Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book VII/Hymn 65 (67)

65 (67). To the plant apāmārgá: for cleansing.

[Çukra.—tṛcam. apāmārgavīrudddivatam. ānuṣṭubham.]

Not found in Pāipp. Used by Kāuç. (46. 49) in a ceremony of expiation, with a fire of apāmārgá; and vss. 1, 2 are reckoned (note to 39. 7) to the kṛtyā gaṇa. And the comm. regards vss. 2 and 3 as intended at 76. 1 in the nuptial ceremonies, instead of xiv. 2. 66 (both verses having the same pratīka); in this he is evidently wrong.

Translated: Grill, 38, 186; Henry, 25, 89; Griffith, i. 358; Bloomfield, 72, 556.

1. Since thou, O off-wiper (apāmārgá), hast grown with reverted fruit, mayest thou repel (yu) from me all curses very far from here.

⌊The verse closely resembles iv. 19. 7.⌋ All the authorities (except one of SPP's) read apāmārga without accent at beginning of b; both texts make the necessary correction to áp-. The comm. understands the plant (Achyranthes aspera: see note to iv. 17. 6) to be used here as fuel.

2. What [is] ill-done, what pollution, or what we have practised evilly—by thee, O all-ways-facing off-wiper, we wipe that off (apa-mṛj).

Or (b) 'if we have gone about evilly.' All the authorities have táyā instead of tváyā at beginning of c, but both texts make the obviously necessary correction. The comm. reads tvayā.

3. If we have been together with one dark-toothed, ill-nailed, mutilated, by thee, O off-wiper, we wipe off all that.

The comm. reads vaṇḍena in b; and he has also āçima for āsima, which is not a bad emendation.