Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book XIX/Hymn 65

65. Praise of the sun.

[Brahman.—ekarcam. jātavedasam; sāuryam. jāgatam.]

Found also in Pāipp. xvi. The comm. says that hymns 65-67 are shown by their contents to belong to the worship of Sūrya.

Translated: Griffith, ii. 319.

1. A yellow eagle, thou hast ascended unto heaven (dív) with radiance (arcís); whoso (pl.) would injure thee flying up to heaven, them smite thou down with flame (háras), O Jātavedas, unfearing; ascend unto heaven, O sun, formidable, with radiance.

By metrical evidence, jātavedas in c is an intrusion ⌊although obviously older than the Anukr.⌋, besides being at least superfluous in sense. The mss. read bíbhyad ugro ‘rc- (p. bíbhyat: ugraḥ) but SPP. emends to ábibhyat: ugráḥ, as we had done ⌊but neglects the necessary abhinihita svarita⌋; the comm. so understands the words. Ppp. reads ugro arciṣā in d.

After this hymn, three of our mss. (P.M.W.) insert as next hymn, numbering it 66, the one-versed RV. i. 99, without variant.