Atkins, S. D. - RV 2.38 - A Problem Hymn

8/13/2019 Atkins, S. D. - RV 2.38 - A Problem Hymn

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RV 2.38: A Problem Hymn

Author(s): Samuel D. AtkinsSource: Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 81, No. 2 (Apr. - Jun., 1961), pp. 77-8Published by: American Oriental SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/595047

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RV 2.38: A PROBLEMEYMNSA:MUEL . ATEINS

PRINCETION UNIVEBSITYdisturbs the fised order of the day's course (9).-Theconcluding stanzas (which may not have been part ofthe original hymn) pray to Savitar for gifts.

In 1875 Roth presented n the GFeldner-liaegiSiebenztgLtederdes Rigreda,46-8, essentially hesame ranslation there area few minorchanges nwording) and the same interpretation. In thesame year Bergaignereviewedthe 70 Lieder inRevue Crittqued'Eistoire et de Ltfterature,18.385-94, and offered (386-7) critical commentsupon the details of the translationof 2.38 butnone uponthe Abendltedheoryandgeneralsum-mary. He did, however, ndicatea differentviewof the hymn'sstructureby speakingof a Part Icomprising tanzas1-6 and a Part II made up ofstanzasT-11.In 1876 Grassmann,n his Rzy-Vedsl, bersetzt,49, headedhis translationof the hyannwith "AnSavitar,Abendlied." He was veryprobablynflu-enced by Roth'sviews. His translationdoesnotdif3Terarkedly rom Roth's2and, indeed,showssomenoteworthy erbalechoes n stanzas1, 3, 4, 5,6, 8, and9. Also, like Roth, he consideredtanzas10 and 1l, andpossibly7 or 8, as later additions.

It is clear that by 1883Bergaignehad acceptedin part the Abendliednterpretation,or he wrotein volume 3 of La RelzytonVedtque,56: "Lesfonctionsde Savitri commedieu de la nuit fontle sujet des sis premiersvers de l'hymneII, 38...." The theory was now firmly establishedand continued o gain the acceptance f outstand-ing scholars. In 1895 Hopkinsin his The Re-ltgtonsof Indta,46, spokeof 2.38 as " an eveningsong to Savitar." In 1897 Macdonelln his VedicMythologystated (33-4): "Ee [Savitar] is, in-deed,estolled as the setting sun (2.38)." ThatIIillebrandtwas convincedas early as 1902 thatthe interpretationwas right is revealed by asentence n the thirdvolumeof the first editionof2As does Ludwig's translation, which also appearedin 1876, in the first volume of his Der R*gveda, 145-6.The fourth volume, Commentor zur Rtgveda-8bersetzung1. Tetl, appearedin 1881. The notes to 2. 38 cite Grass-mann and 70. Lteder often and seem to indicate, both bycritical comments and by what they leave unsaid, thatLudwig had not been convincedby the Abendlied theory.

I. DESPITETHE BRILLIANT CHIENTEMENTSfVedicscholarshipver heyears,despite hemonu-mental translationand exegesisby Geldner,anddespite the excellentwork being carriedon nowby such men as Renou,Thieme,Gonda,Ruiper,and others,there still remain in the Rig Vedamanyproblematicines and stanzasandgroupsofstanzas and, in addition, numerousproblematichymns. These hymns may be divided into twobroadcategories: hereare hymnsthat are totallyor almosttotally obscureand enigmatic obviouspuzzles-, and then there are hymnswhich seemto havebeeninterpreted orrectly n the main,buthave,in fact, been interpretedwrongly n varyingdegreesfor variousreasons. I believethat 2. 38belongs in this categoryand thereforerequires

* ire-examma ;lon.Themain lines of the commonandconventionalunderstanding f the hymn appearto have beenestablishedby Roth in 1870 in ZDMG,24. 306-8where, n commentsappendedo a translation,hewrote: " Ein merkwurdiges bendliedan Savitar,dessen Bedeutsamkeitnach dieser Seite hin, soviel ich weiss,noch nicht beachtetwurde.... InunseremStuck ist nur diejenigeSeite hervorge-hoben,nachwelcherSavitardurchseine AnkunftamAbenddie Nachteinleitet; ...." Roth'ssum-mary of the hymn is this:In the morning and in the evening Savitar is the onewho impels or sets in motion; in the morning he issuesthe summons to work, in the evening the summons torest ( 1) . When he commandingly stretches his armover the world, then everything hastens to obey him.Even water and wind subside in the stillness of theoncomingnight (2). The wanderer comes to a halt, thebird of prey rests (3). The diligent work of men isbrought to a sudden end, for the god divides day andnight (4). Now everywhereone sees the fires glimmer-ing. The homecoming son of the house receives hissupper (5). Everything seeks its habitat (6). The fishseeks its habitat, so does the bird, and the herd seeksthe stable ( 8 1 . No other godly or ungodly power

1 Roth consideredstanzas 7 and 8 as variations of thesame thought and believed it quite unlikely that theywere originally jtaposed. In his opinion stanza 7 isan interpolation and stanza 8 is the original because itcontains a referenceto the evening (Xtmrr of the sun orof the day) whereas 7 does not.


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ATEINS: RV B.38: A ProblemHymnThe eveningmealis prepared, nda mothergivesa choice bit to her hungry son. Certainlinesremindone of Gray'sElegy."The Abendliedhypothesiswas now so influen-tial that it becamea criterion or lexicographicaljudgment. In 1924 Neisser, discussingaramati"Personifikatin de Gottergebenheitin his ZunWorterbuch es Rgveda,1.96, indicatedthat herejected iELothisnderstandingof the word in2.38.4 as "nicht ruhend) (=4-ramamana,afterSayana)because he sensewas not appropriateothe godof the evening"als der geradehier [2.38]Sav. gekennzeichnet st" and because he wasskepticalabout henecessity or establishing newwordfor this singlepassage.It wasnot until 1931that the Abendltedheorywas seriouslyquestionedby a competentscholar.M. Winternitzpresenteda provocativenew in-terpretation,rarlslation, nd commentaryor thehymnin ArchtvOrtentalnt, . 296-302. It is, inny opinion,a perceptive sercisein esegesisandessentiallycorrectfor the Srst Sve stanzas,al-thoughit doesnot seeinto havereceived he con-sideration t deserves in fact, as far as I candetermine,t hasbeenoverlookedompletely.Winternitz latly declared hat the hyinnis notan evening-songbut one that describeshe great-nessof Savitar n its totality,alternatelydepictinghis ascentin the Inorningand his descent n theevening (1-3), then againhis tnightat the breaLrof day (4-6) and oncemoreat the onsetof night(7-8). His fuller summary, tanzaby stanza,isthis:God Savitar rises in the morning and propels all crea-tures, as it is his business to do, and apportions allgoods (1) . He stands on high at the zenith and every-thing submits to his will (2). At the coming of eveninghe unyokeshis steeds and night falls (3). In the morn-ing the darknesswhich Night wove is again set aside bySavitar suddenly appearing in the heavens (4). Withthe coming of dawn the sacrificial fire is kindled in allhouses and Agni receives the Agnihotra according toSavitar's ordinance (5). Now the fire burns in everyhousehold; the traveller yearns for his domestic hearth;even the evil-doers abandon their nocturnal activitiesand go home at Savitar's behest (6 ) . Savitar hasassigned to every creature its place ( 7) . As Savitarcommands, Alaruna withdraws in the evening to hiscloud-home and every animal gives itself up to rest(8).- A short prayer (9-11) to Savitar for good-for-tune and wealth is addedto this glorification of the god.

As I haveindicated,Winternitz's iewsseetnedto receiveno recognition, ertainlyno acceptance.

his VedischeBythologte,132: "Immerhin ist esam Abend beteiligt wird und im Einklang mit derihm RY II, 38 zugewiesenen iELolle nur alsnivesano ayatasgefeiert wird." 3 In 1908 Geld-ner, in his Fedtsmusund Brahman1,smus,4ubri-cated his translation with "Abendlied an Savitr2, 38." DELenterpreted stanzas 1-6 as showinghow Savitar in the evening brings a halt to men'sactivities, and stanzas 7 and 8 as showing by indi-vidual ezamples "wie er diese Tatigkeit regulierthat und wie er die Naturreiche verteilt hat."Again, in 1909 in Der Rtgveda n Ausqsahl, eom-mentar,4l, he repeated his agreement with iELoth'sview: "Das Lied ist, wie iELoth ZDMG. 24,306)erkannt hat, ein ausgesprochenes Abendlied." Thesame opinion was expressed in his 1923 transla-tion of the first four books of RAT, 293: "lH:ier[2. 38] wird vorzugsweise sein Wirken am Abendgeschildert." As is well krlown, Geldner's transla-tion of the entire Rig Veda and cozninentarythereto were cotnpleted in this period of the nine-teen twenties but were not published until 1951(in the HarvGl,rdrtentalSeries, voluines 33-5).His esegesis of 2. 38 was not altered appreciablyand, strictly speaking, belongs here in the Abend-lied chronology. However, I have postponed anaccount of it until sotnewhat later because the dateof publication, the etninence o the series in whichit is issued, the reputation of its author, and thescope and lnerit of the work, all guarantee toGeldner's views and interpretations overwheliningauthority and lasting influence.

Also in the year 1923 there appeared H. D.Griswold's The Religion af the Rig-Veda. Onefinds in it an iinaginative and chariningly roman-tic interpretation of 2. 38 inspired by the Abend-lied theory. One reads (274): c;As a specimen ofan evening hyinn to Savitar the ollowing stanzasare given from II. 38: [here there is a translationof stanzas 4-8 which I do not quote] These stanzaspresent a delightful picture of the Vedic hotne-coming at the close of day, when not only man butalso fish, beast and bird seek, each, their place ofrest. Half-finished tasks are laid down, and thegenial hearth-fire is seen glowing far and wide.

s The wording remains unchangedin the secondeditionof l929:II.118.4 In Relipionyeschichtliches Lesebuch (edited by A.Bertholet), 108.


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AT1i:INS: RV 2.38: A Problens lyrnn 9Seven years later R. N. Dandekar, n an articledealing with Savitar's nature,5remarked(304):" The activity of savitr is requentlyconnectedwith the setting of the sun (2.38.1-5). savitr issaid to bring forth night (2. 38. 3 fl.) ... ." In1942 V. M. Apte stated:6 ". . . in the presenthymn (II.38) he [Savitar]is estolled as the set-ting sun." And in 1947 Renou, n preface to histranslation of the hyinn, observed: "Dieu 'inci-tateur,' Savitr fait se lever les etres vivants aumatin et les fait se reposerquand a nuit totnbe:c'est ce secondaspect qui est ici decrit, a partirde la troisieme trophe ..."The latest formulationof Geldner'snterpreta-tion, written in the nineteen-twentiesbut pub-lished in 1951 (MOS, 33.325), is, in summary,this:Hymn 2. 38 especially depicts Savitar's activity in theevening. Gods and men daily receive from him theirrespective portions ( 1 ) . All nature obeys him ( 2 ) .Now that it is evening he has ordered a cessation ofwork and everything and everybody come to a halt( 3-6 ) . Savitar has assigned animals their respectiverealms and they now seek their accommodationsfor thenight (7-8). Even the gods are subordinate to him (9).The conclusion is a veiled prayer for goodly recompensefor the hymn ( 10-11 .

asthatin b refersto the god's morning " standingup, rising" and signals an action that has justrecently taken place.8 4d + stha- is employedpassim n RV to designate he Inounting r ascend-ing of flaines, ays of light, the dawn,and so forth.In an attemptto avoid "has arisen" which wouldnot suit an Abendlied,Geldner (MOS, 33.325)rendersby "hat sich aufgemacht and apparentlyconceivesof Savitar as settingforth towardeven-ing.9 That "has risen," and not "has set forth"or "fahrt herauf" (thus Roth), is the correct n-terpretation,will becozne learas we proceedwiththe exatnination f the hymn'sstructure.b. sastattamarns from sastat "continuallyre-peating,ever-recurring," term often applied tothe Dawns (e. g., I. Il8. Ild). The su:fEs tamahas an ' ordinal force. The meaning is "thatwhichhas preeminent ank n a seriesof repeatingevents,"or better "the latest in a series of ever-recurring happenings." 0 Tadapa refers tosavayaand alsoprobably o ud . . . asthat and tothe attendant activities which follow it in titneand are designatedby vt . . . dhati in c and a. . . abhajad n d. vahnir (vah-, and never ah-despiteNeisserBB, 18. 301-24) is a verbaladjec-tive and is sitnilarin fortnation o t1irni" speed-ing," dharnt"supporting,"prenz "loving," etc.1lSayanaglossed it with vodha jagatam. It is ap-plied in RV to huinan priests, to draft aniinals,andto gods such as Indra,the Asvins,the Maruts,Sotna,and aboveall to Agni-in fact, in the later(epic-classic)anguagevahni-means" fire." Whenusedof Agni, it appears o referonly to his func-tion of conveyinghe othergodsto the sacrifice ndnot to his function of conveying he sacrifice othe gods.l2 Certainly, n a large nutnberof its

8 L. Renou, Grammaire de la Langt4e Vediqt4e, 428(Lyon and Paris, 1952); T. Burrow, The Sanskrit Lan-gt4age,295 (London, 1955).-For u+aorist as a rein-forcing signal of recent past see A. A. Macdonell, AVedic Grammar or Stt4dents, 220-1 (Oxford, 1916).9 In Der Rigveda in At4swahl, II, Rommentar, 42

(Stuttgart, 1909), he cites 6.71.4, particularly callingattention to pratidosam therein, and adds this note:"4t asthat: vgl.denselben Ausdruck in 4c und 4rdhvahin 2. Sav. richtet sich in seinem M7agenhoch auf, ummit Hand und Mund Feierabend zu gebieten."1ORenou, Grammaire, 220 note 1; Studes Vediqabeset Paynineennes, .52 note 2, III.48 (Paris, 1955).11J. Wacknagel-A. Debrunner, Altindische Gramma-tik, Band II. 2 572b ( Gottingen, 1954) .12 H. Oldenberg, ZDMG, 50. 424-5 (1896) and W.Neisser, BB, 18. 301 24 (1892) .

My ownviews on the nature,structure of 2.38 are set forthfollowing section whichpresentsand commentary.significance,andin detail in thetest, translation,

II. I. ud lb sya devah savita savaycF sastat-tamatn tadapavahnir asthat / nunarndevebEyovt hz dhati ratnam athabhajad 1,t1hotramtastalbThis God Savitar (i.e., he who quickens),forthe purposeof quickening i. e., for the purposeofarousinganditnpelling he worldto activity), hasjust risen this latest tiine [in the seriesof his ever-recurring isings], he whohas this as his work, hethe Conveyor. For he [is the one who] now dis-tributes the gift (-offering)atnong he gods, andhe [is the one who] bestoweda share n good for-tune upon him who issues the summons(to thegods) to the sacrificial ffering.a. The combinationud "up" plus the aorist6 "New Light on the Vedic God Savitr," Annals ofthe Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, 20. 293-316 ( 1938-39 .6 "All about ' Vrati ' in the Rgveda," Bqxlletinof theDeccan CollepeResearch Institute, 3. 454.TAntholopie Sanskrite, 12.


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80 ATEINS: RV 2. 38: A ProblemHymnrender t as 'ordinance which would fit well inall five passages. lIowever,Eanns-PeterSchmidthas accorded rata-a thorough, enetratingnvesti-gation in a monograph3 in whichhe demonstratesthat the word meant ';vow'' in RV (as well as inlater literature). With regardto the worshipperand his gods, it is the vow or solemnpromise hatthe gods give to protectand bless man and to workfor his benefitthroughthe exerciseof their char-acteristic functions thus to rule, direct, andguard the world-in return for a vow given byman to support he gods obedientlywith sacrifices.The vrata-,then, is basicallya vow of loyalty ex-changedbetweenruler and subject, a kind of re-ciprocal promissoryoath.- nztnrgrah s a hapaxlegornenon nd the rendering"obedient" (;'sub-missive to ") is mere conjectureadoptedby mosttranslators. It may derive from nz+mrj whichordinarily n RV means "turn over to (some oneelse) " or "appropriate (to one's self)," "takepossession f," but in T.26*3 (jantr iva patir ekahsan? nah / nt rnarnrjepqira tndrah su s&rsdhpossiblyhas some such force as "lay low," ';makeprostrate."4This stanzacarrieson the idea of the god7spro-gression. A key-word s urdSv&hn a (glOssed ySayana as udgatah san), possessing in RV thevalues " erect,"" standingupright,"" aloft" " onhigh." Whatever he exact nuance,the emphasisis upon Savitar's full stature. He is in a com-manding, overlookingposition.l6 If the initialpart of stanza 1 with its Jud stha- suggests be-ginning-point, he initial section of stanza 2 sug-gests mid-point.16In cd the watersand the windare examples of obedience.17 The poet selects

13 Vedisch vrat und aupesttsch urouata (= Alt- undNeu-Indtsc7we tudten, herausgegeben vom SeIninar furRultur und Geschichte Indiens an Universitat Hamburg,9 ), Hamburg, 1958, 157 pages. For his treatment ofthe stanzas of 2. 38 in which vrat occurs see particu-larly 26 and 81.14 For further discussion see Renou, EtqxdesVed. etPan.IV. 121.15 Winternitz ( 301 ) suggests a position of zenith.16Ludwig (4.136) has this in mind when he pointsout for d that the breeze usually dies down toward noonin the hot season. . .17 Roth ( 307 ) interprets " selbst Wasser und \Vindlegen sich in der Stille der anbrechenden Nacht " andGeldner (BOS, 33. 325) speaks of the " in 2 beginnendenSchilderung von Savitr's abendlichen Wirken." Not atall The subrrLission f water and the quiescence ofwind have nothing to do with the evening nor any par-

occurrenceshe term is intimatelyassociatedwithprayer and the sacrifice. In our passage it hasbeen translated variously, e. g., ;' m Wagen,""Wagenfahrer," zu Wagen fahrend," "condui-sant (son char)," " Lenker,"" Fuhrer,' " priest."Whatever ts precisevalue, it seems quite possiblethat it is connectedprolepticallywith Savitarnsservicesas distributorof ratnarn o the gods in cand apportioner f good fortune to the vttthotrarnin d. It is probable despitethe word'srestrictedneaning when used as an epithet of Agni) thatvahniralludes o Savitaras " carrier of the offering to the gods and of good fortune to the priest.c. nunarn, .e., in contrast to Savitar?s isingwhich belongs to the immediatepast.-hz intro-duces an explanationof vahnir. dhatz s takenas 3rd sg. present indicative active of the }ootclass.-q^&tna?n, n the basis of 4. 54. 2, is in-terpretedby many as referring o " immortality."Geldner (g0$n 33. 325) leaves the choice openbetween" immortality) and " sacrificialo:Rering(cf. 10. 85.19); Winternitz 296) prefers he lat-ter in view of the sense of d. When Savitarrisesin the morning,he arousesmen to the sacrifice ndthereby he gods secure he offeringand the priestobtainshis wage.When one views the stanza as a whole, the poetappears o be saying: This God Savitar, the onevisible to us at this very moment,has just risen,as he alwaysdoesmorningafter morning, n orderto performhis characteristic unction of wakingthe world and setting it into motion. Such is histask. lIe is the conveyor, or he now distributesthe offering among the gods, and, when he washere at the sacrificea while ago, he gave to theinvokingpriest a share n good fortune in returnfor his and the othergods' share n the sacrifice.-Thus interpreted, he stanzasuggests Savitar'sre-curring early morningmanifestationand his con-tinuationupon course It puts the god on his feetand starts him moving.2. vtssasya hz srustaye deva urdEvah prabahavaprthqipanihtsarti / apas cid asya vrata anz?nrgrah ayarncid vato ramateparijrnanThe God, ndeed, erect, broad-handed,tretchesout his arms for all to obey. Even the watersunder (the influenceof ) his vow are obedient, venthis wind stops in its circulation.c. vrata: For otheroccurrencesll the hymn seestanzas 3, 6, 7, and 9. One might be tempted to


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ATKINS: DV 2. 38: A ProblemBymn 81themas elementswhich areby verynature n con-stantmotion. Themotion of even theseceases nobedienceo Savitar'svow (to esecute one of hischaracteristicunctions-for, Savitar, the godwho sets all things in motion, obviouslyalso hasthe power o stopmotion,and is committedby hisvrata-to the appropriate serciseof such power.Fromsuch examples he poem proceedsnaturallyin the nest stanza o a temporal nstanceof cessa-tion, broughtaboutby Savitar,which occursatthe end of the day.

3. asubhiscid yanvt rnucatinunam arlrarnadatarnanarnid eto.h/ akyarsunarn in ny ayanavtsyam anms ratarn avitur rnokyagatEven though travellingalong with swift ones(i.e., steeds), he will now unhitch [them]. Hehas madeeventhat which hurries (or " travels")on (i. e., his chariot) cease moving. IIe hascurbedthe ardor of even the serpent-tramplers(i. e., his spiritedhorses). In accordancewith thevow of Savitar the Releaser18 i.e., Nigllt) has.arrlvec ..a. Geldner (FIOS, 33.325) and Renou (An-thologieSanskrite,12) assumethe subject of vt7nucati o be a human. Sayanawas correctintakingit to be Savitar. The sense is this: Eventhough Savitar travels his course in a chariotdrawnby swift horses,the time inevitablycomeswhen the journey ends and he has to checktheirswift motion and unhitchthem-he will do thatnowsb. Sayana assigned atarnanarno a humanagent,and so domostmodern cholars, articularlythosewhoadoptthe Abendliednterpretation.Inmy opinionLudwig(3x. 37) is veryprobably ightwhenhe says: ;; Deratarnana ann nurder Wagensein." Winternitz(297) acceptsLudwig. Thusthe poetrestates he resultof the actionof a some-what differently. The god has broughthis ownchariot o a stop-that chariotwhoseverynatureand functionis motion,l9ike the horses,and likethe waters and the wind in 2 (Sayana himselfticular time of day. Here they are events viewed non-temporally.

18 In mokt there is undoubtedly a play on v* mucattof a. The word might be translated " she whe unhitches."18 For a similar interpretation of b (and a) see P.Peterson, A Second Selection of Hymns from the Rig-Veda, 159 (Bombay Sanskrit Series) No. 58, Bombay,1899 ) .

said, in describing he action, satatarngacchan-tam . The shift rom subjunctiveused withfuture force in a to the aorist (here and in c)recountingwhathas just happenedmaybe signifi-cant. Perhaps t is a caseof "no sooner aidthandone"= " Now the god will unhitch. Look IIehas unhitched. He hcls curbedthe ardorof thehorses." It is by such means hat the image of thegod'sprogression ndtime'sprogressionwouldbe. , .mamtamec ..

c. akycirsun2rns a hapax1. and has beenren-dered variously.20 The comrnonview that thereferences to birds,snake-spearingirds or birdsof prey in general,makes little sense. I believethat Ludwig (4. 137) was right in declaring" dieclEyar.smsind ebendie Rosse." So too Bergaigne(lP:V, 2.3tS2): ". . . ahi-arshmsqui s'elancesurles serpents,' l'epithete]appliquee us chevausdusoleil, II, 38, 3," and Winternitz (297): " derschlangenzerstampfendenosse." I take the sec-ond memberas a u-stemverbaladjective romthebase that appearsin rsati " push, thrust" andunderstandhe compoundas a tatpurusa1 = (; ofthosewho tramplesnakes(or Ahi?) n22 or possi-bly "who slashsnakes (with sharphoofs)." TheVedic evidencefor a conceptof horsesthat killsnakesconsistsof: (1) RV.117.9; 118.9 wherethe Asvins are said to have given Pedu a white(svetarn)steed that receivesthe epithet ahihana"snake-killing'7;(2) RV 9.88.aI whereSomaissaidto be the killerof what arecalled ahi just asthe horsePaidva s the killer of such; and (3) AV

20 Sayana: ahim ahantaramsatrum arsanti gacchantsiti ahyarsavah; PW s. v. " schlangengleich gleitend,-schiessend"; Roth ( 306): " des Schlangenstbssers";Grassmann ( WB s. v. ): "wie eine Schlange [ah]dahinschiessend [arsu] "; Ludwig (1.146): "derdrachenschnellen; Geldner (BOS, 33. 325): " derSchlangenspiesser"; Renou (Antholopie Sanskrit, 12):" des piquers de serpents."21 See Oldenberg,RV Notex, 1-6 Buch, 219 (Berlin,1909) .22 In RV r.sati is combinedmost often with n; and is

usually interpreted as "fill, stuS (into) " in the pas-sages where it occurs. On the other hand the noun rstsmeans " weaponused for thrustingb and the uses of theverb in A+T ndicate the meaning " thrust, stab." Prob-ably the value of the RV n-rs&ts derives from " thrustdown hard, tamp down Srmly, pack solidly, cram full bypacking down.' The values of rs&tsundoubtedly varywith the nature of the instrument used for thrusting.Eorses' hoofs suggest " stamp on, trample' (possibly


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82 ATKINS: RV 2. 38: A Problem MyrnnlO.3I,a charm directed against snakes and theirpoisons, where in stanza 3 it is said: ava svetepadA ahi purvenaccivparenaWhite one Strike[the snake] with the forefoot and the hindfoot,"and where n stanzas5 and 7 Paidva is alluded oas slayer of snakes.-asqsyarn is anotherhapax 1.It is related o asqsyati"be eager, strive for " andavisyu "greedy." It describes he spirited, rest-less eagerness of Savitar's horses to keep inmotion. Like b, so too c is a restatement, ndifferent erms, of a.

d. The result of the cessationdescribed n abcis the arrival of night. Taken as a whole, thestanza represents the third and final stage ofSavitar's magined ourney rom the beginningofday to the end of day. So then, the structureofthis first triad is: 1 =rising or starting point;2 = a point somewhere elatively ar along course,probablymid-point; 3 = end-point.at punah sarnavyad v1,tatarnayantt rnadAyakartorny adhacchakrna h1,rah zut arnhayasthadvy rt?inradardhah aramatih avita deva agatThe Weaver (i.e., Night) has rolled togetheragain that which was spreadout (i. e., the web orfabricof darkness). In the midst of [her] activitythe Wise One (i. e., Savitar) has su&pendedher]power. Bestirringhimself, he has risen. He hasdivided the time-periods (i. e., day and night).

God Savitar, aramatih (" not resting" or " notstaying" ?) has arrived.2323 This difficult and crucial stanza, particularly ab, hasbeen misinterpreted by the majority of scholars. Ithardly seems worthwhile to list the various erroneousviews. Two translations will serve as representatives:IIillebrandt, who goes astray in b (Lieder des Rgveda,91, Gottingen and Leipzig, 1913 : " Die Weberin [dieNacht] faltete ihr Gearebewieder zusammen. Mitten inder Arbeit legte der Kunstler sein Werk nieder [dieSonne am Abend . Sich erhebend stieg er empor undschied die Jahreszeiten. Ohne zu ruhen kam Savitrherbei." And Geldner, wllo misses the mark completelyin ab (BOS, 33. 325): " Die bVebende [wohl clie men-

schliche Weberin] hat das ausgebreitete ( GenTebe wie-der zugedeckt; mitten in der Arbeit hat der [mensch-liche] Kunstler sein Werk niedergelegt. Er [Savitr]ruhrt sich und hat sich erhoben; er hat die Zeitengeschieden. Rasch entschlossen ist Gott Savitr ge-kommen."I have found only three translations that are essen-tially correct. One of these is, interestingly, by Geldnerwho in 1892 (Vedische Studien, 2. 189, 257, Stuttgart)had what I consider the right interpretation of ab which

a. Sayana correctly interpreted vayantt " shewho weaves" as Night: vastrarnvayantz nartvaratrih. The line is related in thought to the lastline of the preceding tanzawhich said that Nighthad arrived. Here it is implied that she departs,after folding togetheronce more (as she has donecountless previousmornings) the fabric of dark-ness which she had spreadout over the world.

b. Althoughdhtrah ometimes efers o humansin RV, it is more often used as an epithet appliedto various gods, and here designates Savitar.Again the time-setting,as in a, and clearly n cd,is the morning. The cycle is complete. Savitarhas madeNight withdraw;oncemore n the never-ending series he has risen- and this is preciselythe statementof c.c. Savitar has risen and thus has separatednight from day. ut . . . asthad is an exact echoof ud . . . asthat in ab of stanza 1, just as cigat nthe following d is an exact echo of agat in d ofstanza 3. In this mannerstanza 4, which beginsa new unit of thought, s linked with the openingand close of the precedingunit.d. The word aramatih, which occurs only inRV, i&troublesome. The consen&u&f scholar&sthat as a feminine noun it means "properthink-ing, devotion," is derived from &arn " proper,ready" and matth "thought," and i& related to

he unfortunately rejected in later publications: " dieWebende (= die Nacht) rollte wieder zusammen dasausgespannte ( Gewebe ; mitten in ihrer Arbeit be-seitigte ihr Werk der kluge (Savitar). Sich aufrichtendist es aufgestanden, das punktliche ( flinke Gebet hatdie Zeiten auseinander gehalten: der Gott Sav. ist ebenerschienen." Another is M. Bloomfield's (The Religiorwof the Veda, 74, Ne^J York and London, 1908):" Weaving Night hath folded up her woof,In the midst of her performance wise Savitarsuspends ller work.He riseth from his couch and sets the seasons,With fitting plan God Savitar hath come hither."The third is by Winternitz ( 302 ): " Wieder hat dieWeberin ( Nacht ) ihr ausgebreitetes Gelvebe ( das Dun-kel) zusammengewickelt; mitten in der Arbeit hat derkluge (Savitar) ihr Werk beiseite geschaft. Mit einemRuck hat er sich erhoben Aramati hat ( ja ) dieZeiten geschieden Gott Savitar ist gekommen."The closely parallel passage 1. 11a. 4 and such pas-sages as 7. 63. 1, 2. 17. 4cd, and 4. 13. 4ab are extremelyimportant for 2. 38. 4ab (as Winternitz, 298, pointsout ) . For a full discussion see my remarks in JAOS,58. 428-31 ( 1938 .


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ATEINS: RV 2.38: A Problern yrnn 83Av. ar?naitust.24ayana, however, ook it as anadjective n this passageand glossed with anupa-ratih "not stopped,not ceasingmotion." In viewof the relatively arge numberof hapax legomenain this hymn it is quite conceivable hat this isanotheronc an adjectivehomophonouswith thenoun.25 The componentswould be privativea-and the adjectiveramati" staying still, not stray-ing " which occurs n AV T.TS.2 and TS 1. 6. 3. 1,applied to cattle, and is derived26 rom the baseram- (cf. lines 2d and 3b of this hymn). Cer-tainly " not staying still," " not resting" is appro-priate for Savitar, the god who, in a sense, ismotion personified. It must be admitted, how-ever, that the accentuationas it stands providesan argumentagainstsuch an analysis,27longwith

24 M. Mayrhofer, Kurzgefasstes etymolopisches Wor-terDuch des Alttndtschen s. v. Heidelberg, 1953 ff. ); W.Wust, Gotttnpische Gelehrte Anzetpen, 196.20-2 (1934).See also Renou, Etudes Ved. et P&n., I. 1-2.25 Neisser (Zum WB des RV, 1. 96) remarks:"Abgesehen davon, dass dieser Sinn [" nicht ruhend "]dem Gotte des Abends, als der gerade hier Sav. gekenn-zeichnet ist, nicht sonderlich angemessen erscheint,werden wir gegen Ansatz neuen Worts mit Berg. unsskeptisch verhalten, wenn kein Zwang ersichtlich." But,if the hymn is not an Abendlted and if Savitar is notcharacterizedas " Gott des Abends," the argument losesits force. It is to be noted that Renou (Etudes Ved. etPan., IV. 94) says: " Mais le mot figure aussi commemasc., ep. de Savitr . . . 2. 38, 4."26 Debrunner-Wackernagel,Az. Gr., II. 2 466c. J.

Hertel (Abh. d. Sachs. Ak. d. Wtss., 40, Nr. 2, p. 103,1929) points to a substantive use of ramatz at TS 7. 1.12.1. Wust (GGA, 196.9) suggests that ramatz (andthe noun ramats " stopping-place" AV 6. 73. 2d, 3d) maybe new formations based on aramatt and comparable toaditz-: ditz-, as1hra-: ura-, asita-: sita-.27F. Knauer, ZVS, 27.35-6 (1885). But Hertel (op.cit. 59, 98, 104) thinks that the accentuation of aramatzas transmitted depends upon a folk-etymological connec-tion (in Vedic times) with ara- and is false, and pointsto the fact that the author of the Padapatha does notdivide the word into its elements, presumably becauseits etymology was not clear to him. His view is that Av.armattz contains the preverb a and the root ram- ( cf.Av. a + ram- " beruhigen,"Vedic a +ram- " eine Pausemachen,"aramana" Ruheplatz") and designates " durchHerrschaft gegen Rauber gesicherte Siedelung der Vieh-zuchter," while RV aramatt contains the privative a-and the root ram- and means " Unrast,, Trift, Nomaden-leben." Wust (op. cit. 1-39), however, writes a bitter,devastating, but mostly sound critique of Hertel's mono-graph in which he demolishes (to my satisfaction) thea- + ram- derivation ( as well as the meaning " Unrast " )for aramati in all passages except 2. 38. 4d. Here hisinterpretation, colored by the Abendlied theory, is:"Aramati die rechte [Abend-] andacht" (10, note 1).

the fact that noneof the -ati formations it is truethat they are not numerous) show the prefixalnegative a(n)-. Nor is it any more likely thataramatiis a bahzurrthi ith the componentsaramati "not possessinga stoppingplace."S. rsanaukarnsiibryo tsqtamyuh / vt {sthateprabhavah oko agneh / jyestham mata sunavebhagamadhat / anv asya ketam stfi6rnavitraThe household lame of Agni, springingup, foran entire lifetime is distributed individuallyamong he dwellings of men]. [IIis] mother(i. e.,Usas "Dawn") has assigned he best portion[ofthe sacrifice] o [her] son (i. e., Agni) in accord-ance with his appetitewhich has been stimulatedby Savitar.ab. Agni, in his domesticaspect,appearssepa-rately28 n countlesshouseholdswhere he has a

perpetualresidenceand a continuous unction 9as recipient and conveyorof the daily sacrifices.Agni is one and yet is many,30or the home ofevery worshipper as its individualAgni.cd. Sayana correctly dentifiedmata as Usas,jyesthambhagam as prathamamagnthotrakEyamJandsunaveas Agni. So too Ludwig (4.138) andWinternitz (299-300). The common view thatthe description s of a humanmother giving herhungry son a fine supperby the glowing hearth-fire is not convincing. There is nothing in the28 p. Thieme is certainly right when he insists thatnana always belongs to the subject (Untersuchungenzur Wortkunde und Auslepung des Rigveda, 53 note 2,Halle / Saale, 1949).29 See P.-E. Dumont, L'Agnihotra (Baltimore, 1939):" Mais ce qui fait l'importance de l'agnihotra, c'est quec'est un sacrifice quotidien et un sacrifice perpetuel"(v) . " Bien que l'on distingue deux agnihotras: celuidu soir et celui du matin, ces deux agnihotras ne sonten realite que les deux parties d'un seul et meme sacri-fice. D'autre part, comme il faut que le sacrifiant offrel'agnihotra chaque soir et chaque matin, sa vie durant,que l'obligation d'offrir ce sacrifice ne cesse qu'avec lamort ou quand le sacrifiant, devenu vieux, renonce aumonde pour mener la vie d'un ascete mendiant, et que

son fils, a son tour, offre, chaque jour, soir et matin, lem8me sacrifice, on peut considerer l'agnihotra commeunsacrifice perpetuel." ( vii )30 There are many references in RV to domestic Agni'smultiplicity, e. g.: 3. 55. 4 samano raja vtbhrtah purutra" one and the same king everywhere diSused "; 5. 1. 5dame-dame sapta ratna dadhano " bestowing his sevengifts upon every household "; 7. 15. 2 yah . . . nisasadadSme-dame " who has settled down in every household";Val. 10.2 eka evagnir bahudha samiddha " There is onlyone Agni though manifoldly kindled."


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84 ATE:INS: RV 2.38: A ProblemHymnstanza, as there is nothing in the entire hymn,which suggestshumanactors. As for the setting,it is not nocturnal but matutinal. Savitar hasrisen oncemore (stanza4); the Dawnhas assignedthe morningagnihotra o the domesticAgni whoseappetitehas been stimulatedby Savitar.6. samavavarti v*sthito jigtsuh / vtsvesamkamas caratam amabhi4t savan apo vtkrtaqnhitsy agat / ambvratarn avitiirdaivyasyaHe (i. e., Agni) who was dispersed amongthedwellingsof men], desirous f obtaining the sacri-ficial offering], comes single and whole [to thesacrifice]. The object of desire of all movingthings has been at home (or "in his owi home,"i. e., the sacrificer's ouse). Ever recurring, ivingup the workseparately one (i. e., the diverseworkdone by him in countless households), he hasarrived [at the sacrifice] n accordancewith thevow of divine Savitar.a. Oldenbergwas right in saying " samava?)arti(zu vrt) und vtsthito entsprechen ich als Gegen-satze."1 (:ertainlyvtsthito refers to Agrli (thusLudwig,4.138, and Winternitz, 00) and Sayana'syqsddharthaqnrasthitah "one who has set forthfor battle,"blindly acceptedby most interpreters,is incorrect. The multiple Agni whose dispersionis mentioned in the preceding stanza (5ab: vttisthate) comesas a single entity to the sacrifice.b. I follow Ludwig (4.138 ) who interpretskamasas eqviivalento Agni and as meaning not"desire" but "object of desire.7'32Agni who isabroad verywhere s household lamehas also beenat home.33cd. Agrli as the ever-recurrentire of the dailymorning sacrificehas arrived,as Savitar has ar-rived (cf. stanza4: agat), here at this particularsacrifice, mpelled y the efficacy f Savitar'svowand by the efficacyof this hymn. The full powerof the god in all his oneness s here, not elsewhere.It is to be noted that this secondconceptualunit(stanzas4-6) closeswith agat / anu vratatn avtttiras the first conceptualunit closeswith anu vratarn

31 RV Noten, 1-6 Buch, 219.32 Cf. *ste ( 1. 143. 8 ) " O object of desire," said toAgni.33 The house in which Agn; is kept is often called " hisown home." (Sompare, e. g., 1. 1. 8 vardhamanam ssedanze " growing strong in your own home "; 1. 94. 14sanzidd71a7.wve dame " kindled in your own home ";3. 1. 14 v.rddhm edas* sse " grown strong in llis ownabode."

savitur . . agat (3d). As the one who starts andstopsmotion Savitar s responsibleor cyclic regu-larity and periodicity n all activitiesand with hisvrata-accepts hat responsibility.The unit, as a whole, may be summarizedasfollows: Savitar's suspensionof Night's activityand his rising and arrivalat the morningsacrificeare spoken of in stanza 4. The composer hendirectshis attention o Agni, god of the sacrificialfire and associateof Savitar n the day'sbeginning(5 ) . He speculatesmystically and in riddlingfashion aboutAgni's multiple distribution S, 6a)and singlefoldpresenceat the sacrifice,a presencevowedby Savitar (6). The mentionof Agni's dis-tribution leads naturally to the distributionsde-scribed n the next unit.T. tvayahitam apyamapsau hagam dhan?)anva mrgayaso t tasthq4h vanani vtbhyonakir asyatani / vrata devasya avitqxrminantiWater-creatures have spread] throughout thedomain establishedby you in the waters. Thewild beasts have spread over the dry land. Theforests (i.e., the trees of the forest) are for thebirds. None of them changes34 hese his vows,,[the vows] of God Savitar.a. For want of a better explanationof gram-matical structure I follow (unhappily) one ofOldenberg's roposals RV Coten, 1-6 Buch, 221)and takecepyarn that whichbelongs n theater="water-creatures"as nominativesingular neu-ter and hitam as accusative ingular masculine nagreementwith bhclgam hichwouldbe in parallelconstructionwith dhanvaof b. Winternitz(300)confessed hat he did not know how to overcomethe difficulties n this verse any better than Hille-brandtand Geldner. Renou's ranslation5 iS es-cellent. lIe seems to have followed Grassmann.36The sense of the stanza, which is the openingof the third unit, is quite clear. It describeshowcreatures re distributed y Savitar o their properspheres of activity, their domains of motion-

S For m- " change Ca thing by substituting somethingelse]," also " deceive, betray " and " deceitfully break oror violate " and so, with the negative, = " scrupulouslyobserve or obey" see Thieme "Die beiden Verben tnt,"ZDMG, 95. 82-114 ( 1941 ) .ss Anthologie Sanskrite, 13: " c'est to; qui as fiseleur domaine dans l'eau aux 8tres aquatiques."36 R*g-Veda, ubersetzt Part I, 50 and 570. Grassmannboldly cut the Gordian knot by stating: " bhaga hierNeutrum."


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ATEINS: RV B.38: A ProblernSIyrnn 85water-creatureso the water, beaststo the land,birdsto the trees.8. yadradhyarnart4no6nirnapyam antsitarnnimtss jarbht4ranah vtsto mfi6rtandorajarnapasurgat / sthas6janmanisavitavy akahIn accordancewithwhat is granted (or " so faras it is granted") [by Savitar]Varuna[hasgoneto] his aboden the waters,neverstopping,dartinghereand therein a flash; everybird [hasgone toits nest]; the beastof the fieldhasgoneto its pen.Savitarhas distributed reatures ccordingo theirproperstations.ab. y2dradhyam s a hapax 1. Wackernagelanalyzest as yat " in soweitals" plus radhyaandtranslates t: "so schnell als moglich . . . (eig.soweites durchfuhrbarst)."37 Oldenberg RVNoten, I-6 Buch, 220) denies that radhyais agerundive ormation,says that it is a secondaryderivativeromradha(= radhas, andtranslates:" sofern es verliehen ist, d. h. sofern Savitarsradhah (v. 1lb) vorliegt (Adj. zu yonim oderAdverb?)." Winternits (300-1), followingLud-wig, conjecturesyat radhyam and construes:" Varuna ist in seine ihm angemesseneWasser-heimatstattegegangen,"and explains: " Varunahat seinWolkenmeerufgesucht,d. h. es ist Nachtgeworden."Renou (Grammaire 388 note) trans-lates: "autant qu'onpeut atteindre." I followOldenberg,but take the word with c as well aswith ab. Varuna,everybird,and the beastof thefieldreceive heir abodesas gifts from Savitar.ant,sitarns an adverbmeaning"withoutrest, in-cessantly = "never stopping." nimz6.stiterallymeans " in the wink of an eye" = " instantane-ously, in a flash."38 In RV Varunais closelyassociatedwith the waters; in fact, water is hiselement, e.g. T.49.3a yasalnbreferring o apo ofd) raja varqznoati madhye"In whose (i.e. the

37 Ai. Gr., II. 1, p. 324 122a note. See also II. 2, p.802 647.38 H. Lommel, Acta Orientalia 11 134-9 ( 1933 , hasshown convincingly that Varuna's supposed close con-

nection with ni-rnis ( a point made by Geldner andOldenberg) has no significance for an understanding ofthis stanza. However, he goes on to speak of the depic-tion ( in cd ) of tlle homecoming of birds and otheranimals to their resting-places, and his translation ofab seems to indicate that he is thinking of a homecomingin the evening: " Auch Varuna ( begibt sich) so gutals moglich zu seinem Ruhelager, (aber) er rastet nicht,(sondern noch) im Einschlummernblinkt er auf (zuckter hell leuchtend auf) ."

waters') midst King Varuna travels 1.161.14diva yanti marutobhqimyagnth ayamvato an-tariksencbati / adbhtryati varunahsamt4drath" The Maruts ravelin heaven,Agni on the earth,this windin the atmosphere,Varuna n the waters,the seas.*'39In our passageVaruna apparentlysymbolizes40he beings of his realm,the water-creatures. The statement,which s metaphoricallyexpressed,s that everywater-creatureas gonetoits water-home.41Lines abc are, more or less, a restatement(acommonVedic device) of Tabcwith ab= Tswandc= Tbc. There is a substitutionof domesticatedbeast (pasur) for wild beast (m.rgayaso andthereis an alterationn the orderof presentation:water-creature:waters, dry land: wild beasts,trees:birds n 7, but water-creatures: ater-house,bird: nest, pen: domesticated easts in 8. In 7the references to the difEerentreasthat varioustypes (water, and, air) of creatures ange. In 8the references to the abodeor stationof a crea-ture, the base, so to speak,from which it startsits operations ndto whichit returnsupon cessa-tion of motion. Savitar as gOd who incites tomotionassignsdomainsof motion(7), andas godwith the powerof stoppingmotionassignsstations(8) .9. na yasyendrovarunona mitrah / vratamaryamana rninantirudrah naratayas arn damssastz/ huve devamsavitanamobEihWhosevowneitherIndra [and]Varuna= True-Speech2 nor Mitra= Contract2 [and] Aryaman

39 For a discussion of "Varuna und die Wasser imRgveda" see E. Luders, Varxna, I. 50-4 ( Gottingen1951). Eis translation (50) of 2.38.8 is: "So weit esmoglich ist, geht Varuna (am Abend in das Wasser-heim, er, der unaufhorlich jeden Augenblick sich hinund her bewegt, jeder Vogel ( in sein Nest ), das Viehin den Pferch. Nach ihren Standorten hat Savitr dieArten der Geschopfegesondert."40 For a similar view, held earlier but later rejected byEillebrandt, see his Vedische Alytholopie, II2. 20-1,note 5.41 The question whether the waters are heavenly orearthly is poetically unimportant.- " Himmlische undirdische Wasser sind also miteinander identisch, und esist kein Widerspruch, wenn Varuna bald in den ir-dischen Flussen und Meeren, bald in Eimmel erscheint;auch dort weilt er in den Wassern." (Luders, Varqhna12) . '42 See Thieme,Mitra and Argaman (= Transactions ofthe ConnecticutAcademy of Arts and Sciences, 41.1-96,New Eaven, 1957), particularly pages 61-2 (for Varuna),


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86 ATEINS: RV B.38: A Problem Myrnn=Hospitality42 nor Rudra [and] the Malignitieschange,him I summonhere [to the sacrifice] orour prosperity with reverent salutations, GodSavitar.abed. Just as the wild creaturesof the worldwhoseranges and stations are fixed by Savitar donot change (nakir . . . minanti, beginning of thethird unit, in T) his vows, so neither do divinepowers,beneficent nd maleficent, hangehis vow(na . . . minanti,end of the third unit).10. bhagarndhtyarnvajayantahpurarndhtmnarasarnsogrsci,spatir o avyah / aye vamasyasarngathe aytnam priya devasya avituh syamaMay we, stimulating to action (or perhaps"may they, the previouslymentionedgods, set inmotion") Good Fortune, Prayer, Puramdhi43-(may Narasamsa,who is husband of a goddess,18-71 ( for Mitra ), and 72-91 ( for Aryaman ) . Comparealso his remarks in the Indo-Iranian Joqmrnal, 3.144-51(1959), particularly the following:

" Mitra ' [God] C ontract' protects contracts, treatiesbetween men, and covenants between men and gods. Byhis very nature, he must be a protector of vows andsolemn promises....

Aryarnan ' [God] Hospitality' is, just as naturally,the god N7ho protects the solemn vows, exchanged be-tween guest and host, on which hospitality is based.When speaking of Mitra and Aryarnan within the con-text of the sacrifice, the poet thinks of, and alludes to,the primordial contract betN7een man, as the host, andthe gods, as the guests, to offer sacrifices and to giverewards respectively ... ." ( 147 )" A11 this becomes understandable if we posit avaru)za- ' true-speech ' and look upon Varuna as thedivinized ' True-Speech,' whose domain, then, must evi-dently be conveyance of correct knowledge, instigationand protection of sacred, and that mean trutllful, poetry,as ^7ell as the protection of vo^7s and oaths." (148)

43 For tllis difficult word see Mayrhofer, Kur:pefasstesetyr>T. WB d. Ai., 308-9 a nd references there; Renou,Etudes sur le Vocabulaire du Rgveda (Pondichery, 1958)s. v.; and BurroN7, JAOS, 79. 288-9 ( 1959 ) .

aid us)-may we, [I say], be beloved of GodSavitar so that there may be a coming of pros-perity, a confluence f riches.11. asrnabEyamad divo adbEyahprthivyah

tvaya dattarn kamyarnradha a gat / sarn yatstotrbEya apaye bhavati / qzrqzsarnsayaavitar. .. . *yarstreFrom Heaven, from the Waters, from Earth,may this gift of what we want, bestowedby you,cometo us, [this gift] which shall be a blessing othe bards, o the friend,to the singerwhosepraises[of you] reachfar and wide, O Savitar.These two concluding stanzas voice the usualprayer or all good things. They are outside thetriadie structure.III. This hymn, as interpreted by almost allscholars,has suppliedmuch of the Rig-Vedicevi-dence for Savitar'sclose connectionwith eveningand night. If it is not an Abendlied,as I hopethat I have shown, hen that aspect of his natureand functionrequires e-examination.44Certainlythe Rig-Veda, ombed nd thoroughlyworkedoverby seholarsas it has been, still remains a fertilefield for investigation.

44 Hillebrandt (Vedische Alytholopie, IIa. 102 ), in dis-cussing " Savitr im Ritual," says: " Aus dieser Angabefolgt, dass die S elle des Savitragraha vom Morgen aufden Abend verlegt worden ist . . . ," and later (118)remarks: " Immerhin ist es seltsam, dass er im srauta-Ritual nur am Abend beteiligt wird und im Einklangmit der ihm RV II, 38 zugewiesenen Rolle nurs alsnivesano japatas gefeiert wird; denn das widersprichtseiner Stellung in andern Mandala's wie IV und V undist offenbar einem der vielen Kompromisse, unter denendas Ritual entstand, zuzuschreiben." But, of course, ifthe interpretation presented in this article is correct,2. 38 assigns no such exclusive role to Savitar and itdoes not contradict his position in other books such asIV and V.

Atkins, S. D. - RV 2.38 - A Problem Hymn

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