Atharvaveda 18.1

Unto a friend would I turn with friendship; having gone through much ocean, may the pious one take a grandson of [his] father, considering further onward upon the earth (kṣám).

Thy friend wants (vaç) not that friendship of thine, that she of like sign should become of diverse form; the sons of the great Asura, heroes, sustainers of the sky (dív), look widely about.

Truly those immortals want that—posterity (? tyajás) of the one mortal; may thy mind be set in our mind; mayest thou enter [as] husband a wife's body.

What we (pl.) did not do formerly, why [do that] now? speaking righteousness, should we prate unrighteousness? The Gandharva in the waters and the watery woman (yóṣā)—that is our (du.) union (nā́bhi), that our ⌊du.⌋ highest relation (jāmí).

Verily, the generator made us (du.) in the womb man and spouse—god Tvashṭar, Savitar of all forms; none overthrow (pra-mī) his ordinances (vratá); earth knows us ⌊two⌋ as such, also heaven.

Who yokes to the pole today the kine of righteousness, the diligent, the bright, the slow to wrath (? durhṛṇāyú), that have arrows in the mouth, that shoot at the heart, amiable ones? whoso shall prosper their burden, he shall live.

Who knows of that first day? who saw it? who shall proclaim it here? Great is the ordinance (dhā́man) of Mitra, of Varuṇa; why, O lustful one, wilt thou speak to men with deceit (? vī́ci)?

Desire of Yama hath come unto me Yamī, in order to lying together in the same lair (yóni); I would fain yield (ric) my body, as wife to husband; may we whirl off, like two chariot wheels.

They stand not, they wink not, those spies of the gods who go about here; with another than me, O lustful one, go quickly; with him whirl off like two chariot wheels.

By nights, by days one may pay reverence (daçasy) to him; the sun's eye may open (? ún mimīyāt) for a moment; with heaven, with earth paired, of near connection;—Yamī must bear the unbrotherly (ájāmi) [conduct] of Yama.

Verily there shall come those later ages (yugá) in which next of kin (jāmí) shall do what is unkinly ⌊ájāmi⌋. Put thine arm underneath a hero (vṛṣabhá); seek, O fortunate one, another husband than me.

What should brother be when there is no protector? or what sister, when destruction impends (ni-gam)? Impelled by desire, I prate thus much; mingle thou thy body with my body.

I am not thy protector here, O Yamī; I may not mingle my body with thy body; with another than me do thou prepare enjoyments; thy brother wants not that, O fortunate one.

Verily, I may not mingle my body with thy body; they call him wicked (pāpá) who should approach his sister. That is not consonant (? asaṁyát) with my mind [and] heart, that I, a brother, should lie in a sister's bed (çáyana).

A weakling (? batá), alas, art thou, O Yama; we have not found mind and heart thine; verily, another woman shall embrace thee, as a girth a harnessed [horse], as a twining plant (líbujā) a tree.

Another man, truly, O Yamī, another man shall embrace thee, as a twining plant a tree; either do thou seek his mind or he thine; then make for thyself very excellent concord (samvíd).

Three meters the poets extended (? vi-yat)—the many-formed one, the admirable, the all-beholding; waters, winds, herbs—these are set (ā́rpita) in one being (bhúvana).

The bull yieldeth (duh) milks for the bull with the milking of the sky (dív), he the unharmable son (? yahvá) of Aditi; everything knoweth he, like Varuṇa, by thought (dhī́); he, sharing the sacrifice (yajñíya), sacrificeth to the seasons that share the sacrifice.

Prateth the Gandharvī and watery woman; in the noise of the noisy one (nadá) let [her] protect our mind; let Aditi set us in the midst of what is desired (? iṣṭá); our oldest brother shall first speak out.

She now, the excellent, rich in food, full of glory—the dawn hath shone for man (mánu), full of light (svàr-); since they have generated for the council [as] hótṛ Agni, the eager one, after the will (krátu) of the eager ones.

Then that mighty (vibhū́) conspicuous drop did the bird, the lively falcon, bring at the sacrifice; if the Aryan tribes (víç) choose the wondrous one, Agni, [as] hótṛ, then prayer (dhī́) was born.

Ever art thou pleasant (raṇvá), as pastures to him that enjoys (puṣ) them, being, O Agni, well sacrificed to with the offerings of man (mánus); or when, active, praiseworthy, having won the strength (vā́ja) of the inspired one (vípra), thou approachest with very many.

Send thou up the (two) fathers, [as] a lover, unto enjoyment (bhága). The welcome one (haryatá) desires to sacrifice; he sends from the heart; the bearer (váhni) speaks out; the merry one (? makhá) does a good work; the Asura shows might (taviṣy); he trembles with purpose (? matī́).

Whatever mortal hath seen thy favor, O Agni, son of power, he is renowned exceedingly; acquiring (dhā) food (íṣ), borne by horses, he, lightful, vigorous, passes (? ā-bhūṣ) the days (dív).

Hear us, O Agni, in thy seat, thy station; harness the speedy chariot of the immortal (amṛ́ta); bring to us the two firmaments (ródasī), parents of the gods; be thou of the gods never (mā́kis) away; mayest thou be here.

That, O Agni, this meeting may take place (bhū), divine, among the gods, worshipful, thou reverend one, and that thou mayest share out treasures, O self-ruling one, do thou enjoy here our portion filled with good things.

Agni hath looked after the apex of the dawns, after the days, [he] first, Jātavedas; a sun, after the dawns, after the rays; after heaven-and-earth he entered.

Agni hath looked forth to meet the apex of the dawns, to meet the days, [he] first, Jātavedas, and to meet the rays of the sun in many places; to meet heaven-and-earth he stretched out.

Heaven and earth, first by right, truth-speaking, are within hearing, when the god, making mortals to sacrifice, sits as hótṛ, going to meet his own being (ásu).

A god, encompassing the gods with right, carry thou first our offering, understanding [it]; smoke-bannered by the fuel, light-beaming, a pleasant, constant hótṛ, skilled sacrificer with speech.

I praise (arc) your (du.) work unto increase, ye ghee-surfaced ones; O heaven-and-earth, hear me, ye two firmaments (ródasī); when days, O gods, went to the other life (ásunīti), let the two parents (pitárā) sharpen us here with honey.

If the god's immortality (amṛ́ta) is easy to appropriate for the cow, thence those who are born maintain themselves on the broad [earth]; all the gods go after that sacrificial formula of thine, when the hind yields (duh) the ghee, heavenly liquor (vā́r).

Why forsooth hath the king seized (grah) us? what have we done in transgression of (áti) his ordinance (vratá)? who discerns [it]? for even Mitra, swerving the gods, like a song of praise (çlóka), is the might also of them that go.

Hard to reverence (? durmántu) here is the name of the immortal, that she of like sign should become of diverse form; whoso shall reverence Yama with proper reverence (? sumántu), him, O Agni, exalted one, do thou protect, unremitting.

In whom the gods revel at the council, maintain themselves in Vivasvant's seat—they placed light in the sun, rays in the moon: the two, unfailing, wait upon (pari-car) the brightness (dyotaní).

In what secret (apīcyà) devotion (mánman) the gods go about (sam-car)—we know it not; may Mitra, may Aditi, may god Savitar declare us here guiltless to Varuṇa.

O companions, we would supplicate (ā-ças) worship (bráhman) for Indra, possessor of the thunderbolt, to praise, indeed, the most manly, the daring.

For thou art famed for might (çávas), for Vritra-slaying, a Vritra-slayer; thou out-bestowest the bounteous with thy bounties, O hero.

Thou goest over the earth as a stegá over the ground; let winds blow here on the great earth (bhū́mi) for us; Mitra for us there (átra), Varuṇa, being joined, hath let loose heat (çóka), as fire does in the forest.

Praise thou the famed sitter on the hollow of men (jána), the terrible king, formidable assailant (? upahatnú); being praised, O Rudra, be gracious to the singer; let thine army (? sénya) lay low (ni-vap) another than us.

On Sarasvatī do the pious call; on Sarasvatī, while the sacrifice is being extended; on Sarasvatī do the well-doers call: may Sarasvatī give what is desirable to the worshiper (dāçvā́ṅs).

On Sarasvatī do the Fathers call, arriving at the sacrifice on the south; sitting on this barhís do ye revel; assign thou to us food (íṣas) free from disease.

O Sarasvatī, that wentest in company (sarátham) with the songs (ukthá), with the svadhā́s, O goddess, reveling with the Fathers, assign thou to the sacrificer here a portion of refreshment (íḍ) of thousandfold value, abundance of wealth.

Let the lower, let the higher, let the midmost Fathers, the soma-drinking (? somyá), go up; they who went to life (ásu), unharmed (avṛká), right-knowing—let those Fathers aid us at our calls.

I have won hither (ā-vid) the beneficent Fathers, both the grandson and the wide-striding of Vishṇu; they who, sitting on the barhís, partake of the pressed drink with svadhā́—they come especially hither.

Be this homage today to the Fathers, who went first, who went after, who are seated in the space (rájas) of earth, or who are now in regions (díç) having good abodes (suvṛjána).

Mātālī with the kavyás, Yama with the An̄girases, Brihaspati increasing with the ṛ́kvans ('praisers'); both they whom the gods increased and who [increased] the gods—let those Fathers aid us at our calls.

Sweet verily is this [sóma], and full of honey is this; strong (tīvrá) verily is this, and full of sap is this; and no one soever overpowers in conflicts (āhavá) Indra, having now drunk of it.

Him that went away to the advances called great, spying out the road for many, Vivasvant's son, gatherer of people, king Yama, honor (sapary) ye with oblation.

Yama first found for us a track (gātú); that is not a pasture to be borne away; where our former Fathers went forth, there (enā́) [go] those born [of them], along their own roads.

Ye barhís-seated Fathers, hitherward with aid! these offerings have we made for you; enjoy [them]! do ye come with most wealful aid; then assign to us weal [and] profit, free from evil.

Bending the knee, sitting down on the right, let all assent to (abhi-gṛ) this libation of ours; injure us not, O Fathers, by reason of any offense (ā́gas) which we may do to you through humanity.

Tvashṭar makes a wedding-car for his daughter; by reason of this, all this creation comes together; the mother of Yama, wife of great Vivasvant, being drawn about, disappeared.

Go thou forth, go forth by roads that go to the stronghold (pūryā́ṇa), as (yénā) thy Fathers of old went forth; both kings, reveling with svadhā́, shalt thou see, Yama and god Varuṇa.

Go ye away, go asunder, and creep apart from here; for this man the Fathers have made this world; adorned with days, with waters, with rays (aktú), a rest (avasā́na) Yama gives to him.

Eager (uçánt) would we light thee, eager would we kindle; do thou, eager, bring the eager Fathers to eat the oblation.

Lightful (dyumánt) would we light thee, lightful would we kindle; do thou, lightful, bring the lightful Fathers to eat the oblation.

The An̄girases, our návagva Fathers, the Atharvans, the Bhṛigus, soma-drinkers (somyá)—may we be in the favor of those worshipful ones, likewise in their excellent well-willing.

Come thou hither with the worshipful An̄girases; revel here, O Yama, with the Vāirūpas—I call Vivasvant, who is thy father—sitting down upon this barhís.

Ascend thou, O Yama, this cushion (prastará), in concord with the An̄giras Fathers; let the sacred utterances (mántra) made in praise by the poets bring thee; then (enā́), O king, revel thou in the oblation.

These ascended up from here; they ascended the backs of the sky (dív); the An̄girases have gone forth to heaven (dív), like bhūrjís, by the road.