LA LETRA DE CAMBIO INCOMPLETA
B. La Voluntad en la Declaración cambiaria
3.3.2. Requisitos Extrínsecos
This hymn and the following one form a single group of 21 connected stanzas, which correspond to ŚS 11.6. The Śaunakīya version of this hymn has two stanzas more than the PS, and the material is arranged in considerably altered verse order, as shown in the table below:
PS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
ŚS 1 3 2 4 6 5 7 15 8 9 14 17 10 11 19 13 12 18 16 22 21 20 23
Each stanza contains an invocation to various gods for relief from oppression (áṁhas-), and
is rather independent from the preceding and following stanzas. Since the order of the stanzas is not relevant in deciding which of the two recensions has preserved the more original text, one should look for other clues to settle the issue, although in most cases this seems to be “little more than arbitrary guesswork” (GRIFFITHS 2009: 423).
As regards the metre, the PS seems superior in general (cf. 13.8b, 14.8b), but there are also lines where the ŚS is better (13.10c, 14.11c), so it is almost impossible to say in such cases whether the best text has “an archaic trait preserved, or a result of later polishing of originally irregular poetry” (GRIFFITHS ibid.). Moreover, the occurrence of heptasyllabic pādas in
Anuṣṭubh stanzas is common in the AV, and cannot seriously be considered a metrical irregularity.
As regards the content, there are at least two instances in which the PS has preserved a better text, viz. at 13.9a and 13.10b (and 13.10d?). In only two cases (14.1c and 2c) I emend the text of the PS according to the ŚS readings.
The most conclusive evidence suggesting that the PS could be more original is the fact that the two stanzas that are found in the ŚS, but not in the PS, are almost certainly later additions: ŚS 11.6.20 is nearly a repetition of the preceding stanza, and ŚS 11.6.23 “is so discordant with the rest of the hymn as to seem an addition made to it” (see Whitney’s comment ad loc.).
There are many links with the preceding hymn, such as the names of the gods (Agni, Indra, Br̥haspati, Savitar, Mitra, Varuṇa, Pūṣan) and several words: vanaspatīn in 13.1a corresponds
with vanaspatibhyaḥ in 11.6b; nāma occurs also at 10.8a; paśava in 13.9a corresponds with paśubhir in 12.2c; mr̥gāḥ in 13.9b with mr̥go in 11.2a and mr̥ga in 12.8a; pakṣiṇo in 13.9c with pakṣau in 12.4a; ugraḥ in 13.10b with ugrau, ugrā, ugrāḥ in 12.6ab and ugrau in 12.7b; iṣur in
13.10c with iṣavaḥ in 11.2d, 3b; ‘po in 14.4b with apām in 11.6c; pitr̥ ̄n in 14.4c with pitaro in
10.9a and pitaraḥ in 10.10a; r̥ tāvr̥ dhaḥ in 14.5b with r̥tāvr̥ dho in 10.10c; pr̥thivyām in 14.7c
with pr̥thivyāḥ in 11.6a and pr̥thivīm in 11.9a; paścāt in 14.8b with paścāt in 10.6d, 11.1a; purastāt in 14.8c with purastāt in 11.1c; uttarāt in 14.8c with uttarasmād in 11.1b; mr̥tyūn in
14.9c with mr̥tyoḥ in 11.4d; cf. also the compounds diviṣado in 14.7a and antarikṣasadaś in
14.7b with svāduṣaṁsadaḥ in 10.9a. 15.13.1 [Anuṣṭubh] ŚS 11.6.1
agniṁ brūmo vanaspatīn A
oṣadhīr uta vīrudhaḥ | A
indraṁ br̥haspatiṁ sūryaṁ +#A
158
We address Agni, the trees, the herbs and the plants, Indra, Br̥haspati, Sūrya: let them free us from oppression.
agniṁ] Ku JM RM Mā [Ma] K, a agniṁ Pa oṣadhīr uta] oṣadhīr̥ta Or, oṢADHīn atu K vīrudhaḥ] K, vīr̥dhaḥ Or indraṁ] Ku RM Mā [Ma] Pa K, indro JM br̥haspatiṁ] Ku RM Mā [Ma] K, br̥haspat{ī}iṁ
Pa, br̥haspati JM muñcantv] RM [Ma] Pa, muñcaṁtv Ku K, muñcatv JM Mā aṁhasaḥ] Ku RM Mā
[Ma] Pa K, ahasaḥ JM ||] Ku JM Mā [Ma] Pa, | RM Z 2 Z K
ŚS 11.6.1
agním brūmo vánaspátīn óṣadhīr utá vīrúdhaḥǀ índraṁ bŕ̥haspátiṁ sū́ryaṁ té no muñcantv áṁhasaḥǀǀ
d. For the meaning of the word áṁhas- in this hymn and in the following one, see my note
on PS 15.3.8d. This stanza is erroneously numbered in K with the indication “Z 2 Z” after it. This mistake was evidently due to the lacuna of the following stanza, which caused a reorganization of the numbering in order to reach the final number of ten stanzas at the end of the hymn.
15.13.2 [Anuṣṭubh] ŚS 11.6.3 ≈ MS 2.7.13:94.17–18
brūmo devam savitāraṁ #A
dhātāram uta pūṣaṇam | A
tvaṣṭāram agriyaṁ brūmas +#A
te ° ° ° || *A
We address god Savitar, Dhātar and Pūṣan; Tvaṣṭar, the foremost, we address: (let them… ).
brūmo… te om. K • dhātāram] Ku JM RM Mā [Ma], dhātāra{ṁ}m Pa pūṣaṇam] Ku JM RM Mā [Ma],
p{u}ūś(→ṣ)aṇam Pa agriyaṁ] JM RM, agryaṁ Ku Mā [Ma] Pa ||] JM Mā [Ma] Pa, | Ku RM
ŚS 11.6.3
brūmó deváṁ savitā́raṁ dhātā́ram utá pūṣáṇam ǀ tváṣṭāram agriyáṁ brūmas té no muñcantv áṁhasaḥǀǀ MS 2.7.13:94.17–18
brūmó rā́jānam̐ váruṇaṁ dhātā́ram utá pūṣáṇam ǀ tváṣṭāram ágriyaṁ brūmas té no muñcantv ám̐ hasaḥǀ
This stanza is not found in K. Bhattacharya edits agryaṁ in c.
ab. Griffith’s translation ‘We call on Savitar the God, on Pūshan the establisher’ is
disqualified both by the syntax — for utá does not behave like the enclitic ca — and by the sense, both because Pūṣan is never called ‘establisher’ and because dhātár- should be
considered an independent divinity. This is confirmed, e.g., by PS 11.14.6ab dhātā pūṣā br̥ haspatir … ajīgaman ‘Dhātar, Pūṣan [and] Br̥haspati bring together’, in which the use of the plural in the verb shows that there are more than two subjects and that three gods are mentioned; cf. also PS 20.30.6ab medaṁ dhātā medaṁ pūṣā medam indro dadhātu me ‘Fat let Dhātar, fat
let Pūṣan, fat let Indra provide me’, in which the names of the two gods are found close to each other but are clearly unrelated.
159
c. The reading agryaṁ of Bhattacharya’s edition should be read agriyaṁ in order to obtain
an octosyllabic pāda. I adopt the reading of JM and RM, which is better for the metre and is the same reading as that of the parallel passages. The adjective agriyá- refers to Tvaṣṭar at R̥ V 1.13.10a ihá tváṣṭāram agriyáṁ viśvárūpam úpa hvaye ‘I invite here Tvaṣṭar, the foremost,
having all forms’ and to Agni at R̥V 6.16.48a agníṁ devā́so agriyám indháte vr̥trahántamam
‘The gods kindle Agni, the foremost, best slayer of Vr̥tra’. It is not clear whether agriyá- means ‘foremost’ or ‘first-born’ when applied to the gods, and the available translations are not consistent (at ŚS 11.6.3c Whitney translates it ‘at the head’, Griffith ‘the foremost’, Bloomfield ‘first-born’, Sani-Orlandi ‘primigenio’ etc.). At any rate, it should be noted that Tvaṣṭar’s status as first-born seems to be suggested by passages like R̥ V 10.64.10ab utá mātā́ br̥haddivā́śr̥ ṇotu nas tváṣṭā devébhir jánibhiḥ pitā́ vácaḥ ‘And let Br̥haddivā, the mother, hear our call, Tvaṣṭar,
the father, with the gods and their wives’ and especially R̥ V 9.5.9ab tváṣṭāram agrajā́ṁ gopā́m puroyā́vānam ā́ huve ‘I call here Tvaṣṭar, the first-born, protector [and] leader’, where the
adjective agrajā́- ‘first-born’ is synonymous with agriyá-.
15.13.3 [Anuṣṭubh] ŚS 11.6.2, a: cf. MS 2.7.13:94.17
brūmo rājānaṁ varuṇaṁ #A
mitraṁ viṣṇum atho bhagam | A
aṁśaṁ vivasvantaṁ brūmas #A
te ° ° ° || *A
We address king Varuṇa, Mitra, Viṣṇu, and also Bhaga; Aṁśa, Vivasvant we address: (let them… ).
rājānaṁ] Ku JM RM Mā [Ma] K, rājāna Pa varuṇaṁ] K, var̥ ṇaṁ Or mitraṁ] Ku RM Mā [Ma] Pa,
mitro JM, om. K viṣṇum] Or, viṣṇuṁm K aṁśaṁ] K, aṁśuṁ Ku RM Pa [Ma], aṁśu JM, aśuṁ Mā ||] JM Mā [Ma] Pa, | Ku RM, Z 3 Z K
ŚS 11.6.2
brūmó rā́jānaṁ váruṇaṁ mitráṁ víṣṇum átho bhágam ǀ áṁśaṁ vívasvantaṁ brūmas té no muñcantv áṁhasaḥǀǀ
bc. Aṁśa ‘share’ is nearly always named together with Bhaga ‘fortune’. Both are listed
among the minor Ādityas, and their relationship has been variously interpreted: according to THIEME 1970: 401, “[Bhága] ist der (zugeteilte) Anteil — im Gegensatz zu áṁśa m. der [durch
Los, Glück erlangte] Teil”; BRERETON 1981: 308 proposes, “If Bhaga is Fortune, then Aṁśa is
best regarded as the Share which Fortune brings”.
Note that none of the Orissa manuscripts has the correct reading (also Bhattacharya edits the reading of K aṁśaṁ).
15.13.4 [Anuṣṭubh] ŚS 11.6.4
gandharvāpsaraso brūmo +#A
aśvinā brahmaṇaspatim | A
aryamā nāma yo devas +#A
160
We address the Gandharvas and the Apsarases, the two Aśvins, Brahmaṇaspati, the god called Aryaman: (let them… ).
gandharvāpsaraso] Ku Mā [Ma] K, gandharvā{ṣ}psaraso Pa, gandharvā ’psaraso JM RM nāma] Mā
[Ma] Pa K, nā(→ṇā)ma Ku, ṇāma RM, ṇama JM ||] Ku JM Mā [Ma] Pa, | RM, Z 4 Z K
ŚS 11.6.4
gandharvāpsaráso brūmo aśvínā bráhmaṇas pátim ǀ aryamā́ nā́ma yó devás te no muñcantv áṁhasaḥǀǀ
15.13.5 [Anuṣṭubh] ŚS 11.6.6
vātaṁ brūmaḥ parjaniyam *#A
antarikṣam atho diśaḥ | A
āśāś ca sarvā brūmas A7
te ° ° ° || *A
We address Vāta, Parjanya, the intermediate space, and also the quarters, and all regions we address: (let them… ).
brūmaḥ] Or, brūmaḫ K parjanyam] Ku RM Mā [Ma] Pa, par{ya}janyam JM, parjanya K sarvā] Or, sarva K ||] Ku JM [Mā Mā] Pa, | RM, Z 5 Z K
ŚS 11.6.6
vā́taṁ brūmaḥ parjányam antárikṣam átho díśaḥǀ
ā́śāś ca sárvā brūmas té no muñcantv áṁhasaḥǀǀ
a. This pāda could be more easily considered a heptasyllable, but a quadrisyllabic scansion
of parjaniya-, though not common, is however very probable here and at PS 2.63.3a (= 3.14.6a) yāsā pitā parjaniyo.
15.13.6 [Anuṣṭubh] ≈ŚS 11.6.5
ahorātre idaṁ brūmaḥ +#A
sūryācandramasā ubhā | A
āditiyān sarvān brūmas *#A
te no muñcantuv aṁhasaḥ || *A
We address Day and Night here, both the Sun and the Moon; all the Ādityas we address: let them free us from oppression.
idaṁ] Ku JM RM Mā [Ma] K, ida Pa brūmaḥ] Ku RM Mā [Ma] Pa, brūma JM, brūmas K sūryācandramasā] Or, sūryāścandramasā K muñcantv] JM RM [Ma] Pa K, muñcaṁtv Ku, muñcatv Mā aṁhasaḥ] Ku [Mā Mā] Pa, aṁhasaḥ JM, ahasaḥ RM, aṁhasaḥ K ||] Ku [Mā Mā] Pa, | JM RM, Z 6 Z K
ŚS 11.6.5
ahorātré idáṁ brūmaḥ sūryācandramásāv ubhā́ǀ víśvān ādityā́n brūmas té no muñcantv áṁhasaḥǀǀ
161
Bhattacharya edits sarvāna in c, which must be a misprint due to the omission of the virāma
sign.
b. On the sandhi -au ū̆-, which fluctuates between -āv ū̆- and -āū̆-, cf. AiGr. I, § 274, p. 326.
In contrast to the ŚS, the PS shows the typical R̥ gvedic sandhi here.
c. The ŚS reads víśvān ādityā́n instead of ādityān sarvān in the PS. Although sárva- and víśva- have different shades of meaning, especially in the most archaic portions of the R̥ V, the two words become synonymous already in the latest part of the R̥ V itself; in our passage the variant is not significant (the reading of the ŚS may at best be considered an archaism; see WITZEL 1989: 238).
d. All the manuscripts give the pāda without abbreviation, because in the following stanza
the last pāda is different; the refrain starts again in stanza eight, where pāda d appears in full as well. The same situation is found at 14.9–11.
15.13.7 [Anuṣṭubh] ≈ŚS 11.6.7, a: R̥ V 10.97.16a
muñcantu mā śapathiyād *#A
ahorātre atho uṣāḥ | A
somo mā divyo muñcatu #A
yam āhuś candramā iti || A
Let Day and Night, and also Dawn, free me from what comes from a curse. Let the divine Soma, whom they call the Moon, free me.
śapathyād] Ku JM [Ma] Pa K, śapathād RM, sapathyād Mā atho] Ku RM Mā [Ma] Pa K, aho JM uṣāḥ]
Or, vr̥ ṣā K divyo] Or, dityo K muñcatu] K, muñcantu Ku JM RM Pa, muñvantu ? Mā [Ma] ||] Ku JM Mā [Ma] Pa, | RM, Z 7 Z K
ŚS 11.6.7
muñcántu māśapathyā̀d ahorātré átho uṣā́ḥǀ sómo mā devó muñcatu yám āhúś candrámā íti ǀǀ
bc. On the relation between Soma and the Moon, see HILLEBRANDT 1927: 269 ff. 15.13.8 [Anuṣṭubh] ≈ŚS 11.6.15
pañca rājyāni vīrudhāṁ A
somaśreṣṭhāni brūmasi | A
bhaṅgo darbho yavaḥ sahas A
te no muñcantuv aṁhasaḥ || *A
We address the five kingdoms of the plants, having Soma as their chief. Hemp, darbha, barley,
saha: let them free us from oppression.
pañca] JM RM Mā [Ma] Pa K, paṁca Ku rājyāni] Ku JM RM Mā [Ma], rāyāni Pa, rājyān K vīrudhāṁ] vīr̥dhāṁ Ku RM Mā [Ma] Pa, vīr̥dhā JM, vīrudhān K somaśreṣṭhāni] Or, somaśśreṣṭhāni K yavaḥ] Or,
yadas K muñcantv] K Pa [Ma], muñcaṁtv Ku, muñcanty(→antv) JM, muñcatv RM Mā ||] Ku JM Mā
[Ma] Pa, | RM, Z 8 Z K
162 páñca rājyā́ni vīrúdhāṁ sómaśreṣṭhāni brūmaḥǀ darbhó bhaṅgó yávaḥ sáhas té no muñcantv áṁhasaḥǀǀ
a. The comment on the ŚS explains: rājñā bhiṣajā viniyujyamānāni patrakāṇḍapuṣpaphalamūlātmakāni ‘The five kingdoms of the character of leaves, joints,
flowers, fruits and roots (are) charged by the king (Soma), a physician’. According to GONDA
1985b: 53, this explanation “may be right in that these five components of plants could be used for medicinal purposes”.
b. The PS version of this pāda, by reading brūmasi, is metrically superior. The form is a
hapax.
c. Note the syntactic change with three nominatives instead of the accusatives found in the
other stanzas. The pattern of this stanza is repeated at PS 15.14.3 below. The commentary on the ŚS calls saha simply ‘a kind of herb’ (see also ZIMMER 1879: 72).
d. After stanza seven, which has a different last pāda, the refrain is repeated here in full. 15.13.9 [Anuṣṭubh] ≈ŚS 11.6.8
ye grāmyāḥ sapta paśava #A
āraṇyā uta ye mr̥gāḥ | A
śakuntān pakṣiṇo brūmas +#A
te ° ° ° || *A
The seven domestic animals and the beasts belonging to the jungle; the winged birds we address: (let them… ).
grāmyāḥ] Or, grāmyas K mr̥gāḥ] Or, mr̥gāś K śakuntān pakṣiṇo] JM RM Mā [Ma] Pa K, śaku · · · ṆO
Ku te ||] Ku, JM [Ma], te | RM, te no || JM, no muñcatv aṁ Mā, te Z 9 Z K
ŚS 11.6.8
pā́rthivā divyáḥ paśáva āraṇyā́ utá yé mr̥gā́ḥǀ
śakúntān pakṣíṇo brūmas té no muñcantv áṁhasaḥǀǀ
a. The ŚS version of this pāda, pā́rthivā divyáḥ paśáva ‘The earthly, the heavenly animals’,
was considered by Whitney as inferior to that of the PS; it was probably triggered here by ŚS 11.5.21a, which is identical. Cf. also ŚS 3.10.6cd (and ŚS 2.34.4a) yé grāmyā́ḥ paśávo viśvárūpās téṣāṁ saptānā́ṁ máyi rántir astu ‘The domestic animals of all forms — of those
seven let the willing stay be with me’ (Whitney). Whitney reports the explanation of the commentator, who “specifies the seven (i.e. domestic) animals as cow, horse, goat, sheep, man, ass, camel; but the number seven is doubtless used only as an indefinite sacred one”.
c. Note the combination of two words,śakunta- and pakṣiṇ-, which each individually can
mean ‘bird’. This kind of combination is not unusual in the PS (see GRIFFITHS 2009: 333).
15.13.10 [Anuṣṭubh] abc: ≈ ŚS 11.6.9abc
bhavāśarvāv idaṁ brūma +#A
ugraḥ paśupatiś ca yaḥ | A
iṣūr yā eṣaāṁ vidmas *+#A
163
Bhava and Śarva we address here, and him who is the fearsome lord of animals. Their arrows which we know: let them free us from oppression.
bhavāśarvāv] Ku JM RM Mā [Ma], bh{ā}avāśarvāv Pa, bhavāśarvā K brūma] Or, brūmā K ugraḥ] Or, ugraḫ K iṣūr] Ku JM RM Mā [Ma] K, iṣū{→ṣū?) Pa yā] [Ma] K, jā Ku JM [Ma] Pa, ya RM eṣāṁ]
Or, eṣā K vidmas] Mā K, vidma Ku [Ma], {brūma} vi{t}dma JM, vi{·}dma RM Pa te || r̥ 13 || JM, te | r̥ 13 | RM muñcantv aṁhasaḥ || 13 || r̥ 10 || [Ma] Pa, muñcaṁtv aṁhasaḥ || r̥ 10 || 13 || Ku, muñcatv aṁhasaḥ || 13 || r̥ 10 || Mā, ñcantv aṁhasaḥ Z 10 Z kā 4 Z K
ŚS 11.6.9
bhavāśarvā́v idáṁ brūmo rudráṁ paśupátiś ca yáḥǀ íṣūr yā́ eṣāṁ saṁvidmá tā́ naḥ santu sádāśivā́ḥǀǀ
b. Note the interesting variant of the ŚS, which reads rudráṁ instead of ugraḥ in the PS.
Bhava, Śarva, Paśupati are all names or embodiments of Rudra, used as full proper names or epithets (see BLOOMFIELD 1897: 618); therefore, the reading of the PS seems to be the lectio difficilior (all the more so since ugrá- can also be used as epithet of Rudra).
c. The ŚS reads saṁvidmá, which is better for the metre but could also be a secondary
improvement. I have decided to follow Bhattacharya, who edits vidmas with K and Mā. The anomalous form of the 1st plural perfect, vidmas, which we find in the PS, is also attested at PS
8.15.6c r̥ ṣīṇāṁ yāni janimāni vidmas, while vidmasi is found at PS 17.12.2b = 17.13.13c nāmadheyāni vidmasi and at PS 19.47.2b mayūraṁ vayaṁ vidmasi. As suggested by LUBOTSKY
2007: 28, “The latter form is secured by the metre and conclusively shows that vidmas is not a mistake of the transmission, but an original 1 pl. form of PS, although it is not attested in ŚS. The present form vidmas(i) is most probably due to the reinterpretation of ppf. avet as an impf.”.