CAPÍTULO II: MARCO TEÓRICO
2.3. Las emociones
Praskaṇva Kāṇva
14 verses: br̥hatī alternating with satobr̥hatī, arranged in pragāthas
As indicated in the introduction to the Praskaṇva collection, this hymn to Agni praises him in his connection to the rituals of the early morning, especially in his role as conveyor of the other gods who attend this sacrifice. In its fourteen verses this hymn seldom departs from this simple message. The language is measured and dignified, but not difficult or poetically contorted.
1. Agni, immortal one—the bright benefit radiating from Dawn:
convey it here to the pious man, o Jātavedas; convey here today the gods who wake at dawn.
2. For you are the delightful messenger, conveyor of oblations, o Agni, charioteer of the ceremonies.
Jointly with the Aśvins and with Dawn establish in us good heroism and lofty fame.
3. Today we choose as messenger Agni the good one, dear to many, whose beacon is smoke, but who is foamy with radiance when the
dawns break, the glory of the ceremonies, of the sacrifices.
4. The fairest, the youngest guest, well-libated, delightful to the pious folk—
I reverently invoke Agni Jātavedas when the dawns break, to journey to the gods.
5. I will praise you—o immortal nurturer of all—
as immortal guardian—o Agni, partaker of the ritual meal—as best sacrificer—o conveyor of the oblation.
6. Be one who is good for the singer to laud, o youngest one, one whose tongue is honey when well-libated.
Lengthening the lifetime of Praskaṇva to live, do homage to the divine folk.
7. Because the clans together kindle you as Hotar who provides all possessions [/possesses all knowledge],
o much-invoked Agni, bring the discerning gods here at a run—
8. Savitar, Dawn, the Aśvins, Bhaga. Through the nights, when the dawns break,
the Kaṇvas, their soma pressed, kindle you, Agni, as conveyor of the oblation, o you of good ceremony.
9. For you are the master of the ceremonies, Agni, the messenger of the clans.
Convey here today the gods who wake at dawn, who look like the sun, for soma-drinking.
10. O Agni rich in radiance, through the earlier dawns you have shone visible to all.
You are the helper set in front among the settlements; you are the descendant of Manu (set in front) at the sacrifices.
11. O Agni, as the furtherer of the sacrifice, as the Hotar seasonably sacrificing
would we install you, just as Manu did, o god—and as the discerning, quick, immortal messenger.
12. When as the one set in front for the gods, their intimate, you undertake their mission, o you of Mitra’s might,
the beams of your fire flash like the clamorous waves of a river.
13. Listen, you with listening ears, along with your passengers, the gods who travel with you, o Agni.
Let them sit on the ritual grass—Mitra, Aryaman, and those who travel early to the ceremony.
14. Let them listen to the praise—the Maruts of good drops, whose tongue is Agni, strong through truth.
Let him drink the soma—Varuṇa of steadfast commandment, jointly with the Aśvins and with Dawn.
I.45 Agni (except Gods 10cd)
Praskaṇva Kāṇva 10 verses: anuṣṭubh
Like the immediately preceding hymn, this one celebrates Agni as the conveyor of the gods appropriate to the early-morning sacrifice. Unlike the last hymn, however, these gods are not individually enumerated; instead generic names for groups of gods are given in the first half of the first verse, and in the last two verses (9–10) they are summed up in the phrase “the divine folk.” The emphasis is rather on the world of men. In verse 3 the poet mentions a number of prior singers as models for his own interaction with Agni, and he groups himself with his kinsmen the Priyamedhas (vs. 4) and Kaṇvas (vs. 5), as well as unnamed poets and invokers in verses 6–8. Thus, while the two pairs of outer verses (1–2, 9–10) concern Agni’s delivery of the gods to the sacrifice, the middle verses (3–8) are occupied with the sacrificers’ desire for Agni to listen to their hymns and pleas.
1. You, Agni, (bring) the Vasus, the Rudras, and the Ādityas here.
I will sacrifice to the being who assures good rites, born of Manu, sprinkling ghee [=Agni].
2. Because, o Agni, the discriminating gods give attentive hearing to the pious man,
bring them here, the three and thirty, you with the ruddy horses, you who long for song.
3. As in the case of Priyamedha, of Atri, of Virūpa, o Jātavedas,
as of Aṅgiras, o you of great commandment, hear the call of Praskaṇva.
4. The greatly observant Priyamedhas have called for help on Agni, ruling over the rites with his blazing flame.
5. O comrade whose oblation is ghee, listen well to these songs here, with which the sons of Kaṇva call upon you for aid.
6. O you of brightest fame, the kinsmen within their clans call upon you, o much beloved Agni, the flame-haired, to convey the oblation.
7. The inspired poets have installed you as their Hotar, seasonably sacrificing, best finder of goods,
with listening ears, of greatest extent, o Agni, at the rituals of daybreak.
8. The inspired poets whose soma is pressed have roused you to delight—
they bearing the lofty light, the oblation for the pious mortal, o Agni.
9. O might-made comrade, those who travel early for soma-drinking, the divine folk—here today make them sit on the ritual grass, o
good one.
10. The divine folk, o Agni, attract toward us through sacrifice, with invocations common (to all):
“Here is the soma, you of good drops. Drink it, aged overnight.”
I.46 As ́vins
Praskaṇva Kāṇva 15 verses: gāyatrī
This hymn is an invitation to the Aśvins to come in the early morning to a soma offering, either the early morning of the pressing day or the early morning of the following day in an Atirātra or “overnight” soma ritual. It is a difficult hymn because of its obscure references (cf. vss. 4 and 5) and its penchant for hapaxes (e.g., kúṭa in vs. 4, ā́dāra in 5, avidriyá in 15).
A unifying image running through much of the hymn is the journey of the Aśvins over the waters to the sacrificial area (vss. 3, 7, 8, 11), introduced by the poet’s statement that the Sindhu River is the mother of the Aśvins (vs. 2). In accord with this image, the soma itself is a river, flowing upward to the Aśvins to bring them to the sacrificial area (vs. 9ab). In this verse “what is good” or “the good thing” that is “in the track of the rivers” may refer to the soma, as Geldner suggests. Echoing this image is the poet’s repeated use of derivatives of √pr̥ “carry across” (vss. 4, 6, 12).
In verse 1 Dawn is the first to arrive, before other deities, although with the arrival of dawn the Aśvins should also appear, and indeed in verse 14 the poet returns to the arrival of Dawn and says that she has followed the Aśvins. In verse 2 the insight through which the Aśvins find goods may be both their insight and also the poet’s, for the hymns inspire the Aśvins to bring goods. Verse 4 is very obscure for several reasons. First, the identity of the “lover of the waters, the carrier” is uncertain. Among the suggestions are Indra (Pirart 1995: 81) or Soma (Geldner, Renou, Thieme [1967: 236]), but it might also be Agni, who is also connected with the waters—he is famously “the Child of the Waters”—and who carries oblations to the gods and carries sacrificers across difficulties. Unfortunately 4c is not much help in identifying “the carrier” since kúṭa is a hapax of uncertain meaning. We have translated it as “house” following Thieme, but it may have another meaning and could even be a proper name, as Pirart suggests. This “lover of the waters”
is probably also the ā́dāra, again a hapax and again of unsure meaning. We have translated it as “the one paying heed,” but according to another etymological analysis it could mean “breaker, splitter.” All we can say with certainty is that the verse ends with a clear invitation to the Aśvins to drink the soma (5c). As the
soma flows to the Aśvins, so the poet hopes that the morning light, correspond-ing to the soma, will flow toward the sacrificers (6). In verse 9 the poet turns to address his fellow Kaṇvas in the first half-verse and the Aśvins in pāda c. In that last line, the poet asks where the Aśvins are hidden, where they are “cloaked,” for it is presumably still dark and neither the dawn nor the Aśvins have yet appeared.
The cloaking of the Aśvins in 9 contrasts with verse 13, in which the poet asks the Aśvins to “clothe” themselves in the soma in the company of Vivasvant, who is here likely associated with the sun. Then they and the morning will be present to the sacrificers.
1. With none before her, this Dawn breaks, the beloved of heaven.
I shall sing aloft praise to you, Aśvins,
2. Who are wondrous, whose mother is the River Sindhu, who are mindful of riches—
the gods finding goods through insight.
3. Your lead (animals) twist and turn upon the (sea’s) broken surface, when your chariot will fly with its birds.
4. By the oblation the lover of the waters, the carrier, carries across, o men—
he, the father and boundary of the house [?] ,
5. The one paying heed [?] to (our) conceptions for the sake of you two, o Nāsatyas, you for whom (these) words are conceived:
“Drink boldly of the soma.”
6. The light-bringing refreshment that will carry us across the darkness, Aśvins—
give that to us.
7. Travel here by the boat of our conceptions to go to the far shore!
Hitch up your chariot, Aśvins!
8. Your oar is broader than heaven; your chariot is at the ford of the rivers;
through our insight the soma drops have been hitched up.
9. O Kaṇvas, (in the track) of heaven are the soma drops; in the track of the rivers is what is good.
Where do you two desire to place that cloak of yours?
10. Radiance has come into being for the soma plant: the sun, counterpart to gold!
The black one [=the fire in the coals] has peered out with his tongue.
11. And the path of truth has come into being to lead right to the far shore.
The course of heaven has appeared.
12. The singer awaits each and every help of the Aśvins
at the exhilarating drink of soma for the two who carry across.
13. Having clothed yourselves with the drink of soma and with song in the company of Vivasvant,
come here, o you who are good luck, as at the time of Manu!
14. Dawn has followed your glory as you circle the earth.
You will win the truths in the nights.
15. Aśvins, both of you—drink! Both of you—offer protection to us through your unbreakable help!
I.47 As ́vins
Praskaṇva Kāṇva
10 verses: br̥hatī alternating with satobr̥hatī, arranged in pragāthas
The hymn is dominated by imperatives, which appear in every verse except the last. These imperatives command the Aśvins to attend to the poet (e.g., 2d), to come to the sacrifice (e.g., 2b, 3d, 7c, 8b, 8d, 9a), to drink the soma (e.g., 1c, 3b), and especially to bestow prosperity on the sacrificer (e.g., 1d, 5c, 6b, 6d). The last verse summarizes the desire of the poet to bring the Aśvins, together with many goods, by means of the “recitations and chants” of those performing the sacrifice.
Like I.34 the hymn also associates a number of triplets with the Aśvins: their
“triply turning chariot with its three standing places” (vs. 2) and the ritual grass
“on which are three seats” (vs. 4). These triplets likely have ritual reference, although it is not clear what the reference might be. The “three turns” of the Aśvins’ chariot may describe the three pressings of a soma sacrifice. Compare X.52.4d = 124.1b, which speaks of the sacrifice with its páñcayāmaṃ trivŕ̥taṃ saptátantum “five courses, three turns, seven threads.” The term trivandhurá “with three standing places” is only used to describe the chariot of the Aśvins, but never with much indication about its referent. Geldner suggests that “the three seats” of triṣadhasthá might be for the two Aśvins and Sūryā or that they are simply three because the Aśvins are regularly associated with triplets. But there are other pos-sibilities. Although triṣadhasthá characterizes various gods, in X.61.14 and V.11.2 it describes the three seats of Agni, the three fires, and perhaps it refers to these in this context as well. In that case, the three seats are not actually on the ritual grass but rather at or near it.
In the first verse the reference to the “day-old” soma places this hymn in the morning of the day following the pressing day in an Atirātra or “overnight” soma ritual. The soma offerings in the morning are a continuation of the offerings of the Third Pressing. If recited at the end of the rite, it is no wonder that the poet emphasizes the goods that he hopes that the Aśvins will bring on their chariot (3c, 6a, 9bc)—the chariot that is both the vehicle on which the Aśvins ride and the sacrifice itself. These are the goods that should come to the sacrificers as a result of their completed sacrifice.
In verse 7 the poet calls on the Aśvins to come whether they are far away or with Turvaśa. The Kaṇva poets of the VIIIth maṇḍala suggest their alliance with the
Turvaśa and Yadu tribes (e.g., VIII.4.1 and 4.7; 7.18; 9.14; 10.5; 45.27). Since our poet is a Kaṇva as well, Turvaśa represents an ally, perhaps the people of the sacrifi-cer for whom the hymn was composed. The point is therefore that the Aśvins should come to this sacrifice whether are far away or close by, among this very people.
1. O you growing strong through truth, this most honey-filled soma has been pressed for you two.
Drink that (soma) aged overnight, Aśvins. Grant riches to the pious man.
2. Journey here, Aśvins, by your triply turning chariot with its three standing places, with its beautiful adornment.
The Kaṇvas are creating a formulation for you at the rite. Listen well to their call!
3. O Aśvins, growing strong through truth, drink the most honey-filled soma.
Then today, wondrous ones, come to the pious man, bringing goods on your chariot.
4. O you providing all possessions, mix the sacrifice with honey on the ritual grass, on which are three seats.
The heaven-bound Kaṇvas, having pressed soma for you, call upon you two, Aśvins.
5. With what superior powers you helped Kaṇva, Aśvins,
with these help us, o lords of beauty! Drink the soma, o you growing strong through truth!
6. Wondrous Aśvins, convey nourishments to the very generous one, bringing goods on your chariot.
Whether from the sea or from heaven, grant much-desired wealth to us.
7. Nāsatyas, if you are in the far distance, or if you are with the Turvaśa, from there come to us by your smoothly rolling chariot, together with
the rays of the sun.
8. Turning this way, let your team, the glory of the rite, convey you to our soma-pressings.
Replenishing refreshment for the good (ritual) performer, and possessing good drops, sit here on the ritual grass, o men.
9. Nāsatyas, come by your sun-skinned chariot,
by which you have ever conveyed goods to the pious man, in order to drink of the honeyed soma.
10. With our recitations and chants we call the two bringing many goods down this way for their help,
for surely you have always drunk soma at the dear seat of the Kaṇvas, Aśvins.
I.48 Dawn
Praskaṇva Kāṇva
16 verses: br̥hatī alternating with satobr̥hatī, arranged in pragāthas
Another in Praskaṇva Kāṇva’s series devoted to the deities of the early-morning sacrifice, this hymn to Dawn is especially concerned with the acquisition of goods—
a common association because the dakṣiṇā or “priestly gift” is distributed to the poets and priests at the Morning Pressing. The radiant beauty of Dawn and her mandate to rouse and animate all living beings are not neglected in the hymn, how-ever, especially in the middle verses (5–10). In verses 11–12 she is also, unusually, charged with a task more appropriate for Agni (see, e.g., I.44), namely conveying the gods to the sacrifice.
1. Along with a thing of value, dawn forth to us, Daughter of Heaven, along with lofty brilliance, radiant goddess, along with wealth, (you who
are) rich in gifts.
2. Possessing horses and cows, finding all goods in abundance, (the dawns) bestir themselves to shine.
Arouse liberalities toward me, o Dawn; stimulate the generosity of the benefactors.
3. Dawn has dawned (before) and will dawn now—the lively goddess of the chariots.
Those who hold themselves (ready [for giving]) at her approaches, as those who seek fame on the sea hold themselves (firm),
4. And, o Dawn, those who at your journeys yoke their mind for giving—
the patrons—
here (the poet) Kaṇva, the latest of Kaṇvas, sings their names, the names of those superior men.
5. Liberal-spirited Dawn drives here, giving delight like a maiden.
Wakening the footed community, she speeds along. She makes the winged ones fly up.
6. She who disperses the assembly, disperses the busy ones, she follows (them) like a track—she moist (with dew) [/lubricious].
The birds, having flown at your dawning, do not settle, o you who are rich in prize mares.
7. This one has hitched herself up from out of the distance, from (the place of) the rising of the sun.
With a hundred chariots, this well-portioned Dawn drives out toward men.
8. Every moving creature bows before her gaze. The spirited one creates light.
Dawn, the bounteous Daughter of Heaven, dawns away hatred, away failures.
9. O Dawn, be radiant here with your glittering radiance, o Daughter of Heaven,
conveying hither abundant good fortune for us, dawning forth at the rituals of daybreak.
10. For the breathing and living of all is in you, when you dawn forth, spirited one.
With your lofty chariot, radiant one, heed our call, you of bright bounty.
11. Dawn, do win the prize, which is bright for the human race.
With it convey those of good action [=gods] here to the ceremonies, to those of good action [=sacrificers] who (as oblation-)conveyors sing to you.
12. Convey all the gods here for soma-drinking from the midspace, o Dawn.
Establish in us a mass of cows and of horses, worthy of praise, o Dawn, also victory’s prize and good heroes en masse.
13. She whose gleaming, auspicious rays have appeared opposite,
let her—Dawn—give us all-desirable wealth, well ornamented, easy to come by.
14. Because even those previous seers who called upon you for aid, for help, o great one—
do you (now) greet our praises (as you did theirs) with generosity, o Dawn, with your bright brilliance.
15. Dawn, when today with your radiance you will push apart the two doors of heaven,
then hold out to us broad shelter that keeps the wolf away, o goddess, hold out refreshments consisting of cows.
then hold out to us broad shelter that keeps the wolf away, o goddess, hold out refreshments consisting of cows.