Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book IV/Hymn 31
31. Praise and prayer to fury (manyú).
[Brahmāskanda.—manyudāivatam. trāiṣṭubham: 2, 4. bhurij; 5-7. jagatī.]
This hymn and the one following are RV. hymns (x. 84 and 83), with few variants, and no change in the order of verses. Both are found also in Pāipp. iv., but not together. Very few of the verses occur in any other Vedic text. The two are used together in Kāuç. (14. 26 ff.), in the ceremonies for success in battle and for determining which of the two opposing armies will conquer; they are also (14. 7, note) reckoned to the aparājita gaṇa. And the comm. quotes them as employed by the Çānti K. (15) in the grahayajña.
Translated: by the RV. translators; and Griffith, i. 173; Weber, xviii. 125.
1. In alliance (sarátham) with thee, O fury, battering, feeling excitement, excited, O companion of the Maruts, having keen arrows, sharpening up their weapons, let [our] men go forward unto [the foe], having forms of fire.
This verse is found further in TB. (in ii. 4. 110). RV. and TB. read for b hárṣamāṇāso dhṛṣitā́* marutvaḥ; at beginning of d, RV. has the decidedly preferable abhí for úpa; TB. gives in d yanti, and this is also the reading of Ppp.—which moreover separates tīkṣṇā iṣ- in c, and combines -çāno ’pa in c-d. Three of our mss. (O.Op.K.) so far agree with RV. as to read dhṛṣitāsas in b; the comm. has instead ruṣitāsas. The comm. explains manyús as krodhābhimānī devaḥ 'wrath personified as a god.' *⌊In both ed's, TB. has the adverb dhṛṣatā́.⌋
2. Like fire, O fury, do thou, made brilliant, overpower; invoked, O powerful one, do thou be our army-leader; having slain the foes, share out their possession (védas); making (mā) force, thrust away the scorners (mṛ́dh).
Many of our mss. (P.M.W.E.I.H.p.m.K.), with some of SPP's, accent sáhasva in a; and in b some mss. (including our P.M.W.) read -nī́r ṇaḥ. Ppp. has jitvāya for hatvāya in c. The abbreviation of iva to ’va in a would remove the bhurij character of the verse. The comm. explains tviṣita in a by pradīpta.
3. Overpower for us (?), O fury, the hostile plotter; go forward breaking, killing, slaughtering the foes; thy formidable rush (? pā́jas) surely they have not impeded; thou, controlling, shalt bring them under control, O sole-born one.
The translation given follows in a the RV. reading asmé, which was also received by emendation into our text; all the mss. and the comm. have instead asmāí, which SPP. retains. ⌊Ppp. has abhimātim asmahe; our mss. R.T., asmāi.⌋ Our P.M.W. give in c rarudhre (or the equivalent -ddhre, which is assumed under Prāt. i. 94); and SPP. asserts that all his authorities have it, and therefore receives it into his text, in spite of its evidently blundering character; the comm. reads rur-. Several of our mss. (P.M.W.E.H.) read in d vaçán; for nayāsāi, after it, RV. has nayase. The comm. explains pā́jas in c by balam.
4. Thou art the one praised (?) of many, O fury; sharpen up clan on clan (víç) unto fighting; with thee as ally (yuj), O thou of undivided brightness (?), we make a clear noise unto victory.
RV. has at the end kṛṇmahe, as has also Ppp. The translation follows in a the RV. reading īḻitás, given also by the comm., and by one of SPP's authorities that follows him; īḑitā́ would have to be something like 'inciter, persuader to the conflict.' RV. further reads yudháye for yuddhā́ya in b, and in a combines manyav īḻ-; our manya īḑ- is quoted in the comment to Prāt. i. 81 as the AV. reading. The obscure ákṛttaruk in c is explained by the comm. as acchinnadīpti. Besides being bhurij, the verse (12 + 11: 10 + 12 = 45) is quite irregular.
5. Victory-making, like Indra, not to be talked down, do thou, O fury, be our over-lord here; thy dear name we sing, O powerful one; we know that fount whence thou camest (ā-bhū).
The comm. explains anavabravá as "speaking things—i.e. means of victory—that are not new (a-nava)." The verses 5-7 are not full jagatīs.
6. Born together with efficacy (? ā́bhūti), O missile (sā́yaka) thunderbolt, thou bearest superior power, O associate; be thou allied (medín) with our energy (krátu), O fury, much-invoked one, in the mingling (saṁsṛ́j) of great riches.
RV. has in b abhibhūte instead of the difficult sahabhūte; and Ppp. (ebhibhūta utt-) supports RV. The comm. explains kratvā in c by karmaṇā. One is tempted to emend in a (also in 32. 1 a) to vajrasāyaka 'whose missile is the thunderbolt.'
7. The mingled riches of both sides, put together, let Varuṇa and fury assign to us; conceiving fears in their hearts, let the foes, conquered, vanish away.
Instead of dhattām, RV. and the comm. have in b dattām; Ppp. reads dattaṁ varuṇaç ca manyo; RV. gives bhíyam in c; Ppp. has a peculiar d: parājitā yantu paramāṁ parāvatam. Certain of our mss. (Bp.E.I.) accent at the end láyantām.