Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book IX/Hymn 7
7. Extolling the ox.
[Brahman.—ekaḥ [paryāyaḥ]. ṣaḍviṅçaḥ. gavyaḥ.]
⌊Prose.⌋ Found for the most part (for details, see under the verses) in Pāipp. xvi. also. Not noticed in Vāit., but quoted (vs. 1) in Kāuç. 66. 19, next after hymn 4 of this book. ⌊For the paryāya-hymns in general, see pages 471-2.⌋
Translated: Henry, 103, 139; Griffith, i. 453.
1. Prajāpati and the most exalted one are his two horns, Indra his head, Agni his forehead, Yama his neck-joint.
The copula and the possessive, wherever read, are supplied in the translation. Ppp. omits yamaḥ kṛkāṭam. The verse has only 26 syllables (instead of 27).
2. King Soma his brain, the sky his upper jaw, the earth his lower jaw.
Ppp. inserts, after mastiṣkas, satyaṁ cakṣur ṛtaṁ çrotre prāṇāpānāu nāmivate, and reads adharā for -rahanuḥ, adding after it agnir āsyaṁ. We are required to resolve pṛthivī adh-.
3. Lightning his tongue, the Maruts his teeth, the Revatīs his neck, the Kṛittikās his shoulders (skandhā́s), the hot drink (gharmá) his withers (váha).
Váha is properly the "carrying" part, that on which the yoke rests. The Revatīs and Kṛttikās, two asterisms, in Pisces and Taurus respectively; their connection with the parts to which they are assigned is, as in nearly all the other cases in this hymn, of the most purely imaginary and meaningless kind. Ppp. has only as far as dantāṣ, following it with pavamānaṣ prāṇaḥ. Read in our text grīvā́ḥ (visarga-sign omitted). The pada-text has kṛ́ttikāḥ, and some of the mss., as usual, retain the ḥ before the following sk. The verse has but 23 syllables (unless we analyze jihu-ā́).
4. Vāyu his all (víçvam), the heavenly world his kṛṣṇadrá, the whirlwind (? niveṣyà) his separator (? vidháraṇī).
The words here in part (and in the last clause the distinction of subject and predicate) are wholly obscure. The pada-text divides kṛṣṇa॰drám ('black-runner'?). Many of the mss. (E.O.D.R.T.K.) accent niveṣyáḥ. Ppp. reads viçvaṁ vāyuṣ kaṇṭhas svargo lokaṣ kṛṣṇadra vyadriṇī vivaçvaḥ; and then it adds the omitted part of our vs. 3 except vahaḥ at the end.
5. The falcon his breast (kroḍá), the atmosphere his belly (? pājasyà), Brihaspati his hump, the bṛhatī́s his vertebrae.
The sense of bṛhatī here is doubtful. Ppp. reads pājasyaṁ and inserts our vs. 7 after it ⌊continuing with bṛhasp-⌋. The required number of 24 syllables is made out by reading kroḍó ant- and pājasí-am.
6. The spouses of the gods his side-bones (pṛṣṭí), the attendants (upasád) his ribs (párçu).
The distinction between pṛṣṭí and párçu is not clear.
7. Both Mitra and Varuṇa his (two) shoulders (áṅsa), both Tvashṭar and Aryaman his (two) shanks (doṣán), the great god his fore-legs.
By Ppp. the verse is inserted in our vs. 5, as there noted. The verse has 23 syllables, but is not 'ant-waisted,' as it divides 8 + 9 + 6.
8. Indrāṇī his buttock, Vāyu his tail (púcha), the purifying [soma] his whisk (vā́lās).
Some of the mss. (Bp.2s.m.E.I.O.D.R.T.Kp.) read bā́lāḥ, which is preferable, since all the other passages have it. Ppp. omits, making our vs. 9 follow our 6.
9. Both the Brahman-caste (bráhman) and the Kshatriya-caste (kṣatrá) his (two) hips, force his (two) thighs.
10. Both Dhātar and Savitar his (two) knee-joints (aṣṭhīvánt), the Gandharvas his calves (ján̄ghā), the Apsarases his dew-claws (kúṣṭhikā), Aditi his hoofs.
Ppp. combines gandharvā ’ps-. The so-called purauṣṇih divides 10 + 12 + 5 = 27 syllables.
11. Thought (cétas) his heart, wisdom his liver, ceremony (vratá) his purītát.
The pada-text divides puri॰tát, but one can only wonder why. After medhā, Ppp. inserts harimā cittam.
12. Hunger his paunch, cheer (írā) his rectum (? vaniṣṭhú), the mountains his plāçís.
Ppp. reads at the end prāça, for plāçayaḥ, and adds next vss. 16, 17.
13. Anger his kidneys, fury his testicles, progeny his virile member.
The verse follows our vs. 17 in Ppp.
14. The stream (nadī́) his birth-giver (? sūtrī́), the lords of rain his teats, thunder his udder.
Ppp. prefixes samudro vastir, and puts varṣasya patayas stanās after ūdhas, then adding 15 without interpunction.
15. The all-expansive his hide, the herbs his hairs, the asterisms his form.
Ppp. reads carma oṣadhayo romāṇi, and follows with our vs. 18.
16. The god-folks his intestines, human beings his entrails, eaters (? atrá) his belly (udára).
Ppp. reads manuṣyā ”ntrāṇy ātrā ud-, putting the verse after our 12. In order to make out 18 syllables, we have to resolve -ṣí-a āntrā́ṇi at-.
17. The demons his blood, the other-folks the contents of his bowels.
Ppp. inverts the order of the two clauses, and reads ūvadhyam.
18. The cloud his fat, the conclusion (? nidhána) his marrow.
In Ppp. this verse follows our 15, and there is added bhūtyāṣ prajāyāṣ paçūnāṁ bhavati ya evaṁ veda.
19. [He is] Agni when sitting, the two Açvins when arisen;
This verse is wanting in Ppp. The metrical definition requires restoration of the a of açvínā.
20. Indra when standing eastward, Yama when standing southward;
21. Dhātar when standing westward, Savitar when standing northward;
The metrical definition requires the resolution dhātā́ údan̄. Read savitā́ (an accent-sign slipped out of place).
22. King Soma when having obtained grass;
The pada-mss. have the false accent pra॰ā́ptaḥ (for prá॰āptaḥ). ⌊Ppp. reads tṛṇān prāptas soma rājā.⌋
23. Mitra when looking, delight (ānandá) when turned this way;
Ppp. unites this verse with the preceding, and inverts the order of the two clauses of this verse, reading rājā ”nṛtā ”nandaḥ īkṣamāṇo mitrāvaruṇo.
24. Belonging to all the gods when being yoked, Prajāpati when yoked, everything (sárvam) when released.
Ppp. reads vāiçvānaras instead of vāiçvadevas.
25. That verily is all-formed, of every form, of kine-form.
Ppp. reads vorūpam for viçvárūpam; ⌊it seems to omit sarvarūpaṁ gorūpam.⌋
26. Cattle all-formed, of every form come unto (upa-sthā) him who knoweth thus.
Ppp. reads upāi ’naṁ rūpaṁṇvataṣ paçavaḥ ⌊intending rūpavantaṣ⌋.
⌊The quoted Anukr. says ṣaḍviṅço brāhmaṇo gavaḥ. The avasānarcas are summed up as 26.⌋