Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book VIII/Hymn 5
5. Against witchcraft etc.: with an amulet.
Found also (except vs. 18) in Pāipp. xvi. *⌊The Berlin ms. reads -garbhā ”stāra-, which is more nearly right.⌋
⌊Kāuç. uses the hymn, with iii. 5 etc., to accompany the binding on of an amulet in a rite (19. 22) for general prosperity; and again, with ii. 11 etc., in a rite (39. 7) against witchcraft. It is reckoned (note to 19. 1) to the puṣṭika mantras. To the svastyayana gaṇa (note to 25. 36) are reckoned vs. 18 (not 15: and probably not xix. 20. 4, which has the same pratīka as 18) and its fellow vs. 19; and to the abhaya gaṇa (note to 16. 8), vs. 22. The comm. cites from Nakṣ. Kalpa (19) the use of the hymn in a mahāçānti called rāudrī. Vāit. passes the hymn unnoticed.⌋
Translated: Henry, 14, 50; Griffith, i. 400; Bloomfield, 79, 575.
1. This reverting amulet, a hero, is bound on a hero; heroic, rival-slaying, true hero, a very propitious protection.
The comm. calls the amulet tīlakavṛkṣanirmita, thus ⌊cf. comm. to vss. 4, 8⌋ identifying tilaka and srāktya. Ppp. omits our b and the first words of our c, reading as its b sapatnahas suvīraḥ: then paripāṇaḥ etc.
2. This amulet, rival-slaying, having excellent heroes, powerful, vigorous, overpowering, formidable, a hero, goes to meet the witchcrafts, spoiling [them].
Ppp. reads etu in c.
3. With this amulet Indra smote Vritra; with this he, being filled with wisdom, ruined the Asuras; with this he conquered both, heaven-and-earth here; with this he conquered the four directions.
Ppp. reads, for c, anena dyāvāpṛthivī ubhe ajayat.
4. This amulet of sraktyá, back-turning, reverting, forcible, remover of scorners, controlling—let it protect us on all sides.
Ppp. reads maṇis again for vaçī in c; also viçvatas at the end.
5. This Agni says, this also Soma says, this Brihaspati, Savitar, Indra; let these gods, my representatives (puróhita), drive the witchcrafts backward with the reverters.
In this verse and the next, Ppp. has the better reading pratisareṇa for -rāis in d. The first half-verse is found again below as xix. 24. 8 c, d. ⌊Cf. also MS. i. 5. 3. The first pāda recurs at xvi. 9. 2.⌋
6. I interpose heaven-and-earth, also the day, also the sun; let these gods, my representatives, drive the witchcrafts backward with the reverters.
'Interpose'—i.e. between me and what I dread. Ppp. pratisareṇa in d, as noted above; also, for b, utāi ’va brahmaṇaspatim; and, at beginning of c, te te devāṣ pu-.
7. The people who make the amulet of sraktyá their defenses—like the sun ascending the sky, it, controlling, drives away the witchcrafts.
Ppp. puts iva after divam in c.
8. By the amulet of sraktyá, as by a seer (ṛ́ṣi) full of wisdom, I have conquered all fighters; I smite away the scorners, the demoniacs.
9. The witchcrafts that are of the An̄girases, the witchcrafts that are of the Asuras, the witchcrafts that are self-made, and those that are brought by others—let these, of both kinds, go away to the distances, across ninety navigable [streams].
'Self-made' (svayaṁkṛta), doubtless 'made by ourselves'; the comm. so understands. 'Navigable'—i.e. not to be crossed without the help of a boat. SPP's mss. do not punctuate between b and c, but the comm. does so, like our edition. Ppp. combines kṛtyā ”n̄girasīr, has for b yāḥ kṛtyā ”surīr uta (the addition rectifying the meter), and combines in f nāvyā ’ti; and in c it puts yās after kṛtyās.
10. On this man let the gods bind the amulet [as] defense: [namely,] Indra, Vishṇu, Savitar, Rudra, Agni, Prajāpati, Parameshṭhin, Virāj, Vāiçvānara, and all_ the seers.
⌊For a somewhat similar combination of names, cf. iv. 11. 7.⌋
11. Thou art the chief (uttamá) of herbs, as the ox of moving creatures (jágat), as the tiger of wild beasts (çvápad); whom we sought, him have we found, a watcher near at hand (?).
The mark of division in this verse is badly placed in our edition; it should be after çvápadām iva, as in the mss. ⌊and SPP's edition⌋. SPP. reads at the end, with all the mss., ántitam; the comm. this time (cf. the note to vi. 4. 2) gives us our choice between taking it as one word (= atyantasaṁnihitam) or two (= tam eva antike); Ppp. avoids the difficulty by reading instead adhruvam. To me the emendation to ánti tám seems unacceptable. The comm. reads before it pratispāçinam. Prāt. iii. 10 notes the double form çvápad and çvā́pad. The first three pādas are found again below as xix. 39. 4 a, b, c; the irregular uttamás instead of uttamā́ seems due to the influence of the two masculine nouns in the double comparison.
12. He verily becomes a tiger, likewise a lion, likewise a bull, likewise a lessener of rivals, who bears this amulet.
'Lessener'—lit'ly 'one who makes lean'; but, though all the mss. and both editions have -kárçana, it can hardly be otherwise than a misreading for -kárṣaṇa, which the comm. gives. Ppp. has a wholly different c, sarvā diço vi rājati (as our 13 c), and so deprives us of its witness.
13. Not Apsarases smite him, not Gandharvas, not mortals; he reigns over (vi-rāj) all the quarters who bears this amulet.
14. Kaçyapa created thee; Kaçyapa collected thee; Indra bore thee in human wise (?); bearing [thee], he conquered in the conflict (?); the amulet, of thousand-fold might, the gods made their defense.
The obscure mā́nuse, in c, the comm. explains as ⌊a collective⌋ = mānuṣeṣu madhye; he reads in d saṁ̧çreṣaṇe, which is much more acceptable; one is inclined also to conjecture saṁçeṣíṇo ‘jayat. Ppp. brings no help, only reading abadhnata for akṛṇvata at the end.
⌊The comm. reckons our e, f as a separate verse, the 5th of his "decad," thus making this "decad" come out with 13 vss. (instead of 22—10 = 12, as in the Berlin ed.).⌋
15. Whoever with witchcrafts, whoever with consecrations, whoever with sacrifices desires to slay thee—him do thou, O Indra, smite back with the hundred-jointed thunderbolt.
The omission of the second yás tvā would rectify the meter of a.
16. Let this back-turning, forcible, all-conquering amulet verily defend [our] progeny and riches, a very propitious protection.
Ppp. reads sahasvān instead of ojasvān in b. Our text should, for consistency, read ójasvānt s-.
17. Freedom from rivals for us below, freedom from rivals for us above, freedom from rivals for us behind, O Indra, light in front make thou, O hero.
Or the directions may be understood as south, north, west, and east. Ppp. has, for c, indra piçācaṁ naṣ paçcāt.
18. A defense for me [be] heaven-and-earth, a defense the day, a defense the sun, a defense for me both Indra and Agni; a defense let Dhātar assign (dhā) to me.
Compare AÇS. i. 2. 1 ⌊and ĀpÇS. xiv. 26. 1⌋ with a, b; both substitute agnis for ahar. The verse, as noted above, is wanting in Ppp. The comm. omits me in c. The first half-verse occurs again as xix. 20. 4 a, b.
19. Indra-and-Agni's abundant formidable defense, which not all the gods together pierce through—let that, being great, save my body on all sides, that I may be long-lived, attaining old age.
With d compare VS. xxxiv. 52 d, which differs from it only by reading at the end the irregular form ásam. Ppp. has te for me in c, and asat in d ⌊though the pronoun calls for asas⌋.
20. The divine amulet hath ascended me, in order to great unharmedness; enter ye together unto this post (? methí), body-protecting, thrice-defending, in order to vigor (ójas).
Ppp. reads tvā instead of mā in a, and enyam instead of methim in c. The comm. questions whether mahyāi in b means mahatyāi or mahyam! The difficult and doubtful second half-verse puzzles him (as us) greatly: first he regards 'men' as addressed (he narāḥ), and takes methi as 'a stirrer-up, a destroyer of enemies,' or alternatively as a post in a threshing floor (methī khale yatho ’cchirā vartata evam ayam api ’ti; or, secondly, the gods are addressed, and methi means an amulet representing such a post (methīsthānīyam maṇim).
21. In this let Indra deposit manliness; this, O gods, enter ye together unto, in order to long life-time of a hundred autumns; that he may be long-lived, attaining old age.
⌊With d, cf. MP. ii. 1. 3 d.⌋
22. Giver of welfare, lord of the people, Vritra-slayer, masterful remover of scorners, let Indra bind ⌊for thee⌋ the amulet, [he] that has conquered, is unconquered, soma-drinking, fearless-making bull; let him defend thee on all sides, by day and by night on all sides.
The majority of mss. (nearly all SPP's) put no pause at the end of d (after aparājitaḥ). The first two pādas are nearly the same with i. 21. 1 a, b, above (and with other texts: see the note to that verse). Ppp. omits a, b, and reads (better) sarvadā instead of sarvatas at end of f. ⌊An accent-mark is lacking under the so of somapā́ḥ.⌋
⌊Here ends the fifth artha-sūkta. The quoted Anukr. says pañcame.⌋
⌊Here also ends the eighteenth prapāṭhaka.⌋