29. For some one's long life and other blessings.
[Atharvan.—saptarcam. bahudevatyam. trāiṣṭubham: 1. anuṣṭubh; 4. parābṛhatī nicṛtprastārapan̄kti.]
Found in Pāipp., but in two widely separated parts: vss. 1-3 in xix., and vss. 4-7 in i. (next following our hymn 28). Used in Kāuç. (27. 9 ff.) in a curious healing rite for one afflicted with thirst: the patient and a well person are set back to back, wrapped in one garment together, and the latter is made to drink a certain potion apparently prepared for the other; thus the disease will be transferred to the well person: a total perversion of the proper meaning of the hymn. Again, it is used (54. 18) in the godāna and cūḍā ceremonies, and, according to the schol. (58. 17, note), in that of name-giving; and the schol. (42. 15) further add it in the rite on the return home of a Vedic student. And vs. 3 accompanies in Vāit. (22. 16) the pouring of the āçīr milk into the clarified soma in the pūtabhṛt at the agniṣṭoma sacrifice ⌊cf. comm. and Hillebrandt, Ritual-litteratur, p. 129⌋.
Translated: Weber, xiii. 194; Ludwig, p. 493; Griffith, i. 68; Bloomfield, 47, 308.
1. In the sap of what is earthly, O gods, in the strength of Bhaga's self (tanū́)—length of life to this man may Agni, Sūrya—splendor may Brihaspati impart.
Or it might be 'in the sap of earthly portion, in strength of body' (a, b); 'what is earthly' would refer to some characteristic product of earth applied in the rite; the comm. understands the god Bhaga, but his opinion is of no authority. As Weber suggests, the exchange of āyuṣyàm here in c and ā́yus in 2 a would rectify the meter of both verses: in neither case does the Anukr. note an irregularity. Ppp. has here āyur asmāi, but follows it with somo varca dhātā bṛh-. Some of our mss., with two or three of SPP's, accent āyúṣyam. The comm. takes devās in a for a nominative.
2. Length of life to him assign thou, O Jātavedas; progeny, O Tvashṭar, do thou bestow on him; abundance of wealth, O Savitar ('impeller'), do thou impel to him; may he live a hundred autumns of thee.
The construction of a dative with adhi-ni-dhā in b seems hardly admissible; BR. ⌊iii. 917⌋, in quoting the passage, reads asmé, apparently by an intended emendation, which, however, does not suit the connection; asmín is the only real help.
3. Our blessing [assign him] refreshment, possession of excellent progeny; do ye (two), accordant, assign [him] dexterity, property (dráviṇa); [let] this man [be] conquering fields with power, O Indra, putting (kṛ) other rivals beneath him.
