Page:Atharva-Veda samhita.djvu/563

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393
TRANSLATION AND NOTES. BOOK VII.
-vii. 6

water, comm.) with the direction iti taraṇāny ālambhayati; and again, at 79. 3, in the marriage ceremonies of the fourth day, with the direction iti talpam ālambhayati. Further, the second verse is associated with the third and fourth (properly a separate hymn, 7) at 71. 23, in the rites for preparing the house-fire, and at 86. 26, in the pitṛnidhāna ceremony, in each case in connection with embarking on a boat (and both times our second verse is quoted after the others). In Vāit. (6. 11), the first verse (or first and second?) is quoted as used, with other verses, at the end of the agnyādheya ceremony, and verse 3 (11. 11), or properly hymn 7, in the agniṣṭoma, when the sacrificer is made to sit down on the black-antelope skin; and further (29. 20), verse 4 in the agnicayana, with the offering of oblations called, from the first words of the verse, the vājaprasavīyahomas.

Translated: Ludwig, p. 533; Henry, 3, 51; Griffith, i. 330.—Cf. also Bloomfield, ZDMG. xlviii. 552.


1. Aditi [is] heaven, Aditi atmosphere, Aditi mother, she father, she son; all the gods [are] Aditi, the five races (jána); Aditi [is] what is born, Aditi what is to be born.

This verse is, without variation, RV. i. 89. 10 (also VS. xxv. 23; TA. i. 13. 2; MS. iv. 14. 4); only RV. (in F. M. Müller's editions: but probably by an error) divides the last word jáni-tvam in the pada-text, while AV., more correctly, leaves it undivided.


2. We call for aid verily on the great mother of them of good courses, the spouse of righteousness (ṛtá), on her of mighty authority, not growing old, wide-spreading, on the well-sheltering, well-conducting Aditi.

The verse is also VS. xxi. 5, and is found further in TS. (i. 5. 115), MS. (iv. 10. 1), K. (xxx. 4, 5), (ÇÇS. (ii. 2. 14), their only variant being (in all) huvema for havāmahe at end of b; and Ppp. has the same.


3 (7. 1). The well-preserving earth, the unenvious sky, the well-sheltering, well-conducting Aditi, the well-oared ship of the gods, unleaking, may we, guiltless, embark on in order to well-being.

This verse is also RV. x. 63. 10 (and VS. xxi. 6; TS. i. 5. 115; MS. iv. 10. 1; K. ii. 3 ⌊cf. MGS. i. 13. 16, and p. 157⌋), which (as also the others) reads ánāgasam at end of c. It and the preceding verse are associated in VS.TS.MS., and are so closely kindred in application and expression that, numbered as they are as successive verses in Bp., and lacking the usual sign of the end of a hymn after vs. 2, we naturally enough regarded them as belonging to one continuous hymn. The verse lacks but one syllable of a full jagatī. ⌊In c, Ppp. has suvidatrām (a faulty reminiscence of sv-aritrām) anāgasam.


4 (7. 2). Now, in the impulse of might (vā́ja), will we commemorate (? karāmahe) with utterance (vácas) the great mother, Aditi by name, whose lap is the broad atmosphere; may she confirm to us thrice-defending protection.

The first half-verse is found also in VS. (ix. 5 b), TS. (i. 7. 71), MS. (i. 11. 1), without variant; the second half-verse, common to them all, is totally different from ours. A whole series of VS. verses begin with vājasya prasava- (ix. 23-25 etc.): Weber (Vājapeya, p. 796 ff.) renders "Zeuger der Kraft." All the pada-mss. read in c upá॰