Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book III/Hymn 16

16. Morning invocation to various gods, especially Bhaga.

[Atharvan.—saptarcam. prātaḥsūktam. bārhaspatyam uta bahudevatyam. trāiṣṭubham: 1. ārṣī jagatī; 4. bhurikpan̄kti.]

Found in Pāipp. iv., with very few variants. It is a RV. hymn (vii. 41), repeated also in VS. (xxxiv. 34-40) and TB. (ii. 8. 97⁹) ⌊and MP. i. 14. 1-7, in the same order as here⌋. It is used by Kāuç. ⌊with hymns vi. 69 and ix. 1⌋, in the rite for generation of wisdom (10. 24), to accompany washing the face on arising from sleep; also in certain ceremonies for "splendor" (varcas: 12. 15; 13. 6), with hymns vi. 69 and ix. 1; and it is reckoned to the varcasya gaṇas (12. 10, note; 13. 1, note). In Vāit. (5. 17), vs. 6 accompanies, in the agnyādheya, the horse's setting his foot on the boundary; and its latter half, an oblation in the cāturmasya sacrifice ⌊Vāit. 8. 14⌋.

Translated: as RV. hymn, by Grassmann, i. 336, and by Ludwig, no. 92; as AV. hymn, by Weber, xvii. 251; Griffith, i. 104.—Cf. Winternitz, Hochzeitsrituell, p. 97, and notes.

1. Early (prātár) do we call Agni, early Indra, early Mitra-and-Varuṇa, early the (two) Açvins, early Bhaga, Pūshan, Brahmaṇaspati, early Soma and Rudra do we call.

The other texts, and Ppp. with them, read at the end of d huvema.

2. The early-conquering formidable Bhaga do we call, the son of Aditi who is disposer (vidhartár), to whom every one that thinks himself weak [or] strong, ⌊to whom even the king⌋ says: "apportion [me] a portion."

Bhakṣi in d might also be 1st sing. mid. of the s-aorist, 'may I obtain' (so Weber, etc.); the comm. explains it both ways. Again all the other texts, including Ppp., have huvema for havāmahe in a; the Anukr. ignores the metrical irregularity caused by our reading. ⌊Note the play on the god's name: 'portion' is bhága.⌋

3. O Bhaga, conductor, Bhaga, thou of true bestowal, Bhaga, help upward this prayer (dhī́), giving to us; O Bhaga, cause us to multiply with kine, with horses, O Bhaga, with men,—rich in men may we be.

In this verse AV. and RV. agree throughout; TB. reads ava with unlengthened final in b, and VS. no with unlingualized nasal in c.

4. Both now may we be fortunate (bhágavant), and in the advance (? prapitvá) and in the middle of the days; and, O bounteous one, at the up-going of the sun, may we be in the favor of the gods.

As to the difficult word prapitvá, see Bloomfield, JAOS. xvi. 24 ff.; "up-going" is probably here 'out-going, disappearance'; the comm. renders prapitvé by sāyāhne; his understanding of úditāu is lost out of the manuscript. The other texts read úditā. ⌊For this vs., see especially p. 35 end, 36 top, of Bl's paper.⌋

5. Let the god Bhaga himself be fortunate; through him may we be fortunate; on thee here, Bhaga, do I call entire; do thou, O Bhaga, be our forerunner here.

RV. (with VS. and TB.) leaves the final of téna unlengthened at beginning of b; and RV. and VS. make the sense of c better by reading johavīti; all the three have at the end of a the voc. devās. ⌊Comm. to TB. makes johavīmi = āhvayati!⌋

6. The dawns submit themselves (? sam-nam) to the sacrifice (adhvará), as Dadhikrāvan to the bright place; hitherward let them convey for me Bhaga, acquirer of good things, as vigorous (vājín) horses a chariot.

All the other texts, including Ppp., read nas instead of me at end of c. The comm. renders sáṁ namanta by saṁ gacchantām, calls dadhikrāvan a horse's name, and explains the action of the obscure pāda b by sa yathā çuddhāya gamanāya saṁnaddho bhavati. The Anukr. appears to sanction the abbreviation rátham ’va in d.

7. Let excellent dawns, rich in horses, rich in kine, rich in heroes, always shine for us, yielding (duh) ghee, on all sides drunk of: do ye protect us ever with well-beings.

TB. read prápīnās at end of c; Ppp. has instead pravīṇās; the comm. explains by āpyāyitās 'filled up, made teeming,' which is very possibly to be preferred. ⌊Delete the accent-mark under gómatīr.⌋