Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book VII/Hymn 97 (102)

97 (102). Accompanying an offering.

[Atharvan (yajñasampūrṇakāmaḥ*).—aṣṭarcam. mantroktāindrāgnam. trāiṣṭubham: 5. 3-p. ārcī bhurig gāyatrī; 6. 3-p. prājāpatyā bṛhatī; 7. 3-p. sāmnī bhurig jagatī; 8. upariṣṭād bṛhatī.]

⌊Partly prose, 5-8.⌋ Found also in Pāipp. xx. Accompanies in Kāuç. (6. 3), in the parvan sacrifice, the offering of the so-called saṁsthitahomas; vs. 8 is then (6. 4) specified, with the direction ity uttamaṁ caturgṛhītena. Verse 2 is further found in the upanayana ceremony (55. 20), with vi. 53. 3, accompanying the release of a cow (the comm. says, with different reading and division, accompanying a contemplation of the water-pot). In Vāit. (4. 13), vss. 3-8 go with final offerings in the parvan sacrifice. ⌊The decad division cuts the hymn between vss. 2 and 3: cf. p. 389.⌋ *⌊The text reads anena yajñasampūrṇekāmo yajñe patiin iṣṭvā ’prārthayat!⌋

Translated: Ludwig, p. 429; Henry, 39, 111; Griffith, i. 376.

1. Since today, as this sacrifice goes forward, we chose thee here, O knowing hótar, mayest thou go fixedly, and, O mightiest one, do thou, foreknowing, go unto the fixed sacrifice, the soma.

The translation follows our text, but this is, as the parallel texts plainly show, much corrupted in c. The verse is RV. iii. 29. 16, found also in VS. (viii. 20), TS. (i. 4. 44²), MS. (i. 3. 38). In a, VS. begins vayáṁ hí tvā; in b, RV. reads cikitvo ‘vṛṇ-, while the other texts have ágne hótāram ávṛṇ-. In c, RV. reads ayās and utā́ ’çamiṣṭhās; VS. has the same, and also ṛ́dhak both times for dhruvám; TS.MS. have ṛ́dhak, but ayāṭ between, and M.S. -miṣṭa, while TS. has -miṣṭhās. In d, RV. begins prajānán vidvā́ṅ úp-, VS.TS. begin prajānán yaj-, and have vidvā́n (for sómam) at the end; and MS. reads, for d, vidvā́n prajānánn úpa yāhi yajñám. The comm. apparently has ayas in c, but he explains it as = ayākṣīs = yaja (quoting the TS. version of the pāda), as if it were ayās; certainly, when it is reduced to ayas, all recognition of its connection with yaj must be lost. The comm. also reads utā ’çamiṣṭhās, with the other texts. Ppp. has ayas in c, but otherwise agrees with RV.

2. Lead us together, O Indra, with mind, with kine, together with patrons, thou of the bay horses, together with well-being, together with what of the prayers (bráhman) is pleasing (-hitá) to the gods, together with the favor of the worshipful gods.

The verse is RV. v. 42. 4, and also occurs in VS. (viii. 15), TS. (i. 4. 44¹), TB. (ii. 8. 2⁶), and MS. (i. 3. 38). All save MS. read ṇo after indra in a (also the comm., and one of SPP's mss.), and all (also Ppp.) neṣi for neṣa; in b, RV.MS. (also the comm.) have harivas, the others maghavan instead, and RV. at end svastí; in c, all (with Ppp.) bráhmaṇā, and all save RV. devákṛtam (so Ppp. also) after it; in d, RV.TS.TB. (also Ppp.) have the more proper snmatyā́ (-tāú involves an anacoluthon which is disregarded in the translation). SPP. follows the comm. and a single one of his mss. in reading (with the other texts) bráhmaṇā in c.

3. The eager gods, O god, that thou didst bring—them, O Agni, send forward in [thine] own station (sadhástha); having eaten, having drunk sweet things, assign to this man good things, ye good ones (vásu).

This and the following verse are given together in VS. (viii. 18, 19), TS. (i. 4. 44^1-3), MS. (i. 3. 38), but in different order and combination: namely, in VS., our 4 before 3,* and in the others our 4 a, b and 3 c, d as one verse, and our 3 a, b and 4 c, d as a following one. In our 3 a, VS. begins with yā́ṅ ā́v-, and TS. ends with devā́n (t-); in c, all end with -saç ca víçve, and after it VS. has asmé, and TS.MS. ‘sme. Ppp. reads, in b, preraya punar agne sve sadhasthe. The fourth pāda is deficient. *More precisely, our 4 a-c with 3 d before our 3 a-c with 4 d.⌋

4. We have made for you easily accessible seats, O gods, ye that have come enjoying me at the libation; carrying, bearing [your] own good things, ascend ye to heaven after the good hot drink (?).

TS. (as above) reads at the beginning svagā́, and later in a sádanam, MS. sádanā kṛṇomi; in b, VS. MS. have -gmé ’dáṁ sávanaṁ juṣ-, TS. sávane ’dáṁ j-; Ppp. also has kṛṇomi, followed by the unintelligible yā caṣṭe ’daṁ savane juṣāṇāḥ; the AV. text (p. sávane: mā) is apparently a corruption of sávane ’mā́, which the comm. reads. In c, VS. inverts the order of the two participles, and all read havī́ṅṣi for svā́ vásūni; in d, VS. MS. have ásum for vásum, and VS. svàr for dívam, and all tiṣṭhata for rohata. Ppp. gives, for c, d, v. bh. dudhās tvaṁ gharmaṁ tam u tiṣṭhatā ’nu. All the AV. pada-mss. (except a single one of SPP's) read váhamānā: bháramāṇā, without final visarga, and all the saṁhitā-mss. (except our P.p.m.) have -ṇā svā́; both printed texts make the necessary emendation in saṁhitā to -ṇāḥ svā́ (which the comm. also reads), and SPP. adds the visarga to both p'ples in his pada-text. The pada reading in a is sádanā: akarma (our Bp. -nāḥ s. m.), and the irregular hiatus must be regarded as falling under Prāt. iii. 34, although the passage is not quoted by the commentary to that rule; SPP. takes no notice of the anomaly. The comm. explains gharmám in d by ādityam. The Anukr. passes without notice the redundancy of c, due to the apparently intruded svā.

5. O sacrifice, go to the sacrifice; go to the lord of sacrifice; go to [thine] own source (yóni): hail!

⌊Prose.⌋ The same formula is found, without variant, as VS. viii. 22 a, and in TS. i. 4. 44³* and MS. i. 3. 38. The saṁhitā-mss. add a stroke of punctuation before svā́ṁ which is wanting in the other texts, and which our edition also omits; SPP. retains it. The comm. explains Vishṇu as intended by yajñam. *⌊Also vi. 6. 22.⌋

6. This [is] thy sacrifice, O lord of sacrifice, accompanied with song-utterance, of excellent heroism: hail!

⌊Prose.⌋ Again the A V. mss. add a punctuation-mark before suvī́ryaḥ,* omitted in our text, but given by SPP.; the other texts (VS. viii. 22 b; TS.MS. as above) do not have it. TS. differs only by reading suvī́raḥ; MS. does the same and omits svā́ha (adding instead téna sám bhava bhrā́jaṁ gacha); VS. ends with sárvavīras táj juṣasva svā́ha. Ppp. has a yet more different version: eṣa te yajño yajamānas svāhā sūktanamovākas suvīrās svāhā. *⌊To avoid taking the word as an adjective, BR., s.v., would read with TS. suvī́raḥ.⌋

7. Váshaṭ to those offered to; váshaṭ to those not offered to; ye way-(gātú-)finding gods, having found the way, go ye on the way.

⌊Prose.⌋ The second part of the formula is found without a variant in VS. viii. 21 et al., TS. i. 4. 44³ et al., MS. i. 3. 38. Ppp. reads svāhūtebhyo vaṣaḍhūtebhyaḥ.

8. O lord of mind! [put] this offering of ours in heaven among the gods; hail! in heaven—hail! on earth—hail! in atmosphere—hail! in wind may I put [it]; hail!

⌊Prose.⌋ In VS.TS.MS. (as above) a corresponding formula immediately follows our 7 b; but it is briefer: thus, VS. mánasas pata imáṁ deva yajñáṁ svā́hā vā́te dhāḥ; TS. m. p. i. no deva devéṣu yajñáṁ svā́hā vācí svā́hā vā́te dhāḥ; MS. m. p. sudhātv imáṁ yajñáṁ diví devéṣu vā́te dhāḥ svā́hā. Ppp., again, m. p. imaṁ deva yajñaṁ svāhā: vāce svāhā vācaye dhās svāhā. The Anukr. apparently scans this bit of prose as 8 + 7: 9 + 12 = 36.