29. For a chief's success: with an amulet.
[Vasiṣṭha.—ṣaḍṛcam. abhīvartamaṇisūktam. ānuṣṭubham.]
Found (except vs. 4) in Pāipp. i., and (with the same exception, in RV., chiefly x. 174 ⌊:namely, AV. verses 1, 2, 3, 6 correspond respectively with RV. verses 1, 2, 3, 5. See Oldenberg, Die Hymnen des RV., i. 243⌋. Kāuç. uses the hymn in the ceremony of restoration of a king, with preparing and binding on an amulet made of the rim of a chariot-wheel (16. 29: the comm. says, vss. 1-4); the last two verses are specifically prescribed for the binding on. The comm. quotes the hymn as employed by the Nakṣatra Kalpa (19) in a mahāçānti called māhendrī.
Translated: Weber, iv. 423; Griffith, i. 33.
1. With an over-rolling amulet (maṇí), wherewith Indra increased—therewith, O Brahmaṇaspati, make us increase unto royalty (rāṣṭrá).
Abhi, literally 'on to,' so as to overwhelm. Our version spoils the consistency of the verse by reading -vāvṛdhé and vardhaya in b and d for RV. (x. 174. i) -vāvṛte and vartaya, which Ppp. also gives (Ppp. vartayaḥ). Ppp. further has imam for asmān in c. RV. reads havíṣā for maṇínā in a. The long ī of abhīvarta (p. abhi॰v-) is noted by Prāt. iii. 12.
2. Rolling over our rivals, over them that are niggards to us, do thou trample on him who fights—on whoever abuses (durasy-) us.
RV. (x. 174. 2) has in d irasyáti; Ppp., by a not infrequent blunder, reads durasyatu. Pāda a lacks a syllable, unless we resolve -patnān into three syllables.
3. Thee hath god Savitar, hath Soma made to increase, thee have all existences (bhūtá) [made to increase], that thou mayest be over-rolling.
The connection is again spoiled in our text by the substitution of avīvṛdhat in b for avīvṛtat (which is read by RV. x. 174. 3); with the former it is impossible to render the prefix abhi. This time Ppp. gives abhībhṛçat instead, doubtless a mere corruption.
4. The over-rolling, overcoming, rival-destroying amulet be bound upon me unto royalty, unto the perishing (parābhū́) of rivals.
5. Up hath gone yon sun, up this spell (vácas) of mine, that I may be slayer of foes, without rivals, rival-slayer.
RV. X. 159. 1 a, b is to be compared (b reading úd ayám māmakó bhágaḥ); Ppp. appears to mix the versions of b, giving, ungrammatically, ayam with vacas. ⌊Cf. also MP. i. 16. 5.⌋
6. A rival-destroying bull, conquering royalty, overpowering—that I may bear rule over these heroes and the people (jána).
RV. (i. 174. 5) has instead of a our 5 d (found also as x. 6. 30 c, and xix. 46. 7 b); in c it reads bhūtānām. ⌊Cf. MP. i. 16. 5.⌋