Atharva Veda · 456 of 724

HYMN X

A glorification of the sacred Cow as representing the radiant heavens 1. Worship to thee springing to life, and worship unto thee when    born!   Worship, O Cow, to thy tail-hair, and to thy hooves, and to thy    form! 2. The man who knows the Seven Floods, who knows the seven    distances,   Who knows the head of sacrifice, he may receive the holy Cow. 3. I know the Seven Water-floods, I know the seven distances,   I know the head of sacrifice, and Soma shining bright in her. 4. Hitherward we invite with prayer the Cow who pours a thou-    sand streams,   By whom the heaven, by whom the earth, by whom these waters    are preserved. 5. Upon her back there are a hundred keepers, a hundred metal    bowls, a hundred milkers.   The Deities who breathe in her all separately know the Cow. 6. Her foot is sacrifice, her milk libation, Svadhā her breath, Mahï-    lukā the mighty:   To the God goes with prayer the Cow who hath Parjanya for    her lord. 7. Agni hath entered into thee; Soma, O Cow, hath entered thee.   Thine udder is Parjanya, O blest Cow; the lightnings are thy    teats. 8. Thou pourest out the Waters first, and corn-lands afterward,   O Cow.   Thirdly thou pourest princely sway. O Cow, thou pourest food    and milk. 9. When, Holy One, thou camest nigh invited by the Ādityas’ call,   Indra gave thee to drink, O cow, a thousand bowls of Soma    juice. 10. The Bull, what time thou followedst the way of Indra, summon-    ed thee:   Thence the Fiend-slayer, angered, took thy water and thy milk    away. 11. O Cow, the milk which in his wrath the Lord of Riches took    from thee,   That same the vault of heaven now preserveth in three reser-    voirs. 12. The Cow Celestial received that Soma in three vessels, where.   Atharvan, consecrated, sate upon the Sacred Grass of gold. 13. Come hither with the Soma, come with every footed thing; the   Cow   With Kalis and Gandharvas by her side hath stepped upon the    sea. 14. Come hither with the Wind, yea, come with every creature borne    on wings.   Laden with holy verse and song the Cow hath leapt into the    sea. 15. Come with the Sun, come hitherward with every creature that    hath eyes,   Bearing auspicious lights with her the Cow hath looked across    the sea. 16. When, covered round about with gold, thou stoodest there, O   Holy One,   The ocean turned into a horse and mounted on thy back, O   Cow, p. 38 17. Then came and met the Blessed Ones, Deshtri, the Cow, and   Svadhā, where   Atharvan, consecrated. sate upon the Sacred Grass of gold. 18. The Kshatriya’s mother is the Cow, thy mother, Svadhā! is the   Cow.   Sacrifice is the weapon of the Cow: the thought arose from,    her. 19. From Brahma’s summit there went forth a drop that mounted    up on high:   From that wast thou produced, O Cow, from that the Hotar    sprang to life. 20. Forth from thy mouth the Gāthās came, from thy neck’s nape    sprang strength, O Cow.   Sacrifice from thy flanks was born, and rays of sunlight from.    thy teats, 21. From thy fore-quarters and thy thighs motion was generated,   Cow!   Food from thine entrails was produced, and from thy belly came    the plants. 22. When into Varuna’s belly thou hadst found a passage for thy-    self,   The Brāhman called thee thence, for he knew how to guide and    lead thee forth. 23. All trembled at the babe that came from him who brings not to    the birth.   He hath produced her—thus they cried—He is a cow, and formed    by spells, he hath become skin to her. 24. He only joineth battle, yea, he who alone controlleth her.   Now sacrifices have become victories, and the Cow their eye. 25. The Cow hath welcomed sacrifice: the Cow hath held the Sun    in place.   Together with the prayer the mess of rice hath passed into the   Cow. 26. They call the Cow immortal life, pay homage to the Cow as   Death.   She hath become this universe, Fathers, and Rishis, hath become    the Gods, and men, and Asuras. 27. The man who hath this knowledge may receive the Cow with.    welcoming. p. 39   So for the giver willingly doth perfect sacrifice pour milk. 28. Within the mouth of Varuna three tongues are glittering with    light.   That which shines midmost of them is this Cow most difficult to    hold. 29. Four-parted was the Cow’s prolific humour.   One-fourth is Water, one-fourth life eternal, one-fourth is sacri-    fice, one-fourth are cattle. 30. The Cow is Heaven, the Cow is Earth, the Cow is Vishnu, Lord    of Life.    e The Sādhyas and the Vasus have drunk the out-pourings of the   Cow. 31. When these, Sādhyas and Vasus, have drunk the out-pourings of    the Cow,   They in the Bright One’s dwelling-place pay adoration to her    milk. 32. For Soma some have milked her: some worship the fatness she    hath poured.   They who have given a cow to him who hath this knowledge    have gone up to the third region of the sky. 33. He who hath given a Cow unto the Brāhmans winneth all the    worlds.   For Right is firmly set in her devotion, and religious zeal. 34. Both Gods and mortal men depend for life and being on the   Cow.   She hath become this universe: all that the Sun surveys is she.

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