# Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book XII/Hymn 4

4. The cow (vaçā́) as belonging exclusively to the Brahmans.
[Kaçyapa.—tripañcāçat. mantroktavaçādevatyam. ānuṣṭubham: 7. bhurij; 20. virāj; 32. uṣṇigbṛhatīgarbhā; 42. bṛhatīgarbhā.]
Found also in Pāipp. xvii. (with slight differences of verse-order ⌊4, 6, 5, 8, 7, 9 and 17, 19, 18, 20⌋). Not noticed at all in Vāit., and in Kāuç. only once, in 66. 20, where, with x. 10, it (or the first verse) is to be spoken by the giver of a cow, after sprinkling etc.
Translated; Ludwig, p. 448; Henry, 203, 248; Griffith, ii. 120; Bloomfield, 174, 656.
1. I give [her]—thus should he say, if they have noticed (? anu-budh) her—[I give] the cow (vaçā́) to the priests (brahmán) that ask for her; that brings progeny, descendants.
Perhaps ánu ábhutsata is rather 'have recognized': i.e., have made her out to be the kind of cow that is called vaçā́; or there may be in it something of the meaning of anu-jnā: 'have approved, or taken a liking to.' ⌊Cf. MGS. i. 8. 6 and p. 150.⌋
​2. He bargains away his progeny and becomes exhausted of cattle who is not willing to give the cow (gó) of the gods to the sons of seers that ask for her.
⌊Pādas c, d recur as 12 a, b.⌋
3. By a hornless one they are crushed for him; by a lame one he falls (? ard) into a pit; by a crippled one his houses are burned; by a one-eyed one his possessions are taken away (?).
The adjectives are feminine, and the sense doubtless is that as the result of giving such defective cows the thing threatened will happen. In a, probably the subject to be understood is gṛhā́s, as in c; b and c have perhaps become transposed—and, in that case, svám might be the subject also of árdati. ⌊Ppp. has kāṭam, like the Vulgate.⌋ The translation of d implies emendation (which seems advisable ⌊cf. W. in AJP. xiii. 302⌋) of kāṇáyā to kāṇáyā́: i.e. kāṇáyā: ā́: dīyate. Ppp. has jīyate 'is harmed,' which would remove the difficulty. ⌊On kūṭá, see von Bradke, KZ. xxxiv. 157.⌋
4. Anæmia (vilohitá) from the station of the dung visits (vid) the master of kine; so is the agreement (?) of the cow; for door-damaging (?) art thou called.
Nearly everything in the second half-verse is doubtful. The majority of our mss. read sáṁvidyam (p. sám॰vidyam), but sā́ṁ- instead is given by M.s.m.O.s.m. and D.; and in R. sā́ṁ- is emended to sāṁ-. Sā́ṁvidya seems a much more probable form of stem. The Pet. Lexx. render 'possession,' which is very unsatisfactory. Duradabhnā́ (also in vs. 19) seems pretty clearly the reading of nearly all our mss. in c, though it might, as usual in such cases, be -bhrā́ in most; Bp. has (both times) apparently -bhdnā, and O. ⌊in vs. 4⌋ -bdnā or -b-h-nā (the b and h separate letters, as again below in xiii. 1. 25 c). The word is not divided in the pada-text. The translation given is ⌊suggested by⌋ that of the Pet. Lexx.; Ludwig renders here 'unbetrieglich' (undeceivable), but leaves the word untranslated in vs. 19. The second person ucyáse is quite unexpected; ⌊most of our⌋ saṁhitā-mss. read hy ū̀3cyáse; ⌊and SPP's are much at variance⌋. ⌊As alternative rendering in a, b, W. notes 'from standing on her dung.'⌋ Ppp. reads, in c, d, svāṁ vidyuṁ duritagrāhy uccase.
5. From the station of the two feet of her, soaking (? viklíndu) namely visits [him]; unexpectedly (?) are they crushed who snuff at her with the mouth.
Here, too, much is obscure and doubtful. The first part might be: 'From the station of her ⌊or 'from standing on her,' as W. queries⌋, soaking of the feet visits ⌊him⌋,' as it is hard to see what two feet have to do with a cow. And in d yā́s can be either subject or object, and jíghrati either sing, or pl. I take anāmanā́t from root man; Ludwig renders it 'without becoming ill'; the Pet. Lexx. explain the word as meaning a kind of disease. Ppp. reads, in a, b, asyā ’dhiṣṭhānād vikulaṁ dvin nāma.
6. Whoever punches (ā-sku) the two ears of her, he falls under the wrath of the gods; if he thinks "I am making a mark," he makes his possessions less.
7. If, for any one's advantage, any one cuts off the tail-tuft of her, then his colts die, and the wolf slays his calves.
Or (in a), 'for any advantage or use.' Ppp. makes 7 c, d and 8 c, d change places. It reads also vālān in b.
8. If of her, while being with her master, a crow hath vexed (hīḍ) the hair, then his boys die, [and] the yákṣma visits him unexpectedly (?).
As to anāmanā́t, see note to vs. 5. The first pāda apparendy means 'in presence of her master,' and so, 'without his interference for her protection.' ⌊Ppp. combines tataṣ k- in c.⌋
9. If the lye, the dung of her a barbarian woman flings together, then is born what is deformed, what will not escape from that sin.
All our mss. appear to read distinctly palpūl- in a, yet they are never to be trusted to make the distinction between lp and ly. Apparently the word is used here for 'urine,' and the meaning is 'if such precious stuff is carelessly treated by a slave-woman (dāsī).' Ppp. reads ‘pirūpaṁ in c. We have to resolve as-i-āḥ to fill out the meter of a.
10. When being born, the cow (vaçā́) is born for (abhí) the gods together with the Brahmans; therefore she is to be given to the priests (brahmán); that people call the guarding (gópana) of one's possessions.
The pada-text makes the extraordinary division gó॰panam ⌊for the sake of the play upon go 'cow'?⌋, as if the word were not a simple derivative from root gup! 'For' (abhí): more literally 'unto, into the possession of.'
11. They who come to the winning (vaní) of her, theirs is the god-made cow ⌊vaçā́⌋; they called it bráhman-scathing, if anyone keeps her to himself.
Pāda b seems to mean virtually 'she is by the gods made theirs.' Ppp. reads at the end (as also in vss. 21, 25) nu priyāyate, and nipr- is certainly very questionable, since no nipriya nor even root prī + ni occurs. The minor Pet Lex. gives the word two totally different explanations, under nipriyāy and priyāy respectively.
12. Whoever is not willing to give the cow (gó) of the gods to the sons of seers that ask for her, he falls under the wrath of the gods and the fury of the Brahmans.
Ppp. reads, for a, b, ya enāṁ yācadbhya ārṣeyebhyo nirucchati. ⌊We had a, b above as 2 c, d, and c as 6 b.⌋
13. Whatever may be his use for the cow (vaçā́-), he should then seek another [cow]; she, ungiven, harms a man, if he is not willing to give her when asked for.
Ppp. has a quite different version of a-c: yasyā ’nya syād vaçābhogo ‘nyām icchetu barhiṣaḥ: hiṅsrā ṇi dhatsva gopatiṁ. We should expect pū́ruṣam at end of c, as elsewhere in such a position.
14. As a deposited treasure (çevadhí), so of the Brahmans is the cow (vaçā́); accordingly ⌊etát⌋ they come unto her, in whosesoever possession she is born.
15. They come thus unto their own property, namely the Brahmans unto the cow; as one might scathe them in any other respect (?), so is the keeping back of her.
The third pāda is unclear, and the bad meter makes the reading suspicious; yet Ppp. has the same, and varies only in combining brāhmaṇā ’bhi in b, and combining and reading ’syā ’dhirohaṇaṁ in d. Most of our mss. (all except D. and R.s.ni.) have the false accent brā́hmaṇās in b; our text emends. The Anukr. takes no notice of the redundant syllable in c.
16. She may go about until ⌊ā́⌋ the space of three years, being of unrecognized (vi-jñā) speech (-gada); should he know the cow, O Nārada, then the Brahmans are to be sought.
This is obscure, but appears to mean that the cow may not betray herself as a vaçā for as much as three years; but, as soon as she is recognized as such, she must be delivered over to the Brahmans. The pada-text has in a, of course, evá: ā́: tr-.
17. Whoever declares her to be not the cow, the deposited deposit of the gods, at him Bhava-and-Çarva, both, striding about, hurl the arrow.
18. Whoever knows not the udder of her, and likewise the teats of her, to him she yields milk with both, if he has been able to give the cow.
That is, probably, if her owner has sought no profit from her (cf. Ludwig). The first pāda is quoted under Prāt. ii. 52, as an example of ūdho (not ūdhar) before a sonant. A number of our mss. read veda, without accent.
19. Door-damaging (?) lies she on him, if he is not willing to give her when asked for; he does not succeed in the desires which, without having given her, he would fain accomplish (cikīrṣa-).
The translation implies the obviously necessary emendation of yā́m to yā́n in d ⌊so Ludwig⌋. As to duradabhnā́ at the beginning, see the note to vs. 4. That the conjectural rendering is extremely unsatisfactory is plain. Ppp. has instead, for a, duritavīnapāçaye; and, in c, d, apparently kāmas sam ṛdhyate yam ad-, thus supporting our emendation. ⌊In Ppp. this verse precedes our 18.⌋
20. The gods asked for the cow, having made the Brahman their mouth; the wrath (héḍa) of them all incurs (ni-i) the man (mā́nuṣa) who gives not.
The translation implies emendation in b to brāhmaṇám. Ppp. reads in a yācanti, which does not rectify the meter. ⌊Read devā́so?⌋
​21. He incurs the wrath of cattle (paçú) who gives not the cow to the Brahmans—if a mortal keeps to himself the deposited portion of the gods.
The saṁhitā-mss. accent in b brāhmaṇébhyo dadat, and the pada correspondingly adadat (instead of ádadat). Our text makes the necessary emendation. Ppp. gives for d ṛtāse nu priyāyate. ⌊See note to 11, above.⌋
22. If a hundred other Brahmans should ask the cow of its master, yet (átha) the gods said of her: the cow is his who knoweth thus.
All our mss. save two (I. and [?] E.s.m.) read etām (without accent) in c; our text follows the two.
23. Whoever, not having given her to one who knoweth thus, then shall give the cow to others, hard to go upon for him in his station is the earth with its deity.
In b the pada-text has anyébhyaḥ: adadat, and the saṁhitā-mss. correspondingly -bhyo dadad v-; this is emended in our text to -bhyó ‘d- (as if ádadat, as in vs. 21); but a decidedly better emendation would be to -bhyo dádat, as translated. Ppp. reads anyasmāi d-, which favors this understanding of the pāda; it also combines tasmā ’dh- in c.
24. The gods asked the cow [of him] in whose possession she was first (ágre) born; that same one may Nārada know; together with the gods he drove her away.
The connection of c, d is obscure, and tempts to conjectural emendations; Ludwig suggests vidvā́n for vidyāt: 'knowing her to be such, Nārada together with the gods drove her away (as theirs)'; this is quite acceptable. Ppp. reads at the end udājitā. One or two of our mss. (D.R.p.m.) accent nāradáḥ. The Anukr. takes no notice of the lack of a syllable in a. ⌊Read devā́so as in 20?⌋
25. The cow makes a man (pū́ruṣa) destitute of descendants, poor in cattle, if, when she is asked for by the Brahmans, then he keeps her to himself.
Ppp. reads in b pāuruṣam, and in d nu priyāyata. The Anukr. takes no notice of any deficiency in c; we may best resolve bṛ-āh-. ⌊Read brāhmaṇébhiç?⌋
26. For Agni-and-Soma, for Love (kā́ma), for Mitra and for Varuṇa—for these the Brahmans ask her; under their wrath falls he who gives not.
27. So long as the master of her should not himself overhear the verses (ṛ́ç), so long may she go about among his kine (gó); she may not abide in his house after he has heard.
The translation implies the evidently necessary emendation of vaçet at the end to vaset; R., indeed, has the latter; ⌊and so have 8 of SPP's authorities, against 7 with vaçet;⌋ Ppp. is corrupt: nā ’sya çrutā gṛhe sya. The Anukr. takes no notice of any redundancy in b; but it can hardly expect us to make a pada-division between no and ’paçṛṇuyāt. The 'verses' are doubtless those with which the Brahmans come to claim their rightful property.
​28. If any one, having overheard the verses of her, has then made her go about among his kine (gó), both the life-time and the growth of him do the gods, made wrathful, cut off (vraçc).
Nearly all our mss. (E. has ácī-) ⌊and all of SPP's⌋ leave acīcarat in b unaccented; and then, as if by way of compensation, they mostly (except Bs.s.m.D.R.) accent vṛ́çcanti.
29. The cow, going about variously, the deposited deposit of the gods, manifests her forms, when she desires to go (?) to her station (sthā́man).
That is, her rightful and appointed place. The translation implies in b the reading kṛnute instead of kṛṇuṣva, although the former is found only in O.p.m.D.T. (-uti). ⌊Three of SPP's pada-mss. have kṛṇute.⌋ The comm. to Prāt. ii. 63 quotes āviṣ kṛṇute rūpāṇi, which is not found in the text unless here. The translation also implies at the end jigāṅsati. The Prāt. (i. 86) seems to imply the occurrence in the text of such forms, and the sense obviously calls for them here and in the next verse; see the note to Prāt. i. 86. Ppp. reads in d yathā for yadā.
30. She manifests herself when she desires to go to her station; then the cow ⌊vaçā́⌋ makes up her mind for the asking of the priests (brahmán).
That is, prepares herself to be asked for by them; brahmábhyas, dat. by attraction. ⌊Read again jígāṅsati: see note to vs. 29.⌋ Read in d yācñyā́ya, though the mss. mostly have -ñcy-, as they often blunder over such an unusual consonant-group. Ppp. reads uto for atho in c.
31. She plans (sam-kḷp) [it] with her mind; then she goes unto the gods; thence the priests (brahmán) go on to ask for the cow.
32. By offering of svadhā́ to the Fathers, by sacrifice to the deities, by giving of the cow, the noble (rājanyà) does not incur (gam) the mother's wrath.
Ppp. reads devebhyaḥ at end of b. The description of the Anukr. very unnecessarily forbids us to resolve -bhi-aḥ in b.
33. The cow is mother of the noble; so came it (n.) into being in the beginning; they call it a non-abandonment (? ánarpaṇa) of her that she is presented to the priests (brahmán).
The Pet. Lexx. render the difficult ánarpaṇa by 'a not giving away'; Ludwig, by 'no restitution.' Ppp. combines tasyā ”hur in c.
34. As one might snatch (? ā-lup) from the spoon sacrificial butter held forth for the fire, so he who gives not the cow ⌊vaçā́⌋ ⌊to the priests⌋ falls under the wrath of Agni.
Perhaps, 'as [the fire] might snatch,' etc.—seizing on the butter before it is duly offered. Ppp. reads for a yad ājyaṁ pratijāgrāha, and in d omits a, thus rectifying the meter. The Anukr. takes no notice of the redundant syllable in our text; we are doubtless to get rid of it by contracting to agnáy’ ā́. ⌊Were emendation necessary, one might be tempted to suggest agnā́v ā́: but cf. note to vs. 6 b.⌋
​35. With the sacrificial cake as calf, milking well, she draws near to him in the world; she yields (duh) to him all his desires—[namely,] the cow ⌊vaçā́⌋ to him who has presented her.
Ppp. reads, in b, loke ‘syo ’pa; and, for c, sahasmāi sarvān kāmān mahe. The Anukr. takes no notice of the irregular meter in pādas a and c. All the saṁhitā-mss. accent loké ‘smā in b; our text emends to lokè.
36. All his desires, in Yama's realm, does the cow ⌊vaçā́⌋ yield to him who has presented her; likewise they call hell the world of him who keeps her back when asked for.
The pada-text reads nárakam, and the difference of the two texts is noted in Prāt. iii. 21; iv. 90. Ppp. reads tathā for atha in c.
37. Being impregnated, the cow ⌊vaçā́⌋ goes about angry at her master: thinking me barren, let him be bound in the fetters of death.
38. And he who, thinking her barren, cooks the cow ⌊vaçā́⌋ at home (amā́)—his sons and sons' sons also does Brihaspati cause to be asked for.}}
Ppp. reads in b, for amā ca, the equivalent gṛheṣu; further, in c, d, asya svaputrān pāutrāç cātayate bṛh-. ⌊Over "at home" W. interlines "in private": see vs. 53.⌋
39. She sends down great heat, going about a cow (gó) among kine; further, to the master who has not given her the cow (vaçā́) milks poison.
In b, apparently, 'being treated as an ordinary cow.' The 'milks' in d does not necessarily mean that she gives actual milk. Ppp. reads tato in c, for atho ha, thus rectifying the meter; the Anukr. takes no notice of the redundancy of the pāda, caused by the apparently intrusive ha.
40. It is a thing dear to the cattle that she is presented to the priests (brahmán); further, that is a thing dear to the cow ⌊vaçā́⌋, that she be an oblation to the gods.
Lit. 'among the gods' (p. deva॰trā́).
41. What cows the gods shaped out (ut-kḷp), rising up from the sacrifice, of them Nārada selected for himself the fearful viliptī́.
The root kḷp (kalpay-) with ud occurs nowhere else. In c, P.M.W.I.E.p.m.R. read viliptī́m, which would be the more normal accus. of -tī́, but the meter is against it. But the accent -tyám is entirely inadmissible; it must be emended to -tyàm; ⌊cf. JAOS. x. 379. 369⌋. What sort of a cow (vaçā́) is intended by viliptī́ (which ought to signify 'smeared over') is altogether obscure. Ppp. reads instead vilapatiṁ.
42. The gods questioned (mīmāṅs-) about her: is this a cow ⌊vaçā́⌋, or not a cow.' Of her Nārada said: she is of cows the most truly cow (vaçátama).
43. How many, pray (nú), Nārada, are the cows which thou knowest, born among men (manuṣyà-)? those I ask of thee who knowest; of which may a non-Brahman not partake (aç)?
Ppp. reads, for c, katimā ”sāṁ bhīmatamā (like our vs. 45 c).
44. The viliptī́, O Brihaspati, and the cow ⌊vaçā́⌋ that has given birth to [such] a cow—of that one a non-Brahman who should hope for prosperity (bhū́ti) may not partake.
The translation implies at the beginning emendation to viliptī́ yā́ (as in vs. 46); the proper reading might also be viliptyàs, nom. pl.; -tyā́s seems inadmissible; Ppp. reads vilaptyā (for -ās?). Ppp. has further tāsāṁ for tasyās in c. Sūtávaçā is rendered according to the requirement of the accent; the Pet. Lexx. define as 'a cow remaining barren after the birth of one calf'; and the legends told in explanation of the name in TS. vi. 1. 3$^6$ and MS. ii. 5. 4 support that understanding. ⌊Cf. Henry's translation, p. 208, and note, p. 256.⌋ Pāda c is redundant in this verse, as are also 46 c and 43 d; the Anukr. heeds none of these cases.
45. Homage be to thee, O Nārada; [be] the cow to him who at once knows it. Which one of them is the most fearful, not having given which, one would perish?
Ppp. reads in a te ‘stu, and in b vaçām, which is easier (Ludwig translates ⌊as if the text were vaçā́ḥ⌋). In d, our text might better read ádattvā.
46. She that is viliptī́, O Brihaspati, further the cow that has given birth to [such] a cow—of that one a non-Brahman who should hope for prosperity may not partake.
Ppp. reads at the beginning viluptiṁ bṛhaspataye yā ca sū-, and in c again (as in vs. 44) tāsāṁ.
47. Three verily are the kinds of cow: the vilipti, she that has given birth to [such] a cow, the [simple] cow yagd; these one should present to the priests (brahman), [then] he falls not under the wrath of Prajapati.
Ppp. once more reads vilitptīs sū- in b; it is easier to conjecture a meaning for viluptī than for viliptī. Most of our saṁhitā-mss. accent só ‘nāv- in d; our text makes the necessary correction to sò. The irregularities of b and c are unnoticed in the Anukr.; ⌊or rather, it lets them balance each the other⌋.
48. This, O Brahmans, is your oblation—so, when asked ⌊therefor⌋, should he think, if they should ask of him the cow, which in the house of him who has not given her is fearful.
49. The gods talked about the cow in wrath, saying: he hath not given it to us; with these verses (ṛ́c) [they talked about] Bheda; therefore indeed he perished.
Ppp. reads upa for pari in a, and, for b, sa no rājata heḍitā; and in c it rectifies the meter by giving bhedasya. The Anukr. does not heed the deficiency in our verse.
50. And Bheda gave her not, when asked by Indra for the cow ⌊vaçā́⌋; for that offense the gods cut him off in the contest for superiority.
Some of our mss. (Bp.E.D.K.) read etām (unaccented) in a; nearly all (not Bs.s.m.D.) accent āgasó ‘vṛçcan in d. Ppp. has at the beginning utāi ’tāṁ bh-; its second half-verse is corrupt.
51. They who, wheedling, advise (vad) to the non-giving of the cow ⌊vaçā́⌋, the villains fall under the fury of Indra through ignorance.
Ppp. combines in a vaçāyā ’dā-, and in c-d jālmā ”vṛç-.
52. They who, leading away her master, then say: do not give—they, through ignorance, go to meet the hurled missile of Rudra.
Pari yanti is rendered as if prati y-, for which it is perhaps a misreading. Ppp. reads cetasas for acittyā. Part of our mss. (Bp.R.K.) leave āhus unaccented, and all have te instead of té in c.
53. If as offered (hu) and if as unoffered one cooks the cow ⌊vaçā́⌋ in private (amā́), coming into collision with the gods accompanied by the Brahmans, he goes supine (jihmá) out of the world.
All the saṁhitā-mss. curiously read in c sábrāhmaṇānn (O. -ṇāṁn) ṛtvā́; the pada-text has sá॰brāhmaṇān: ṛtvā́. ⌊For amā́, cf. vs. 38.⌋
⌊Here ends the fourth anuvāka, with 1 hymn and 53 verses. The quoted Anukr. says saptabhir ūnā tu “vaçāḥ," i.e. 'the cows[-hymn] is a [sixty] deficient by seven.'⌋