Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book V/Hymn 24

24. To various gods as overlords.

[Atharvan.—saptadaçakam. brahmakarmātmadevatyam. atiçākvaram: 1-17. 4-p. atiçakvarī; 11. çakvarī; 15-17. 3-p. (15, 16. bhurig atijagatī; 17. virāṭ çakvarī).]

⌊Not metrical.⌋ In Pāipp. xv. is found a corresponding piece, but one differing considerably in detail; it contains counterparts to our vss. 1, 2, 4, 7-12, 14, 15, 17, but not at all in the same order, and interspersed with nine other verses of similar tenor (1. mitraḥ pṛthivyāḥ; 6. vasus saṁvatsarasya; 7. saṁvatsara ṛtūnām; 11. viṣṇuḥ parvatānām; 12. tvaṣṭā rūpāṇām; 15. samudro nadīnām; 16. parjanya oṣadhīnām; 17. bṛhaspatir devānām; 18. prajāpatiḥ prajānām). Similar passages occur also in other texts: thus, in TS. iii. 4. 5 (and the part corresponding to our 15-17 is repeated again, with slight variations, at iv. 3. 3²; and the same part, with variations, is found five times as a refrain in MS. ii. 7. 20), in PGS. i. 5. 10 (which closely follows TS. iii. 4. 5), and in ÇÇS. iv. 10. 1, 3 (with nothing corresponding to vss. 15-17). The hymn is used by Kāuç. in a royal coronation (17. 30), in the nuptial ceremonies (78. 11), and in the ājyatantra (137. 42). And many of the verses appear also in Vāit., with oblations to the various divinities mentioned, in different ceremonies: thus, in the āgrayaṇa, vs. 7 (8. 7); in the cāturmāsyāni, vss. 1-3, 6, 7 (8. 13), 4 (8. 22), 9 (9. 27); in the agniṣṭoma, vss. 8 (19. 2), 5 (19. 3), 11 (19. 11).

Translated: Griffith, i. 228; Weber, xviii. 260.—Cf. Weber's Rājasūya, Berliner Abh., 1893, p. 142.

1. Savitar ('the impeller') is overlord of impulses; let him favor (av) me, in this worship (bráhman), in this rite (kárman), in this representation (purodhā́), in this firm-standing, in this intent, in this design, in this benediction (āçís), in this invocation of the gods: hail!

This is the tenth item in Ppp.; TS. (with PGS.) and ÇÇS. have the same. The Ppp. order of actions is different, and includes fewer members: brahman, karman, purodhā, devahūti, ākūti, āçis (āçiṣas ⌊so! twice⌋ svāhā); TS. and PGS. give bráhman, kṣatrá, āçís, purodhā́, kárman, deváhūti; MS., bráhman, purodhā́, kárman, āçís, deváhūti; ÇÇS., brahman, kṣatra, karman, āçis, pratiṣṭhā, devahūti. The Anukr. text is in part confused and doubtful, and the inaccuracies of its metrical definitions of the parts of the hymn are not worth tracing out and noting. In our edition, the accent mark under the first syllable of ā́kūtyām is a misprint, and to be removed.

2. Agni is overlord of forest-trees; let him favor etc. etc.

This is the eighth item in Ppp. In TS. and PGS., Agni is made lord of beings (bhūtá); in ÇÇS., of the earth.

3. Heaven-and-earth are overlords of givers; let them favor etc. etc.

Literally, 'are overladies' (ádhipatnī). Neither Ppp. nor the other texts have anything corresponding to this verse. As in a number of other similar cases, the mss. make very awkward work of writing the tṝ of dātṝṇām, the majority (Bp.P.M.W.H.E.T.) giving instead tre, one (I.) trṛ, one (K.) ttṛ, and a few (O.D.R.) correctly tṝ; the edited text has wrongly trā.

4. Varuṇa is overlord of the waters; let him favor etc. etc.

This item stands second in Ppp.; TS. has it also; but in ÇÇS., Varuṇa is addressed as overlord of ordinances (dharma).

5. Mitra-and-Varuṇa are overlords of rain; let them favor etc. etc.

This item is wanting in all the other texts. The mss. all read vṛṣṭyā́ ’dhip- (p. vṛṣṭyā́: ádhip-), the error doubtless originating in a double saṁdhi, such as is extremely frequent in Ppp.

6. The Maruts are overlords of the mountains; let them favor etc. etc.

According to Ppp. (11) and TS., Vishṇu is overlord of the mountains; TS. sets the Maruts over the troops (gaṇa), and ÇÇS. gives them no place.

7. Soma is overlord of plants; let him favor etc. etc.

In Ppp. (14) Soma is overlord of milks (payasām); in TS. and ÇÇS., of herbs.

8. Vāyu is overlord of the atmosphere; let him favor etc. etc.

Here Ppp. (3) and the other texts give the same overlordship.

9. The sun (sū́rya) is overlord of sights (or eyes: cákṣus); let him favor etc. etc.

In Ppp. (4), the sun is called overlord of heaven (div); and so also in TS.; but ÇÇS. sets him over the asterisms.

10. The moon is overlord of asterisms; let him favor etc. etc.

This item comes fifth in Ppp.; TS. has it also; in ÇÇS. the moon is not mentioned, while the asterisms, as noted above, are put under the sun.

11. Indra is overlord of heaven; let him favor etc. etc.

In Ppp. (9) Indra is overlord of acts or rites (kárman); in TS. and ÇÇS., of chiefs (jyeṣṭhá).

12. The father of the Maruts is overlord of cattle; let him favor etc. etc.

In Ppp. (13) and in TS., this overlordship is ascribed, equivalently, to Rudra; it is wanting in ÇÇS.

13. Death is overlord of creatures (prajā́); let him favor etc. etc.

In Ppp. (18) it is Prajāpati instead of death; and so also in ÇÇS.; TS. has nothing corresponding.

14. Yama is overlord of the Fathers; let him etc. etc.

This item is number 19 in Ppp.; but in ÇÇS. it is wanting; and in TS. Yama is set over the earth. Here, again, the reading pitreṇā́m is found in one ms. (Bp.). Additional items in TS. are bṛ́haspátir bráhmaṇaḥ, mitráḥ satyā́nām (ÇÇS. the same), samudráḥ srotyā́nām, ánnaṁ sā́ṁrājyānām, tváṣṭā rūpā́ṇām (ÇÇS. tv. samidhāṁ rūpāṇām); ÇÇS. has only those already given.

15. The upper (pára) Fathers—let them favor etc. etc.

16. The lower (ávara) Fathers (tatá)—let them favor etc. etc.

17. The Fathers (tatá), the grandfathers (tatāmahá)—let them favor etc. etc.

The translation implies emendation to tatā́s at the beginning of vs. 17, as the sense seems to require, and as the other texts suggest. Ppp. combines vss. 15-17, reading pitaras pare ‘varas tatas tadāmahas te mā etc.; TS. (iii. 4. 5: and PGS.), pítaraḥ pitāmahāḥ pare ‘vare tátās tatāmahā ihá mā etc.; TS. iv. 3. 3², pitáraḥ pitāmahā́ḥ páré ‘vare té naḥ etc., with which MS. agrees. Two of our mss. (O.D.) begin vs. 17 with tatás tat-; the rest have tátas, and our printed text follows them.