Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book XIX/Hymn 13

13. For success in war: ⌊Apratiratha hymn⌋.

[Apratiratha.—ekādaça. āindram. trāiṣṭubham: 3-6, 11. bhurij.]

The hymn is, with slight variations, identical for the most part with the familiar Apratiratha hymn of the Rig-Veda (x. 103), found also in other texts: VS. xvii. 33 ff.; SV. ii. 1199 ff.; TS. iv. 6. 4; MS. ii. 10. 4. ⌊The readings of VS. and SV. agree with those of RV., as noted under vs. 2.⌋ Our first verse is peculiar, being found elsewhere only in SV. (ii. 1219); and vss. 10, 12, 13 of the RV. hymn-are here wanting. ⌊The RV. vss. here occur in the order 1-3, 5-7, 4, 8-9, 11.⌋ The hymn occurs also in Pāipp. vii. In Vāit. 1. 18, the selected brahman-priest is directed to recite the Apratiratha hymn; this probably means our hymn; GB. (ii. 1. 18) quotes the pratīka of our vs. 1 as the apratiratha. ⌊Varāhamihira's Yogayātrā (8. 6) prescribes the hymn for use by a king just about to march forth to war: Ind. Stud. xv. 170.⌋

Translated: Griffith, ii. 273; and by the RV. translators.—Cf. also Oldenberg, Die Hymnen des RV., i. 247.

1. Indra's two arms [are] stout, virile (vṛ́ṣan), these two wondrous successful bulls; them will I first yoke when the conjuncture (yóga) arrives—they by which was conquered the heaven (svàr) that is the Asuras'.

The SV. text (ii. 121 9) is considerably different: in a, b, yúvānāv anādhṛsyāú supratīkā́v asahyāú; in c, tāú yuñjīta prathamāú; at the end, sáho mahát. Vṛ́ṣāṇāu (instead of the regular vṛ́ṣaṇāu) is read also by Ppp., and the meter demands it ⌊cf. Noun-Inflection, p. 537, 523⌋. The combination citrā́ imā́ vṛṣ-, if representing, as the sense clearly requires, citrāú: imāú: vṛṣ-, is anomalous in AV., though regular for some of the other Vedic texts (cf. Prāt. ii. 22 note); and the pada-text shows a sense of this, by reading citrā́ḥ: imā́: vṛṣ-. SPP. gives as his pada-text citrā́: imā́, which leaves the saṁhitā reading unaccounted for; the comm. assumes citrāu and imā. In c, all the mss. (whence also SPP.) read yokṣe, for which our yokṣye is an emendation, plainly demanded by both sense and meter; it is one of the common cases of a y lost after ṣ; Ppp., too, has yokṣye (before it, ta for tāu); the comm. has the senseless yakṣe. All the mss., again, read prathamás (-mó yó-), and the comm. likewise, with, of course, SPP.; our emendation to -māú (with SV.) is an improvement, but not a necessity. The comm. foolishly declares āgate = kṣeme, in order to bring about the ordinary combination of yoga and kṣema, here quite out of place. He also takes svàr yát, against accent and pada-text, as one word ⌊cf. 15. 4, note⌋, and explains -yat as a participle, = gacchat! Ppp. reads and combines in c prathamayogā ”gate.

2. Swift, sharp, terrible like a bull, greatly smiting, disturber of men (carṣaṇí), roaring, unwinking, sole hero, Indra conquered a hundred armies together.

This verse ⌊RV. vs. 1⌋ agrees throughout with the RV. text; SV. and VS. show no variants from RV. through the whole hymn; TS.MS. read here in a yudhmás for bhīmás, and MS. has also kṣóbhanas. The mss. also vary in this last word between -ṇas and -nas; SPP. adopts -ṇas, as does our text.

3. With the roaring, unwinking, conquering, invincible, immovable, bold one—with Indra thus conquer, thus overpower the fighters, O men, with the arrow-armed bull (vṛ́ṣan).

RV. ⌊vs. 2⌋ begins b with yutkāréṇa, and all the other texts agree with it. The comm. carelessly reads yodhyena instead of ay-, explaining it by yuddhasaṁsaktena; he takes yúdhas in d as vocative = yoddhāras; with tát (twice) in c he supplies jetavyam ⌊and abhibhavanīyam⌋.

4. He with the arrow-armed, he with the quiver-hung, [is] controller; he, Indra with his train, brings together the fighters—[he,] conquering those brought together, soma-drinker, defiant with his arms, of formidable bow, shooting with fitted [arrows].

⌊Vs. 3 in RV.⌋ TS.MS. read in d ūrdhvádhanvā; and MS. has a very different b, sáṁsṛṣṭāsu yutsv índro gaṇéṣu. Many of the mss. (as often in such words) read in b sáṁsṛṣṭā; some (as also elsewhere) lengthen the u in kampa at beginning of d; all have at the end ástāt—which, however, even SPP. emends to ástā, with the comm. The pada-text give in c soma॰pā́ (RV. -pā́ḥ). ⌊The comm. notes as an alternative that yudhas in b (both ed's, yúdhas) may be taken as yudhás, oxytone and abl. sing, (he cites Pāṇini, vi. 1. 168)—which is a regard for the accent (cf. note to vs. 9) that is unusual with him.⌋ ⌊For prátihitā used pregnantly of an arrow, cf. the citations under vi. 65. 1.⌋

5. To be known by his strength, stout, foremost hero, powerful, vigorous (vājín), overpowering, formidable, excelling heroes, excelling warriors, conquering with power—mount, O Indra, the victorious kine-winning chariot.

The fourth verse of the RV. hymn is transposed ⌊in the AV. text so as⌋ to follow our vs. 7, and vs. 5 AV. is vs. 5 RV. The other texts ⌊RV. etc.⌋ all read at the end govít; and all except MS. have in c sahojā́s. SPP. retains in a the visarga before stháv-, with the majority of the mss.; he also accepts in c abhíṣatvā, with half the mss., but against all the parallel texts, apparently because the comm. has ṣ. Ppp. reads for d jāitrāyāi ā ratham ā tiṣṭha kovidam. ⌊The govídam of the Berlin text seems to be an emendation. Nearly all the authorities of W. and of SPP., and SPP's text as well, and the comm., have govídan; but one or two have govít, with RV. etc.⌋

6. Be ye excited after this formidable hero; take hold, O companions, after Indra, the troop-conqueror, kine-conqueror, thunderbolt-armed, conquering in the race, slaughtering with force.

We had this verse ⌊which is RV. vs. 6⌋ above, as vi. 97. 3; the reversal in the other texts of the order of the two lines, and the other variants, were there noticed. TS. and MS. alter a little the order of verses: RV. 4 is followed in TS. by RV. 6, 5, 7, and in MS. by RV. 7, 5, 6. The Anukr. reckons vss. 3-6 alike as bhurij, although 3 is redundant by two syllables. ⌊Ppp. reads satvānas for sakhāyas in b.⌋

7. Plunging with power into the cow-stalls, Indra, pitiless, formidable, of hundred-fold fury, immovable, overpowering fighters, invincible—let him favor our armies in the fights.

The stalls, namely, in which the kine are shut up by the Asuras. All the saṁhitā-mss. read ‘dāyá ugráḥ at beginning of b, but all the pada-mss. (except one of SPP's) give adayáḥ, and one of ours puts after it the sign that is wont to be used when a word shows an anomalous change in saṁhitā. RV. ⌊vs. 7⌋ SV.VS. (also K.Kap.: see Schröder's note to MS.) read adayás, and our text follows their authority; but TS. has adāyás (of which the Pet. Lexx. take no notice), and MS. has ādāyás; the comm. reads adāyas, but explains it by nirdayas, as if it were adayás. Adāyás is doubtless the established AV. reading. All the other texts have after it vīrás instead of ugrás. In c, all the others except MS. have ayudhyás. Most of the pada-mss. accent ayodhyàḥ, ⌊and so the pada-reading of MS.⌋. The first pāda is bhurij ⌊read gotrā́?⌋.

8. O Bṛihaspati, fly about with thy chariot, demon-slaying, forcing away our enemies; breaking up our foes, slaughtering our enemies, be thou the helper of ourselves.

Or, 'of our bodies (tanū́).' This verse corresponds to vs. 4 of all the other texts; and they read in concert for c prabhañjánt sénāḥ pramṛṇó yudhā́ jáyann, and at the end ráthānām. The pada-mss. commit the blunder of reading mítrān ⌊or mitrā́n⌋ in b; SPP. emends to amítrān, which the comm. also gives. A number of SPP's saṁhitā-mss. have (after the fashion of MS.) -mitráṅ or -mítraṅ; ⌊cf. note to 27. 4, below⌋.

9. Indra [be] their leader; let Bṛihaspati, the sacrificial gift, the sacrifice, soma, go in front; in the midst of the smashing conquering armies of the gods let the Maruts go.

⌊RV. vs. 8⌋ The text of MS. agrees throughout with ours; the others read āsām in a, and ágram (for mádhye) in d ⌊but TS. ágre⌋. The comm. does here a thing which is hardly paralleled elsewhere in his work: he points out that some explain dakṣiṇā in b as meaning "on the south," but that, as the word would in that case have to be accented dakṣiṇā́, as shown by xviii. 1.42, it must signify here rather 'sacrificial gift' (yajñe dīyamānā gorūpā dakṣiṇā). A like attention to the element of accent elsewhere would notably improve the character of his lucubrations. ⌊Cf. note to vs. 4.⌋

10. Of Indra the bull (vṛ́ṣan), of king Varuṇa, of the Ādityas, of the Maruts, the spirit (çárdhas) [is] formidable; the noise of the great-minded, creation-stirring, conquering gods hath arisen.

⌊RV. vs. 9.⌋ All the other texts agree with ours throughout.

11. Indra [is] ours when the banners meet [in conflict]; let the arrows that are ours conquer; let our heroes be superior; us, O gods, aid ye at the invocations.

All the other texts read in d asmā́ṅ u devās; and MS. has the peculiar ending bháreṣv ā́. The verse is vs. 11 of the RV. hymn, RV. vs. 10 being omitted in the Atharvan (save as it is found in part as iii. 19. 6); RV. vs. 10 is omitted also by MS., which ends its hymn with 11; in TS., RV. vs. 10 is put after 11, and 13 follows, only 12 being omitted; in the Atharvan, RV. vs. 12 occurs as iii. 2. 5, and 13 in part at iii. 19. 7.