Book III.
⌊The third book is made up largely of hymns of 6 verses each. It contains 13 such hymns, but also six hymns (namely 4, 7, 13, 16, 24, 30) of 7 verses each, six hymns (namely 5, 6, 11, 15, 19, 29) of 8 verses each, two hymns (namely 12, 17) of 9 verses each, two hymns (namely 20, 21) of 10 verses each, one hymn (namely 31) of 11 verses, and one hymn (namely 10) of 13 verses. See Weber's introduction to his translation, p. 178. The possibility of critical reduction to the norm is well illustrated by hymn 31—compare pages 1 and 37. The whole book has been translated by Weber, Indische Studien, vol. xvii. (1885), pages 177-314.⌋
1. Against enemies.
[Atharvan.—senāmohanam. bahudevatyam. trāiṣṭubham: 2. virāḍgarbhā bhurij; 3, 6. anuṣṭubh; j. virāṭpurauṣṇih.]
Found in Pāipp. iii., next after the one which here follows it. In Kāuç. (14. 17), this hymn and the next are called mohanāni 'confounders,' and are used in a rite (14. 17-21) for confounding an enemy's army; its details have nothing to do with those of the hymns.
Translated: Ludwig, p. 518; Weber, xvii. 180; Griffith, i. 81; Bloomfield, 121, 325.
1. Let Agni, knowing, go against our foes, burning against the imprecator, the niggard; let him confound (mohaya-) the army of our adversaries (pára); and may Jātavedas make them handless.
Ppp. makes çatrūn and vidvān in a change places. SPP. reports that the text used by the comm. reads ṇaḥ after agnir both here and in 2. 1 a. The comm. signalizes the beginning of the book by giving absurd etymologies of agni at the length of nearly a page. Pāda c lacks a syllable, unless we allow ourselves to resolve sé-na-ām.
2. Ye, O Maruts, are formidable for such a plight; go forward upon [them], kill, overcome! The Vasus have killed [them]; suppliant [are] these; for let Agni, their messenger, go against [their foes], knowing.
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