Atharva Veda 5.12

samiddho adya manuṣo duroṇe devo devān yajasi jātavedaḥ ā ca vaha mitramahaś cikitvān tvaṃ dūtaḥ kavir asi pracetāḥ

Āprī-hymn: to various divinities

Kindled this day in the home of man (mánus), thou, a god, O Jātavedas, dost sacrifice to the gods; and do thou bring [them], understanding it, O thou of friendly might; thou art a forethoughtful messenger, poet.

tanūnapāt patha ṛtasya yānān madhvā samañjant svadayā sujihva manmāni dhībhir uta yajñam ṛndhan devatrā ca kṛṇuhy adhvaram naḥ

O Tanūnapāt (son of thyself?), do thou, anointing with honey (mádhu) the roads that go to righteousness (ṛtá), sweeten them, O well-tongued one; prospering (ṛdh) with prayers (did) the devotions (mánman) and the sacrifice, put (kṛ) thou also among the gods our service (adhvará).

ājuhvāna īḍyo vandyaś cā yāhy agne vasubhiḥ sajoṣāḥ tvaṃ devānām asi yahva hotā sa enān yakṣīṣito yajīyān

Making oblation do thou, O Agni, to be praised and to be greeted, come in accord with the Vasus. Thou art invoker (hótṛ) of the gods, O youthful one (? yahvá); do thou, sent forth, skilled sacrificer (yájīyaṅs), sacrifice to them.

prācīnaṃ barhiḥ pradiśā pṛthivyā vastor asyā vṛjyate agre ahnām vy u prathate vitaraṃ varīyo devebhyo aditaye syonam

The forward barhís, through the fore-region of the earth, is wreathed on this dawn (vástu), at the beginning (ágra) of the days; it spreads out abroad more widely, pleasant to the gods, to Aditi.

vyacasvatīr urviyā vi śrayantāṃ patibhyo na janayaḥ śumbhamānāḥ devīr dvāro bṛhatīr viśvaminvā devebhyo bhavata suprāyaṇāḥ

Expansive let them open (vi-çri) widely, like wives adorned for their husbands; ye great, divine, all-furthering doors, be ye favorable to the advance of the gods.

ā suṣvayantī yajate upāke uṣāsānaktā sadatāṃ ni yonau divye yoṣaṇe bṛhatī surukme adhi śriyaṃ śukrapiśaṃ dadhāne

Let Dawn and Night, dripping (? suṣvay-), worshipful, close, sit down here in the lair (yóni)—the two heavenly, great, well-shining women, putting on beauty (çrī́) with bright adornment. The other texts differ from ours only by accenting úpāke. ⌊The comment to Prāt, ii. 91 cites suṣvay as a case of reduplication; and BR. vii. 1142 connect it with su 'impel.' But see Weber.—He renders ā́ by 'Heran.'⌋

daivyā hotārā prathamā suvācā mimānā yajñaṃ manuṣo yajadhyai pracodayantā vidatheṣu kārū prācīnaṃ jyotiḥ pradiśā diśantā

The (two) invokers of the gods, first, well-voiced, shaping (mā) the sacrifice for man (mánus) to sacrifice, urging forward at the councils (vidátha) the (two) singers (kārú), pointing out forward light through the fore-region. There are no variants. ⌊Griffith, after Mahīdhara, takes the "light" as the āhavanīya fire.⌋

ā no yajñaṃ bhāratī tūyam etv iḍā manuṣvad iha cetayantī tisro devīr barhir edaṃ syonaṃ sarasvatīḥ svapasaḥ sadantām

Unto our sacrifice let Bhāratī come quickly, let Iḍā, taking note here in human fashion; let the three goddesses, well-working, sit upon this pleasant barhís—[also] Sarasvatī. The translation implies in d the reading sárasvatī, given by RV.VS.MS.; TB. ⌊both ed's, Bibl. Ind. and Poona⌋ supports AV. in reading -tīḥ, which, however, can hardly be anything but a blunder. The four other texts have at the end sadantu. All our mss. have manuṣyát in b ⌊and so have all SPP's authorities⌋, and this form is authenticated by Prāt. iv. 65, the comment explaining how it is derived from manuṣyavat. As being, therefore, the indubitable AV. reading, it should not have been altered in our edition to -ṣvát, to conform with the four other texts, even though doubtless a corruption of -ṣvát. ⌊SPP. also alters it.⌋ ⌊In c, correct davī́r to devī́r.⌋

ya ime dyāvāpṛthivī janitrī rūpair apiṃśad bhuvanāni viśvā tam adya hotar iṣito yajīyān devaṃ tvaṣṭāram iha yakṣi vidvān

To him, god Tvashṭar, who adorned (piç) with forms these two generatresses, heaven-and-earth, [and] all existences, do thou today, O invoker, sent forth, skilled sacrificer, sacrifice here, understanding it. There are no variants.

upāvasṛja tmanyā samañjan devānāṃ pātha ṛtuthā havīṃṣi vanaspatiḥ śamitā devo agniḥ svadantu havyaṃ madhunā ghṛtena

In thy way (? tmányā) anointing them, pour thou down upon (upa-ava-sṛj) the track of the gods the oblations in due season; let the forest-tree, the queller (çamitár), god Agni, relish (svad) the oblation with honey, with ghee. 'Forest-tree,' doubtless a big name for the sacrificial post. That the 'queller' is a separate personage is shown by the plural number of the following verb. ⌊E. Sieg discusses pā́thas, Gurupūjakaumudī, 97 ff.; later, Oldenberg, ZDMG. liv. 602.⌋

This verse is not included in this edition.

At once, when born, he determined (vi-mā) the sacrifice; Agni became foremost of the gods; at the direction of this invoker, at the voice of righteousness (ṛtá), let the gods eat the oblation made with "hail!" The other texts read in c the nearly equivalent pradíçi.