Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book VI/Hymn 86

86. For supremacy.

[Atharvan (vṛṣakāmaḥ).—ekavṛṣadevatyam. ānuṣṭubham.]

Found also in Pāipp. xix. Employed by Kāuç. (59. 12), in a kāmya rite, by one who is vṛṣakāma (çrāiṣṭhyakāma, comm.); and the schol. (note to 140. 6) adds it to v. 3. 11 and vii. 86, 91 as used in the indramahotsava.

Translated: Ludwig, p. 241; Griffith, i. 292.

1. Chief (vṛ́ṣan) of Indra, chief of heaven, chief of earth is this man, chief of all existence; do thou be sole chief.

"Chief," lit'ly 'bull': foremost, as the bull is of the herd. Indrasya in a can hardly stand; rather āindrasya, or, we may conjecture, īdhrasya (cf. īdhriya, vīdhra).

2. The ocean is master of the streams; Agni is controler of the earth; the moon is master of the asterisms; do thou be sole chief.

Ppp. has, in c, sūryas instead of candramās; the latter makes a redundant pāda, unnoticed by the Anukr.

3. Universal ruler art thou of Asuras, summit of human beings; part-sharer of the gods art thou; do thou be sole chief.

The comm. understands 'part-sharer' to mean "having a share equal to that of all the other gods together," and applies it to Indra.