Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book VI/Hymn 67

67. For success against enemies.

[Atharvan (?).—cāndram utāi ”ndram. ānuṣṭubham.]

Not found in Pāipp. Used by Kāuç. (14. 7) in a battle rite with the two preceding hymns (and reckoned with them to the aparājita gaṇa): see under 65; also (16. 4) in another rite of the same class, for terrifying enemies, with vi. 98, with the direction "the king goes thrice about the army."

Translated: Ludwig, p. 518; Griffith, i. 282.

1. Everywhere about the routes Indra and Pūshan have gone; let yonder armies of our enemies today be confounded further away.

That is (a), to prevent access to our villages. The comm. takes parastarām as simply = atiçayena.

2. Go about confounded, ye enemies, like headless snakes; of you there, confounded by Agni, let Indra slay each best man (vára).

This verse is SV. ii. 1221, and one of the supplementary verses to a RV. hymn (RV. x. 103. 15). SV. has, for a, b, andhā́ amitrā bhavatā ’çīrṣāṇó ‘haya iva, and, in c, agnínunnānām. The RV. version (see Aufrecht's 2d edition, ii. 682) accents amítrā, reads -ṣāṇā́ áh- in b, and, in c, agnídagdhānām agnímūḻhānām. The translation implies the emendation amitrās instead of amítrās, which latter is given by all the authorities, and hence accepted in SPP's text. The comm. understands amitrās, voc.; and he explains b to mean as snakes with their heads cut off can merely move about, but not do anything in particular.

3. Fasten thou, as bull, the skin upon them; make the fear of the fallow-deer; let the enemy hasten (eṣ) away; let the cow hasten hither to us.

The sense of a is very obscure. One is tempted to combine vṛṣājinam into one word. The comm. makes hariṇasya (= kṛṣṇamṛgasya) depend on ajínam, which cannot well be right, though it may be questioned whether, as dependent on bhíyam, it is subjective or objective genitive.* He explains the "skin" as used for somamaṇiveṣṭana; and the "cow" (d) as the enemy's wealth, in cows and the like. The combination of úpa eṣatu into úpeṣatu falls under Prāt. iii. 52, and the case is quoted in the commentary to that rule. ⌊Correct nahyá to nahya (accent-mark slipped out of place).⌋ *⌊In a marginal note, W. compares mitra-tū́rya, v. 20. 7.⌋