# Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book V/Hymn 2

2. Mystic.
[Bṛhaddiva Atharvan.—navakam. vāruṇam. trāiṣṭubham: 9. bhurik parātijāgatā.]
Found also in Pāipp. v. It is a RV. hymn (x. 120); and the first three verses occur in other texts. For the use of the hymn with its predecessor in Kāuç. 15. 1 and 22. 1 and 19. 1, note, see above, under h. 1; it is further applied, with vii. 1, in a kāmya rite (59. 17), with worship of Indra and Agni. The various verses appear also as follows: vs. 3, in a rite for prosperity (21. 21); vs. 4, with vi. 13 in a battle-rite (15. 6); vs. 5 in a similar rite (15. 8); vs. 6, in another (15. 9), and yet again, with vi. 125, and vii. 3 etc., as the king and his charioteer mount a new chariot (15. 11); vs. 7, next after vs. 3 (21. 23), with the holding of a light on the summit of an ant-hill; and vs. 8 in a women's rite ⌊34. 21⌋, next after v. 1. 4—all artificial uses, having no relation to the texts quoted in them.
Translated: by the RV. translators; and Griffith, i. 189; Weber, xviii. 164.
1. That verily was the chief among beings whence was born the formidable one, of bright manliness; as soon as born, he dissolves [his] foes, when all [his] aids (ū́ma) revel after him.
RV. reads in d ánu yáṁ víçve mádanty ū́māḥ, and all the other texts (SV. ii. 833; VS. xxxiii. 80; AA. i. 3. 4) agree with it. The Anukr. ignores the considerable metrical irregularities.
2. Increasing with might (çávas), he of much force, a foe, assigns (dhā) fear to the barbarian, winning (n.) both what breathes not out and what breathes out; brought forward (n.), they resound together for thee in the revelings.
Sense and connection are extremely obscure; but all the texts (SV. ii. 834; AA. as above) agree throughout. Prábhṛtā, of course, might be loc. sing. of -ti. Sásni in c is (with Grassmann) rendered as if it were sásnis.
3. In thee they mingle skill abundantly, when they twice, thrice become [thine] aids; unite thou with sweet (svādú) what is sweeter than sweet; mayest thou fight against yonder honey with honey (mádhu).
RV. differs only by reading vṛñjanti víçve at end of a; and SV. (ii. 835) and AA. (as above) agree with it throughout; as does also Ppp.; TS. (iii. 5. 10$^1$) begins d with áta ū ṣú, and ends it with yodhi, which looks like a more original reading. ⌊Cf. Geldner, Ved. Stud. ii. 10.⌋
4. If now after thee that conquerest riches in contest after contest (ráṇa) the devout ones (vípra) revel, more forcible, O vehement one, extend thou what is stanch; let not the ill-conditioned Kaçokas damage thee.
RV. begins a with íti cid dhí tvā, and b with máde-made; in c it reads (with Ppp.) dhṛṣṇo for çuṣmin, and at the end of the verse yātudhā́nā durévāḥ; Ppp. has instead durevā yātudhānāḥ.
5. By thee do we prevail in the contests, looking forward to many ​ things to be fought [for]; I stir up thy weapons with spells (vácas); I sharpen up thy powers (váyas) with incantation (bráhman).
RV. and Ppp. have no variants.
6. Thou didst set that down in the lower and the higher, in what abode (duroṇá) thou didst aid with aid; cause ye to stand there the moving mother; from it send ye many exploits.
RV. and Ppp. put the verse after our 7. Ppp. has no variants; RV. reads in a ávaram páraṁ ca, and, for c, d, ā́ mātárā sthāpayase jigatnū́ áta inoṣi kárvarā purū́ṇi: a quite different, but little less obscure version of the text: "Indra checks the revolution of the sky, in order to gain time for his deeds." R.
7. Praise thou fully, O summit, the many-tracked, skilful (? ṛ́bhvan), most active (iná) Āptya of the Āptyas; may he look on with might, he of much force; may he overpower the counterpart of the earth.
The RV. version is different throughout: stuṣéyyam puruvárpasam ṛ́bhvam inátamam āptyám āptyā́nām: ā́ darṣate çávasā saptá dā́nūn prá sākṣate pratimā́nāni bhū́ri; and with this Ppp. agrees. The translation follows our text servilely, as it may be called, save in the obviously unavoidable emendation of āptám to āptyám in b; O. is our only ms. that reads āptyám. The verse is far too irregular to be let pass as merely a triṣṭubh.
8. These incantations (bráhman) may Brihaddiva, foremost heaven-winner, make, a strain (çūṣá) for Indra; he rules, an autocrat, over the great stall (gotrá); may he, quick (? túra), rich in fervor, send (?) all.
The fourth pāda is attempted to be rendered literally from our text, although this is plainly a gross corruption of the RV. text: dúraç ca víçvā avṛṇod ápa svā́ḥ. RV. has also before it svarā́jas, and in a vivakti for kṛṇavat. Ppp. agrees with RV. throughout. Svarṣā́s (p. svaḥ॰sā́ḥ) is prescribed by Prāt. ii. 49.
9. So hath the great Brihaddiva Atharvan spoken of his own self (tanū́) [as of] Indra; the two blameless, mother-growing sisters—[men] both impel them with might (çávas) and increase them.
The second half-verse seems again a corruption of the RV. version, which has plurals instead of duals in c, and omits the meter-disturbing ene (p. ene íti) in d. Ppp. again agrees with RV.; but in b it has tanum for tanvam. Our text should give, with the others, mātaríbhvar- in c; all the mss. have it. ⌊The vs. is svarāj rather than bhurij.⌋