Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book VII/Hymn 26 (27)

26 (27). Praise and prayer to Vishṇu.

[Medhātithi.—aṣṭarcam. vāiṣṇavam. trāiṣṭubham: 2. 3-p. virāḍgāyatrī; 3. 3-av. 6-p. virāṭçakvarī; 4-7. gāyatrī; 8. triṣṭubh.]

Only vss. 1-3, and those not complete, are found in Ppp. (xx.). Most of the material of the hymn is found in RV. ⌊i. 154 and 22⌋ and elsewhere: see under the different verses. The hymn is found in Kāuç. (59. 19) only in connection with hymn 17 etc. (see 17). But in Vāit. the different verses appear many times. Verse 1 is used (13. 14) in the entertainment of Vishṇu, in the agniṣṭoma (next after hymn 5, above), and later in the same ceremony (15. 12), with setting up the support of the havirdhānas. Verse 3, in parvan ceremonies, accompanies (4. 20) the sacrificer's approach to the āhavanīya fire; and again, in the agniṣṭoma (13. 5), his exit from the sacrificial hut; while its second part (c-f) goes with the offering of an oblation to Vishṇu at the beginning of the paçubandha (10. 1). Verses 4 and 5 accompany (15. 10) offerings to the two wheel-tracks of the havirdhāna-carts in the agniṣṭoma. With verse 6, in the agnicayana (29. 2), mortar and pestle are set down; and with 6 and 7, in the paçubandha (10. 10), the sacrificial post is set upright; and the comm. regards vs. 4 as intended by the "verse to Vishṇu" in 2. 3 and 23. 14. The comm., moreover, quotes the hymn as used by the Nakṣatra Kalpa (18) in a mahāçānti ceremony named vāiṣṇavī; and vs. 3 c-f by the same (14) with an offering to Vishṇu in the adbhutaçānti; and vs. 4 by the same (19), in the rite called tvāṣṭrī, with tying on of a triple amulet.

Translated: Muir, iv². 68, 63 (nearly all); Henry, 10, 63; Griffith, i. 339.

1. Of Vishnu now I would speak forth the heroisms, who traversed (vi-mā) the spaces of the earth, who established the upper station, striding out triply, he the wide-going one.

The verse is RV. i. 154. 1 (also VS. v. 18; TS. i. 2. 13³; MS. i. 2. 9, all precisely like RV.), which reads at end of a, in different order, vīryā̀ṇi prá vocam. Prá in our text is a misprint for prá, which all our saṁhitā-mss. give. ⌊The vs. seems to be suggested by RV. i. 32. 1.⌋

2. So Vishnu praises forth his heroisms, like a fearful wild beast, wandering, mountain-staying,—

From distant distance may he come hither.—

The first two pādas of this verse, with the first two of our vs. 3, form one verse in the other texts: RV. i. 154. 2; TB. ii. 4. 3⁴; MS. i. 2. 9; Āp. xi. 9. 1; and also in Ppp., which has it alone, besides our vs. 1. RV.MS. read vīryèṇa, which is better, in a; TB.Āp. vīryàya instead. Our second pāda forms, together with our (intruded) third pāda, a first half-verse in several other texts: RV. x. 180. 2; SV. ii. 1223; VS. xviii. 71; TS. i. 6. 12⁴; MS. iv. 12. 3; instead of jagamyāt is read jaganthā by all except TS., which has jagāmā; the whole (RV. etc.) verse is our vii. 84. 3 below. The comm. unites to this verse the first two pādas of the one following, which certainly belong much more properly with it; but the mss. and the Anukr. require the division as made in our text; and SPP. also follows them.

3. Upon whose three wide out-stridings dwell all beings.

Widely, O Vishnu, stride out; widely make us to dwell; drink the ghee, O thou ghee-wombed one; prolong the master of the sacrifice on and on.

Made up of the second half of a RV. etc. triṣṭubh verse (see above: no text shows in this half any various readings) and a whole anuṣṭubh verse, which also is found in a number of other texts (VS. v. 38; TS. 1. 3. 4¹; MS. 1. 2. 13; ĀÇS. v. 19. 3; ÇÇS. viii. 4. 3), and almost without variants (only TS. combines naḥ kṛdhi in b, and MS. reads ghṛtavane in c). ⌊Ppp. ends with b (víçvā)⌋

4. Here Vishṇu strode out; thrice he set down his steps; [it is] collected in his dust.

This and the three following verses form one connected passage also in RV. (i. 22. 17-20) and SV. (ii. 1019-22), but not in the other texts in which they are, in part or all, found. In this verse, RV.SV. read padám at end of b,* and SV. has pāṅsule at end of c. Of the other texts, VS. (v. 15) and TS. (i. 2. 13¹) agree with RV.; MS. (i. 2. 9 et al.) has padā́, like our text. The meaning of c is obscure and disputed: the comm. here explains thus: viṣṇoḥ...pāṅsumati pāde lokatrayam...samavasthāpitaṁ samākṛṣṭaṁ vā. Henry renders "for him it is reduced to a dust-heap." *⌊SV. also at i. 222.⌋

5. Three steps Vishnu strode out, the unharmable shepherd, ordaining (dhṛ) here (itás) [his] ordinances.

RV.SV. read átas at beginning of c, and VS. (xxxiv. 43) agrees with them; TB. (ii. 4. 6¹) has instead tátas. It seems hardly possible to give itás its distinctive meaning 'from here'; but Henry combines it with ví cakrame: "from here." The comm. has atas.

6. Behold ye the deeds of Vishṇu, from where he beholds [your] courses (vratá), [he] Indra's suitable companion.

Or yátas in b may mean simply 'as.' Not only RV.SV., but also the other texts containing this verse (VS. vi. 4 et al.; TS. 1. 3. 6²; MS. i. 2. 14), have the same readings with ours. The comm. explains paspaçe as spṛçati badhnāti vā!

The comm. strangely* closes the hymn here, and treats its last two verses as ⌊belonging to the next: see p. 389⌋. *⌊Because he has got to the end of his "spoiled decad"?⌋

7. That highest step of Vishṇu the patrons (sūrí) ever behold, like an eye stretched on the sky.

In all the texts, this verse is given in connection with the preceding one. RV.SV., and also VS. (vi. 5), have precisely our text; TS. (i. 3. 6² et al.) differs only by accenting, according to its usage, divī́ ’va*; MS. (i. 2. 14) reads çácyā for sádā in b. *⌊Gram. §128; Prāt. iii. 56.⌋

8. From the sky, O Vishṇu, or also from the earth; from the great wide atmosphere, O Vishṇu, fill thy hands abundantly with good things; reach forth hither from the right, hither also from the left.

The verse is found also in VS. (v. 19), TS. (i. 2. 13²), and MS. (i. 2. 9). VS.TS. insert vā after divás in a and mahás in b, and TS. reads utá vā for urós in b, while MS. has, for b, urór vā viṣṇo bṛható antárikṣāt; TS. combines both times viṣṇav u-; VS. has, for c, ubhā́ hí hástā vásunā pṛṇásva; TS.MS. accent vasavyāìs, which is decidedly more regular (but SV. i. 298 has vasávye); and all three accent ā́ prá y-, which is also more in accordance with usage (our pada-text ā॰práyacha). The first two pādas are of 10 syllables each; ⌊but the vā's of VS.TS. make them good triṣṭubh⌋.