Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book XVI/Paryaya 6

6. Paryāya the sixth.

[Yama.—etādaça. duḥsvapnanāçanadevatya; uṣodevatya. 1-4. prājāpatyā ’nuṣṭubh; 5. sāmnī pan̄kti; 6. nicṛd ārcī bṛhatī; 7. 2-p. sāmnī bṛhatī; 8. āsurī jagatī; 9. āsurī bṛhatī; 10. ārcy uṣṇih; 11. 3-p. yavamadhyā gāyatrī vā ”rcy anuṣṭubh (see under vs. 11).]

Translated: Griffith, ii. 204.

1. We have conquered today, we have won today; we have become guiltless.

The verse corresponds to the first two pādas of RV. viii. 47. 18, which differ only by reading ca in place of the second adyá. It and its two successors (or also vs. 4) are really metrical, half anuṣṭubhs. The verse, or the paryāya, is used in Kāuç. 49. 19, nearly at the end of the abhicāra or witchcraft chapter, with xiii. 1. 28 and 3. 1, to accompany the putting on of adhipāças (conjectured 'gag' in the minor Pet. Lex.).

2. O dawn, of what evil-dreaming we have been afraid, let that fade away (apa-vas).

The verse ⌊cf. note to vs. 1⌋ is, without variant, RV. viii. 47. 18 c, d.

3. Carry that away to him that hates; carry that away to him that curses.

4. Whom we hate, and who hates us, to him we make it go.

Our yás (in yáç ca no) is an emendation for yát, which all the mss. read. ⌊SPP. reads yát with all his authorities.⌋

5. Heavenly dawn, in concord with speech; heavenly speech, in concord with dawn;—

Part of the mss. read in b devy ū̀ṣásā.

6. The lord of dawn, in concord with the lord of speech; the lord of speech, in concord with the lord of dawn:—

The Anukr. mss. read ārṣī instead of ārcī in their definition of the meter of this verse.

7. Let them carry away for yon man the niggards (arā́ya), the ill-named ones, the sadā́nvās,—

8. The kumbhī́kās, the spoilers (dūṣī́kā), the revilers (pī́yaka),—

9. Waking evil-dreaming, sleeping evil-dreaming.

Literally 'of one waking' and 'in sleep.' The pada-text reads ॰dusvapnyám both times. The Anukr. twice resolves -ni-am.

10. Boons that will not come, plans of non-acquisition, fetters of hatred that does not release:—

That is, probably, plans or desires that issue in failure. ⌊Griffith takes drúh here and at ii. 10 as a female fiend.⌋

11. That, O Agni, let the gods carry away for yon man, that he may be impotent (vádhri), faltering, not good (sādhú).

'For him,' here and in vs. 7, is plainly equivalent to 'to him,' or that they may be his. All the mss. accent víthuras; ⌊so SPP. reads with all his authorities⌋. As gāyatrī and ārcy anuṣṭubh both imply 24 syllables, the Anukr. seems willing to give us our choice between them.

⌊Perhaps we should understand the definition 3-p. yavamadhyā gāyatrāvārcy anuṣṭup as an 'anuṣṭubh of 24 syllables, like (iva: not vā) a 3-p. yavamadhyā gāyatrī' (7 + 10 + 7; Ind. Stud. viii. 129): only this one divides rather as 8 + 10 + 6.—One is tempted to deem agne an intrusion and to regard the verse as a couple of simple triṣṭubh pādas: and the temptation is strengthened by the fact that the sole mark of pāda-division in W's Collation Book comes after vahantu.⌋