Page:Atharva-Veda samhita.djvu/528

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vi. 106-
BOOK VI. THE ATHARVA-VEDA-SAṀHITĀ
358
the fire (one of whose common epithets is viçvatomukha 'having faces in every direction'); perhaps rather 'the points of thine arrows': cf. VS. xvi. 53.


3. With a fetal envelop of snow, O house, do we envelop thee; for mayest thou be for us having a cool pond; let Agni make a remedy.

The first two pādas correspond to VS. xvii. 5 a, b (also in TS. iv. 6. 11, MS. ii. 10. 1), which, however, has ágne instead of çā́le; a RV. khila to x. 142 differs only by dadātu for kṛṇotu in d. Ppp. has, in c, -hradāya for hradā hi, and, in d, also dadātu for kṛṇotu. None of our mss., and very few of SPP's authorities, read agníṣ k- in d, though it appears to be called for by Prāt. ii. 65, and both editions accept it. The comm. explains the envelop to be avakārūpeṇa çāivālena. ⌊Ppp. combines bhuvo ‘gnir.


107. For protection: to various divinities.

[Çaṁtāti.—caturṛcam. viçvajiddevatyam. ānuṣṭubham.]

Found also in Pāipp. xix. Reckoned by Kāuç. (9. 2) to the bṛhachānti gaṇa; and used (50. 13), with vi. 1. 3-7, etc., in a rite for welfare. The metrical definition of the Anukr. is forced and bad; although the number of syllables is each time not far from 32 (29-33).

Translated: Griffith, i. 303.


1. O all-conqueror (viçvajít), commit me to rescuer; O rescuer, protect both all our bipeds, and whatever quadrupeds are ours.

Ppp. begins trāyamāṇe sarvavide mām; it omits nas before rakṣa in the refrain. All the beings addressed are doubtless female; the comm. has nothing to say in explanation of them otherwise than that they are divinities so named.


2. O rescuer, commit me to all-conqueror; O all-conqueror, protect both all etc. etc.

Ppp. has sarvavide instead of viçvajite. The comm. prefixes viçvajit at the beginning.


3. O all-conqueror, commit me to beauty; O beauty, protect both all etc. etc.

Ppp. has sarvavid viçvavid instead of viçvajit at the beginning.


4. O beauty, commit me to all-possessor; O all-possessor, protect both all etc. etc.

Ppp. reads trāyamāṇāyāi instead of sarvavíde, and rakṣata instead of no rakṣa. Sarvavíd might, of course, mean 'all-knower.'


108. For wisdom.

[Cāunaka.—pañcarcam. medhādevatyam: 4. āgneyī. ānuṣṭubham; 2. urobṛhatī; 3. pathyābṛhatī.]

Pāipp. xix. has vss. 1, 2, 5, thus reducing the hymn to the norm of this book. Found used in Kāuç. (10. 20), with vi. 53 ⌊so the comm.: but Dārila understands xii. 1. 53 as intended⌋, in the medhājanana ceremony; and also (57. 28) in the upanayana, with worship of Agni.

Translated: Muir, i2 255; Griffith, i. 304.