Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book I/Hymn 6

6. To the waters: for blessings.

[Sindhudvīpa (Atharvākṛti).—(etc., as 4). 4. pathyāpan̄kti.]]

The hymn is not found in Pāipp., but perhaps stood at the beginning of its text, on the lost first leaf: see ⌊Bloomfield's introd. to the Kāuç., p. xxxvii and ref's, esp. Weber, v. 78 and xiii. 431⌋. Verses 1-3 occur in RV., as noted under the preceding hymn, and 1-2 in other texts, as pointed out under the verses. For the use of the hymn, with its predecessor or its two predecessors, in Kāuç. and Vāit., see above, under those hymns. Verse 1 is also (Kāuç. 9. 7) directed to be repeated (with the gāyatrī or sāvitrī-verse) at the beginning and end of çānti rites, and to be recited part by part six times, with rinsing of the mouth, in the indramahotsava ceremony (140. 5).

Translated: Weber, iv. 397; Griffith, i. 8.

1. Be the divine waters weal for us in order to assistance, to drink; weal [and] health flow they unto us.

The verse occurs further, without variants, in VS. (xxxvi. 12), TB. (i. 2. 1¹ et al.), TA. (iv. 42. 4), and Āp. (v. 4. 1); in SV. (i. 33) is repeated çáṁ nas (instead of ā́pas) at beginning of b. The comm. explains abhiṣṭi by abhiyajana!

As to the prefixion of this verse to the whole text in a part of our mss., see p. cxvi.

2. Within the waters, Soma told me, are all remedies, and Agni (fire) wealful for all.

Found also in TB. (ii. 5. 8⁶), without variants, and in MS. (iv. 10. 4), with, for c, ā́paç ca viçváçambhuvaḥ.

3. O waters, bestow a remedy, protection (várūtha) for my body, and long to see the sun.

Only RV. has this verse.

4. Weal for us the waters of the plains, and weal be those of the marshes, weal for us the waters won by digging, and weal what are brought in a vessel; propitious to us be those of the rain.

Pādas a—d are nearly repeated in xix. 2. 2.

The mss. sum up this anuvāka ⌊1.⌋ or chapter as of 6 hymns, 29 verses; and their quoted Anukr. says ādyaprathama ṛco nava syur vidyāt: i. e. the verses exceed by 9 the assumed norm of the chapters, which is 20. ⌊Regarding vidyāt, see end of notes to i. 11.⌋