# Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book V/Hymn 5

5. To a healing plant, lākṣā.
[Atharvan.—navakam. lākṣikam. ānuṣṭubham.]
Found also in Pāipp. vi. (in the verse-order 1, 2, 4, 5, 3, 7, 6, 8, 9). Not textually quoted by Kāuç., but doubtless intended, as pointed out by the schol., in the lākṣālin̄gās of 28. 14, as employed in a healing rite for flesh-wounds.
Translated: Zimmer, p. 67; Grill, 10, 142; Griffith, i. 195; Bloomfield, 20, 419; Weber, xviii. 181.
1. Night [is thy] mother, cloud (nábhas) [thy] father, Aryaman thy grandfather; silācī́, verily, by name art thou; thou art sister of the gods.
Ppp. has for c çilādī nāma vā ’si. The last pāda is found also below as vi. 100. 3 b; and cf. vii. 46. 1 b.
2. He who drinketh thee liveth; thou rescuest a man (púruṣa); for thou art a sustainer (bhartrī́) of all, and a hiding-place (? nyáñcanī) of people.
'Of all,' (çaçvatām, lit. 'of constant ones,' i.e. of as many as constantly come to thee. Ppp. reads dhartrī ca for bhartrī hi in c, and, for d, çaçvatām bhyatvaṁcanī.
3. Tree after tree thou climbest, like a lustful girl; conquering, standing by (? pratyā-sthā), winner (spáraṇī) verily by name art thou.
Ppp. reads, for d, saṁjayā nāma vā ’si.
4. If (yát) by a staff, if by an arrow, or if by flame (? háras) a sore is made, of that thou art relief; relieve thou this man.
The two examples of niṣ before k are quoted under Prāt. ii. 65. Ppp. reads in c, d: asi bhīṣajī niṣkṛtir nāma vā ’si: cf. 6 d below.
5. Out of the excellent plakṣá thou arisest, out of the açvatthá, the khadirá, the dhavá, the excellent banyan (nyagródha), the parṇá; do thou come to us, O arundhatī́.
These are names of various trees. Ppp. combines ne ’hi in d.
6. Thou gold-colored, fortunate, sun-colored one, of most wondrous forms; mayest thou go to the hurt (? rutá), O relief; relief, verily, by name art thou.
Vapuṣṭame (p. vapuḥ-tame) is quoted as an example under Prāt. ii. 83. In c, P. reads ruttám, and H. (and Bp.?) ṛtám; it might be from root ru 'cry out': 'come to our call.' Ppp. reads at the beginning hiraṇyabāhū, and, for d, se ’maṁ niṣkṛdhi pāuruṣam (thus exchanging 4 d and 6 d).
7. Thou gold-colored, fortunate, vehement (? çúṣmā), hairy-bellied one—sister of the waters art thou, O lākṣā; the wind was thy soul.
Lākṣā is not elsewhere met with as name or epithet of a plant: the Anukr. takes it as the principal name: pūrveṇa [sūktena] lākṣām astāut. Ppp. reads yuvate for subhage in a. ⌊Cf. Pischel, Ved. Stud. i. 178; Bloomfield, ZDMG. xlviii. 574.⌋
8. Silācī́ by name—thy father, O goat-brown one, is a maid's son; Yama's horse that is dark brown (çyāvá)—with its mouth (? blood ?) art thou sprinkled.
The first line is translated in accordance with the text as it stands; Grill emends to kānīnā́ ’jábabhruḥ ⌊accent, Gram. §1268: ájababhru could only be vocative⌋. The pada-text reads āsnā́ in d ⌊SPP. asnā́⌋, but asnáḥ in 9 a; the translation implies ās- in both; Grill understands as- both times. Ppp. has for a, b ghṛtācī nāma kānīno ’ta babhrū pitā tava.
9. Fallen from the horse's mouth, she invaded the trees; having become a winged brook (? sarā́), do thou come to us, O arundhatī́.
BR. ⌊iv. 40J⌋ take a to mean 'coagulated from the horse's blood,' understanding asnás, with the pada-text. With c compare RV. x. 97. 9 (VS. xii. 83) strā́ḥ patatríṇīḥ sihana (TS. iv. 2. 6$^2$ and MS. ii. 7. 13 read sarā́ḥ instead). The word siṣyade (p. sisyade) comes under Prāt. ii. 91, 103; iv. 82, 124. In the printed text, sápatitā is a misprint for sámp-. ⌊Ppp. has for b sā parṇam abhiçuṣyataḥ and combines ne ’hi in d.⌋
The first anuvāka, 5 hymns and 48 verses, ends here. The quoted Anukr. says dviṣaḍbhir ādyaḥ (i.e. twice six short of 60 verses).