Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book XIX/Hymn 15

15. For safety and success.

[Atharvan.—ṣaḍṛcam. 1-4. āindram; 5, 6. mantroktabahudevatyam. 1. pathyābṛhatī; 2, 5. 4-p. jagatī; 3. virāṭ pathyāpan̄kti; 4, 6. triṣṭubh.]

The hymn is found also in Pāipp. iii. As noted under the preceding, it belongs to the abhaya gaṇa; and the comm. points out sundry uses of the gaṇa (Çānti K. 16; Nakṣ. K. 18; Pariçiṣṭa 5. 3).

Translated: Ludwig, p. 513; Griffith, ii. 275.

1. What we fear, O Indra, make thou fearlessness for us of it; O bounteous one, help (çak) that for us by thy aids; smite away haters, away scorners.

The verse is RV. viii. 50 (61). 13, without variant; also SV. i. 274; ii. 671, which reads ūtáye in c. Most of the mss. give tvám instead of tát in c, but two of ours (P.M.) have tán na ū-, and on the authority of these and of RV.SV. our text gives the same; SPP. reads tvám, and so does the comm., and it is probably to be regarded as the true Atharvan version.

2. Indra the success-giver do we invoke; may we be successful with biped, with quadruped; let not the niggardly armies come upon us; make the haters (drúh) disperse and disappear.

The translation is defective in making no account of the prefix anu (twice), which ought to have an appreciable value, although it is very difficult to see what; the comm. paraphrases anurādham by anukrameṇa pūjanīyam, and he quotes RV. iv. 25. 8 in illustration of how various classes in succession invoke Indra. Ppp. preserves the a of anu in b. SPP. reads in d, with all the mss., druhás; there was no good reason for its alteration in our text to drúhas.

3. Indra [is] rescuer and Vṛitra-slayer, our desirable far-and-wide protector (?); be he our defender at the extremities, he in the middle, he behind, he in front.

In b the translation follows the comm., who explains paraspā (-pāḥ) no v-; all the mss. (save one or two s.m.)* have parasphā́no v- (p. parasphā́naḥ, without division), and this is doubtless the true Atharvan text, though an unintelligible corruption, of which our gayasphāna is an only partially successful emendation. *⌊In fact, W's O. and three of SPP's mss. have -sphā-, p.m., and -spā-, s.m.; and SPP's reciter K. gave -sphā-, while his reciter V. gave -spā-.⌋ Ppp- reads parampāno (paraspā no?). The pada-mss. unintelligently divide ca: ramatáḥ in c; some of our mss. have -matá sá. The verse (8 + 8: 12 + 10 = 38) is poorly described by the Anukr.

4. Do thou, knowing, lead us toward broad space (loká), light that is heavenly (svàr), fearlessness, well-being; may we dwell under the formidable arms of thee the stout one, O Indra, [those two] great refuges.

The verse is RV. vi. 47. 8, found also in TB. (in ii. 7. 133); both these texts read in b svàrvaj jy-, at beginning of c ṛṣvā́, and in d stheyāma. The comm. gives svaryat, but explains the -yat as -gacchat (as above, 13. 1); Ppp. agrees with RV.TB. ⌊in reading svàrvaj⌋; ⌊Ppp. abbreviates the consonant group -j jy- to -jy-; and so does TB., ed. Calc, reading súvarva jy-⌋. In d, the comm. has the better reading kṣiyema.

5. May the atmosphere make for us fearlessness; fearlessness both heaven-and-earth here; fearlessness from behind, fearlessness from in front; from above, from below be there fearlessness for us.

The comm. prefers to take the words of direction in c, d in their other admissible sense of points of compass, pointing out that adhara gets the value 'south' by antithesis to uttara 'north.' The verse (11 + 12: 11 + 11 [?] = 45) is no sort of a jagatī.

6. Fearlessness from friend, fearlessness from enemy, fearlessness from one known, fearlessness [from one] that is away; fearlessness for us by night, fearlessness by day; be all places my friend.

At the beginning of b, all the mss. read ábhaye, but even SPP. emends to -yam, having the comm. with him. At the end of the same pāda, all ⌊so also Ppp.⌋ give puró yaḥ (p. puráḥ: yáḥ), which SPP. retains; the comm. reads paro yaḥ, but understands it as if páro yáḥ, explaining as jñātād anyaḥ or aparijñātaḥ. Our emendation to parókṣāt is defensible; but the translation implies paró yáḥ, as a less alteration. ⌊In d, Ppp. combines sarvā ”çā and omits máma.⌋ ⌊"Save me from my friends:" cf. ii. 28. 1 d and note; also RV. iv. 55. 5, where the antithesis between jányam áṅhas and mitríyam áṅhas is most instructive.⌋