# Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book IV/Hymn 15

15. For abundant rain.
[Atharvan.—ṣoḑaçarcam. marutparjanyadevatyam. trāiṣṭubham: 1, 2, 5. virāḍjagatī; 4. virāṭpurastādbṛhatī; 7, [8,] 13, [14,] anuṣṭubh; 9. pathyāpan̄kti; 10. bhurij; 12. 5-p. anuṣṭubgarbhā bhurij; 15. çan̄kumaty anuṣṭubh.]
Found (except vss. 2 and 15) in Pāipp. v. (in the verse-order 1, 3, 6, 5, 4, 7, 9, 10, 8, 11-14, 16). This hymn and vii. 18 appear to be called mārutāni in Kāuç. (26. 24: see note to this rule); they are specified as used together in a rite for procuring rain (41. 1 ff.); also in expiation of the portent of upatārakās 'inundations' (103. 3); further, vss. 10 and 11, with oblations respectively to Agni and Prajāpati, in expiation of the portent of obscuration of the seven seers (127. 8, 9). In Vāit. (8. 9) vs. 6 appears in the preparations of the cāturmāsya sacrifice. And the comm. quotes vs. 11 as employed by the Nakṣ. K. (18) in a mahāçanti called prājāpatī.
Translated: Bühler, Orient und Occident, i. 219; Griffith, 1.150; Weber, xviii. 58.—See also Weber's references to Ludwig and Zimmer. Cf. introduction to iii. 13.
1. Let the directions, full of mist (nábhasvant), fly up together; let clouds, wind-hurried, come together; let the lowing [cows] of the resounding misty great bull, the waters, gratify the earth.
Ppp. combines in d vāçrā ”paḥ; the comm., in c, maharṣ- ⌊as the meter requires⌋; this happens to be a case where all the mss. agree in makaṛṣ-. The meaning in a probably is the confusion of the directions by reason of the mists; the comm. renders nábhasvatīs in a by nabhasvatā vāyunā yuktāḥ, and nabhasvatas in c by vāyupreritasya meghasya sambandhinyaḥ. ⌊The second half-verse recurs at 5, below; see note.⌋
2. Let the mighty (taviṣá), liberal (sudā́nu) ones cause to behold together; let the juices (rása) of the waters attach themselves (sac) to the herbs; let gushes (sárga) of rain gladden (mahay-) the earth; let herbs of all forms be born here and there (pṛ́thak).
The "mighty ones" in a are doubtless the Maruts; īkṣay- is perhaps an error which has blundered in from the next verse, for ukṣay- (though no causative of ukṣ occurs elsewhere in AV.); the comm. supplies for it vṛṣṭim as object; the translation implies something like "attract every one's attention." It would be easy to rectify the meter of d by reading óṣadhīr vírūpaḥ; a is the only real jagatī pāda; and even by count the verse is only nicṛt (12 + 11: 11 + 13 = 47).
3. Do thou make the singers (gā́yant) to behold together the mists; ​let rushes (véga) of waters rush (vij) up here and there; let gushes of rain gladden the earth; let plants of all forms be born here and there.
Ppp. has for a samikṣad viçvag vāto napāṅsy; at end of b, patantu for vijantām; in d, oṣadhayas (as in 2 d ⌊of the editions⌋). The comm. regards a as addressed to the Maruts (he marudgaṇa), and "the singing ones" as "us who are praising"; and vega as "swift stream." The Anukr. ignores the extra syllable in d ⌊rectify as in 2 d, vírūpās?⌋.
4. Let the troops of Maruts sing unto thee, O Parjanya, noisy here and there; let gushes of raining rain rain along the earth.
Pṛ́thak, lit. 'severally, separately,' is used in these verses rather in the sense of 'all about, everywhere.' Ppp. has in d sṛjantu for varṣantu. The Anukr. makes the pāda-division after mā́rutās, and the pada-mss. mark it accordingly, thus leaving parjanya without excuse for its accentlessness; but all the mss. read so, and both editions follow them. Doubtless either mā́rutās or parjanya is an intrusion; so the meter indicates. The comm. gives in c varṣantas.
5. Send up, O Maruts, from the ocean; brilliant [is] the song; ye make the mist fly up; let the lowing [cows] of the resounding misty great bull, the waters, gratify the earth.
We had the second half-verse as 1 c, d; but Ppp. gives an original half-verse instead: pra varṣayanti tamiṣā sudānavo ‘paṁ rasīr oṣadhī sacantām. The first half is translated literally as it stands; but it is pretty certainly corrupt. Ppp. reads īrayanta, tveṣā ’rkā, pātayantu*; and the true reading is perhaps tveṣā́ arkā́ nábha út pātayantu 'let our brilliant songs make' etc. The comm. finds no difficulty, since his ideas of grammar allow him to make tveṣás and arkás qualify nábhas (tveṣo dīptimad arko ‘rcanasādhanam udakaṁ tadyuktaṁ nabhaḥ). TS. (in ii. 4. 8$^2$) and MS. (in ii. 4. 7) have a first pāda nearly agreeing with our a (TS. īrayathā, MS. -yatā), the rest of the verse being wholly different. A couple of our mss. (O.Op.), with two or three of SPP's, read samudrajás at end of a. *⌊Roth, in his collation, gives pātayanta; in his notes, -tu.⌋
6. Roar on, thunder, excite (ard) the water-holder; anoint the earth, O Parjanya, with milk; by thee poured out, let abundant rain come; let him of lean kine, seeking refuge, go home.
That is, let the herdsman whose animals have been thinned by the drought, now be even driven to shelter by the abundance of rain. Ppp. makes sṛṣṭam and varṣam change places, and is defaced at the end. The first three words are those of RV. v. 83. 7. The comm. (with two or three of SPP's mss. that follow him) reads in d āsārāiṣī, and renders it "seeking concurrence of streams"; our O.Op. have -rāiçī́. The comm. makes kṛçagus signify "the sun, with his rays made slender"! and, of course, he is to "set" (astam i), or be made invisible by the clouds. The Anukr. makes no account of the fact that a is jagatī. ⌊For āçāra, see Lanman, Trans. American Philological Association, xv. (1884), p. vii.⌋
7. Let the liberal ones favor (sam-av) you, also the fountains, great serpents (ajagará); let the clouds, started forward by the Maruts, rain along the earth.
8. Let it lighten to every region (ā́çā); let the winds blow to (from ?) every quarter; let the clouds, started forward by the Maruts, come together along the earth.
Ppp. has in d varṣantu, as our text in the preceding verse. The comm. also points out the possibility of taking diçás as either accus. pl. or abl. sing. The Anukr. somehow omits to define the metrical character of this verse and of vs. 14.
9. Waters, lightning, cloud, rain—let the liberal ones favor you, also the fountains, great serpents; let the clouds, started forward by the Maruts, show favor (pra-av) along the earth.
Ppp. begins with vātas instead of āpas, and omits (as in 7 a) vas in b; and, for the last two pādas, it reads prā pyāyasva pra pitṛsva saṁ bhūmiṁ payasā sṛja. The comm. again takes sudānavas as vocative, and makes the elements mentioned in a subjects of sam avantu; in d he reads plāvantu but regards it as for prā ’vantu ⌊parallel with palāyate etc. (W's Gram. §1087 c), for which he cites Pāṇini viii. 2. 19⌋.
10. Agni, who, in unison with the waters' selves (tanū́), hath become overlord of the herbs—let him, Jātavedas, win (van) for us rain, breath for [our] progeny, amṛ́ta out of the sky.
The comm. paraphrases amṛtam with amṛtatvaprāpakam. The Anukr. duly notes the redundant syllable in d.
11. May Prajāpati from the sea, the ocean, sending waters, excite the water-holder; let the seed of the stallion (vṛ́ṣan áçva) be filled up; come hitherward with that thunder,—
To this verse really belongs the first pāda of our vs. 12, as the sense plainly shows, as well as its association in RV. (v. 83. 6 b, c, d) with the two closing pādas here. ⌊Cf. Lanman, Reader, p. 370; misdivision as between hymns.⌋ But the mss., the Anukr., the comm., and both editions, end vs. 11 with é ’hi. RV. reads in our c pinvata for pyāyatām, and dhā́rās for rétas. Ppp. combines in b āp’ īrayann, and begins c with prā py-. The comm. gives viṣṭos instead of vṛṣṇas in c, and explains both it and salilād in a by vyāpanaçīla, which is one of his standing glosses for obscure words; ardayāti he paraphrases with raçmibhir ādānena pīḑayatu, and udadhim simply by jaladhim. This verse is as much bhurij as vs. 10, unless we combine ā́pe ”ráyan in b. ⌊For -núnéhi, see Prāt. iii. 38, note.⌋
12. Pouring down waters, our Asura father.
Let the gurgles of the waters puff, O Varuṇa; let down the descending waters; let the speckled-armed frogs croak (vad) along the water-courses (íriṇa).
13. Having lain for a year, [like] Brahmans performing a vow, the frogs have spoken forth a voice quickened by Parjanya.
The mss. (except one of SPP's, which follows the comm.) absurdly read vā́tam at beginning of c; both editions emend to vā́cam, which the comm. gives, and which is also read in the corresponding RV. verse, vii. 103. 1. Ppp. has māṇḍūkā in d. In our edition, correct two printer's errors, reading saṁvatsaráṁ and brāhmaṇā́. ⌊Bloomfield discusses this vs. and the following, JAOS. xvii. 174, 179.⌋
14. Speak forth unto [it], O she-frog; speak to the rain, O tādurī; swim in the midst of the pool, spreading thy four feet.
Many of our mss. (P.M.E.I.H.K.) accent úpa ⌊cf. Prāt. iv. 3⌋ at the beginning. Ppp. reads māṇḍūki in a, and tāṁdhuri in b. The comm. defines tādurī as "she-offspring of the tadura," but gives no explanation of tadura. The verse is also found in a khila to RV. vii. 103, reading in a upaplávada, and in c plavásva. ⌊For 14, 15, see Weber, Berliner Sb., 1896, p. 257. As to metrical definition of 14, see vs. 8 n.⌋
15. O khaṇvakhā! O khāimakhā! in the middle, O tadurī! win ye rain, O Fathers; seek the favor (mánas) of the Maruts.
The verse (as already noted) is unfortunately wanting in Ppp. The first pāda is misprinted as regards accentuation in our edition, being marked as if the final syllables were kampa, instead of mere protractions. ⌊That is, the horizontal under the first syllable kha- should be deleted; and the signs above and below the two 3's should also be deleted. They are printed aright, kháṇvakā́3i khāímakhā́3i, in nāgarī, by Whitney, Prāt. p. 392, footnote, and on p. 400, and by SPP.⌋ Prāt. i. 105 quotes the words (with the two that follow) in its list of words showing protraction; and i. 96 points out that the final i in each is grave. The comm. says that the three vocatives (he quotes the stems as khaṇvakhā ṣāimakhā tadurī) are special names for kinds of she-frogs—which seems likely enough; the two former appear to involve imitations of croaking (but in LÇS. iv. 3. 18 the householder's female slaves are to call out hāimahā3, as they circumambulate the mārjālīya, filling new water-holders). SPP. (p. 598, note) asks why, if the words are vocatives, they are not accented simply kháṇvakhā3i khāí makhā3i—being apparently ignorant of the fact that a protracted final syllable is regularly and usually accented, without regard to any other accent the word may have (see Whitney, Skt. Gr. §78 a). Several of our mss. (E.I.H.O.Op.), and a couple of SPP's, leave the first syllable of each word unaccented. It would much help both meter and sense to supply hradásya (or else plavasva) after mádhye in b; the comm. either supplies hradasya or reads it in his text. All our mss., and our printed text, have at the end ichataḥ; SPP. follows the comm. and about a third of his manuscript authorities in reading ichata, which is doubtless the true text, and implied as such in the translation above. The comm. explains pitaras as pālayitāro maṇḍūkāḥ! SPP. regards him as reading mārutam in d, but this appears doubtful. ⌊The Anukr. scans 8 + 5: 8 + 8.⌋
16. The great vessel (kóça) do thou draw up (ud-ac); pour on; let ​ there be lightnings; let the wind blow; let them extend the sacrifice, being manifoldly let loose; let the herbs become full of delight.
Ppp. reads mahantam at beginning of a, and visṛṣṭam at end of c. The first pāda is nearly RV. v. 83. 8 a, which, however, reads úd acā ní ṣiñca. Our P.M.W. read tanvántām in c. The comm., doubtless correctly, understands the waters as the "them" of c; úd aca he explains as samudrād udakapūrṇam uddhara; he supplies antarikṣam to savidyutam; the expression is better understood as an impersonal one. ⌊With b, d, cf. RV. v. 83. 4 a, b.⌋
Here ends the third anuvāka, having 5 hymns and 51 verses; the quoted Anukr. says ekaviṅçatiḥ.