Atharva Veda 9.10

yad gāyatre adhi gāyatram āhitaṃ traiṣṭubhaṃ vā traiṣṭubhān niratakṣata yad vā jagaj jagaty āhitaṃ padaṃ ya it tad vidus te amṛtatvam ānaśuḥ

Mystic

That the gāyatrī́-verse is set (ā-dhā) in the gāyatrī́-verse, or that they fashioned the triṣṭúbh-verse out of the triṣṭúbh-verse, or that the jágatī step is set in the jágatī (jágat)—whoever know that, they have attained immortality.

gāyatreṇa prati mimīte arkam arkeṇa sāma traiṣṭubhena vākam vākena vākaṃ dvipadā catuṣpadākṣareṇa mimate sapta vāṇīḥ

By the gāyatrī́-verse he measures off the song (arká), by the song the chant (sā́man), by the triṣṭúbh-vevse the hymn (vāká), by the hymn of two feet [or] of four feet the hymn; by the syllable they measure the seven tunes (vā́ṇi).

jagatā sindhuṃ divy askabhāyad rathaṃtare sūryaṃ pary apaśyat gāyatrasya samidhas tisra āhus tato mahnā pra ririce mahitvā

By the jágatī he established (skabh) the river in the sky; in the rathaṁtará he beheld (pari-paç) the sun; they call the three kindlers (samídh) the gāyatrī́-verse's; it was superior to them by bulk, by greatness.

upa hvaye sudughāṃ dhenum etāṃ suhasto godhug uta dohad enām śreṣṭhaṃ savaṃ savitā sāviṣan no 'bhīddho gharmas tad u ṣu pra vocat

I invite that well-milking milch-cow; a skilful-handed milker also shall milk her; may the impeller impel us the best impulse; the hot drink is kindled about: that may he kindly proclaim.

hiṃkṛṇvatī vasupatnī vasūnāṃ vatsam ichantī manasābhyāgāt duhām aśvibhyāṃ payo aghnyeyaṃ sā vardhatāṃ mahate saubhagāya

Lowing, mistress of good things, seeking her calf with her mind, hath she come unto [it]; let this inviolable one yield milk for the Açvins; let her increase unto great good-fortune.

gaur amīmed abhi vatsaṃ miṣantaṃ mūrdhānaṃ hiṅṅ akṛṇon mātavā u sṛkvāṇaṃ gharmam abhi vāvaśānā mimāti māyuṃ payate payobhiḥ

The cow lowed toward the winking calf; she uttered hing at [its] head, in order to lowing; bellowing the mouth (? sṛ́kvan) unto the hot drink, she lows a lowing, she abounds with milk.

ayaṃ sa śiṅkte yena gaur abhivṛtā mimāti māyuṃ dhvasanāv adhi śritā sā cittibhir ni hi cakāra martyān vidyud bhavantī prati vavrim auhata

This one here twangs, by whom the cow is surrounded; she lows a lowing, being set (çritá) on the sparkler (dhvasáni); since she put down mortals by her thoughts (cittí), becoming the lightning, she threw (ūh) back the wrap.

anacchaye turagātu jīvam ejad dhruvaṃ madhya ā pastyānām jīvo mṛtasya carati svadhābhir amartyo martyenā sayoniḥ

Breathing lies the swift moving thing, living, stirring, fixed, in the midst of the abodes (pastyā̀); the living one moves at the will (? svadhā́bhis) of the dead one; the immortal one [is] of like source with the mortal.

vidhuṃ dadrāṇaṃ salilasya pṛṣṭhe yuvānaṃ santaṃ palito jagāra devasya paśya kāvyaṃ mahitvādya mamāra sa hyaḥ sam āna

The shaker-apart (? vidhú) that runs on the back of the sea, being young, the hoary one swallowed; see thou the poesy of the heavenly one with greatness; today he died, yesterday he received breath (sam-an).

ya īṃ cakāra na so asya veda ya īṃ dadarśa hirug in nu tasmāt sa mātur yonā parivīto antar bahuprajā nirṛtir ā viveśa

He who made him knows not of him; [he is] verily out of sight now of him who saw him; he, enveloped within his mother's womb, with his much progeny, entered into perdition (nírṛti).

apaśyaṃ gopām anipadyamānam ā ca parā ca pathibhiś carantam sa sadhrīcīḥ sa viṣūcīr vasāna ā varīvarti bhuvaneṣv antaḥ

I saw the shepherd, not lying down, moving both hither and thither upon his roads; he, clothing himself in the collecting, he in the dispersing ones, rolls greatly on among existences.

dyaur naḥ pitā janitā nābhir atra bandhur no mātā pṛthivī mahīyam uttānayoś camvor yonir antar atrā pitā duhitur garbham ādhāt

The heaven our father, generator, navel here; this great earth our connection, mother; the womb (yóni) within the (two) outstretched cups (camū́); here the father hath set (ā-dhā) the daughter's embryo.

pṛchāmi tvā param antaṃ pṛthivyāḥ pṛchāmi vṛṣṇo aśvasya retaḥ pṛchāmi viśvasya bhuvanasya nābhiṃ pṛchāmi vācaḥ paramaṃ vyoma

I ask of thee the extreme (pára) end of the earth; I ask the seed of the male (vṛ́ṣan) horse; I ask the navel of all existence; I ask the highest (paramá) firmament (vyòman) of speech.

iyaṃ vediḥ paro antaḥ pṛthivyā ayaṃ somo vṛṣṇo aśvasya retaḥ ayaṃ yajño viśvasya bhuvanasya nābhir brahmāyaṃ vācaḥ paramaṃ vyoma

This sacrificial hearth is the extreme end of the earth; this soma is the seed of the male horse; this sacrifice is the navel of all existence; this priest (brahmán) is the highest firmament of speech.

na vi jānāmi yad ivedam asmi niṇyaḥ saṃnaddho manasā carāmi yadā māgan prathamajā ṛtasyād id vāco aśnuve bhāgam asyāḥ

I do not distinguish what this is that I am; I go secret, fastened together with mind; when the first-born of righteousness hath come to me, then indeed I attain a share of this speech.

apāṅ prāṅ eti svadhayā gṛbhīto 'martyo martyenā sayoniḥ tā śaśvantā viṣūcīnā viyantā ny anyaṃ cikyur na ni cikyur anyam

Offward, forward goes, seized by svadhā́, the immortal one, of like source with the mortal; the two, constantly going separate apart—the one they noted, the other they noted not.

saptārdhagarbhā bhuvanasya reto viṣṇos tiṣṭhanti pradiśā vidharmaṇi te dhītibhir manasā te vipaścitaḥ paribhuvaḥ pari bhavanti viśvataḥ

Seven half-embryos, the seed of existence, stand in front (? pradíçā), in Vishṇu's distribution; they, by thoughts (dhītí), by mind, they, inspired, surround on all sides the surrounders.

ṛco akṣare parame vyoman yasmin devā adhi viśve niṣeduḥ yas tan na veda kim ṛcā kariṣyati ya it tad vidus te amī sam āsate

In the syllable of the verse (ṛ́c) in the highest firmament, on which all the gods sat down: he who knoweth not that, what will he do with the verse? they who know that sit together yonder.

ṛcaḥ padaṃ mātrayā kalpayanto 'rdharcena cakﾱpur viśvam ejat tripād brahma pururūpaṃ vi taṣṭhe tena jīvanti pradiśaś catasraḥ

Shaping (kalpay-) with measure the step of the verse, they shaped by the half-verse all that stirs; the bráhman of three feet, many-formed, spread out (vi-sthā); by that do the four quarters live.

sūyavasād bhagavatī hi bhūyā adhā vayaṃ bhagavantaḥ syāma addhi tṛṇam aghnye viśvadānīṃ piba śuddham udakam ācarantī

Mayest thou be well-portioned, feeding in excellent meadows; so also may we be well-portioned; eat thou grass, O inviolable one, at all times; drink clear water, moving hither.

gaur in mimāya salilāni takṣatī ekapadī dvipadī sā catuṣpadī aṣṭāpadī navapadī babhūvuṣī sahasrākṣarā bhuvanasya paṅktis tasyāḥ samudrā adhi vi kṣaranti

The cow verily lowed, fashioning the seas; one-footed, two-footed [is] she, four-footed; having become eight-footed, nine-footed, thousand-syllabled, a series (pan̄tí) of existence; out from her flow apart the oceans.

kṛṣṇaṃ niyānaṃ harayaḥ suparṇā apo vasānā divam ut patanti taṃ āvavṛtrant sadanād ṛtasyād id ghṛtena pṛthivīṃ vy ūduḥ

Black the descent, the yellow eagles, clothing themselves in waters, fly up to the sky; they have come hither from the seat of righteousness; then, forsooth, with ghee they deluged the earth.

apād eti prathamā padvatīnāṃ kas tad vāṃ mitrāvaruṇā ciketa garbho bhāraṃ bharaty ā cid asyā ṛtaṃ piparti anṛtaṃ ni pāti

She that is footless goes first of them (fem.) that have feet: who understood (ā-cit) that of you, O Mitra and Varuṇa? the embryo brings (ā-bhṛ) the burden of her; she (?) fills (? pṛ) truth, protects (ni-pā) untruth.

virāḍ vāg virāṭ pṛthivī virāḍ antarikṣaṃ virāṭ prajāpatiḥ virāṇ mṛtyuḥ sādhyānām adhirājo babhūva tasya bhūtaṃ bhavyaṃ vaśe sa me bhūtaṃ bhavyaṃ vaśe kṛṇotu

Virā́j [is] speech, virā́j earth, virā́j atmosphere, virā́j Prajāpati; virā́j became death, the over-king of the perfectibles (sādhyá); in his control are what was, what is to be; let him put in my control what was, what is to be.

śakamayaṃ dhūmam ārād apaśyaṃ viṣūvatā para enāvareṇa ukṣāṇaṃ pṛśnim apacanta vīrās tāni dharmāṇi prathamāny āsan

The dung-made smoke I saw from far, with the dividing one, thus beyond the lower; the heroes cooked a spotted ox (ukṣán); those were the first ordinances.

trayaḥ keśina ṛtuthā vi cakṣate saṃvatsare vapata eka eṣām viśvam anyo abhicaṣṭe śacībhir dhrājir ekasya dadṛśe na rūpam

Three hairy ones look out seasonably; in the (a?) year one of them shears itself; another looks upon all with might (çácībhis); of one is seen the rush, not the form.

catvāri vāk parimitā padāni tāni vidur brāhmaṇā ye manīṣiṇaḥ guhā trīṇi nihitā neṅgayanti turīyaṃ vāco manuṣyā vadanti

Speech [is] four measured out quarters (padá); those are known by Brahmans who are skilful; three, deposited in secret, they do not set in motion (in̄gay-); a fourth of speech human beings speak.

indraṃ mitraṃ varuṇam agnim āhur atho divyaḥ sa suparṇo garutmān ekaṃ sad viprā bahudhā vadanty agniṃ yamaṃ mātariśvānam āhuḥ

They call [him] Indra, Mitra, Varuṇa, Agni; likewise he [is] the heavenly winged eagle; what is one the sages (vípra) name (vad) variously; they call [him] Agni, Yāma, Mātariçvan.