Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book XVI/Paryaya 1
1. Paryāya the first.
Translated: Griffith, ii. 201.
1. Let go [is] the bull of the waters; let go [are] the heavenly fires.
The verse, or the hymn (paryāya), is quoted in Kāuç. 9. 9, in the process of preparing holy water (çāntyudaka); with it one "lets go the waters," and then follow question and answer respecting the preparation. In Ppp. the initial a of atisṛṣṭās is not elided.
2. Breaking, breaking about, killing, slaughtering;—
3. Dimming ⌊mroká⌋, mind-slaying, digging, out-burning, self-spoiling, body-spoiling.
All these epithets are nom. sing. masc.; as mroká and nirdāhá are found together in v. 31. 9 as epithets of the flesh-eating fire, they are probably names of the fires mentioned in vs. 1: cf. also vs. 7, below; Ppp. combines -dāhā ”tma-. ⌊Weber (Ind. Stud. xiii. 185), discussing mroká as it occurs above at ii. 24. 3 in the long string of epithets, takes our paryāya here as an evening prayer (see p. 792), and notes the names of the ten Agnis here rehearsed in vss. 2, 3.⌋
4. That one now I let go; that one let me not wash down against myself;—
5. That one do we let go against him who hates us, whom we hate.
These two verses form a part of vss. 15-21 in the water-thunderbolt (udavajra) hymn, above, x. 5 ⌊see my note⌋; and fragments of the same hymn are found further on in this paryāya and in 7. 6, 13, indicating some connection of application with that hymn, though Kāuç. suggests such connection only for xvi. 2. 1.
6. Thou art tip (ágra) of the waters; I let you go down unto the ocean.
With the second part compare the opening words of x. 5. 23.
7. The fire that is in the waters, it do I let go, the dimming, digging, body-spoiling one.
With this verse compare PGS. ii. 6. 10, used in the ceremonies commemorating the end of Vedic study. ⌊The definition of the Anukr. seems to be wide of the mark.⌋
8. The fire that entered into you, O waters, this is that; what of you is terrible, this is that.
9. May [it] pour upon you with Indra's Indra-power (indriyá).
10. Free from defilement (-riprá) [are] the waters; let them [carry] away from us defilement;—
11. Let them carry forth from us sin; let them carry forth evil-dreaming.
With the last two verses compare parts of x. 5. 24.
12. With propitious eye look at me, O waters; with propitious body touch my skin.
We had this verse above as i. 33. 4 a, b.
13. We call the propitious fires that sit in the waters. Put in me dominion [and] splendor, O divine [waters].