Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book V/Hymn 11

11. ⌊Dialogue between⌋ Varuṇa and Atharvan.

[Atharvan.—ekādaçakam. vāruṇam. trāiṣṭubham: 1. bhurij; 3. pan̄kti; 6. 5-p. atiçakvarī; 11. 3-av. 6-p. atyaṣṭi.]

Found also in Pāipp. viii. It is used by Kāuç. only once, and in a connection which casts no light upon it, namely at 12. 1, in a rite for general welfare (one eats a dish of milk-rice cooked on a fire of mādānaka-sticks). It is not quoted at all by Vāit. The interpretation in detail is difficult and far from certain.

Translated: Muir, OST. i.² 396; Griffith, i. 203; Weber, xviii. 201.—Treated by Roth, Ueber den AV., p. 9; also by R. Garbe, Wissenschaftliche Monatsblätter, Königsberg, 1879, no. 1.—A note in lead-pencil shows that Whitney meant to rewrite his ms. of this hymn.* But the reader may consult the recent detailed comment of Weber.—Weber assigns vss. 1-3, 6, 8, and 10 b, c, d to Varuṇa; and 4, 5, 7, 9, and 10 a to Atharvan. Varuṇa has a mind to take back the cow which he gave to Atharvan, but gives up his intention at the request of Atharvan. Further reference to this legend seems to be made at vii. 104. 1. *⌊Possibly the copy from which this is set is a second draft.⌋

1. How unto the great Asura didst thou speak here? how, with shining manliness, unto the yellow (hári) father? having given, O Varuṇa, a spotted [cow] as sacrificial fee, thou hast with the mind intended (? cikits) re-bestowal (?).

The second half-verse is probably meant as what was "spoken." The translation of d implies Aufrecht's acute emendation (in Muir) of the reading to punarmaghatvám. The sense of punarmagha is very doubtful: Roth "greedy"; Muir (Aufrecht) "to take her back," and "revoking "; neither seems to belong properly to the word, which ought to mean something like 'bountiful in return': i.e. Varuṇa is expected to give back to Atharvan the cow the latter has presented to him (or another and better one). One might conjecture in c váruṇe 'to Varuna,' and understand cikits as 'impute' or 'expect.' Roth regards the verse as spoken by Varuṇa; Muir, by Atharvan; the former is more acceptable. Ppp. begins kathā diva asurāya bravāmaḥ kathā, and reads pṛçniḥ in c. ⌊R. takes hári as 'wrathful.'⌋

2. Not at pleasure am I a re-bestower; for examination (?) do I drive home this spotted [cow]; by what poesy (kā́vya) now, O Atharvan, [art] thou [poet]? by what that is produced (jātá) art thou jātávedas?

The rendering of b implies the necessary and obvious emendation of sáṁ cakṣe (P.M.W. -kṣve) to saṁcákṣe, infinitive. Kā́mena seems taken adverbially, = kāmāya, kāmam, kāmāt; the god is not to be moved to counter-liberality by the mere desire of his worshiper, but challenges the latter's claim on him. Jātavedas, lit. 'having for possession whatever is produced (or born),' 'all-possessor.' B.P.M. accent átharvan in c; one might emend to átharvā: 'in virtue of what poetic merit art thou Atharvan?' The verse belongs of course to Varuṇa. Ppp. reads in b saṁpṛcchi and upājet.

3. I verily am profound by poesy; verily by what is produced I am jātávedas; not barbarian (dāsá), not Aryan, by his might, damageth (mī) the course which I shall maintain.

Muir ascribes the verse to Atharvan; Roth, better, to Varuṇa; the god asserts that it is he himself to whom wisdom and possession belong; his worshiper is comparatively nothing. Ppp. begins with satvasaṁ and reads mahitvaṁ in c, and haniṣya at the end. The Prāt. (iv. 96) establishes the long ī of mīmāya as a pada-reading. The Anukr. absurdly calls the verse a pan̄kti, although it is an evident triṣṭubh, not less regular than a great proportion of the verses so called. ⌊The me in c is easier rendered in German than in English.⌋

4. None else than thou is more poet, nor by wisdom (medhá) more wise (dhī́ra), O Varuṇa, self-ruling one (svadhā́vant); thou knowest all these beings; even that wily man (jána) now is afraid of thee.

Ppp. reads in a vedhā anu (for medháyā), and has at end of b the more antique form svadhāvas; as second half-verse it gives: tvam an̄ga viçvā janmāni vettha mataṁ na tuj jano māṁ bibhāyaḥ.

5. Since thou verily, O self-ruling Varuṇa, knowest all births, O well-conducting one—is there anything else beyond the welkin (rájas)? is there anything below what is beyond, O unerring one (? amura)?

The version given implies that kím is interrog. particle in c, d, as best suits the answer in the next verse: else, 'what other is beyond' etc. Amura in b is understood as amūra, as required by the meter: cf. v. 1. 9. Ppp. again reads svadhāvas in a; and, in b and further, janmā çraddhadanī te kiṁ menā rajasaṣ paro ‘sit kim avareṇa avaram asūra. The majority of mss. (B.P.M.H.s.m.O. etc.; only E.I.H.p.m.K. have asti) accent ásti at end of c. ⌊For the combination enā́ parás = 'beyond,' in 3d pāda, see BR. iv. 494. I suggest for d, 'Is there (kím) (anything behind, ávaram, i.e.) anything beyond that (enā́, substantive pronoun) which is beyond (páreṇa)?'⌋

6. There is one other thing beyond the welkin; there is something, hard to attain, hitherward from what is beyond: this I Varuṇa, knowing it, proclaim to thee. Be the paṇi's of degraded speech; let the barbarians creep (sṛp) downward to the earth.

The translation implies emendation of varuṇa to váruṇaḥ in c, which seems necessary, as the verse evidently belongs in Varuṇa's mouth; both Roth and Muir so understand it. In d is implied adhóvacasas, which all the mss. read; alteration to -varcasas might be welcome, but is hardly called for. Ppp. is considerably different; it reads: ya ekam enā rajasaṣ paro ‘sti pare ’kena dūḍāhyaṁ tyajan yat: tat tve acchovacasaṣ dāsā yā upa sarpantu riprā. The meter of a would be rectified by omitting the superfluous end; that of b, by a like omission (which the Pāipp. text also favors), or, so far as the meaning is concerned, better by reading enā́ páreṇa dur- etc. The description of the verse by the Anukr. as an atiçakvari (though it still lacks one syllable of sixty) helps to authenticate the text as the mss. present it.

⌊Whitney, on the revision, would doubtless have made clear his views as to b. Both sense and meter indicate that the enā́ in a and the enā́ in b are intrusions; they have blundered in from 5 c. Omitting them, I render: 'There is one other thing beyond the welkin; [and,] beyond [that] one thing, [is] something hard to get at (durṇáçaṁ cit) [if you start] from this side [of them].'⌋ ⌊I understand tat tve acchovacasaṣ to mean merely that Ppp. reads tve for te and acchovacasaṣ for adhovacasaḥ—not that it omits the rest from te to nīcāir.⌋

7. Since thou verily, O Varuṇa, speakest many reproachful things among (as to ?) re-bestowers, do not thou, I pray, belong to (abhi-bhū) such paṇís; let not people call thee ungenerous (arādhás).

The rendering implies emendation of bhūt to bhūs at end of c, which is made also by Roth and Muir. The pāda is corrupt in Pāipp.

8. Let not people call me ungenerous; I give thee back the spotted [cow], O singer; come thou mightily (çácībhis) to every song of praise (stotrá) of mine, among all human regions (díç).

Roth's suggested emendation of dikṣú at the end to vikṣú 'settlers, tribes,' accepted by Muir, is unquestionably an improvement of the text; Ppp. has unfortunately a different reading: ā yāhi janeṣu antar deveṣu mānuṣeṣu riprā. Dikṣu is read in Prāt. iv. 34 c.

9. Let uplifted (ud-yam) songs of praise of thee come, among all human regions. Give now to me what thou hast not given me; thou art my suitable comrade of seven steps;—

That is, apparently, ready to go seven steps (or any indefinite distance) with me. Roth suggests as an improved reading ā́dattas 'hast taken from me' in c, and Muir so renders. Both words are alike, and equally, wrong grammatically, using the passive pple in the sense of an active; ádattam ásti would be correct, and at this Ppp. perhaps points: dehi taṁ mahyaṁ yadi tatvam asti yadyo nas saptapadaḥ sakhā ’saḥ. Ppp. also begins with yā te stotrāṇi bandhanāni yāni, and apparently has dikṣu in b.

10. Of us two, O Varuṇa, [there is] the same connection, the same birth (jā́).

I know that which is of us two this same birth; I give that which I have not given thee; I am thy suitable comrade of seven steps;—

It seems necessary to divide this verse between the two speakers, and doubtless Roth's assignment of only the first pāda to Atharvan is better than Muir's of the first half-verse. With Roth's division the nāu is called for in a as in b, and Roth's emendation to samānó bándhus, though it is read by Ppp. (whose testimony on such a point is of little value), is hardly acceptable; better samó nāu. Ppp. reads also, for b, vada vāitad vadaṁ samā jāḥ; and, for c, dadāmi tubhyaṁ yadi tatvam asti; and it omits d. ⌊The translation implies ádattam ásti as in 9.⌋

11. A god, bestower of vigor on a singing god; a sage (vípra), of good wisdom for a praising sage.

Since thou, O self-ruling Varuṇa, hast generated father Atharvan, connection of the gods, for him do thou make well-extolled generosity; our comrade art thou, and highest connection.

The first line is here (with Muir, and Zimmer, p. 205) taken as belonging to Varuṇa's reply given in the preceding verse. We must emend at the end either to paramáç ca or to bándhu. All the mss. leave stuvate in b unaccented, as if it were a verb-form. Ppp. reads svadhāvaṁ in c, viçvadevam at end of d, urvāyuṣ kṛṇuhi praç- in e, and, for f, sakhā no ‘sti varuṇaç ca bandhuḥ. The Anukr. makes no account of the extra syllable in e. In b, the vertical over su- is gone. ⌊Pādas c-f are not part of the dialogue.⌋