Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book V/Hymn 3

3. To various gods: for protection and blessings.

[Bṛhaddiva Atharvan.—ekādaçakam. āgneyam: 1, 2. agnim astāut; 3, 4. devān; 5. draviṇodādiprārthanam; 6, 9, 10. vāiçvadevī; 7. sāumī; 8, 11. āindrī. trāiṣṭubham: 2. bhurij; 10. virāḑjagatī.]

Found also in Pāipp. v. (in the verse-order 1-6, 8, 9, 11, 7, 10). It is a RV. hymn, x. 128 (which has the verse-order 1, 3, 5, 4, 6, 2, 9, 8, 10), with its nine verses changed to eleven by the expansion of vs. 5 into two, and by the addition at the end of a verse which is found also in the RV. mss., but not as an acknowledged part of the text. The RV. verses, including this last, are found in their RV. order, and with unimportant variants, in TS. iv. 7. 14^1-4.

The hymn is variously employed by Kāuç.: in the parvan sacrifices (1. 33), at entering on the vow; in rites (12. 10) for glory; in one for prosperity (22. 14; and it is reckoned to the puṣṭika mantras, 19. 1, note); in one for avoidance of quarrels (38. 26: so Keç.), with tying on an amulet of a kind of rope; and in a witchcraft process (49. 15) against an enemy; further, vs. 11, with vii. 86 and 91, in the indramahotsava (140. 6). In Vāit., in the parvan sacrifices, it (or vs. 1) accompanies the addition of fuel to the three sacrificial fires (1. 12); and vss. 1-4 the propitiation of the gods on commencing sacrifice (1. 14).

Translated: by the RV. translators; and Griffith, i. 192; Weber, xviii. 172.

1. Be splendor mine, O Agni, in rival invocations (vihavá); may we, kindling thee, adorn ourselves; let the four directions bow to me; with thee as overseer may we conquer the fighters.

The other texts (with MS. i. 4. 1) have no variants in this verse. Ppp. appears to read prathema for puṣema in b.

2. O Agni, pushing back the fury of our adversaries, do thou, our keeper (gopā́), protect us about on all sides; let our abusers (durasyú) go away downwards; among themselves (amā́) let the intent of them awaking be lost.

RV's version of b, c reads thus: ádabdho gopā́ḥ pári pāhi nas tvám: pratyáñco yantu nigútaḥ púnas té; and TS. has the same. But TS. also reads agnís at the beginning, purástāt for páreṣām in a, and prabúdhā in d. Ppp. has prabudhā for nivátā in c, and, for d, mamīṣāṁ cittaṁ bahudhā vi naçyatu. The verse is properly svarāj, b as well as c being jagatī. ⌊Correct gāpā́ḥ to gopā́ḥ.⌋

3. Let all the gods be at my separate call—the Maruts with Indra, Vishṇu, Agni; let the broad-spaced atmosphere be mine; let the wind blow (pū) for me unto this desire.

RV. reads at the end kā́me asmín, and Ppp. agrees with it, also TS. TS. has further índrāvantas in b, and in c, strangely enough, urú gopám, as two separate words.

4. Let what sacrifices I make make sacrifice for me; let my mind's design be realized (satyā́); let me not fall into (ni-gā) any sin soever; let all the gods defend me here.

RV. and TS. read yajantu and havyā́ (for iṣṭā́) in a, and, for d, víçve devāso ádhi vocatā naḥ (but TS. me). Ppp. agrees with our text except for ending with mām iha.

5. On me let the gods bestow (ā-yaj) property; with me be blessing (āçís), with me divine invocation; may the divine invokers (hótar) win that for us; may we be unharmed with our self (tanū́), rich in heroes.

RV. has for c dāivyā́ hótāro vanuṣanta pū́rve; and TS. the same, except hótārā and vaniṣanta. One or two of our mss. (Bp.H.) read saniṣam in c. Ppp. begins a with mahyam, and has mama for mayi both times in b.

6. Ye six divine wide ones, make wide [space] for us; all ye gods, revel here; let not a portent find us, nor an imprecation; let not the wrong that is hateful find us.

Only the first half-verse is RV. material, forming its vs. 5 with our 7 c, d; the latter half-verse we have had already as i. 20. 1 c, d. RV. and TS. begin with dévīs, and end b with vīrayadhvam; and TS. oddly combines ṣaḍurvīs as a compound word; RV. reads naḥ after it, and TS. ṇaḥ; our mss. are divided between the two, but with a great preponderance for ṇaḥ (only E.I.H. have naḥ), so that it is more probably to be regarded as the AV. reading. Ppp. gives uru nas karātha; it has the second half-verse of the other texts. Some of our mss. accent urvī́s in a (Bp.P.M.K.), and some accent devā́sas in b (P.M.).

7. Ye three goddesses, grant (yam) us great protection, what is prosperous (puṣṭá) for our progeny and for ourselves (tanū́); let us not be deserted (hā) by progeny nor selves; let us not be made subject to the hater, O king Soma.

All the mss. accent at the beginning tisrás; our text emends to tísras. The second half-verse, as above noted, goes with our 6 a, b to make one verse in RV. and TS.; and also in Ppp., which has the variant dhanena for tanūbhis in c. For the present verse, Ppp. agrees in the first half with our text, only reading me for nas; for second half it has: māṁ viṣas saṁmanaso juṣantāṁ pitryaṁ kṣatraṁ pṛta jānātv asmāt. The Anukr. ignores the extra syllable in a.

8. Let the bull (mahiṣá) of wide expanse grant us protection, having much food (-kṣú), [he] the much-invoked in this invocation; do thou be gracious unto our progeny, O thou of the bay horses; O Indra, harm us not, do not abandon us.

RV. and TS. read yaṁsad at end of a, and mṛḍaya at end of c (also our O.); at end of b, RV. and Ppp. have -kṣúḥ, while TS. agrees with our text. In d the pada-text has ririṣaḥ, by Prāt. iv. 86. The Anukr. takes no notice of the two redundant syllables in a.

9. The Creator (dhātár), the disposer (vidhātár), he who is lord of being, god Savitar, overpowerer of hostile plotters, the Ādityas, the Rudras, both the Açvins—let the gods protect the sacrificer from perdition (nirṛthá).

RV. and TS. read dhātṝṇā́m for vidhātā́ in a, and nyarthā́t at the end, and have for c imáṁ yajñám açvíno ’bhā́ bṛ́haspátir; in b, RV. has deváṁ trātā́ram, and TS. d. savitā́ram, followed by abhimātiṣā́ham ⌊RV. -hám. Ppp. has vidhartā in a, savitā devo ‘bhim- in b, and bṛhaspatir indrāgnī açvinobhā for c. The combination yás pátir in a is by Prāt. ii. 70. The pada-text reads abhimāti-saháḥ in b. The verse (12 + 11: 9 + 11 = 43) is much too irregular to be passed simply as a triṣṭubh.

10. They that are our rivals—away be they; with Indra and Agni do we beat (bādh) them down; the Ādityas, the Rudras, sky-reaching (? uparispṛ́ç), have made our over-king a stern corrector.

The other texts have tā́n for enān at end of b, and akran at end of d, and, for c, vásavo rudrā́ ādityā́ uparispṛ́çam mā, which makes better sense; they also accent céttāram in d. And VS., which also has the verse (xxxiv. 46), agrees with them throughout. Ppp. presents instead a verse which is mostly found at TB. ii. 4. 3², next before the verse corresponding to our 11: ihā ’rvāñcam ati hvaya indraṁ jāitrāya jetave: asmākam astu varṇaṁ yataṣ kṛṇotu vīryam (instead of c, d, TB. has one pāda: asmā́kam astu kévalaḥ). ⌊Our 10 occurs at the end of the hymn in Ppp., which reads in a ye naç çapanty upa te, in b apa bādhāma yonim, in c mām for naḥ, and ends with akran.⌋

11. Hitherward do we call Indra from yonder, who is kine-conquering, riches-conquering, who is horse-conquering; let him hear this sacrifice of ours at our separate call; of us, O thou of the bay horses, hast thou been the ally (medín).

The verse is found in TS., and in TB. (as above), and is the first of a long addition to RV. x. 128. All these read alike in c, d: vihavé juṣasvā ’syá kurmo (RV. kulmo) harivo medínaṁ tvā; Ppp. nearly agrees, reading instead v. j. ’smākaṁ kṛṇvo h. m. tva. The Anukr. apparently balances the redundancy of a against the deficiency of b.