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184
 
THE SŪRYAŚATAKA OF MAYŪRA
 
earth. The weight of his body, his head being the point of greatest
leverage, makes the car tip back. Bernheimer (see Introd., p. 105) would
render this difficult pada as follows: 'mentre è necessariamente invertito
il vostro inchino ad Anūru, che vi giace supino, col capo ripiegato indietro.'
 
V.L. (a) VHB -putaprasthitaiḥ. (b) VH adirghamfor udasto, B ddir-
ghanfor udasto, J ddirgham dägdir udasto; H upagatasan-. (d) B prahne
(with dental nasal); K preyo vidhattam.
 
63 (64 in VJHB)
 
dhvāntāughadhvamsadīkṣāvidhipatu vahatā prāk sahasram
 
karāṇām
 
aryamṇā yo garimṇaḥ padam atulam upānīyatā 'dhyāsanena
sa śrāntānām nitāntam bharam iva marutām akṣamāṇāṁ
 
visodhum
 
skandhāt skandham vrajan vo vṛjinavijitaye bhāsvataḥ syan-
dano 'stu
 
The car of the Shining (Sürya) has been brought to an incom-
parable position of dignity through the occupation [of it] by
Aryaman (Sürya),
 
Who at dawn ushers in his thousand rays that are skilled in the
performance of their initiatory rite,³ [which is] the destruc-
tion of the mass of darkness;
 
And it passes from shoulder to shoulder of the Maruts (Winds),
who become, as it were, weary and unable to bear its exces-
sive weight.5
 
May this car of the Shining (Sürya) make you triumphant over
your sins!
 
Notes 1. This stanza is no. 64 in VJHB; cf. Introd., p. 83. 2. The
term garimnaḥ, 'dignity,' has punningly the meaning of 'weight,' the
thought being that the car has been brought to such a degree of weight'
that the Maruts are unable to hold it up. 3. Just as boys, at the begin-
ning of their life as adults, undergo the initiatory rite of investiture with
the Brāhmanical thread, so the rays, at the beginning of each day, per-
form an initiatory rite, which, in their case, is the destruction of the dark-
ness of night. 4. The commentary says: 'The shoulders of the Vayus
(Winds) are subject to the car of Ravi (Sürya), [are], indeed, its sup-
ports. And these [shoulders] are many. The Blessed (Sürya) goes
around Meru from left to right, passing over these [shoulders] in due
order. So say those versed in the sacred lore.' 5. The commentary notes: