Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book V/Hymn 26

26. Accompanying a sacrifice.

[Brahman.—dvādaçakam. vāstoṣpatyam uta mantroktabahudevatyam. 1, 5. 2-p. ārcy uṣṇih; 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11. 2-p. prājāpatyā bṛhatī; 3. 3-p. virāḑ gāyatrī; 9. 3-p. pipīlikamadhyā purauṣṇih: 1-11. ekāvasāna; 12. parātiçakvarī 4-p.jagatī.]

⌊Partly unmetrical.⌋ Found also in Pāipp. ix. (in verse-order 1-3, 5, 4, 6-8, 11, 10, 9, 12). Quoted in Kāuç. 23. 1, in a ceremony of consecration of a new house, and given in the paddhati (see note to Kāuç. 19. i) among the puṣṭika mantras. Used in Vāit. 16. 6 in counteracting an enemy's soma-offering (agniṣṭoma); and vs. 12 a, b in 19. 4, also in the agniṣṭoma, with a cup for the Açvins. Neither treatise teaches us anything whatever as to the real meaning of the hymn. The matter is in considerable part metrical, though in part also too irregular to be so called.

Translated: Ludwig, p. 27; Griffith, i. 231; Weber, xviii. 267.

1. The sacrificial formulas (yájus) at the sacrifice, the fuel, hail! let Agni, foreknowing, here join for you.

Or 'join (yuj) you.' 'Join' is probably used in the sense of 'duly use or apply' (Ludwig, "anwenden"). The verse is plainly composed of two triṣṭubh pādas, but the Anukr. refuses to resolve suāhā, and so reckons only 21 syllables.

2. Let the heavenly impeller (savitár), the bull (mahiṣá), foreknowing, join [them] at this sacrifice: hail!

Ppp. reads, after prajānan, yajñe sayujas svāhā. The Anukr., in this and many of the following verses, simply counts 20 syllables (prāj. bṛhatī), without heeding the fact that each contains a triṣṭubh pāda.

3. Let Indra, foreknowing, at this sacrifice join songs and revels (ukthāmadá), the well-joined ones (?): hail!

Ppp. reads and combines sayujas sv-. The mechanical definition of the Anukr. implies a division into 7 + 7 + 8 syllables. There is some blundering of the mss. over ukthāmadā́ni, B. appearing to read ukya-m-, and P.W. uktām-. Suyújas, here and in vss. 7-11, may be genitive 'of the well-joined one'; it does not agree in gender with the nouns that precede ⌊aside from āçíṣo⌋.

4. The directions (prāiṣá) at the sacrifice, the notices (nivíd): hail! taught by the wives, carry ye here, joined.

Ppp. reads prāiṣā nividā priyo yajūṅṣi çiṣṭāḥ etc.

5. The meters (chándas) at the sacrifice, O Maruts: hail! as a mother her son, fill ye here, joined.

The meter and its treatment by the Anukr. are the same as in the case of vs. 1.

6. Here hath come Aditi, with barhís, with sprinkling [waters], extending the sacrifice: hail!

A perfectly good pair of triṣṭubh pādas.

7. Let Vishnu join variously the fervors (tápas) at this sacrifice, the well-joined ones: hail!

Ppp. again gives sayujas sv-.

8. Let Tvashtar now join variously the forms at this sacrifice, the well-joined ones: hail!

All the saṁhitā mss. read rūpā́ asmín, as in our text, the pada-text having rūpā́ḥ! Ppp., on the other hand, gives bahudhā virūpā ’smin. Probably it is a case of anomalous saṁdhi (with hiatus), which should have been included in Prāt. iii. 34 (see the note to that rule); but one may also conjecture that the true reading is bahudhā́ ’nurūpāḥ.

9. Let Bhaga join now for him the blessings (āçís); at this sacrifice let him, foreknowing, join the well-joined ones: hail!

Ppp. combines asmā ’smin, and reads sayujas, as above. The Anukr. evidently reckons three pādas, of 11 + 7 + 8 syllables.

10. Let Soma join variously the milks (páyas), at this sacrifice, the well-joined ones: hail!

11. Let Indra join variously the heroisms, at this sacrifice, the well-joined ones: hail!

12. O Açvins, come ye hitherward with worship (bráhman), with váṣaṭ-utterance increasing the sacrifice. O Brihaspati, come hitherward with worship; this sacrifice [is] heaven (svàr) here for the sacrificer: hail!

Ppp. has instead, for d, yajñaṁ vayaṁ svaritaṁ yajamānāya dhehi svāhā. The Anukr. would have us read the last pāda as 15 syllables, and calls the verse a jagatī because amounting to 48 syllables, though the first three pādas are regularly triṣṭubh.

With this hymn ends the fifth anuvāka, of 5 hymns and 69 verses; the Anukr. citation is navā ’paraḥ; and Bp.D. add further aparā ṣaṣṭe navā ’paraḥ (Bp. -raṁ ca cā ’nuvākaḥ).