Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book VI/Hymn 140

140. With the first two upper teeth of a child.

[Atharvan.—brāhmaṇaspatyam uta mantroktadantadevatyam. ānuṣṭubham: 1. urobṛhatī; 2. upariṣṭājjyotiṣmatī triṣṭubh; 3. āstārapan̄kti.]

Found also in Pāipp. xix. Used by Kāuç. (46. 43-46) in an expiatory rite when the two upper teeth of a child appear first; it "is made to bite the things mentioned in the text; and both it and its parents are made to eat of the grain so mentioned after it has been boiled in consecrated water."

Translated: Zimmer, p. 321; Grill, 49, 176; Griffith, i. 323; Bloomfield, 110, 540.

1. The (two) tigers that, having grown down, desire to devour father and mother—those (two) teeth, O Brahmaṇaspati, make thou propitious, O Jātavedas.

Our P.M.W. read kṛṇuhi in d. Ppp., instead of d, gives the refrain of 2, 3: mā hiṅs- etc.

2. Eat ye (two) rice; eat ye barley; then beans, then sesame; this is your deposited (níhita) portion for treasuring, ye (two) teeth; do not injure father and mother.

Instead of atho māṣam in b, Ppp. has māṣām attam; it begins c with sa for eṣa, and reads -dheyam in d. The comm. paraphrases ratnadheyāya by ramaṇīyaphalāya. The verse (8 + 8 : 8 + 7 + 11 = 42) is but ill-defined by the Anukr. ⌊It is really an anuṣṭubh with d catalectic, and with a triṣṭubh refrain.⌋

3. Invoked [are] the two conjoint, pleasant, very propitious teeth; let what is terrible of your selves (tanū́) go away elsewhere, ye teeth; do not injure father and mother.

Ppp. reads aghorāu sayujā saṁvidānāu, and adds at the end anyatra vāṁ tanvo ghoratn astu. The comm. reads tanvās in c. The definition of the Anukr. fits the verse (7 + 8: 13 + 11) very ill. ⌊Whitney's notes show that he had suspected sayújāu to be a misreading for suyújāu, and the latter is the form actually given by the Index Verborum; but further notes show that Bp. and the Anukr. read sa-. With them agree SPP. and the comm. and Ppp. Correct the Index accordingly.⌋