०१६ अभयम्

16. For safety and protection.

अभयम्।
१-२ अथर्वा। मन्त्रोक्ताः। १ अनुष्टुप्, २ त्र्यवसाना सप्तपदा बृहतीगर्भाऽतिशक्वरी।

[Atharvan.—tṛcam.* mantroktabahudevatyam. 1. anuṣṭubh; 2.3-av. 7-p. bṛhatīgarbhā ’tiśakvarī.⌋ *⌊So the London ms.; the Berlin ms. says in fact dvyṛcam: see under vs. 2.⌋

Comment

This and the following hymns, to 23 inclusive, are wanting in Pāipp. The comm. has 16-19 used in the night, in a ceremony to be performed by the purohita, on the entrance of a king into his sleeping-house (according to Pariśiṣṭa iv. 5). The hymn is repeated below as 27. 14, 15.

Translations

Translated: Griffith, ii. 276.

A prayer for security from danger

Translation

1. Freedom from rivals in front, behind us [is] fearlessness made;
   Savitar [protect] me on the south, the lord of śachī me on the north.

Notes

The comm. takes kṛtám in b as 2d du. impv., = kurutam, in spite
of the accent, trying to find a dual subject in the two gods mentioned
in c, d; and SPP., in obedience to this, even reads kṛtam,
although twelve of his thirteen authorities (with all of ours) have
kṛtám, the thirteenth evidently disagreeing with the rest purely by
the accidental omission of an accent-mark.* It would not be impossible
to take mā in c and d as object of dakṣiṇatás and uttarā́t.
*⌊For the use of kṛtám (the participle), cf. tāír me kṛtáṁ
svastyáyanam, above, 9. 12 c.—In his Collation Book, W. refers to
RV. khila, 3. 4, which reads asapatnám purástān naḥ śiváṁ dakṣíṇataḥ
kṛdhi: abháyaṁ sátatam paścā́d bhadrám uttarató gṛhé.

Peace hath been given us from the east, and from the west security. Savitar guard me from the south, and from the north the Lord of Might.

अ॒स॒प॒त्नम्। पु॒रस्ता॑त्। प॒श्चात्। नः॒। अभ॑यम्। कृ॒त॒म्। स॒वि॒ता। मा॒। द॒क्षि॒ण॒तः। उ॒त्त॒रात्। मा॒। शची॒ऽपतिः॑। १६.१।

• मन्त्रोक्ताः
• अथर्वा
• अनुष्टुप्
• अभय सूक्त

अभय और रक्षा का उपदेश।

पदार्थान्वयभाषाः - (नः) हमारे लिये (मा) मुझको (पुरस्तात्) सामने [वा पूर्वदिशा] से (पश्चात्) पीछे [वा पश्चिम] से, (दक्षिणतः) दाहिनी और [वा दक्षिण] से और (मा) मुझको (उत्तरात्) बाईं ओर [वा उत्तर] से (सविता) सर्वप्ररेक राजा और (शचीपतिः) वाणियों वा कर्मों का पालनेवाला [मन्त्री], तुम दोनों (असपत्नम्) शत्रुरहित और (अभयम्) निर्भय (कृतम्) करो ॥१॥

भावार्थभाषाः - जहाँ पर राजा और मन्त्री अपनी वाणी और कर्म में पक्के होते हैं, उस राज्य में प्रजागण शत्रुओं से सुरक्षित रहते हैं ॥१॥

टिप्पणी: १−(असपत्नम्) शत्रुरहितम् (पुरस्तात्) अग्रे। पूर्वस्यां दिशि (पश्चात्) पश्चाद् भागे पश्चिमस्यां दिशि (नः) अस्मभ्यम् (अभयम्) (कृतम्) लोटि छान्दसं रूपम्। युवां कुरुतम् (सविता) सर्वप्रेरको राजा (मा) माम् (दक्षिणतः) दक्षिणभागे। दक्षिणस्यां दिशि (उत्तरात्) उपरिभागे। उत्तरस्यां दिशि (मा) माम् (शचीपतिः) शची वाङ्नाम-निघ०१।११ कर्मनाम-निघ०२।१। वाणीनां कर्मणां वा पालको मन्त्री ॥

Translation

2. From the sky let the Ādityas defend me; from the earth let the fires
   defend; let Indra-and-Agni defend me in front; let the Aśvins yield
   (yam) refuge round about; crosswise let the inviolable [cow], let
   Jātavedas, defend [me]; let the being-makers be my defense (várman)
   on all sides.

Notes

In e the mss. all read tiraścī́naghnyā́, which the pada-text
resolves into tiraścī́n: aghnyā́, and this SPP. retains, though
tiraścī́n is not a possible word. Our emendation to -cī́nā ’ghnyā́ is a
very simple one (implying -cī́nā: aghnyā́); the translation is founded
on it; but a more radical alteration of the pāda would be acceptable:
something like, for instance, tiryák cā ’gnī́ rakṣatu jātávedāḥ; the
jātávedās leads naturally to the suspicion that agnís is somehow
hidden in the ’ghnyā́; the comm. indeed reads tiraścīn agnī r-; but
he is able to regard tiraścīn as a masc. accus., implying asmān; or
else as by Vedic license for -cīs, and this for -cībhyas, implying
digbhyas (!); and such assumptions are forbidden us. The pada-mss.
all read rakṣantu in e.

The Anukr. in its metrical definition treats this all as one verse, and
the same treatment is implied by the summation at the end of the
amivāka (see p. 928); but the comm. and one of our mss. make what
follows the second avasāna into a separate or third verse; ⌊a like
contradiction obtains as between the Anukr. and the comm. in the
repeated passage, below, 27. 14, 15 (see the note); here, moreover, as
noted above, the mss. of the Anukr. are at variance as to whether the
hymn is to be reckoned as of 2 vss. or of 3⌋. The addition of
bṛhatīgarbhā to the metrical definition is quite uncalled-for;
⌊doubtless because pāda b scans better as 8 syllables than as 9: no
less uncalled-for is the addition of saptapadā, unless, dividing what
follows the second avasāna into 3 pādas, we begin the seventh with an
enclitic⌋.

⌊I suspect that our text consists of 6 pādas (8 + 8: ll + 11: 11 + 11 =
60, “atiśakvarī”), call them 1 vs. or 2, as you will. Pādas c and
e and f have good triṣṭubh cadences; c is good triṣṭubh
if we resolve indraagnī; so is e, with W’s tiryák cā ’gnī́ r-;
the presence of me in f is all that spoils f; and the absence
of me after yachatām is all that spoils the cadence of d, if,
substituting the grammatical equivalent, we pronounce aśvínā ’bhítaḥ
at the beginning.⌋

May the Adityas from the sky protect me, Agni from the earth. May Indra-Agni guard me from the eastward, on all sides may the Asvins give me shelter. May Jatavedas guard, sidelong, our cattle. Our shield on all sides be the World-Creators!

दि॒वः। मा॒। आ॒दि॒त्याः। र॒क्ष॒न्तु॒। भूम्याः॑। र॒क्ष॒न्तु॒। अ॒ग्नयः॑। इ॒न्द्रा॒ग्नी इति॑। र॒क्ष॒ता॒म्। मा॒। पुरस्ता॑त्। अ॒श्विनौ॑। अ॒भितः॑। शर्म॑। य॒च्छ॒ता॒म्। ति॒र॒श्चीन्। अ॒घ्न्या। र॒क्ष॒तु॒। जा॒तऽवे॑दाः। भू॒त॒ऽकृतः॑। मे॒। स॒र्वतः॑। स॒न्तु॒। वर्म॑। १६.२।

• मन्त्रोक्ताः
• अथर्वा
• त्र्यवसाना सप्तपदा बृहतीगर्भातिशक्वरी
• अभय सूक्त

अभय और रक्षा का उपदेश।

पदार्थान्वयभाषाः - (आदित्याः) अखण्डव्रती शूर (मा) मुझे (दिवः) आकाश से (रक्षन्तु) बचावें, (अग्नयः) ज्ञानी पुरुष (भूम्याः) भूमि से (रक्षन्तु) बचावें। (इन्द्राग्नी) बिजुली और अग्नि [के समान तेजस्वी और व्यापक राजा और मन्त्री दोनों] (मा) मुझे (पुरस्तात्) सामने से (रक्षताम्) बचावें, (अश्विनौ) सूर्य और चन्द्रमा [के समान ठीक मार्ग चलनेवाले वे दोनों] (अभितः) सब ओर से (शर्म) सुख (यच्छताम्) देवें। (जातवेदाः) बहुत धनवाली (अघ्न्या) अटूट [राजनीति] (तिरश्चीन्=तिरश्चिभ्यः) आड़े चलनेवाले [वैरियों] से [मुझे] (रक्षतु) बचावे, (भूतकृतः) उचित कर्म करनेवाले पुरुष (मे) मेरे लिये (सर्वतः) सब ओर से (वर्म) कवच (सन्तु) होवें ॥२॥

भावार्थभाषाः - जो राजा और राजपुरुष आकाश में वायुयान द्वारा चलनेवाले वीरों से और पृथिवी पर अश्ववार आदि से अस्त्र-शस्त्र द्वारा शत्रुओं का नाश करते हैं, वही प्रजा की रक्षा कर सकते हैं ॥२॥

टिप्पणी: २−(दिवः) आकाशात् (मा) माम् (आदित्याः) अखण्डब्रह्मचारिणः शूराः (रक्षन्तु) पान्तु (भूम्याः) (रक्षन्तु) (अग्नयः) ज्ञानिनः पुरुषाः (इन्द्राग्नी) विद्युदग्निवत्तेजस्विव्यापकौ राजमन्त्रिणौ (रक्षताम्) (मा) माम् (पुरस्तात्) पुरोभागे (अश्विनौ) सूर्याचन्द्रमसाविव सन्मार्गगन्तारौ (अभितः) सर्वतः (यच्छताम्) दत्ताम् (तिरश्चीन्) वातेर्डिच्च। उ०४।१३४४। तिरस्+चर गतौ-इण्, डित्। सुपां सुपो भवन्ति। वा० पा०७।१।३९। पञ्चम्याः शस्। तिरश्चिम्यः। तिर्यग्गतिभ्यः शत्रुभ्यः (अघ्न्या) अहन्तव्या राजनीतिः (रक्षतु) (जातवेदाः) गतिकारकोपपदयोः पूर्वपदप्रकृतिस्वरत्वञ्च। उ०४।२२७। जात+विद्लृ लाभे-असि। वेदो धननाम-निघ०२।१०। जातं प्रसिद्धं वेदो धनं यस्याः सा (भूतकृतः) भूतस्योचितस्य कर्तारः (मे) मम (सर्वतः) (सन्तु) (वर्म) कवचम् रक्षासाधनम् ॥