrich us,
Bhaga and Brhaspati!
May Grace and all the Goddesses
confer upon me riches!
4. With our songs we worship king Soma
and Agni. May they assist us!
Aditya, Vishnu, Surya
and the Brahman-priest Brhaspati.
5. With your fires, O Agni,
you make strong our sacrifice and prayer.
Inspire us, O God, to share
and grant us wealth to give.
6. We call here on Indra and Vayu,
both of them easy of entreaty!
May the assembled people be friendly,
disposed to offer us gifts!
7. Indra, Aryaman, Brhaspati--
impel them to grant us gifts,
Vata, Vishnu, Sarasvati
and Savitri the powerful!
8. Now, by an access of that vigor
that dwells in all beings of this universe,
we have come truly to BE!
May the wise urge the stingy to give,
and may he bestow on us riches
and numerous men of valor!
9. May the five directions of space,
those wide realms, yield to capacity!
May I obtain all the desires
and hopes of my mind and heart!
10. May I speak a word that wins cows!
Soar above me in splendor.
May Vayu surround us on all sides,
may Tvashtr grant me abundance!
1. Origin: yoni, womb.
Wealth: rayi.
2. Treasure: dhana.
3. Grace: sunrta
Riches: rayi again.
4. Aditya: Varuna.
5. Prayer: Brahman.
Share: datave, to give.
6. Assembled people: lit. all people in the gathering; samgati, assembly, meeting.
8. By an access of that vigor: vajasya prasave, in the stirring of power.
The stingy: lit. the one who does not want to give.
9. Desires and hopes: akutih, intentions. Cf. AV XIX, 4, 2 (§ VII B f, Antiphon).
10. Word that wins cows: gosanim vacam, i.e., a fruitful prayer, not a sterile utterance.
Splendor: varcas. The sun is addressed.
The Joy of Fearlessness
Abhaya
35 Religion has often produced the fear of God as a kind of trump card to help Man overcome his fear of nature or his fear of his fellowman. Fear is nevertheless one of the congenital diseases of mankind. When the crude and primitive dread of nature is overcome, other forms of fear creep into the human mind and heart and, in spite of theological distinctions, the fear of God is still fear. Modern Man may no longer fear nature or God, but he is not easily rid of the fear of his fellows nor of that most insidious of all fears the fear that is a mixture of fear of oneself and fear of nothingness.
Over against this background the following hymn may be considered a marvelous testimony as to how Man, being conscious of his human condition, tries to overcome all types of fear and even the very dread of fear which so often paralyzes the best intentions of mortal creatures. There is no happiness in fear, but there is no fearlessness without the courage to pray to be rid of any fear. In this hymn of the Atharva Veda there is already present an assurance that the prayer has been answered.
Abhaya
AV VI, 40
1. Breathe on us fearlessness, Heaven and Earth!
By the Strength of God,
by the Light of God,
may we be free from fear!
May the boundless atmosphere set us in fearlessness!
May the offering of the seven Seers set us in fearlessness!
2. From the North and the South, the East and the West,
let the Light of God
direct on this village
sustenance, welfare, and ease.
May the Power of God grant us freedom from foes,
removing all fear, deflecting all wrath.
3. Below and above,
behind and before,
grant us freedom from enemies, O Power of God.
1. Strength of God Soma.
Light of God: Savitri.
2. Light of God: Savitri.
Power of God: Indra.
Light, Fearlessness, and Blessing
Jyotirabhayam svasti
36 This hymn brings to a climax the prayer of the preceding one. There is fear of things, of the unknown, of nothingness, and there is also the fear of fear, about which modern psychology has much to say.
This prayer expresses the confidence that there is a wide world of light and grace where all the shadows of fear are banned, and that external obstacles in the way to happiness can be overcome by taking refuge in the strength of the Lord (v. 4). It is, further, by making friends with the world at large that fear is overcome, for, if all beings become our friends, fear simply cannot arise.
This stress upon fearlessness as a human value of capital importance and a sign of personal self-realization is maintained not only in the field of martial courage but also, and mainly, in the realm of human perfection. We read, for instance, in one Upanishad:
“Certainly, Janaka, you have achieved fearlessness”
--said Yajnavalkya.
“May fearlessness be with you, Sir!”
--replied Janaka of Videha, 86
while in another we find the vivid metaphor: “the further shore of fearlessness.” 87 That shore is heaven which we only attain when we practice and are surrounded by universal friendship. “In the heavenly world there is no fear.” 88
Jyotirabhayam svasti
AV XIX, 15
1. From that which we fear, O Lord, make us fearless.
O bounteous One, assist us with your aid.
Drive far the malevolent, the foeman.
2. Indra, the generous giver, we invoke.
May we please all creatures, both two-legged and four-legged!
Let not the armies of our foes overwhelm us!
Destroy all evil spirits!
3. Indra is the Savior who kills the Demon,
our longed-for protector, coming from afar.
May he defend us from the farthest point,
from the middle, from behind, and from before!
4. Lead us to a wide world, O wise one, t
o heavenly light, fearlessness, and blessing.
Strong are your arms, O powerful Lord.
We resort to your infinite refuge.
5. May the atmosphere we breathe
breathe fearlessness into us:
fearlessness on earth
and fearlessness in heaven!
May fearlessness guard us
behind and before!
May fearlessness surround us
above and below!
6. May we be without fear
of friend and foe!
May we be without fear
of the known and the unknown!
May we be without fear
by night and by day!
Let all the world be my friend!
1. From that which we fear. . . : yata Indra bhayamahe tato no abhayam krdhi.
Lord: Indra, also in v. 4.
2. Evil spirits: druh.
3. Demon: Vrtra.
4. Blessing: svasti, grace, well-being
Infinite refuge: sharana brhanta, vast shelter.
6. Let all the world . . . : lit. may all the regions become my friends.
Prayer for Happiness
Svastyayana
37 Here is a selection, taken from three of the Vedas, of certain short texts that articulate well in different ways the intense desire of Man for happiness, long life, wealth, prosperity, offspring, and good health. One is struck in all these prayers by their underlying confidence and overall conviction that happiness is the normal human condition and the duty and right of every Man. The normal human situation is here portrayed as one of peace and happiness, and the abnormal as one of war and suffering. Man is not weary and yet he knows that without the favor of the Gods he cannot accomplish his task or overcome the many obstacles and perils of human existence. One of the texts (AV VII, 69) links up the entire universe with human happiness, requesting each element of the cosmos, wind, sun, and so on, to be a conveyor of happiness. Human joy is not the well-being of the “highest” part of our being, not “peace of the soul,” but human “wholeness” which includes bodily health as well as psychic poise. The next prayer from the Atharva Veda (AV XIX, 60) expresses this feeling in the most concrete manner: physical wholeness is linked with spiritual beauty. The last passage, from the Yajur Veda, expresses the deep conviction that the source of every value lies originally not in Men, but in the divine world; and that the Gods are not jealous of their treasures, but are on the contrary ready to transmit to Men all that they possess. After all, they are devas and not asuras precisely because they are friends of Men and not their enemies.
Svastyayana
RV I, 89, 2; 5
i) 2. May the righteous Gods gladden our hearts
with the warmth of their love.
May the grace of the Gods encompass us;
their friendship we seek.
May the Gods grant us life that we may live!
5. We invoke him, the Lord of what moves and what moves not,
the inspirer of our thoughts. May he come to our aid!
May this our divine Protector and Guard,
the unfailing one, cause our wealth to increase,
that we may long flourish!
RV VI 47, 11
ii) God the Rescuer,
God the Savior,
almighty, whom always we joyfully adore,
powerful God,
invoked by all men,
may he, the bounteous, grant us his blessings!
RV VII, 100, 4
iii) God bestrode the earth, being desirous
to give it to man for a home to dwell in.
In him the landless find their safety.
This great God has bequeathed them this whole wide world.
RV X, 4, 1
iv) For you is my offering, to you I will pray,
to you who are worthy of homage and worship.
You, O God, are a spring in the desert
for the man who is thirsty for you, O everliving.
RV X, 25, 1
v) Instill in us a wholesome, happy mind
with goodwill and understanding. Then shall we ever
delight in your friendship like cows who gladly rejoice
in meadows green. This is my joyful message.
AV I, 31, 4
vi) Blessing and joy to our mother and father!
Joy to cattle, to beasts, and to men!
May all well-being and graces be ours!
Long may we see the sun!
AV VII, 69
vii) May the wind blow us joy,
may the sun shine down joy on us,
may our days pass with joy,
may the night be a gift of joyful peace!
May the dawn bring us joy at its coming!
AV XIX, 60, 1-2
viii) May my voice remain strong,
my breath unfaltering,
my sight and my hearing acute!
May my hair not turn gray
nor my teeth become blackened,
may my arms not grow feeble and slack!
May my thighs remain sturdy,
my legs swift to go,
my feet neither stumble nor flag!
May my limbs remain whole,
each performing its function,
may my soul remain ever unconquered!
AV XIX, 67
ix) For a hundred autumns may we see,
for a hundred autumns may we live,
for a hundred autumns may we know,
for a hundred autumns may we rise,
for a hundred autumns may we flourish,
for a hundred autumns may we be,
for a hundred autumns may we become,
--and even more than a hundred autumns!
YV XIX, 9
x) You are Energy, give me energy;
you are Courage, give me courage;
you are Strength, give me strength;
you are Vigor, give me vigor;
you are Zeal, give me zeal;
you are Victory, give me victory.
YV XXI, 5
xi) Aditi, mighty Mother of just rulers
and queen of those who follow Eternal Order,
great ruler with a far-extending sway,
untouched by time, protectress, gracious guide,
to you we cry.
Texts i) - v) contain references to different Gods as follows:
i) 2. Vishvedevah (All-Gods).
5. Pushan.
ii) Indra.
iii) Vishnu.
iv) Agni.
v) Soma (cf. RV X, 20, 1).
vi) Blessing and joy: svasti, happiness, prosperity
Graces: suvidatra, good gifts.
vii) May the night be a gift: lit. may the night bring us joy, joyful peace, blessing (sham).
x) The concepts are: tejas, virya, bala, urjas, manyu, and sahas.
May Peace Bring Peace!
Shanti
38 Man may possess everything: health, wealth, wife and children, knowledge and skill, power and glory; but still he can be the most miserable creature if he is lacking that gift of the Gods which does not depend on any other gift, and on which all other gifts depend if they are to be real blessings for Man: peace. Human fullness is incomplete without peace, whereas even the one who lacks everything else can still have peace within himself and peace with all beings, which in fact constitutes happiness. The Vedas were deeply aware of this and thus of the constant necessity to invoke peace with all the power of the mantra.
The shanti mantra or invocation of peace is an essential utterance at any beginning, and especially at the end of a sacred action or of the recitation of a sacred text. How can a holy word be uttered or heard unless there is peace in heaven, on earth, and in the human heart? The discord and dissonances in the universe and among Men have first to be pacified before any real, that is, sacred, act can take place. Here again we find a process of the anthropocosmic interaction. There can be no peace in the human heart if there is no peace on earth, but, conversely, there can be no earthly peace if there is discord in Man’s inner being. The one affects the other and, at the same time, both interact with the world of the Gods in the same kind of double relationship.
Man is the powerful mediator, because he alone is capable of uttering this prayer for peace. He even dares (in our second short text) to wish peace to Brahman! God is not only in and through prayer--He is Prayer.
Peace and the shanti mantra--must be at the beginning and end of everything. Nothing is achieved by external discord or internal unrest, and nothing is accomplished in the world or in human life unless it is grounded in peace. For this Man needs the collaboration of all the Gods: to establish peace in heaven, in the atmosphere and on earth. This is the meaning of the threefold wish: shantih shantih shantih!
Shanti
AV XIX, 9
i) 1. Peaceful be heaven, peaceful the earth,
peaceful the broad space between.
Peaceful for us be the running waters,
peaceful the plants and herbs!
2. Peaceful to us be the signs of the future,
peaceful what is done and undone,
peaceful to us be what is and what will be.
May all to us be gracious!
3. This supreme Goddess, Word, inspired by Brahman,
by which the awe-inspiring is created,
through her to us be peace!
4. This supreme Spirit, inspired by Brahman,
by which the awe-inspiring is created,
through it to us be peace!
5. These five sense organs, with the mind as the sixth,
within my heart, inspired by Brahman,
by which the awe-inspiring is created,
through them to us be peace!
6. Gracious be Mitra. gracious Varuna,
gracious Vishnu and Prajapati,
gracious to us be Indra and Brhaspati,
gracious to us Aryaman.
7. Gracious be Mitra, gracious Varuna,
gracious be Vivasvant and Death,
gracious the calamities of earth and atmosphere,
gracious the wandering planets.
8. Gracious to us be the trembling earth,
when struck by the fiery meteor.
Gracious be the cows yielding red milk,
gracious be the earth receding.
9. Gracious be the constellations struck by the meteor,
gracious incantations and all magic!
Gracious to us be buried charms,
the meteors and plagues that afflict us.
10. Gracious to us be the stars and the moon,
gracious the sun and Rahu,
gracious be Death with his banner of smoke,
gracious the powerful Rudras.
11. Gracious be the Rudras, gracious the Vasus,
gracious the Adityas and Agnis,
gracious to us be the god-like sages,
gracious all the Gods and Brhaspati.
12. Brahman, Prajapati, Dhatr, the worlds,
the Vedas, the Seven Sages, and the fires,
prepare for me a blessed path!
May Indra be my refuge,
may Brahman be my refuge,
may all the Gods be my refuge!
May the Gods united be my refuge!
13. May whatever appeasements there are in the world,
known by the Seven Sages,
may they all be gracious to me!
May peace be with me!
May fearlessness be with me
14. Peace be to earth and to airy spaces!
Peace be to heaven, peace to the waters,
peace to the plants and peace to the trees!
May all the Gods grant to me peace!
By this invocation of peace may peace be diffused!
By this invocation of peace may peace bring peace!
With this peace the dreadful I now appease,
with this peace the cruel I now appease.
with this peace all evil I now appease,
so that peace may prevail, happiness prevail!
May everything for us be peaceful!
YV XXXVI, 17
ii) To the heavens be peace, to the sky and the earth,
to the waters be peace, to plants and all trees,
to the Gods be peace, to Brahman be peace,
to all men be peace, again and again
--peace also to me!
i) 1. Peaceful: shanta.
2. Signs of the future: purvarupani. tokens of things to come
Gracious: sham (throughout).
3. Supreme Goddess, Word: parameshthini vagdevi.
The awe-inspiring: ghora, the terrible
4. Supreme Spirit:. parameshthi nam mano, the highest mind
5. Here manas is one of the indriyas.
7. Vivasvant is the father of Yama (death); cf § V I Introduction.
Death: antaka, lit, the ender.
Calamities: utpatah, events. All the dangers of the universe are being appeased.
8. Red milk: lohita kshirah, probably blood, referring to sick cows.
10. Rahu is the demon who swallows the moon.
Rudras: the sons of Rudra, the Maruts (Storm--Gods).
12. Blessed path: svastyayana, happy way.
Refuge: sharma, protection.
13. Appeasements: shantani.
Happiness: shiva, grace, benevolence. The “dreadful” yields to peace (shanta), the “cruel” to shiva.
ii) Most of this same hymn YV XXXVI is given in § III 10.