1. The mothers go on their ways, sisters of them that make sacrifice, mixing milk with honey.
2. They who are yonder at the sun, or together with whom is the sun—let them further our sacrifice.
The verse is found further, without variant, in VS. (vi. 24 e).
3. The heavenly waters I call on, where our kine drink; to the rivers (síndhu) is to be made oblation.
⌊Cf. note to x. 9. 27, below.⌋
4. Within the waters is ambrosia (amṛ́ta), in the waters is remedy; and by the praises (práçasti) of the waters ye become vigorous (vājín) horses, ye become vigorous kine.
The second half-verse is here rendered strictly according to the accent, which forbids taking the nouns as vocatives; SPP. reads in c, with all his mss. and the great majority of ours bhávatha (our two Bp. give bhav-); the accent is to be regarded as antithetical. RV. gives práçastaye at end of b, and ends the verse with c, reading dévā bhávata vājínaḥ. Other texts have the verse: VS. (ix. 6 a), TS. (i. 7. 71), and MS. (i. 11. 1); all lack a fourth pāda, and have at end of b práçastiṣu; for c, VS. has áçvā bhávata vājínaḥ, TS. áçvā bhavatha vājínaḥ, and MS. áçvā bhavata vājínah.
5. To the waters: for blessings.
[Sindhudvīpa.—(etc., as 4).]
The first three verses occur, without variants, in Pāipp. xix. The whole hymn, with the first three verses of the one next following, are, also without variants, RV. x. 9. 1-7 (vs. 5 is here put before 4; 6, 7 are also RV. i. 23. 20 a, b, c, 21); and they likewise occur in other texts: thus, 5. 1-3 in SV. (ii. 1187-1189), VS. (xi. 50-52 et al.), TS. (iv. c. 51 et al.), MS. (ii. 7. 5 et al.), and TA. (iv. 42 .4 et al.), everywhere with the same text ⌊for other references, see MGS., p. 147⌋; as to 5. 4 and the verses of 6, see under the verses. Hymns 5 and 6 together are called çambhumayobhū, Kāuç. 9. 1; for their uses in connection with the preceding hymn, see under that hymn. Both appear also in the house-building ceremony (43. 12), and this one alone in the darçapūrṇamāsa- or parvan-sacrifices (6. 17); while the schol. add it (42. 13, note) to the ceremony on the home-coming of the Vedic student. For the use in Vāit. with hymns 4 and 6, see under 4; with 6 (also under the name çambhumayobhū) it accompanies in the paçubandha (10. 19) the washing of articles employed; and with it alone, in the agnicayana (28. 11), is the lump of earth sprinkled. The comm., finally, quotes the hymn from Nakṣ. Kalpa 17, 18, as used in a mahāçānti called ādityā.
Translated: Weber, iv. 397; Griffith, i. 7.
1. Since ye are kindly waters, do ye set us unto refreshment (ū́rj), unto sight of great joy.
2. What is your most propitious savor (rása), of that make us share here, like zealous mothers.
3. We would satisfy you in order to that to the possession of which ye quicken, O waters, and generate us.
