Atharva Veda
Mystic
yo bhūtaṃ ca bhavyaṃ ca sarvaṃ yaś cādhitiṣṭhati svaryasya ca kevalaṃ tasmai jyeṣṭhāya brahmaṇe namaḥ
Mystic
He who is set over both what is and what is to be and everything, and whose alone is the heaven—to that chief bráhman be homage.
skambheneme viṣṭabhite dyauś ca bhūmiś ca tiṣṭhataḥ skambha idaṃ sarvam ātmanvad yat prāṇan nimiṣac ca yat
By the skambhá these two stand fixed apart, both sky and earth; in the skambhá [is] all this that has soul, what [is] breathing and what winking.
tisro ha prajā atyāyam āyan ny anyā arkam abhito 'viśanta bṛhan ha tasthau rajaso vimāno harito hariṇīr ā viveśa
Three offspring (prajā́) went an over-going; others settled (ni-viç) about the sun (? arká); great stood the traverser (vimā́na) of space (rájas); the yellow one (m.) entered into the yellow ones (f.).
dvādaśa pradhayaś cakram ekaṃ trīṇi nabhyāni ka u tac ciketa tatrāhatās trīṇi śatāni śaṅkavaḥ ṣaṣṭiś ca khīlā avicācalā ye
Twelve fellies, one wheel, three naves—who understands that? therein are inserted (ā́hata) three hundred and sixty pins (çan̄kú), pegs (? khī́la) that are immovable.
idaṃ savitar vi jānīhi ṣaḍ yamā eka ekajaḥ tasmin hāpitvam icchante ya eṣām eka ekajaḥ
This, O Savitar, do thou distinguish: six [are] twins, one [is] sole-born; they seek participation (apitvá) in him who of them is the sole sole-born.
āviḥ san nihitaṃ guhā jaran nāma mahat padam
Being manifest (āvís), [it is] deposited in secret; the great track (padá), "aged" (járat) by name; there is set (ā́rpita) this all, [there is] established what stirs, what breathes.
ekacakraṃ vartata ekanemi sahasrākṣaraṃ pra puro ni paścā ardhena viśvaṃ bhuvanaṃ jajāna yad asyārdhaṃ kva tad babhūva
One-wheeled it rolls, one-rimmed, thousand-syllabled, forth in front, down behind; with a half it has generated all existence; what its [other] half is—what has become of that?
pañcavāhī vahatyagram eṣāṃ praṣṭayo yuktā anusaṃvahanti ayātam asya dadṛśe na yātaṃ paraṃ nedīyo 'varaṃ davīyaḥ
One carrying five carries the summit (ágra) of them; side-horses, harnessed, carry also along; what is not gone of it was seen, not what is gone; the higher thing [is] closer, the lower more distant.
tiryagbilaś camasa ūrdhvabudhnas tasmin yaśo nihitaṃ viśvarūpam tad āsata ṛṣayaḥ sapta sākaṃ ye asya gopā mahato babhūvuḥ
A bowl (camasá) with orifice sideways, bottom-side up—in it is deposited glory of all forms; there sit together the seven seers, who have become the keepers of it, the great one.
yā purastād yujyate yā ca paścād yā viśvato yujyate yā ca sarvataḥ yayā yajñaḥ prāṅ tāyate tāṃ tvā pṛcchāmi katamā sā ṛcām
The one which is applied (yuj) in front and which behind, which is applied in all cases and which in every case, by which the sacrifice is extended forward—that I ask of thee: which one of the verses is it?
yad ejati patati yac ca tiṣṭhati prāṇad aprāṇan nimiṣac ca yad bhuvat tad dādhāra pṛthivīṃ viśvarūpaṃ tat sambhūya bhavaty ekam eva
What stirs, flies, and what stands, and what is breathing, not breathing, winking—that, all-formed, sustains the earth; that, combining, becomes one only.
anantaṃ vitataṃ purutrānantam antavac cā samante te nākapālaś carati vicinvan vidvān bhūtam uta bhavyam asya
What is endless, stretched out on many sides; what is endless, and what has an end, ending together—these (two) the lord of the firmament keeps (car) separating (vi-ci), knowing what is and what shall be of it.
prajāpatiś carati garbhe antar adṛśyamāno bahudhā vi jāyate ardhena viśvaṃ bhuvanaṃ jajāna yad asyārdhaṃ katamaḥ sa ketuḥ
Prajāpati goes about (car) within the womb; not being seen, he is manifoldly born (vi-jā); with a half he has generated all existence; what his [other] half is—which sign is that?
ūrdhvaṃ bharantam udakaṃ kumbhenevodahāryam paśyanti sarve cakṣuṣā na sarve manasā viduḥ
Him bearing water aloft, as a water-bearer (f.) with a vessel (kumbhá), all see with the eye, not all know with the mind.
dūre pūrṇena vasati dūra ūnena hīyate mahad yakṣaṃ bhuvanasya madhye tasmai baliṃ rāṣṭrabhṛto bharanti
In the distance it dwells with the full one, in the distance it is abandoned by the deficient one—the great monster (yakṣá) in the midst of existence; to it the kingdom-bearers bear tribute.
yataḥ sūryaḥ udety astaṃ yatra ca gacchati tad eva manye 'haṃ jyeṣṭhaṃ tad u nāty eti kiṃcana
Whence the sun arises, and where he goes to rest—that same I think the chief (jyeṣṭhá); that nothing whatever surpasses.
ye arvāṅ madhya uta vā purāṇaṃ vedaṃ vidvāṃsam abhito vadanti ādityam eva te pari vadanti sarve agniṃ dvitīyaṃ trivṛtaṃ ca haṃsam
They who hitherward, in the middle, or also anciently, speak round about him who knows the Veda, they all speak around the sun (ādityá), Agni [as] second, and the threefold swan (haṅsá).
sahasrāhṇyaṃ viyatāv asya pakṣau harer haṃsasya patataḥ svargam sa devānt sarvān urasy upadadya saṃpaśyan yāti bhuvanāni viśvā
A thousand days' journey [are] expanded (vi-yam) the wings of him, of the yellow swan flying to heaven (svargá); he, putting all the gods in his breast, goes, viewing together all existences.
satyenordhvas tapati brahmaṇārvāṅ vi paśyati prāṇena tiryaṅ prāṇati yasmin jyeṣṭham adhi śritam
By truth he burns aloft; by bráhman he looks abroad hitherward, by breath he breathes crosswise—he on whom rests (çritá) the chief thing.
yo vai te vidyād araṇī yābhyāṃ nirmathyate vasu sa vidvān jyeṣṭhaṃ manyeta sa vidyād brāhmaṇaṃ mahat
Whoever indeed knows those two churning-sticks, with which is churned out what is good (vásu), he may think himself to know the chief thing; he may know the great bráhmaṇa ⌊neut.⌋.
apād agre sam abhavat so agre svar ābharat catuṣpād bhūtvā bhogyaḥ sarvam ādatta bhojanam
Footless came he into being in the beginning; he in the beginning brought the heaven (svàr); having become four-footed, enjoyable, he took to himself all enjoyment (bhójana),
bhogyo bhavad atho annam adad bahu yo devam uttarāvantam upāsātai sanātanam
Enjoyable shall he become, likewise shall he eat much food, who shall worship (upa-ās) the everlasting god who gives superiority (uttarā́vant).
sanātanam enam āhur utādya syāt punarṇavaḥ ahorātre pra jāyete anyonyasya rūpayoḥ
Everlasting they call him, also may he be at present ever-renewed; day and night are generated (pra-jā) in each other's forms.
śataṃ sahasram ayutaṃ nyarbudam asaṃkhyeyaṃ svam asmin niviṣṭam tad asya ghnanty abhipaśyata eva tasmād devo rocat eṣa etat
A hundred, a thousand, a myriad, a hundred million, an innumerable [number], is his own entered into him; that of him they slay, even as he looks on; therefore this god shines (ruc) thus.
bālād ekam aṇīyaskam utaikaṃ neva dṛśyate tataḥ pariṣvajīyasī devatā sā mama priyā
One thing is more minute (áṇu) than a child (bā́la), also one is hardly (né ’va) seen; than that a more embracing deity, is she dear to me.
iyaṃ kalyāṇy ajarā martyasyāmṛtā gṛhe yasmai kṛtā śaye sa yaś cakāra jajāra saḥ
This beautiful one (f.) [is] unaging, an immortal in the house of a mortal; for whom she [was] made, he lies; he who made [her] grew old.
tvaṃ strī tvaṃ pumān asi tvaṃ kumāra uta vā kumārī tvaṃ jīrṇo daṇḍena vañcasi tvaṃ jāto bhavasi viśvatomukhaḥ
Thou art woman, thou [art] man, thou boy, or also girl; thou, when aged, totterest (vañc) with a staff; thou, when born, becomest facing all ways.
utaiṣāṃ pitota vā putra eṣām utaiṣāṃ jyeṣṭha uta vā kaniṣṭhaḥ eko ha devo manasi praviṣṭaḥ prathamo jātaḥ sa u garbhe antaḥ
Both their father, or also their son; both the chief or also the meanest (kaniṣṭhá) of them; the one god, who has entered into the mind, born the first, and he within the womb.
pūrṇāt pūrṇam ud acati pūrṇaṃ pūrṇena sicyate uto tad adya vidyāma yatas tat pariṣicyate
The full from the full he bends up (ud-ac); the full is poured with the full; also that may we know today, whence that is poured out.
eṣā sanatnī sanam eva jātaiṣā purāṇī pari sarvaṃ babhūva mahī devy uṣaso vibhātī saikenaikena miṣatā vi caṣṭe
She, everlasting, born indeed of old, she, ancient, encompassed (pari-bhū) all; the great goddess of the dawn, shining forth, she looks forth by every one who winks.
avir vai nāma devatartenāste parīvṛtā tasyā rūpeṇeme vṛkṣā haritā haritasrajaḥ
The deity, Avi by name, sits enveloped with right; by her form these trees [are] green, green-garlanded.
anti santaṃ na jahāty anti santaṃ na paśyati devasya paśya kāvyaṃ na mamāra na jīryati
Him that is near by he (?) deserts not; him that is near by he (?) sees not; see the wisdom (kā́vya) of the god: he died not, he grows not old.
apūrveṇeṣitā vācas tā vadanti yathāyatham vadantīr yatra gacchanti tad āhur brāhmaṇaṃ mahat
The voices sent forth by the unpreceded one—they speak as they should (yathāyathám); where they go speaking, that [people] call the great brā́hmaṇa ⌊n.⌋.
yatra devāś ca manuṣyāś cārā nābhāv iva śritāḥ apāṃ tvā puṣpaṃ pṛcchāmi yatra tan māyayā hitam
Where both gods and men (manuṣyà) are set (çritá) as spokes in a nave—I ask thee of the flower (púṣpa) of the waters, where that by magic was placed.
yebhir vāta iṣitaḥ pravāti ye dadante pañca diśaḥ sadhrīcīḥ ya āhutim atyamanyanta devā apāṃ netāraḥ katame ta āsan
They by whom the wind sent forth blows on, who give the five quarters together (sadhryàñc), the gods who thought themselves above (ati-man) the offering (ā́huti), conductors of the waters—which were they?
imām eṣāṃ pṛthivīṃ vasta eko 'ntarikṣaṃ pary eko babhūva divam eṣāṃ dadate yo vidhartā viśvā āśāḥ prati rakṣanty eke
One of them clothes himself in this earth; one encompassed the atmosphere; he of them who is disposer (vidhartṛ́) gives the sky; some defend respectively all regions (ā́çā).
yo vidyāt sūtraṃ vitataṃ yasminn otāḥ prajā imāḥ sūtraṃ sūtrasya yo vidyāt sa vidyād brāhmaṇaṃ mahat
Whoso may know the stretched-out string in which these offspring (prajā́) are woven in, whoso may know the string of the string, he may know the great brā́hmaṇa.
vedāhaṃ sūtraṃ vitataṃ yasminn otāḥ prajā imāḥ sūtraṃ sūtrasyāhaṃ vedātho yad brāhmaṇaṃ mahat
I know the stretched-out string in which these offspring are woven in; the string of the string I know, likewise the great brā́hmaṇa.
yad antarā dyāvāpṛthivī agnir ait pradahan viśvadāvyaḥ yatrātiṣṭhann ekapatnīḥ parastāt kvevāsīn mātariśvā tadānīm
As between heaven-and-earth Agni went, burning on, all-consuming, where stood beyond they (f.) of one husband—where perchance was Mātariçvan then?
apsv āsīn mātariśvā praviṣṭaḥ praviṣṭā devāḥ salilāny āsan bṛhan ha tasthau rajaso vimānaḥ pavamāno harita ā viveśa
Mātariçvan was entered into the waters; the gods were entered into the seas; great stood the traverser of space; the purifying one entered into the green ones.
uttareṇeva gāyatrīm amṛte 'dhi vi cakrame sāmnā ye sāma saṃvidur ajas tad dadṛśe kva
Higher, as it were, than the gāyatrī́, upon the immortal (amṛ́ta) he strode out; they who know completely chant with chant—where then was seen the goat?
niveśanaḥ saṃgamano vasūnāṃ deva iva savitā satyadharmā indro na tasthau samare dhanānām
The reposer, the assembler of good things, like god Savitar, of true ordinances (-dhárman), he stood like Indra in the conflict for riches.
puṇḍarīkaṃ navadvāraṃ tribhir guṇebhir āvṛtam tasmin yad yakṣam ātmanvat tad vai brahmavido viduḥ
The lotus-flower of nine doors, covered with three strands (guṇá) — what soulful prodigy (yakṣá) is within it, that the bráhman-knowers know.
akāmo dhīro amṛtaḥ svayaṃbhū rasena tṛpto na kutaścanonaḥ tam eva vidvān na bibhāya mṛtyor ātmānaṃ dhīram ajaraṃ yuvānam
Free from desire, wise (dhī́ra), immortal, self-existent, satisfied with sap, not deficient in any respect—knowing that wise, unaging, young soul, one is not afraid of death.