Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book XVI/Paryaya 8

8. Paryāya the eighth.

[ekādaça vāi triguṇāni. a of 1-27. 1-p. yajur brāhmy anuṣṭubh; b of 7-27. 3-p. nicṛd gāyatrī; 1 c. prajāpatyā gāyatrī; d of 1-27. 3-p. prājāpatyā triṣṭubh; c of 2-4, 9, l7, 19, 24. āsurī jagatī; c of 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 18. āsurī triṣṭubh; c of 6, 12, 14-16, 20-23, 27. āsurī pan̄kti; c of 25, 26. āsurī bṛhatī.]

⌊The discrepancy in the numeration of the subdivisions of the paryāya, as between the Bombay edition (which follows the Old Anukr.) and the Berlin edition, is of the same kind as in paryāya 5, above, and the explanation given above (p. 794, top) may be consulted. The numbers of the avasānas as given by SPP. are added by me in ell-brackets.⌋

Translated: Griffith, ii. 206.

1. ⌊1.⌋ Ours [is] what is conquered, ours what has shot up, ours right (ṛtá), ours brilliancy, ours bráhman, ours heaven (svàr), ours the sacrifice, ours cattle, ours progeny, ours heroes. ⌊2.⌋ From that we disportion him yonder: so-and-so, of such-and-such lineage, son of such-and-such mother, who is yonder; ⌊3.⌋ let him not be released from the fetter of seizure. ⌊4.⌋ Of him now (idám) I involve the splendor, brilliancy, breath, lifetime; now I make him fall downward.

Here is again a partial correspondence with x. 5. 36. Compare also Āpast. iv. 15. 3. The addition yajus to the name brāhmy anuṣṭubh (48 syllables) in the Anukr. seems, ⌊in the light of the corresponding expression at xvii. 1. 22, 23, intended to inform us that subdivision a is a yajus; but it is not apparent why the author should give this bit of information, which is (of its kind) so isolated: cf. third note to xv. 5. 7⌋.

2. ⌊5.⌋ Ours is etc. etc.; let him not be released from the fetter of perdition. Of him now etc. etc.

3. ⌊6.⌋ Ours is etc. etc.; let him not be released from the fetter of ill-success. Of him now etc. etc.

4. ⌊7.⌋ Ours is etc. etc.; let him not be released from the fetter of extermination. Of him now etc. etc.

5. ⌊8.⌋ Ours is etc. etc.; let him not be released from the fetter of calamity. Of him now etc. etc.

6. ⌊9.⌋ Ours is etc. etc.; let him not be released from the fetter of the wives of the gods. Of him now etc. etc.

7. ⌊10.⌋ Ours is etc. etc.; let him not be released from the fetter of Brihaspati. Of him now etc. etc.

8. ⌊11.⌋ Ours is etc. etc.; let him not be released from the fetter of Prajāpati. Of him now etc. etc.

9. ⌊12.⌋ Ours is etc. etc.; let him not be released from the fetter of the seers. Of him now etc. etc.

All our mss. except one (D.) accent ṛṣīṇā́m; our text emends to ṛ́ṣīṇām. ⌊In like manner, SPP. reads ṛ́ṣīṇām with four or three of his authorities, against twelve or thirteen that have ṛṣīṇā́m.]

10. ⌊13.⌋ Ours is etc. etc.; let him not be released from the fetter of them of the seers. Of him now etc. etc.

11. ⌊14.⌋ Ours is etc. etc.; let him not be released from the fetter of the Angirases. Of him now etc. etc.

12. ⌊15.⌋ Ours is etc. etc.; let him not be released from the fetter of them of the Angirases. Of him now etc. etc.

13. ⌊16.⌋ Ours is etc. etc.; let him not be released from the fetter of the Atharvans. Of him now etc. etc.

14. ⌊17.⌋ Ours is etc. etc.; let him not be released from the fetter of them of the Atharvans. Of him now etc. etc.

15. ⌊18.⌋ Ours is etc. etc.; let him not be released from the fetter of the forest trees. Of him now etc. etc.

16. ⌊19.⌋ Ours is etc. etc.; let him not be released from the fetter of them of the forest trees. Of him now etc. etc.

17. ⌊20.⌋ Ours is etc. etc.; let him not be released from the fetter of the seasons. Of him now etc. etc.

18. ⌊21.⌋ Ours is etc. etc.; let him not be released from the fetter of them of the seasons. Of him now etc. etc.

19. ⌊22.⌋ Ours is etc. etc.; let him not be released from the fetter of the months. Of him now etc. etc.

20. ⌊23.⌋ Ours is etc. etc.; let him not be released from the fetter of the half-months. Of him now etc. etc.

21. ⌊24.⌋ Ours is etc. etc.; let him not be released from the fetter of day-and-night. Of him now etc. etc.

22. ⌊25.⌋ Ours is etc. etc.; let him not be released from the fetter of the two congruent (sam-yánt) days. Of him now etc. etc.

There is nothing elsewhere in the text to show what these two days are. Perhaps they are day and night over again, viewed as each a form or aspect of a day. ⌊The use of the obscure saṁyánt (with ṛtú and çrī́) at ix. 5. 33 should here be noted.⌋

23. ⌊26.⌋ Ours is etc. etc.; let him not be released from the fetter of heaven-and-earth. Of him now etc. etc.

24. ⌊27.⌋ Ours is etc. etc.; let him not be released from the fetter of Indra-and-Agni. Of him now etc. etc.

25. ⌊28.⌋ Ours is etc. etc.; let him not be released from the fetter of Mitra-and-Varuṇa. Of him now etc. etc.

26. ⌊29.⌋ Ours is etc. etc.; let him not be released from the fetter of king Varuṇa. Of him now etc. etc.

27. ⌊30.⌋ Ours [is] what is conquered, ours what has shot up, ours right, ours brilliancy, ours bráhman, ours heaven, ours the sacrifice, ours cattle, ours progeny, ours heroes. ⌊31.⌋ From that we disportion him yonder: so-and-so, of such-and-such lineage, son of such-and-such mother, who is yonder; ⌊32.⌋ let him not be released from the fetter, the shackle of death. ⌊33.⌋ Of him now I involve the splendor, brilliancy, breath, life-time; now I make him fall downward.

Some of the mss. read pádviṅçat or páḍvīṅçat. ⌊There should be an avasāna-mark in vs. 26 of the Berlin ed. after the second circle indicating omission.⌋