Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book II/Hymn 6

6. Praise and prayer to Agni.

[Çāunaka (sampatkāmaḥ).—āgneyam. trāiṣṭubham: 4. 4-p. ārṣī pan̄kti; 5. virāṭprastārapan̄kti.]

Found in Pāipp. iii.; also in VS. (xxvii. 1, 2, 3, 5, 6), TS. (iv. i. 7), and MS.(ii. 12. 5). Used by Kāuç., with vii. 82, in a kāmya rite for success (sampad, 59. 15); and also, in the chapter of portents, alone, in one against bad years (samās). Vāit. has it in the agnicayana ceremony (28. 4), at the beginning, and a little later (28. 10) vs. 3 alone, on depositing the lump of earth on a lotus-leaf. The comm. quotes it from the Nakṣ. K. (17 and 18), in a mahāçānti called āgneyī; and, from Pariçiṣṭa 7. 2, vs. 5 (with vii. 35), in a nightly rite. ⌊Observe (note to vs. 3) that Ppp. agrees with the Yajus-texts and Kāuç. in associating our vii. 82 with this hymn.⌋

Translated: Weber, xiii. 146; Griffith, i. 48.

1. Let the summers (sámā), O Agni, the seasons, increase thee, the years, the seers, what things are true; shine thou with the heavenly bright space (rocaná); illuminate (ā-bhā) all the four directions.

TS. reads at the end pṛthivyā́s (for cátasras). Ppp. has for b saṁvatsara ṛṣayo yā nu sakhyā, and in c gives dyumnena for divyéna. The comm. glosses samās by saṁvatsarās. ⌊If the translation implies that rocanéna is an instr. of accompaniment, it is less apposite than Mr. Whitney's earlier version, 'shine together with heavenly brightness'—which I take to be Agni's own (cf. RV. x. 4. 2). His brightness is nil by day-time. The "together" were better left out.⌋

2. Both do thou become kindled, Agni, and do thou increase this man, and arise unto great good fortune; let not thine attendants (upasattár) be harmed, O Agni; be thy worshipers (brahmán) glorious, not others.

The other texts are in accordance in reading bodhaya (for vardhaya) in a, and Ppp. nearly agrees with them, having prati bodhaye ’nam; for c the others give mā́ ca riṣad upasattā́ te agne.

3. Thee, O Agni, do these Brahmans choose; be propitious to us, O Agni, in the [sacrificial] enclosure (? saṁváraṇa); rival-slayer, Agni, conqueror of hostile plotters, be thou; watch unremitting over thine own household.

MS. has the same text; the two others give a slightly different c: sapatnahā́ no abhimātijíc ca. Ppp. has for b çivo ‘gne prabhṛṇo nedihi, and for d sve kṣa dīdihy aprayuchan; it then inserts, before vs. 4, our vii. 82. 3; and it is very noteworthy that the three Yajus-texts do the same. The comm. renders saṁvaraṇe bhava by vidyamānasyā ’pi pramādasya saṁchādane vartasva 'hide any oversight of ours.' The Anukr. passes without notice the two jagatī-pādas in the verse.

4. Take hold of thine own dominion (kṣatrá), Agni; with [thy] friend, Agni, strive (yat) in friendly wise; [as one] of midmost station among [his] fellows (sajātá), [as one] to be severally invoked of kings, Agni, shine thou here.

VS. TS. read svā́yus for svéna in a, and all the three parallel texts have mitradhéye (for -dhā́) in b, while Ppp. gives mitradheyam, and the comm. -dhās. In c, VS. TS. fill out the meter by adding edhi after -ṣṭhā; MS. has instead -ṣṭhéyāya, Ppp. -ṣṭheha masyā. Ppp. also has vacasva at end of b. The three other texts accent vihavyàs in d. The comm. joins rājñām to what precedes, and sagely points out that Brāhmans are Agni's 'fellows' because, like him, born from the mouth of Brahman, and hence that sajāta here means Brāhmans. The metrical definition of the verse (11 + 11: 8 + 11 = 41) is wholly artificial and bad.

5. Over enviers, over delinquents, over the thoughtless, over haters,—verily all difficult things, O Agni, do thou cross; then mayest thou give us wealth accompanied with heroes.

The translation implies emendation of the impossible nihás to nidás; the comm. shows his usual perverse ingenuity by giving two different etymologies of nihas, from ni + han and from ni + hā; neither of them is worse than the other. The three parallel texts all have níhas, Ppp. nuhas. Both editions read sṛ́dhas, but it is only a common error of the mss., putting ṛ for ri; nearly half of SPP's mss. (though none of ours) have the true reading srídvas, which is that also of VS. and TS. (MS. sṛ́dhas). In c, all the pada-mss. present the absurd reading víçvāḥ; and nearly all the mss. leave tara unaccented, in spite of hí, and both printed texts leave it so, although three of SPP's mss. have correctly tára, as also MS.; VS. and TS. give sáhasva for tara tvam, and Ppp. has cara tvam. For a, b, Ppp. has ati nuho ‘ti ninṛtīr aty arātīr ati dviṣaḥ; for b, VS. TS. ‘ty ácittim áty árātim agne, and MS. áty ácittim áti nírṛtim adyá. The comm. explains sridhas by dehaçoṣakān rogān. In the metrical definition of the verse, prastāra- must be a bad reading for āstāra-.