Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book VII/Hymn 29 (30)

29 (30). To Agni and Vishṇu.

[Medhātithi (?).—dvyṛcam. mantroktadāivatam. trāiṣṭubham.]

Found also in Pāipp. xx. (in inverse order of verses); and, as connected passage, further in TS. (i. 8. 22¹) and ÇÇS. (ii. 4. 3). Used by Kāuç. (32. 3), with hymns 42, 46, 78, 112, in a remedial rite for various diseases, with binding of grass on the joints; and also (59. 19) with 17 etc.: see 17. In Vāit. (8. 1), it accompanies an offering to Agni and Vishnu at the beginning of the parvan ceremony. ⌊Whitney seems to doubt whether the Anukr. does not mean to ascribe this hymn (and 27, 28) to Bhṛgvan̄giras.⌋

Translated: Ludwig, p. 374; Henry, 12, 65; Griffith, i. 341.

1. O Agni-and-Vishnu, great [is] that greatness of yours; ye drink of the ghee that is called secret, assuming seven treasures in each house; may your tongue move on to meet the ghee.

TS. has, in b, the imperative vītám, and ÇÇS. pātam, and both gúhyāni, which makes of nā́ma an accus. pl.; at the end, TS. has caraṇyet, and ÇÇS. -ṇyat; and both dádhānā at end of c: ÇÇS. further exchanges 1 c and 2 c, and has upa for prati at beginning of d. MS. mixes up the material of the two verses still more, putting our 1 b, c after our 2 a in iv. 10. 1, and our 2 b, c after our 1 a in iv. 11. 2 (in iv. 10. 1 it reads gúhyāni and dádhānā, like the other two texts, the pāthás, like ours); in d (iv. 11. 2), it has ánu (the text wrongly nú) instead of práti, and at the end -ṇyat. KB. (vii. 2) has two pādas resembling d (one with upa and one with prati at the beginning, and both ending with caraṇyat). With b compare further RV. iv. 58. 1 c, and with c RV. v. 1. 5 ⌊c and vi. 74. 1 c⌋. Ppp. exchanges the place of 1 b and 2 b, and reads in the former (like ÇÇS.) pātam and guhyāni see my addition to note to vs. 2⌋.

2. O Agni-and-Vishṇu, great [is] your dear domain (dhā́man); ye partake of (vī) the ghee, enjoying secret things, increasing by good praise in each house; may your tongue move up to meet the ghee.

For the exchanges of pādas in the other texts, see under the preceding verse; for this verse we have here further AÇS. (ii. 8. 3), without such exchange. In the material corresponding to our 2, all the other texts read juṣāṇā́ at end of b; at end of d, TS. has again -ṇyet, and all the others -ṇyat; TS.MS. have vāvṛdhāna at end of c, and TS. suṣṭutī́r, MS. suṣṭutī́, before it; while AÇS.ÇÇS. read instead suṣṭutir vām iyānā, evidently corrupt. Ppp. has, for b (putting it in the other verse), pātaṁ ghṛtasya guhyā juṣāṇaḥ. VS. (viii. 24) and MS. (in i. 3. 39), finally, have a second half-verse nearly like our c, d, but addressed to Agni, with a wholly different first half: it reads dáme-dame samídhaṁ yakṣy (MS. yákṣy) agne práti te jihvā́ ghṛtám úc caraṇyat. ⌊The "inversion" of the verses in Ppp., taken with the "exchange of pādas 1 b and 2 b," seems to mean that the Ppp. reading is as follows: agnāviṣṇū mahi dhāma priyaṁ vāṁ pātaṁ ghṛtasya guhyāni nāma: dame-dame etc.; and then, agnāviṣṇu mahi tad vāṁ mahitvaṁ pātaṁ ghṛtasya guhyā juṣāṇaḥ: dame-dame etc.⌋