# Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book VII/Hymn 5

5. Mystic: on the offering or sacrifice.
[Atharvan (as above).—pañcarcam. ātmadevatākam: trāiṣṭubham: 3. pan̄kti; 4. anuṣṭubh.]
Found (the first two verses only) also in Pāipp. xx., and (the same verses) also in other texts, as noted below. Kāuç. takes no notice of the hymn; but it is prescribed by Vāit. (13. 13), in the agniṣṭoma ceremony, in connection with the entertainment (ātithyā) of Soma.
Translated: Henry, 2, 49; Griffith, i. 329.
1. By the sacrifice the gods sacrificed to the sacrifice; those were the first ordinances (dhárman); those greatnesses attach themselves to (sac) the firmament, where are the ancient (pū́rva) perfectible (sādhyá) gods.
The verse is RV. i. 164. 50,* found also in VS. (xxxi. 16), TS. (iii. 5. 11$^5$), TA. (iii. 12. 7), MS. (iv. 10. 3), CB. (x. 2. 2$^3$, with comment); ⌊Kaṭha-hss., p. 83;⌋ the only variant is sacante for sacanta in TS.TA. "This passage and vii. 79. 2 cast light upon the idea of sādhya; there are two kinds of gods: those with Indra at their head and the sādhya 'they who are to be won' (sādhya 'what is to be brought into order, under control, or into comprehension'). They are thus the unknown, conceived as preceding the known. Later they are worked into the ordinary classification of Vasus, Rudras, etc.; and what was formerly a serious religious problem, a hierarchy conceived as possible before the now-accepted gods (something like the pre-Olympians with the Greeks), has become an empty name." R. *⌊Also RV. x. 90. 16.⌋
​2. The sacrifice came to be; it came to be here; it was propagated; it increased again; it became over-lord of the gods; let it assign wealth to us.
This verse is found also in TS. (i. 6. 6$^{3-4}$ et al.) and ÇÇS. (iv. 12. 15); TS. omits u and punaḥ in b, and both have, for d, só asmā́ṅ ádhipatīn karotu (ÇÇS. kṛṇotu), TS. adding further vayáṁ syāma pátayo rayīṇā́m. Ppp. combines sa ”babhūva in a, and inserts after it saṣ pṛthivyā adhipatir babhūva: omitting later the pāda sa devānām a. b.; it omits u before vāvṛdhe, and combines so ‘smāsu in the last pāda. The Anukr. overlooks the metrical deficiency of a.
3. As the gods sacrificed to the gods with oblation, to immortals, with immortal mind—may we revel there in the highest firmament; may we see that at the rising of the sun.
The verse is no pan̄kti, but a good triṣṭubh.
4. When, with man (púruṣa) for oblation, the gods extended the sacrifice—even than that is it of more force that they sacrificed with the vihávya.
Nearly all the mss. read atanvata, without accent, in b (our Bp. and O. have á-, and both editions give it); in c they have ásthi instead of ásti, which latter is read in both editions, SPP. having the comm. and one of his many authorities in its favor. The first half-verse is RV. x. 90. 6 a, b (also VS. xxxi. 14; TA. iii. 12. 3, and our xix. 6. 10). The comm. explains vihavya as meaning an offering without oblation, an offering of knowledge (jñānayajña); and this is perhaps acceptable; or the half-verse is perhaps to be understood as a question.
5. The gods, confounded, both sacrificed with a dog and sacrificed variously with limbs of a cow; he who knoweth with the mind this sacrifice—him mayest thou proclaim to us here, here mayest thou speak.
The second half-verse is the same with 2. 1 c, d above. Tam (rendered 'him') in d might refer grammatically to the offering itself, instead of to him who knows it. All the pada-mss. read at the beginning mugdhā́ instead of -dhā́ḥ, as which latter the word must be understood, and is translated. SPP. admits -dhā́ḥ in his pada-text. Henry emends to mūrdhnā ⌊cf. also Mém. Soc. Ling. ix. 248⌋.