Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book VII/Hymn 1
1. Mystic.
[Atharvan (brahmavarcasahāmaḥ).—dvyṛcam. ātmadevatyam. trāiṣṭubham: 2. virāḍjagatī.]
Found also in Pāipp. xx. Used by Kāuç. (41. 8), with iii. 20 and v. 7, in a rite for success in gaining wealth; and again (59. 17), with v. 2, in one of the ceremonies for obtaining various objects of desire (kāmyāni), with worship of Indra and Agni.
Translated: Henry, i, 47; Griffith, i. 327.
1. They either who by meditation led the beginning (ágra) of speech, or who by mind spoke righteous things (ṛtá)—they, increasing with the third incantation (bráhman), perceived (man) with the fourth the name of the milch cow.
The book, like some of those preceding, begins with mystic, obscure, and un-Atharvanic material. The comm. has no idea what it means, and sets forth his ignorance at immense length, giving about five quarto pages of exposition to this first hymn, with wholly discordant alternative explanations. The verse occurs also in ÇÇS. (xv. 3. 7), with saṁvidānās for vāvṛdhānās in c, and manvata in d. For ’vadann in b Ppp. has vadeyann, and turyeṇa at beginning of d. For pāda a cf. RV. x. 71. 1; for d, RV. iv. 1. 16 and v. 40. 6. The commentary to Prāt. i. 74 quotes dhītī́ as an ī-form with non-pragṛhya final, because not locative; and the pada-text does not treat it as pragṛhya.
2. He, [as a] son, knows his father, he his mother; he is (bhuvat) a son (sūnú), he is one of generous returns (? púnarmagha); he enveloped the sky, the atmosphere, he the heaven (svàr); he became this all; he came to be here (ā-bhū).