Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book VI/Hymn 134

134. To crush an enemy with a thunderbolt.

[Cukra.—mantroktavajradevatyam. ānuṣṭubham: 1. parānuṣṭup triṣṭubh; [2.]* bhurih 3-p. gāyatrī.]

Found also in Pāipp. v. Used by Kāuç. (47. 14) in a rite of sorcery with the preceding hymn (which see); and also later in the same rite (47. 18), with smiting down the staff three times. *⌊The Anukr. text is here confused and defective. Its reading (with the probable omission supplied in brackets) is, antyā bhurik [anuṣṭub, dvitiyā bhurik] tripadā gāyatrī.⌋

Translated: Ludwig, p. 448; Griffith, i. 320.

1. Let this thunderbolt gratify itself with right (? ṛtásya), let it smite down his kingdom, away his life; let it crush [his] neck, crush up his nape, as Cachīpati of Vritra.

Ppp. reads vratena instead of ṛtasya in a, meaning perhaps mṛtena, which would be a welcome improvement, suggesting emendation of our text to -tām mṛtásya 'on the dead man,' anticipating the result of the action imprecated in the next pāda. Ludwig translates as if it were amṛtasya, which is to be rejected. The comm. renders it simply 'truth, or sacrifice,' and regards a staff (dhāryamāṇo daṇḍaḥ) as intended by vajra; in b he apparently overlooks and omits ava. The pada-reading at end of c is uṣṇíhā, as if for -hāu, dual; the comm. reads -hāḥ, which is doubtless the right form. Ppp. leaves off the last pāda, but whether it ends c with uṣṇihāḥ I am not informed. Ppp. also has jīvam for jīvitam in b, and skandhā for grivās in c. ⌊The Anukr. ignores the jagatī rhythm of a and c.⌋

2. Beneath, beneath them that are above, hidden, may he not creep out of the earth; let him lie smitten down by the thunderbolt.

⌊The mark which should divide a from b is not noted in W's collation-book.⌋

3. Whoever scathes, him seek thou after; whoever scathes, him smite; the crown of the scather, O thunderbolt, do thou cause to fall following after.

The last pāda is very obscure; it is rendered as if it meant an involving of the offender's crown (sīmanta:=çiraso madhyadeça, comm.) in the fall of the thunderbolt (but the comm. explains anvañcam by anulomam!). Ppp. reads sāyakas for tvam in c. The Prāt, gives an obiter dictum (iii. 43) on the derivation of sīmánta (or sīmánt). The metrical definition ⌊bhurig anuṣṭup⌋ seems to be omitted in the Anukr.