Mandala 6

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The sixth Mandala of the Rigveda is the very first book or Mandala of the Rigveda in the relative chronology. It has 75 hymns, mainly to Agni and Indra. Most hymns in this book are attributed to the bārhaspatya family of Angirasas, especially to Bharadvaja. It is one of the "family books" (mandalas 2-7), the oldest core of the Rigveda. Mandala 6 is likely the oldest of the Mandalas. According to Talageri, this Mandala contains the oldest hymns of the Rig Veda.[1]

Book 6 is situated at the time of Bharata king Divodāsa. Divodāsa is mentioned in VI.16.5,19; 26.5; 31.4; 43.1; 47.22,23; 61.1. Divodāsa's father Sṛñjaya in VI.27.7; 47.25; also in one hymn, VI.61.1, by the insulting epithet Vadhryaśva, meaning "impotent". It mentions Divodāsa's grandfather Devavāta: VI.27.7; and contains the only reference in the Rigveda to the eponymous ancestral Bharata himself: VI.16.4. It also mentions Pratardana, son of Divodāsa: VI.26.8.[2]

Content

This book records the first historical battle (the battle of Hariyūpīyā) in which Sṛñjaya (the father of Divodāsa) and the Anus were allies.[3]

It is pertaining mainly to the time of the early Bharata king Divodāsa. Divodāsa is mentioned a number of times: VI.16.5,19; 26.5; 31.4; 43.1; 47.22,23; 61.1. In fact, the book goes many generations back into the period of the earliest Rigvedic and pre-Rigvedic history: it mentions Divodāsa's father Sṛñjaya: VI.27.7; 47.25; also in one hymn, VI.61.1, by the insulting epithet Vadhryaśva, meaning "impotent". It mentions Divodāsa's grandfather Devavāta: VI.27.7; and contains the only reference in the Rigveda to the eponymous ancestral Bharata himself: VI.16.4. It also mentions Pratardana, son of Divodāsa: VI.26.8 [1] [archive]

Deities addressed besides Indra and Agni include the Vishvadevas, Pushan, the Asvins, Ushas (Dawn), the Maruts, Dyaus and Prthivi (Heaven and Earth), Savitar, Brhaspati and Soma-Rudra.

In Book 6, hymn 45, with 33 verses, contains the archaic word sīm (found 50 times in the first nine Books of the Rigveda, but only once in the last Book 10, and not even once in the Atharvaveda); and does not contain a single word of late date. On the other hand, hymn 28, with only 8 verses, has no particular mark of early date, but abounds in late words like khila, riś, bhak ṣ , k ṛ ś and taskara. Yet, hymn 45 is included in Oldenberg‘s list of ―unordered‖ hymns, and hymn 28 (counted by Arnold as one of only four ―late hymns‖ in Book 6, along with hymns 47, 74 and 75) is included in Oldenberg‘s list of ―ordered‖ hymns. (Talageri 2008)

Talageri (2000), based on his proposition of an westward expansion early Rigvedic culture from Harayana (contrary to the nearly universally assumed eastward expansion from Gandhari) and his identification of some Rigvedic rivers, claims this Mandala as the oldest of the family books.[4]

The rivers mentioned in the sixth Mandala are the Sarasvati, the Yavyavati and possibly the Ganges. The YavyAvatI River is only mentioned in RV 6.27.6 and in the Pancavimsa Brahmana (25.7.2). In the Pancavimsa Brahmana the river is associated with the Vibhinduka region (Kuru-Pancala region). Some scholars suggest that the rigvedic Yavyavati is the Drsadvati River[5], while others hold that it may be the Zhob river in N. Baluchistan.[6]

In RV 6.61, the Sarasvati River is placed between the Yamuna and Sutlej rivers.[7]

Let us take Mandala 6, in the case of which Witzel has already (as we have seen) clarified that the late or “interpolated” hymns, according to Oldenberg’s principles, are 15,16, 44-48, 49-52, 59-61, 74, 75 (and the “original” hymns, therefore, are 1-14, 17-43, 53-58, 62-73). Although (as we have also seen) this classification collapses like a house of cards at the slightest touch, nevertheless, if we examine the geographical data as per this classification, we get the following situation: Witzel’s “interpolated” hymns refer to the Ganga (45) and the Sarasvati (49,50,52,61). Witzel’s “original” hymns refer to the Hariyupiya and Yavyavati (27), Ilaspada (1), the elephant (4 and 20) and the buffalo (8 and 17). (Talageri 2001)

Kazanas writes: W stresses (§ 7) that R V VI 45 is late: “Applying the principles pioneered by Oldenberg, RV 6.45 can be shown to be a composite hymn built of trcas at an uncertain period… Such late additions must not be used as an argument for the age of the bulk of book 6”. T points out that E . V. Arnold, who criticizes Oldenberg on some points, places this hymn among the oldest and that Witzel himself in his 1995 paper (p 317) states that this very hymn VI 45 is “an unsuspicious hymn” that is “not suspected as an addition”. (JIES, 2002)

Late additions

VI.20.10 may be a late addition (Talageri 2008).

Old Rigveda (280 hymns, 2368 verses) VI. 1-14, 17-43, 53-58, 62-73 (59 hymns, 449 verses).

Redacted Hymns (62 hymns, 873 verses) VI. 15-16, 44-52, 59-61, 74-75 (16 hymns, 316 verses).

Other Indologists (Hopkins, Arnold, etc.) have suggested some more hymns to be included in the list — the most recent "metrical Rigveda" by Van Nooten cites VI.28 and VII.50 as belonging to this category of redacted hymns[8].

Location

It is located around the Sarasvati river in Haryana. It refers to the Sarasvati (VI.49.7; 50.12; 52.6; 61.1-7,10,11,13,14), and its tributaries the Hariyūpīyā and Yavyāvatī (VI.27.5 and 6 respectively), and to the Gaṅgā in the east (VI.45.31).[9]

The rivers mentioned in the sixth Mandala are the Sarasvati, Yavyavati and Hariupiya. RV 6.61 is entirely dedicated to Sarasvati. In RV 6.45.31 the term Ganga occurs whichrefer to the River Ganges.

  • Brbu hath set himself above the Panis, o'er their highest head,
    Like the wide bush on Ganga's bank.
    • VI.45.31

Rivers

Eastern places in Book 6: 1. Iḷaspada-2. 4. vāraṇa-5. 8. mahiṣa-4. 17. mahiṣa-11. 20. ibha-8. 27. Hariyūpīyā-5, Yavyāvatī-6. 45. Gangā-31. 49. Sarasvatī-7. 50. Sarasvatī-12. 52. Sarasvatī-6. 61. Sarasvatī-1-7,10-11,13-14.

Source:Talageri 2008

Rigvedic priest and king

Priest: Bharadvaja King: Divodasa

Notes on specific words and verses

  • vadhryaśva in VI.61 means impotent, vadhryaśva literally means "castrated horse" . ( tatpuruṣa compound where the first part of the compound qualifies the second part of the compound)[10]
  • √gā/gai (sing): [VI. 40.1; 69.2].
    varman (armour): [VI. 27.6].
    stotra (song of praise): [VI. 34.5; 35.1].
    rasa (juice): [VI. 63.8].
    śuddha (pure, purified): [VI. 28.7].
    • Hidden new words (meaning new words which were at a late date incorporated into old hymns) [2] [archive]

References

  1. ↑ Talageri, Shrikant. (2000) The Rigveda: A Historical Analysis
  2. ↑ https://talageri.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-full-out-of-india-case-in-short.html [archive]
  3. ↑ https://talageri.blogspot.com/2022/09/the-grtsamadas-of-book-ii-of-rigveda.html [archive]
  4. ↑ Talageri, Shrikant. (2000) The Rigveda: A Historical Analysis
  5. ↑ e.g. Talageri, Shrikant. (2000) The Rigveda: A Historical Analysis
  6. ↑ Michael Witzel, Rgvedic history: poets, chieftains and politics, in: Language, Material Culture and Ethnicity. The Indo-Aryans of Ancient South Asia, ed. G. Erdosy, Berlin/New York (de Gruyter) 1995, 307-352.
  7. ↑ Kazanas, Nicholas. 1999. The Rgveda and Indo-Europeans.; pp. 15-42 in ‘Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute’, vol. LXXX. Poona; Scharfe, Hartmut. 1996. Bartholomae’s Law Revisited. pp. 351-377 of Studien zur Indologie und Iranistik, vol. XX (Festschrift Paul Thieme)
  8. ↑ https://talageri.blogspot.com/2022/08/final-version-of-chronological-gulf.html [archive]
  9. ↑ https://talageri.blogspot.com/2022/09/the-grtsamadas-of-book-ii-of-rigveda.html [archive]
  10. ↑ https://talageri.blogspot.com/2022/10/the-prthu-parsu-in-dasarajna-hymn.html [archive]

Text

Rig Veda Mandala 6 (Griffith)

External links

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