Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book XIX/Hymn 51

51. Accompanying acceptance (?).

[Brahman.—dve. 1. ātmadevatyā; 2. sāvitrī. 1. 1-p. brāhmy anuṣṭubh; 2. 3-p. yavamadhyo ’ṣṇih (1, 2. 1-av.).]

⌊Prose.⌋ Both the "verses" of this hymn are quoted in Kāuç. 91. 3, in the madhuparka ceremony, accompanying acceptance (prati-grah) of the offering. The second verse contains a formula very often used in the liturgical literature,* and this formula, as far as hastābhyām, occurs several times in Kāuç., given in full, and not to be regarded as having anything to do with the verse here; the same is the case with the use of the formula in Vāit. 3.9. There is nothing to correspond to the hymn in Pāipp. *⌊An idea of its frequency may be gained from the array of citations (fourscore or more) given by Knauer in his Index to MGS., p. 151 a. See the table on p. 896, and cf. p. 896, end.⌋

Translated: Griffith, ii. 308.

1. Unrepelled (? áyuta) am I, unrepelled my soul, unrepelled my sight, unrepelled my hearing, unrepelled my breath, unrepelled my expiration, unrepelled my out-breathing, unrepelled the whole of me.

We unfortunately lack the comm's interpretation of áyuta, there being a lacuna in the ms. at this point; SPP. supplies sampūrṇa, it does not appear on what authority, but certainly without the least particle of plausibility. ⌊The count of the Anukr. (48 syllables) implies restoration of all the elided a's.⌋

2. In the impulse of the heavenly impeller (savitṛ́), with the arms of the Açvins, with the hands of Pūshan, I, impelled, take hold of thee.

To render (in the first clause) 'of god Savitar' would hide the word-play between prasava and savitṛ. The syllables (if the a of açvinos is restored) count 10 + 11 + 6 = 27: a pretty poor uṣṇih.