Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book XV/Paryaya 12

12. Paryāya the twelfth.

[ekādaçaka. 1. 3-p. gāyatrī; 2. prājāpatyā bṛhatī; 3, 4. bhurik prājāpatyā ’nuṣṭubh (4. sāmnī); 5, 6, 9, 10. āsurī gāyatrī; 8. virāḍ gāyatrī; 7, 11. 3-p. prājāpatyā triṣṭubh.]

Translated: Aufrecht, Ind. Stud. i. 135; Griffith, ii. 194.

[The passage from Āp. Dharma-sūtra, ii. 3. 7 (see introd. to paryāya 11), parallel to our vss. 1-3, may here be given: yasyo ’ddhṛteṣv ahuteṣv agniṣv atithir abhyāgacchet svayam enam abhyudetya brūyāt: vrātya atisṛja hoṣyāmi: ity atisṛṣṭena hotavyam: anatisṛṣṭaç cej juhuyād doṣam brāhmaṇam āha. 15.⌋

1. Now then, to whosesoever houses a thus-knowing Vrātya may come as guest when the fires are taken up and the fire-offering (agnihotrá) set on,—

Not one of the mss. writes the first four words of the verse, they being viewed as repeated from 10. 1; and here also (compare note to 11. 1) the Anukr. reckons them as not belonging to the verse. Bp.O.Kp. write údhṛteṣu (the compound being inseparable by Prāt. iv. 62). Bp. further has ádhi॰çṛte.

2. Himself coming up toward him, he should say: Vrātya, give permission; I am about to make oblation.

3. If he should permit, he may make oblation; if he should not permit, he may not make oblation.

4. He who, being permitted by a thus-knowing Vrātya, makes oblation,—

Prājāpatyā and sāmny anuṣṭubh are each of sixteen syllables; what the Anukr. means by its use of both terms in regard to this verse and not in regard to vs. 3 is difficult to see. ⌊His words are...iti dve prājāpatyānuṣṭubhāu; dvitīyā sāmnī; tatho ’bhe bhurijāu. He appears to set up a class of two vss. (3 and 4) of 17 syllables (16 + 1) each: from which he then proceeds to except one vs. (4) by saying that it is sāmnī or has only 16. He might have expressed himself much less awkwardly by writing (instead of the last two clauses) pūrvā bhurik.⌋

5. He foreknows the road that the Fathers go, the road that the gods go.

A couple of the mss. (D.R.) accent jānā́ti, which is better; ⌊and so do seven or eight of SPP's authorities⌋.

6. He does not offend against the gods; his oblation is [duly] made.

7. There is left over in this world a support (āyátana) for him who, being permitted by a thus-knowing Vrātya, makes oblation.

8. Now then, he who, being unpermitted by a thus-knowing Vrātya, makes oblation,—

9. He knows not the road that the Fathers go, nor the road that the gods go.

The same mss. accent jānā́ti here as in vs. 5.

10. He offends against the gods; his oblation is not [duly] made.

The majority of mss. (except Bs.E.) read vṛçcate ah-, which is therefore probably the true text; ⌊and so SPP. reads with all but two of his authorities⌋. The accent ahutám (for áhutam) is probably an error.

11. There is left in this world no support for him who, being unpermitted by a thus-knowing Vrātya, makes oblation.