Kāṇḍa 4 — Charms, philosophical hymns

Eastward at first the prayer was generated : Vena disclosed bright flashes from the summit,

Let this Queen come in front, her Father's daughter, found in the worlds for earliest generation. For him they set this radiant vault in motion. Let them prepare warm milk for him who first would drink.

He who was born as his all-knowing kinsman de-

For he, true to the law of Earth and Heaven, esta-

He from the depth hath been reborn for ever, Bri-

The sage and poet verily advanceth the statute of

The man who seeks the friend of Gods, Atharvan the father, and Brihaspati, with worship, Crying to him, Be thou all things' creator I the wise God, self-dependent, never injures.

Giver of breath, giver of strength and vigour,

Who by his grandeur hath become sole ruler of all

To wliom both hosts embattled) look with longing,

Whose is the mighty earth and spacious heaven, and

Whose, through his might, are all the Snowy Moun-

The deathless Waters, born in Law, receiving, pro-

Atharvan : the ancient priest who is said to have been the first who obtamed fire, now associated with the Gods in heaven. The wise Gad: Agni. Skilled in all lore is Agui, he whom erst Atharvan brought to life (9igveda X. 21. 5).

In the beginning, generating offspring, the Waters brought an embryo into being ; And even as it siNrang to life it bad a covering of gold.

THE MYMFS OF {BOOK 17.

We dig thee from the earth, the Plant which streng*

Let Ushas and let Sdrya rise^ let this the speech I utter rise. Let the strong male Fraj&pati arise with manly energy.

Slack he thy bowstring : a figurative expression for : may thy power of striking thy prey be enfeebled. Tkt wild beast : not the tiger, but some smaller rapacious animal.

The first hemistich is addressed to the animal : If thy mouth is shut, open it not ; if it is open to attack thy prey do not (bite and) dose it. Cf. VI. 56. 1.; X. 4. 8. The second hemistich is addressed to the amulet or charm which is to crush the tiger. Indra'a and Soma*$ child : probably some poisonous herb, deriving its growth from Soma the King of Plants and its destructive power from the mightiest God

Thb Bull who hath a thousand horns, who rises up

Over the surface of the earth there breathes no wind^ there looks no eye. Lull all the wt>men, lull the dogs ta sleep,, with Indra as tby friend!

&€N^9iutt» .* the celestial Bird ; the Sun, who is considered as es- pecially instrumental in counteracting the effects of poison. See Big- Teda I. 191. 10. There is probablj a play on the ifox^B garutmdn and gj^ to swallow,

Eiach nK>ving' thing hare I secured, have held and hold the eye and breath. Each limb and member have I seized ia the deep, darkness of the night.

The man who sits, the man who walks, whoever etaacls

Sleep mother, let the father sleep, sleep dog,

With soporific charm, O Sleep, lull thou to slumber

Thy diggers are emasculate, emasculate^ O Plant, art thou. The rugged mountain that produced this poison ia emasculate.

So may this water guard us on the bank of VarapdvatL Therein hath Amrit been infused : with that I ward thy poison off.

Weak is the poison of the East, weak is the poisoa

When he hath made of thee a cake^ broad, steaming,.

Intoxicaterl like a shaft we make thy spirit fly away,. Like a pot boiling on the fire, we with our word

We set arouDd thee with the spell as 'twere a gather-

For coverings men have bartered thee, for skins of

None have attained to those of old, those who

0 Plant : the name of the plant from which the poison was ex- tracted is not given. Many of the wild races who inhabit the hill» and forests of India poison the arrows with which they kill tigers and other beasts of prey, and they appear to be acquainted with many jungle plants which serve their purpose.

The Being lays the sap of life in beings : he hatl^ become the sovran Lord of creatures.

Come forward, turn not back in scorn, strong guardian, slayer of thy foes. Approach, O gladdeuer of thy friends. The Gods have blessed and strengthened thee.

All waited on him as he came to meet them. He

Stride forth to heaven's broad regions, thou, a tiger

A gathered armament : the spell aots like a body of soldiers encom- passing the plant and preventing it from doing harm.

For coverings : pavdstats ; in Bigveda X. 27. 7, the word in the dual means the * two eanopies,' heaven and earth.

This stanza, recurring in V. 6. 2, has no meaning here, and ia evidently an interpolation*

Approach ! thou art the mountain's eye, the living

Thou art the safeguard of the men, thou art the safe-

Thou, also. Salve ! art a defence that rends and

Whomso thou creepest over, Salve ! member by

No imprecation reaches him, no magic, no torment-

From lying speech, from evil dream, from wicked act

I, knowing this, O Salve, will speak the very truth

Three are the slaves that serve the Salve, Fever,

Sprung from the Snowy Mountain's side, this Oint-

If thou art from the Three-peaked hill or hast thy name from Yamun^

Child of the wind and firmament, sprung from the

Shell that wast born from out the sea, set at the

We stay disease and indigence, and chase Saddnvds

Bom in the heaven, sprung from the sea, brought to

From ocean sprang the Amulet, from Vritra sprang

From Soma wait thou bom : indirectly ; libations of Soma juice cause the rain to fall, and the rain produces the shell. On the car : in the Bigveda the chariot of the Sun is decked with pearl (I. 35. 4) ; and horses' trappings are sometimes adorned with it (VII. 18. 23, and X. 68. 11). May it prolong : this abrupt change of the personal pro- noun is not uncommon in the Veda.

The second hemistich, which seems out of place here, is taken,

Fever : see I. 25. 2. Consumption : btildsah : apparently a kind of pakshma ; a wasting disease ; consumptive expectoration : see Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 385. Triple-peaked : trikakUd ; a high mountain in the Himsilaya ; the modem Trikiita : see Zimmer A. I. L. p. 30.

Thou art the healer, making whole, the healer of the

Whatever bone of thine within thy body hath been

With marrow be thy marrow joined, thy limb united

Let marrow close with marrow, let skin grow united

Join thou together hair with hair, join thou together

Arise, advance, speed forth: the car hath goodly

If he be torn and shattered, having fallen into a pit,

Pourings of the Ox : meaning, apparently, the libations poured from the Caldron, and the consequent blessings. Seven RUkU : Qotama, Bharadvllja, Viavamitra, Jamadagni, Vasishtha, Kasyapa, and Atri, ^tecording to the Satapatha-Br&hma^. Other names are given by •other authorities.

The plougher and the Ox : the priest and the caldron. Honeyed leverage : the sweet libation.

Is milked : the reference is to the three daily sacrifices.

Gods, raise again the man whom ye, 0 Gods, have humbled and brought low.

DhAtar : the God who ordains, establishes, fixes, and preserves.

Hither, O Wind, blow healing balm, blow every

May the Gods keep and save this man, the Maruts'

I am come nigh to thee with balms to give thee rest

This and the following stanza seem to be out of place here. The tkUled leech : ribh^ ; clever, expert, a skilful workman, meaning here a surgeon. Or the meaning may be : Let him (the God) join limb with limb as joins a smith the portions of a car.

The tongue that leads the voice precedes. Then with

The Goat was verily produced from Agni. Through

Bearing in hands seethed viands, go with Agni to

From earth's high ridge to middle air I mounted,

Mounting the sky they look not round ; they rise to

First among all the deities, come forward, thou who

With milk and butter I anoint the mighty, celestial

Set the Goat's head toward the eastern region, and

Set the Goat's backbone upmost in the zenith, and

O'er the dressed Goat lay a dressed skin to robe him

Let all the misty regions fly together, let all the

Let them show forth, the strong, the bounteous

Cause us who sing to see the gathering vapours : out

Apart, ParJAnyal. let the treops of Maruts, roarings

Up from the sea lift your dread might, ye Maruts.r

Celestial : regarded as divine as soon as he is selected for sacrifice. Strong-winged : prepared to pass rapidly to heaven.

The springs : the fountains of heaven. Coiling serpents : ajagards : literally, * goat-swallowers ; ' pythons; long fantastic-shaped of cloud.

Roar, thunder, set the sea in agitation^ bedew the ground with thy sweet rain, Parj^nya I Send plenteous showers on him. who seeketh shelter, and let the owner of lean.kine gp homeward.

In the second hemistich the victim is addressed. The sacrificed animal is immediately transported to heaven. Similarly the Horse is

May be who hath become the plants' high regent,

Sending up waters from the flood and ocean Prajft-

Our Father, Lord divine pouring the torrents. Let

They who lay quiet for a year, the Br&hmans who

Speak forth a welcome, female frog! Do thou,

Khapvakhft, hoi Khaimakhft, hoi Thou in the

Lift up the mighty cask and pour down water : let

The mighty Kuler of these worlds beholds as though

If a man stands or walks or moves in secret, goes to

This earth, too, is King Varupa's possession, and the

If one should flee afar beyond the heaven. King

All this the royal Varuija beholdeth, all between

Those fatal snares of thine which stand extended,.

Varu^a, snare him with a hundred nooses ! Man's

Varu^a sends, and drives away, diseases : Varu^a is

I bind and hold thee fast with all these nooses, thou

Khanvakkdj KhaimvkhA (onomatopoetic words), and Taduri are names of frogs.

Wb seize and hold tbee, Conquering One ! the queen of medicines that heal.

Still conquering, banishing the curse, mighty, with

She who hath cursed us with a curse, or hath con-

What magic they have wrought for thee in dish un-

111 dream and wretchedness of life, Rdkshasa, monster,

Death caused by famine, caused by thirst, failure of

Death caused by thirst, death caused by stress of

The Ap^mSrga is alone the sovran of all Plants that

The nK)on]igbt equalleth the sun, night is the rival

Gods ! if one make and bring a spell on some man's^

When one puts poison in a dish of unbaked clay to

Endowed with thousand powers 1 adjure the bald

ApAmdrga : (from mrij\ to cleanse or wipe, with apa + d) Achy- ranthes Aspera, a biennial plant frequently used in incantations, im medicine, in washing linen, and in sacrifices, and still believed to have the power of making men proof against the stings of scorpions. It is. called also par&kpushpiy pralpakpuskpt, and pratyahparnt from the reverted direction of the growth of its leaves, flowers, and fruit. See

We cleanse and wipe away : apa mrijmdhe ; see note on stanza 6»

On thee ; some sick man is addressed.

Thou breakest ties of kith and kin, thou causest, too, relationship :

Thou hast been blessed with blessing by the Brah-

Illumining, as 'twere, with light, thou mo vest at the

Endowed xvith iheusand powers 1 : the plant is addressed. The bald <ind those with necks awry: hairless goblins whose heads are twisted round.

Thy father's name was Cleaver. Thou with thousand

The evil sprang from earth ; it mounts to heaven and

Apdmdrga: the magical plant (Achyranthes Aspera) : see IV. 17. 6. Chronic disease ; kshetriyd ; see II. 8. 1.

Preserve me with a hundred, yea, protect me with a

It sees in front, it sees behind, it sees afar away, - it sees

Through thee, 0 godlike Plant, may I behold all creatures that exist, Three several heavens, three several earths, and l^ese six regions one by one.

The pupil, verily, art thou of that celestial Eagle's eye. On earth hast thou alighted as a weary woman seeks

The God who hath a thousand eyes give me this

Make manifest the forms of things; hide not their

Make me see Y&tudhd^nas, make thou Ydtudb&nis

Thou art the sight of Kasyapa and of the hound who

Thousand aids : with reference to the thousand branches of the plant (stanza 5).

Make that Pis0,eha visible, the fiend who flies ki

Exalt and strengthen this my Prince, O Indra.

Give him a share in village, kine, and horses, and leave his enemy without a portion.

Let him be treasure-lord of goodly treasures, let him

Tht charger o^ertakei them not : they are not, or, according to

The owner of the cows regards them as the deities Bhaga and Indra, the representatives of prosperity and power. They seem a por- tion : their milk is as pleasant and efficacious as Soma juice. They, 0 ye men, are Indra : an imitation of the refrain, * He, 0 ye men,

Supreme art thou, beneath thee are thy rivals,

Budra: see note on I. 19. 3.

I FIX my heart on wise and ancient Agni, the Five Tribes' Lord, in many a place enkindled.

Of Princes : members of the same regal family. Cf. * Give him highest rank among his kinsmen' (I. 9. 3).

I pray to Agni in each act successful, employed

We invoke the oblation-bearer, well-born Agni

In this and the two following stanzas the King is addressed.

Through whom the Gods discovered life eternal,

I, suppliant, praise and ever call on Agni, sole Lord

I THINK of Indra, only him for ever, fiend-slayer.

Who with strong arms overcame his strong oppo-

Ruler of men, finder of light, the hero : the pressing-

The lord of barren cows and bulls and oxen, finder

Whose favour those desire who offer Soma, whom,

Who was born, first, for active operation, whose

Strong Lord, who leadeth hosts to meet for battle, who sendeth riches both of earth and heaven, — I, suppliant, praise and ever call on Indra. May he deliver us from grief and trouble.

I THINK on VAyu's and Savitar's holy rites, ye twain who penetrate and guard the living world :

Ye who have counted up the earth's expanses, and

Beauteously bright ! men rest in thy dominion when

Hence, Vdyu, Savitar, drive evil action, chase SimidS,

Of their own selves let Savitar and V&yu send

Ye, Savitar and VAyu, to assist us, enjoy the hymn

Like noblest benisons they have stayed in the God- loving man's abode. I glorify bright Savitar and V4yu. Deliver us, ye twain, from grief and trouble.

O Heaven and Earth, I think on you, wise, givers of

Yea, seats and homes are ye of goodly treasures,

I call on you who warm and cause no sorrow, deep,

Ye who maintain Amrit and sacrifices, ye who sup-

Ye by whom cows and forest trees are cherished,

Ye who delight in nectar and in fatness, ye without

The grief that pains me here, whoever caused it,

TBB BTMirS OF {BOOK 17.

I THINK upon the Maruts : may they bless me, may they assist me to this wealth in battle.

Those who surrouad the never-failing fountain for

Bards, who invigorate the milk of miloh-kine, the

They who raised water from the sea to heaven and

They who delight in nectar and in fatness, they

Whether with stormy might the Maruts stablished

Potent in battles is the Maruts' army^ impetuous

You twain, O Mitra, Varu^a, I honour, Law- strengtheners, wise, who drive away oppressors.

Ye the wise Gods who drive away oppressors, ye who protect the truthful in his battles, Who come, men's guards, to juice pressed forth by

Mitra and Varuna who help Agastl, Atri, and Angi-

Mitra and Varuna, who help Sy4v4sva, Atri, and

Ye, Varuna, Mitra, who give aid to Kutsa, Gavish-

Ye, Mitra, Varupa, who help Trisoka, Medh4tithi,

Whose straight-reined car that keeps the track of good-

I TRAVEL with the Rudras and the Vasus, with the

I am the Queen, the gatherer-up of treasures, most

I, verily, myself antiounce and utter the word that

Through me alone all eat the food that feeds them, each

I bend the bow for Rudra that his arrow may strike

I cherish and sustain high-swelling Soma, and

On the world's summit I bring forth the Father :

I breathe a strong breath like the wind and tempest^

Borne on with thee, O Manyn girt by Maputs,

O Manyu, overcome those who assail us. On

Alone of many thou art worshipped, Manyu : sharpen

Unyielding, bringing victory like Indra, O Manyu,

Twin-born with power, destructive bolt of thunder!

For spoil let Varu^a and Mariyu give us the wealth

He who hath reverenced thee, Manyu, destructive bolt !

Manyu was Indra, yea, the God was Manyu ; Manyu

Come hither, Manyu, mightier than the mighty :

For thou art, Manyu, of surpassing vigour, fierce,

I have departed still without a portion, wise God !

Come hither, I am all thine own : advancing, turn

Approach, and on our right hand hold thy station, then let us slay a multitude of foemen. The best of meath I offer to support thee : may we be first to drink thereof in quiet.

As in a ship across the flood, transport us to felicity. His lustre flash our pain away !

The head of this is prayer, its back the Brihati

Boneless, deansed, purified by him who cleansethi

Never doth want or evil fortune visit those who pre-

Yama robs not of generative vigour the men who

Strongest is this, performed, of sacrifices : he hath

Pull lakes of butter with their banks of honey, flow-

I give four pitchers, in four several places, filled to

I part this Odana among the Br&hmans, Vishtdrl,

Odana which Praj4pati, the firstborn of Order, dress- ed with fervour for the Brahman,

Whereby the World-Creators vanquished Mtityu, that which they found by fervour, toil and trouble. That which prayer first made ready for the Brah- man,— I with this Odana will conquer Mrityu.

Prom which the months with thirty spokes were

The oval-fruited : or dndtkam may be a separate plant with egg- shaped fruit or bulbs. Cf. V. 17. 16. Lotus: Mmudam; either the white esculent water-lily or the red lotus whose fruit is also edible. Nenuphar and water-lilies : a substitution for the S&liika, Saphaka, and Mulftlin of the text which seem to be unidentifiable aquatio plants. Thee : the offerer of the oblation.

From which, matured, sprang Amrit into being,

I drive away the hostile God-despiser : far oflF be

Cow to grant all wishes : dhenilh kdmad'dghd ; the mythical Cow of Plenty, fiUfiller of all desires.

TOS ttTMlfS OP [JBOOlt tV.

Endowed with true strength, let the Bull, Agni Vais-

Him who, unharmed, would injure us, and him who,

Those who, what time the moon is dark, hunt with

I conquer the Pisdchas with my power, and take

With Gods who flee with him, and match their rapid

I trouble the Pis&chas as tlie tiger plagues men rich

Naught with Pis^has can I do, with thieves, with

Into whatever village this mine awful power pene-

Those who enrage me with their prate, as flies tor-

Destruction seize upon the man, as with a cord they hold a horse.

With thee, O Plant, in olden time Atharvans smote

With tbee we scare and drive away Grandharvas and

Let the Apsarases, puffed away, go to the river,

Where great trees are, A$vatthas and Nyagrodhas

Hither bath come this one, the most effqctual of herba

Let Ajasringt penetrate, Ar&takl with sharpened bori|*

Thieves . . . roamers of the wood : the mischievous Pis^chas are probably meant.

This mine awful power : which frightens the goblins away.

With their prate : I adopt the reading lapitvd', suggested by Prof.

0 Plant, be thou victorious, crush the PisAchas,

Youthful, completely decked with hair, one monkey- . like, one like a dog, —

Your wives are the Apsarases, and ye, Gandharvas,

Hither I call the Apsaras, victorious, who plays

Hither I call that Apsaras who scatters and who

Dancing around us with the dice, winning the wager

Hither I call that Apsaras, the joyous^ the delight-

Who follow in their course the rays of SiSlrya, or as a

Stanzas 5 — 7, diflTering in metre and unconnected with the object of the charm, are evidently a later addition to the original hymn. They

Together with the Air, O rich in treasure, keep the

Aqni on earth hath had mine homage. May be bless

Earth is the Cow, her calf is Agni. May she with

Vdyu in air hath had mine homage. May he bless me. As I have bowed me down to V4yu in the air, so let

Air is the Cow, her calf is V&yu. May she with her

The San in heaven hath had my homage. May he

Heaven is the Cow, her calf Aditya. May she yield

Your masters^ name hy name : we have jwwer over you (Gandhar- vas or Apsarases) collectively and severally.

The quarters are the Cows, their calf is Chanara.

Agni moves having entered into Agni, the Kishis'

Skilled in all ways, O God, O JAtavedas, I offer what is cleansed by heart and spirit To all thy seven mouths, O J4tavedas. Do thou accept with pleasure my libation.

The Bull supports the wide-spread earth and heaven.

The Bull is Indra: o'er the beasts he watches. He,

Being produced among mankind as Indra, the Caldron

The Ox pours milk out in the world of virtue : in

That which not sacrifice nor sacrificer, not giver nor

May we, fame seekers, reach the world of virtue by

Bone of the Gods : another fanciful origin of the shell containing the pearl or, rather, the mother^f-pearl or nacre.

The middle of the Bullock's neck, there where the

Having entered into Agni : the consecrated fire being taken from the householder's perpetual fire. The JRiahis* son : first produced on eafth by Bishis, as Atharvan, in the olden time. Seven mouths : the seven mouths (tongues or flames) of Agni are frequently mentioned in the Eigveda.

With feet subduing weariness, with legs extracting

Assigned are these twelve nights, they say, as holy

At evening he is milked, is milked at early morn,