Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book XIX/Hymn 66

66. To Agni: for aid.

[Brahman.—ekarcam. jātavedasam; sāuryam; vajradevatyam. atijāgatam.]

Found also in Pāipp. xvi. The comm. connects it in use with the preceding hymn.

Translated: Griffith, ii. 319.

1. The trickish Asuras that go about, having metal nets, hooking with fetters of metal, them I make subject to thee with flame, O Jātavedas; go thou, a thousand-barbed thunderbolt, slaughtering our rivals.

Ppp. combines in a -jālā ’surā, and reads in b ayasmāi p-; in c it seems to give harase, which would be an acceptable emendation. Our sahásrabhṛṣṭis in d is for the -hṛṣṭis (the majority) or -dṛṣṭis ⌊two⌋ or -hraṣṭis ⌊two or three⌋ or ⌊-haṣṭis or -hraṣṭi or⌋ -hruṣṭis or -riṣṭis or -bhṛṣṭis (all these, one each) of the authorities; SPP. reads, with the comm., -ṛṣṭis. SPP. also follows the comm. in adopting pāhi, against the majority of his authorities (though in such a case their reading, whether pā- or yā-, is extremely doubtful); ⌊here the testimony of his oral reciters is of especial weight, and they (his K. and V.) gave yāhi⌋.