Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book III/Hymn 13

13. To the waters.

[Bhṛgu.—saptarcam. vāruṇam uta sindhudāivatam. ānuṣṭubham: 1. nicṛt; 5. virāḑjagatī; 6. nicṛt triṣṭubh.]

The first six verses occur in Pāipp. iii., and also in TS. (v. 6. 1), MS. (ii. 13. 1), and K. (xxxix. 2). The hymn is used by Kāuç. in a ceremony for directing water into a certain course (40. 1 ff.); the pādas of vs. 7 are severally employed in it (see under that verse); it also appears, with other hymns (i. 4-6, 33, etc. etc.), in a rite for good-fortune (41. 14). And the comm. describes it as used by one who desires rain. Verse 7 is further employed, with a number of other verses, by Vāit. (29. 13), in the agnicayana, accompanying the conducting of water, reeds, and a frog over the altar-site.—⌊Berlin ms. of Anukr. reads sindhvabdāivatam.⌋

Translated: Weber, xvii. 240; Griffith, i. 99; Bloomfield, 146, 348.—Cf. Bergaigne-Henry, Manuel, p. 143.

1. Since formerly (? adás), going forth together, ye resounded (nad) when the dragon was slain, thenceforth ye are streams (nadī́) by name: these are your names, O rivers.

The pada-mss. all commit the very gratuitous blunder of writing tā́ḥ instead of tā́ at the beginning of d, as if it belonged to sindhavas instead of to nā́māni; SPP. emends to tā́, and the comm. so understands the word. The comm. takes adás as Vedic substitute for amuṣmin, qualifying áhāu. None of the other texts gives any various reading for this verse. Pāda d sets forth, as it were, the office of the first four verses, in finding punning etymologies for sundry of the names of water.

2. When, sent forth by Varuna, ye thereupon (ā́t) quickly skipped (valg) together, then Indra obtained (āp) you as ye went; therefore are ye waters (ā́p) afterward.

TS. and MS. have in d ā́pas (nomin.), and this is obviously the true reading, and assumed in the translation; both editions follow the mss. (except our Op.) in giving āpas. MS. begins the verse with samprácyutās; for ā́t in b MS. has yát and TS. tā́s. In d, Ppp. elides the a of anu; TS. leaves sthana unlingualized. The comm. reads instead stana.

3. As ye were flowing perversely (apakāmám), since Indra verily hindered (var) you by his powers, you, ye divine ones, therefore the name water (vā́r) is assigned you.

Ppp. has for c indro vas saktabhir devāís. TS. combines in d vā́r ṇā́ma. The comm. apparently takes híkam as a single word (the TS. pada-text so regards it), quoting as his authority Nāighaṇṭuka iii. 12; and again in d, if the manuscript does not do him injustice, he reads hikam for hitam.

4. The one god stood up to you, flowing at [your] will; "the great ones have breathed up (ud-an)," said he; therefore water (udaká) is [so] called.

The name here really had in mind must be, it would seem, udan, but udakám has to be substituted for it in the nominative; none of the other texts offer a different form. TS. improves the meter of a by omitting vas, and TS. and MS. leave the a of api unelided. Ppp. differs more seriously: eko na deva upātiṣṭhat syandamānā upetyaḥ. Yathāvaçam in b might be 'at his will,' opposed to apakāmám in vs. 3. The sense of c is rather obscure; the comm. understands: "saying 'by this respect on the part of Indra we have become great,' they breathed freely (or heaved a sigh of relief: ucchvasitavatyas)"—which is senseless. R. suggests "Indra put himself in their way with the polite address and inquiry: 'their worships have given themselves an airing'; and conducted them on their way again"; Weber understands them to sigh under the burden of the god standing "upon" (ápi) them. The comm. declares api to have the sense of adhi.

5. The waters [are] excellent; the waters verily were ghee; these waters verily bear Agni-and-Soma; may the strong (tīvrá) satisfying savor (rása) of the honey-mixed (-pṛc) come to me along with breath, with splendor.

TS. reads āsus for āsan at end of a, and both TS. and MS., as also the comm., have gan at the end (MS.p. agan). MS. combines differently the material of our vss. 5 and 6: first our 6 a, b with 5 c, d, then our 5 a, b with 6 c, d; and for our 5 a it reads ā́po devī́r ghṛtaminvā́ u ā́pas. This last seems also to be intended by Ppp., with its āpo devīr ghṛtam itāpāhus; and it has ityā instead of it tās at end of b, and combines -gamā mā in c-d. The comm. renders madhupṛcām by madhunā rasena sampṛktānām; the description in pāda c almost makes us fancy some kind of mineral water to be had in view.

6. Then indeed I see, or also hear; unto me comes the noise, to me the voice of them; I think myself then to have partaken ambrosia (amṛ́ta) when, ye gold-colored ones, I have enjoyed (tṛp) you.

TS. has the inferior readings nas for mā at end of b and yád for yadā́ in d. MS. is corrupt in b; its pada-text reads vā́k: nu: āsām, but the editor gives in saṁhitā-text vā́r nv āsām. The comm. combines vā́g mā. Ppp. has at the beginning yād for ād. The comm. takes the opportunity of the occurrence of hiraṇya- in d to bring forward an etymology of it which he here and there repeats; it is hita-ramaṇīya! The verse is improperly reckoned as nicṛt. ⌊In the edition amṛ́tastha is a misprint for -sya.⌋

7. This, O waters, [is] your heart, this your young (vatsá), ye righteous ones; come thus hither, ye mighty ones, where I now make you enter.

The preceding verses have been simple laudation of the waters; this appended one (which is found neither in Ppp. nor in the other texts) adds a practical application, and is the sole foundation of the employment of the hymn by Kāuç. With the first pāda a piece of gold is buried in the desired channel; with b a prepared frog is fastened there; with c the frog is covered with a water-plant; with d water is conducted in.