Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book II/Hymn 17

17. For various gifts.

[Brahman.—saptarcam. prāṇāpānāyurdevatyam. ekāvasānam: 1-6. 1-p. āsurī triṣṭubh; 7. āsury uṣṇih.]

⌊Not metrical.⌋ Pāipp. has a similar set of phrases in ii. For the use of the hymn by Kāuç. and Vāit, see under hymn 16. It is also, with 15 and others, reckoned by the schol. to Kāuç. (54. 11, note) to the āyuṣya gaṇa.

Translated: Weber, xiii. 180; Griffith, i. 61.

1. Force art thou; force mayest thou give me: hail!

The Ppp. has no phrase corresponding to this. Some of our mss., as of SPP's, read dā instead of dāḥ before svā́hā, in this hymn and the next, where they do not abbreviate the repetition by omitting both words. The comm. regards them both as addressed to Agni, or else to the article offered (hūyamānadravyam). ⌊Cf. MGS. i. 2. 3, and p. 149 and citations.⌋

2. Power art thou; power mayest thou give me: hail!

Ppp. has sahodā agnes saho me dhā svāhā.

3. Strength art thou; strength mayest thou give me: hail!

Ppp. gives baladā agnir balaṁ me svāhā.

4. Life-time art thou; life-time mayest thou give me: hail!

The corresponding phrase in Ppp. is: āyur asyā āyur me dhā svāhā.

5. Hearing art thou; hearing mayest thou give me: hail!

There are no phrases in Ppp. answering to this and the two following verses; but others with varcas and tejas as the gifts sought.

6. Sight art thou; sight mayest thou give me: hail!

7. Protection (paripā́ṇa) art thou; protection mayest thou give me: hail!

The anuvāka ⌊3.⌋ has 7 hymns, with 42 verses; the Anukr. says: aṣṭonaṁ tasmāc chatārdhaṁ tṛtīye.

Here ends also the third prapāṭhaka.