The Orion, or Researches into the Antiquity of the Vedas c11.62

c11.62

When the very first verse is thus interpreted in three different ways, one can easily attribute the difference to an imperfect perception of the bearing of the whole hymn. To me Mâdhava Bhaṭṭa alone appears to have taken into consideration the verses that follow. Thus the fifth verse of the hymn states that the things of Indrâṇî were spoilt by Vrishâkapi in the form of an animal, and consequently he was beheaded. I should, however, like to refer to verse 21, wherein Vrishâkapi is told that when he appears again, sacrifices would be performed. This evidently implies that they were stopped before and were to be commenced again on the re-appearance of Vrishâkapi. The first verse therefore must be interpreted to mean that "the sacrifices are stopped." The root *srij* with *vi* may mean either to abandon or to allow, but the former is its natural meaning, and when verse 21 in the same hymn can be easily explained by taking the former meaning of srij with vi, it would be straining the words if we put a different interpretation on them. I am, therefore, disposed to interpret the verse after the manner of Mâdhava Bhaṭṭa, except the last sentence.