216 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
10. One is on the hither side, the other on the
farther side of the back of the heavens; secretly are
deposited the two receptacles of the brahmazam
(Brahmanic life). These the Brahmaarin protects
by his tapas (creative fervour); understandingly he
performs that brahma (spiritual exaltation) solely.
11. One on the hither side, the other away from
the earth, do the two Agnis come together between
these two hemispheres (of the world). To them
adhere the rays firmly; the Brahmaddarin by his
tapas (creative fervour) enters into the (rays).
12. Shouting forth, thundering, red, white he
carries a great penis along the earth. The Brahma-
karin sprinkles seed upon the back of the earth;
through it the four directions live.
13. Into fire, the sun, the moon, MAtarisvan (wind),
and the waters, the BrahmaZarin places the firewood;
the lights from these severally go into the clouds,
from them come sacrificial butter, the purusha
(primeval man), rain, and water.
14. Death is the teacher, (and) Varuza, Soma, the
plants, milk; the clouds were the warriors: by these
this light has been brought hither.
15. Varuza, having become the teacher, at home
prepares the ghee solely. Whatever he desired
from Pragapati, that the BrahmaZdarin furnished, as
Mitra (a friend) from his own Atman (spirit, or
person),
16. The Brahmafarin is the teacher, the Brahma-
karin Pragapati. Pragdpati rules (shines forth, vi
ragati); Virag (heavenly power, or light) became
Indra, the ruler.
17. Through holy disciplehood (brahma#aryam), through tapas (creative fervour), the king protects
X. COSMOGONIC AND THEOSOPHIC HYMNS, pe Weg
his kingdom. The teacher by (his own) brahma- karyam (holy life) seeks (finds) the BrahmaAarin.
18. Through holy disciplehood the maiden obtains
a young husband, through holy disciplehood the
steer, the horse seeks to obtain fodder.
19. Through holy disciplehood, through creative
fervour, the gods drove away death. Indra, forsooth,
by his holy disciplehood brought the light to the gods.
20. The plants, that which was and shall be, day
and night, the tree, the year along with the seasons,
have sprung from the Brahmaéarin.
21. The earthly and the heavenly animals, the
wild and the domestic, the wingless and the winged
(animals), have sprung from the BrahmaZarin.
22. All the creatures of Pragdpati (the creator)
severally carry breath in their souls. All these
the brahma, which has been brought hither in the
BrahmaZarin, protects.
23. This, that was set into motion by the gods,
that is insurmountable, that moves shining, from it
has sprung the brahmazam (Brahmanical life), the
highest brahma, and all the gods, together with
immortality (amr‘ta).
24,25. The BrahmaZarin carries the. shining
brahma: into this all the gods are woven. Pro-
ducing in-breathing and out-breathing, as well as
through-breathing ; speech, mind, heart, brahma, and
wisdom, do thou furnish us with sight, hearing, glory,
food, semen, blood, and belly!
26. These things the BrahmaZarin fashioned upon
the back of the (heavenly) water. He stood in the
sea kindled with tapas (creative fervour). He, when
he has bathed, shines vigorously upon the earth,
brown and ruddy.
218 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
XI, 4. Prdza, life or breath, personified as the supreme spirit.
1. Reverence to Praza, to whom all this (universe)
is subject, who has become the lord of the all, on
whom the all is supported!
2. Reverence, O Praza, to thy roaring (wind),
reverence, O Praza, to thy thunder, reverence, O
Praza, to thy lightning, reverence, O Prawa, to thy
rain !
3. When Prava calls aloud to the plants with his
thunder, they are fecundated, they conceive, and
then are produced abundant (plants).
4. When the season has arrived, and Praza calls
aloud to the plants, then everything rejoices, what-
soever is upon the earth.
5. When Praza has watered the great earth with
rain, then the beasts rejoice ; (they think): ‘ strength,
forsooth, we shall now obtain.’
6. When they had been watered by Praza, the
plants spake in concert: ‘thou hast, forsooth, pro-
longed our life, thou hast made us all fragrant.’
7. Reverence be, O Prawa, to thee coming, reve-
rence to thee going; reverence to thee standing,
and reverence, too, to thee sitting !
8. Reverence be to thee, O Praza, when thou
breathest in (prazate), reverence when thou breath-
est out! Reverence be to thee when thou art turned
away, reverence to thee when thou art turned
hither: to thee, entire, reverence be here!
9. Of thy dear form, O Prawa, of thy very dear
form, of the healing power that is thine, give unto us, that we may ee
X. Cosmogonic and Theosophic Hymns. 219
10. Praza clothes the creatures, as a father his
dear son. Prdva, truly, is the lord of all, of all that
breathes, and does not breathe.
11. Praza is death, Praza is fever. The gods
worship Praza. Prdza shall place the truth-speaker
in the highest world!
12. Praza is Virag (power, lustre), Praza is Desh/¢ri
(the divinity that guides): all worship Praza. PraAza
verily is sun and moon. They call Praza Pragdpati.
13. Rice and barley are in-breathing and out-
breathing. Praza is called a steer. In-breathing,
forsooth, is founded upon barley; rice is called out-
breathing. }
14. Man breathes out and breathes in when within
the womb. When thou, O Praza, quickenest him,
then is he born again.
15. They call Praza Méatarisvan (the wind);
Praua, forsooth, is called Vata (the wind). The
past and the future, the all, verily is supported upon
Praza.
16. The holy (atharvava) plants, the magic (angi-
rasa) plants, the divine plants, and those produced
by men, spring forth, when thou, O Prdaza, quick-
enest them.
17. When Praza has watered the great earth with
rain, then the plants spring forth, and also every sort
of herb.
18. Whoever, O Prdza, knows this regarding
thee, and (knows) on what thou art supported, to
him all shall offer tribute in yonder highest world.
19. As all these creatures, O Prdma, offer thee
tribute, so they shall offer tribute (in yonder world)
to him who hears thee, O far-famed one!
20. He moves as an embryo within the gods;
220 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
having arrived, and being in existence, he is born
again. Having arisen he enters with his mights the
present and the future, as a father (goes to) his son.
21. When as a swan he rises from the water he
does not withdraw his one foot. If in truth he were
to withdraw it, there would be neither to-day, nor
to-morrow, no night and no day, never would the
dawn appear.
22. With eight wheels, and one felloe he moves,
containing a thousand sounds (elements), upward in
the east, downward in the west. With (his) half he
produced the whole world: what is the visible sign
of his (other) half ?
23. He who rules over this (all) derived from
every source, and over everything that moves—
reverence be to thee, O Praza, that wieldest a swift
bow against others (the enemies) !
24. May Praza, who rules over this (all) derived
from every source, and over everything that moves,
(may he) unwearied, strong through the brahma,
adhere to me!
25. Erect he watches in those that sleep, nor does
he lie down across. No one has heard of his sleep-
ing in those that sleep.
26. O Praza, be not turned away from me, thou
shalt not be other than myself! As the embryo of
the waters (fire), thee, O Praza, do bind to me, that
I may live.
IX, 2. Prayer to Kama (love), personified as
a primordial power.
1. To the bull that slays the enemy, to Kama, do I render tribute with ghee, oblation, and (sacrificial)
X. Cosmogonic and Theosophic Hymns. |
melted butter. Do thou, since thou hast been ex- tolled, hurl down my enemies by thy great might!
2. The evil dream which is offensive to my mind
and eye, which harasses and does not please me,
that (dream) do I let loose upon my enemy.
Having praised Kama may I prevail!
3. Evil dreams, O Kama, and misfortune, O Kama,
childlessness, ill-health, and trouble, do thou, a strong
lord, let loose upon him that designs evil against us!
4. Drive them away, O Kama, thrust them away,
O Kama; may they that are my enemies fall into
trouble! When they have been driven into the
nethermost darkness, do thou, O Agni, burn up
their dwelling-places!
5. That milch-cow, O K&ma, whom the sages
call Va& Virag (ruling, or resplendent speech), is
said to be thy daughter; by her drive away my
enemies; breath, cattle, and life shall give them
a wide birth!
6. With the strength of Kama, Indra, king
Varuza, and Vishzu, with the impelling force (savena)
of Savitar, with the priestly power of Agni, do
I drive forth the enemies, as a skilled steersman
a boat.
7. My sturdy guardian, strong Kama, shall pro-
cure for me full freedom from enmity! May the
gods collectively be my refuge, may all the gods
respond to this, my invocation !
8. Taking pleasure in this (sacrificial) melted
butter, and ghee, do ye, (O gods), of whom Kama
is the highest, be joyful in this place, procuring for
me full freedom from enmity!
g. O Indra and Agni, and Kama, having formed an alliance, do ye hurl down my enemies; when
222 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
they have fallen into the nethermost darkness, do
thou, O Agni, burn up after them their dwelling-
places! )
10. Slay thou, O Kama, those that are my ene-
mies, hurl them down into blind darkness. Devoid
of vigour, without sap let them all be; they shall
not live a single day!
11. KAma has slain those that are my enemies,
a broad space has he furnished me to thrive in.
May the four directions of space bow down to me,
and the six broad (regions) carry ghee to me! ©
12. They (the enemies) shall float down like a
boat cut loose from its moorings! There is no
returning again for those who have been struck by
our missiles.
13. Agni is a defence, Indra a defence, Soma a
defence. May the gods, who by their defence ward
off (the enemy), ward him off!
14. With his men reduced, driven out, the hated
(enemy) shall go, shunned by his own friends! And
down upon the earth do the lightnings alight; may
the strong god crush your enemies !
15. This mighty lightning supports both move-
able and immoveable things, as well as all thunders.
May the rising sun by his resources and his majesty
hurl down my enemies, he the mighty one!
16. With that triple-armoured powerful covering
of thine, O Kdma, with the charm that has been
made into an invulnerate armour spread (over thee),
with that do thou drive away those who are my
enemies; may breath, cattle, and life give them a
wide berth!
17. With the weapon with which the god drove forth the Asuras, with which Indra led the Dasyus
X. COSMOGONIC AND THEOSOPHIC HYMNS. ais
to the nethermost darkness, with that do thou,
O Kama, drive forth far away from this world those
who are my enemies !
18. As the gods drove forth the Asuras, as Indra
forced the demons into the nethermost darkness,
thus do thou, O Kama, drive forth far away from
this world those who are my enemies!
19. Kama was born at first; him neither the gods,
nor the Fathers, nor men have equalled. To these
art thou superior, and ever great; to thee, O Kama,
do I verily offer reverence.
20. As great as are the heavens and earth in
extent, as far as the waters have swept, as far as |
fire; to these art thou superior, &c.
21. Great as are the directions (of space) and the
intermediate direction on either side, great as are
the regions and the vistas of the sky; to these art:
thou superior, &c.
22. As many bees, bats, kurfru-worms, as many
vaghas and tree-serpents as there are; to these art
thou superior, &c.
23. Superior art thou to all that winks (lives),
superior to all that stands still (is not alive), superior
to the ocean art thou, O Kama, Manyu!. To these
art thou superior, &c.
24. Not, surely, does the wind equal Kama, not
the fire, not the sun, and not the moon. ‘To these
art thou superior, &c.
25. With those auspicious and gracious forms of
thine, O Kama, through which what thou wilst
becometh real, with these do thou enter into us, and
elsewhere send the evil thoughts!
22a HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
XIX, 53. Prayer to Kala (time), personified as a primordial power.
1. Time, the steed, runs with seven reins (rays),
thousand-eyed, ageless, rich in seed. The seers,
thinking holy thoughts, mount him, all the beings
(worlds) are his wheels.
2. With seven wheels does this Time ride, seven
naves has he, immortality is his axle. He carries
hither all these beings (worlds). Time, the first
god, now hastens onward.
3. A full jar has been placed upon Time; him,
verily, we see existing in many forms. He carries
away all these beings (worlds) ; they call him Time
in the highest heaven.
4. He surely did bring hither all the beings
(worlds), he surely did encompass all the beings
(worlds). Being their father, he became their son ;
there is, verily, no other force, higher than he.
5. Time begot yonder heaven, Time also (begot)
these earths. That which was, and that which shall
be, urged forth by Time, spreads out.
6. Time created the earth, in Time the sun burns.
In Time are all beings, in Time the eye looks
abroad.
7. In Time mind is fixed, in Time breath (is
fixed), in Time names (are fixed); when Time has
arrived all these creatures rejoice.
8. In Time tapas (creative fervour) is fixed; in
Time the highest (being is fixed); in Time brahma
(spiritual exaltation) is fixed; Time is the lord of
everything, he was the father of Pragapati.