Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book VII/Hymn 25 (26)
25 (26). Praise to Vishṇu and Varuṇa.
[Medhātithi.—dvyṛcam. vāiṣṇavam. trāiṣṭubham.]
The hymn is found also in Pāipp. xx. Used by Kāug. (59. 19) only with hymn 17 etc. (which see).
Translated: Ludwig, p. 429; Henry, 10, 63; Griffith, i. 339.
1. By whose ⌊du.⌋ force were established the spaces (rájas), who by heroisms are most heroic, most mighty, who by their powers lord it unopposed—to Vishṇu, to Varuṇa hath gone the first invocation.
The verse is found also in a number of other texts: VS. (viii. 59), TB. (ii. 8. 45), MS. (iv. 14. 6), SB. (i. 5), AÇS. (v. 20. 6), ÇÇS. (iii. 20. 4); all of them agree nearly in their variations from our text: thus, vīryèbhir (but MS. vīrébhir) for yāú vīryāìr in b; yā́ and ápratītā (but TB. -tīttā) in c; and víṣṇū, váruṇā, and pūrváhūtāu (but MS. -tim) in d; TB. further çáciṣṭhā in b. Ppp. has stabhitā in a, and çacībhiḥ (for çaviṣṭhā) in b.
2. In whose (sing.) direction is whatever shines out here, [whatever] both breathes forth and looks abroad mightily (çácībhis), of old, by the god's ordinance, with powers (sáhas)—to Vishṇu, to Varuṇa hath gone the first invocation.
The first pāda is found above as iv. 23. 7 a, and nearly as iv. 28. 1 b; also in TS. iii. 3. 114. Ppp. reads, for c, maho* ṛtasya dharmaṇā yuvānā, and begins with yayos. The comm., in b, seems to give prā ’niti ca. The first pāda is rather jagatī. *⌊So Roth's collation: his notes give mahā.⌋