Page:Atharva-Veda samhita volume 2.djvu/310

xiv. 2-

67. Having settled the defilement on the wooer, the difficulty on the dress, we have become worshipful, cleansed (çudh); may he extend our life-times.

68. The artificial hundred-toothed comb (?) that is here shall scratch away the defilement of the hair of her, away that of her head.

69. Away from every limb of her do we deposit the yákṣma; let that not attain (pra-āp) the earth nor the gods; let it not attain the heaven, the wide atmosphere; let that defilement not attain the waters, O Agni; let it not attain Yama and all the Fathers.

70. I gird thee with the milk of the earth; I gird thee with the milk of the herbs; I gird thee with progeny, with riches; do thou, being girded, win (ā-san) this strength (? vā́ja).

71. He am I, she thou; chant am I, verse thou; heaven I, earth thou; let us (two) come together here; let us generate progeny.

The verse (8 + 8 + 8: 7 + 8 = 39) is strangely called a bṛhatī by the Anukr. It is found, with more or less variation, in a host of other texts: AB. (viii. 27. 4), TB. (iii. 7.1$1$), K. (xxxv. 18), ÇB. (xiv. 9. 4$9$), AGS. (i. 7. 6), PCS. (i. 6. 3), HGS. (i. 20. 2), Āp. (ix. 2. 3). In the first pāda, TB. (with which HGS. and Āp. agree throughout) has the unintelligent reading ámūhám; AB. has sa for sā, which seems also a mere blunder. After this, AB.ÇB.AGS.PGS. add the same, inverted: sā́ (AB. sa again) tvám asy ámo ‘hám (ÇB. PGS. ahám). As regards our third pāda, there is no variant in reading, but AB.TB.AGS.HGS.Āp. put it before our second. In our second pāda, the same texts omit the asmi; the whole pāda is wanting in Ppp. For our d, AB. has tāv eha saṁ vahāvahāi, and ends there; TB. etc. give as ending to the verse tā́v é ’hi sám bhavāva