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These three Goddesses are celebrated together in all the āpri
hymns namely: 1.13.9; 1.142.9; 1.188.8; 2.3.8; 3.4.8; 5.5.8;
7.2.8; 9.5.8; 10.70.8; 10.110.8; Note that Mahī and
Bhāratī are same. We reproduce below the comments of Sri
Kapāli Sāstry.
The purāņās speak of no difference between Bhāratī
and Sarasvatī. According to the purāņic story,
Iļā, male head of the lunar dynasty, son of Manu,
attained womanhood and became Iļā. But in the Veda, it is
to be noted, these three associated together, conferring Sight,
Hearing Vastness on the sacrificer, the rişhi, have their
dwelling in Svar. Of these, Bhāratī signified by the
term Mahī, the divine Power connected with the Vast Light,
issuing from the House of svar, brings first the
consciousness of the vast, bŗhat, to the Seer-Poet; Iļā
favours him with the consciousness-sight, commensurate with this
vastness. But Sarasvatī, the carrier of inspiration makes
the seer capable of hearing the divine inspiration, the hearer of
Truth.
The truth of Bhāratī or Mahī is described in (1.8.8)
with the three adjectives sūnŗta, one with true speech,
virapshī, flowing abundantly, and gomatī, full of the
rays of Light. The entire hymn (1.8) entitled "Indra and
Mahī'' will be discussed in the second volume. Even though
sūnŗta is used for Sarasvatī also in (1.3.11), we have
to grasp the distinction between the deities.
Iļā, Sarasvatī and Bhāratī, conferring Sight,
Hearing and Vastness respectively, are divine, born of the
Truth-Light, powers of the Sun of the Light of Truth impeller
supreme of the Universe. The adjective vishvatūrtiĥ (who
carries all) used for Her of the Vastness, establishes the
relation of Bhāratī to the very Impeller who is sought to
impel our thoughts. All these three create supreme happiness-mayobhuvaĥ.
They are not to be taken as some indistinct or formless divine
powers; though
they are mutually associated, the seers see their form as
distinct, beautiful, supeshasaĥ, of good form.
We give below
translations of some of the āpri mantrās.
May Iļā, Sarasvatī, Mahī, the three Goddesses of delight
come to the seat, unharmed (1.13.9).
May Sarasvatī affecting our thought dhiyam and
Goddesses Iļā and Bhāratī who carry all to their
goal sit on our altar seat and guard our house of refuge by the
self-law of things svadhaya. (2.3.8)
In unison may Bhāratī with her muses of invocation
bhāratibhih, Iļā with gods, men and Agni, Sarasvatī
with her powers of inspiration sārasvatebhirvāk, come down
to us; may the three goddesses be seated, (7.2.8) and (3.4.8).
May Iļā,
Sarasvatīī and Mahī, the three Goddesses who create
the bliss sit on the sacred seat, they who never err (5.5.8).
May Bhāratī
come swiftly to our sacrifice, Iļā awakening to knowledge
like a human thinker and Sarasvatī, the three Goddesses,
--may they sit, perfect in works, on this sacred seat of happy
ease (10.110.8).
O ye three
Goddesses, sit on the superior seat which we have made delightful
for you; may the mother of revelation, Iļā, and the two
goddesses with the luminous feet, ghŗtapadī, accept our
firmly placed offerings and our human worship of sacrifice
(10.70.8).
The
translations are all due to Sri Aurobindo (HMF). Note in
(10.70.8), the usual translation of ghŗtapadī as having
feet of ghee does not make sense.
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