3. They of whom the gods in heaven make [their] draught (bhakṣá); they that come to be abundantly in the atmosphere; who, of beauteous color, etc. etc.
Again TS. MS. have a different c (yā́ḥ pṛthivī́m páyaso 'ndáanti çukrā́ḥ). Our O. has at end of c vírupāḥ (as TS. MS. in 1 c). MP. substitutes níviṣṭās for bhavantī in b. The comm. renders bhakṣám by upabhogyam.
4. With propitious eye behold me, O waters; with propitious body touch my skin; they that are ghee-dripping, clean, purifying—let those waters be weal, pleasant to us.
The first half-verse appears again below as xvi. 1. 12. It alone is found in TS. and MS.; but our c is RV. vii. 49. 3 c, and the two other texts have it after our 2 a, b ⌊all reading madhu- for ghṛta-⌋. MP. reads çivéna tvā cákṣuṣā paçyantv ā́paḥ, and in b spṛçantu and te. AB. (viii. 6. 10) quotes the whole verse in its TS. and MS. version. Our Bp. K. read -çcyutas in c; Ppp. has -çcantas. The Anukr, ignores the redundancy of one syllable (or more) in b.
34. A love-spell: with a sweet herb.
[Atharvan,—pañcarcam. madughamaṇisūktam. vānaspatyam. ānuṣṭubham.]
Verses 1, 2, 5 are found in Pāipp. ii., vs. 3 in vi., and vs. 4 in part in viii. It is used by Kāuç. in a ceremony for superiority in disputation (38. 17): the ambitious disputant is to come into the assembly from the north-east, chewing the sweet plant; again, twice in the nuptial ceremonies, once with tying a madugha amulet on the finger (76. 8), and once (79. 10) on crushing the amulet at the consummation of the marriage. The comm. further declares it used at the disputation in the açvamedha sacrifice; but he quotes no authority for it. All these applications are evidently imposed upon the hymn, not contained in it.
Translated: Weber, iv. 429; Grill, 52, 78; Griffith, i. 38; Bloomfield, 99, 274.—Cf. Hillebrandt, Veda-chrestomathie, p. 46.
1. This plant is honey-(mádhu-)born; with honey we dig thee; forth from honey art thou engendered; ⌊so⌋ do thou make us possessed of honey.
The comm. calls the plant madhuka, and uses that form of the name also in the quotations from Kāuç. (instead of madugha, madhugha, etc.; the mss. vary greatly in their readings).
2. At the tip of my tongue honey, at the root of my tongue honeyedness; mayest thou be altogether in my power (krátu), mayest thou come unto my intent (cittá).
The second half-verse agrees nearly with that of iii. 25. 5 and vi. 9. 2, in both of which the yáthā, here unexpressed, helps the construction (though the accent of ásas does not absolutely need it, being capable of being viewed as antithetical). Ppp. has for a jihvāyā 'gre me madhu, and for c, d yathā māṁ kāminy aso (our 5 c) yaṁ vācā mām anvāyasī. The comm. explains madhūlakam by madhurarasabahulaṁ jalamadhūlakavṛkṣapuṣpaṁ yathā; he understands the plant to be addressed in c, d—which is plainly wrong.
