73 (77). With a heated offering to the Açvins.
[Atharvan.—ekādaçarcam. gharmasūktam. āçvinam uta pratyṛcammantroktadāivatam. trāiṣṭubham: 1, 4, 6. jagatī; 2. pathyābṛhatī.]
Found also, except vss. 7-9, in Pāipp. xx. (the first six verses in the order 2, 1, 4, 5, 6, 3); the first six verses, further, in AÇS. iv. 7 and ÇÇS. v. 10 (in both, in the order 2, 1, 6, 5, 4, 3); the last five are RV. verses etc.; see under the several verses. The hymn in general does not appear in Kāuç. (the sacrifice which it accompanies not falling within its sphere); but the last verse (so the comm.; it might be ix. 10. 20) is applied (24. 17) in settling the kine in their pasture by one who is going away from home; and again (92. 15), in the madhuparka ceremony, when the presented cow is released instead of being sacrificed. Vāit. uses several of the verses, all in the agnisṣṭoma ceremony: vss. 3 and 4 (14. 5) with the offering of the gharma; vs. 7 (14. 4) in summoning the gharma cow; vs. 11 (14. 9) before the concluding homa.
Translated: Ludwig, p. 429 (vss. 1-6); Henry, 28, 93; Griffith, i. 361.
1. Kindled, O ye two bulls, is Agni, the charioteer of heaven; heated is the gharmá; honey is milked for your food (íṣ); for we singers (kārú), of many houses, call on you, O Açvins, in joint revelings.
The translation implies in b the accent duhyáte, which is found in no ms.; the comm. makes the same construction. Ppp. reads açvinā for vṛṣaṇā in a; and also, with both AÇS. and ÇÇS., purutamāsas in c; doubtless our word is a corruption of this ⌊Roth, ZDMG. xlviii. 107⌋. But for rathī, in a, AÇS. has ratis and ÇÇS. rayis, plain corruptions. The gharmá is either the hot drink into which fresh milk is poured, or the heated vessel containing it. The comm. interprets the verses according to their order and application in AÇS. He explains the gharma as the heated sacrificial butter in the mahāvīra dish.
2. Kindled is Agni, O ye Açvins; heated is your gharmá; come! now, ye bulls, the milch-kine are milked here, ye wondrous ones (dasrá)-, the pious ones are reveling.
AÇS. and ÇÇS. both read gāvas for nūnam in c, and (with Ppp.) kāravas for vedhasas at the end. The first half-verse occurs also in VS. (as xx. 55 a, b), which omits vām in b, and reads virā́ṭ sutáḥ for ā́ gatam.
3. The bright (çúci) sacrifice to the gods accompanied with "hail," the Açvins' bowl that is for the gods to drink of—this all the immortals, enjoying, lick respectively by the Gandharva's mouth.
The two Sūtras and Ppp. agree in reading gharmas for yajñas in a; the former have also īm for u in c. The comm. declares this verse to be used after the gharma offering; the "bowl" is the one called upayamana; the "Gandharva" is either the sun or the fire.
4. The offered ghee, the milk, which is in the ruddy [kine], that is your portion here, ye Açvins; come; ye sweet ones, maintainers of the council (vidátha), lords of the good, drink ye the heated gharmá in the shining space of the sky.
