Atharva Veda · 472 of 724
BOOK XIII
HYMN I The glorification of Rohita, a form of Fire and of the Sun 1. Rise, Mighty One, who liest in the waters, and enter this thy fair and glorious kingdom. Let Rohita who made this All uphold thee carefully nurtured for supreme dominion. 2. The strength that was in waters hath ascended. Mount o'er the tribes which thou hast generated. Creating Soma, waters, plants and cattle, bring hitherward both quadrupeds and bipeds. 3. Ye Maruts, strong and mighty, sons of Prisni, with Indra for ally crush down our foemen. Let Rohita, ye bounteous givers, hear you, thrice-seven Maruts who delight in sweetness! 4. Up to the lap of births, to lofty places, hath Rohita, the germ of Dames, ascended. Conjoined with these he found the six realms: seeing his way in front here he received the kingship. 5. For thee hath Rohita obtained dominion, scattered thine ene- mies, become thy safeguard. So by the potent Sakvaris let Heaven and Earth be milked to- yield thee all thy wishes. 6. Rohita gave the Earth and Heavens their being. There Para- meshthin held the cord extended. Thereon reposeth Aja Ekapāda. He with his might hath stab- lished Earth and Heaven. 7. Rohita firmly stablished Earth and Heaven: by him was ether fixt by him the welkin. He measured out mid air and all the regions: by him the Gods found life that lasts for ever. 8. Arranging shoots, springs, Rohita considered this Universe in all its forms and phases. May he, gone up to heaven with mighty glory, anoint thy sov- ranty with milk and fatness. 9. Thy risings up, thy mountings and ascensions wherewith thou fillest heaven and air's mid-region— By prayer for these, by milk of these, increasing, in Rohita's kingdom watch, among his people. 10. The tribes thy heat produced have followed hither the Calf and Gāyatri, the strain that lauds him. With friendly heart let them approach to serve thee, and the Calf Rohita come with his mother. 11. Erected, Rohita hath reached the welkin, wise, young, creating every form and figure. Agni, refulgent with his heightened lustre, in the third realm hath brought us joy and gladness. 12. Thousand-horned Bull, may Jātavedas, worshipped with butter, balmed with Soma, rich in heroes, Besought, ne'er quit me; may I ne'er forsake thee. Give me abundant men and herds of cattle. 13. Rohita is the sire and mouth of worship: to him with voice, ear, heart I pay oblation. To Rohita come Gods with joyful spirit. May he by risings raise me till I join him. 14. Rohita ordered sacrifice for Visvakarman: thence have I obta- ined this strength and energy. May I proclaim thee as my kin over the greatness of the world. 15. On thee have mounted Brihatī and Pankti. and Kakup with great splendour, Jātavedas! The cry of Vashat with the voice uplifted and Rohita with seed on thee have mounted. 16. He goes into the womb of earth, he robes himself in heaven and air. He on the Bright One's station hath reached heavenly light and all the worlds. 17. To us, Vāchaspati, may Earth be pleasant, pleasant our dwelling, pleasant be our couches. Even here may Prāna be our friend: may Agni, O Parameshthin give thee life and splendour. 18. And those, Vāchaspati, our own five seasons, sacred to Visva- karman their creator. Even here our friend be Prāna: Parameshthin, may Rohita vouchsafe the life and splendour. 19. Breed, O Vāchaspati, joy and understanding, kine i n our stall and children in our consorts. Even here may Prāna be our friend: may Agni, O Parameshthin, give thee life and splendour. 20. With splendour let God Savitar, and Agni, with splendour Mitra, Varuna invest thee. Treading down all Malignities, come hither. Pleasant and' glorious hast thou made this kingdom. 21. Rohita, car-borne by a speckled leader, thou, pouring water,. goest on in triumph. 22. Golden, refulgent, lofty is the Lady, Rohinī, Rohita's devoted Consort. Through her may we win various spoil and booty, through her be conquerors in every battle. 23. Rohita's seat is Rohinī before us: that is the path the speckled Mare pursueth. Kasyapas and Gandharvas lead her upward, and heavenly sages ever watch and guard her, 24. Sūrya's bay steeds refulgent and immortal draw the light-rolling. chariot on for ever. Drinker of fatness, Rohita, resplendent, hath entered into various-coloured heaven, 25. Rohita, Bull whose horns are sharply pointed, superior of Agni and of Sūrya, He who supports the sundered earth and heaven,—from him the Gods effect their own creations. 26. Rohita rose to heaven from mighty ocean, Rohita rose and clomb all steeps and rises. 27. Prepare the Milky One who teems with fatness: she is the Gods' never-reluctant milch-cow. Indra drink Soma: ours be peace and safety. Let Agni lead the laud, and chase our foemen. 28. Both kindling and inflamed, adored with butter and enhanced thereby. May conquering Agni, conqueror of all, destroy mine enemies. 29. Let him smite down in death and burn the foeman who attacketh me. Our adversaries we consume through Agni the Carnivorous. 30. Beat them down, Indra, with thy bolt, beat them down, mighty with thine arm. p. 110 I through the energy and force of Agni have secured my foes. 31. Cast down our foes beneath our feet, O Agni. Brihaspati, oppress our rebel kinsman. Low let them fall, O Indra-Agni. Mitra-Varuna, powerless to show their anger. 32. Ascending up on high, O God. O Sūrya, drive my foes away. Yea, beat them backward with the stone: to deepest darkness let them go. 33. Calf of Virāj, the Bull of prayers and worship, whitebacked, he hath gone up to air's mid-region. Singing, they hymn the Calf, with gifts of butter: him who is Brahma they exalt with Brahma. 34. Rise up to earth, rise up to heaven above it; rise up to opulence, rise up to kingship. Rise up to offspring, rise to life immortal; rise, and with Rohita unite thy body. 35. With all the Gods who circle round the Sun, upholding royal sway, With all of these may Rohita accordant, give sovranty to thee with friendly spirit. 36. Cleansed by prayer, sacrifices bear thee upward: bay coursers, ever travelling, convey thee. Thy light shines over sea and billowy ocean. 37. Rohita, conqueror of cows and riches and gathered spoil, is heaven's and earth's upholder. Over earth's greatness would I tell my kinship with thee who hast a thousand births and seven. 38. A glorious sight to beasts and men, thou goest glorious to the regions and mid-regions. On earth's, on Aditi's bosom, bright with glory. Fain would I equal Savitar in beauty. 39. Thou, yonder, knowest all things here, when here thou knowest what is there. From here men see the sphere of light, Sūrya profoundly wise in heaven. 40. A God, thou injurest the Gods: thou movest in the ocean's depth. Men kindle common Agni: him only the higher sages know. 41. Beneath the upper realm, above this lower, bearing her Calf at foot, the Cow hath risen Whitherward, to what place hath she departed? Where doth she calve? Not in this herd of cattle. 42. She hath become one-footed or two-footed, four-footed, or eight-footed or nine-footed, This universe's thousand-syllabled Pankti Oceans flow forth from her in all directions. 43. Rising to heaven, immortal, hear my calling. Cleansed by prayer, sacrifices bear thee upward. Bay coursers, ever on the road, convey thee. 44. This, O Immortal One, I know of thee, thy progress to the sky thy dwelling-place in loftiest heaven. 45. Beyond the sky, beyond the Earth looks Sūrya, and beyond the floods. The single eye of all that is; to mighty heaven hath he arisen. 46. The earth was made his altar, and the wide expanses were the fence. There Rohita established both these Agnis, fervent heat and cold. 47. He stablished heat and cold, he made the mountains sacrificial posts. Then both the Agnis, Rohita's who found celestial light, with rain for molten butter, sacrificed. 48. Rohita's Agni-his who found heaven's light-is kindled with the prayer. From him the heat, from him the cold, from him the sacrifice was born. 49. Both Agins-Rohita's who found the light of heaven—made strong by prayer, Waxing by prayer, adored with prayer, by prayer enkindled, sacrificed. 50. One is deposited in Truth, one kindled in the waters: both Agnis of Rohita who found the light are set aflame with prayer. 51. That decked by Wind, and that prepared by Indra Brāhman- aspati, Agnis of Rohita who found light, prayer-enkindled, sacrificed. 52. Rohita made the earth to be his altar, heaven his Dakshinā. Then heat he took for Agni, and with rain for molten butter he created every living thing. 53. The earth became an altar, heat was Agni, and the butter rain. p. 112 There Agni made, by song and hymn, these mountains rise and stand erect. 54. Then, having made the hills stand up, Rohita spake to Earth, and said: In thee let every thing be born, what is and what is yet to be. 55. This sacrifice, the first of all, the past, the present, had its birth. From that arose this universe, yea, all this world of brightness, brought by Rohita the heavenly Sage. 56. If thou should kick a cow, or by indecent act offend the Sun, Thy root I sever; nevermore mayst thou cast shadow on the ground. 57. Thou who, between the fire and me, passest across the line of shade. Thy root I sever: nevermore mayst thou cast shadow on the ground. 58. Whoe'er he be who, Sūrya, God! comes between thee and me to-day, On him we wipe away ill-dream, and troubles, and impurity. 59. Let us not, Indra, leave the path, the Soma-presser's sacrifice. Let not malignities dwell with us. 60. May we obtain, completely wrought, the thread spun out tc reach the Gods, That perfecteth our sacrifice.
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