Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book IV/Hymn 39

39. For various blessings.

[An̄giras.*—daçarcam. sāṁnatyam. nānādevatyam. pān̄ktam: 1, 3, 5, 7. 3-p. mahābṛhatī; 2, 4, 6, 8. saṁstārapan̄kti; 9, 10. triṣṭubh.]

This prose-hymn (the two concluding verses metrical) is, as already noted, wanting in Pāipp. A similar passage is found in TS. (vii. 5. 23). The hymn is used by Kāuç. in the parvan sacrifices (5. 8) with the saṁnati offerings, and vss. 9 and 10 earlier in the same ceremonies with two so-called purastāddhomas (3. 16); also the hymn again in the rites (59. 16) for satisfaction of desires. Verse 9 appears in Vāit. (8. 11) in the cāturmāsya rites, with an offering by the adhvaryu. *⌊The Anukr. gives Brahman as the ṛṣi of 9 and 10.⌋

Translated: Griffith, i. 184; Weber, xviii. 150.

1. On the earth they paid reverence (sam-nam) to Agni; he throve (ṛdh); as on earth they paid reverence to Agni, so let the reverencers pay reverence to me.

The TS. version reads thus: agnáye sám anamat pṛthivyāí sám anamad yáthā ’gníḥ pṛthivyā́ (!) samánamad evám máhyam bhadrā́ḥ sáṁnatayaḥ sáṁ namantu. The comm. explains sám anaman by sarvāṇi bhūtāni saṁnatāni upasannāni bhavanti, and saṁnámas by abhilaṣitaphalasya saṁnatayaḥ samprāptayaḥ. The metrical definitions of the Anukr. for vss. 1-8 are of no value; the odd verses vary from 34 to 37 syllables, and the even from 38 to 40. ⌊We might have expected the epithet tryavasāna (3-av.) to be applied to the even.⌋

2. Earth [is] milch-cow; of her Agni [is] calf; let her, with Agni as calf, milk for me food (íṣ), refreshment, [my] desire, life-time first, progeny, prosperity, wealth: hail!

There is in TS. nothing to correspond to our vss. 2, 4, 6, 8. Our edition combines ā́yuṣ pr-, because required by Prāt. ii. 75; but the mss., except one of SPP's, have ā́yuḥ pr-, which SPP. retains.

3. In the atmosphere they paid reverence to Vāyu; he throve; as in the atmosphere they paid reverence to Vāyu, so let the reverencers pay reverence to me.

TS. has a corresponding passage, in the form as given above.

4. The atmosphere is milch-cow; of her Vāyu is calf; let her, with Vāyu as calf, milk for me etc. etc.

The comm. has tasya 'of it (i.e. the atmosphere),' instead of tasyās.

5. In the sky they paid reverence to Āditya; he throve; as in the sky they paid reverence to Āditya, so let the reverencers pay reverence to me.

The corresponding TS. passage has sū́rya instead of ādityá.

6. The sky is milch-cow; of her Āditya is calf; let her, with Āditya as calf, milk for me etc. etc.

⌊in the edition, sá is misprinted for sā́.⌋

7. In the quarters they paid reverence to the moon (candrá); it throve; as in the quarters they paid reverence to the moon, so let the reverencers pay reverence to me.

In TS., the asterisms (nákṣatra) are here connected with the moon; and there follow similar passages respecting Varuṇa with the waters, and several other divinities.

8. The quarters are milch-cows; of them the moon is calf; let them, with the moon as calf, milk for me etc. etc.

Both editions read duhām in this verse, as in vss. 2, 4, 6, following the authority of nearly all the mss.; only our H.D. have the true reading, duhrām, which ought to have been adopted in our text.

9. Agni moves (car), entered into the fire, son of the seers, protector against imprecation; with homage-paying, with homage, I make offering to thee; let us not make falsely the share of the gods.

That is (a), 'Agni is continually to be found in the fire.' Three of SPP's authorities read mánasā in c, thus ridding the verse of an objectionable repetition; but both editions give námasā, which the comm. also has. In d our edition has karmabhāgám, following the pada-mss. (which read karma॰bhāgám); but SPP. has correctly, with his mss. and the comm. (= mā kārṣma), karma bhāgám. More or less of the verse is found in several other texts: thus, in VS. (v. 4) only a, b, ending b with abhiçastipā́vā; in MS. (i. 2. 7), with adhirājá eṣáḥ at end of b, a wholly different c, and, for d, mā́ devā́nāṁ yūyupāma bhāgadhéyam; in MB. (ii. 2. 12), only a, b, with b ending as in MS.; in TS. (i. 3. 7²) the whole verse, b ending like MS., c beginning with svāhākṛ́tya bráhmaṇā, and d ending with mithuyā́ kar bhāgadhéyam; in TB. (ii. 7. 15¹), the whole, beginning with vyāghrò ‘yám agnāú car-, and ending b with -pā́ ayám, its c and d agreeing throughout with ours; in AÇS. (viii. 14. 4), the whole, but ending b* like MS. and TS., and having for c, d tasmāi juhomi haviṣā ghṛtena mā devānām momuhad bhāgadheyam; ⌊in Ppp., the whole verse, just as in AÇS., except that a ends with praviṣṭā and that d has yūyavad for momuhad and (unless māṁ is a slip of Roth's pen) māṁ for mā⌋. ⌊See Bloomfield's discussion of mithuyā́ kṛ, ZDMG. xlviii. 556.⌋ The meter (10 + 11: 12 + 11 = 44) is irregular, but the Anukr. takes no notice of it. *⌊The Calcutta ed. has avirāja eṣaḥ, misprint for adhi-.⌋

10. Purified with the heart, with the mind, O Jātavedas—knowing all the ways (vayúna), O god; seven mouths are thine, O Jātavedas; to them I make offering—do thou enjoy the oblation.

Pūtám in a can only qualify havyám in d: compare RV. iv. 58. 6 b, antár hṛdā́ mánasā pūyámānāḥ. The pada-text makes one of its frequent blunders by resolving in c saptā́syāni into saptá: ā́syāni instead of into saptá: āsyàni, the designation of the accent in saṁhitā being the same in both cases, according to its usual method. SPP. accepts the blunder, reading ā́syāni.

It is impossible to see why these two concluding verses should have been added to the hymn.