Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book XIX/Hymn 43

43. To various gods: for attaining heaven.

[Brahman.—aṣṭāu. bahudevatyam uta brahmadevatyam. 1-8. 3-av. çan̄kumatī pathyāpan̄kti.]

Not found in Pāipp. No viniyoga.

Translated: Griffith, ii. 299.

1. Whither the brahman-knowers go, along with consecration, with ardor—thither let Agni conduct me; let Agni impart (dhā) to me wisdom: to Agni hail!

SPP. strangely prefers to read medhā́ da- in d, with a mere majority of his authorities, but with the comm. ⌊who gives medhās⌋; our mss. also are divided between -dhā́ and -dhā́ṁ. In the pada-text, SPP. emends to -dhā́ḥ; the pada-mss. have -dhā́ or -dhā́m.

2. Whither the etc. etc.—thither let Vāyu conduct me; let Vāyu impart to me breaths: to Vāyu hail!

3. Whither the etc. etc.—thither let the sun conduct me; let the sun impart to me sight: to the sun hail!

4. Whither the etc. etc.—thither let the moon (candrá) conduct me; let the moon impart to me mind: to the moon hail!

5. Whither the etc. etc.—thither let Soma conduct me; let Soma impart to me milk: to Soma hail!

The comm. has a lacuna including all the explanations of verse 4, and part of the text of verse 4 and of this.

6. Whither the etc. etc.—thither let Indra conduct me; let Indra impart to me strength: to Indra hail!

7. Whither the etc. etc.—thither let the waters conduct me; let immortality (amṛ́ta) approach (upa-sthā) me: to the waters hail!

Our nayantu in c is the obviously necessary emendation of nayatu of all the mss., which SPP., after his manner, retains. The comm. does not have occasion to quote the word; but his text also, according to SPP., reads nayatu. ⌊The faulty assimilation of the original nayantu to the nayatu which obtains throughout all the other verses of the sequence, is precisely paralleled by the gachati (so all authorities) after ā́pas at xv. 7. 3.⌋

8. Whither the etc. etc.—thither let Brahmán conduct me; let Brahmán impart to me bráhman: to Brahmán hail!

The comm. explains brahmán by jagatsraṣṭā hiraṇyagarbhaḥ, and bráhman by svasvarūpabhūtaṁ çrutādhyayanajanyaṁ tejo vā.