Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book VI/Hymn 33

33. Praise to Indra.

[Jāṭikāyana.—indradāivatam. gāyatram: 2. anuṣṭubh.]

Found also in Pāipp. xix., and in AA. (v. 2. i) and ÇÇS. (xviii. 3. 2); and the first verse, in the Nāigeya supplement to SV. i. (i. 3; or SV. i. 588). Kāuç. quotes, in the section relating to house-building, marking cattle, etc., with the simple direction ity āyojanānām apyayaḥ (23. 17); the schol. and the comm. declare it to relate to the rite for success in plowing (kṛṣikarman); the details of the process described by them have nothing to do with the expressions of the Atharvan text. Again, it appears in a kāmya ceremony (59. 18), with vii. 2, 6, etc. (by a sarvaphalakāma, comm.); and the comm. holds it to be intended (106. 1, 8) in the portent-rite for the collision of plows. It is further reckoned (note to 19. 1) to the puṣṭika mantras.

Translated: Florenz, 293 or 45; Griffith, i. 263.

1. Of whom the welkin (rájas) here [is] the allies, [who] thrusts (?) people, the wood, the heaven—great [is] Indra's gladness.

This is a mechanical version, not pretending to sense; the verse appears to be too corrupt for anything else. The other texts bring plenty of variants, but no real improvements of reading. All agree in c; also in yásye ’dám at the beginning of a; between, SV. has ārájo yújas tujé jáne vánaṁ svàḥ; AA. has ārájas tújo yújo vánaṁ sáhaḥ; ÇÇS. has oja ārujas tujo yujo balaṁ sahaḥ. Ppp. reads tute janaṁ svaḥ, and, for the rest of l and 2, indrasya nāgnikeçavaḥ vṛṣāṇaṁ dhṛṣadaç çavaṣ purā yathā dhistinaḥ indraç ca rantyaṁ mahat. The comm. explains tujé by tojanāya çatrūṇāṁ hiṅsanāya, takes ā́ yújas as a verb = saṁnaddhaṁ karoti, vánam as vananīyam, svàr as suṣṭhu prāptavyam, etc.: all the purest nonsense.

2. [He is] not to be dared against; [his] might, dared, dares daring against [others]; as, of old, his fame [was] unwavering, Indra's might [is] not to be dared against.

The (provisional) translation given implies emendation of text, in a, d, to ādhṛ́ṣe, in b, to dhṛṣāṇáṁ dhṛṣitám, and, in c, to ’vyathí. AA's version of the whole is nā́ ”dhṛṣa ā́ dadharṣa dādhṛṣāṇáṁ dhṛṣitáṁ çávaḥ: purā́ yád īm átivyáthir índrasya dhṛṣitaṁ çavaḥ. ⌊Cf. iv. 21. 3 and note, and Geldner, Ved. Stud. ii. 29.⌋ ÇÇS. has nothing corresponding to the second half-line; for the first, it reads anādhṛṣṭaṁ vipanyayā nā ”dhṛṣa ādadharṣayā: dhṛṣāṇam dhṛṣitaṁ çavaḥ. The reading of Ppp. was given under vs. 1. The comm. has vyathi in c.

3. Let him give us that wide wealth, of reddish (piçán̄ga-) aspect; Indra [is] most powerful lord among the people.

Ppp., also the comm., and one of our MSS. (H.) read dadhātu in a, and AA. and ÇÇS. and the comm. have tám for tā́m; Ppp. gives no instead; instead of urúm in b, ÇÇS. has puru, and AA. repeats rayím. In c, both AA. and ÇÇS. read tavastamas; the comm., tuvittamas. Our tuvíṣṭamas is vouched for by two rules of the Prātiçākhya, iii. 96 and iv. 59. Further, the comm. in b reads -sadṛçam. That the verse is uṣṇih and not gāyatrī appears not to be noted in the Anukr. ⌊ÇÇS. omits a at the end.⌋