Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book VII/Hymn 35 (36)
35 (36). Against a rival (woman).
[Atharvan.—tṛcam. jātavedasam. ānuṣṭubham: 1, 3. triṣṭubh.]
The first two verses are found also in Pāipp. xx., but not together. Kāuç. employs the hymn in the same rule (36. 33) as hymn 34, to prevent an enemy's wife from bearing children; only vss. 2 and 3 are suited to such use. For the use of vs. 1 by Vāit. (29. 6), see under the preceding hymn.
Translated: Ludwig, p. 477 (vss. 2, 3); Henry, 13, 67; Griffith, 1. 343, and 475; Bloomfield, 98, 545.
1. Overpower away with power [our] other rivals; thrust back, O Jātavedas, those unborn; fill this royalty unto good fortune; let all the gods revel after him.
Of this verse also the first half, with a wholly different second half, is found in VS. (xv. 2), TS. (iv. 3. 121), and MS. (ii. 8. 7); all read, for a, sáhasā jātā́n prá ṇudā naḥ sapátnān. Our second half, especially the last pāda, is rather wanting in connection with what precedes; Ppp. improves d by reading anu tvā devās sarve juṣantām. The comm. explains rāṣṭram by asmadīyaṁ janapadam, and enam by çatruhananakarmaṇaḥ prayoktāram.
2. These hundred veins that are thine, and the thousand tubes—of them all of thine I have covered the opening with a stone.
Ppp. reads sākam for aham in c. The comm. regards the verse as addressed to a vidveṣiṇī strī. To him the hirās are the minute, and the dhamanīs the large vessels.
3. The upper part of thy womb I make the lower; let there not be progeny to thee, nor birth; I make thee barren (asū́), without progeny; I make a stone thy cover.
The mss. are divided between sū́tuḥ and sū́nuḥ at end of b (our Bp.D. read sū́nuḥ), and SPP. adopts sū́nuḥ (following half his authorities and the comm.), but wrongly, as the accent plainly shows.* The comm. reads açvām at beginning of c, and supports it by a ridiculous explanation: it stands for açvatarīm 'a she-mule,' and she-mules are not fruitful! ⌊In the Berlin ed., the ṛ of kṛṇomi in c is wanting.⌋ *⌊Cf. the note to i. 11. 1.⌋
The discordance between vs. 1 and vss. 2 and 3 is so complete that it is difficult to believe them all to form one hymn together; and vs. 1 evidently belongs with hymn 34; vss. 2 and 3, moreover, are probably combined on account of their resemblance in the closing pādas. But there is no disagreement among the authorities with regard to the division.