Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book IV/Hymn 33

33. To Agni: for release from evil.

[Brahman.—aṣṭarcam. pāpmanyam; āgneyam, gāyatram.]

Found in Pāipp. iv. Is RV. i. 97, without a variant except in the last verse; occurs also in TA. (vi. 11. 1). Reckoned by Kāuç. (9. 2) to the bṛhachānti gaṇa, and also (30. 17, note) to the pāpma gaṇa; used, under the name of apāgha, in a ceremony of expiation for seeing ill-omened sights (42. 22), in a women's ceremony for preventing undesirable love and the like (36. 22), and in the after funeral ceremonies (82. 4).

Translated: by the RV. translators; and Griffith, i. 175; Weber, xviii. 134.—Cf. also Lanman, Skt. Reader, p. 363.

1. Gleaming (çuc) away our evil (aghá), O Agni, gleam thou wealth unto [us]: gleaming away our evil.

This first verse is found a second time in TA. (vi. 10. i). The refrain is a mechanical repetition of 1 a, having no connection of meaning with any of the verses. The comm. explains ápa çóçucat by naçyatu, and ā́ çuçugdhi by samṛddhaṁ kuru. ⌊TA. reads çuçudhyā́ in both places in both editions.⌋

2. With desire of pleasant fields, of welfare, of good things, we sacrifice—gleaming away our evil—

3. In order that the most excellent of them, and in order that our patrons (sūrí)—gleaming away our evil—

4. In order that thy patrons, O Agni; in order [namely] that we may be propagated for thee with progeny—gleaming away our evil—

5. As of the powerful Agni the lusters (bhānú) go forth in every direction—gleaming away our evil.

These four verses are (rejecting the intrusive refrain) one connected sentence: the prá's in vss. 3 and 4 repeat by anticipation the jā́yemahi prá of vs. 4 b; "we" are, in fact, Agni's sūri's, since we depute him to sacrifice for us, just as our sūri's procure us, the priests; and our progeny is to increase and spread like the brightness of the fire. TA. spoils the connection by putting vs. 5 before vs. 4; and the sense, by reading sūráyas for bhānávas in 5 b. Ppp. has jāyemahe in 4 b. One of our pada-mss. (Op.) agrees with the RV. pada-text in dividing sugātu॰yā́ in 2 a (the rest read su॰gātuyā́).

6. For, O thou that facest in every direction, thou art [our] encompasser on all sides: gleaming away our evil.

7. Our haters, O thou that facest in every direction, do thou make us pass over as with a boat: gleaming away our evil.

8. Do thou pass us over unto well-being, as [over] a river with a boat: gleaming away our evil.

Ppp. agrees with RV. ⌊and TA.⌋ in reading nāváyā (which implies síndhum ’va) instead of nāvā́ at end of a; and our O. has the same.