Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book V/Hymn 6
6. ?⌊Disconnected verses.⌋
[Atharvan.—caturdaçakam. somārudrīyam: 1. brahmādityam (astāut); 2. karmāṇi; 3, 4. rudragaṇān; 5-7. somārudrāu; 8. tayor eva prārthanam; 9. hetim; 10-13. sarvātmakaṁ rudram. trāiṣṭubham: 2. anuṣṭubh; 3, 4. jagatī (4. anuṣṭubuṣṇiktriṣṭubgarbhā 5-p.); 5-7. 3-p. virāṇnāmagāyatrī; 8. 1-av. 2-p. ”rcyanuṣṭubh; 10. prastārapan̄kti; 11-14. pan̄kti (14. svarāj).]
⌊Verses 9-14 are prose; and so is verse 4, in part.⌋
Found also (except vss. 6, 7) in Pāipp. vi. The first four verses and the eleventh occur together in K. xxxviii. 14. As this hymn has the same first verse with iv. i, the quotation of the pratīka in Kāuç. does not at all show which of the two hymns is intended; but the schol. determine the question by adding the pratīka of vs. 2 also, and even, in a case or two, that of vs. 3; and the comm. to iv. 1 agrees with them. On this evidence, v. 6 appears in a battle-rite (15. 12) to show whether one is going to come out alive; in the citrākarman (18. 25), with i. 5 and 6 etc.; on occasion of going away on a journey (18. 27); in a healing rite (28.15) for the benefit of a child-bearing woman or of an epileptic ⌊see p. xlv. of Bloomfield's Introduction⌋; and in a ceremony for welfare (51. 7), with xi. 2; it is also reckoned (50. 13, note) to the rāudra gaṇa.
Translated: Griffith, i. 196; Weber, xviii. 185.—The "hymn" is entitled by Weber "Averruncatio beim Eintritt in den Schaltmonat."
1. The bráhman that was first born of old, Vena hath unclosed from the well-shining edge; he unclosed the fundamental nearest positions of it, the womb of the existent and of the non-existent.
The verse occurred above, as iv. 1. 1 ⌊where viṣṭhā́s is rendered 'shapes'⌋.
2. Who of you did what first unattained deeds—let them not harm our heroes here; for that purpose I put you forward.
This verse too has occurred already, as iv. 7. 7. Ppp. combines ve ’tat in d.
3. In the thousand-streamed one they resounded (svar) together, in the firmament (nā́ka) of the sky, they the honey-tongued, unhindered. His zealous (bhū́rṇi) spies wink not; in every place are they with fetters for tying.
The verse is RV. ix. 73. 4, and is of mystic and obscure meaning. RV. reads -dhāré ‘va ⌊p. -re áva (for -dhārāḥ iva?) in a, ásya at beginning of c, and sétavas at end of d. Ppp. begins with sahasram abhi te sam.
4. Round about do thou run forward in order to the winning of booty, round about overpowering adversaries (vṛtrá, n.); then thou goest over haters by the sea (arṇavá). Weakling (sanisrasá) by name art thou, the thirteenth month, Indra's house.
The first three pādas of the verse are RV. ix. 110. 1 (repeated, with īrase for īyase at the end, as SV. i. 428; ii. 714), which reads in a dhanva (without lengthening of the final), and has for c dviṣás tarádhyā ṛṇayā́ na īyase; of this our text appears to be a simple corruption. ⌊In the RV. version, prá dhanva (cf. ix. 109. 1 a) and ṛṇayā́ naḥ seem to be insertions like those in AV. ii. 5.⌋ Ppp. reads sahasraças instead of sanisrasas in d, and in c divas tad, which comes nearer to making sense. The verse, with its prose ending, is most naturally divided as 12 + 8: 12 + 7 + 11 = 50; but the pada-mss. put the pāda division strangely after trayodaçás.
5. Now (not?) hast thou succeeded (rādh) by that, thou yonder (asāú): hail! having sharp weapons, having sharp missiles, very propitious, O Soma and Rudra, do ye be very gracious to us here.
For asāu 'thou yonder' is doubtless to be used the name of the person addressed in practice: = O so-and-so. Ppp. reads for the first division of the verse vītenāvāitenāmāitena rātsthīrar asāu svāhā, which seems intended virtually to contain vss. 5-7; it has in b, c tigmā- and suçevā ’gnīṣomāv iha; and it puts the verse after our vs. 8. The Pet. Lex. makes the pertinent suggestion ⌊s.v. anu + rādh⌋ that nú at the beginning is for ánu; nú is nowhere in AV. found at the beginning of a pāda or clause—nor in RV. except as prolonged to nū́. Unhappily we get no help on the subject from the sense. ⌊Whitney's "(not?)" is not clear to me, unless it is meant to suggest emendation to nāíténa = ná eténa. If we read ánu, we must render, 'Thou hast succeeded by that.' But does not the Ppp. reading suggest rather ví eténa arātsīs?⌋
6. Thou hast failed (ava-rādh) by that, thou yonder: hail! having sharp etc. etc.
7. Thou hast offended (apa-rādh) by that, thou yonder: hail! having sharp etc. etc.
These two variations on vs. 5 are not given by Ppp. save so far as they may be intimated in its beginning of 5.
8. Do ye (two) release us from difficulty, from reproach (avadyá); enjoy ye the offering; put in us immortality (amṛ́ta).
Some of the mss. (Bp.2O.) read asmā́t instead of asmā́n. Ppp. has asmāt, and after it gṛbhīthāt.
9. O missile (hetí) of sight, missile of mind, missile of incantation (bráhman), and missile of penance! weapon's weapon (mení) art thou; weaponless be they who show malice against us.
With this verse and the next is to be compared TB. ii. 4. 21: c. h. m. h. vā́co hete bráhmaṇo hete: yó ma ’ghāyúr abhidā́sati tám agne menyā́ ’meníṁ kṛṇu, etc. ⌊Cf. Geldner, Festgruss an Böhtlingk, p. 32.⌋ The Anukr. omits any metrical definition of the verse. ⌊It seems rather to regard it as included under the general definition "trāiṣṭubham."⌋
10. Whoever with sight, with mind, with intention, and whoever with design, malicious, shall attack us—do thou, O Agni, with weapon make them weaponless: hail!
TB. (as above) reads: yó mā cákṣuṣā yó mánasā yó vācā́ bráhmaṇā ’ghāyúr abhidā́sati: táyā ’gne tvaṁ menyā ’múm ameníṁ kṛṇu. Ppp. has in the last clause tvam agne tvaṁ menyā ’meniṁ k-. The metrical definition of this prose "verse" is unaccountably wrong.
11. Indra's house art thou; to thee there I go forth; thee there I enter, with all my kine, with all my men, with all my soul, with all my body, with that which is mine.
Ppp. reads sarvapāuruṣaḥ.
12. Indra's refuge art thou; to thee etc. etc.
13. Indra's defense art thou; to thee etc. etc.
14. Indra's guard (várūtha) art thou; to thee etc. etc.
The accent-mark which belongs under tvā in 12 and 13 is omitted in our text, and in 14 it has slipped out of place and stands under taṁ. The metrical definition is worthless, though each of the four verses contains not far from 40 syllables.