Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book VII/Hymn 73 (77)
73 (77). With a heated offering to the Açvins.
[Atharvan.—ekādaçarcam. gharmasūktam. āçvinam uta pratyṛcammantroktadāivatam. trāiṣṭubham: 1, 4, 6. jagatī; 2. pathyābṛhatī.]
Found also, except vss. 7-9, in Pāipp. xx. (the first six verses in the order 2, 1, 4, 5, 6, 3); the first six verses, further, in AÇS. iv. 7 and ÇÇS. v. 10 (in both, in the order 2, 1, 6, 5, 4, 3); the last five are RV. verses etc.; see under the several verses. The hymn in general does not appear in Kāuç. (the sacrifice which it accompanies not falling within its sphere); but the last verse (so the comm.; it might be ix. 10. 20) is applied (24. 17) in settling the kine in their pasture by one who is going away from home; and again (92. 15), in the madhuparka ceremony, when the presented cow is released instead of being sacrificed. Vāit. uses several of the verses, all in the agnisṣṭoma ceremony: vss. 3 and 4 (14. 5) with the offering of the gharma; vs. 7 (14. 4) in summoning the gharma cow; vs. 11 (14. 9) before the concluding homa.
Translated: Ludwig, p. 429 (vss. 1-6); Henry, 28, 93; Griffith, i. 361.
1. Kindled, O ye two bulls, is Agni, the charioteer of heaven; heated is the gharmá; honey is milked for your food (íṣ); for we singers (kārú), of many houses, call on you, O Açvins, in joint revelings.
The translation implies in b the accent duhyáte, which is found in no ms.; the comm. makes the same construction. Ppp. reads açvinā for vṛṣaṇā in a; and also, with both AÇS. and ÇÇS., purutamāsas in c; doubtless our word is a corruption of this ⌊Roth, ZDMG. xlviii. 107⌋. But for rathī, in a, AÇS. has ratis and ÇÇS. rayis, plain corruptions. The gharmá is either the hot drink into which fresh milk is poured, or the heated vessel containing it. The comm. interprets the verses according to their order and application in AÇS. He explains the gharma as the heated sacrificial butter in the mahāvīra dish.
2. Kindled is Agni, O ye Açvins; heated is your gharmá; come! now, ye bulls, the milch-kine are milked here, ye wondrous ones (dasrá)-, the pious ones are reveling.
AÇS. and ÇÇS. both read gāvas for nūnam in c, and (with Ppp.) kāravas for vedhasas at the end. The first half-verse occurs also in VS. (as xx. 55 a, b), which omits vām in b, and reads virā́ṭ sutáḥ for ā́ gatam.
3. The bright (çúci) sacrifice to the gods accompanied with "hail," the Açvins' bowl that is for the gods to drink of—this all the immortals, enjoying, lick respectively by the Gandharva's mouth.
The two Sūtras and Ppp. agree in reading gharmas for yajñas in a; the former have also īm for u in c. The comm. declares this verse to be used after the gharma offering; the "bowl" is the one called upayamana; the "Gandharva" is either the sun or the fire.
4. The offered ghee, the milk, which is in the ruddy [kine], that is your portion here, ye Açvins; come; ye sweet ones, maintainers of the council (vidátha), lords of the good, drink ye the heated gharmá in the shining space of the sky.
In b, ÇÇS. has su for sa; at the end, AÇS. has somyam madhu (for rocane divaḥ). There ought to be more than one accent on the series of vocatives in c, to guide us to their right combination, which is doubtful. The comm. takes mādhvī as madhuvidyāveditārāu.
5. Let the heated gharmá, its own invoker (hótar), attain to you; let your offerer (adhvaryú) move forward, rich in milk; of the milked sweet, O Açvins, of the offspring (?), eat (vī) ye, drink ye, of the milk of the ruddy [cow].
The two Sūtras read nakṣati in a, and carati prayasvān at end of b; the comm. also has pray-, and explains it as prīṇanakāripayoyuktaḥ; pray- is doubtless the more genuine reading. The obscure tanā́yās in c (omitted in Ludwig's translation)* is made by the comm. an adjective qualifying usriyāyās, and signifying payodadhyājyarūpahaviḥpradānena yajñam vistārayantyāḥ. Ppp. has in a sma hotā; the comm. takes sváhotā as possessive, which suits the accent better. Verses 4 and 5 the comm. declares to have the value of yājñā verses in the ceremony. *⌊In fact Ludwig does render tanā́yās (accent!) by "this," and tánā and tánāya correspondingly. Tanāya is the Ppp. reading here for tanā́yās.
6. Run up with milk, O cow-milker, quickly; pour in the milk of the ruddy [cow] in the gharmá; the desirable Savitar hath irradiated (vi-khyā) the firmament; after the forerunning of the dawn he shines forth (vi-rāj).
SPP's text has godhuk (voc.) in a, but nearly half his authorities have godhúk, and so also nearly all ours (all those noted save Bp.), for which reason our text gives it; godhuk is doubtless the true reading, and it is followed in the translation. ÇÇS. reads after it (perhaps by a misprint?) oṣum; AÇS. (also probably by a misprint?) gives payasā goṣam (omitting dhug o). ÇÇS. has damūnās for vareṇyas in c, and its d is anu dyāvāpṛthivī supraṇīte, while AÇS. and Ppp. have nearly the same: ’nu dyāvāpṛthivī supraṇītiḥ. This seems most likely to be the true ending of the verse; in our text has been somehow substituted a half-verse which is RV. v. 81. 2 c, d, and found also in several other texts: VS. xii. 3, TS. iv. 1. 104, MS. ii. 7. 8; all of them accent ánu as an independent word, as our text doubtless ought to do (p. anu॰prayā́nam); one of SPP's authorities, and the comm., do so. The comm. does not recognize the adverb oṣám, but renders it by taptam ⌊gharmam, 'the heated gharma-vessel'⌋; he explains vi akhyat by prakāçayati. Two, if not three, of the pādas are triṣṭubh.
7. I call upon that easy-milking milch-cow; a skilful-handed milker also shall milk her; may the impeller (savitár) impel us the best impulse; the hot drink is kindled upon—that may he kindly proclaim.
This and the following verse are also two successive verses in RV. (i. 164. 26, 27; they are repeated below as ix. 10. 4, 5, where the whole RV. hymn is given). RV. has at the end the better reading vocam. The comm. declares the verse to be used in the calling up of the cow that furnishes the gharma drink, that she may be milked.
8. Lowing (hin̄-kṛ), mistress of good things, seeking her calf with her mind, hath she come in; let this inviolable one (aghnyā́) yield (duh) milk for the Açvins; let her increase unto great good-fortune.
9. As enjoyable (júṣṭa) household guest in our home (duroṇá), do thou come, knowing, unto this our sacrifice; smiting away, O Agni, all assaulters (abhiyúj), do thou bring in the enjoyments of them that play the foe.
This verse and the following one are found in RV. (v. 4. 5; 28. 3), and also occur together in TB. ii. 4. 11 and MS. iv. 11. 1. RV.MS. read at end of c vihátyā, p. vi॰hátya; there is no other variant. The comm. paraphrases abhiyujas in c by abhiyoktrīḥ parasenāḥ. ⌊For d, cf. iv. 22. 7 d.⌋
10. O Agni, be bold unto great good-fortune; let thy brightnesses (dyumná) be highest; put together a well-ordered house-headship; trample on the greatnesses of them that play the foe.
The verse is (as noted above) RV. v. 28. 3, and found also in TB. and MS., and further in VS. xxxiii. 12 and ĀpÇS. iii. 15. 5—everywhere without variant. Our comm. explains çardha as = ārdrahṛdayo bhava. The Prāt. iv. 64, 83 prescribes jāḥpatyám as pada-reading in c, but all the pada-mss. read jāḥ॰patyám, divided, and SPP. accordingly gives that form in his pada-text. The RV. pada reads jāḥpatyám and jāḥpátiḥ, but, strangely, jā́ḥ॰patim (the two latter occurring only once each). ⌊Winternitz, Hochzeitsrituell, p. 57, cites the verse.⌋
11. Mayest thou ⌊verily⌋ be well-portioned, feeding in excellent meadows; so also may we be well-portioned; eat thou grass, O inviolable one, at all times; drink clear water, moving hither.
The verse is RV. i. 164. 40 (hence repeated below, as ix. 10. 20), found also in ĀpÇS. ix. 5. 4, and KÇS. xxv. 1. 19; all these read átho for ádhā in b, and KÇS. has bhagavati in a (if it be not a misprint).
The sixth anuvāka, with 14 (or 16) hymns and 42 verses, finishes here. The quoted Anukr. says of the verses dvir ekaviṅçatiḥ ṣaṣṭhaḥ, and, of the hymns, ṣaṣṭhaç caturdaça.