# Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book VII

Book VII.
⌊The seventh book is made up mostly of hymns of one verse or of two verses. No other one of the books i.-xviii. contains such hymns. Book vii. is thus distinguished from all the others of the three grand divisions (to wit, books i.-vii., books viii.-xii., and books xiii.-xviii.) of the Atharvan collection, and constitutes the close of the first of those divisions. If we consider the facts set forth in the paragraphs introductory to the foregoing books (see pages 1, 37, 84, 142, 220, 281, and especially 142), it appears that this division is made up of those seven books in which the number—normal or prevalent—of verses to a hymn runs from one to eight. Or, in tabular form, division one consists of
| Books | vii. | vi. | i. | ii. | iii. | iv. | v., | having for |
| Verse-norm: | 1 or 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | respectively |
In the Berlin edition, the book contains one hundred and eighteen hymns: of these, fifty-six are of 1 verse each, and twenty-six are of 2 verses each; while of the remaining thirty-six
| There are in this book | 10 | 11 | 3 | 4 | | 3 | 1 | 1 | hymns, |
| Containing respectively | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 11 | verses. |
The 11-versed hymn is 73; the 9-versed is 50; the 8-versed are 26, 56, 97; the 7-versed are 53, 60, 109; the 6-versed are 20, 76, 81, 82. The whole book has been translated by Victor Henry, Le livre VII de l'Atharva-Véda traduit et commenté, Paris, 1892.⌋
⌊As the Major Anukramaṇī speak.s of book vi. as the tṛca-sūkta-kāṇḍa, tṛca-prakṛti, so it speaks of book vii. as the eka-rca-sūkta-kāṇḍa. Presumably, therefore, we are to regard the 1-versed hymn as the "norm" of the book, although the 2-versed hymn is undeniably "prevalent."⌋ ⌊See p. cxlix.⌋
⌊The book is divided into ten anuvāka-groups. These, with the number of hymns in each group and the number of verses in each group, are here given:
| Anuvāka: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Hymns: | 13 | 9 | 16 | 13 | 8 | 14 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 16 |
| Verses: | 28 | 22 | 31 | 30 | 25 | 42 | 31 | 24 | 21 | 32 |
| Hymn- number | | Page |
| VII. Book the seventh |||
| 1 | Mystic | 389 |
| 2 | Of Atharvan | 390 |
| 3 | Mystic | 390 |
| 4 | To the wind-god with his steeds | 391 |
| 5 | Mystic: on the offering or sacrifice | 391 |
| 6 | Praise of Aditi | 392 |
| 7 | Praise of the Ādityas | 394 |
| 8 | For some one's success | 394 |
| 9 | Praise and prayer to Pūshan | 395 |
| 10 | To Sarasvatī | 395 |
| 11 | Against injury to the grain by lightning | 396 |
| 12 | For success in the assembly | 396 |
| 13 | Against one's foes | 397 |
| 14 | Prayer and praise to Savitar | 398 |
| 15 | Prayer to Savitar | 399 |
| 16 | Prayer to Savitar (or Brihaspati) | 399 |
| 17 | Prayer to Dhatar for blessings | 399 ​ |
| 18 | For rain, etc. | 400 |
| 19 | For progeny, etc. | 401 |
| 20 | Praise and prayer to Anumati | 402 |
| 21 | In praise of the sun | 403 |
| 22 | To the sun (?) | 403 |
| 23 | Against ill conditions and beings | 404 |
| 24 | To various gods | 404 |
| 25 | Praise to Vishṇu and Varuṇa | 404 |
| 26 | Praise and prayer to Vishṇu | 405 |
| 27 | Prayer and praise to Iḍā | 407 |
| 28 | Of the instruments of offering | 407 |
| 29 | To Agni and Vishṇu | 408 |
| 30 | For successful anointing | 409 |
| 31 | To Indra: for aid | 409 |
| 32 | Homage to Soma (?) | 409 |
| 33 | For blessings: to various gods | 410 |
| 34 | To Agni: against enemies | 410 |
| 35 | Against a rival (woman) | 411 |
| 36 | Husband and wife to one another | 411 |
| 37 | The wife to the husband | 412 |
| 38 | To win and fix a man's love: with a plant | 412 |
| 39 | In praise of Sarasvant (?) | 414 |
| 40 | Prayer and praise to Sarasvant | 414 |
| 41 | To the heavenly falcon (the sun) | 415 |
| 42 | To Soma and Rudra | 415 |
| 43 | Of speech (?) | 416 |
| 44 | Extolling Indra and Vishṇu | 416 |
| 45 | To cure jealousy | 416 |
| 46 | To Sinīvālī (goddess of the new moon) | 417 |
| 47 | To Kuhū (goddess of the new moon) | 418 |
| 48 | To Rākā (goddess of the full moon) | 418 |
| 49 | To the spouses of the gods | 419 |
| 50 | For success with dice | 419 |
| 51 | For protection by Brihaspati and Indra | 421 |
| 52 | For harmony | 422 |
| 53 | For some one's health and long life | 423 |
| 54 | Extolling verse and chant | 424 |
| 55 | To Indra (?) | 425 |
| 56 | Against poison of snakes and insects | 425 |
| 57 | Prayer to Sarasvatī etc. | 427 |
| 58 | Invitation to Indra and Varuṇa | 427 |
| 59 | Against cursers | 428 |
| 60 | To the home: on returning or leaving | 428 |
| 61 | For success of penance | 430 |
| 62 | To Agni: against enemies | 430 |
| 63 | To Agni: for aid | 431 |
| 64 | Against evil influence of a black bird | 431 |
| 65 | To the plant apāmārgá: for cleansing | 432 |
| 66 | For recovery of sacred knowledge (brā́hmaṇa) | 432 |
| 67 | For recovery of sense, etc. | 433 |
| 68 | Praise and prayer to Sarasvatī | 433 |
| 69 | Prayer for good fortune | 434 |
| 70 | Against an enemy's sacrifice | 434 |
| 71 | To Agni: for protection | 435 ​ |
| 72 | With an oblation to Indra | 436 |
| 73 | With a heated offering to the Açvins | 437 |
| 74 | Against apacíts: against jealousy: to Agni | 439 |
| 75 | Praise and prayer to the kine | 440 |
| 76 | Against apacíts and jāyā́nya: etc. | 441 |
| 77 | To the Maruts | 443 |
| 78 | To Agni: in favor of some one | 444 |
| 79 | To Amāvāsyā (night or goddess of new moon) | 444 |
| 80 | To the night or goddess of full moon (pāurṇamāsī́) | 445 |
| 81 | To the sun and moon | 446 |
| 82 | Praise and prayer to Agni | 448 |
| 83 | For release from Varuṇa's fetters | 449 |
| 84 | To Agni: and to Indra | 451 |
| 85 | Invocation of Tārkshya | 452 |
| 86 | Invocation of Indra | 452 |
| 87 | Homage to Rudra | 452 |
| 88 | Against poison | 453 |
| 89 | To Agni and the waters | 453 |
| 90 | To destroy some one's virile power | 454 |
| 91 | To Indra: for aid | 455 |
| 92 | To Indra: for aid | 456 |
| 93 | For Indra's aid | 456 |
| 94 | For Indra's help to unanimity | 456 |
| 95 | A spell against some one | 457 |
| 96 | For quiet kidneys (?) | 457 |
| 97 | Accompanying an offering | 458 |
| 98 | With an oblation to Indra | 460 |
| 99 | When bestrewing the védi | 460 |
| 100 | Against bad dreams | 461 |
| 101 | As to food enjoyed in a dream | 461 |
| 102 | Accompanying self-relief | 461 |
| 103 | For betterment | 462 |
| 104 | Concerning Atharvan's cow | 462 |
| 105 | An exhortation to holy life | 462 |
| 106 | Deprecation for offenses | 463 |
| 107 | To relieve a stinging pain | 463 |
| 108 | Against enemies: to Agni | 463 |
| 109 | ⌊For success with the dice⌋ | 464 |
| 110 | To Indra and Agni: for help | 466 |
| 111 | To a soma-vessel | 467 |
| 112 | For release from guilt and distress | 467 |
| 113 | Against a (woman) rival: with a plant | 467 |
| 114 | Against enemies | 468 |
| 115 | Against ill luck | 468 |
| 116 | Against intermittent fever | 469 |
| 117 | Invitation to Indra | 470 |
| 118 | When arming a warrior | 470 |