Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book IV/Hymn 29

29. Praise and prayer to Mitra and Varuṇa.

[Mṛgāra.—(see h. 23). 7. çakvarīgarbhā jagatī.]

Found in Pāipp. iv. (with vs. 5 put before vs. 4). The first and last verses also in the Yajus texts (see under h. 23), between those of our hymns 24 and 25. For the use by Kāuç. as mṛgāra hymn, see under h. 23.

Translated: Roth, Zur Litteratur und Geschichte des Weda, 1846, p. 43; Ludwig, p. 137, with an elaborate discussion of the proper names; Griffith, i. 170; Weber, xviii. 114.

1. I reverence you, O Mitra-and-Varuṇa, increasers of right; who, accordant, thrust [away] the malicious (drúhvan); [who] favor the truthful one in conflicts (bhára): do ye free us from distress.

Ppp. has for b satyojasāu dṛhyāṇī yo nirete (cf. its version of 2 a); in c, yāu for pra, and haveṣu (better) for bhareṣu (= saṁgrāmeṣu, comm.). TS.MS. read in a -ruṇā tásya vittam (as in our 28. 1 a; and MS. accents -tám); then, in b, sátyāujasā (MS. satyāú-) dṛṅhaṇā (MS. duhṛṇā) yáṁ nudéthe; their c is wholly different: yā́ rā́jānaṁ (MS. -nā) saráthaṁ yāthá (MS. -tá) ugrā; and they end the refrain with ā́gasas.* MS. further accents mitrā́váruṇā in a; the comm. reads -ruṇā ṛtāvṛdhā. Satyāvan in c is perhaps rather a proper name (so the Pet. Lex.); the comm. takes it as appellative (= satyayuktam puruṣam). In our edition, the e of manvé at the beginning is broken off. *⌊Both reading tā́ for tāú.⌋

2. Ye who, accordant, thrust [away] the malicious; [who] favor the truthful one in conflicts; who, men-watching, go unto the brown soma—do ye free us from distress.

The translation implies emendation in c of babhrúṇā (our P.M. have babhrū́ṇā*) to babhrúm ā́; the comm. understands "with your brown chariot"; Ludwig takes the word as proper name: "pressed by Babhru." Ppp. has for a satyojasāu dṛhvaṇī yo niredhe ⌊cf. its version of 1 b⌋, and again haveṣu for bhareṣu. The comm. (with one or two mss., including our Op.) reads gacchatas in c. *⌊And W. has babhrūṇā.]

3. Ye who favor An̄giras, who Agasti, Jamadagni, Atri, O Mitra-and-Varuṇa, who favor Kaçyapa, who Vasishṭha—do ye free us from distress.

The comm. reads in a agastyam. He amuses himself with worthless etymologies of the various names through the hymn.

4. Ye who favor Çyāvāçva, Vadhryaçva, Purumīḍha, Atri, O Mitra-and-Varuṇa, who favor Vimada, Saptavadhri—do ye free us from distress.

Ppp. substitutes gaviṣṭhiram for vadhryaçvam in a.

5. Ye who favor Bharadvāja, who Gavishṭhira, Viçvāmitra, Kutsa, O Varuṇa [and] Mitra; who favor Kakshīvant, also Kaṇva—do ye free us from distress.

This time, Ppp. puts vadhryaçvam in place of gaviṣṭhiram in a.

6. Ye who favor Medhātithi, who Triçoka, who Uçanas Kāvya, O Mitra-and-Varuṇa; who favor Gotama, also Mudgala—do ye free us from distress.

Ppp. reads uçanam in b, and its c is yāu mudgalam avatho gāutamaṁ ca (our O.Op. also have gāútamam ⌊comm. to Prāt. iv. 16 cites it as gótama⌋).

7. Whose chariot, of true track, of straight reins, goes spoiling against him who behaves (car) falsely—I praise Mitra-and-Varuṇa; [as] a suppliant I call loudly on [them]: do ye free us from distress.

TS.MS. have yó vāṁ rátha ṛjúraçmiḥ satyádharmā míthiç cárantam (MS. mithucár-) upayā́ti dūṣáyan; then TS. reads -ruṇā in c, and MS. tā́ at beginning of d; and both end (as in vs. 1) with ā́gasas.

⌊Here end the Mṛgāra hymns.⌋