agnayi— the consort of Agni; she is identi-

asvina purudamsasa nara saviraya dhiya, dhis-

  fied with svaha, the exclamation uttered

  nya vanatam girah — [translated in text.

  when an oblation to the gods is cast into

  Rig Veda 1.3.2]

  the sacrificial fire.

asvina yajvarir iso dravatpani subhaspati, puru-

Ahriman — in Zoroastrianism, the head of

  bhuja canasyatam — [translated in text. Sri

  the evil spirits. His name suggests an original

  Aurobindo elsewhere renders yajvarir iso

  identity with the Vedic Aryaman, god of

  . . . canasyatam more literally, "take de-

  illumined Force.

  light in the energies of the sacrifice."

Ahuramazda—Ahura Mazdah ("Sovereign

  Rig Veda 1.3.1]

  Knowledge"), the head of the good spirits

Ate — in Greek thought, personification of

  in Zoroastrianism.

  the rash folly which leads men to their own

aja—unborn Female Energy; a term for

  misfortune.

  Prakriti.

Athene—Greek goddess of reason and skill

anukamam tarpayetham— [translated in text.

  who sprang, unmothered, from the forehead

  Rig Veda 1.17.3]

  of Zeus; in her origin perhaps a dawn-

Aphrodite—Greek goddess of love and

  goddess. Depicted as a woman of severe

  beauty.

  beauty in armour, she is a virgin warrior but

Apollo—Greek god of light, of prophecy,

  fights, not like Ares for the sheer assertion

  poetry and music, and of medicine; some-

  of strength and love of battle, but to up-

  times identified with the sun-god, Helios.

  hold the right and establish order. She is

  Originally he appears to have been a god

  also known as Pallas.

  of shepherds, who when angered could

atmarati—self-delighted.

  send pestilence and wolves against the

atmastha — self-stationed.

  flocks. His most important oracle was the

bagayat—land for fruits and vegetables.

  one at Delphi which, according to tradition,

barhis — the sacred grass; the seat of the soul's

  he established after slaying the Python,

  fullness [from the root brh, "to expand"].

  the serpent who had previously presided over

bhaga — "the Enjoyer", a Vedic solar deity.

  the spot.

  Sri Aurobindo refers to the accepted con-

Ares — Greek god of war.

  nection of this name with the Russian word

Artemis—Greek goddess of the wild, por-

  for God, bog.

  trayed as a virgin huntress and sometimes

bharati—[in post-Vedic Hinduism] a name

  identified with the moon as twin sister of

  of Saraswati as the goddess of speech, of

  Apollo, the sun-god.

  learning and of poetry.

bhoymug—ground-nuts.

kratur bhavati ukthyah— [translated in text.

bid—a bull used for breeding.

  Rig Veda 1.17.5]

bigha— a unit of land measurement, five-

indra yahi citrabhano suta ime tvayavah.

  eighths of an acre.

  anvibhis tana putasah. indra yahi dhiyesito

bucksheesh — tip, gratuity.

  viprajutah sutavatah, upa brahmani vaghatah.

Cybele—in the religion of the Phrygians

  indra yahi tutujana upa brahmani harivah,

  (ancient inhabitants of central Asia Minor),

  sute dadhisva nas canah — [translated in text.

  the great Mother-goddess.

  Note that tvayavah in this verse, which Sri

daksam apasam — Daksha (the master of the

  Aurobindo following the Padapatha trans-

  intellectual faculty) when he is at his work.

  lates in later writings as a compound,

  [Rig Veda 1.2.9]

  tva-yavah, "desiring thee", is analysed by

dasra yuvakavah suta nasatya vrktabarhisah,

  him here as the particle tu + the word

  a yatam rudravartani—[translated in text.

  ayavah, "life-forces". Rig Veda 1.3.4-6]

  Rig Veda 1.3.3]

izara — monopoly; lease.

deshi — native, local.

jigyusas krtam — do ye render (us) victorious.

deva adhiyajna—the Divine who is the Lord

  [Rig Veda 1.17.7]

  of works and sacrifice.

Jupiter—in Roman religion, the king and

dhartara carsaninam— upholders and sup-

  father of gods and men; his name is a

  porters of men's actions. [Rig Veda 1.17.2]

  contraction of "Jovis pater", akin to Sans-

dhed—scavenger; a type of outcaste.

  krit dyaus pita, "Heaven the father".

Dike—Justice.

kasha — the main town of a district.

durbar—royal court.

katharsis—cleansing, purification (especially

Erinnys—in Greek mythology, one of the

  in a moral sense).

  Furies, spirits of vengeance and punishment,

kavikratuh satyas citrasravastamah — [trans-

  represented as winged women with snakes

  lated in text. Rig Veda 1.1.5]

  in their hair.

kavi rtavrdhav rtasprsa—seers who by the

girah— the words.

  Truth increase and to the Truth attain. [Cf.

gocar—pasture for cattle.

  Rig Veda 1.2.8,9]

gopamrtasya didivim, vardhamanam sve dame

kharaba — infertile (land).

  —O guardian of immortality, resplendent.

khata — ledger.

  increasing in thy home. [Rig Veda 1.1.8;

khedut— villager.

  note that gopamrtasya in this verse, taken

Koros — satiety.

  by Sri Aurobindo in later writings as in the

Kronos—in Greek mythology, the youngest

  Padapatha, gopam rtasya, "guardian of the

  of the twelve Titans, gigantic primeval

  Truth", is here divided gopa + amrtasya.]

  children of Ouranos and Gaia (Heaven

Haelios — hypothetical early form of "Helios",

  and Earth). He ruled the world after over-

  the Greek name of the sun-god. Heelios com-

  throwing his father, until he in turn was

  monly occurs in Homer, and the Dorian

  vanquished by his own children, Zeus and

  dialect has Halios. The form Haelios may

  the Olympian gods. The Romans identified

  be assumed to connect the word with

  him with Saturn, the god of agriculture. His

  Sanskrit surya (the Sun) through its deri-

  reign was regarded as the Golden Age.

  vative Saurya.

mahal—subdivision of a taluka.

Hephaistos — Greek god of fire and of labour

martyam — mortality.

  and craftsmanship.

na — root form of Latin nare, "to swim, float"

himavan — "the snowy one", Himalaya.

  [cf. natare in the same sense; Greek neo,

hota — the "summoner" or "offerer"; the

  "I swim"; Latin navis, Greek naus and

  priest who recites the Rig Veda at a sacrifice.

  Sanskrit nau, all meaning "a ship"].

Hubris — insolent pride and the wanton vio-

Naib Suba — deputy Suba (q.v.).

  lence that springs from it.

nalpena sukham asti bhumna sukham asti—

inam — reward

  there is no satisfaction in the little, satis-

indrah sahasradavnam varunah samsyanam.

  faction there is only in the large. [Cf.

Chhandogya Upanishad 7.23.1; the exact

  spiritual representative; a family-priest, one

  quotation is, nalpe sukham asti bhumaiva

  appointed to conduct the religious rites of a

  sukham.]

  household.

narasamsa—master of strong self-expression,

purohitam yajnasya devam rtvijam, hotaram

  a forceful temperament; or, he who voices

  ratnadhatamam — (I pray Agni) the Purohit,

  the godhead; an epithet of Agni.

  the divine Ritwik of the sacrifice, the Hota

nedistham pasparsa— came nearest to the

  who most founds the delight. [Rig Veda

  touch (of That). [Kena Upanishad 4.3]

  1.1.1]

neher—canal.

purudamsas—hypothetical form of purudam-

nrsamsa—cruel, wicked, tyrannical.

  sas, an epithet of the Ashwins, which could

omasas carsanidhrto visve devasa a gata, das-

  correspond to the Greek poludeukes (Poly-

  vamso dasusah sutam — [translated in text.

  deuces).

  Rig Veda 1.3.7]

rtvik — "one who sacrifices in right order and

Orpheus—a legendary pre-Homeric Thracian

  right season"; the genera! name for any of

  bard, founder of the Orphic mysteries

  the 16 types of priest that officiate at Vedic

  centred around Dionysus.

  sacrifices.

padar — open space in the outskirts of a village.

sa devan eha vaksati— he brings here the Gods.

padtar—uncultivated land.

  [Rig Veda 1.1.2]

Pallas—a name of Athene (q.v.).

sadhastuti—"the fulfilling praise", a hymn of

patel—the headman of a village.

  fulfilment or for fulfilment. [Cf. Rig Veda

patnir devanam— the brides, consorts or fe-

  1.17.9]

  male powers of the gods. [Rig Veda 1.22.9]

sanema—may we remain in safety. [Rig Veda

patnivatas krdhi—yoke with female mates.

  1.17.6]

  [Rig Veda 1.14.7]

sapta bhumis—the seven planes, psychological

patrak — circular.

  strata or worlds of being.

pauruseya— man-made, human, personal.

sapta dhamani—the seven seats or domains.

pavaka—"the purifier", an epithet of Agni.

sapta sindhu — the seven rivers; the seven

  pavaka nah Sarasvati vajebhir vajinivati, yajnam

  streams or currents or forms of movement

  vastu dhiyavasuh, codayitri sunrtanam ce-

  of the one conscious existence.

  tanti sumatinam, yajnam dadhe Sarasvati.

satyadharmanam adhvare—in the march of

  maho arnas Sarasvati pra cetayati ketuna.

  the sacrifice whose law of being is the Truth.

  dhiyo visva vi rajati—May purifying Saras-

  [Rig Veda 1.12.7]

  wati with all the plenitude of her forms of

satyakarma—true in action.

  plenty, rich in substance by the thought.

  satyam eva jayate nanrtam satyena pantha

  desire [or control] our sacrifice. She, the

  vitato devayanah, yenakramantyrsayo hyapta-

  impeller to happy truths, the awakener in

  kamd yatra tat satyasya paramam nidha-

  consciousness to right mentalisings, Saras-

  nam — [translated in text. Mundaka Upa-

  wati, upholds the sacrifice. Saraswati by the

  nishad 3.1.6]

  perception awakens in consciousness the

satyapratijna — true to one's promises.

  great flood and illumines entirely all the

satyavadi—true in speech.

  thoughts [or, governs diversely all the

saurya—a derivative from surya, the Sans-

  movements of the understanding]. [Rig Veda

  krit name for the sun, which may correspond

  1.3.10-12]

  to Greek Haelios (q.v.).

piteva sunave—as a father to his child. [Rig

sharafi—jewellery; the trade of the jeweller

  Veda 1.1.9]

  and money-lender.

posak—honorary costume.

shingoti — (tax on) horned animals.

pra cetayati—awakens; brings forward into

sowcar, sowkar—banker.

  consciousness. [Rig Veda 1.3.12]

sparsa — touch.

prant — province; the largest division of a

sprha — desire.

  kingdom or princely state.

Stri—woman.

purohita—the priest "put in front" as man's

Suba — governor of a prant.

syad uta prarecanam — may there be indeed

veth — forced labour without payment.

  an utter purification. [Rig Veda 1.17.6]

vighoti—a system of uniform taxation of

tagavi—loans from the Treasury to culti-

  lands, including those left fallow, leading lo

  vators.

  continuous cultivation and consequent de-

talav— pond, lake.

  terioration of the soil.

taluka — a subdivision of a district, larger

visnoh paramam padam — Vishnu's highest

  than a mahal.

  footing.

tappa — area; a town and the villages around

visva dhiyo vi rajati—she governs or shines

  it.

  through all the thoughts (the movements of

tasalmat — aid.

  the fixing and discerning mind). [Cf. Rig

tasminn evakase striyam ajagama . . . umam

  Veda 1.3.12]

  haimavatim—[translated in text. Cf. Kena

visvatah paribhur asi—on every side of which

  Upanishad 3.12]

  thou art with the environing being. [Rig

Themis—in Greek mythology, a Titaness,

  Veda 1.1.4]

  goddess of law and order.

visve devaso apturah sutam a ganta turnayah.

tisro devir mayobhuvah— the three goddesses

  usra iva svasarani. visve devaso asridha

  born of Love or Bliss. [Rig Veda 1.13.9]

  ehimayaso adruhah, medham jusanta vahna-

tribhuvana — the three worlds.

  yah — [translated in text. Rig Veda 1.3.8,9]

trih saptani—thrice seven. [Cf. Rig Veda

yajatrah — effectors of the sacrifice.

  1.72.6, trih sapta pada, "the thrice seven

yathatathyato vihitam sasvatibhyah samabhyah

  planes".]

  — fixed according to the nature of things

vahivatdar—district administrator and reven-

  from years sempiternal. [Cf. Isha Upanishad

  ue officer.

  8]

vahnayah— supporters of the sacrifice.

Zeus pater— "father Zeus"; in Greek religion,

Vaid — an Ayurvedic physician.

  Zeus, lord of the heavens, as the universal

vam aham huve citraya radhase — [translated

  Father.

  in text. Rig Veda 1.17.7]