Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book XVI/Paryaya 2
2. Paryāya the second.
[ṣaṭka. vāgdevatya. 1. āsury anuṣṭubh; 3. āsury uṣṇih; 3. sāmny uṣṇih; 4. 3-p. sāmny bṛhatī; 5. ārcy anuṣṭubh; 6. nicṛd virāḍgāyatrī.]
Translated: Griffith, ii. 202.
1. Out of evil-eating (?) with refreshment [comes] speech rich in honey.
The translation implies the change of durarmaṇyàts to duradmanyàs, as proposed by the Pet. Lexx. (add TB. iii. 3. 99 as a reference for duradmanī́). The reading of the mss. is, however, assured by its quotation in the Prāt. (4. 11. 16 ⌊i.e. Add'l Note, p. 592⌋), and three times in the Kāuç.: namely, in 49. 27, at the very end of the chapter of witchcraft ceremonies, after use of x. 5. 6, 7 and xiii. 1. 56, with the direction iti saṁdhāvyā ’bhimṛçati; and again, twice (58. 6, 12) in the ceremony for long life after initiation to Vedic study, once with the direction iti saṁdhāvya, and once with a smearing with fragrant powders. The word ūrjā́ in our text might also be nominative, and 'comes' is of course doubtful. The metrical definition implies the resolution -ṇí-a.
2. Rich in honey are ye; may I speak speech rich in honey.
'Ye': i.e., the waters, the adjective being feminine. ⌊We had a phrase like to our second clause at iii. 20. 10: cf. Gram. §738 a.⌋
3. Invoked of me [is] the guardian (gopā́); invoked [is] guardianship.
The different metrical designation of these two 14-syllabled verses is apparently wholly arbitrary.
4. Well-hearing ears, ears hearing what is excellent; may I hear excellent encomium (çlóka).
'Ears' is both times dual; we might fill out to 'well-hearing are my ears' etc.
5. Let both well-hearing and listening (úpaçruti) not desert me—eagle-like sight, unfailing light.
⌊For the mā...mā́, cf. below, 3. 2, etc.⌋
6. Spread (prastará) of the seers art thou; homage be to the spread of the divine ones (dāíva).
The verse is used twice in Kāuç. (2. 18; 137. 33), and once in Vāit. (2. 9). In the former, it accompanies the taking up of part of the darbha-grass provided, and making a seat for the brahman—priest south of the fire, once at the parvan sacrifice and once in the ājyatantra ceremony. In the latter, it accompanies the making of such a spread in the parvan ceremonies. In all the three cases, it is evidently taken because of its specific meaning, and not because of any connection of those ceremonies with the one implied here.