Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book VII/Hymn 68 (70, 71)

68 (70, 71). Praise and prayer to Sarasvatī.

[1-2. Caṁtāti.—dvyṛcam. sārasvatam. 1. anuṣṭubh; 2. triṣṭubh.—3. Çaṁtāti.—sārasvatam. gāyatrī.]

None of the verses are found in Pāipp. Here again the Anukr., the comm., and some mss. differ in division from our first mss., and make our third verse a separate hymn.* In Kāuç. (81. 39) the first two verses (= hymn 70) come in with other Sarasvatī verses in the pitṛmedha; the third verse (= hymn 71) not with them, in spite of its kindred character, but in both the bṛhat and laghuçānti gaṇas (9. 2, 4). Vāit. introduces the hymn (doubtless the two verses) twice (8. 2, 13), once with hymn 40, once with hymn 9 and other verses, in praise of Sarasvatī. *⌊So also SPP's text. The decad-division cuts the hymn between vss. 2 and 3: cf. p. 389.⌋

Translated: Henry, 26, 90; Griffith, i. 359.

1. O Sarasvatī, in thy courses, in thy heavenly domains, O goddess, enjoy thou the offered oblation; grant us progeny, O goddess.

The second half-verse is the same with 20. 2 c, d, and nearly so with 46. i c, d.

2. This [is] thine oblation, rich in ghee, O Sarasvatī; this the oblation of the Fathers that is to be consumed (?); these thy most wealful utterances; by them may we be rich in sweet.

The translation implies the emendation of āsyàm in c to āçyàm; the comm. makes it from the root as 'throw,' and = kṣepanīyam. Perhaps (Roth) ājyam is the true reading; Henry understands yát as pple: "going to the mouth of the Fathers." The first pāda is jagatī.

3 (71. 1). Be thou propitious, most wealful to us, very gracious, O Sarasvatī; let us not be separated from sight of thee.

The verse occurs in TA. iv. 42. 1 and AA. i. 1. 1, with the variant, for c, mā́ te vyòma saṁdṛ́çi; and LÇS. v. 3. 2 has the same, but with saṁdaças (misprint for -dṛç-?) at the end. In i. 1. 3, TA. has another version, with the same ending, but with bhava in a expanded to bhavantu divyā́ ā́pa óṣadhayaḥ. ⌊Cf. also Kaṭha-hss., p. 115; MGS. i. 11. 18 and p. 156 under sakhā.⌋