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अथर्ववेद - काण्ड 19/ सूक्त 47/ मन्त्र 3
ये ते॑ रात्रि नृ॒चक्ष॑सो द्र॒ष्टारो॑ नव॒तिर्नव॑। अ॑शी॒तिः सन्त्य॒ष्टा उ॒तो ते॑ स॒प्त स॑प्त॒तिः ॥
स्वर सहित पद पाठये। ते॒। रा॒त्रि॒। नृ॒ऽचक्ष॑सः। द्र॒ष्टारः॑। न॒व॒तिः। नव॑। अ॒शी॒तिः। सन्ति॑। अ॒ष्टौ। उ॒तो इति॑। ते॒। स॒प्त। स॒प्त॒तिः ॥४७.३॥
स्वर रहित मन्त्र
ये ते रात्रि नृचक्षसो द्रष्टारो नवतिर्नव। अशीतिः सन्त्यष्टा उतो ते सप्त सप्ततिः ॥
स्वर रहित पद पाठये। ते। रात्रि। नृऽचक्षसः। द्रष्टारः। नवतिः। नव। अशीतिः। सन्ति। अष्टौ। उतो इति। ते। सप्त। सप्ततिः ॥४७.३॥
अथर्ववेद - काण्ड » 19; सूक्त » 47; मन्त्र » 3
Translation -
O night, whatever the number of watchers of humanity, looking after them during thy interval, whether it be ninety-nine or eighty-eight or seventyseven.
Footnote -
(3-5) The number of watchers of humanity at night has been variously interpreted by different scholars. Griffith sees no sense in- the numbers. Pt. Khem Karan Das Trivedi assigns the number of watchmen to be kept as guards at night, according to the convenience of the locality. Pt. Jaidev Vidyalankar takes it to/be the number of the assemblies of the king to advise him, taking Ratri as the Parliament, (i) But to me, it appears that the numbers are very significant. There are 11 marutas in the atmosphere, surrounding the earth, which is one of the planets, moving round the Sun, which is the cause of day and night. There are nine such Planets, that are supposed to have the same number of marutas surrounding them. So the number is ninety-nine, when all of them are in motion, separately in the sky, When the axis of any two of them, chance to be collinear, the number becomes-eighty-eight, and so on, till all of them are co-eval, the number, of course, Is eleven only, (ii) Else, it may refer to various justa-positions of constellations during the course of the earth’s movement round the Sun. Thus the numbers are meaningless due to our ignorance of Astronomical facts and laws, (ill) In addition to it, they teach arithmetical tables to man.