Paying homage to thee in a new hymn, may we, o Indra, invoke thee auspiciously."

SECT. III.-Passages of the Rig-veda, in which the rishis describe themselves as the composers of the hymns.

In this section I propose to quote, first of all, those passages in which the rishis distinctly speak of themselves as the authors of the hymns, and express no consciousness whatever of deriving assistance or inspiration from any supernatural source. I shall then adduce some further texts in which, though nothing is directly stated regarding the composition of the hymns, there is at the same time nothing which would lead the reader to imagine that the rishis looked upon them as anything else than the offspring of their own minds.

1 shall arrange the quotations in which the rishis distinctly claim the authorship, according to the particular verb which is employed to express this idea. These verbs are (1) kri, "to make," (2) taksh (= the Greek TEKтalvopai), "to fabricate," and (3) jan, "to beget, generate, or produce," with others which are less explicit.

I. I adduce first the passages in which (1) the verb kri, "to make,” is applied to the composition of the hymns. (Compare R.V. vii. 61, 6, already quoted in the last section.)

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R.V. i. 20, 1. Ayam devāya janmane stomo viprebhir āsayā 12 | akāri ratna-dhātamaḥ |

"This hymn, conferring wealth, has been made to the divine race, by the sages, with their mouth [or in presence of the gods]."

i. 31, 18. Etena Agne brahmaṇā vāvṛidhasva śaktī vā yat te chakṛima vidā vā |

"Grow, o Agni, by this prayer which we have made to thee according to our power, or our knowledge."

"The Kanvas make a prayer to you hear well their invocation." i. 61, 16. Evā te hariyojanā suvṛikti Indra brahmāni Gotamāsaḥ akran | "Thus, o Indra, yoker of steeds, have the Gotamas made hymns for thee efficaciously."

12 See the note on vi. 32, 1, below.

i. 117, 25. Etāni vām Aśvinā vīryāṇi pra pūrvyāṇi āyavaḥ avochan | brahma kṛinvanto 13 vṛishana yuvabhyām suvīrāso vidatham ā vadema |

"These, your ancient exploits, o Asvins, men have declared. Let us, who are strong in bold men, making a hymn for you, o vigorous gods, utter our offering of praise."

i. 184, 5. Esha vām stomo Aśvināv akāri mānebhir maghavānā suvṛikti | "This hymn has efficaciously been made to you, o opulent Aśvins, by the Manas. (Comp. i. 169, 8; 171, 5; 182, 8; 184, 3.)

ii. 39, 8. Etāni vām Aśvinā vardhanāni brahma stomam Gritsamadāsaḥ akran |

"These magnifying prayers, [this] hymn, o Asvins, the Gritsamadas have made for you."

iii. 30, 20. Svaryavo matibhis tubhyam viprāḥ Indrāya vāhaḥ Kuśikāsaḥ akran |

"Aspiring to heaven, the sage Kusikas have made a hymn with praises to thee, o Indra." (The word vūhaḥ is stated by Sayana to be stotra, "a hymn.")

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iv. 6, 11. Akari brahma samidhāna tubhyam ityādi |

"O kindled [Agni], a prayer has been made to thee."

iv. 16, 20. Eved Indrāya vṛishabhāya vṛishne brahma akarma Bhṛiyavo na ratham | 21. Akāri te harivo brahma navyam̃ dhiyā syāma rathyaḥ sadāsāḥ |

....

"Thus have we made a prayer for Indra, the productive, the vigorous, as the Bhrigus [fashioned] a car. 21. A new prayer has been made for thee, o lord of steeds. May we, through our hymn (or rite),

become possessed of chariots and perpetual wealth."

vi. 52, 2. Ati vā yo maruto manyate no brahma vā yaḥ kriyamāṇam ninitsāt | tapūmshi tasmai vṛijināni santu brahma-dvisham abhi tam sochatu dyauḥ |

"Whoever, o Maruts, regards himself as superior to us, or reviles the prayer which is being made, may burning injuries be his lot; may the sky scorch the enemy of prayer.14

13 The reader will find Prof. Haug's opinion of the sense of this phrase in p. 11 f. of his German dissertation "on the original signification of the word brahma," of which the author has been kind enough to send me a copy, which has reached me as this sheet is passing through the press. Prof. Haug mentions R.V. i. 88, 4; vii. 103, 8, as passages (additional to those I have given) in which the expression occurs. 14 Translated by Prof. Haug in the Dissertation above referred to, p. 6.

vii. 35, 14. Ādityāḥ Rudrāḥ Vasavo jushanta (the Atharva-veda has jushantām) idam brahma kriyamānam navīyaḥ | śṛinvantu no divyāḥ pārthivāso gojātāḥ ityādi |

"The Adityas, Rudras, and Vasus receive with pleasure this new prayer which is being made. May the gods of the air, the earth, and the sky hear us."

vii. 37, 4. Vayam nu te dāśvām̃saḥ syāma brahma kṛinvantaḥ ityādi | "Let us offer oblations to thee, making prayers," etc.

vii. 97, 9. Iyam vām Brahmaṇaspate suvṛiktir brahma Indrāya vajrine akāri |

"Brahmanaspati, this efficacious hymn, [this] prayer has been made for thee, and for Indra, the thunderer."

viii. 51, 4. Āyāhi kṛinavāma te Indra brahmāni varddhanā ityādi | "Come, Indra, let us make prayers, which magnify thee," etc.

viii. 79, 3. Brahma te Indra girvanaḥ kriyante anatidbhutā | imā jushasva haryaśva yojanā yā te amanmahi |

"Unequalled prayers are made for thee Indra, who lovest hymns. Receive favourably, lord of the brown steeds, those which we have thought out for thee, to yoke thy horses."

x. 54, 6..... Adha priyam śūsham Indrāya manma brahmakṛito 15 Vrihadukthäd avachi |

".. An acceptable and powerful hymn has been uttered to Indra by Vṛihaduktha, maker of prayers."'16

x. 101, 2. Mandrā kṛinudhvam dhiyaḥ ā tanudhvam nāvam aritraparanim krinudhvam |

"Make pleasant (hymns), prepare prayers, make a ship propelled by

It is possible that in many of these passages the verb kri may have merely the signification which the word make has in English when we speak of "making supplications," etc., in which case it of course means to offer up, rather than to compose. But this cannot be the case in such passages as R.V. iv. 16, 20 (p. 233), where the rishi speaks of making

15 Compare rishayo mantrakṛito manīshinaḥ in Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa, ii. 8, 8, 5; and R.V. ix. 114, 2: Ṛishe mantra-kṛitām stomaiḥ Kaśyapodvardhayam giraḥ|somam namasya rājanam yo jajne vīrudhām patiḥ | "Rishi Kasyapa, augmenting thy words with the praises of the makers of hymns, reverence King Soma, who was born the lord of plants."

16 Prof. Haug thinks the word brahma-kṛit here refers to hymns, and mentions other passages in which it occurs: see p. 12 of the Dissertation above referred to.

the hymn as the Bhrigus made a chariot." And such an interpretation would be altogether inadmissible in the case of the texts which I next proceed to cite.

II. Passages in which the word taksh, "to fashion, or fabricate," is applied to the composition of the hymns.

i. 62, 13. Sanāyate Gotamaḥ Indra navyam atakshad brahma hariyoianāya ityādi |

"Nodhas, descendant of Gotama, fashioned this new hymn for [thee], Indra, who art of old, and who yokest thy steeds," etc.

i. 130, 6. Imam te vacham vasuyantaḥ ayavo ratham na dhiraḥ svapāḥ atakshishuḥ sumnāya tvām atakshishuḥ |

"Desiring wealth, men have fashioned for thee this hymn, as a skilful workman [fabricates] a car; and thus they have disposed (lit. fashioned) thee to (confer) happiness."

i. 171, 2. Esha vaḥ stomo Maruto namasvān hṛidā tashṭo manasā dhāyi devāḥ |

“This reverential hymn, o divine Maruts, fashioned by the heart, has been presented [or, made] by the mind. [According to Sayana, the last words mean, 'let it be received by you with a favourable mind']."

ii. 19, 8. Evā te Gritsamadāḥ śūra manma avasyavo na vayunāni takshuḥ |

"Thus, o hero, have the Gritsamadas, desiring succour, fashioned for thee a hymn, as men make works." (Sayana explains vayuna by "road.")

ii. 35, 2. Imam su asmai hridaḥ ā sutashṭam mantram vochema kuvid asya vedat

"Let us address to him this well-fashioned hymn proceeding from the heart; will he not be aware of it?"

v. 2, 11. Etam te stomam tuvi-jāta vipro ratham na dhīraḥ svapāḥ ataksham |

"I, a sage, have fabricated this hymn for thee, o powerful [deity], as a skilful workman fashions a car."

v. 29, 15. Indra brahma kriyamānā jushasva yā te śavishṭha navyā akarma | vastreva bhadrā sukṛitā vasūyuḥ ratham na dhīraḥ svapāḥ ataksham |

17 See also v. 29, 15, and x. 39, 14, which will be quoted a little further on; and in which the verbs kri and taksh are both employed.

"O mighty Indra, regard with favour the prayers which are made the new [prayers] which we have made for thee. Desirous of weath, I have fabricated them like beautiful well-fashioned garments, as a skilful workman [constructs] a car." (Compare R.Viii. 39, 2; above, p. 226.)

v. 73, 10. Imā brahmāni vardhanā Aśvibhyām santu śantamā | yā takshāma rathān iva avochāma brihad namaḥ |

"May these magnifying prayers which we have fashioned, like cars, be pleasing to the Aśvins: we have uttered great adoration."

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vi. 32, 1 (=S.V. i. 322). Apūrvyā purutamāni asmai mahe vīrāya tavase turāya | virapśine vajrine śantamāni vachām̃si āsā1a sthavirāya taksham |

"To this great hero, vigorous, energetic, the adorable, unshaken thunderer, I have with my mouth fabricated copious and pleasing prayers, which have never before existed."

vi. 16, 47. Ā te Agne ṛichā havir hṛidā tashṭam bharāmasi |

"In this verse, Agni, we bring to thee an oblation fabricated by the heart." (Comp. R.V. iii. 39, 1, in p. 226.)

vii. 7, 6. Ete dyumnebhir viśvam ātiranta mantram ye vā aram naryāḥ atakshan |

"Those manly (Vasishthas), who have skilfully fabricated the hymn, have by their energy accomplished all things (?)."

vii. 64, 4. Yo vām garttam manasā takshad etam ūrddhvām dhītim krinavad dharayach cha |

"May he who with his mind fashioned for you (Mitra and Varuna) this car, make and sustain the lofty hymn." (The same expression ūrddhvā dhītiḥ occurs in R.V. i. 119, 2.)

viii. 6, 33. Uta brahmanyā vayam tubhyam pravṛiddha vajrivo viprāḥ atakshma jivase |

"O mighty thunderer, we, who are sage, have fabricated prayers for thee, that we may live."

x. 39, 14. Etam vām stomam Aśvināv akarma atakshāma Bhṛigavo na ratham | ni amrikshāma yoshanām na maryye nityam na sūnum tanayam dadhānāḥ |

"This hymn, Asvins, we have made for you; we have fabricated it

19 On the sense of āsā see Prof. Müller's article in the Journal of Roy. As. Soc. for 1867, p. 232 f.; and Böhtlingk and Roth's Lexicon, s.v.