Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book VII

Book VII.

⌊The seventh book is made up mostly of hymns of one verse or of two verses. No other one of the books i.-xviii. contains such hymns. Book vii. is thus distinguished from all the others of the three grand divisions (to wit, books i.-vii., books viii.-xii., and books xiii.-xviii.) of the Atharvan collection, and constitutes the close of the first of those divisions. If we consider the facts set forth in the paragraphs introductory to the foregoing books (see pages 1, 37, 84, 142, 220, 281, and especially 142), it appears that this division is made up of those seven books in which the number—normal or prevalent—of verses to a hymn runs from one to eight. Or, in tabular form, division one consists of

Books	vii.	vi.	i.	ii.	iii.	iv.	v.,	having for
Verse-norm:	1 or 2	3	4	5	6	7	8	respectively

In the Berlin edition, the book contains one hundred and eighteen hymns: of these, fifty-six are of 1 verse each, and twenty-six are of 2 verses each; while of the remaining thirty-six

There are in this book	10	11	3	4		3	1	1	hymns,
Containing respectively	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	11	verses.

The 11-versed hymn is 73; the 9-versed is 50; the 8-versed are 26, 56, 97; the 7-versed are 53, 60, 109; the 6-versed are 20, 76, 81, 82. The whole book has been translated by Victor Henry, Le livre VII de l'Atharva-Véda traduit et commenté, Paris, 1892.⌋

⌊As the Major Anukramaṇī speak.s of book vi. as the tṛca-sūkta-kāṇḍa, tṛca-prakṛti, so it speaks of book vii. as the eka-rca-sūkta-kāṇḍa. Presumably, therefore, we are to regard the 1-versed hymn as the "norm" of the book, although the 2-versed hymn is undeniably "prevalent."⌋ ⌊See p. cxlix.⌋

⌊The book is divided into ten anuvāka-groups. These, with the number of hymns in each group and the number of verses in each group, are here given:

Anuvāka:	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Hymns:	13	9	16	13	8	14	8	9	12	16
Verses:	28	22	31	30	25	42	31	24	21	32

The Old Anukramaṇī seems to take 20 verses as the norm of the anuvāka. The Paris codex, P., in this book numbers the verses through each anuvāka without separating the hymns. The commentator divides the anuvākas into hymns (from two to four in each anuvāka), which "hymns," however, are nothing more than mechanical decads of verses with an overplus or shortage in the last "decad" when the total is not a multiple of ten: thus, anuvāka 1 has three hymns, of 10 + 10 + 8 = 28 verses; 2 has two hymns, of 10 + 13 = 23 verses; 3 has three hymns, of 9 + 10 + 11 = 30 verses; 4 has three hymns, of 10 + 10 + 10 = 30 verses; and so on. His anuvāka endings coincide throughout with those of the Berlin edition, save that vii. 23 is reckoned by him (and P.) to anuvāka 2 instead of 3, thus making for 2 and 3 his verse-totals 23 and 30 instead of 22 and 31 (as the Old Anukramaṇī gives them) and spoiling the count of his first "decad" in 3. (Note that vii. 23 is a galita-verse.) His "decad"-divisions cut in two our hymns 26, 45, 54, 68, 72, 76, 79, 97, and 109.⌋ ⌊It should here be mentioned that the Bombay edition, following the Major Anukramaṇī, counts hymns 6, 45, 68, 72, and 76 each as two hymns. From vii. 6. 3 to the end of the book, accordingly, Whitney gives a double numeration of the hymns: first the numeration of the Berlin edition, and then, in parenthesis, the numeration of the Bombay edition. As against the former, the latter involves a plus of one from vii. 6. 3 to vii. 45. i; a plus of two from vii. 45. 2 to vii. 68. 2; a plus of three from vii. 68. 3 to vii. 72. 2; a plus of four from vii. 72. 3 to vii. 76. 4; and a plus of five from vii. 76. 5 to the end. Finally it may be noted that vii. 54. 2 is reckoned (forwards) to vii. 55, but that this does not affect the hymn-numbers save for the verse concerned.⌋ ⌊Respecting book vii. in general, see pages cli, clii.⌋

Hymn- number		Page
VII. Book the seventh
1	Mystic	389
2	Of Atharvan	390
3	Mystic	390
4	To the wind-god with his steeds	391
5	Mystic: on the offering or sacrifice	391
6	Praise of Aditi	392
7	Praise of the Ādityas	394
8	For some one's success	394
9	Praise and prayer to Pūshan	395
10	To Sarasvatī	395
11	Against injury to the grain by lightning	396
12	For success in the assembly	396
13	Against one's foes	397
14	Prayer and praise to Savitar	398
15	Prayer to Savitar	399
16	Prayer to Savitar (or Brihaspati)	399
17	Prayer to Dhatar for blessings	399
18	For rain, etc.	400
19	For progeny, etc.	401
20	Praise and prayer to Anumati	402
21	In praise of the sun	403
22	To the sun (?)	403
23	Against ill conditions and beings	404
24	To various gods	404
25	Praise to Vishṇu and Varuṇa	404
26	Praise and prayer to Vishṇu	405
27	Prayer and praise to Iḍā	407
28	Of the instruments of offering	407
29	To Agni and Vishṇu	408
30	For successful anointing	409
31	To Indra: for aid	409
32	Homage to Soma (?)	409
33	For blessings: to various gods	410
34	To Agni: against enemies	410
35	Against a rival (woman)	411
36	Husband and wife to one another	411
37	The wife to the husband	412
38	To win and fix a man's love: with a plant	412
39	In praise of Sarasvant (?)	414
40	Prayer and praise to Sarasvant	414
41	To the heavenly falcon (the sun)	415
42	To Soma and Rudra	415
43	Of speech (?)	416
44	Extolling Indra and Vishṇu	416
45	To cure jealousy	416
46	To Sinīvālī (goddess of the new moon)	417
47	To Kuhū (goddess of the new moon)	418
48	To Rākā (goddess of the full moon)	418
49	To the spouses of the gods	419
50	For success with dice	419
51	For protection by Brihaspati and Indra	421
52	For harmony	422
53	For some one's health and long life	423
54	Extolling verse and chant	424
55	To Indra (?)	425
56	Against poison of snakes and insects	425
57	Prayer to Sarasvatī etc.	427
58	Invitation to Indra and Varuṇa	427
59	Against cursers	428
60	To the home: on returning or leaving	428
61	For success of penance	430
62	To Agni: against enemies	430
63	To Agni: for aid	431
64	Against evil influence of a black bird	431
65	To the plant apāmārgá: for cleansing	432
66	For recovery of sacred knowledge (brā́hmaṇa)	432
67	For recovery of sense, etc.	433
68	Praise and prayer to Sarasvatī	433
69	Prayer for good fortune	434
70	Against an enemy's sacrifice	434
71	To Agni: for protection	435
72	With an oblation to Indra	436
73	With a heated offering to the Açvins	437
74	Against apacíts: against jealousy: to Agni	439
75	Praise and prayer to the kine	440
76	Against apacíts and jāyā́nya: etc.	441
77	To the Maruts	443
78	To Agni: in favor of some one	444
79	To Amāvāsyā (night or goddess of new moon)	444
80	To the night or goddess of full moon (pāurṇamāsī́)	445
81	To the sun and moon	446
82	Praise and prayer to Agni	448
83	For release from Varuṇa's fetters	449
84	To Agni: and to Indra	451
85	Invocation of Tārkshya	452
86	Invocation of Indra	452
87	Homage to Rudra	452
88	Against poison	453
89	To Agni and the waters	453
90	To destroy some one's virile power	454
91	To Indra: for aid	455
92	To Indra: for aid	456
93	For Indra's aid	456
94	For Indra's help to unanimity	456
95	A spell against some one	457
96	For quiet kidneys (?)	457
97	Accompanying an offering	458
98	With an oblation to Indra	460
99	When bestrewing the védi	460
100	Against bad dreams	461
101	As to food enjoyed in a dream	461
102	Accompanying self-relief	461
103	For betterment	462
104	Concerning Atharvan's cow	462
105	An exhortation to holy life	462
106	Deprecation for offenses	463
107	To relieve a stinging pain	463
108	Against enemies: to Agni	463
109	⌊For success with the dice⌋	464
110	To Indra and Agni: for help	466
111	To a soma-vessel	467
112	For release from guilt and distress	467
113	Against a (woman) rival: with a plant	467
114	Against enemies	468
115	Against ill luck	468
116	Against intermittent fever	469
117	Invitation to Indra	470
118	When arming a warrior	470