Yajur Sama Atharvan Vedas

THE YAJUR VEDA
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around, Agni is threefold; verily from the whole extent of Agni he smites away the Raksases [4]; with
a Gayatri verse he draws a line around, the Gayatri is brilliance; verily with brilliance, he encircles
him; with a Tristubh verse he draws a line around, the Tristubh is power; verily he encircles him with
power; with an Anustubh verse he draws a line around, the Anustubh, envelops all the metres, (verily
it serves) for complete attainment; with the Anustubh in the middle (he draws), the Anustubh is
speech, therefore from the middle we speak with speech; with the Gayatri first he draws, then with
the Anustubh, then with the Tristubh; the Gayatri is brilliance, the Anustubh the sacrifice, the
Tristubh power; verily he encircles the sacrifice, with brilliance and power, on both sides.
v. 1. 4.
'On the instigation of the god Savitr thee', (with these words) he digs, for instigation. Then with it he
produces smoke; 'Full of light, thee, O Agni, of fair aspect', he says, and thereby he produces light.
Agni on birth afflicted creatures with pain, him the gods appeased by the half-verse; 'auspicious and
harmless to offspring', he says; verily he makes him appeased for offspring. He digs with two
(verses), for support. 'Thou art the back of the waters', (with these words) he takes the lotus leaf [1];
the lotus leaf is the back of the waters; verily with its own form he takes it. He gathers with a lotus
leaf; the lotus leaf is the birthplace of Agni; verily he gathers Agni with his own birthplace. He
gathers with a black antelope skin; the black antelope skin is the sacrifice; verily he gathers the
sacrifice with the sacrifice. If he were to gather with the skin of tame animals he would afflict with
pain tame animals; he gathers with a black antelope skin; verily he afflicts with pain wild animals [2];
therefore of animals of even birth the wild animals are the smaller, for they are afflicted with pain. He
gathers on the hairy side, for on that side is it pure. He strews the lotus leaf and the black antelope
skin together; the black antelope skin is this (earth), the lotus leaf yonder (sky); verily on both sides
he encircles him with these two. Agni departed from the gods, Atharvan perceived him; 'Atharvan
first pressed thee out, O Agni' [3], he says; verily he gathers him with him who perceived him. 'Thee,
O Agni, from the lotus', he says, for in the lotus leaf he found him reposing. 'Thee the sage,
Dadhyañc', he says; Dadhyañc, son of Atharvan, was full of brilliance; verily he bestows brilliance
upon him. 'Thee Pathya Vrsan', he says; verily with the latter (verse) he hails him whom he has
previously addressed [4]. He gathers with four (verses), the metres are four; verily (he gathers) with
the metres. (He gathers) with Gayatri verses for a Brahman, for the Brahman is connected with the
Gayatri; with Tristubh verses for a Rajanya, for the Rajanya is connected with the Tristubh; if he
desire of a man, 'May he be richer', he should gather for him with both sets; verily upon him he
bestows brilliance and power together. With eight (verses) he gathers; the Gayatri has eight syllables,
Agni is connected with the Gayatri; verily he gathers all the extent of Agni. 'Sit thou, O Hotr', he
says; verily he makes the deities sit down for him; 'The Hotr down', (with these words he makes) men
(sit down); 'Sit thou down', (with these words he makes) birds (sit down); 'Be born noble in the
forefront of the days', he says; verily he produces for him the common session of gods and men.
v. 1. 5.
In that he digs he acts as it were harshly to this (earth); he pours water down, the waters are appeased;
verily with the waters appeased he calms her pain. 'May for thee Vayu, Matariçvan unite', he says;
Vayu is breath; verily with breath he unites her breath; 'may for thee Vayu', he says; therefore the rain
speeds from the sky, made to fall by Vayu. 'To him, O goddess, be Vasat with thee' [1], he says; the
seasons are six; verily upon the seasons he bestows rain; therefore in all the seasons it rains. If he
were to utter the Vasat cry, his Vasat cry would be exhausted; if he were not to utter the Vasat cry,
the Raksases would destroy the sacrifice; 'Vat', he says; verily, mysteriously he utters the Vasat cry;
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