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Hymns of the Atharva Veda, by Ralph T.H. Griffith, [1895], at sacred-texts.com
1Worship 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!
2The man who knows the Seven Floods, who knows the seven
distances,
Who knows the head of sacrifice, he may receive the holy Cow.
3I know the Seven Water-floods, I know the seven distances,
I know the head of sacrifice, and Soma shining bright in her.
4Hitherward 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.
5Upon 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. p. 37
6Her 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.
7Agni hath entered into thee; Soma, O Cow, hath entered thee.
Thine udder is Parjanya, O blest Cow; the lightnings are thy
teats.
8Thou pourest out the Waters first, and corn-lands afterward,
O Cow.
Thirdly thou pourest princely sway. O Cow, thou pourest food
and milk.
9When, Holy One, thou camest nigh invited by the Ādityas' call,
Indra gave thee to drink, O cow, a thousand bowls of Soma
juice.
10The Bull, what time thou followedst the way of Indra, summon-
ed thee:
Thence the Fiend-slayer, angered, took thy water and thy milk
away.
11O 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.
12The Cow Celestial received that Soma in three vessels, where.
Atharvan, consecrated, sate upon the Sacred Grass of gold.
13Come hither with the Soma, come with every footed thing; the
Cow
With Kalis and Gandharvas by her side hath stepped upon the
sea.
14Come 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.
15Come with the Sun, come hitherward with every creature that
hath eyes,
Bearing auspicious lights with her the Cow hath looked across
the sea.
16When, 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
17Then came and met the Blessed Ones, Deshtri, the Cow, and
Svadhā, where
Atharvan, consecrated. sate upon the Sacred Grass of gold.
18The Kshatriya's mother is the Cow, thy mother, Svadhā! is the
Cow.
Sacrifice is the weapon of the Cow: the thought arose from,
her.
19From 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.
20Forth 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,
21From thy fore-quarters and thy thighs motion was generated,
Cow!
Food from thine entrails was produced, and from thy belly came
the plants.
22When 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.
23All 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.
24He only joineth battle, yea, he who alone controlleth her.
Now sacrifices have become victories, and the Cow their eye.
25The 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.
26They 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.
27The man who hath this knowledge may receive the Cow with.
welcoming. p. 39
So for the giver willingly doth perfect sacrifice pour milk.
28Within the mouth of Varuna three tongues are glittering with
light.
That which shines midmost of them is this Cow most difficult to
hold.
29Four-parted was the Cow's prolific humour.
One-fourth is Water, one-fourth life eternal, one-fourth is sacri-
fice, one-fourth are cattle.
30The 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.
31When 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.
32For 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.
33He who hath given a Cow unto the Brāhmans winneth all the
worlds.
For Right is firmly set in her devotion, and religious zeal.
34Both Gods and mortal men depend for life and being on the
Cow.
She hath become this universe: all that the Sun surveys is she.