R I G V E D I C pdrye divi by

F. B. J. KUIPER

Leiden
1. The word pdrya- has attracted less attention than might be expected on account of its meaning, which would seem to be of direct importance for our understanding of the general character of the Rigveda. It seems indeed to belong to a group of words that are strictly confined to this oldest collection of Vedic hymns. The few occurrences of it in later Vedic texts are merely quotations of Rigvedic mantras. 1 It should be noted that the Yajurvedic word pdry3- " o n the other side" and its opposite avdry3- " o n this side ''2 are based on the post-Rigvedic opposition pdrd:avdr~ (VS., TS., AB.). In its earliest occurrences this word is still accented pdrya- (VSM, XXV.1, VSK. XXVII. 1; 2) like the Rigvedic word, with which it must originally have been identical. After the specific Rigvedic meaning had fallen into desuetude, the word remained in use as the opposite of avdryd- and adopted the accentuation of the latter word (which was perhaps due to the formal analogy of the gerundives like dcdry3-, atitdryd-; see Altindische G r a m m a t i k II/2, p. 793). The Rigvedic word pdrya- had indeed a quite different meaning. It is a normal -ya-derivafive3 of pdrd-, whose original meaning "crossing" is still preserved in the bahuvrihi-compound supdrd- "easy to be crossed". 4 As early as the oldest texts, however, pdrd- had come to denote "further bank, the opposite side, the end or limit of anything". It is used with reference to a road (ddhvana.h pdrdm V,54.10) as well as to the sea or a river (samudrdsya ... pdrd I. 167.2, slndho.h pdr~ X. 155.3), but more parti1 Cf. SV. 1.318, JS. 1.33.6, TS. 1.6.12.1, MS. IV.12.3. (19. 184,17) = RS. VII.27.1; and TS. 1.6.12.3, MS. IV.12.3 (p. 182,13), KS. VIII.16 (p. 101,1), XXXVIII.7 (p. 108,13) = RS. III.22.14; SV. 1.280. II.I032 (1682), JS. 1.19.6, IV.27.7 = RS. VII.32.14; SV. II.218 (868), JS. III.19.13 = RS. VIL32.21; SV. II.994 (1644), JS. IV.27.3 = RS. VIII.92.9. Cf. TS. IV.5.8.2; VII.3.16.1, MS. III.15.1, KS. XVII.15 (el. KSA. III.6!), KKS. XXVII.5. 3 Cf. Wackernagel-Debrunner, Altindische Grammatik, II/2, p. 806. 4 See Renou, Etudes vOdiquesetpd.nin~ennes,III, p. 36, VII, p. 55, Kratylos, V, p. 93; for the accent see Wackemagel, Altind. Gramm.,II/1, p. 294.

170

F.B.J.

KUIPER

cularly it is associated with words denoting "darkness" or "distress". The most characteristic stanza is (ttdri.sma tdmasas pdrdm asy6 "wir sind ans Ende dieser Finsternis gelangt ''5 (I.92.6; 183.6; 184.6; VI1.73.1). In the first of these passages these words are followed by the p~da u.sd uch6ntf vayfind k.r.noti "die Us.as bestimmt aufleuchtend die Zeiten". Elsewhere an attempt has been made to demonstrate that this passage refers to the end of the year. 6 Cf. the Yajurvedic mantra vimueyadhvam aghnyd devaydnd, dganma tdmasas pdr6m asy6/ jy6tir dpdma "be ye unyoked, ye inviolable, godward-striding (oxen). We have come to the end of this gloom, we have attained the light ''7 (VSM. XI1.73 etc.). Such an application is also plausible in II.33.3 pdr.si .na.hpdrdrn dthhasa.h svasti, vi~vd abh~tf r@aso yuyodhi "fiihr uns heil an das Ende der Not, wehre alle Anf~tlle von Gebreste ab!". F r o m the name of the intercalary month athhasaspati- VS., (cf. alhhaspatyc~- TS., MS.) we may infer that 6rhhascould denote the critical period at the end of the year. It may however also have been used in a general sense, fike vi.spit6- in VII.60.7

pravrdj~ ein nady~ gddhdm asti pdrdrh no asy6 vi.spit6syapar.san

"Auch im Verlauf eines Stromes finder sich eine Furt; mSgen sic uns an das andere Ufer dieser Widerw~trtigkeit hiniiberhelfen", and duritdt- in X.161.3

~atdrh ydthemdrh garddo ndy~tl 'ndro vigvasya duritfsya pdrfm

" a u f dass ihn [viz. a diseased person] indra hundert Herbste lang an das jenseitige Ufer jeglicher Gefahr fiihre". The general meaning of an escape from a danger is also impfied in VIII.19.34

yfrn dditydso adruha.h pdrfrh nfyatha m6rtyam

"welchen Sterblichen ihr truglosen ,~ditya's ans andere Ufer fiihret". As a consequence of the Rigvedic style, which uses mythological allusions to denote actual events, it is often impossible to determine what kind of "distress" is meant. But the application of pdr6- to the end of 5 All German translations that have been added to the quotations are by Geldner. The present writer has abstained from adding personal comments except where this is essential for the interpretation. The absence of any comment does not imply that he accepts Geldner's rendering in all respects. 6 See llJ, IV, p. 233. Cf. however Renou, Etudesvddiques,III. pp. 35, 52. Transl. by Eggeling, SBE, 41, p. 331.

RIGVEDICpdrye div[

171

the year is quite clear in the brghma.nas, e.g. TS. VII,5.1.2 sarhvatsardh/ va[ samudrds, tdsyai 'tdt pdrdrh ydd atirdtra~t. Indeed, the current expression pdrdm ag- "to attain the end" (cf. svasti te pdrdm aifya SB. II.3.4.22) is often used with reference to the year, e.g. svasti sarhvatsarasya pdram a~nute ya evarh veda. 8 This is ritualistic prose as compared with the mythological expressions pdrdm drhhasa.h, tdmasas pdrdm. 2. The adjective pdrya- occurs 17 times in the Rigveda, and mostly in the family collections: IV 2, VI 6 and VIP (besides: I x IIP IX 1 X1). The restriction of its use to the oldest text, and notably to the oldest parts of it, may be due to its forming part of the terminology of the ancient New Year's festival. In such a connexion it seems at least to be used in VI.66.8

tokd vd g6.su trnaye yrrn aps{t sd vrajdrh dc~rtdpdrye 6dha dyr.h

This hymn does not in its first part refer to any special ceremony as it is only concerned with the miraculous birth of the Maruts (st. I-5) and their worship (st. 6-11). But in st. 8 it is stated that he, whom the M. assist, is unassailable: "Nicht gibt es einen Wehrer noch Dberwinder dessen, dem ihr Marut im K a m p f um den Siegerpreis beisteht, oder wenn es sich urn den Samen, um Ktihe, um leibliche Nachkommenschaft, um Wasser handelt. Er sprengt die Kuhhtirde noch in der letzten (Stunde) des Tages auf". The exact grammatical explanation of the words pdrye ddha dyr.h remains uncertain: Max Miiller, SBE, 32 p. 369 also rendered "at the close of the day" but in a note on IV. 16.11 Geldner contemplated the possibility of assuming an "Inkongruenz der Kasus" (like Grassmann). However that may be, it cannot be questioned that its meaning is more or less similar to that ofpdrye divL Now it is interesting that in VI.25.4 the same words tokd vd grs.u tdnaye ydd aps~ are followed by vl krdndasi urvdr~su brrvaite, which is again closely connected with VI.31.1 vi tokd apsfi trnaye ca s~rd 'vocanta car.sa.ndyo v[vdca.h. Of these passages, which all belong to the sixth book, the last two refer to the vivdc-, which seems to have been the technical term for the Rigvedic potlatch festival2 Since this vlvdc-, if this assumption is correct, seems to have taken place during the New Year festival, the words pdrye 6dha dyr.h, apparently used with reference to the same festival, deserve notice. It should be observed that 8 Cf. AB. IV.13.8; 14.2-8; 15.7,8; 29.8; 30.9,13. But p~rr- may also denote the end of the night, e.g. SB. II.3.4.23 etdno eva2s.detdd rdtreb svastipt2rrrnsama~nute. 9 See 11J, IV, p. 268ff.

172

F . B . J . KUIPER

the frequency of occurrence of vlvdc- corresponds more or less to that of pdrya-; cf. 11 III 1 VI z VH z X 1 (for vivac-) with those mentioned above for pdrya-, viz. 11 1II1 IV 2 VI e VII 4 IX 1 X 1. Clear reference to the same festival is found in VI.33. The poet prays for Indra's mightiest intoxication (6ji.st.ha.h .... mddo), which slays in the battles the forces of resistance, the enemies (v.rtrd sarndtsu sasdhad amitrtin). The second stanza runs as follows:

tvdrh h~ndrdvase vlvdco hdvante car.san,dyah. g~rasatau tvdrh v[prebhir vi pan.fthr agdyas tv6ta it sdnita vdjam drva
"Denn dich, Indra, rufeu die streitenden VSlker zum Beistand (im Kampf) um den Heldenpreis. Du bist dutch die Redekundigen mit den Pa.ni's (Knausern) fertig geworden. Von dir begiinstigt gewinnt der Renner den Siegerpreis". The third stanza repeats the prayer that Indra shall overcome the D~sic and the Aryan forces of resistance (ubhdydrh amitrdn ddsd v.rtrdn.y dryd ca), the fifth, that he shall be a life-long friend and helper "when we invoke Thee in our acquisition of the sun, in the contest between the two parties, in battles, O hero ["(svdr.sdtd ydd dhvdydmasi tvd y~dhyanto nemddhitdp.rtsgt d~ra). The sixth and last stanza ends with the words itthd g.rn.dnto mahinasya ~drman divl .sydmapdrye go.sdtamd.h "Also lobpreisend mSchten wit in des M~tchtigen Schutz am entscheidenden Tage die meisten Kiihe gewinnen". The translation "am entscheidenden Tag" (Ludwig, Geldner) or "am Entscheidungstage ''1~ dates back to Roth, PW. IV, col. 682, who assumed a semantic development "der letzte, gusserste" > "den Ausschlag gebend, entscheidend". Since Sayan.a's explanation is not discussible, 11 Grassmann, Ludwig, Geldner and Hillebrandt have all accepted this rendering. Still, though it cannot be doubted that in all passages concerned there is a reference to some "decision", the translation "last, final, decisive" is not self-apparent. The basic word pard- at best denotes "end, limit", but never "decision". And its use in the sense of "end" is restricted to such Passages as SB. XI.1.6.6 and 15 sd ydtha nadyalpardm parapdgyed, evdrh svdsyd 'yus.a.hpardrn paracakhyau (-u.h), where the human life finds its natural limit in its end. In all other contexts, however, where there is a prospect beyond the end of distress or darkness, pard- means not
x0 HiUebrandt, Lieder des l~gveda, pp. 32, 88 (cf. p. 43). 11 E.g. paraniye agamini ca divase (VI.17.14), sautye 'hani, sautye divase (VII.32.14; 21), taratffye divase (VII.83.5).

RIGVEDICpdrye div[

173

"end", but "the further bank or shore", i.e. it implies the connotation of rescue and salvation. Cf. RS. VIII.19.34 ydm dditydso adruha.h pardrh ndyatha mdrtyam "welchen Sterblichen ihr truglosen ,a,ditya's ans andere Ufer fiihret". In the light of the Rigvedic usage the words svasti sarhvatsarasya pdram a~nute (AB.) can only mean "he [crosses the period of crisis and] attains in safety the beginning of the new year". Likewise "the other side of the darkness" means the new light in VS. 12.73 dganma tdrnasas pdrrrn asyd / jy6tir dpdma, (cf. LB. XL2.2.21). So, if drhhas- can refer to the critical period at the end of the year, pdrdrh 6rhhasas, when used in this specific meaning, must denote the new year. Consequently the words divi pdrye cannot in themselves imply anything else than "on the first day of the new period". Roth's translation was not materially incorrect, since this day apparently was connected with a "decision" of cosmic, as well as social, importance, but it was rather a paraphrasis than a strict rendering of the word. In conclusion attention may be drawn to a few aspects of the contest to which this hymn (RS. VI.33) refers. First of all, it strikes us that the prizes (st. 2 vdja-) of this social combat that was fought on New Year's day, consist not only in valiant sons and cattle (st. 2 ~rasdtau, 5 go.sdtamd.h), but also in the "acquisition of the sun" (st. 4 svgzr.sdtd). The word nemddhiti- further suggests the inference that the contest was one between two parties, which reminds us of such familiar phrases as ubhdye havante (e.g. II1.32.14), which S~yan.a paraphrased with ubhayapdr~vavartidhandrthino jand havante. These are the vfvdco ... car.san, dya.h mentioned in the second stanza. It remains uncertain, what exactly was covered by the term prts(t in st. 4, which battles apparently were the replicas of the mythical ones (st. 1 samdtsu), but Ltiders has rightly supposed that such terms do not always denote real military combats. St. 2d clearly refers to a running-match with racehorses. The same contest must be presupposed for the other passages of the book VI. In VI.17 Indra is invoked to win the "prizes" (st. 2 citrdrh abhi t.rndhi vdjdn), to bring (back) the sun (st. 3 dvi.h s~ryarh kr.nuhO, just as he has created this world in the beginning (st. 6-7). The gods choose (anew) Indra for the acquisition of the sun (st. 8 sv(tr.sdtd v.rn. ata indram dtra), now that a demon threatens the position of the gods (ddevo ydd abhy agthLst.adevdn).TM After a second reference to Indra's V.rtra-slaying as the mythical prototype of the actual events, the poet reverts to the actual situation in st. 14: lz See IIJ, IV, p. 220f.

174

F . B . J . KUIPER

s6 no vdjdya ~rdvasa i~d ca rdyd dhehi dyum6ta indra vlpran bhar6dvdje n.rv6ta indra s~rfn divi ca smaidhi pdrye na indra
"Mach unsere Redner gl~inzend, dass sie Lohn, Ruhm, Speisegenuss und Reichtum (davontragen), o Indrat (Mach) unter Bharadv~ja die Lohnherren m~tnnerreich, o Indra, und sei am entscheidenden Tage fiir uns, o Indra!" The poet concludes with the words (st. 15): ayd vdjarh dev6hitarh sanema m6dema ~atdthimd.h suvfrd.h "Mit diesem (Liede) m~Schten wir den gottbestimmten Lohn verdienen. Wir wollen, hundert Winter lebend, als Meister frohlocken". Note the sacred character of the contest (vdjarh devdhitam). The last p~da is the usual final prayer for vital energy and variant sons (suvtrd.h!). RS. VI.23 is a conventional praise of Indra, who is said to distribute all riches (st. 10 k.s6yad in magh6na.h ... indro rdy6 vi~v6vdrasya ddtd). In the initial stanzas he is addressed with the words

...ydtd vd yuktdbhydm maghavan h6ribhydm bibhrad vdjram bdhv6r indra ydsi (1) y6d vd divl pdrye sfi.svim indra v.rtrah6tyk 'vasi g~rasdtau ydtd vd d6k.sasya bibhy~t.so 6bibhyad 6randhaya.h g6rdhata indra d6syfm (2)
"Ob du mit dem geschirrten Falbenpaar, die Keule in den Armen tragen, ausziehst, o gabenreicher Indra; Oder ob du am entscheidenden Tage dem Somabereiter beistehst, Indra, in dem Feindekampf um den Heldenpreis, oder als du selbst furchtlos, w~thrend der Entschlossene Furcht hatte, die iiberm~ichtigen Dasyu's unterwarfst, Indra". It should be noted that divl pdrye is here associated with v.rtrahdtya- and g~rasdti"acquisition of variant sons". A similar situation seems to be presupposed in VI.26.1

grudhf na indra hvdydmasi tvd mah6 vdjasya sdtafi vdv.r.sdn,d.h sc~rhy6d vf~6 'yanta ~rasdtd ugr6rh n6 'va.h pdrye 6han dd.h
"Erh~ire uns, Indra, wir rufen dich inbriinstig um grosser Beute Gewinn an. Wenn die Stiimme in der Schlacht aneinander geraten, so gib uns an dem entscheidenden Tage deinen starken Schutzl" The poem was corn-

RIGVEDICpdrye div[

175

posed on the occasion of a vdjasya sdt# (2). The vdfin- and the vdjineydinvoke Indra's aid while fighting for cattle (g6.su yfidhyan 2). Indra gives the seer inspiration at the arkdsati- (? " K a m p f um die Sonne" Geldner). Indra is expected to win, in reward of this hymn, hundreds and thousands (5 prd ydc chatd sahdsrd ~(tra ddr.si). The poet expects honour and glory for his patron and for himself (st. 7-8). RS. VI.40.5 is fully inconclusive:

ydd indra divi pdrye ydd rdhdg ydd vd svd sddane ydtra vdsi dto no yaj~dm dvase niy~tvdn saj6.sd.h pdhi girvan, o mar~dbhi.h
"Wenn du, Indra, am entscheidenden Tage sei es abseits, oder sei es im eigenen Hause, oder wo du auch bist, (komm) yon da mit den Niyutgespannen, zu unserem Opfer uns zum Beistand! Trink, du Lobbegehrender, eintr~ichtig mit den Marut!" This is the conclusion of a brief invitation to Indra to attend the Soma sacrifice. It is not surprising that Geldner here took the words divi pdrye to mean "am Tage des Somaopfers wie 9, 1, 7" (although S~ya.na in this very passage explains pdrage d~rade~e dyulokdkhye instead of sautye 'hani). In book VII the hymn VII.32 contains clear evidence of some form of contest. The invokers, desiring wealth (st. 2 jaritdro vas@dvo) try to attract Indra to their sacrifice in defiance of other invokers (1), the poet expects wealth, which will be distributed among his people (7), and the stimulating force of liberality, which is to rouse tndra's, is extolled (st. 8 prn.dnn it p.r.natd mdya.h). Indeed, a resolute attitude on the part of the worshippers has a "magical" importance (st. 9):

md sredhata somino ddk.satd mahd k.rn.udhvdrh rdyd dt~je tardn, ir ij jayati k.sdti p~.syati nd devdsa.h kavatndve
"Bleibt nicht stecken, ihr Somavollen, machet es dem Grossen recht! Machet, das er Reichtum herausschlage. Nur der Meister gewinnt (das Spiel); er wohnt gliicklich, gedeiht. Die G/Stter sind nicht fiir den Stiimper". This idea recurs in st. 21 (see below). The next stanzas (10-13) refer to the patron's chariot (ndki.h suddso rdtham pdry dsa) and the vdja-. This idea recurs in st. 14-15:

kds tdm indra tvdvasum d mdrtyo dadhar.sati graddhd it te maghavan pdrye divi

176

F.B.J.

KUIPER

vdfl vdjarh si.sdsati (14) magh6na.h sma v.rtrahdtye.su codaya yd d6dati priyd vdsu tdva prdn. ft[ haryagva sftribhir vt~vd tarema duritd (15)
"Welcher Sterbliche, o Indra, wagt sich an den, der dich besitzt? Im Vertrauen auf dich, du Gabenreichster, sucht am entscheidenden Tage der Preisk~mpfer den Siegespreis zu gewinnen. - Ermutige in den Schlachten die G~Snner, die liebe Giiter verschenken! Unter deiner Anfiihrung, du Falbenfahrer, m~chten wir mAt den Lohnherrn fiber alle F/ihrhchkeiten hinwegkommen". Cf. IIJ, IV, p. 238. In st. 20 the poet reverts to the ideas expressed in st. 9:

tardn, ir it si.sdsati vdjam p(trarhdhyd yuj~ d va indram puruhf~tdth name gird nem#h t6.sleva sudrvdtm (20) nd du.st.utfmdrtyo vindate vdsu nd sr~dhantarh rayir nagat su.sdktir in maghavan tdtbhyam mdvate de.sn,drh ydt pdrye divi (21)
"Nur der Meister will den Siegerpreis gewinnen mat der Wunscherfiillung im Bunde. Ich biege euch mit der Lobrede den vielgerufenen Indra her wie der Zimmermann eine Radfelge aus gutem Holze. - Nicht finder ein Sterblicher durch schlechtes Lobfied Gut, nicht kommt der Reichtum zu dem, der stecken bleibt. Fiir dich, du G6nner, ist es eine Leichtigkeit, meinesgleichen an dem entscheidenden Tage zu schenken". The remaining stanzas (22-27) state that the poet's party consists of agvaydmto ... vdfino gawdnta.h "nach Rossen, nach Rindern verlangend[e] ... Preisk/impfer" (st. 23), that Indra must be invoked in every "battle" (bhdrebhare ca hdvya.h 24), that indra shall dispell the "enemies" (amitrdn), that he shall make the goods easy to be acquired (suvOdd no vds~ k.rdhi 25), and that he must be a helper in the mahftdhand-. This last word is obviously a technical term for this kind of contest. Particularly interesting is stanza 26: glk.sa n.o asmin puruhftta ydmani fivd jy6tir ag~mahi "Streng dich auf dieser Fahrt fiJr uns an, o Vielgerufener! Lebend m6chten wir das (Sonnen)licht erreichen". The last words may be compared on the one hand with svast[ te pdrdm agfya SB. II.3.4.22, u.sdsam u.sasam ad~ya, ahdm dsojy6tir agt'ya TB. IIL11.5.3, and on the other hand with dganma tdmasas pdrdm asyd, jy6tir dpdma VS. XIL73. They corroborate our inference that people had to stand a period of crisis during these contests

RIGVEDICpdrye div[

177

and that they hoped to attain in safety the beginning of a new period, whose main characteristic was "light". As for the word mahddhand, it may be called to mind that a current phrase used in connexion with the contests is hitd dhdne "beim ausgesetzten Kampfpreis ''la Cf. Hom. X 163 "r~ ~ ~y~ xsZ~ ~s0Xov. So the compound mahddhand- is mostly rendered by "grosset Kampfpreis, grosse Beute, grosser K a m p f " (Roth, Grassmann). 14 Although the accent does not allow us to decide, whether the word is a tatpuru.sa-compound or a bahuvr;hi, ~ the parallelism between X.84.6 rnahddhandsya.., sarhsgji and, e.g., X.84.7 sdrhsrs,t.arh dhdnam ubhdyam, III. 16.6 sdrh rdyd bh~yasd s rja, X.19.7 td rayyd sdrh srjantu na.h confirms the traditional interpretation. Apparently the word mahddhand- was an antique "potlatch-term", cf. especially the variant of our stanza VII.32.25 in VI.46.4 asmdkam bodhy avitd mahddhand tan~.sv aps~ s~rye "sei uns Schiitzer im grossen K a m p f um die eigenen Leiber, um Wasser und Sonne!", where we meet with the classical formulation of the various objects for which the vlvdc- was fought. Apart from a few quotations in later Vedic texts. 16 the word does not occur in the post-Rigvedic literature, while in the Rigveda it occurs mainly in the books I and VI. 17 Beside mahddhand- there occurs in the books I and X also the term pradhdna-, apparently in somewhat the same meaning (pradhdnasya sdta~, pradhdne, -e.su). The use of this (apparently more recent) term in the latest books of the Rigveda shows that even at that period the contests were still in use. The passage in VII.83.5 is far less clear. Here Indra and Varun.a are addressed in the words: yuvdrh hl vdsva ubhdyasya rdjath6 'dha sma no 'vatam pdrye divi " d a ihr tiber beiderlei Gut gebietet, so stehet uns nun am entscheidenden Tage bei!" Note the next stanza, which runs: yuvdrh havanta ubhdydsa djLsv indrarh ca vdsvo vdru.narh ca sdtdye "euch, den Indra und Varu.na, rufen beide Parteien in den Schlachten um das Gut zu gewinnen". The word djLsu may better be rendered "in the contests". Finally the words pdrye divi occur in the Somahymn IX.1.7

tdrn fm d.nv~.hsamaryd d g.rbhn,dnti y6.sa.no dd~a svdsara.h pdrye divi

la Cf. Pischel, VedischeStudien, I, p. 171, and Geldner, passim in his translation. 14 But Geldner, Glossar: "Schlacht, Krieg". 15 See Wackernagel, Altind. Gramm., 1I/1, p. 241 and p. 299 (maharathr-). 16 See in the Vedic Concordance: ma no asmin mahddhane, indrarhvayarhmahadhane, and mahadhanasya puruhata sams.rji. 17 13 VI8 VIII VIIP IX1 X 1. But 1.40.8 = VI.66.8; VII.32.25 = VI.46.4; and VIII. 75.12 = VI.59.7.

178

v . B . J . KUIPER

"lhn fassen die zehn feinen Frauen im Wettbewerb an, die Schwestern am entscheidenden Tage". The context, which is very little characteristical, allows no inference. On the one hand the hymn concludes with a reference to the V.rtra-slaying (10 asydd indro mdde.sv d vidvd v.rtrd.ni jighnate) and to his giving of presents, on the other hand it is said that the worshippers come to Soma day after day (5 tvdm dchd cardmasi tdd id 6rthath divd-dive). Geldner (ad VI.40.5) takes the words pdrye divi as referring to the day devoted to Soma-pressing (unlike Sfiyana!). An analogous phrase occurs in III.32.14:

vivds,a y6n md dhis.dn.~ jajdna stgtvai purd pdrydd indram 6hnah. 6Thhaso y6tra pfp6rad ydthd no nav6va ydntam ubh6ye havante
"'Wenn die Dhi.san.a reich erfiillt, (neu)geboren hat, will ich den Indra vor dem entscheidenden Tag preisen, auf dass er uns an diesem aus der Not heraushelfe. Ihn rufen beide Teile an wie den zu Schiffe fahrenden". Again there is a reference to two parties and to a (period of) 6rhhas-, whereas the last p~da is no doubt due to the current phrase nard nd par.si (cf. V.25.9, V.4.9, IX.70.10, VHI.83.3, etc.). Just as in VII.32.14-15 the words pdrye divi were associated with duritd that had to be overcome (see above), so it is here the drhhas- from which the party of the poet hopes to be rescued. Indra's primordial act (6-11) had been made possible by the Soma sacrifice (12). Like Manu (5), the poet himself has in earlier days strengthened the god (13) and hopes to strengthen him again, Here the reference to the end of the year seems rather clear. The same meaning seems to be expressed by the words 6han pdrydya in IV.16.11

ydsi k~ttsena sar6tham avasy~s rod6 vdtasya hdryor fgdna.h rjrd vdjarh nd gddhyarh y~tyfl.san kavir ydd dhan pdrydya bh~.sat
"Du f/ihrst mit Kutsa auf dem gleichen Wagen als Hilfesuchender, indem du (die Rosse) des V~ta anstachelst, du der Gebieter der Falben, die beiden Schimmelrosse festzuhalten suchend wie die deckenhohe Beute, auf dass der Kavi sich fiir die entscheidende (Stunde) am Tage bereit halte". (or "fiir den entscheidenden Tag", cf. Geldner ad VI.66.8). In st. 9 the seer U~anas is said to be in great distress on account of the acquisition of the sun (svdr.sdtd... nddhamdnam), but he shall overcome

RIGVEDICpdrye divl

179

the d(tsyu- who has no (effective) mantra at his disposal (nl mdydvdn dbrahmd d~syur arta). The pdrya- (dhar?) seems again to be connected with the "acquisition of the sun". 3. In the remaining passages pdrya- is associated with other words than those for "day". First of all the words pdrye dhdne in VIII.92.9 call for mention:

it'k.sd n.a indra rdyd d purft vidvdrh rd.sama dvd na.h pdrye dhdne
"Suche uns Reichtum zu verschaffen als der Vielkundige, o ..., steh uns bei, wenn der Gewinn zur Entscheidung steht!" Stanzas 1-10 contain the usual invocation of Indra, the mahdndrh ddtd vdjdndrh n.rt~.h, in st. 11 there is (as in VII.32.1) a reference to other praisers who must be outdone:

(tydma dhfvato dhly6 'rvadbhi.h Aakra godare / jdyema p.rts~ vajrava.h

"Wohlan! Wir wollen die Dichtungen des Dichtenden (wie) mit Rennpferden in den K/impfen besiegen, du m/ichtiger, Rinder herausschlagender Keulentr~iger". This subject recurs in st. 31-32:

md na indra abhy ~diiaO s~ro aktfi.sv d yaman tvd yujd vanema tdt (31) tvdy~d indra yujd vaydm prdti bruvimahi sp(dha.h tvdm asmdkam tdva smasi (32)
"Nicht sollen, Indra, die Drohungen auf uns abzielen, wenn die Sonne im Dunkeln ist [bei Nacht]. Mit dir im Bunde wollen wir diese gewinnen. Mit dir, Indra, im Bunde wollen wir den Nebenbuhlern die richtige Antwort geben. Du bist uns, wir sind dein. "Unfortunately the first of these stanzas is difficult. It has been amply discussed by Atkins, JAOS,70(1950), p. 33, who translates it as follows: "Let not the sun's designs, Indra, take [hostile] aim at us at the ends of nights. May we as your companions obtain this". If we construe (like Geldner) s~ro akt~.su, it is tempting to interpret these words as a reference to the winter solstice, but the hymn as a whole is not explicit. But it is clear that the poet is concerned with a contest for wealth (e.g. 9 rdyd d, 10 @dydhi Aatdvdjayd, i.sd sahdsravdjayd, 25 d~vdya gdyati . . . gdve) and the words dvd na.hpdrye dhdne may be interpreted as "help us in regard of this stake that belongs to the New Year('s festival)". Roth's rendering "ira entscheidenden K a m p f " has now rightly been abandoned. In 1.121 again mention is made of prizes (vdja-) and the giving of presents. Cf. 14-15:
-

]80

F, B. J. KUIPER

tv6rh no asyd indra durhtin, dy~.h p~hl vajrivo duritdd abhfke pr6 no vdjan rathyb 6gvabudhyan i.sd yandhi gr6vase sfmr." tdyai (14) ... d no bhaja maghavan g6.sv ary6 mf~hhi.sth~s te sadhamdda.h syama (15 cd)
"Behtite du, Indra, uns vor solchem T0belwollen, vor Misserfolg in der Entscheidungsstunde, du Keulentr/iger! Gew~ihre uns Gewinne, Wagen fiillende, mit Rossen als Abschluss, zur Labung, zum Ruhm, zur Gunstbezeigung! - . . . Gib uns einen Anteil an den Kiihen des reichen Patrons, du Gabenreicher[ Wir wollen deine freigebigsten Zechgenossen seinl". The aim of the contest, as usual, is expressed in the words "force" (is-), "social prestige" (drdvas-) and "vital energy" (sfmr.'ta-, cf. suvfrya- etc.). On the other hand there is a reference to Kutsa and the Su.srja-myth in connexion with the disappearance of the sun, cf. st. 10 purd y6t s~ras t6maso 6pftes tdm adrivah, phaligd,h hetim asya "Wenn die Sonne vor dem Verschwinden im Dunkeln ist, schleudere, du Herr des Presssteins, das Geschoss nach dem R/iuber!" (Ludwig: eh dunkel die sonne ereilt hatte, similarly Grassmann). Geldner's idea that this refers to the moment of twilight (as in the Namuci-myth) does not seem very plausible. The passage may rather mean that Indra must hurl his weapon at thephaligd- is during the winter solstice, as the annual act of svfzr.sati-. Geldner takes these words as a quotation, but although the next p~das are again concerned with the mythical prototype, viz. the gu.sn,a-myth, and the following stanza (11) extols Indra's mythical V.rtra-slaying, there is no reason why we should not interpret the imperative of stanza 10b as referring to the actual situation, at which the mythical act must be repeated. As Geldner rightly remarks with regard to this hymn: "Mythos und Gegenwart fliessen mehrfach ineinander" (Obers. I, p. 164). To this actuality alludes also st. 12

tvdm indra n6ryo ydth 6vo nr~n t~stha vdtasya suy(zjo vdzhis,t.hdn ydtrh te kavy6 ug6na mandinarh ddd vrtrah6n, am pdryarh tatak.sa v6jram
As it is hard to disjoin the subordinate clause of p~da c from the principal sentence in d, and as mand[n- is the current epithet of Soma (cf. hdrim ... la For phalig(u el. Venkatasubbiah, Ind. Ant., 56 (1927), pp. 136-139, J. J. Meyer, Trilogie tier Vegetationsmiichte, III, p. 137 n. 1, p. 166 n. 1, A. Master, BSOAS, XI, p. 297ff., Liiders, Varu.na (I), p. 170 n. 13.

RIGVEDICpdrye div[

181

mandinam 8c) Geldner's alternative translation seems preferable: "Indra,

du der Mannhafte, der du die Menschen um Hilfe angehst, besteige des V~ta sch6ngeschirrte bestfahrende (Rosse); den dir K~vya U~anas gab, den ergrtzenden, (diesen) entscheidenden feindetrtenden Vajra hatte er gezimmert".19 The Soma offered to Indra accordingly functions as his weapon. In the context of the whole hymn the translation "Vajra connected with the New Year's festival" would seem quite legitimate but the context is too vague to allow certain conclusions. The translation "erfolgreich, wirksam" (Roth) is merely conjectured. The connexion with a contest is quite certain in VII.27.1:

indram ntiro nemrdhitd havante yrt pdryd yunrjate dhlyas td.h g~ro n.#dtd gfvasag cakdn6 d grmati vrajd bhajd tvrrh na.h
"Den Indra rufen die M/~nner im Wettstreit, dass er diese ausschlaggebenden Lieder (an seinem Wagen) spanne. Der du als Held im Mannerkampf die ~rbermacht begehrst, gib du uns Anteil an der (erbeuteten) Rinderhtirde[" The n(.sdti- must obviously be interpreted in accordance with sv&r.sdtd, medhrsdtau, vdjasdtau, dhrnasdtau. Since this is a productive type of compounds in the poetic idiom of the Rigveda, nr- can only be the common word for "man" and n#dtd must be compared to tokrsdtau "at the acquisition of progeny", ~rasdta(u) "at the acquisition of valiant sons". In other words, the meeting of the two parties (nemdtdhiti-) is the Rigvedic vlvdc-; cf. e.g. Vi.31.1 vi tokd apsfi trnaye ca s~rd 'vocanta car.sa.nryo vlvdca.h, VI.33.2 tvdrh h~ndrd 'vase v[vdco hrvante car.sa~rya.h ~rasdtau. See above p. 171 and p. 174 (VI.23.2; 26.1), and IIJ, IV, p. 270ff. Hence the pdryd dhtya.h are apparently the "prayers (or hymns) connected with the New Year('s festival)" (cf. p. 171 ft.). Geldner points to Kau.s. Br. XXVI.15 where p~da b is quoted with the following comment: parya.h] part~rdhyds, tad antar~pam, anto navamam ahar, ante "ntarh dadhati "(in this) 'effective' denotes the highest; this is a symbol of the end; the ninth day is the end; in the end he places the end" (Keith). But the real meaning ofpdrya- and its connexion with the v[vacis likely to have soon fallen into oblivion in the post-Rigvedic period. The meaning of krrtu-pdrya- in X.27.16 was probably similar to that of pdrya dhlya.h, but this part of the hymn is very obscure. However, in st. 20 the idea of an individual death seems to be associated with that o f a cosmic death. Geldner translates it as follows: "Diese beiden Rinder la Thusalso Oldenberga.L

182

F . B . J . KUIPER

des Todes sind fiir mich angespannt; treibe sie doch ja nicht an, warte noch ein Weilchen! Auch die Gew/isser erreichen sein Ziel, auch hinter der Sonne ist die Vernichtung zuriickgeblieben". Still this does not help us materially in interpreting st. 16

da~dndrn dkarh kapildtrh samdnfrh t6rh hinvanti kr6tave pdrydya

"Den den zehn gemeinsamen e i n e n Kapila, den treiben sie an zu entscheidendem Entschluss". The end of the stanza mentions a newly born child (Agni?), and the next stanza refers to the dice. There may possibly be an allusion to the renewal of the fire at the New Year's festival, but the context is again too vague. Finally the word pdrya- seems to be associated with 6vas- in IV.25.1. Parallel passages quoted above suggest that in the last stanza there is a reference to a contest: tndrarh k.siyfnta ut6 y~tdhyam~na, indrath n6ro vdjay6nto havante "den Indra [rufen] die friedlich Wohnenden und die K/impfenden, den Indra die nach dem Siegerpreis strebenden M/inner" (st. 8). But the prayer for light (jy6ti.s- 3) and the words vfsta usrd.h "bei Anbruch des Morgens" (st. 2) allow no further inferences. The first stanza runs as follows:

k6 ady6 ndtryo dev6kama ug6nn [ndrasya sakhy6rh jujo.sa k6 vd mah~ 'vase pdrydya s6middhe aghast sut6soma ~t.te
"Welcher Mannhafte, G6tterliebende hat sich heute nach Wunsch der Freundschaft Indra's zu erfreuen? Oder wer ruff (ihn) bei ausgepresstem Soma und entflammtem Feuer zu grossem Beistand fiir den entscheidenden (Tag) auf?" Roth and Grassmann take pdrya-, in the sense "durchhelfend, erfolgreich", as an adjective which defines the 6vas-. Ludwig similarly renders "zu groszer zu rettender gnade", Grassmann "um grossen hiilfereichen Beistand". "Assistance in the New Year('s contests)" seems the most natural interpretation.

4. Conclusions. In the preceding pages the word pdrya- has been

studied in the light of the theory that the nucleus of the Rigveda, and particularly the hymns to Indra, are concerned with a New Year's festival, and with ceremonial contests which aimed at the acquisition of wealth and social prestige, at prolongation of life and new vital energy (manifesting itself in the begetting of valiant sons), and at the "acquisition of

RIGVEDICpdrye div[

183

the sun", that is, a cosmic renewal. It may be useful first to state the results of our enquiry that have no direct bearing on this theory. The exact meaning of pdrya- cannot be "helping through, effective, successful", which has been conjectured from the context. As an adjective derived from p&d- "the other side, the end (of distress)", it can only denote that which is connected with the end of something. So the question must be put: What period was closed by the pdrya- dyfi-? From the fact that arhhasaspat# is the name of an intercalary month in VS. VII.30, XXI.31 it is legitimate to infer that drhhas- itself could denote the period of cosmic crisis at the end of the year. Hence pdrdrn drhhasah may have been a mythical expression to denote, what in the style of the brahman,as was expressed more directly by sarhvatsardsya p~rdm (SB, AB). At any rate, it has never been questioned that the words pdrye divf refer to a decisive moment. If the theory of the New Year's festival is accepted, this study corroborates it in so far as it furnishes one of the Rigvedic terms for the New Year's day. However, that the word means "New Year" can at best be made plausible on etymological grounds but cannot definitively be proved from its etymology. From a methodological point of view the only thing that can be done is to demonstrate that the words pdrye divl occur in hymns that deal with such subjects as svglr.sdti-,~rasdti- (nr.'.st~ti-) and vdjast~ti-and that, consequently, they furnish an exact date for the contests (vDdc-). If the general theory of the religious and social conceptions underlying these notions of the acquisition of the sun (etc.) is accepted, this date must be the New Year's day. It would seem that in the majority of its occurrences the connexion ofpdrya- with such contests can be made acceptable. Some passages are too vague to allow any definite statement (e.g. VI.40.5, VII.83.5, X.27.16, 1.121.12, IV.25.1). Only in IX.1.7 there seems to be a contradiction between the words pdrye divl and divd-dive in st. 5, for which no satisfactory explanation can be found. As an additional fact in support of our explanation it may be pointed out that pdrya-, like all the "potlatch-terms", does not survive in the post-Rigvedic literature and that it is particularly frequent in those books where also such terms as vlvdc-, mahddhand- occur. The conclusion that the "other side" denoted by pdrya- must have been that of the (new) year would seem sufficiently warranted.