Atharva Veda · 108 of 724

HYMN XI

A glorification of the sacrificial gharma or milk caldron 1. The Bull supports the wide-spread earth and heaven, the Bull    supports the spacious air between them.   The Bull supports the sky’s six spacious regions: the universal    world hath he pervaded. 2. The Bull is Indra o’er the beasts he watches. He, Sakra    measures out three several pathways.   He, milking out the worlds, the past, the future, discharges all    the Gods’ eternal duties. 3. Being produced among mankind as Indra, the Caldron works    heated and brightly glowing.   Let him not, with good sons, pass off in vapour who hath not    eaten of the Ox with knowledge. 4. The Ox pours milk out in the world of virtue: in earliest time,    he, Pavam5na, swells it.   Parjanya is the stream, Maruts his udder, sacrifice is the milk,    the meed his milking. 5. That which not sacrifice nor sacrificer, not giver nor receiver    rules and governs,   All-winning, all-supporting, all-effecting,—which of all quadru-    peds, tell us! is the Caldron? 6. May we, fame-seekers, reach the world of virtue by service of    the Gharma and through fervour,   Whereby the Gods went up to heaven, the centre of life eternal,    having left the body. 7. Prajāpati, supreme and sovran ruler, Indra by form and by his    shoulder Agni,   Came to Visvānara, came to all men’s Bullock: he firmly forti-    fied and held securely. 8. The middle of the Bullock’s neck, there where the shoulder-bar    is placed,   Extends as far to east of him as that is settled to the west. 9. He whosoever knows the seven exhaustless pourings of the Ox,   Wins himself offspring and the world: the great Seven Rishis    know this well. 10. With feet subduing weariness, with legs extracting freshening    draughts,   Through toil the plougher and the Ox approach the honeyed    beverage. 11. Assigned are these twelve nights, they say, as holy to Prajāpati:   Whoever knows their proper prayer performs the service of the   Ox. 12. At evening he is milked, is milked at early morn, is milked at    noon.   We know that streams of milk that flow from him are in-    exhaustible.