kavi endowed with intellect (seers of the beyond-sense); tuvijā tau born in many or born variedly; urukṣayā broad-housed (thus become); mitrāvarunā Gods Mitra and Varuna; naḥ our; apasam active (effecting action, executive) ; dakşam discriminating skill of the intellect; dadhāte they uphold.
kavi—in the Veda it does not have the usual sense of one with intellect; it indicates wealth of vision. It is explained as seer of extended vision, seer of what transcends the senses.
tuvijātau—in the Veda the term tuvi denotes force. And as force in the sense of army indicates many, the word tuvi also means many. It is also one of the synonyms of bahu, many. Sayana comments upon it as born variously, in many ways, because of the service done to many. We explain it thus: the Gods manifest themselves in many ways in the Yajamana, in their own form or in their activities; this manifestation itself is their birth; hence they are born in many ways.
uru-because uru is among the synonyms of bahu, many, urukṣayā, says Sayana, means many-housed. In the Veda uru means spread-out and therefore broad, large. Hence it is to be taken that this dwelling is in the spread-out vast.
In the commentary of Sayana, ca (and) is taken to be understood and Mitra-Varuna are said to uphold both dakşam, strength and apasam act together. There is no necessity to take ca as understood. apasam is the adjective of dakşa. If it were not the adjective but a substantive by itself, then its first letter would have been unaccented. This is not a case of an unaccented first letter. If it be said that were it an adjective, then it would have qualified in gender the substantive but the term apa is not so, we point out that it should be taken as apasvi dakşam, in the sense of possessive indication in the manner of rayim yasasam, etc. explained before. Even otherwise it is to be noted that in the Veda the term apas is used, its gender depending upon what is predicated. Also in the Veda, even the names of substances bear qualitative significance to indicate the force of their derivative meaning e.g., gotamaḥ, angirastamaḥ, indratamaḥ, apastamā, etc. are common usages in the Veda.
In 1.160.4 (ayam devānām apasām apastamaḥ), apa means act; it indicates he who has the act. Sayana explains it as one with excellent action among the active. In 6.61.13 (apasāmapastamā), Sayana explains vegavatinām vegavattamā, the most speedy of the speedy. In 10.75.7 his commentary reads “among the active she is active in the form of speed." In 10.53.9, “among the doers of auspicious actions, one with the most auspicious action.” In 10.115.2, Sayana's commentary: apasvitamaḥ, most efficient amongst the active. The possessive sense has been dropped.
dakşam – it has been commented upon before. Mitra-Varuna uphold the skill of discriminating intelligence-signified by the word dakşa-achieving fruitful action. It has been established earlier while dealing with the meaning of pūtadakşa, purified discernment, that though ordinarily the term dakṣa is included in the synonyms of strength, bala, it is a speciality of intelligence that is signified. In this Rik it is said that Mitra and Varuna well conjoined in harmony, bear the skill of knowledge of discrimination, characterised by skill in works. This means there is some special knowledge relating to works that is dependent on Mitra and Varuna in conjunction. This has to be taken as another way of saying of the passage: Mitra, the pūtadakşa, and Varuna the risādasa. What is this work or knowledge ? Who are these Mitra and Varuna? What is their relevance here? We explain :
The subject-matter of the first triad in this Hymn is the equipment of the vital Prana in the oblation of Soma; for that purpose Vayu alone is individually lauded. Thereafter comes the matter of the preparation of the mental plane for the play of ṣta-cit, Truth-Consciousness in man, the sacrificer; for that purpose are lauded Indra-Vayu to arrive, yoked with the intellect. The subject of the last triad, however, is the accomplishment of the activity of sta, Truth in the mental being by which the intellect shall be well cultured and the activity rendered ample. Mitra and Varuna are invoked for this purpose. And these two are the famous twins among the celebrated Four-group, Mitra, Varuna, Aryaman and Bhaga of common dwelling (1.136.2). These are capable of accomplishing such an illumined intelligence. This is declared first by the passage ghstācim dhiyam sādhantā.
Here this must be understood: we mark this style of the Rishis in the Mantras of the Hymns. After having stated something, in passing to another topic they repeat some keyword of the previous passage and by means of this echo in the next, the seers of the Mantras indicate the connection between the two the previous and the next. Thus does the repetition of a word already used become purposive. Generally this is the common style among all the seers. Here the term dhī connects the two; the repetition in dhiyā narā, dhiyam sādhantā is to be noted.
The term dhī is now to be considered. Even though in ordinary parlance, the term mati means buddhi or dhī still in the Veda there is a difference between mati and dhī. Mati means intellection, ordinary buddhi (intelligence) function of mind or its state; it even indicates at times, fury, frenzy, etc. like the term manyu, anger. But dhī is the consciousness that holds ; dhī also implies the operation of dhī. Indra-Vayu are prayed to previously to come with this dhī. Now that dhī is to be rendered accomplished, rich and luminous for the contact with the activity of sta-cit, Truth-Consciousness. For that purpose are Mitra-Varuna called by lauds. In the field of dhī so described, there are two obstructions to the activity of sta-cit or to its correct reflection. One of them is the obscuration of the discrimination between truth and falsehood, good and evil, as a result of which there ensues a perplexity regarding truth. The other, as a result of the combination of many causes, obstructs the elevation, well-knit by Truth, of dhī and brings about a disharmony which strikes at the well-coordinated activities of dhī and effects in consequence a poverty of dhī and futility of its operations. Here the accomplishment of the purification is brought about by the grace of Varuna, the destroyer of all evil and who stands covering All. Existent in man as the Power of sta-cit, he ends all the wicked opponents who strike at our progress. That is why Varuna is said to be risādasa. Like Varuna, Mitra in the form of the Power of Truth-Light, establishes the Ananda of ṛta in man by bringing about the state of harmony, happiness, benevolence and equality of dhī consequent to the establishment of the wealth of purity by Varuna.
Thus joined, the two deities increasing the Truth by means of the Truth, maintain in man the touch of the Truth. They enjoy in us the vast kratu. bịhan is great or widespread or large, the vast; kratuḥ is fruitful effort resorting to action. That is indispensable for the accomplishment of 1.1.4] (38) [1.1.2 the purpose. Both the Light and Power are wanted in the inner sacrifice of the seers of the Veda. The dhi-intelligence-gets illumined by the operation of the Light of the Truth (ghſtācim). The effort becomes fruitful and large by the operation of the Force of the Truth (kratum bshantam). In the course of the self-manifestation of the glories of the Truth, the discriminating intelligence engaged in activity becomes stabilised and steady (dakşam dadhāte apasam). This purified intelligence-discriminative or deciding-engages itself in action according to the Truth, a special power of the Truth is born and effects well the work decreed by Indra and Vayu. Thus is achieved the liberation of discerning action and intelligence from taint, confusion, etc. Many hymns to Mitra and Varuna elsewhere support the same purport. They are not illustrated here for want of space. Here is an instance from Medhatithi : “We invoke to drink the Soma, Mitra and Varuna; manifesting and with purified skill of understanding. Increasing the Truth by the Truth, Guards of the Light of Truth, Mitra and Varuna, I call.” (1.23.4,5.)
This is to be borne in mind. The fruit of Sacrifice is the attainment of Truth and gain of the supreme Beatitude. That this is the accomplishment special to Agni has been subtly indicated in the first hymn (to Agni). In the second are declared : the preliminary work to be done by Vayu and Indra in the pressing of the Soma libation; the work of Mitra and Varuna to follow, as a result of which is effected the equipment of the general mental being of man by means of the power of delight of Soma and by the increase of Truth.
Throughout the Rig Veda we see that the effort of the Seers in the inner sacrifice is twofold: one is the maturing in body and mind of man by means of which they get equipped for the object to be attained. The other is the attainment of Truth and its Delight which is indicated by the term Soma, by which the work of the Supreme Godhead in the form of Immortality in man is fulfilled.
Here ends the fourth group in the first Chapter of the first Eighth.