Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book VII/Hymn 110 (115)
110 (115). To Indra and Agni: for help.
[Bhṛgu.—tṛcam. āindrāgam. 1. gāyatrī; 2. triṣṭubh; 3. anuṣṭubh.]
Found also in Pāipp. xx., vs. 3 not with vss. 1, 2. Kāug. (15. 11) employs the hymn (the comm. says, vss. 1 and 2), with vii. 3 etc., in battle incantations: see under 3; further (59. 20), for the satisfaction of various desires, with worship of the deities mentioned in the verses. Vāit. (8. 6) has it (vss. 1, 2?) with an oblation to Indra and Agni, in the āgrayana iṣṭi; and vs. 3 (3. 17), in the parvan sacrifice, as the priests receive and partake of their iḍā-portion.
Translated: Henry, 43, 121; Griffith, i. 381.
1. O Agni, together with Indra, ye slay the Vritras irresistibly for your worshiper (dāçvā́ns); for ye are both best Vritra-slayers.
The translation implies emendation of hatás in b to hathás, which the construction clearly demands, and which is read by the comm., as also, in a corresponding verse, by TB. (ii. 4. 57: this has also medínā for dāçúṣe in a, and yuvám for ubhā́ in c). Both editions give hatás, with all the mss. Ppp. is defaced, but seems to read atho for hato, and for c ugrāya vṛtrahantamām. ⌊Render rather, 'ye slay the adversaries...adversary-slayers'? cf. iv. 32. 7, note.⌋ ⌊MS. has ágnā índraç ca dāçúṣo just after its version of our vs. 2.⌋
2. By whom in the very beginning they won the heaven (svàr), who stood unto all existences, the two men-helpers (?), bulls, thunderbolt-armed—Agni, Indra, Vritra-slayers, do I invoke.
Found also in TB. (ii. 4. 57) and MS. (iv. 12. 6); TB. puts in a súvar before ájayan, much improving the meter; MS. does the same, but corrupts to ájanan; in b, TB. has bhúvanasya mádhye; in c, both accent prá carṣaṇī́, and TB. vṛṣaṇā (as voc.)*; in d, MS. ends with -háṇaṁ huvema, while TB. has agnī́ índrā vṛtraháṇā huve vām. Ppp. has at the beginning yābhyāṁ svar itayaty agre (eva wanting), and huvāma at the end. The 'they' of a, according to the comm., are the gods. For prácarṣaṇī is given a conjectural rendering, though the word is doubtless a corruption; the Pet. Lex. had conjectured an emendation to prá carṣaṇī ⌊comparing RV. i. 109. 5⌋; the comm. gives it an alternative explanation: either prakarṣeṇa draṣṭārāu, or prakṛṣṭā manuṣyā yayor yaṣṭṛtvena santi. ⌊As to vṛtra-, see note to vs. i.⌋ *⌊And MS. reads vájrabāhum.⌋
3. Divine Brihaspati hath served (? upa-grah) thee with a bowl; O Indra, enter into us with songs—for the sacrificer, the soma-presser.
In a, upa-grah is rendered as if equivalent to upa-hṛ; the comm. takes it thus: anyatra yathā na gacchasi tathā svādhīnaṁ kṛtavān. The comm. regards Indra as addressed in a, b, but it is rather the drink itself, as received in the bowl: so in Vāit. iii. 17. One might conjecture índo for índra in c (our P.O. índram), but indra is cited in Vāit. (ib.); ⌊Garbe overlooked the fact that the second half of this vs. was intended⌋. Ppp. adds to the somewhat meaningless d a fifth pāda: sarvaṁ taṁ rīradhāsi naḥ: compare the Ppp. version of vi. 54. 3. ⌊Ppp. reads in a upāi ’naṁ devās.⌋