Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book VII/Hymn 20 (21)

20 (21). Praise and prayer to Anumati.

[Brahman.—ṣaḍṛcam. ānumatīyam. ānuṣṭubham: 3, ⌊4⌋. triṣṭubh; 4. bhurij; 5, 6. jagatī; 6. atiçākvaragarbā.]

Found also in Pāipp. xx. (in the verse-order 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 4). Used by Kāuç. (59. 19) with hymn 17 etc.: see under 17; and vs. 1 a appears also (45. 16) as first pāda of a gāyatrī verse accompanying an oblation at the end of the vaçāçamana ceremony. Verse 6 is also understood by the schol. as intended by ānumatī, occurring in the rule ānumatīṁ caturthīm in three different rites, house-building (23. 4), acquisition of Vedic knowledge (42. 11), and vaçāçamana (45. 10). In Vāit (1. 15), the hymn is quoted in the parvan ceremonies on the day of full moon.

Translated: Henry, 8, 60; Griffith, i. 337.

1. Let Anumati ('approval') approve ⌊anu-man⌋ today our sacrifice among the gods; and let Agni be oblation-carrier of me worshiping.

Ppp's only variant is yachatām for manyatām at end of b. The verse is found in various other texts: VS. (xxxiv. 9), TS. (iii. 3. 11³), MS. (iii. 16. 4), AÇS. (iv. 12. 2), and ÇÇS. (ix. 27. 2). In a, MS.ÇÇS. preserve the a after no; the others put no before adyá (‘dyá); in d, all save TS. change bhávatām to -tam, and all have máyaḥ for máma. MB. (ii. 2. 19) also has mayas, but in a iyam for adya, and in d sa no ‘dād dāç-. The translation given implies emendation in d to dāçúṣas; the comm. regards it as a case of substitution of dative for genitive. The comm. takes bhávatām as 3d sing, middle; but it may perhaps better be viewed (like the -tam of the other texts) as dual active, with anumati and agni together as subject; the corruption of máyas to máma has rather spoiled the whole construction. The comm. explains Anumati as intending here also, as elsewhere, the goddess of the day of full moon; there is nothing in the hymn that demands or implies that character.

2. Mayest thou, indeed, O Anumati, approve, and do thou make weal for us; enjoy thou the offered oblation; grant us progeny, O goddess.

The first half-verse, with a wholly different second half, is found in the same texts that have vs. 1 (VS. xxxiv. 8; the others as quoted above: also K. xiii. 16): all read mányāsāi instead of máṅsase, and TS. combines naḥ kṛdhi. Ppp. has, for c, d, iṣas tokāya no dadhat pra ṇa āyūṅṣi tāriṣat, of which the last pāda agrees* with the other texts (they have, for c, krátve dákṣāya no hinu). The comm. reads maṅsiṣe for -sase, both here and in 6 d. Our last half-verse is also 68. 1 c, d, and nearly 46. 1 c, d. *⌊But VS.TS.ÇÇS. have tāriṣas.⌋

3. Let him, approving, approve wealth rich in progeny, not being exhausted; let us not come to be within his wrath; may we be in his very gracious favor.

The first three pādas correspond to that part of a verse in TS. iii. 3. 11⁴ (to which the comm., by an almost isolated proceeding, refers, with notice of the differences of reading) which preserves the consistency of the hymn by reading the feminines, -mānā at end of a, and tásyāi in c; Ppp. apparently intends the same with -mānāṣ and tasyā, and it further agrees with TS. in giving, for d, sā no devī suhavā çarma yachatu. The change of our text to masculines seems a mere corruption. Our d is nearly RV. viii. 48. 12 d.

4. The easily-invoked, approved, generous (sudā́nu) name that is thine, O well-conducting Anumati—therewith fill our sacrifice, O thou of all choice things; assign us, O fortunate one, wealth rich in heroes.

Ppp. reads sudāvas at end of b, and has a wholly different second half-verse: tena tvaṁ sumatiṁ devy asma iṣaṁ pinva viçvavāraṁ suvīram. The last half-verse is repeated below as 79. 1 c, d. ⌊In c, no is superfluous.⌋

5. Anumati hath come unto this well-born offering, in order to [our] abounding in fields and in heroes; for her forethought (prámati) hath been excellent; let her, god-shepherded, aid this offering.

Ppp. has a different first half: ā no devy anumatir jagamyāt sukṣatrā vīratā yā sujātā; ⌊its d appears to be sa imaṁ yajñaṁ bhavatu nevajuṣṭā, intending perhaps avatu devajuṣṭam: Roth's collation is not quite consistent with his note.⌋ Neither this verse nor the next has any jagatī character. ⌊For b, the Ppp. version suggests that the original reading may have been sukṣetrá suvīrátāyāi sújātā: cf. Roth, Ueber gewisse Kürzungen im Wortende im Veda, page 6.⌋

6. Anumati hath become all this—what stands, moves, and all that stirs; may we be in the favor ⌊sumatí⌋ of thee as such, O goddess; O Anumati, for mayest thou approve us.

Ppp. has, for a, anumatir viçvam idaṁ jajāna; ⌊in b (omitting u and viçvam), it reads yad ejati carati yac ca tiṣṭhati, thus rectifying the meter⌋.