Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book I/Hymn 4
4. To the waters: for blessings.
[Sindhudvīpa.—aponaptrīyāṇi, somābdāivatāni. gāyatrāṇi; 4. purastādbṛhatī]
The hymn is not found in Pāipp. It and the two that next follow are reckoned by Kāuç. (9. 1, 4) to both çānti gaņas, major (bṛhat) and minor (laghu); also (7. 14) to the apāṁ sūktāni or water-hymns, applied in various ceremonies; and by some (18. 25, note) to the salila gaņa, which Kāuç. begins with hymns 5 and 6. The same three are joined with others (19. 1) in a healing rite for sick kine, and (41. 14) in a ceremony for good fortune. Again (25. 20), this hymn is used (with vi. 51) in a remedial rite, and (37. 1) in the interpretation of signs. Hymns 4-6 further appear in Vāit. (16. 10) as used in the aponaptrīya rite of the agniṣṭoma sacrifice, and 4. 2 alone with the setting down of the vasatīvarī water in the same sacrifice. The four verses are RV. i. 23. 16-19; for other correspondences, see under the verses.
Translated: Weber, iv. 396; Griffith, i. 6.
1. The mothers go on their ways, sisters of them that make sacrifice, mixing milk with honey.
2. They who are yonder at the sun, or together with whom is the sun—let them further our sacrifice.
The verse is found further, without variant, in VS. (vi. 24 e).
3. The heavenly waters I call on, where our kine drink; to the rivers (síndhu) is to be made oblation.
⌊Cf. note to x. 9. 27, below.⌋
4. Within the waters is ambrosia (amṛ́ta), in the waters is remedy; and by the praises (práçasti) of the waters ye become vigorous (vājín) horses, ye become vigorous kine.
The second half-verse is here rendered strictly according to the accent, which forbids taking the nouns as vocatives; SPP. reads in c, with all his mss. and the great majority of ours bhávatha (our two Bp. give bhav-); the accent is to be regarded as antithetical. RV. gives práçastaye at end of b, and ends the verse with c, reading dévā bhávata vājínaḥ. Other texts have the verse: VS. (ix. 6 a), TS. (i. 7. 71), and MS. (i. 11. 1); all lack a fourth pāda, and have at end of b práçastiṣu; for c, VS. has áçvā bhávata vājínaḥ, TS. áçvā bhavatha vājínaḥ, and MS. áçvā bhavata vājínah.