dEvI sUktam

[Anand Hudli]

On Tue, 1 Oct 2002 18:35:21 -0400, Srikrishna Ghadiyaram
<srikrishna_ghadiyaram at YAHOO.COM> wrote:

>Hari Om !!
>
>Would some one help me to locate translation/commentary on 'devi sUktam'.
>Do you know of any recorded lectures on devi sUktam. If any of you have a
>book containing the translation of this sUktam, kindly post it.
>
>Om Namo Narayanaya !!
>
>Srikrishna

You can find translations of the Rg Veda online but I am not sure
how good those translations are, being mostly based on interpretations
by modern/Western scholars. One site is:

  http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/rigveda/

 which contains the translation of the Rg Veda by Griffith (1896).

 The devI sUkta occurs as sUkta 125 in the 10th maNDala of this Veda.

First, it is mandatory to know the seer (Rishi), devatA, and meter
(chhandas) of any Rg vedic verse(s) before studying or chanting them.
The seer is VAgAMbhR^NI, the daughter of Maharshi aMbhR^iNa, the devatA
is AtmA, and meter is triShTub for all but one of the eight verses. The
second verse is in the jagatI meter.

Traditionally, the devI sUkta is one of the sUktas employed in the
daily worship (panchAyatana) by smArtas belonging to a Rg Vedic
shAkhA, such as shAkala (which is the most common shAkhA among Rg vedins).
The shrauta sUtras prescribe this sUkta to be employed as inviting
verses in an animal sacrifice. The devI sUkta also occurs in the
atharva veda (4.30), although the wording is somewhat different from
the Rg Vedic version.

The devI sUkta is also employed at the end of the chaNDI homa which is
quite popular even today.

The RgvidhAna of Shaunaka, which is a practical manual of Rg Vedic hymns,
says "vAchaM prapadyedvAkkAmo juhvadAshu japannimAH | ahaM rudrebhiritye-
tadvAgmI bhavati pUjitaH ||", "One who desires (mastery) over speech
should resort to the Goddess of Speech while promptly offering (oblations)
accompanied by the chanting of these verses of this sUkta beginning
with ahaM rudrebhiH. He then becomes a master of eloquence and
honoured."

Anand