the gods hither to us, to our sacrifice and to our food.
11. Thus praised by us with our new Gâyatra hymn, bring us wealth of valiant men and food.
12. Agni with thy bright splendour be pleased, through all our invocations of the gods, with this our praise.
NOTES.
This hymn is ascribed to Medhâtithi Kânva. It is the opening hymn of a collection which extends from I, 12 to 23 (not, as Ludwig, III, 102, believes, from I, 2 to 17; see my Prolegomena, p. 220). That the authorship of this collection belongs indeed to the Kanva family, whose poetical compositions are found partly in the first and partly in the eighth Mandala, is shown by the text of 14, 2–5, and by other evidence; see Zeitschr. der Deutschen Morg. Gesellschaft, XXXVIII, 448.
The metre is Gâyatrî. It is possible, though I do not think it probable, that the hymn should be considered as consisting of Trikas. Verse 1 = SV. I, 3; TS. II, 5, 8, 5; V, 5, 6, 1; TB. III, 5, 2, 3; MS. IV, 10, 2. Verses 1–3= SV. II, 140–142; AV. XX, 101, 1–3. Verse 2 = TS. IV, 3, 13, 8; MS. IV, 10, 1. Verse 3 = TB. III, II, 6, 2. Verses 6, 8, 9 = SV. II, 194–196. Verse 6 = TS. I, 4, 46, 3; III, 5, 11, 5; V, 5, 6, 1; TB. II, 7, 12, 3; MS. IV, 10, 2 (3). Verse 7 = SV. I, 32. Verse 10 = VS. XVII, 9; TS. I, 3, 14, 8; 5, 5, 3; IV, 6, 1, 3; MS. I, 5, 1.
Verse 3.
Note 1. On vriktábarhis, comp. RV. I, 116, 1; M. M., vol. xxxii, pp. 84 seq., 109; Geldner, P. G., Vedische Studien, I, 152.
Note 2. On î´dyah, comp. the note on îde I, 1, 1.
