Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book XIX/Hymn 52
52. Of and to desire (kā́ma).
[Brahman.—pañcakam. mantroktakāmadāivatam. trāiṣṭubham. 3. 4-p. uṣṇih; 5. upariṣṭādbṛhatī.]
Found also in Pāipp. i. Used* in Kāuç. 6. 37, with xix. 59, at the very end of the sections on the parvan-ceremony (hence perhaps a later addition?), to appease the fuel, in case there has been an omission of the due ceremony; again, in 45. 17 (with iii. 29. 7; vi. 71; vii. 67), after the end of the vaçācamana ceremony (also here a later addition?), to accompany the acceptance of something; once more, in 68. 29, in the savayajñas, with the acceptance of the sacrificial gifts (? sadakṣiṇam) and the Paddhati (note to Kāuç. 79. 28) adds it at the end of the chapter of marriage ceremonies. The comm. notes the Kāuç. uses, but not the Paddh. one; and he adds one application, from Pariç. 10. 1, of this hymn with the two following and xix. 6 (the puruṣasūkta), in the rite of presenting a golden image of the earth. *⌊See table on p. 896.⌋
Translated: Griffith, ii. 309.—Cf. ix. 2, above.
1. Desire here came into being (sam-vṛt) in the beginning, which was the first seed of mind; O desire, being of one origin with great desire, do thou impart abundance of wealth to the sacrificer.
The first half-verse is nearly identical with RV. x. 129. 4 a, b ⌊TB. ii. 4. 11; 8. 94; TA. i. 23. 1⌋, which differ only by adding ádhi at end of a; the word is missed in our verse both for sense and for meter. Our text omits* at beginning of c a sá (sá kāma) that is in both these respects superfluous; it is found, however, also in Ppp. The comm. explains kā́mena bṛhatā́ to mean mahatā deçakālavastuparicchedarahitena kāmayitrā parameçvareṇa. The last pāda is xviii. 1. 43 d. *⌊And so accents kā́ma.⌋
2. Thou, O desire, art set firm with power, mighty, shining (vibhā́van), companion for him who seeks a companion; do thou, formidable, overpowering in fights, impart power [and] force to the sacrificer.
The second pāda nearly corresponds with RV. x. 91. 1 d, which, however, reads suṣákha sakhīyaté. The authorities give sakha ā́ sakhīyaté (or -te); and the pada-mss. make the very blundering division vi॰bhā́u: ā॰sakhe: ā́: sakh-. ⌊The comm. understands sakhīyate (not as dative pple, but) as finite verb-form (3d sing., which would have to be accentless: he says bhavacchabdādhyāhāreṇa prathamapuruṣaḥ. SPP. follows the comm. in reading vibhā́vā sakha ā́ ⌊SPP's pada-text is vibhā́॰vā: sakhe: ā́⌋; but he disagrees with the comm. by ⌊making a participle of⌋ sakhīyaté, which he accents. The translation implies sákhā, i.e. sákhā ā́. ⌊We have ā́ with the denominative çravasyāt at RV. v. 37. 3; but with the pple, ā́ seems very strange; nor do I see how W. meant to take it. One is tempted to fall back on the RV. reading suṣákhā; the more so, inasmuch as⌋ Ppp. presents the RV. reading suṣakhā. In d, Ppp. has soho ’jo yaj-.
3. To him that desired from afar, that trembled on at the inexhaustible—the places (ā́çā) listen to him; by desire they generated heaven.
It is of no consequence how this verse, especially the first half, is rendered; it is nothing but corrupt nonsense. The degree of its corruption may be seen by comparing it with the corresponding verse in TA. iii. 15. 1: sadyáç cakamānā́ya pravepanā́ya ⌊Poona ed., -vepān-⌋ mṛtyáve: prā́ ’smā ā́çā açṛṇvan kā́menā ’janayan púnaḥ; neither version is translatable. The majority of authorities read in b pravipāṇā́yākṣayé ⌊or -ā́kṣaye⌋ (the pada-readings are, for the first part, pravi॰pānā́ya, and, for the second, ā॰kṣayé or ā́॰kṣaye or ā॰kṣaye); but some have pratipāṇā́ya ⌊the lingual ṇ of which seems to betray the ti as a corruption for vi⌋ and prāripāṇā́ya. The comm. understands pratipāṇāya and akṣaye, and SPP. follows him, accenting pratipāṇā́ya and ákṣaye, and reading in pada-text prati॰pāṇā́ya (as if that would or could become in saṁhitā-text -pāṇ-!); with his usual carelessness, the comm. takes -pāṇāya, in spite of its ṇ, from root pā (= sarvatorakṣanāyā ’bhimataphalaprāpaṇāya: the latter equivalent looks as if he also saw something of pra-āp in it!). Ppp. has in b pratipāṇāyākṣe, in c āsmā ’çṛṇvann, and in d -janayat saha. The translation implies in b pravipāṇā́yā́ ’kṣaye. The Anukr. apparently scans the verse as 7 + 7: 7 + 7 = 28.
4. By desire hath desire come to me, out of heart to heart; the mind that is theirs yonder, let that come unto me here.
In TA. (iii. 15. 2) a corresponding verse follows the one quoted under vs. 3: kā́mena me kā́ma ā́ ’gād dhṛ́dayād dhṛ́dayam mṛtyóḥ: yád amī́ṣām adáḥ priyáṁ tád āí ’tū́ ’pa mā́m abhí. SPP. has the same text as we, both deviating in d from the mss., which leave upa unaccented (p. upa॰mā́m); ⌊but SPP's R. has úpa mā́m and the comm. also takes upa mām as two words⌋. Ppp. combines kāmā ”gan in a.
5. Desiring what, O desire, we make to thee this oblation, let that all succeed with us; then eat (vī) thou of this oblation: hail!
The verse is found, ⌊cited by pratīka at Kāuç. 92. 30, and⌋ written in full ⌊sakalapāṭha⌋ at 92. 31, prescribed for use at the end of the madhuparka ceremony.* SPP. gives the same text as we; the mss. leave kṛṇmási unaccented in b, and most of them accent té after it. At the beginning, all the pada-mss. ⌊except possibly L., of which no note is made⌋ very strangely read yát॰kāmaḥ, though no saṁhitā-mss. have kāmaḥ; ⌊with the support of the latter, as also of the comm. and of Ppp., both ed's read yát kāma⌋. *⌊See p. 897, ¶3.⌋