4. Hymns Dealing with the Mutual Love of a Couple

To secure the matrimonial happiness of a couple, the Atharvaveda provides a hymn which starts with the mantra, tena bhūtena^[1] …, etc. In this hymn, the seer, as the guardian of the couple wishes the bestowal of prosperity with cattle and progeny through some sorts of oblations.^[2] From this, it may be assumed that in those days, certain rituals were observed where oblations were offered for the affluence of the married life. According to Sāyaṇācārya,^[3] the oblations containing dadhi, madhu and ghṛta etc. were offered to Agni for the welfare of the wife.

Blessings are also recorded for the well-being of both the spouses, so that they may prosper with cows and with their prosperity, the collective welfare of a greater society is also wished.^[4] The seer prays for the inexhaustible lustre also, on the part of the couple and tries to assure the fulfilment of all their desires.^[5]

Moreover, Tvaṣṭṛ, the Vedic artisan, is regarded as the progenitor of the wife and the husband.^[6] It is informed that Tvaṣṭṛ created woman with the ability of procreation.^[7] He is also spoken of as the creator of her husband.^[8] The Taittirīya Saṃhitā^[9] also records a similar attribute of Tvaṣṭṛ. Therefore, toward the last of the hymn, Tvaṣṭṛ has been eulogised to bestow long lives upon the wife and her husband, in the present context.^[10]

Likewise the preceding hymn, where the seer himself appears to be the guardian of the married couple and prays for their well-being, in another hymn, beginning with the mantra, akṣau nau^[11] …, etc., both the spouses have appeared in conveying their mutual love. The husband and the wife have expressed their affection to one another by wishing to see the same in the eyes of one another.^[12] Their eyes which are smeared with collyrium have been likened with the sweetness of honey.^[13] Besides, their desire to penetrate amid the heart of one another also gets expressed.^[14] So that their minds also may become agreeable to one another, they have prayed.^[15]

In the hymn, abhi tvā manujātena…, etc., which follows the above one, a wife refers to some sorts of garments, behallowed by certain mantras.^[16] With the help of such a garment, she tries to bind her husband within herself so that he may not think or even utter the name of other women.^[17] This shows that a Vedic woman was very much sincere about the love of her husband and was aware of her self-esteem. The prevalence of certain witchcrafts for such purposes may also be assumed from this reference.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Atharvaveda, 6.78

[2]:

tena bhūtena haviṣāyamā pyāyatāṃ punaḥ / jāyāṃ yāmasmā āvākṣustāṃ rasenābhi vardhatām // Ibid., 6.78.1

[3]:

tāṃ jāyāṃ rasena dadhimadhughṛtādinā abhi vardhatām ayaṃ huyamānognirabhivardhayatu / Sāyaṇa, Ibid., 6.78.1

[4]:

abhi vardhatāṃ payasābhi rāṣṭreṇa vardhatām / Atharvaveda, 6.78.2 ayaṃ varo vadhūśca payasā kṣīreṇa abhi vardhatām / gobhiḥ samṛdhyatām ityarthaḥ / tathā rāṣṭreṇa abhi vardhatām / grāmādisamṛddhirbhavatvityarthaḥ / Vide, Sāyaṇa, Ibid.

[5]:

rayyā sahasravarcasemau stāmanupakṣitau / Atharvaveda, 6.78.2 sahasravarcasā aparimitatejasā rayyā dhanena imau jāyāpatī anupakṣitau anup akṣiṇau saṃpūrṇakāmau stām bhavatām / Vide, Sāyaṇa, Ibid.

[6]:

tvaṣṭā jāyāmajanayat tvaṣṭāsyai tvāṃ patim / Atharvaveda, 6.78.3

[7]:

jāyatesyā apatyarūpeṇa patiriti jāyā / … īdṛksāmarthyopetaṃ strī janma kṛtavān ityarthaḥ / Sāyaṇa, Ibid., 6.78.3

[8]:

asyai asyā jāyāyāstvāṃ patim bhartāraṃ tvaṣṭaiva ajanayat / Sāyaṇa, Ibid., 6.78.3

[9]:

tvaṣṭā vai paśūnāṃ mithunānāṃ prajanayitā / Taittirīya-saṃhitā, 2.1.8.4

[10]:

tvaṣṭā sahasramāyuṃṣi dīrghamāyuḥ kṛṇotu vām / Atharvaveda, 6.78.3

[11]:

cf., Ibid., 7.36

[12]:

yathā madhu madhuraṃ snigdhaṃ ca evam āvayoḥ akṣiṇī parasparam anurakte madhuraprekṣaṇe atyantasnigdhe ca bhavetām ityarthaḥ / Sāyaṇa on Ibid.,7.36.1

[13]:

akṣyau nau madhusaṃkāśe anīkaṃ nau samañjanam / Atharvaveda, 7.36.1 nau tava ca mama ca / āvayordampatyoḥ akṣau akṣiṇī madhusaṃkāśe madhusadṛśe/ … anīkam / anīkaśabdaḥ agravācī / locanāgraṃ samañjanam sametāñjanaṃ bhavatu / Vide, Sāyaṇa, Ibid.

[14]:

antaḥ kṛṇuṣva māṃ hṛdi … / Atharvaveda, 7.36.1 jāyā patiṃ prati patirjāyāṃ prati svātmānaṃ mām iti nirdiśati / hṛdi hṛdaye antaḥ kṛṇuṣva / yathā tava ahaṃ hṛdayaṃgamā priyā bhavāmi tathā kurvityarthaḥ / Vide, Sāyaṇa, Ibid.

[15]:

… mana innau sahāsati / Atharvaveda, 7.37.1 manopi saha asati samānam ekakāryakāri bhavatu / Vide, Sāyaṇa, Ibid.

[16]:

cf., Atharvaveda, 7.37.1

[17]:

yathāso mama kevalo nānyāsāṃ kīrtayāścana / Ibid.