Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book I/Hymn 21

21. Against enemies.

[Atharvan.—āindram. ānuṣṭubham.]

As just pointed out (under 20. 4), this hymn and the last verse of the preceding make one hymn in RV. (x. 152) and in Pāipp. (ii.); the latter has a different verse-order (3, 2, 1, 4), but no various readings. For other correspondences, see under the several verses. For the ritual use of the hymn with the two preceding, see under 19; it is further reckoned (Kāuç. 16. 8, note) to the abhaya ('free from fear or danger') gaṇa. It is the first hymn applied (with vii. 55) in the svastyayana or 'for well-being' ceremonies (50. 1), and is, according to the comm., referred to as such in 25. 36. Verse 2 is also used, with others, by Vāit. (29. 5), in the agnicayana or building of the fire-altar.

Translated: Weber, iv. 414; Griffith, i. 25.

1. Giver of well-being, lord of the people (víç), Vṛtra-slayer, remover of scorners, controlling, let the bull Indra go before us, soma-drinker, producing fearlessness.

The comm. renders vimṛdhás by viçeṣeṇa mardhayitā çatrūṇām, although he explains mṛ́dhas in vss. 2, 3 by saṁgrāmān; the word is plainly a possessive compound ⌊accent! no genitive⌋, expressing in form of epithet the action of 2 a and 3 a. RV. reads in a viçás pátis. The verse occurs further in TB. (iii. 7. 11⁴) and TA. (x. 1. 9); both have viçás, and, in d, svastidā́s for somapā́s.

2. Smite away, O Indra, our scorners (mṛ́dh); put (yam) down them that fight (pṛtany) [us]; make go to lowest darkness whoso vexes us.

RV. reverses the order of c and d, and reads ádharam; and with it agree precisely SV. (ii. 1218) and VS. (viii. 44 a et al.); while TS. (i. 6. 12⁴) and MS. (iv. 12. 3) have for c adhaspadáṁ tám īṁ kṛdhi. ⌊Cf. MGS. ii. 15. 6 h and p. 155.⌋

3. Smite away the demon, away the scorners; break apart Vṛtra's (two) jaws; away, O Indra, Vṛtra-slayer, the fury of the vexing enemy.

RV. and SV. (ii. 1217) have the same text; TS. (i. 6. 12⁵) reads çátrūn for rákṣas, nuda for jahi, and bhāmitó for vŗtrahan.

4. Off, O Indra, the mind of the hater, off the deadly weapon of him that would scathe; extend great protection; keep very far off the deadly weapon.

RV. reads manyós for mahát in c, yavayā for yāv- in d. TS. (iii. 5. 8, only a, b) supplies in the first half-verse the missing verb, jahi, putting it in place of vadhám. Unless we resolve çárma into three syllables, the anuṣṭubh is defective by a syllable. ⌊Add naḥ after yacha?⌋

The 5 hymns of this anuvāka ⌊4.⌋ again have 20 verses, the norm: see at the conclusion of the preceding anuvāka (after hymn 16).