Kavíkratu

Abstract

In this article the meaning of the bahuvrīhi compound kavíkratu (attested ten times in the ṚV: 1.1.5; 3.2.4; 3.14.7; 3.27.12; 5.11.4; 6.16.23; 8.44.7; 9.9.1; 9.25.5; 9.62.13; seven times used as an attribute for Agni, thrice for Soma) is examined. Its morphology (adjectival possessive compound) and the meaning of its two constituents kaví “poet” and krátu “resolve” are more or less undisputed, hence the common translation “with a poet’s resolve”. However, in spite of the rare occurrence and the apparent lucidity of the morphology and semantics of kavíkratu, such a translation may not be appropriate. The uneven distribution of this term and its marked position within the stanzas where it occurs, in combination with the semantic ambiguity of Sanskrit compounds, may be taken as an indication that this compound possesses a more intricate structure, and that this intricacy is the reason for its occurrence. In this article it is argued that this compound admits more than one translation, and that it is necessary to reproduce its semantic ambiguity in translation. Finally, the possibility of using the uneven distribution of kavíkratu to identify differences between certain groups within the Ṛgveda with regard to their world-views is briefly discussed.