Tr. From here or from the earthly heavens or from the great mid-world we desire Indra for our getting.
ito vā from the earth close to us or ; sātim what is to be obtained, enjoyed, attained; imahe we desire; what is to be attained is Indra himself; indram we desire Indra as to be attained. As he wields his supremacy over all the three worlds he is attainable either here, pārthivadadhi ; divo vā or from the earthly heaven; maho rajaso vā or from the great mid-world, we desire the Indra to be attained.
We have commented upon the hymn commencing with Tunjanta. According to the Anukra-manikā, the Riks commented upon are two to Indra and Maruts, four to Maruts, and four to Indra. The sequential connection of the Riks in this hymn of ten Riks has been shown. This hymn pregnant with mystic import has turned out to be of dry meaning in the method of exposition according to the line of gross interpretation. We do not seek to examine that purport. But we have something to say here.
There is much secret here that has been deliberately placed deep by the seer. This illustrates powerfully what we stated earlier in the Introduction regarding the secret of the seers. We said: “This mystery was known to the Rishis and to their disciples who had obtained initiation from the great Rishis, their teachers, were instructed in the inner sacrifice by means of inner purification, etc.” Familiar words like cow, horse, ray, etc. symbolic or of double meaning rise no difficulty to us here. Even so the lines themselves are sufficient to speak out that the secret has been patently and deliberately placed in this hymn.
He says in the first Rik “They yoke”. Who? The subject is not mentioned. The terms ‘around', 'standers' though taken by change of cases are only adjectival: it is simply left to the understanding of the inner sacrificer or for educating the student, without stating the nature of the qualified. “Moving': here too what? That is not mentioned. In the second Rik too the subject is left to be inferred, but it is easier than in the first. In the third with what ‘rays of knowledge of the Dawn' is the birth of Indra ? That is not said. In the fourth who came 'to the embryonic birth?? In the fifth, by means of which 'breakers', ‘carriers' is the gain of cows by Indra ? In the sixth, who are those 'desirous of God' who adored “the great one heard'? In the seventh, who is addressed ‘seen along with Indra' 'of like splendour'? Even in the eighth, it is not said explicitly who are the 'hosts dear to Indra'. In the ninth who is invited, 'who goes everywhere? It is only in the tenth that it is said explicitly that 'we desire Indra.'
We would say that the answer to all this had been intentionally concealed and guarded by the great seer Madhucchandas of direct realisation, the knower of what to say. And yet hints have been scattered here and there in the Riks, covertly or overtly. It is by examining them and basing upon the conclusions arrived at by the ancients regarding the identity of the Gods, that works like Bșhad Devatā, Anukramarikā, etc. were started. In many places, even among the ancients, there is difference of opinion or doubt or controversy in fixing the identity of the Gods. This is to be pondered over. The time lag between different ages of the original seers of the Mantras and the later authors of the Aphorisms of Srauta and Kalpa is the very cause for the controversy on subjects like the Gods.
Primarily the Mantras relate to the inner sacrifice. It is no wonder that those who set out to expound the significance with a view to their use in the outer ritual, and that too the later ones, came to decide upon the Gods expounded in the Mantras from the most superficial viewpoint. That is why when we consider the meaning of the Mantras generally-especially in the context of the inner sacrifice—we see no congruity between the meaning of the Mantras and the Deity as stated by those like Katyayana. This incongruity becomes patent in this very hymn of 'yuñjanti', in mantras like 'devayantaḥ'. Even though we follow, as far as we are able, to the extent possible, the author of the Anukramaņikā only in fixing the identity of the Gods, we openly dissent in inappropriate situations. Hence, in this explanation of the inner sense, following the interpretation of Sri Aurobindo, we do not accept the Maruts as the deities in the Mantra 'devayantaḥ'. Similarly in verse ‘ataḥ parijman' it is not the host of Maruts that is called. All the rest has been said in the commentary.
Thus ends the twelfth Group in the first Chapter of the first Eighth.