Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book III/Hymn 20
20. To Agni and other gods: for various blessings.
[Vasiṣṭha.—daçarcam. āgteyam uta mantroktadevatyam. ānuṣṭubham: 6. patkyāpan̄kti; 8. virāḍjagatī.]
Excepting the last verse, the hymn is found in Pāipp. iii. (in the verse-order 1-3, 7, 4, 6, 5, 8, 9). It includes (vss. 2-7) a whole RV. hymn (x. 141), with a single RV. verse (iii. 29. 10) prefixed, and only the last two verses occur nowhere else. It is used in Kāuç. (18. 13) in the nirṛtikarman, with an offering of rice mixed with pebbles; again (40. 11), in the rite of the removal of the sacrificial fire, with transfer of it to the fire-sticks or to one's self; again (41. 8), with v. 7 and vii. 1, in a rite for success in winning wealth; and the comm. directs vs. 4 to be used in the sava sacrifices (ity anayā bhṛgvan̄girovidaç catura ārṣeyān āhvayet). In Vāit., vs. 1 appears in the agniṣṭoma sacrifice (24. 14), and again in the sarvamedha (38. 14) with the same use as in Kāuç. 40. 11; and also in the agnicayana (28. 25), with the laying of the gārhapatya bricks; further, verses 2-4 and 7 and 8 in the agnicayana (29. 19); vs. 4 a, b in the agniṣṭoma (15. 16), as the adhvaryu follows the fire and soma; vs. 5 in the same (23. 20), with certain offerings; and vs. 6 in the same (19. 2), with a graha to Indra and Vāyu.
Translated: Weber, xvii. 272; Griffith, i. III.—See Weber, Berliner Sb., 1892, p. 797.
1. This is thy seasonable womb (yóni), whence born thou didst shine; knowing it, O Agni, ascend thou; then increase our wealth.
The verse is found in numerous other texts: besides RV. (iii. 29. 10), in VS. (iii. 14 et al.), TS. (i. 5. 52 et al.), TB. (i. 2. 116 et al.), MS. (i. 5. 1 et al.), K. (vi. 9 et al.), Kap. (i. 16 et al.), JB. (i. 6l): in nearly all occurring repeatedly. VS.TS.TB.JB. differ from our version only by reading áthā for ádhā at beginning of d; Ppp. and the comm. have atha; MS.K. substitute tátas; but RV. gives further sīda for roha in c, and gíras for rayím in d. The comm., in accordance with the ritual uses of the verse, declares ayám at the beginning to signify either the fire-stick or the sacrificer himself.
2. O Agni, speak unto us here; be turned toward us with good-will; bestow upon us, O lord of the people (víç); giver of riches art thou to us.
3. Let Aryaman bestow upon us, let Bhaga, let Brihaspati, let the goddesses; let the divine Sūnṛtā also assign wealth to me.
Found also in the other texts (RV. x. 141. 2; VS. ix. 29; the rest as above; and Kap. 29. 2). All of these, excepting TS., leave no in a again unlingualized; VS.K. substitute pūṣā́ for bhágas in b, and omit c; the others have devā́s instead of devī́s; for d, RV. gives rāyó devī́ dadātu naḥ, while the others vary from this only by prá vā́k for rāyás. By Sūnṛta (lit. 'pleasantness, jollity') the comm. understands Sarasvatī to be intended.
4. King Soma [and] Agni we call to aid with [our] songs (gír); [also] Āditya, Vishṇu, Sūrya, and the priest (brahmán) Brihaspati.
Found in RV. (x. 141. 3), SV. (i. 91), VS. (ix. 26), and TS.MS.K. (as above). The only variant in RV. is the preferable ādityā́n in c; it is read also by the other texts except SV.K.; but SV. TS.MS.K. give váruṇam for ávase in a; and they and VS. have anv ā́ rabhāmahe for gīrbhír havāmahe in b. The comm. takes brahmā́ṇam in d as "Prajapati, creator of the gods."
5. Do thou, O Agni, with the fires (agní), increase our worship (bráhman) and sacrifice; do thou, O god, stir us up to give, unto giving wealth.
The second half-verse is of doubtful meaning—perhaps 'impel to us wealth for giving' etc.—being evidently corrupted from the better text of RV. (x. 141. 6; also SV. ii. 855), which reads in c devátātaye for deva dā́tave, and in d rāyás for rayím; even Ppp. has devatātaye. The comm. has dānave (rendering it "to the sacrificer who has given oblations") for dātave, also nodaya for codaya.
6. Indra-and-Vāyu, both of them here, we call here with good call, that to us even every man may be well-willing in intercourse, and may become desirous of giving to us.
Found also (except the last pāda, which even Ppp. repudiates) in RV. (x. 141. 4), VS. (xxxiii. 86), and MS.K. (as above). For ubhā́v ihá in a, RV. reads bṛ́haspátim, and the other texts susaṁdṛ́çā. For d, VS. has anamīváḥ saṁgáme for sáṁgatyām, and MS. the same without anamīvás; TS. has (in iv. 5. 12) a nearly corresponding half-verse: yáthā naḥ sárvam íj jágad ayakṣmáṁ sumánā ásat. Ppp. omits a, perhaps by an oversight. The comm. takes suhávā in b as for suhávāu, which is perhaps better. In our edition, the word is misprinted susáv-.
7. Do thou stir up Aryaman, Brihaspati, Indra, unto giving; [also] Vāta (wind), Vishṇu, Sarasvatī, and the vigorous (vājín) Savitar.
Found also in RV. (x. 141. 5), VS. (ix. 27), and TS.MS.K. (as above). All save RV. read vā́cam instead of vā́tam in c, and so does the comm.; K. puts vācam after viṣṇum ⌊and for a it has our vs. 4 a⌋.
8. In the impulse (prasavá) of vigor (? vā́ja) now have we come into being, and all these beings within. Both let him, foreknowing, cause him
to give who is unwilling to give, and do thou confirm to us wealth having all heroes.
The verse seems to have no real connection with what precedes and follows, nor do its two halves belong together. They are in other texts, VS. (ix. 25 and 24) and TS. (in i. 7. 101), parts of two different verses, in a group of three, all beginning with vā́jasya followed by prasavá, and all alike of obscure and questionable interpretation, and belonging to the so-called vājaprasavīyāni, which form a principal element in the vājapeya sacrifice (see Weber's note on this verse ⌊also his essay Ueber den Vājapeya, Berliner Sb., 1892, p. 797⌋). Instead of nú in a, TS. and MS.K. (as above), as also Ppp., have the nearly equivalent idám; and all (save Ppp.) read ā́ babhūvima instead of sáṁ babhūvima at end of a, and sarvátas instead of antár at end of b, omitting the meter-disturbing utá at beginning of c; VS.K. read in c dāpayati for -tu; and all save K. give the preferable yachatu at the end (the comm. has yacchāt); then VS. gives sá no rayím in d, and K. has a peculiar d: soma rayiṁ sahavīraṁ ni yaṁsat. Ppp. is defective in parts of this verse and the next; it reads at the end of c prajānāṁ. Pāda a is the only one that has a jagatī character. ⌊TS. has sárvavīrām.⌋
9. Let the five directions yield (duh) to me, let the wide ones yield according to their strength; may I obtain all my designs, with mind and heart.
All the pada-mss. divide and accent prá: ápeyam, but SPP. emends to prá: āpeyam ⌊see Sansk. Gram. §850⌋; the comm. reads āpeyam. The comm. declares urvī́s to designate heaven and earth, day and night, and waters and herbs.
10. A kine-winning voice may I speak; with splendor do thou arise upon me; let Vāyu (wind) enclose (ā-rudh) on all sides; let Tvashṭar assign to me abundance.
Several of our mss. (P.M.W.O.Kp.) read rudhām in c. The comm. explains ā́ rundhām by prāṇātmanā ”vṛṇotu.
This fourth anuvāka contains 5 hymns, with 40 verses, and the quotation from the old Anukr. is simply daça.