Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book V/Hymn 16

16. Exorcism.

[Viçvāmitra.—ekādaçakam. ekavṛṣadevatyam. ⌊ekāvasānam.⌋ dvāipadam: 1, 4, 5, 7-10. sāmny uṣṇih; 2, 3, 6. āsury anuṣṭubh; 11. āsurī gāyatrī.]

⌊Not metrical.⌋ Found also in Pāipp. viii. Referred to only in Kāuç. 29. 15, in company with the preceding hymn, as above reported.

Translated: Griffith, i. 212; Weber, xviii. 222.

1. If thou art sole chief, let go; sapless art thou.

We have ekavṛṣá, lit. 'one bull,' in other passages (iv. 22; vi. 86), but dvivṛṣá etc. only here, and they are plainly nothing but schematic variations of it, not admitting of real translation. Perhaps the hymn is directed against insect pests, through their leaders, whether few or many. The definition of the Anukr. implies fourteen syllables: perhaps as yádi ekavṛṣó ási sṛjá arasò ‘si (or sṛjā́ ’rasó asi). Ppp. has yas for yadi in all the verses. ⌊See Weber's note.⌋

2. If thou art twice chief etc. etc.

Or perhaps rather 'double chief,' 'triple chief,' etc., or 'one of two,' ' one of three,' etc.

3. If thou art thrice chief etc. etc.

4. If thou art four times chief etc. etc.

5. If thou art five times chief etc. etc.

6. If thou art six times chief etc. etc.

7. If thou art seven times chief etc. etc.

8. If thou art eight times chief etc. etc.

9. If thou art nine times chief etc. etc.

10. If thou art ten times chief etc. etc.

11. If thou art eleven-fold, then thou art waterless.

All the elided a's must be restored in this verse to make out the fifteen syllables called for by the Anukr. Ppp. has yūpodako ‘si sṛjā ’raso ‘si.