Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book VI/Hymn 97

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1462939Atharva-Veda SamhitaBook VI, Hymn 97William Dwight Whitney

97. For victory.

[Atharvan.—māitrāvaruṇam. trāiṣṭubham: 2. jagatī; 3. bhurij.]

Found also in Pāipp. xix. The three hymns 97-99 are used together in a battle rite, for victory, with vi. 65-67 and others, by Kāuç. (14. 7); and they are reckoned to the aparājita gaṇa (note to 14. 7), and noted by the comm. as therefore intended at 139. 7; they are again specifically prescribed in the indramahotsava (140. 10): a full homa is offered, with the king joining in the act.

Translated: Ludwig, p. 460; Griffith, i. 298; Bloomfield, 122, 510.


1. An overcomer (abhibhū́) [is] the sacrifice, an overcomer Agni, an overcomer Soma, an overcomer Indra; that I may overcome (abhi-as) all fighters, so would we, Agni-offerers, pay worship with this oblation.

The comm. paraphrases agnihotrās by agnāu juhvataḥ. ⌊The Anukr. balances the deficiencies of a, b by the redundancies of c, d.⌋


2. Be there svadhā́, O Mitra-and-Varuṇa, inspired ones; fatten (pinv) ye here with honey our dominion, rich in progeny; drive off perdition far away; put away from us any committed sin.

Ppp. has, in a, b, prajāpatis for vip. praj.; in c, dveṣas for dūram; and, for d, asmāi kṣatraṁ vacā dhattam ojaḥ. The second half-verse is RV. i. 24. 9 c, d, also found in TS. (1. 4. 451) and MS. (i. 3. 39); all have bādhasva and mumugdhi, 2d sing.; for dūrám in c, RV. has dūré, TS. (like Ppp.) dvéṣas, and MS. omits it, prefixing instead āré to bādhasva. The comm. takes svadhā in a as havirlakṣaṇam annam. Only the first half-verse is jagatī.


3. Be ye excited after this formidable hero; take hold, O companions, after Indra, the troop-conqueror, kine-conqueror, thunderbolt-armed, conquering in the course (ájman), slaughtering with force.

This verse appears again as xix. 13. 6, in the midst of the hymn to which it belongs, and which is found also in various other texts. The verse corresponds to RV. x. 103. 6, SV. ii. 1204, VS. xvii. 38, and one in TS. iv. 6. 42, MS. ii. 10. 4. They all reverse the order of the two half-verses, begin our c with gotrabhídaṁ govídam, and have, instead of our a, imáṁ sajātā ánu vīrayadhvam; TS. differs from the rest by reading ‘nu for anu in our b. The comm. explains ájma by ajanaçīlaṁ kṣepaṇaçīlaṁ çatrubalam. ⌊The word "in" were better omitted from the translation of d.⌋