Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book VII/Hymn 17 (18)
17 (18). Prayer to Dhātar for blessings.
[Bhṛgu.—caturṛcam. sāvitram uta bahudmatyam. ānuṣṭubham: 1. 3-p. ārṣī gāyatrī; 3, 4. triṣṭubh.]
The first verse is found in Pāipp. i., the other verses in Pāipp. xx. For further correspondences, see under the several verses. In Kāuç. (59. 19), in the kāmya section, hymns 17, 19, 20, 24-26, 29, 42, 46, 51, 79, 80, 82, and 103 of this book are addressed to Prajāpati by one desiring all kinds of benefits (sarvakāma). Further, apparently (so Keçava and the comm.; the text of Kāuç. is not wholly clear), in a women's rite (35. 16), to procure the birth of a male child: the hymn offers little to suggest this save the recurrence of the phrase dhātā dadhātu; the verse v. 25. 10 would be much more to the point.
Translated: Henry, 7, 59; Griffith, i. 335.
1. Let Dhātar assign (dhā) to us wealth, [he] being master (īç), lord of the moving creation; let him yield to us with fulness.
Literally (at the end) 'with full,' to which the comm. supplies dhanena. Ppp. shows no variants. TS. (ii. 4. 51 et al.) has dadātu in a, and vāvanat for yachatu at the end. MS. ⌊iv. 12. 6⌋ has only a (with dadhātu), combining it with our 2 b-d.
2. Let Dhātar assign to his worshiper an unexhausted further life; may we obtain the favor of the all-bestowing god.
TS. (iii. 3. 113), MS. (iv. 12. 6), AÇS. (vi. 14. 16)*, ÇÇS. (ix. 28. 3), and ÇGS. (i. 22), have the same verse, with sundry differences: all† read dadātu in a, and TS.MS. have no rayím for dāçúṣe (thus substituting our 1 a); in b, ÇÇS. and ÇGS. have akṣitim at end; in d, for viçvárādhasas, TS. has satyárādhasas, MS.ÇÇS.ÇGS. satyádharmaṇas, and AÇS. vājinīvatas. Ppp. is defective in this verse, but presents no variants. The comm. explains dhīmahi once by dhārayema and once by dhyāyema. *⌊So also AGS. (transl.), p. 36, note, as in AÇS.⌋ †⌊Save MS.⌋
3. Let Dhātar assign all desirable things unto the progeny-wishing worshiper in his home; for him let the gods wrap up immortality (amṛ́ta)—all the gods, Aditi, in unison.
This verse occurs only in TS. (iii. 3. 113) and MS. (iv. 12. 6), both reading alike: for a, dhatā́ dadātu dāçúṣe vásūni; mīḍhúṣe (for dāçúṣe) in b; amṛ́tāḥ sáṁ vyayantām in c; and devā́sas in d. Ppp. gives, for a, dhātā, viçvāni ⌊which rectifies the meter⌋ dāçuṣe dadātu; for c, tasyā prajām amṛtas saṁvayantu; and, in d, devāsas (rectifying the meter) ⌊and confirming my conjecture made at the former occurrence of this pāda at iii. 22. 1 d⌋.
4. Let Dhātar, Rāti, Savitar enjoy this, let Prajāpati, Agni our treasure-lord; let Tvashṭar, Vishṇu, sharing (rā) together with progeny, assign wealth to the sacrificer.
The beginning of this corresponds with that of iii. 8. 2, above. The verse is found without variant* in TS. (1. 4. 441); VS. (viii. 17) and MS. (i. 3. 38) have different readings: in b, after prajā́patir, VS. nidhipā́ devó agníḥ, MS. váruṇo mitró agníḥ; in c, MS. begins víṣṇus tváṣṭā, VS. ends -rarāṇā́s; in d, VS. ends dadhāta. Ppp., in d, has pūṣā instead of viṣṇus. ⌊MP. has c at i. 7. 12.⌋ *⌊Save nidhipátis for nidhípatis: cf. Gram. §1267 a.⌋