Atharva Veda: Book 13: Hymn 1: The glorification of Rohita, a form of Fire and of the Sun
Hymns of the Atharva Veda, by Ralph T.H. Griffith, [1895]
1Rise, 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.
2The 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.
3Ye 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!
4Up 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.
5For 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.
6Rohita 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.
7Rohita 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.
8Arranging 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. p. 108
9Thy 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.
10The 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.
11Erected, 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.
12Thousand-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.
13Rohita 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.
14Rohita 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.
15On 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.
16He 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.
17To 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.
18And 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. p. 109
19Breed, 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.
20With 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.
21Rohita, car-borne by a speckled leader, thou, pouring water,.
goest on in triumph.
22Golden, 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.
23Rohita'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,
24Sūrya'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,
25Rohita, 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.
26Rohita rose to heaven from mighty ocean, Rohita rose and
clomb all steeps and rises.
27Prepare 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.
28Both kindling and inflamed, adored with butter and enhanced
thereby.
May conquering Agni, conqueror of all, destroy mine enemies.
29Let him smite down in death and burn the foeman who
attacketh me.
Our adversaries we consume through Agni the Carnivorous.
30Beat 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.
31Cast 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.
32Ascending up on high, O God. O Sūrya, drive my foes away.
Yea, beat them backward with the stone: to deepest darkness
let them go.
33Calf 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.
34Rise 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.
35With 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.
36Cleansed by prayer, sacrifices bear thee upward: bay coursers,
ever travelling, convey thee. Thy light shines over sea and
billowy ocean.
37Rohita, 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.
38A 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.
39Thou, 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.
40A God, thou injurest the Gods: thou movest in the ocean's
depth.
Men kindle common Agni: him only the higher sages know.
41Beneath the upper realm, above this lower, bearing her Calf at
foot, the Cow hath risen p. 111
Whitherward, to what place hath she departed? Where doth she
calve? Not in this herd of cattle.
42She 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.
43Rising to heaven, immortal, hear my calling. Cleansed by
prayer, sacrifices bear thee upward. Bay coursers, ever on the
road, convey thee.
44This, O Immortal One, I know of thee, thy progress to the sky
thy dwelling-place in loftiest heaven.
45Beyond the sky, beyond the Earth looks Sūrya, and beyond the
floods.
The single eye of all that is; to mighty heaven hath he arisen.
46The earth was made his altar, and the wide expanses were the
fence.
There Rohita established both these Agnis, fervent heat and
cold.
47He 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.
48Rohita'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.
49Both Agins-Rohita's who found the light of heaven—made
strong by prayer,
Waxing by prayer, adored with prayer, by prayer enkindled,
sacrificed.
50One is deposited in Truth, one kindled in the waters: both
Agnis of Rohita who found the light are set aflame with prayer.
51That decked by Wind, and that prepared by Indra Brāhman-
aspati,
Agnis of Rohita who found light, prayer-enkindled, sacrificed.
52Rohita 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.
53The 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.
54Then, 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.
55This 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.
56If thou should kick a cow, or by indecent act offend the Sun,
Thy root I sever; nevermore mayst thou cast shadow on the
ground.
57Thou who, between the fire and me, passest across the line of
shade.
Thy root I sever: nevermore mayst thou cast shadow on the
ground.
58Whoe'er he be who, Sūrya, God! comes between thee and me
to-day,
On him we wipe away ill-dream, and troubles, and impurity.
59Let us not, Indra, leave the path, the Soma-presser's sacrifice.
Let not malignities dwell with us.
60May we obtain, completely wrought, the thread spun out tc
reach the Gods,
That perfecteth our sacrifice.