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.⌋
98. To Indra: for victory.
[Atharvan.—āindram. trāiṣṭubham: 2. bṛhatīgarbhā ”stārapan̄ktiḥ.]
Found also in Pāipp. xix. Besides the uses in Kāuç. of hymns 97-99, as stated under 97, hymn 98 is further applied, with vi. 67, in another battle rite (16. 4); and the schol. add it to vii. 86, 91, etc., in the indramahotsava (note to 140. 6). Vāit. also (34. 13) has it in the sattra, when the king is armed.
Translated: Griffith, i. 299.
1. May Indra conquer, may he not be conquered; may he king it as over-king among kings; be thou here one to be famed, to be praised, to be greeted, to be waited on, and to be reverenced.
The verse is found also in TS. (ii. 4. 142) and MS. (iv. 12. 3), but with a very different second half: c, TS. víçvā hí bhūyā́ḥ pṛ́tanā abhiṣṭī́r, MS. víçvā abhiṣṭíḥ pṛ́tanā jayaty; d, both upasádyo namasyò yáthā́ ’sat. In the first half, at end of a, MS. jayate; at end of b, TS. rājayāti, MS. -yate. The last pāda occurs again as iii. 4. 1 d. The comm. regards the king as identified with Indra through the hymn. ⌊MS. has jayati for jayāti.⌋
2. Thou, O Indra, art over-king, ambitious (çravasyú), thou art the overcomer of people; do thou rule over these folk (viçás) of the gods; long-lived, unfading (ajára) dominion be thine.
