# Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book IX/Hymn 5

5. With the offering of a goat and five rice-dishes.
⌊Partly prose—"vss." 16, 20-22, 31-36; also considerable parts of 23-30.⌋ Found for the most part also in Pāipp., but not all together, nor even all in the same book; the greater part of the vss. (1, 3-6, 8, 7, 11, 9, 12, 10, 13-15, 19-21, 23, 24, 2) occur in xvi.; vss. 16, 17, 37 (part) in iii.; vss. 27, 28 in viii.; vss. 24-26, 31-36 are represented by similar, but briefer and very corrupt material, in xvi.; vss. 18, 22, 37 (part), 38 are wanting ⌊apparently also 29-30⌋. Three of the verses are quoted in Vāit., and more in Kāuç.: see under the verses.
Translated: Muir, v. 304-6 (parts); Ludwig, p. 435; Henry, 93, 133; Griffith, i. 442.
1. Conduct him hither; take hold; let him go, foreknowing, unto the world of the well-doing; crossing the great darknesses variously, let the goat step unto the third firmament (nā́ka).
Ppp. has, in c, vipaçyaṁ for mahānti: cf. our 3 c. The first six verses of the hymn are quoted in their order in Kāuç. 64. 6-16 (vs. 1 also in 64. 27) in connection with the bringing in, slaughtering, and cooking of a goat; vss. 1 and 2 also in Vāit. 10. 14, 15, in connection with the sacrifice of an animal. This verse is called by the Anukr. simply a triṣṭubh, although its first half is very irregular (8 + 13).
2. I lead thee about as portion for Indra, as patron (sūrí) for the sacrificer at this sacrifice; whoever hate us, them take hold after; innocent (ánāgas) [are] the sacrificer's heroes.
The verse in Ppp. (as noted above) follows what corresponds to our vs. 24, and has, for a, b, ind. bh. çamitā kṛṇotvaṁ yajña yajñapatiç ca sūriḥ; and, for d, ariṣṭā vīrā yajamānāç ca sarve.
3. Away from his foot wash thou down the evil walk that he walked (car); with cleansed hoofs let him step on, foreknowing; crossing the darknesses, variously looking abroad let the goat step unto the third firmament.
Or padás in a may be accus. pl.; the redundancy of the pāda, in sense and meter, is an indication of intrusion; but the mode of its reduction to proper shape is not obvious, and Ppp. gives no help. Ppp. has, instead of our c, d, te jyotiṣmantaṁ sukṛtāl lokam īpsan tṛtīye nāke adhi vikramasva.
4. Cut along this skin with the dark [metal], O slaughterer, joint by joint with the knife (así); do not plot against [him]; do not be hostile to [him]; prepare him joint-wise; set him up apart in the third firmament.
Ppp. has, for d, sukṛtām madhye adhi vi çraye ’mam. The Anukr. weakly calls the verse a jagatī, although it is a triṣṭubh with three redundant syllables (doubtless çyāména or viçastar) in a. The pada-text divides paru॰çaḥ, by Prāt. iv. 19.
​5. With a verse I set the kettle upon the fire; pour thou on the water; set him down; set [him] about with fire, ye quellers; when cooked, let him go where is the world of the well-doing.
Ppp. has instead, for a, bhūmyāṁ bhūmim adhi dhārayāmi; and, in b, abhi for ava. The successive parts of the verse are quoted in Kāuç. 64. 11-15, to accompany corresponding acts. The Anukr. does not heed the redundant syllable in d.
6. Step up from here, if thou hast been completely heated, from the heated pot on to the third firmament; thou, a fire, hast come into being out of fire; conquer [thy way] unto that world of light.
The translation of a implies the emendation to átapthās, which seems very probable; nearly all the mss. read ataptās (only E. áta-, P.M. ataptas), which the edition has altered to átaptas. Of the reading in Ppp. I have no note; Ppp. reads for d jyotiṣmo acha sukṛtāṁ yatra lokaḥ; our d is found (nearly) as its 8 d.
7. The goat [is] Agni, and they call the goat light; they say that the goat is to be given by one living to a priest (brahmán); the goat, given in this world by one having faith, smites far away the darknesses.
For the first two words Ppp. reads ajam evā ’gnim; in b, it puts jīvatā after brahmaṇe. The redundant syllable in b is not noticed by the Anukr. ⌊See note under 8.⌋
8. Having five rice-dishes, let him step out five-fold, about to step unto the three lights; go thou forth to the midst of the well-doing that have made offerings; spread out (vi-çri) upon the third firmament.
The last pāda is the same with xviii. 4. 3 e; Ppp. has instead jyotiṣmantam abhi lokaṁ jayā ’smāi, with which compare our 6 d. The Anukr. passes in silence the irregularities of the second pāda. ⌊Cf. Oldenberg, ZDMG. l. 449.⌋
9. Ascend, O goat, to where is the world of the well-doing; like an expelled çarabhá mayest thou move (eṣ) across difficult places; given, with five rice-dishes, to a priest (brahmán), he shall rejoice the giver with rejoicing.
Ppp. reads kramasva instead of roha in a, and reads çalabhas 'locust,' which is more sensible, in b; our d is its 10 d, with dhātāram instead of dā-. The Anukr. treats the second pāda as regular, and it can, indeed, be read by violence into 11 syllables.
10. The goat sets him that has given it on the three-firmamented, three-heavened, three-backed back of the firmament; being given with five rice-dishes to a priest, thou art a single milch-cow, all-formed, wish-yielding.
Ppp. reads in b sukṛtāṁ lake for nākasya pṛṣṭhe; and our d is its 9 d, with the intrusive dhenus left out. The verse, in spite of its irregularity, is by the Anukr. reckoned simply a jagatī (11 + 12: 11 + 12 [13?]).
11 . This third light of yours, O Fathers, the goat with five rice-dishes one gives to a priest; the goat, given in this world by one having faith, smites far away the darknesses.
The second half-verse is identical with 7 c, d above. Ppp. has, for d, pañcodano brahmaṇe dīyamānaḥ (our 9 c, 10 c).
12. Desiring to obtain the world of the well-doing that have made offerings, one gives to a priest a goat with five rice-dishes; do thou conquer complete attainment (vyā̀pti) unto that world; be he, accepted, propitious to us.
Ppp. begins pra jyotiṣmantaṁ sukṛtāṁ lok-; and reads c, d thus: sa vyāpo neṅṣ abhi lokaṁ jayā ’sme çivo ‘smabhyaṁ pratigṛhyate ‘dhi.
13. The goat verily was born from the heat of the fire, wise, of the wise (vípra), of power, he the inspired one; what is offered, is bestowed, is conferred (abhípūrta), accompanied with váṣaṭ—that let the gods prepare in due season (rtuçás).
The first pāda is identical with iv. 14. 1 a. Ludwig (also p. 370) proposes to emend in c to gūrtam abhigūrtam. Part of the mss. blunderingly accent ṛtuçàs in d. Ppp. has in b vayodha instead of vipaqcit, and in c puts purtam before istam. The last two padas are irregular, but the Anukr. takes no notice of it. ⌊Pāda c is a good jagatī; and d, a good triṣṭubh, if we read devā́sas, or (with Henry) tád íd.⌋
14. A home-woven garment he may give, also gold as sacrificial gift; so he fully obtains the worlds that are heavenly and that are earthly.
15. Unto thee, O goat, let these streams of soma (somyá) go, divine, ghee-backed, honey-dripping; establish thou earth and sky, upon the seven-rayed back of the firmament.
The mss. in general (not P.M.) accent ája in a. They are rather evenly divided between ádhi and ‘dhi in d (W.I.O.R.T.K. have ‘dhi). Compare with a, b the refrain to iv. 34. 5-7. Ppp. reads for a: etās tvā dadhārā ’cchamayanti viçvatās somyaṁ; ⌊somyaṁ would seem to be the beginning of Ppp's b;⌋ in c, d, for uta...pṛṣṭhe, it gives divaṁ sadasva nāke tiṣṭhāsy. Pādas b, c are metrically irregular, but the Anukr. does not heed it.
16. A goat art thou; O goat, heaven-going (svar-gá) art thou; by thee the An̄girases foreknew [their] world; that pure (púṇya) world would I fain foreknow.
⌊Prose.⌋ The translation of a is according to the accent of the vocative ája; there may be a play on words between ajá 'goat' and ajá 'unborn': 'unborn art thou, O goat' (emending to aja). Ppp. reads for c taṁ lokaṁ anu pra jñeṣma. ⌊This vs. and the next are in its iii.⌋ The definition of the meter by the Anukr. seems senseless (7 [8?] + 11: 8 = 26). The third pāda is VS. xx. 25 c.
17. Wherewith thou carriest a thousand; wherewith, O Agni, [the offering of] one's whole possession—therewith carry thou this our offering to go to heaven (svàr) among the gods.
18. The cooked goat, having five rice-dishes, driving off perdition, sets [one] in the heavenly (svargá) world; with it may we conquer worlds that possess suns.
As noted above, the verse is wanting in Ppp.
19. [The goat] which one deposited with the Brahman, and which among the people (vikṣú); what scattered drops (viprúṣ) [there are] of the rice-dishes, of the goat—all that of ours, O Agni, do thou later know in the world of the well-done, at the meeting of the ways.
20. The goat verily strode out here (idám) in the beginning; this [earth] became its breast, the sky its back, the atmosphere its middle, the quarters its (two) sides, the (two) oceans its paunches;
⌊Prose—20, 21, and 22.⌋
21. Both truth and right its eyes, all truth [and] faith its breath, the virā́j its head; this verily is an unlimited offering, namely (yát) the goat with five rice-dishes.
The second satyam in vs. 21 is doubtless a corrupt reading, and the Ppp. version indicates that we should have instead rūpám ('the universe its form,' instead of 'all truth'). Ppp. reads, for the two verses: ajaṣ pañcāudano vy akramaia tasyo ’ra iyam abhavad udaram antarikṣam: dyāuṣ ṭe pṛṣṭhaṁ diçaṣ pārçve: dīçaç cā ’tidīçaç ca çṛn̄ge satyaṁ ca ṛtaṁ ca cakṣuṣī viçvarūpaṁ çraddhā etc. All the saṁhitā-mss. read ca rtáṁ (instead of ca ṛtáṁ) near the beginning of vs. 21. The text of the Anukr. is apparently defective, leaving out the metrical definition of vss. 20-22 and vs. 25.
22. An unlimited offering does he obtain, an unlimited world does he take possession of (ava-rudh), who gives a goat with five rice-dishes, with the light of sacrificial gifts.
Wanting in Ppp., as noted above.
23. He should not split its bones; he should not suck out its marrow; taking it all together, he should cause it to enter here and here.
Or, 'should cause this and this to enter'; the sense is obscure. Ppp. reads in c sarvāṇi for sarvam enam. By calling the verse a purauṣṇih, the Anukr. intends that its first two pādas be read as one, of 12 syllables. The Kāuç. quotes (66. 31, 32; next after quotations of verses from hymn 3) both halves of the verse, the latter to accompany the act of piercing an object and scattering it into a pit filled with water.
24. This and this verily becomes its form; therewith one makes it come together; food, greatness, refreshment it yields (duh) to him who gives a goat with five rice-dishes, with the light of sacrificial gifts.
25. Five gold ornaments (rukmá), five new garments, five milch-cows milking his desire come to be his who gives a goat with etc. etc.
This verse, of which at least the first pāda is metrical (11 + 13: 15 = 39) is left undescribed in the Anukr. It (or vs. 26, both having the same pratīka) is quoted in Kāuç. 64. 25. ⌊More nearly, 'Five milch-cows become wish-milking for him who,' that is, 'yield or grant to him his wishes who' etc.⌋
26. Five gold ornaments become light for him; his garments become a defense for his body, he attains the heavenly (svargá) world, who gives a goat with etc. etc.
Here are plainly four pādas, of which the first three are metrical, with the refrain added (11 + 11: 8 + 15); the definition of the Anukr. seems to imply 11 + 10: 8 + 7 + 9 = 45 syllables, or a bhurik triṣṭubh.
27. Whoever (fem.) having gained a former husband, then gains another later one—if (ca) they (dual) shall give a goat with five rice-dishes, they shall not be separated.
The mss., as usual in such cases, read vitvā́ in a; and all but Bp. strangely accent anyàm in b. Ppp. reads pacatas for dadātas in d. ⌊This vs. and the next are in Ppp's viii.⌋
28. Her later husband comes to have the same world with his remarried spouse who (masc.) gives a goat with five rice-dishes, with the light of sacrificial gifts.
The Anukr. treats the prose refrain of vss. 22, 24-26 as a half anuṣṭubh in the second line of this verse. Ppp. reads instead ajaṁ ca pañcāudanaṁ dadat.
29. A milch-cow having one calf after another, a draft-ox, a pillow, a garment, gold, having given, those go to the highest heaven (dív).
The Anukr. takes no notice of the redundant syllable in b. ⌊Perhaps it balances the redundancy of b with the deficiency of c.⌋
30. Self, father, son, grandson, grandfather, wife, generatrix, mother, those who are dear—them I call upon.
Nor does the Anukr. heed the deficient syllables in b of this verse. ⌊We might render jánitrīm mātáram by 'the mother that bore [me].'⌋
31. Whoever knows the season "torrid" (nāídāgha) by name—that verily is the season "torrid" by name, namely (yát) the goat with five rice-dishes; he indeed burns out the fortune of his unfriendly foe (bhrā́tṛvya), he thrives (bhū) by himself, who gives a goat with five rice-dishes, with the light of sacrificial gifts.
32. Whoever knows the season "making" by name, each making fortune of his unfriendly foe he takes to himself; that verily is the season "making" by name, namely the goat with five rice-dishes; he indeed etc. etc.
33. Whoever knows the season "gathering" by name, each gathering fortune of his unfriendly foe he takes to himself; that verily is the season "gathering" by name, namely the goat etc. etc.
34. Whoever knows the season "fattening" by name, each fattening fortune of his unfriendly foe he takes to himself; that verily is the season "fattening" by name, namely the goat etc. etc.
35. Whoever knows the season "up-going" by name, each up-going fortune of his unfriendly foe he takes to himself; that verily is the season "up-going" by name, namely the goat etc. etc.
These four verses agree in number of syllables, and the name given them by the Anukr. (prakṛti) demands 84; this number it is possible to make out by resolutions of saṁdhi, though the natural reading gives only 80 (10 + 20: 15: 20 + 15 = 80). Saṁyatī́m॰saṁyatīn in vs. 33 b is quoted by the commentary under Prāt. iv. 44, as an example of a repeated separable word which gives up in pada-text its individual separation in favor of that between the repetitions. Read in 32 c yád ajáḥ (an accent-sign gone), and supply an omitted mark of punctuation after datte in 33.
36. Whoever knows the season "overcoming" (abhibhū́) by name, each overcoming fortune of his unfriendly foe he takes to himself; that verily is the season "overcoming" by name, namely the goat etc. etc.
This verse has six more syllables than the preceding ones, and the Anukr. gives it a name (ākṛti) applying properly to 88 syllables. In c read eṣá for eṣā́.
37. Cook ye the goat and the five rice-dishes; let all the quarters, like-minded, united (sadhryàñc), with the intermediate directions, accept that of thee.
All the mss. (except D.) read at the end tá (pada-text té) before etám; our edition emends to ta; the word could better be spared altogether. Ppp. has (in iii.) only the first pāda. The Anukr. describes the verse as if this pāda as well as the other two were metrical.
38. Let them defend this of thine for thee; to them I offer (hu) sacrificial butter, this oblation.
'Them' is fem., designating the 'quarters' of vs. 37. The translation omits a te; it may be regarded as an ethical dative, anticipating the distincter túbhyam 'for thee' that follows.
⌊This hymn begins with ā́ naya; and, with its 38 vss., exceeds the norm by 18. The quoted Anukr. says aṣṭādaçā “”naya.”⌋
⌊The twentieth prapāṭhaka ends here. As in the cases of the tenth and eighteenth (ending at v. 7 and viii. 5), the prapāṭhaka-division here fails to coincide with the anuvāka-division.⌋