the gods proceeded from any other source than his own unaided faculties. Of this description are the following texts, which represent a manner of thinking and speaking very prevalent in the hymns:

i. 60, 5. Tam tvā vayam patim Agne rayīnām praśamsāmo matibhir Gotamāsaḥ |

"We, the Gotamas, praise with hymns thee, Agni, the lord of riches." i. 77, 5. Eva Agnir Gotamebhir ṛitāvā viprebhir astoshṭa jātavedaḥ | "Thus has the holy Agni Jatavedas been celebrated by the sage Gotamas."

i. 78, 5. Avochāma Rahūganāḥ Agnaye madhumad vachaḥ | dyumnair abhi pra nonumaḥ |

"We, the Rahūganas, have uttered to Agni honied speech; we incessantly laud him with eulogies."

i. 91, 11. Soma gīrbhis tvā vayam vardhayāmo vacho-vidaḥ | sumṛilīko naḥ āviśa |

Soma, we who are skilled in speech magnify thee with praises; do thou enter into us, full of kindness."

i. 102, 1. Imām te dhiyam prabhare maho mahim . .

"I present to thee joyfully this great hymn

i. 183, 6. Atārishma tamasas pāram asya prati vām stomo Aśvināv adhāyi |

"We have crossed over this darkness; a hymn, o Asvins, has been addressed to you."

iii. 53, 2. Pitur na putraḥ sicham ā rabhe te Indra svādishṭhayā girā sachivaḥ |

"Powerful Indra, I lay hold of thy skirt (as a son does that of his father), with a very sweet hymn."

iv. 3, 16. Etā viśvā vidushe tubhyam vedho nithāni Agne ninyā vachāmsi | nivachanā kavaye kāvyāni aśamsisham matibhir vipraḥ ukthaiḥ |

"Intelligent Agni, to thee, who knowest, [have I uttered] all these songs and mysterious words; to thee, who art a bard, have I, a sage, uttered these hymns, these poems, with meditations and praises."

iv. 32, 12. Avīvṛidhanta Gotamāḥ Indra tve stoma-vāhasaḥ | "The Gotamas, Indra, bringing hymns to thee, have magnified thee.” v. 11, 5. Tubhya idam Agne madhumattamam vachas tubhyam manishā iyam astu sam hṛide | Tvām giraḥ sindhum iva avanir mahīr ā prinanti savasā vardhayanti cha |

"Agni, may this sweetest of prayers, may this mental production be pleasant to thy heart. As great rivers fill the ocean, so do the words of praise fill thee, and augment thee with strength."

v. 22, 4. Agne chikiddhi asya naḥ idam vachaḥ sahasya | Tam tvā susipra dampate stomair vardhanti Atrayo girbhiḥ śumbhanti Atrayaḥ | "Vigorous Agni, observe these our words; thee, with the beautiful nose, the lord of the house, the Atris magnify with praises, the Atris decorate with hymns."

v. 45, 4. Sūktebhir vo vachobhir deva-jushtair Indrā nu Agni avase huvadhyai |

"Let me invoke you for help, o Indra and Agni, with well-spoken words, such as are acceptable to the gods.

vi. 38, 3. Tam vo dhiyā paramayā purājām ajaram Indram abhi anushi arkaiḥ ityādi |

"I adore thee, the ancient, imperishable Indra with an excellent hymn and with praises."

vii. 67, 5. Prachīm ū devā Aśvina dhiyam me amṛidhrām sātaye kritam vasuyum |

"O divine Asvins, bring to fulfilment my unwearied prayer which supplicates wealth.”

vii. 85, 1. Punishe vām arakshasam manīshām somam Indrāya Varunaya juhvat ghṛita-pratikām Ushasam na devim ityādi |

"Offering soma to Indra and Varuna, I prepare for you twain the sincere hymn, like the goddess Ushas, with glittering face." 21

viii. 5, 18. Asmākam adya vām ayam stomo vāhishṭho antamaḥ | yuvābhyam bhūtu Aśvinā |

"May this hymn of ours approach near to you, to-day, o Aśvins, and be effectual in bearing you hither."

viii. 8, 8. Kim anye paryāsate asmat stomebhir Aśvinā | putraḥ Kanvasya vām ṛishir girbhir Vatso avīvṛidhat |

"Asvins, do others than we sit round you with songs? Vatsa, the son of Kanva, has magnified you by his hymns."

viii. 27, 8. Ã pra yāta Maruto Vishno Aśvinā Pūshan mākīnayā dhiyā | 11. Idā hi vaḥ upastutim idā vāmasya bhaktaye upa vo viśvavedaso namasyur āsṛikshi |

21 Compare vi. 8, 1. Vaiśvānarāya matir navyasī śuchiḥ somaḥ iva pavate chārur Agnaye | "A new and bright hymn is purified, like beautiful soma, for Agni Vaisvanara."

"8. Come, o Maruts, Vishnu, Aśvins, Pūshan, at my hymn. 11. For now, possessors of all riches, now, in order to obtain wealth, have I, full of reverence, sent forth to you a hymn."

viii. 44, 2. Agne stomam jushasva me vardhasva anena manmanā | prati sūktāni harya naḥ | 22. Uta tvā dhitayo mama giro varddhantu viśvaha | Agne sakhyasya bodhi naḥ | 26. Yuvānam viśpatim kavim viśvādam puru-vepasum | Agnim sumbhāmi manmabhiḥ |

"2. Agni, receive my hymn: grow by this product of my thought: rejoice in our beautiful words. 22. And may my thoughts and words always augment thee; Agni, think of our friendship. 26. With my mental productions I adorn Agni, the young, the lord of the people, the sage, the all-devouring, the very restless."

x. 42, 1. Astā iva suprataram lāyam asyan bhūshann iva prabhara stomam asmai | vāchā viprās tarata vācham aryo niramaya jaritaḥ some Indram| "Like an archer discharging his far-shooting arrow, with zeal present the hymn to Indra. Sages, by your song, overcome the song of the enemy; worshipper, arrest Indra at the soma."

x. 63, 17. Eva Plateḥ sūnur avīvṛidhad vo viśve Ādityāḥ Adite manīshi | īśānāso naro amartyena astāvi jano divyo Gayena |

Thus, all ye Adityas, Aditi, and ye ruling powers, has the wise son of Plati magnified you. The celestial race has been lauded by the immortal Gaya."

x. 111, 1. Manīshinaḥ prabharadhvam manīshām yathā yathā matayaḥ santi nṛinam | Indram satyair ā īrayāma kṛitebhiḥ sa hi vīro girvanasyur vidānaḥ |

"Sages, present the prayer, according as are the various thoughts of men. Let us by our sincere rites stimulate Indra, for he is a hero, he is wise and loves our songs."

In the following verse, from a hymn in praise of liberality, it is said, though no doubt only figuratively, that the true rishi is the prince who is bountiful to the priesthood.

x. 107, 6. Tam eva rishim tam û brahmāṇam āhur yajnanyam sāmagām ukthaśasam | sa śukrasya tanvo veda tisro yaḥ prathamo dakshinayā rarādha |

"He it is whom they call a rishi, a priest, a pious sacrificer, a chaunter of prayers, a reciter of hymns; he it is who knows the three bodies of the brilliant (Agni),-the man who is most prominent in bestowing gifts."

SECT. IV.-Passages of the Rig-veda in which a supernatural character is ascribed to the rishis or the hymns.

In the present section I propose to collect the most distinct indications which I have noticed in the Vedic hymns of any supernatural attributes attaching, in the opinion of the authors, either to the rishis themselves, or to their compositions. We shall see in the course of this enquiry (1) that a certain superhuman character was ascribed by the later rishis, who composed the hymns, to some of their predecessors; (2) that expressions are occasionally employed by the rishis which appear to ascribe their compositions to a divine influence generally; while there is a still more numerous set of texts in which the hymns are attributed in various forms of phraseology to the agency of one or more particular and specified deities; and (3) that there is a considerable number of passages in which a mysterious or magical power is ascribed to the hymns or metres.

I proceed to furnish specimens of these several classes of quotations. I. I adduce some passages which ascribe a superhuman character or supernatural faculties to the earlier rishis.22 These are the following: R.V. i. 179, 2. Ye chid hi pūrve ṛitasāpaḥ āsan sākam devebhir avadann ritāni | te chid avāsur ityādi |

"The pious sages who lived of old, and who conversed about sacred truths with the gods, led a conjugal life," etc.

vii. 76, 4. Te id devānām sadhamādaḥ āsann ṛitāvānaḥ kavayaḥ pūrvyāsaḥ | gūļham jyotiḥ pitaro anvavindan satyamantrāḥ ajanayann ushāsam |

"They were the associates of the gods, those ancient pious sages. The fathers found out the hidden light; with true hymns they generated the dawn."

x. 14, 15. Yamāya madhumattamam rājne havyam̃ juhotana | idam namaḥ rishibhyaḥ pūrvajebhyaḥ pūrvebhyaḥ pathikṛidbhyaḥ |

"Offer to king Yama a most sweet oblation. (Let) this reverence (be paid) to the rishis born of old, who were the earliest guides."

22 Compare A.V. x. 7, 14, quoted above in p. 3.

The sixty-second hymn of the tenth Mandala contains the following passage regarding the Angirases (see above, p. 223):

1. The Angirases.—x. 62, 1, 3. Ye yajnena dakshinayā samaktāḥ Indrasya sakhyam amṛitatvam ānaśa | tebhyo bhadram Angiraso vaḥ astu prati gribhnīta mānavam̃ sumedhasaḥ | 3. Ye ritena sūryam arohayan divi aprathayan prithivīm mataram vi ityādi |

"1. Blessings be on you, Angirases, who, sanctified by sacrifice and liberality, attained the friendship of Indra and immortality. Do ye, o sages, graciously receive the man (who addresses you). 3. Ye who by sacrifice caused the sun to ascend the sky; and spread out our mother earth," etc.

This is succeeded by the following verses:

x. 62, 4. Ayam Nabhā vadati valguvo grihe deva-putrāḥ rishayas tat śrinotana... 5. Virupāsaḥ id rishayas te id gambhira-vepasaḥ | Angirasaḥ sūnavas te Agneḥ pari jajnire |

"This Nabhan addresses you, brilliant beings, within the house. Hear this, ye rishis, sons of the gods. . . . 5. The Virūpas are rishis, profound in emotion; they are the sons of Angiras; they have been born from Agni."

(The fifth verse is quoted in the Nirukta, xi. 17. See Roth's illustrations of the passage.)23

2. Vasishtha.-A supernatural character is attributed to Vasishtha also in the following passage (which has been already quoted and illustrated in Vol. I. pp. 318 ff.).

vii. 33, 7 ff. Trayaḥ kṛinvanti bhuvanasya retas tisraḥ prajāḥ āryāḥ jyotir-agraḥ trayo gharmāsaḥ ushasam sachante sarvān it tan anu vidur Vasishṭhāḥ | 8. Sūryasyeva vakshatho jyotir eshām samudrasyeva mahimā gabhīraḥ | vātasyeva prajavo na anyena stomo Vasishṭhāḥ anu etave vaḥ |

23 The next verse (which, with the sequel, is quoted in my article "On the relations of the priests to the other classes of Indian society in the Vedic age," Journ. Roy. As. Soc. for 1866, p. 276) is as follows: 6. Ye Agneḥ pari jajnire Virūpāso divas pari | Navagvo nu Dasagvo Angirastamaḥ sachā deveshu mamhate | "The Virūpas who were produced from Agni, from Dyaus,-the Navagva, the Das'agva, who is a most eminent Angiras, lavishes gifts along with the gods." Here the Virupas would seem rather to be princes than rishis: and the same is the case in the following passage also: iii. 53, 6. Ime bhojāḥ Angiraso Virūpāḥ divas putrāso asurasya vīrāḥ | Viśvāmitrāya dadato maghāni sahasrasāve pra tiranta ayuḥ | "These liberal Virupas of the race of Angiras, heroic sons of the divine Dyaus (the sky), bestowing gifts on Visvamitra at the ceremony with a thousand libations, have prolonged their lives." (See Vol. I. p. 341 f.)