{"collection":"Hinduism","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/hin/av/av12002.htm","path":"hin/av/av12002.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/hin/av/av12002.htm","text":"Hymns of the Atharva Veda, by Ralph T.H. Griffith, [1895]\n1This is no place to hold thee; mount the N\u0101da: this lead is\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0thine appointed share. Come hither.\n \u00a0\u00a0Together with Consumption in the cattle, Consumption in our\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0men, go henee, go southward.\n 2With this we chase and banish all consumptive malady and\n \u00a0\u00a0Death,\n \u00a0\u00a0With sinner andamalicious man, with helper and with minister,\n 3Death and Misfortune we expel, Malignity we drive away.\n \u00a0\u00a0O Agni, thou who eatest not the corpse, eat him who hateth us:\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0him whom we hate we send to thee. p. 83\n 4If the corpse-eating Agni, or a tiger leaving his lair, hath entered\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0this our homestead,\n \u00a0\u00a0With beans prepared in butter I expel him: far let him go to\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0fires that lie in waters.\n 5When, angered that a man hath died, we in our wrath have\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0banished thee,\n \u00a0\u00a0That deed is easily set right through thee: we kindle thee again.\n 6Again have the \u0100dityas, Rudras, Vasus, the Br\u0101hman, bringer\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0of good things, O Agni,\n \u00a0\u00a0Again hath Br\u0101hmanaspati disposed thee for long life lasting\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0through a hundred autumns.\n 7I sweep afar, for sacrifice to Fathers, corpse-eating Agni who\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0hath come among us,\n \u00a0\u00a0Although he saw this other, J\u0101tavedas: in loftiest space let him\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0inflame the caldron.\n 8I drive corpse-eating Agni to a distance: sin-laden let him go to\n \u00a0\u00a0Yamas vassals.\n \u00a0\u00a0Here let this other, J\u0101tavedas, carry oblation to the Deities, fore-\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0knowing.\n 9I quickly sweep away corpse-eating Agni, Death, with his bolt\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0potdepriving men of motion.\n \u00a0\u00a0From household fire, well-knowing, I divide him: so in the\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0world of Fathers be his portion.\n 10Corpse-eating Agni, toil-worn, meet for praises, I send away\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0bypaths used by the Fathers.\n \u00a0\u00a0Stay there; keep watch among the Fathers: come not again to\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0us by ways whereon Gods travel.\n 11They being cleansed and bright, the purifiers, kindle Sankasuka\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0for our well-being.\n \u00a0\u00a0Impurity leaveth us and sin departeth: lighted by the good\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0cleanser Agni cleanseth.\n 12Agni the God, the Breaker-up, hath mounted to the heights of\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0heaven.\n \u00a0\u00a0Released from all transgression, he hath from the curse delivered\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0us.\n 13On Agni here, the Breaker-up, we wipe impurities away.\n \u00a0\u00a0Cleansed, fit for sacrifice have we become: may he prolong our\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0lives.\n 14The Breaker-up, the Burster, the Destroyer, and the Silent One, p. 84\n \u00a0\u00a0These have expelled Consumption far, far off from thee \u0101nd all\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0thou hast,\n 15Corpse-eating Agni we expel, the Agni who bewilders men,\n \u00a0\u00a0Him who is in our horses, in our heroes, cows, and goats, and\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0sheep:\n 16We drive thee forth to other folk, to alien cattle, alien steeds,\n \u00a0\u00a0Thee the corpse-eating Agni, thee the Agni who bewilders men,\n 17Whereon the Deities, whereon men too have purified themselves,\n \u00a0\u00a0Exalting fatness, cleanse thyself, Agni, therein and mount to\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0heaven.\n 18O Agni, kindled and adored, turn not away to visit us.\n \u00a0\u00a0Shine brightly even there in heaven, so that we long may see the\n \u00a0\u00a0Sun.\n 19Wipe all away on lead and reed, on Agni, him who breaketh up,\n \u00a0\u00a0Then on a black-hued sheep, and on a cushion pain that racks.\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0the head,\n 20Wipe off pollution, lay it in the lead and in the black-hued\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0sheep,\n \u00a0\u00a0And headache in the cushion; then be cleansed and fit to sacri-\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0fice.\n 21Go onward, Death, pursue thy special pathway apart from that\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0which Gods are wont to travel.\n \u00a0\u00a0To thee I say it who hast eyes and hearest: great grow the\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0number of these men around us!\n 22Divided from the dead are these, the living: now is our calling\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0on the Gods successful.\n \u00a0\u00a0We have gone forth for dancing and for laughter: may we with\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0brave sons speak to the assembly.\n 23Here I erect this rampart for the living: let none of these, none\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0other, reach this limit.\n \u00a0\u00a0May they survive a hundred lengthened autumns, and may they\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0bury Death beneath this mountain.\n 24Live your full lives and find age delightful, all of you striving,\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0one behind the other.\n \u00a0\u00a0May Tvashtar, maker of fair things, be gracious, and lead your\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0whole lives on to full existence.\n 25As the days follow days in close succession, as with the seasons\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0duly come the seasons.\n \u00a0\u00a0As each successor fails not his foregoer, so constitute the lives of\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0these, Ordainer! p. 85\n 26Gather your strength, my friends; the stream flows stony:\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0acquit yourselves as men, and cross the river.\n \u00a0\u00a0Abandon here the powers that were malignant, and let us cross\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0to powers exempt from sickness.\n 27Rise up erect, cross over, my companions: the stream is stony\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0that flows here before us.\n \u00a0\u00a0Abandon here the powers that were ungracious, and let us cross\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0to powers benign and friendly.\n 28Becoming pure and bright and purifying begin the Vaisvadevi\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0strain for splendour..\n \u00a0\u00a0May we rejoice, o'erpassing troublous places, with all our heroes\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0through a hundred winters.\n 29On pathways swept by wind, directed upward, passing beyond\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0the lower, on the higher,\n \u00a0\u00a0Thrice seven times have the Rishis, the Departed, forced Mrityu\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0backward with the fastened fetter.\n 30Effecting Mrityu's footstep ye came hither, to further times pro-\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0longing your existence,\n \u00a0\u00a0Seated, drive Mrityu to his proper dwelling: then may we,\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0living, speak to the assembly.\n 31Let these unwidowed dames with goodly husbands adorn them-\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0selves with fragrant balm and unguent,\n \u00a0\u00a0Decked with fair jewels, tearless, sound and healthy, first let the\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0dames go up to where he lieth.\n 32I with oblation separate both classes, and with my prayer dis-\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0part their several portions.\n \u00a0\u00a0I offer food that wastes not to the Fathers, a nd to these men\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0give life of long duration.\n 33That Agni, Fathers! who, himself immortal, hath entered and\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0possessed our mortal bosoms,\n \u00a0\u00a0Even him I grasp and hold the God with me, Let him not hate\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0us, may we never hate him.\n 34When ye have left the household fire, with the Corpse-eater\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0southward go.\n \u00a0\u00a0Do that which is delightful to the Fathers, Br\u0101hmans, and your-\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0selves.\n 35Agni, the banqueter on flesh, not banished, for the eldest son\n \u00a0\u00a0Taketh a double share of wealth and spoileth it with poverty.\n 36What man acquires by plough, by war, all that he wins by toil\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0of hand, p. 86\n \u00a0\u00a0He loses all if Agni the Carnivorous be not set aside,\n 37Unholy, splendour-reft is he, his sacrifice unfit to eat. Kray\u0101d\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0deprives of tilth of cow, of riches him whom he pursues,\n 38Oft as a greedy beggar speaks the mortal who has brought\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0distress,\n \u00a0\u00a0Those whom Carnivorous Agni close at hand runs after and\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0detects.\n 39When a dame's husband dies the house is tangled fast in\n \u00a0\u00a0Gr\u0101hi's net.\n \u00a0\u00a0A learned Br\u0101hman must be sought to drive Carnivorous Agni,\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0forth.\n 40From any evil we have done, act of impurity or sin,\n \u00a0\u00a0Let waters purge me and from all that comes from Agni\n \u00a0\u00a0Breaker-up.\n 41By pathways travelled by the Gods these waters, well-knowing,\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0from below have mounted upward.\n \u00a0\u00a0High on the summit of the raining mountain the ancient rivers\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0fresh and new are flowing.\n 42Drive off Carnivorous Agni, thou Agni who eatest not the flesh;.\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0carry oblation paid to Gods.\n 43The Flesh-eater hath entered him: he hath pursued the Flesh-\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0eater.\n \u00a0\u00a0Making two tigers different-wise, I bear away the ungracious\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0one.\n 44He who holds Gods within himself, the rampart and defence of\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0men,\n \u00a0\u00a0Agni, the sacred household fire, hath come and stands between\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0them both.\n 45Prolong the lives of those who live, O Agni, Let the dead go\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0unto world of Fathers.\n \u00a0\u00a0As goodly household fire burn up Ar\u0101ti; give this man dawn\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0brighter than all the mornings.\n 46Subduing all our adversaries, Agni, give us their food, their\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0strength and their possessions.\n 47Grasp ye this Indra, furtherer, satisfier: he will release you\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0from disgrace and trouble.\n \u00a0\u00a0With him drive back the shaft that flies against you, with him.\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0ward off the missile shot by Rudra.\n 48Seize with firm hold the Ox who boundeth forward: he will\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0uplift you from disgrace and trouble. p. 87\n \u00a0\u00a0Enter this ship of Savitar; let us flee from poverty over all the\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0six expenses.\n 49Thou followest the day and night, supporting, standing, at\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0peace, promoting, rich in heroes.\n \u00a0\u00a0Long bearing undiseased and happy sleepers, be ours, O Bed,\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0with smell of man about thee,\n 50They sever from the Gods, they live in sin and misery evermore,\n \u00a0\u00a0Those whom from very near at hand Carnivorous Agni casteth\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0down as a horse tramples down the reeds.\n 51The faithless, who from lust of wealth abide with him who feeds\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0on flesh,\n \u00a0\u00a0For ever set upon the fire an alien caldron, not their own.\n 52Forward in spirit would he fly, and often turns he back again,\n \u00a0\u00a0Whomso Carnivorous Agni from anear discovers and torments.\n 53Among tame beasts the black ewe is thy portion, and the bright\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0lead is thine, they say, Flesh-eater!\n \u00a0\u00a0Mashed beans have been assigned thee for oblation go seek the\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0dark wood and the wildernesses.\n 54I sought the rustling sugar-cane, white Seasamum, and cane and\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0reed.\n \u00a0\u00a0I made this Indra's fuel, and the Fire of Yama I removed.\n 55Against the sinking western Sun I set them; each sundered path,\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0knowing my way, I entered.\n \u00a0\u00a0I have warned off the ghosts of the Departed: to these I give\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0the boon of long existence.","title":"Atharva Veda: Book 12: Hymn 2: A funeral hymn, and deprecation of Agni the Consumer of corpses","type":"page"}