# Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book X/Hymn 3

3. With an amulet of varaṇá.
Found also in Pāipp. xvi. (in the verse-order 1-7, 9, 8, 10-13, 15, 14, 16, 17, 19, 22, 21, 20, 18, 24; 23 and 25 are wanting). Quoted (vs. 1) in Kāuç. 19. 22, with three other hymns, in connection with the binding on of amulets for welfare. Not noticed in Vāit.
Translated: Zimmer, p. 60 (17 vss.); Henry, 9, 53; Griffith, ii. 11; Bloomfield, 81, 605.
1. This varaṇá [is] my rival-destroying, virile (vṛ́ṣan) amulet; with it do thou take hold of thy foes, slaughter thy injurers (durasy-).
The varaṇa is a tree, the Cratœva Roxburghii found throughout India. The name comes doubtless from the root vṛ 'cover, protect, ward off'; and the hymn is full of allusions to a connection with that root; ⌊cf. the play in iv. 7. 1 and vi. 85. 1⌋. Ppp. reads throughout varuṇa, which is also in later Skt. recognized as a form of the tree-name.
2. Crush them, slaughter, take hold; be the amulet thy forerunner in front; the gods by the varaṇá warded off the hostile practice (abhyācārá) of the Asuras from one morrow to another.
The comm. to Prāt. iii. 80 quotes the beginning of the verse as example of eṇa after pra. It is unnecessary to view, with the Anukr., the verse as redundant. Ppp. combines te ‘stu in b.
3. This amulet, the varaṇá, all-healing, thousand-eyed, yellow, golden—it shall make thy foes go downward; do thou, in front, damage them that hate thee.
Ppp. reads hiraṇmayaḥ at end of b, and yas for sa at beginning of c. The verse is rather svarāj than bhurij.
4. This varaṇá [shall ward off] the witchcraft extended for thee; this shall shield thee against fear arising from men, this against all evil.
Ppp. preserves unity of construction through the verse, by reading, for b, c: pāuruṣeyam ayaṁ vadham: ayaṁ te sarvaṁ pāpmānaṁ.
​5. The varaṇá, this divine forest-tree, shall ward off; the yákṣma that has entered into this man—that have the gods warded off.
We had this verse above, as vi. 85. 1. The Anukr. takes no notice in either place of the deficient syllable in a. Ppp. reads here, for b, idaṁ devo bṛhaspatiḥ; and, for c, yakṣmā pratiṣṭhā yo ‘smin; ⌊and then tam u etc.⌋.
6. If, having slept, thou shalt see an evil dream; if a wild beast (mṛgá) shall run a disagreeable course—from overmuch (? pari-) sneezing, from the evil utterance of a bird (çakúni), this amulet, the varaṇá, shall shield thee.
The translation implies in b emendation of yáti to yádi, which seems unavoidable. Ppp., however, appears to have yati; it reads further in b mṛgaçrutaṁ and ajuṣṭaṁ, in c paricchavā, ⌊and in d vārayātāi⌋. The verse is included in the duḥsvapnanāçana gaṇa: see note to Kāuç. 46. 9.
7. From the niggard, from perdition, from sorcery, also from fear, from the more violent deadly weapon of death, the varaṇá shall shield thee.
Ppp. reads, for d, tvaṁ varuṇo vāraya.
8. What sin my mother, what my father, and what my own brothers, what we ourselves have done, from that shall this divine forest-tree shield us.
Ppp. reads tasmāt for tatas in d, and, for e, idaṁ deva bṛhaspatiḥ: compare its version of 5 b.
9. Driven (vyath) forth by the varaṇá, my enemies (bhrā́tṛvya) [who are my] kinsmen have gone unto unlighted (? asū́rta) space (rájas); let them go to lowest darkness.
⌊Bloomfield discusses asū́rta, JAOS. xvi., p. clxii = PAOS. Dec. 1894.⌋
10. Unharmed [am] I, with unharmed kine, long-lived, having all my men; let this amulet, the varaṇá, protect me, being such, from every quarter.
Ppp. reads in b -pāuruṣaḥ (as usual, where pūr- and not pur- is meant).
11. This varaṇá on my breast, king, divine forest-tree—let it drive (bādh) away my foes, as Indra the barbarians, the Asuras.
The verse is quoted in the schol. to Kāuç. 10. 2. Ppp. combines varuṇo ’rasi, as the meter requires, but as the Anukr. takes pains not to authorize. Ppp. also exchanges the second halves of vss. 11 and 12.
12. I bear this varaṇá being long-lived, one of a hundred autumns; may it assign to me both kingdom and authority, to me cattle and force.
Ppp., as noted above, reads for the second half of this verse our 11 c, d, and vice versa.
​13. As the wind breaks with force the trees, the forest-trees, so do thou break my rivals, those born before and after; let the varaṇá defend thee.
Ppp. reads jīrṇān for vṛkṣān in b; and, in c, -tnāṅs tvaṁ bhan̄dhi. ⌊With d, cf. the Ppp. vs. cited under iii. 6. 2.⌋
14. As both wind and fire devour (psā) the trees, the forest-trees, so do thou devour my rivals, those born etc. etc.
Ppp. again relieves the redundancy of expression by reading sarvān instead of vṛkṣān in b; also it has in c -tnāṅs tvam for -tnān me.
15. As, destroyed by the wind, the trees lie prostrate (nyàrpita), so do thou destroy, prostrate my rivals, those born etc. etc.
Ppp. is quite corrupt in this verse, but does not appear to offer any variant. Prá kṣiṇīhi properly ought to be divided in our text.
16. Them, O varaṇá, do thou cut off (pra-chid), before what is appointed (diṣṭá), before [the end of] their life-time—them who strive to damage him in respect to cattle, and who are intent to damage his kingdom.
Ppp. reads, for b, purā dṛṣṭān parā ”yuṣaḥ. ⌊In c, pronounce yāí ’nam.⌋
17. As the sun shines exceedingly, as in it brilliancy is set, so let the varaṇá amulet fix (ni-yam) in me fame [and] growth; let it sprinkle me with brilliancy; let it anoint me with glory.
Part of the mss. (P.M.D.) accent asmín in b. Ppp. reads, for c etc., evā sapatnāṅs tvaṁ sarvān ati bhāhi syaçvo varuṇas tvā ’bhi rakṣatu. ⌊Either Mr. Whitney took me as locative (Gram. §492 a); or else his 'in me' is an inadvertence for 'for me.'⌋
18. As glory [is] in the moon, and in the men-beholding Āditya, so let the varaṇá amulet etc. etc.
From here on, Ppp. has the same refrain ⌊as the Berlin text⌋, only reading at the end mām.
19. As glory [is] in the earth, as in this Jātavedas, so let the varaṇá amulet etc. etc.
20. As glory [is] in the maiden, as in this constructed (sámbhṛta) chariot, so let the varaṇá amulet etc. etc.
21. As glory [is] in Soma-drink, as in honey-mixture [is] glory, so let the varaṇá amulet etc. etc.
22. As glory [is] in the agnihotrá, as in the váṣaṭ-utterance [is] glory, so let the varaṇá amulet etc. etc.
All the mss. save P.M.O. have yaço ‘gnihotre in a, and this is accordingly the better-supported reading.
​23. As glory [is] set in the sacrificer, as in this sacrifice, so let the varaṇá amulet etc. etc.
Wanting in Ppp., as above noted.
24. As glory [is] in Prajāpati, as in this most exalted one, so let the varaṇá amulet etc. etc.
Ppp. reads jātavedasi instead of parameṣṭhini.
25. As in the gods [is] immortality (amṛ́ta), as in them is set truth, so let the varaṇá amulet etc. etc.
⌊The quoted Anukr. seems to say "varaṇāu" (intending varaṇo?).⌋