Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book III/Hymn 30

30. For concord.

[Atharvan.—saptarcam. cāndramasam, sāmmanasyam. ānuṣṭubham: 5. virāḍjagatī; 6. prastārapan̄kti; 7. triṣṭubh.]

Found in Pāipp. v. Reckoned in Kāuç. (12. 5), with various other passages, to the sāmmanasyāni, and used in a rite for concord; and the comm. regards it as included under the designation gaṇakarmāṇi in the upākarman (139. 7).

Translated: Muir, OST. v. 439 (vss. 1-4); Ludwig, p. 256, and again p. 516; Zimmer, p. 316 (vss. 1-4); Weber, xvii. 306; Grill, 30, 116; Griffith, i. 125; Bloomfield, 134,361.—Cf. Hillebrandt, Veda-chrestomathie, p. 45; Muir, Metrical Translations from Sanskrit Writers, p. 139.

1. Like-heartedness, like-mindedness, non-hostility do I make for you; do ye show affection (hary) the one toward the other, as the inviolable [cow] toward her calf when born.

Ppp. has sāmnasyam in a, and in c anyo ‘nyam, as demanded by the meter. The comm. also reads the latter, and for the former sāmmanuṣyam; and he ends the verse with aghnyās.

2. Be the son submissive to the father, like-minded with the mother; let the wife to the husband speak words (vā́c) full of honey, wealful.

The translation implies at the end çaṁtivā́m ⌊BR. vii. 60⌋, which SPP. admits as emendation into his text, it being plainly called for by the sense, and read by the comm. (and by SPP's oral reciter K, who follows the coram.); this ⌊not çaṁtivā́m⌋ is given also by Ppp. (cf. xii. 1. 59, where the word occurs again). The comm. further has in b mātā́ (two of SPP's reciters agreeing with him).

3. Let not brother hate brother, nor sister sister; becoming accordant (samyáñc), of like courses, speak ye words auspiciously (bhadráyā).

The comm. reads dviṣyāt in a. The majority of SPP's pada-mss. give sá॰vratā (instead of -tāḥ) in c. The comm. further reads vadatu in d, explaining it to mean vadantu.

4. That incantation in virtue of which the gods do not go apart, nor hate one another mutually, we perform in your house, concord for [your] men (púruṣa).

Weber suggests that "gods" here perhaps means "Brāhmans," but there is no authority nor occasion for such an understanding; the comm. also says "Indra etc."

5. Having superiors (jyā́yasvant), intentful, be ye not divided, accomplishing together, moving on with joint labor (sádhura); come hither speaking what is agreeable one to another; I make you united (sadhrīcī́na), like-minded.

Ppp. reads sudhirās in b, combines anyo ‘nyasmāi (as does the comm., and as the meter requires) in c, and inserts samagrāstha before sadhrīcīnān in d; the comm. further has āita for eta in c (as have our P.E.). Jyāyasvant was acutely conjectured by the Pet. Lex. to signify virtually "duly subordinate," and this is supported by the comm.: jyeṣṭhakaniṣṭhabhāvena parasparam anusarantaḥ; Ludwig renders "überlegen." Sádhura, lit. 'having the same wagon-pole,' would be well represented by our colloquial "pulling together." Cittínas in a is perhaps rather an adjunct of ví yāuṣṭa = 'with, i.e. in your intents or plans.' The verse (11 + 11: 12 + 12 = 46) is ill defined by the Anukr., as even the redundant syllable in d gives no proper jagatī character to the pāda. ⌊Reject vaḥ or else read sadhrī́co? thus we get an orderly triṣṭubh.⌋

6. Your drinking (prapā́) [be] the same, in common your share of food; in the same harness (yóktra) do I join ⌊yuj⌋ you together; worship ye Agni united, like spokes about a nave.

The comm. explains prapā as "drinking saloon" (pānīyaçālā). Two of our mss. (P.M.) read at the beginning samānī́ṁ. ⌊To reproduce (as W. usually does) the radical connection (here between yóktra and yuj), we may render 'do I harness you.' The Anukr. seems to scan 12 + 11: 9 + 8 = 40; the vs. is of course 11 + 11: 8 + 8.⌋

7. United, like-minded I make you, of one bunch, all of you, by [my] conciliation; [be] like the gods defending immortality (amṛ́ta); late and early be well-willing yours.

We had the first pāda above as vs. 5 d; emendation to sadhrī́cas would rectify the meter; the Anukr. takes no note of the metrical irregularity; it is only by bad scanning that he makes out any difference between vss. 5 and 7. The translation implies in b -çnuṣṭīn, which is read by SPP., with the majority of his mss., and supported by the comm's ekaçnuṣṭim (explained by him as ekavidhaṁ vyāpanam ekavidhasyā ’nnasya bhuktiṁ vā); part of our mss. also (Bp.E.H.Op.) read clearly -çn-, while others are corrupt, and some have plainly -çr-: cf. the note to 17. 2 above. Ppp. has at the end susamitir vo ’stu.