# Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book VIII/Hymn 10

10. Extolling the virā́j.
[Atharvācārya.—ṣaṭ paryāyā virāḍdevatyās.]
This curious piece of prose is (with the exception of paragraphs here and there) found also in Pāipp. xvi. ⌊Pāipp. has the order 22, 24, 23, 26, 25.⌋ ⌊This is the first of the paryāya-sūktas. For the paryāya-hymns in general, see introduction to book viii., pages 471-2, above.⌋
⌊Neither Kāuç. nor Vāit. makes use of the hymn; but one of the "committals" in the upanayana (Kāuç. 56. 13) is to mārtyuṁjaya mārtyava: cf. vs. 23.⌋
Translated: Henry, 29, 71; Griffith, i. 421.—See also Muir, v. 370.
1. Virā́j verily was this [universe] in the beginning; of her when born everything was afraid, [thinking] "this one indeed will become this [universe]."
Ppp. reads ‘jāyata for āsīt, and, after tasyās, jātāyā ’bibhed eka sarvam: yam eve ’dam bhaviṣyati na vayam iti.
2. She ascended (ut-kram); she descended (ni-kram) in the householder's fire (gā́rhapatya); house-sacrificing (gṛhamedhín) house-holder ⌊gṛhápati⌋ becometh he who knoweth thus.
This paragraph and the one following are wanting in Ppp.
3. She ascended; she descended in the fire of offering (āhavanī́ya): to his god-invocation the gods go, dear to the gods becometh he who knoweth thus.
The introductory clause só ’d akrāmat, which belongs to the paragraphs from here on to 29 inclusive (8-17 counting in this respect as a single paragraph), is omitted by the mss., according to their custom, almost without exception, until the last paragraph, 29, where all give it; it is restored throughout in our edition. R. alone gives it in this paragraph.
4. She ascended; she descended in the southern ⌊dákṣiṇa⌋ fire: justified (? -ṛtá) by the offering, fit for sacrificial gifts ⌊dakṣiṇī́ya⌋, fit for refuge (vā́sateya) becometh he who knoweth thus.
Our pada-mss. divide yajñártas into yajña॰ṛ́taḥ, which is evidently wrong, for yajñá॰ṛtaḥ ⌊as indeed two of SPP's read⌋; and the quotation of the word under Prāt. iii. 64 also indicates that the latter is the true accent. Ppp. reads instead yajñāntas, and omits after it dakṣiṇīyas.
5. She ascended; she descended in the assembly (sabhā́): [men] go to his assembly, fit for the assembly becometh he who knoweth thus.
6. She ascended; she descended in the gathering (sámiti): [men] go to his gathering, fit for gatherings becometh he who knoweth thus.
This superfluous equivalent of §5 is wanting in Ppp.
7. She ascended; she descended in address (? āmántraṇa); [men] go to his address, fit for address becometh he who knoweth thus.
By the connection, āmántraṇa ought to involve the idea of a locality. Instead of ⌊line 2?⌋, Ppp. repeats yajñānto vāsateyo bhavati etc. from §4.
8. She ascended; she stood striding (? víkrāntā) fourfold in the atmosphere.
The phrase 'she ascended' is prefixed by only one or two of the mss. (P.s.m.R.), but is implied in the metrical description of the Anukr.
9. Of her gods and men said: "she verily knoweth that upon which we of both classes may subsist; let us call to her."
Ppp. reads at the end hvayāmahi (without iti).
10. They called to her:
11. "O refreshment, come! O svadhā́, come! O pleasantness, come! O thou rich in cheer (írā), come!"
Ppp. combines svadhe ’hi and sūnṛte ’hi, and omits iti at the end (as in §9).
12. Of her Indra was the young (vatsá), gāyatrī́ the halter, cloud the udder;
Ppp. begins tasyā ’gnir vat-. Accent in our text, with all the mss., āsīt.
​13. Both bṛhát and rathantará were two teats; both yajñāyajñíya and vāmadevyá [were] two.
Ppp. prefixes a tasyās at the beginning. Accent again in our text ā́stam, with all the mss.
14. Herbs did the gods milk [from her] by rathantará, expansion (vyácas) by bṛhát;
15. Waters by vāmadevyá, the sacrifice by yajñāyajñíya.
16. Herbs doth rathantará milk, expansion doth bṛhát,
17. Waters doth vāmadevyá, the sacrifice doth yajñāyajñíya, for him who knoweth thus.
For the last two paragraphs, Ppp. reads: te vāi virājāḥ kāmadhuga stanā kāmaṁkāmaṁ yajamānan maha yaḥ.
[Paryāya III.—aṣṭāu. a of 18. 4-p. virāḍ anuṣṭubh; b of 18. ārcī triṣṭubh; a of 19-21. 4-p. prājāpatyā pan̄kti; b of 19-21. ārcī bṛhatī.]
18. She ascended; she came to the forest trees; the forest trees slew her; she in a year came into being; therefore what is cut of the forest trees grows over in a year; cut off (vraçc) is his unfriendly foe (bhrā́tṛvya) who knoweth thus.
Only P.s.m. and R. give here the first phrase, and only R. in the three following paragraphs. Ppp. puts vanaspatīnām after saṁvatsare. ⌊For vṛçcáte, see note to vi. 136. 3.⌋
19. She ascended; she came to the Fathers; the Fathers slew her; she in a month came into being; therefore to the Fathers they give in a month the monthly [oblation]; he understandeth the road that goes to the Fathers who knoweth thus.
Again Ppp. puts pitṛbhyas after māsi ⌊R's collation, masi⌋, and then reads dadhatas svadhāvān pitṛṣu bhavati pitṛyāṇaṁ etc. O.R. accent jānā́ti.
20. She ascended; she came to the gods; the gods slew her; she in a half-month came into being; therefore for the gods they make váṣaṭ in a half-month: he understandeth the road that goes to the gods who knoweth thus.
Ppp. reads tasmād ardhamāse devebhyo juhoti: juhoty agnihotraṁ pra devay-. O.K. again accent jānā́ti.
21. She ascended; she came to men (manuṣyà); men slew her; she at once (sadyás) came into being; therefore on both days they present (upa-hṛ) to men; in his house do they present who knoweth thus.
'Present,' i.e. 'food'; 'on both days' is a queer expression for 'every day.' Ppp. is corrupt, but perhaps means ahar-ahar manuṣyāṇām upa h-.
22. She ascended; she came to the Asuras; the Asuras called to her: O illusion (māyā́), come! of her Virochana son of Prahrāda was young (vatsá), the metal-(áyas-)vessel [was] vessel; her Dvimūrdhan son of Ṛitu milked; from her he milked illusion; that illusion the Asuras subsist upon; one to be subsisted on becometh he who knoweth thus.
R. alone gives the first phrase in §§22-28. In this and the following paragraphs to 29 inclusive, the text should accent ā́sīt, with all the mss. Ppp. reads vāirocanas instead of vir-. Single points in these paragraphs find correspondences in MS. iv. (p. 21, l. 14 ff.; p. 36, l. 8 ff.) and in TB. ii. 2. 9$^6$ ff. ⌊cf. i. 5. 9$^2$⌋.
23. She ascended; she came to the Fathers; the Fathers called to her: O svadhā́, come! of her king Yama was young, the silver-vessel [was] vessel; her Antaka son of Mṛityu milked; from her he milked svadhā́; that svadhā́ the Fathers subsist upon: one to be subsisted upon becometh he who knoweth thus.
The saṁhitā-mss. vary a good deal over mārtyavò ‘dhok: P.M. read mārtvyò, R. mārtvyó, E.O.K. mārtyavó, T. mārtyávo; ⌊cf. introd.⌋. Ppp. has instead ādityo; and it omits rājā after yamas; it puts the paragraph after our 24.
24. She ascended; she came to men (manuṣyà); men called to her: O rich in cheer, come! of her Manu son of Vivasvant was young, earth [was] vessel; her Pṛithī son of Vena milked; from her he milked both cultivation (kṛṣí) and grain; upon those two, both cultivation and grain, men subsist; successful by what is cultivated (kṛṣṭá-), one to be subsisted upon, becometh he who knoweth thus.
Té at beginning of d is rendered in accordance with the paragraphs that precede and follow; but the pada-text reads té simply (not té íti), as if it qualified manuṣyā̀s. Ppp. reads pṛthus for pṛthī. An accent-mark has dropped out in our edition under the va of irāvaty in a.
25. She ascended; she came to the seven seers; the seven seers called to her: O rich in bráhman, come! of her king Soma was young, meter [was] vessel; her Brihaspati son of An̄giras milked; from her he milked both bráhman and penance; upon that, both bráhman and penance, the seven seers subsist; possessed of bráhman-splendor, one to be subsisted upon, becometh he who knoweth thus.
Ppp. puts this paragraph after our 26, and omits rājā after somas in b.
26. She ascended; she came to the gods; the gods called to her: O refreshment, come! of her Indra was young, the bowl [was] vessel; ​her god Savitar milked; from her he milked refreshment; upon that refreshment the gods subsist; one to be subsisted upon becometh he who knoweth thus.
Ppp. reads dārupātram instead of camasas in b, and omits devas in c.
27. She ascended; she came to the Gandharvas and Apsarases; the Gandharvas and Apsarases called to her: O thou of sweet (púṇya) odor, come! of her Chitraratha son of Sūryavarchas was young, the blue-lotus leaf [was] vessel; her Vasuruchi son of Sūryavarchas milked; from her he milked sweet odor; upon that sweet odor the Gandharvas and Apsarases subsist; of sweet odor, one to be subsisted upon, becometh he who knoweth thus.
Ppp. has kāuvero vāiçravano ⌊cf. our 28 b⌋ and dārupātraṁ in b, and rājatanābhiḥ kāuverako ⌊cf. our 28 c⌋ in c. Restore in our text the lost accent-mark under the ti of jīvanti in d.
28. She ascended; she came to the other-folks; the other-folks called to her: O concealment (tirodhā́), come! of her Kubera son of Viçravaṇa was young, the raw vessel [was] vessel; her Rajatanābhi son of Kubera milked; from her he milked concealment; upon that concealment the other-folks subsist: he concealeth all evil, becometh one to be subsisted upon, who knoweth thus.
Ppp. gives everywhere puṇyajana instead of itarajana ⌊twice: third occurrence not noted⌋, and reads in b vasuruciḥ sūryavarcaso and puṣkaraparṇaṁ ⌊cf. our 27 b⌋. P.p.m. and K. read kúveras in b, and Bp.K. read kāverakás in c.
29. She ascended; she came to the serpents; the serpents called to her: O poisonous one, come! of her Takshaka descendant of Viçāla was young, the gourd-vessel [was] vessel; her Dhṛitarāshṭra son of Irāvant milked; from her he milked poison; upon that poison the serpents subsist; one to be subsisted upon becometh he who knoweth thus.
All the mss. give the first phrase in this verse, where it is for the last time repeated. Āirā॰vatáḥ is quoted under Prāt. iv. 55 as an example of a word divided in the pada-text notwithstanding its secondary formation with initial vṛddhi. Ppp. reads viṣābhayas for vāiçāleyas in b, and combines -rāṣṭrāi ”rāv- in c ⌊R's collation has -răṣṭrāirāv-⌋.
[Paryāya VI.—catuṣkas. 30. 2-p. virāḍ gāyatrī; 31. 2-p. sāmnī triṣṭubh; 32. 2-p. prājāpatyā ’nuṣṭubh; 33. 2-p. ārcy uṣṇih.]
30. Then for whomsoever that knoweth thus one shall pour out with a gourd, he should reject [it].
A gourd, apparently, being a too simple vessel to be respectful. ⌊The connection of the gourd with serpents (vss. 29, 32, 33), would seem to be the reason for rejection, as Dr. Ryder suggests.⌋ The readings of Ppp. in this division of the hymn are "confused but apparently essentially accordant" with those of our text. Read tád for yád at the beginning in our text.
​31. Should he not reject [it], he should reject [it] by [thinking]: with the mind I reject thee.
32. In that he rejects [it], he thus rejects poison.
33. Poison is poured out after the unfriendly foe of him who knoweth thus.
⌊The quotations from the Old Anukr. for the paryāya-sūkta are given piecemeal at the end of each paryāya. For brevity they may here be given together: I. trayodaça; II. daça; III. aṣṭāu ca; IV. tataḥ ṣoḍça; V. ṣoḍaça; VI. catuṣkas.⌋
⌊SPP., "Critical Notice," vol. i., p. 19, prints them in full in their metrical form:
trayodaça daçā ’ṣṭāu ca tataḥ ṣoḍaça ṣoḍaça: virāḍvāyāṁ catuṣkas tu; ṣaṭ paryāyās tu niçcitāḥ;
'In the [hymn beginning] "virāḍ vā" (vāi), [the last paryāya is] one of four [avasāna-rcas]; while the paryāyas count six.']
[The summations of gaṇas and (gaṇa-)avasāna-rcas are as follows: I. g., 6; av., 13; II. av., 10; III. g., 4; av., 8; IV. g-., 4; av., 16; V. av., 4; av., 16; VI. av., 4.—Total of av., 67.⌋
⌊Here ends the fifth anuvāka, with 2 hymns and 59 verses: that is 1 artha-sūkta of 26 verses and 1 paryāya-sūkta with 6 paryāyas and 33 verses.⌋
⌊Some mss. sum up the hymns and verses correctly. Thus D. reckons 30 sūktas (that is 24 of the decad-divisions of our hymns 1-9, plus 6 paryāya-sūktas of our h. 10) with 226 verses (i.e. in our hymns 1-9) plus 67 avasāna-rcas. Similarly ms. l. makes 30 hymns; but 259 verses (i.e. 226, plus the 33 of our h. 10).⌋
⌊Here ends the nineteenth prapāṭhaka.⌋