The Arctic Home in the Vedas c10.32

c10.32

Turning to the hymns of the Rig-Veda, we find as remarked by Muir, the phrase yuge yuge used at least in half a dozen places (III, 26, 3; VI, 15, 8; X, 94, 12, &c.), and it is interpreted by Sâyaṇa to mean a period of time. In III, 33, 8, and X, 10, 10, we have uttara yugâni ‘later ages,’ and in X, 72, 1, we read uttare yuge ‘in a later age’; whilst in the next two verses we have the phrases Devânâm pûrvye yuge and Devânâm prathame yuge clearly referring to the later and earlier ages of the gods. The word Devânâm is in the plural and yuga is in the singular, and it is not therefore possible to take the phrase to mean ‘generations of gods.’ The context again clearly shows that a reference to time is intended, for the hymn speaks of the creation and the birth of the gods in early primeval times. Now if we interpret Devânâm yugam to mean ‘an age of gods,’ why should manuṣyâ yugâni or mânuṣhâ yugâ be not interpreted to mean ‘human ages,’ is more than I can understand. There are again express passages in the Rig-Veda where mânuṣhâ yugâ cannot be taken to mean ‘generations of men.’ Thus in V, 52, 4, which is a hymn to Maruts, we read Vishve ye mânuṣhâ yugâ pânti martyam riṣhaḥ. Here the verb is pânti (protect), the nominative vishve ye (all those), and the object is martyam (the mortal man), while riṣhaḥ (from injury), in the ablative, denotes the object against which the protection is sought. So far the sentence, therefore, means “All those who protect man from injury”; and now the question, is what does mânuṣhâ yugâ mean? If we take it to mean “generations of men” in the objective case it becomes superfluous, for martyam (man) is already the object of pânti (protect). It is, therefore, necessary to assign to mânuṣhâ yugâ the only other meaning we know of, viz., ‘human ages’ and take the phrase as an accusative of time. Thus interpreted the whole sentence means “All those, who protect man from injury during human ages.” No other construction is more natural or reasonable than this; but still Prof. Max Muller translates the verse to mean "All those who protect the generations of men, who protect the mortal from injury,"¹ in spite of the fact that this is tautological and that there is no conjunctive particle in the text (like *cha*) to join what according to him are the two objects of the verb 'protect.' Mr. Griffith seems to have perceived this difficulty, and has translated, "Who all, through ages of mankind, guard mortal man from injury." Another passage which is equally decisive on this point, is X, 140, 6. The verse² is addressed to Agni, and people are said to have put him in front to secure his blessings. It is as follows:—