*Ta'. ■■*>"-i^*?V ■ ^! ^;MS':-;>^:- ifc- mK PRINCETON, N. J. 'S, Shelf (L BL 1010 .S3 V.42 Vedas . Atharvaveda. English Hymns of the Atharva-Veda THE SACRED BOOKS OF THE EAST [42] Bonbon HENRY FROWDE Oxford University Press Warehouse Amen Corner, E.G. (Hew 2)ora THE MACMIU.AN CO., 65 FIFTH AVENUE THE SACRED BOOKS OF THE EAST TRANSLATED BY VARIOUS ORIENTAL SCHOLARS AND EDITED BY F. MAX^MULLER VOL. XLII AT THE CLARENDON PRESS 1897 \_All rights reserved] Oxfot& PRINTED AT THE CLARENDON PRESS BY HORACE HART PRINTER TO THE UNIVERSITY HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA TOGETHER WITH EXTRACTS FROM THE RITUAL BOOKS AND THE COMMENTARIES TRANSLATED BY / MAURICE BLOOMFIELD O;i:forl) AT THE CLARENDON PRESS 1897 [ Ail rights reserved'] CONTENTS. Introduction : — PAGES I. The names of the Atharva-veda and their meanings xvii II. The position of the Atharva-veda in Hindu Litera- ture in general ...... xxviii III. The Atharva-veda in the view of its RituaHstic Literature ....... Ivii Prefatory remarks ....... Ixxi Hymns, Translation and Commentary : — I. Charms to cure diseases and possession by demons of disease (bhaisha^yani). Book v, 2 2. Charm against takman (fever) and related diseases . . . . . i. 44i vi, 20. Charm against takman (fever) . . 3, 468 i, 25. Charm against takman (fever) . . 3) 270 vii, 116. Charm against takman (fever) . 4, 565 V, 4. Prayer to the kushZ/^a-plant to destroy takman (fever) . . . . . 4, 4^4 xix, 39. Prayer to the kush/^a-plant to de- stroy takman (fever) and other ailments . 5, 676 i, 12. Prayer to lightning, conceived as the cause of fever, headache, and cough . 7, 246 i, 22. Charm against jaundice and related diseases ...... 7, 263 vi, 14. Charm against the disease balasa . 8, 463 vi, 105. Charm against cough . . . 8, 513 i, 2. Charm against excessive discharges from the body ...... 8, 233 ii, 3. Charm against excessive discharges from the body, undertaken with spring- water 9' 277 Vlll CONTENTS. vi, 44. Charm against excessive discharges from the body 10, 481 i, 3. Charm against constipation and retention of urine ... ..... 10, 235 vi, 90. Charm against internal pain (colic), due to the missiles of Rudra ..... 11,506 i, 10. Charm against dropsy . . . . 11, 241 vii, 83. Charm against dropsy .... 12,562 vi, 24. Dropsy, heart-disease, and kindred maladies cured by flowing water . . . . 12,471 vi, 80. An oblation to the sun, conceived as one of the two heavenly dogs, as a cure for paralysis 13, 500 ii, 8. Charm against kshetriya, hereditary disease . 13, 286 ii, 10. Charm against kshetriya, hereditary disease . 14, 292 iii, 7. Charm against kshetriya, hereditary disease . 15, 336 i, 23. Leprosy cured by a dark plant . . . 16, 266 i, 24. Leprosy cured by a dark plant . . .16, 268 vi, 83. Charm for curing scrofulous sores called apa/^it . . . . . . .17, 503 vii, 76. A. Charm for curing scrofulous sores called apa/tit 17. 559 B. Charm for curing tumours called ^ayanya 17,560 C. Stanza sung at the mid-day pressure of the soma . . . . . .18, 562 vii, 74. A. Charm for curing scrofulous sores called apa/^it . . . . . . . .18, 557 B. Charm to appease jealousy . . .18, 559 C. Prayer to Agni, the lord of vows . . 18, 559 vi, 25. Charm against scrofulous sores upon neck and shoulders . . . . . . 19, 472 vi, 57. Urine (^alasha) as a cure for scrofulous sores . . . . . . . .19, 488 iv, 12. Charm with the plant arundhati (laksha) for the cure of fractures . . . . .19, 384 v, 5. Charm with the plant silaX'i (laksha, arundhati) for the cure of wounds . . . .20, 419 vi, 109. The pepper-corn as a cure for wounds . 21,516 i, 17. Charm to stop the flow of blood . . .22, 257 ii, 31. Charm against worms . . . • 22, 313 ii, 32. Charrn against worms in cattle . . . 23, 317 CONTENTS. IX BOOK V, 23. Charm against worms in children iv, 6. Charm against poison iv, 7. Charm against poison vi, 100. Ants as an antidote against poison V, 13. Charm against snake-poison vi, 12. Charm against snake-poison . . vii, 56. Charm against the poison of serpents, scor- pions, and insects ..... vi, 16. Charm against ophthalmia vi, 21. Charm to promote the growth of hair vi, 136. Charm with the plant nitatnt to promote the growth of hair ..... vi, 137. Charm to promote the growth of hair iv, 4. Charm to promote virility .... vi, III. Charm against mania .... iv, 37. Charm with the plant agasrmgi to drive out Rakshas, Apsaras, and Gandharvas ii, 9. Possession by demons of disease, cured by an amulet of ten kinds of wood .... iv, 36. Charm against demons (pi^a/^a) conceived as the cause of disease . . . • • 25. Charm with the plant pnlrniparwi against the demon of disease called ka7zva . Charm for driving away demons (Rakshas and Pi^aX'as) ....•• ii, 4. Charm with an amulet derived from the ^ahgiia'a-tree, against diseases and demons xix, 34. Charm with an amulet derived from the ^ahgifl'a-tree, against diseases and demons xix, 35. Charm with an amulet derived from the g3.hg\dB.-tree, against diseases and demons vi, 85. Exorcism of disease by means of an amulet from the vara;;a-tree ..... vi, 127. The /^ipudru-tree as a panacea xix, 38. The healing properties of bdellium . vi, 91. Barley and water as universal remedies viii, 7. Hymn to all magic and medicinal plants, used as a universal remedy . . . . vi, 96. Plants as a panacea . . . . . ii, 33. Charm to secure perfect health . n. VI, PAGES 23> 452 25> 373 26, 376 27, 511 27. 425 28, 461 29, r' H 0 00^ 30, 464 30, 470 31, 536 31. 537 31. 369 32, 518 33. 408 34, 290 35> 407 36, 302 36 475 37 280 38 ,669 39 , 674 39 , 505 40 , 530 40 ,675 4c , 507 41 .578 44 h 509 44 [, 321 X CONTENTS. BOOK PAGES ix, 8. Charm to procure immunity from all diseases 45, 600 ii, 29. Charm for obtaining long life and prosperity by transmission of disease .... 47,308 II. Prayers for long life and health (ayushyawi). iii, II. Prayer for health and long life . . . 49, 341 ii, 28. Prayer for long life pronounced over a boy . 50, 306 iii, 31. Prayer for health and long life . . . 51, 364 vii, 53. Prayer for long life . . . . . 52, 551 viii, I. Prayer for exemption from the dangers of death ........ 53, 569 viii, 2. Prayer for exemption from the dangers of death 55, 573 V, 30. Prayer for exemption from disease and death 59, 455 iv, 9. Salve (a/T^ana) as a protector of life and limb 61, 381 iv, 10. The pearl and its shell as an amulet bestow- ing long life and prosperity . . . .■ 62,383 xix, 26. Gold as an amulet for long life . . 63, 668 III. Imprecations against demons, sorcerers, and ene- mies (abhiHrikawi and kntyapratiharawani). i, 7. Against sorcerers and demons i, 8. Against sorcerers and demons i, 16. Charm with lead, against demons and sor- cerers ....... vi, 2. The soma-oblation directed against demons (rakshas) ....... ii, 14. Charm against a variety of female demons, conceived as hostile to men, cattle, and home iii, 9. Against vishkandha and kabava (hostile demons) ....... iv, 20. Charm with a certain plant (sada772pushpa) which exposes demons and enemies iv, 17. Charm with the apamarga-plant, against sorcery, demons, and enemies iv, 18. Charm with the apamarga-plant, against sorcery, demons, and enemies iv, 19. Mystic power of the apamarga-plant, against demons and sorcerers ..... 64, 237 65, 239 65, 256 66, 458 66, 298 67, 339 68, 398 69, 393 70. 396 71, 397 CONTENTS. XI 72, 556 72, 602 76, 456 77, 429 19, 575 81, 605 84, 608 88, 389 89, 294 90, 557 91, 285 91. 334 vii, 65. Charm with the apamarga-plant, against curses, and the consequence of sinful deeds . X, I. Charm to repel sorceries or spells V, 31. Charm to repel sorceries or spells V, 14. Charm to repel sorceries or spells viii, 5. Prayer for protection addressed to a talis- man made from the wood of the sraktya-tree . X, 3. Praise of the virtues of an amulet derived from the vara«a-tree ..... X, 6. Praise of the virtues of an amulet of khadira- wood in the shape of a ploughshare iv, 16. Prayer to Varu;;a for protection against treacherous designs ..... ii, 12. Imprecation against enemies thwarting holy work ........ vii, 70. Frustration of the sacrifice of an enemy . ii, 7. Charm against curses and hostile plots, under- taken with a certain plant .... iii, 6. The a^vattha-tree as a destroyer of enemies . vi, 75. Oblation for the suppression of enemies (nairbadhya7;z havi/^) 92, 495 vi, 37. Curse against one that practises hostile charms ....••• vii, 13. Charm to deprive enemies of their strength IV. Charms pertaining to women (strikarmawi). ii, 36. Charm to obtain a husband vi, 60. Charm to obtain a husband vi, 82. Charm for obtaining a wife vi, 78. Blessing for a married couple . vii, 36. Love-charm spoken by a bridal couple vii, 37. Charm pronounced by the bride over the bridegroom .....•• 9^, 54^ vi, 81. A bracelet as an amulet to ensure concep- tion 96, 501 iii, 23. Charm for obtaining a son (puw/savanam) . 97, 35^ vi, II. Charm for obtaining a son (puwzsavanam) . 97, 460 vii, 35. An incantation to make a woman sterile . 98, 545 vi, 17. Charm to prevent miscarriage . . .98, 4^7 i, II. Charm for easy parturition . . • 99,242 93, 475 93, 544 94, 322 95, 491 95, 502 96, 498 96, 546 Xll CONTENTS. i, 34. Charm with licorice, to secure the love of a woman ....... 99, 274 ii, 30. Charm to secure the love of a woman . 100, 311 vi, 8. Charm to secure the love of a woman. . 100, 459 vi, 9. Charm to secure the love of a woman . . loi, 459 vi, 102. Charm to secure the love of a woman . loi, 512 iii, 25. Charm to arouse the passionate love of a woman ....... 102, 358 vi, 139. Charm to arouse the passionate love of a woman ....... 102, 539 vii, 38. Charm to secure the love of a man . . 103, 546 vi, 130. Charm to arouse the passionate love of a man ....... 104, 534 vi, 131. Charm to arouse the passionate love of a man ....... 104, 535 vi, 132. Charm to arouse the passionate love of a man ....... 104, 535 iv, 5. Charm at an assignation .... 105,371 vi, 77. Charm to cause the return of a truant woman ....... 106, 496 vi, 18. Charm to allay jealousy .... 106, 467 vii, 45. Charm to allay jealousy .... 107, 547 i, 14. A woman's incantation against her rival . 107, 252 iii, 18. Charm of a woman against a rival or co-wife 107, 354 vi, 138. Charm for depriving a man of his virility . 108, 537 i, 18. Charm to remove evil bodily characteristics from a woman ...... 109, 260 vi, 110. Expiatory charm for a child born under an unlucky star . . . . . . 109, 517 vi, 140. Expiation for the irregular appearance of the first pair of teeth 110,540 V. Charms pertaining to royalty (ra^akarmawi). iv, 8. Prayer at the consecration of a king . . in, 378 iii, 3. Charm for the restoration of an exiled king . 112, 327 iii, 4. Prayer at the election of a king . . .113, 330 iii, 5. Praise of an amulet derived from the par?;a- tree, designed to strengthen royal power . 114, 331 iv, 22. Charm to secure the superiority of a king . 115, 404 i, 9. Prayer for earthly and heavenly success . 116, 239 CONTENTS. XUl vi, 38. Prayer for lustre and power vi, 39. Prayer for glory (yajas) .... viii, 8. Battle-charm i, 19. Battle-charm against arrow- wounds iii, I. Battle-charm for confusing the enemy, iii, 2. Battle-charm for confusing the enemy . vi, 97. Battle-charm of a king upon the eve of battle vi, 99. Battle-charm of a king upon the eve of battle .....••• xi, 9. Prayer to Arbudi and Nyarbudi for help in battle ....•••• xi, 10. Prayer to Trishawdhi for help in battle V, 20. Hymn to the battle-drum .... V, 21. Hymn to the battle-drum, the terror of the enemy VI. Charms to secure harmony, influence in the assem- bly, and the like (sawmianasyani, &c.). iii, 30. Charm to secure harmony vi, 73. Charm to allay discord vi, 74. Charm to allay discord vii, 52. Charm against strife and bloodshed vi, 64. Charm to allay discord vi, 42. Charm to appease anger . vi, 43. Charm to appease anger . ii, 27. Charm against opponents in debate, under- taken with the pa/a-plant . . . . vii, 12. Charm to procure influence in the assembly vi, 94. will Charm to bring about submission to one's PAGES 116, 477 1x7, 478 117, 582 120, 262 121, 325 121, 327 122, 510 123, 510 123, 631 126, 637 130. 436 131. 439 VII. Charms to secure prosperity in house, field, cattle, business, gambling, and kindred matters. iii, 12. Prayer at the building of a house vi, 142. Blessing during the sowing of seed . vi, 79. Charm for procuring increase of grain vi, 50. Exorcism of vermin infesting grain in the field .....••• vii, II. Charm to protect grain from lightning 134, 361 i35> 494 i35> 495 136, 550 136, 492 136, 479 137, 480 137. 304 138, 543 138, 508 140, 343 141, 541 141, 499 142, 485 142, 543 XIV CONTENTS. ii, 26, Charm for the prosperity of cattle iii, 14. Charm for the prosperity of cattle vi, 59. Prayer to the plant arundhati for protection to cattle ....... vi, 70. Charm to secure the attachment of a cow to her calf ....... iii, 28. Formula in expiation of the birth of twin- calves ........ vi, 92. Charm to endow a horse with swiftness iii, 13. Charm for conducting a river into a new channel ....... vi, 106. Charm to ward off danger from fire . iv, 3. Shepherd's charm against wild beasts and robbers . . . . . . ' . iii, 15. A merchant's prayer .... iv, 38. A. Prayer for success in gambling B. Prayer to secure the return of calves that have strayed to a distance vii, 50. Prayer for success at dice vi, 56. Exorcism of serpents from the premises X, 4. Charm against serpents, invoking the horse of Pedu that slays serpents .... xi, 2. Prayer to Bhava and 6'arva for protection from dangers ...... iv, 28. Prayer to Bhava and 6arva for protection from dangers ...... vii, 9. Charm for finding lost property . vi, 128. Propitiation of the weather-prophet . xi, 6. Prayer for deliverance from calamity, ad- dressed to the entire pantheon PAGES 142, 303 143, 351 144, 490 144, 493 145, 359 145, 507 146, 348 147, 514 147, 366 148, 352 149, 412 150, 413 150, 548 151, 487 152, 605 155, 618 158 406 159 542 160 532 160, 628 VIII. Charms in expiation of sin and defilement, vi, 45. Prayer against mental delinquency . vi, 26. Charm to avert evil .... vi, 114. Expiatory formula for imperfections in the sacrifice ...... vi, 115. Expiatory formulas for sins vi, 112. Expiation for the precedence of a younger brother over an older .... vi, 113. Expiation for certain heinous crimes 163, 483 163, 473 164, 528 164, 529 164, 521 165, 527 CONTENTS. XV vi, 1 20. Prayer for heaven after remission of sins . 165, 529 vi, 27. Charm against pigeons regarded as ominous birds 166, 474 vi, 29. Charm against ominous pigeons and owls . 166, 475 vii, 64. Expiation when one is defiled by a black bird of omen 167,555 vi, 46. Exorcism of evil dreams . . . .167, 485 vii, 115. Charm for the removal of evil character- istics, and the acquisition of auspicious ones . 168, 564 IX. Prayers and imprecations in the interest of the Brahmans. v, 18. Imprecation against the oppressors of Brah- mans 169, 430 V, 19. Imprecation against the oppressors of Brah- mans i^i, 433 V, 7. Prayer to appease Arati, the demon of grudge and avarice ...... 172,423 xii, 4. The necessity of giving away sterile cows to the Brahmans . . . • • -174) 656 xi, I. The preparation of the brahmaudana, the porridge given as a fee to the Brahmans . 179, 610 xii, 3. The preparation of the brahmaudana, the porridge given as a fee to the Brahmans . 185, 645 ix, 3. Removal of a house that has been presented to a priest as sacrificial reward . . .193, 595 vi, 71. Brahmanical prayer at the receipt of gifts . 196, 494 XX, 127. A kuntapa-hymn 197,688 X. Cosmogonic and theosophic hymns. xii, I. Hymn to goddess Earth . . . .199, 639 xiii, I . Prayer for sovereign power addressed to the god Rohita and his female Rohi/a . . 207, 661 xi, 5. Glorification of the sun, or the primeval prin- ciple, as a Brahman disciple . . .214, 626 xi, 4. Pra7?a, life or breath, personified as the supreme spirit ...... 218, 622 ix, 2. Prayer to Kama (love), personified as a pri- mordial power . . . . . . 220, 591 XVi CONTENTS. xix, 53. Prayer to Kala (time), personified as a pri- mordial principle 224,681 xix, 54. Prayer to Kala (time), personified as a pri- mordial principle 225, 687 xi, 7. Apotheosis of the u>^/^>^ish/a, the leavings of the sacrifice 226, 629 ix, I. Hymn to the honey-lash of the Ajvins . 229, 587 Indexes : — I. Index of Subjects ...... 693 II. Index of Hymns in the order of the Atharva-veda 709 Additions and Corrections . . . . . . 711 Transliteration of Oriental Alphabets adopted for the Translations of the Sacred Books of the East . 713 INTRODUCTION. I. The names of the Atharva-veda- and THEIR MEANINGS. The fourth Veda is known in Hindu literature by an Th om unusually large number of appellations. Of pound stem these the dvandva plural atharvaiigirasa// is old, atharvangiras. - a tt -vt- -i. • ^i r j „<. *= occurring AV. A, 7, 20 ; it is the name found at the head of the Atharvan MSS. themselves. The appear- ance of this name in a given text has not unfrequently been made the basis — partly or entirely — for estimating the rela- tive chronology of that text. But this criterion can claim only negative value, since the designation occurs in a text as late as the Auj-anasa-smrzti, III. 44 ^ It is found in a great variety of texts of the Vedic literature, as may be seen in the subsequent account of the attitude of Hindu literature towards the fourth Veda (p. xxviii ff.), but at no period does it positively exclude other designations. The locative singular of this same compound occurs in a passage not altogether textually certain, Mahabh. Ill, 305, 20=17066, where the Bombay edition has atharvaiigi- rasi .yrutam, but the Calcutta, atharvaj-irasi jrutam. The locative singular (apparently neuter) of the stem atharvahgi- rasa occurs rarely, Ya^;7av. I, 312 (kuj-alam atharvaiigirase). A specimen of a derivative adjective from the compound may be .seen at Manu XI, '^^, athai-vangirasi// srutih; cf Mahabh. VIII, 40, 33=1848, kr/tyam atharvahgirasim. X^ ^ See Civananda's Dharmajastrasawgraha, vol. i, p. 514. [42] b XVIU HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. The name atharvan, with a great variety of derivatives, is employed growingly as the designation of Meaning of ixri i /.• i-ir- each of the the Veda; the name angiras by itseh is so terms atharvan ^are as to arrest attention when it is met. and angiras. At TS. VII, 5, II, 2 = Ka///aka Aj-vamedha- grantha, V, 2, occurs the formula angirobhya// svaha, pre- ceded by r/gbhya//, &c. svaha : it is, as far as is known, the sohtary occurrence of this designation of the Atharva- veda in a Vedic text ^ Quite frequently, however, the members of the compound atharvahgirasa/z are separated so that each is mentioned by itself, but always in more or less close conjunction with one another. This shows that the compound is not a congealed formula, but that the texts are conscious of the fact that each has a distinct individuality, and a right to separate existence. In other words, the AV. actually consists of atharvan and aiigiras matter, and the question arises what elements in the make- up of this Veda these terms refer to. The answer, I believe, may now be given with a considerable degree of certainty : the term atharvan refers to the auspicious practices of the Veda^ the bhesha^ani (AV. XI, 6, 14), those parts of the Veda which are recognised by the Atharvan ritual and the orthodox Brahmanical writings, as janta, ' holy,' and paush/ika, ' conferring prosperity ; ' the term angiras refers to the hostile sorcery practices of the Veda, the yatu (^at. Br. X, 5, 2, 20), or abhi/^ara^, which is terrible (ghora). In an article entitled, ' On the position of the Vaitana- sutra in the literature of the Atharva-veda,' Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XI, 387 ff., I pointed out that the above-mentioned distinction is clearly made at Vait. Su. 5, 10, where two lists of plants are differentiated, one as atharva;^ya//, the other as aiigirasya/^. The same distinction is maintained at Gop. Br. I, 2, 18. The former refers to the list of plants ' In texts not Vedic the term angirasa/i occurs occasionally as an abbreviated form of atharvahgirasa/^. Thus in the first superscription of the AV. Prati- ^akhya, the ^'aunakiya Aaturadhyayika, and in Pawini V, 2, 37. Cf. also Gop. Br. I, I, 8. '■' For the distinction between janta and abhi/iarika see Kau.f. 3, 19, and note 5 on p. II of our edition. INTRODUCTION. XIX catalogued at Kaiu. 8, i6, and there distinctly described as santci/i, ' holy ;' the second list is stated at Vait. Su. 5, 10 itself to be angirasa, in the obscure terms, kapurviparva- rodakavr/kkavatinac/anirdahantibhir arigirasibhi//. These names are in general unknown, the text is not quite certain, but the designation of the last, nirdahanti, shows that the list is designed for unholy sorcery practices (abhi/('arika) '. The adjective aiigirasa is in general in the ritualist texts of the AV. equivalent to abhi/^arika. Thus sa7;/bhara angi- rasa//, Kauj-. 47, 2, means ' utensils for sorcery ^ ; ' daWa angirasa//, Kauj-. 47, 12, means 'staff for sorcery;' agnir angirasa//, Kaui-. 14, 30, means 'sorcery-fire^.' The fifth kalpa of the AV.^ usually known as Aiigirasa-kalpa, bears also the names Abhi/^ara-kalpa, and Vidhana-kalpa, ' text- book of sorcery ; ' see ibid. XI, 376 ff. It is worth while to follow out this specific use of the term angirasa in non-Atharvan texts, lest it be suspected of being an Atharvanic refinement. The term angiras in non-Atharvan j^e Rig-vidhana IV, 6, 4, has the following texts. j-loka : ' He agamst whom those that are skilled in the Angirasakalpas practice sorcery repels them all with the Pratyahgirasakalpa ^.' The term pratyahgirasa is the exact equivalent of pratyabhi/'ara/za, ' counter-witch- craft^' (AV. II, II, 2), and the k;7tyapratihara//ani, Ath. Parij-. 32, 2 (cf. Kauj-. 39, 7, note). The texts of the sort called atharva;/apratyangirakalpam (! see Ind. Stud. I, 469) deal with the same theme, as does the Ya^ur-vidhana (Agni-pura//a, 259, 10) in the expression pratyaiigireshu (sc. karmasu). Cf. also the titles of works, pratyangiratatva, pratyangirapa;//('anga, and pratyahgirasukta, mentioned in Bohtlingk's Lexicon, as probably dealing with the same theme. We may connect with this pejorative use of the 1 Cf. AV. Ill, 2, 5 ; VII, 108, 2 ; IX, 2, 4; 5, 31 ; XIV, 2, 48. * Darila, ghoradravyawi. ' Kejava, angiraso^gni// ka-iidklsignUi . * yam ahgirasakalpais tu tadvido^bhi/f'aranti sa pratyahgirasakalpena sarvaws tan pratibadhate. Cf. also the following jlokas, and IV, 8, 3 ; Ath. Tans. 3, I ; and see Rudolf Meyer's preface to his edition of the Rig-vidhana, p. xxxi. ^ Saya«a, nivaryate parakr/tabhi^ara^anita kritya, anena iti pratyabhi^a- rawa,^. b 2 XX HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. word angirasa the fact that the Vish;m-pura;/a (Wilson's translation, V, 383) and the Bhavishya-pura;/a count the Angirasa as one of the four Vedas of the Parsis (Maga), the other three, Vada, Vi^yvavada, and Vidut, also conveying thinly veiled disparagement of the religious books of an exotic religion ; cf. Wilson in Reinaud's Memoire sur I'lnde, p. 394; Ind. Stud. I, 292, note; Weber, Ind. Lit.^, p. 164, note. We may then regard it as certain that the words angiras and angirasa are reflected by the ceremonial literature in the sense of abhi/-ara and abhi/arika. Far more important is the evidence of certain texts of greater antiquity, and higher dignity, which have occasion to mention the Atharvan inci- dentally, and enunciate clearly this twofold character of the Veda. They make the very same distinction between atharvan and angiras that appeared above in the ritualistic passage, Vait. Su. 5, 10 (Gop. Br. I, 2, 18). At 5ahkh. Sr. XVI, 2, I ff., on the occasion of the horse-sacrifice, recita- tions are made from the ordinary Vedic classes of literature, the Hka/i, ya^uwshi, samani, and also the remoter literary categories which the Brahma;/as and Sutras report, with great unanimity and considerable variety, as having been in existence in their time : the itihasa (akhyana), pura;/a, sarpavidya, &c.^ The Atharvan figures immediately after the Rik and Saman, and that too twice, in its double character as Atharvan and Angiras, and, what is more im- portant, bhesha^am, i.e. remedial charms, are recited from the Atharvan; ghoram, i.e. sorcery, abhi/('arikam, from the Angiras -. The commentator regards bhesha^am and ghoram as distinct works, bhesha^agranthasya^tharva/^i- kanam . . . ghoram atharvawo grantha/^. The same subject A is treated in almost identical terms in Asv. St. X, 7, i fif. : again atharva//o veda/i and ahgiraso veda// are treated indi- vidually, and again the former is correlated with bhesha^am, the latter with ghoram ". Once more this theme is handled * Cf. Max Miiller, History of Ancient Sanskrit Literature, p. 40 ff. 2 atliarvavedo veda// soxyam iti bhesha^w nigadet . . . arigiraso vedo veda/i so I yam iti ghoraw nigadet. ^ Scholiast, ghoram iti abhiHradipiatipddakam ity artha//. Cf. RV. X, 34, 14, m{( no ghore«a /^arataibhi dhr/shwu. INTRODUCTION. XXI by the Sat. Br. XIII, 4, 3, 3 ff. : here also atharvan and aiigiras are recognised individually ; the correlation with bhesha^am and ghoram is wanting, but the individuality of the two categories is clearly implied in the behest to recite on the third and fourth days respectively one section each of the Atharvans and the Aiigiras, each of which are distinctly said to be a Veda ^. Indirect, yet significant testimony that this double character of the AV. was clearly established in Brahman- ical times may be derived from the formation of the names of two apocryphal teachers. One is Bhisha^'- Atharva;/a, Kat/i. S. XVI, 3 (Ind. Stud. Ill, 459); the other is Ghora Arigirasa, Kaush. Br. XXX, 6 ; A.yv. 5r. XII, 13, i ; /v//and. Up. Ill, 17, 6 (cf. Ind. Stud. I, 190, 293). The formation Bhisha^ Atharva;/a is illustrated further by Pauk. Br. XII, 9, 10, bhesha^a;;^ va atharva//ani ; and XVI; lo, 10, bhesha- ga7n vai devanam atharva;/o bhesha^yayai^vaM-ish/yai-; cf. also the expressions sa?uyu atharva//a. personified as a sage, Gop. Br. I. 2, i . , , i . • r ^i also) with the texts and practices of the fourth Veda may be sought in the character of these mythic beings. They are fire-priests, fire-churners -, and the Atharvanic rites, as well as the house-ceremonies in general, centre about the fire, the oblations are into the fire. Fire-priests, in distinction from soma-priests, may have had in their keeping these homelier practices of common life. But whence the terrible aspect of the Ah- giras in contrast to the auspicious Atharvans? In the hymn about Sarama and the Pa;/is, RV. X, 108, 10, Sarama threatens the Pa;/is with the terrible Ahgiras, ahgirasaj ka. ghora//. This statement, wholly incidental as it seems to be, is, of course, not to be entirely discarded. More im- portant is the fact that Br/haspati, the divine purodha (purohita), is distinctly ahgirasa. In Kauj-. 135, 9, Br/has- pati Ahgirasa appears distinctly as the representative, or the divinity of witchcraft performances. In the Mahabha- rata he is frequently called ahgirasa;// j-resh///a//. In his function of body-priest of the gods it behoves him to 1 Doubtless by way of allusion to the twenty books in the existing redaction of the .Saunakiya-^akha. The expression vi;«j-ino .. ngirasa/; is rep.ated Pa«. V, 2, 37, as a designation of the twenty books of the ^-aunakiyn-^akha in its present redaction. 2 Avestan atar-, athra-van and Vedic athar-van may be derivatives froni^ the root manth, math (mth) 'churn.' But the absence of the asj.iration in atar- makes the doubtful derivation still more doubtful. XXIV HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. exercise against hostile powers those fierce qualities which are later in a broader sense regarded as Angirasic. Thus RV. X, 164, 4 = AV. VI, 45, 3\ certainly exhibits this function of the divine purohita, and the composer of AV. X, i, 6, when he exclaims, ' Prati/^ina (" Back-hurler ") the descendant of Ahgiras, is our overseer and officiator (puro- hita) : do thou drive back again (pratikUi) the spells, and slay yonder fashioners of the spells,' has also in mind the divine purohita ^. The stanza foreshadows the later forma- tion pratyahgiras, discussed above. We look in vain, how- ever, for statements of the reason why the word atharvan should be especially associated with santa. and bhesha^a, and must assume that this was accomplished by secondarily contrasting it with ahgiras after the sense of ghora, abhi/?'ara had incrustated itself ovfer it ^. The uncertainty of all this does not endanger the result that at a comparatively early time the terms atharva/^a/z, in the sense of ' holy charms,' and ahgirasa//, in the sense of ' witchcraft charms,' joined the more distinctively hieratic terms rika./i, ya^uwshi, and samani, as characteristic types of Brahmanical literary performances. But this distinction was at a later period again abandoned ; in the end the name atharvan and its derivatives prevail as designations of the practices and charms of the fourth Veda without reference to their strongly diversified character. The stem atharvan is modulated in a considerable variety of waj^s by derivative processes, the simple stem itself, or forms in the singular from it, being decidedly rare, and not at all early. I have noted Nn'siwhapurvatapani Up. I, 4, ngya^/zsamatharvarupa// surya/i. Plural forms are less rare : atharva;/o veda/^, 5at. Br. XIII, 4, 3, 7 ; atharva;/am, ' yad indra brahmawas patebhidrohaw Hramasi, pra-freta na afigiraso dvishat^w patv awhaaa/i. ° RV. IV, 50, 7-9 prescribes that kings shall keep in honour (subhr/tam) a b;7haspati, i. e. a Brahman purohita, in archaic language whose sense coincides completely with the later Alharvanic notions. Barring the diction the passage might stand in any Atharva-Parijish/a ; cf. below, p. Ixviii, note. '■' A dash of popular etymology may have helped the process : a-tharvan, 'not injuring;' cf. thurv in the sense of 'injure,' Dhatupa///a XV, 62, and perhaps Maitr. S. II, 10, i ; also tiic roots turv and dhurv with similar meanings. INTRODUCTION. XXV TB. Ill, 12, 9, I ; atharva^a//, Pa;?/&. Br. XVI, lo, lo. The derivative neuter plural atharva/zani (sc. suktani) is common, from AV.XIX, 23, i ; V^fik. Br. XII, 9, 10 to Vr/ddhaha- rita-sa/whita 111,45 ((^ivananda, vol. i, p. 213), and later. The same stem, atharva;/a, is used in the masculine singular, atharva/zaj- (sc. veda/^) /^aturtha/^, AV/and. Up. VII, i, 2. 4; 2, ] ; 7, 1 ; in the plural, mantra atharva;/a/^, Ram. II, 26, 21. The stem atharva//a (without vr/ddhi of derivation) is found N/'/si;;/hapurvatapani Up. II, 1, atharva;?air mantrai// ; Mahabh. Ill, 189, 14 = 12963, atharva;^a^ (sc. veda/^). Still another derivative is atharva/za, in atharva;/a-vid, Mahabh. XII, 342, 100=13259. The name atharva-veda appears about as early a^the corresponding names of the other Vedic categories (rzgveda. &c.), 5arikh. 5r. XVI, 2, 10; Par. Gr/h. II, i, 7; Hir. Gr/h. II, 19, 6; Baudh. Grih. IV, 5, I. The form employed in the C'ainist Siddhanta is a(t)havva;/a-veda (see below, p. Ivi) ; that of the Buddhist scriptures is athabba//a-veda (ibid.). In addition to the designations of the Atharvan discussed above there are still others, based upon different modes of ^ , viewing this heterogeneous collection of Mantras. Other ° ° ^ designations A single passage, 5at. Br. XIV, (S, 14, 1-4 = ofthe AV. ^^,.^^ ^^ ^p^ y^ j^^ j_^^ sQ&ms to hint at the fourth Veda with the word kshatram. The passage is engaged in pointing out the merits of Vedic compositions, stated in the series uktham { = 7'ik ; cf. 5at. Br. X, 5, 2, 20), ya^u//, sama, kshatram. Inasmuch as the first three ob- viously represent the trayi vidya, it is possible to view kshatram as epitomising the Atharvan ^ If so, the passage is of considerable interest, as it seems to view the fourth Veda as the Veda of the Kshatriyas. More precisely the passage substitutes the act of kshatra, i.e. the characteristic performances of the Kshatriya (through, or with the aid of 1 Cf. also Prajna Up. II, 6, where brahma and kshatra figure. Both together represent in the epics the best outcome of the life of a kshatriya, ' piety ' and ' prowess.' It is possible to conceive the appearance of kshatra alone as an elliptic version of both brahma and kshatra, the two together being the out- come ofthe trayi preceding, rather than a supplementary statement of additional Vedic types of composition ; cf Pra^na Up. II, 6. For brahma alone, see below, p. xxxi, note. XXVI HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. his purohita) as Atharvanic by distinction. Recently Pro- fessor Weber ^ has emphasised the marked relation of the Atharvan to the royal caste. The text of the Sawhita abounds in ra^akarma;n, ' royal practices,' and Weber thinks that the name of Kauj-ika, the author of the great Atharvan Sutra, points to a Kshatriya connection, since Ku^ika is identical with Vij-vamitra, and the latter, as is well known, stands forth among the ancient Vedic heroes as the representative of royalty. None of these points can be regarded as more than possibilities -. Two other designations of the AV. differ from all the preceding in that they are the product of a later Athar- vanic literary age, neither of them being found in the Sawhita, and both being almost wholly restricted to the ritual text of the Atharvan itself. They are the terms bhr/gvaiigirasa// and brahma-veda. The term bhr/gvarigirasa/^ is, as far as the evidence of the accessible literature goes, found only in Atharvan texts. Though bhr/gu takes in this compound the place of atharvan, the terms bhr/gava/^ or bhr/guveda do not occur. The term bhr/gvarigirasa/^, however, is the favourite designation of the Veda in the Atharvan ritual texts ^: it makes a show, in fact, of crowding out the other designations. Thus the Kaui-ika does not directly mention the Atharvan composi- tions by any other name (see 63, 3; 94, 2-4; cf. 137, 25; i.39j 6), •although vaguer allusions to this Veda and its adherents are made with the stem atharvan (59, 25 ; 73, 12 ; ' Episches im vedischen Ritual, Proc. of the Royal Academy at Berlin, July 23, 1891 ; nr. xxxviii, p. 785 ff. (especially 787, top); Ra^suya, pp. 4, 23, note. ^ We may note also the prominence allowed in the AV. to the kind of performance called sava. These are elaborate and rather pompous bestowals of dakshi;/a, rising as high as the presentation of a house (j'alasava, IX, 3^; or a goat with five messes of porridge, five cows, five pieces of gold, and five garments (a^^audana, IX, 4). There are twenty-two kinds of these sava, and the eighth book of the Kaujika is devoted to their exposition (Ke^rava 64-66 presents a brief catalogue of them). Revenues of this kind are not likely to have bfen derived from lesser personages than rich Kshatriyas, or kings. ' I"i the Sawhita the stem bhr/gvangiras is never employed as the name of the Atharvan writings ; in AV. V, 19, i. 2 the terms bhr/gu and ahgirasa occur as the names of typical Brahman priests. INTRODUCTION, XXVll 125, 2.) The term also occurs in Vait. Su. i, 5 ; Gop. Br. I, I, 39 ; 2, 18 (end); 3, 1. 2. 4, and it is common in the Parij-ish/as (see Weber, Omina und Portenta, p. 346 ff. ; Verzeichniss der Sanskrit und Prakrit Handschriften, II, 89 ff.), and the Anukrama/n. No valid reason appears why the term bhr/gu has succeeded in encroaching so far upon the term atharvan. The following may, however, be remarked. The three words atharvan, angiras, and bhrzgu are in general equivalent, or closely related mythic names in connection with the production or the service of fire. Occasionally in the mantras (RV. X, 14, 6) they are found all together \ or bhrzgu is found in company with atharvan (RV. X, 92, 10), or with angiras (RV.VIII, 43, 13). This interrelation of the three names continues in the Ya^us and Brahma;/a-texts, but in such a way that the juxtaposition of bhr/gu and angiras becomes exceedingly frequent", broaching in fact on complete synonymy. The latter is reached in Sat. Br. IV, i, 5, i, where the sage /vyavana is designated either as a Bhargava or as an Ahgirasa^. It is conceivable that the frequency of this collocation sug- gested to the Atharvavedins a mode of freshening up the more trite combination atharvahgirasa/z ; of any reason for a conscious preference of the word bhr/gu the texts show no trace "*. The term brahma-veda whose origin is discussed below (p. Ixv) likewise belongs to the sphere of the Atharvan ritual. Outside of the Atharvan there is to be noted only a single, but indubitable occurrence, 5ahkh. Gr/li. I, 16, 3. ^ Cf. Weber, Verzeichniss, 11, 46. ^ E. g. Tait. S. I, I, 7, 2 ; Maitr.S. I, i, 8 ; Va?-. S. I, iS ; Tait. Br. I, i, 4, 8 ; III, 2, 7,6; ^at. Br. I, 2,1, 13; Katy. .S-r.II, 4,38; A past. .ST. I, 12, 3 ; 23,6; Yaska's Nigh.V, 5 ; Nir. XI, 18. The juxtaposition of bh;7gu and atharvan is decidedly rarer in this class of texts (e.g. Apast. ^r. IV, 12, 10); that of bh;7gu and angiras continues in the Mahabharata, and later ; see Pet. Lex. s.v. (col. 364, top). 2 Cf. similarly Dadhya;>/(' Atharvawa, Tait. S. V, i, 4, 4, with Dadhya;//& Angirasa, TaTik. Br. XII, 8, 6. * A statement like that of the late Aulika Upanishad 10, that the Bh?7gu are foremost among the Atharvans (atharvawo bhr/guttama/i), if it is taken seriously at all, reflects rather the result than the cause of the substitution of the name bh^v'gii for atharvan. / XXVlll HYMNS OF THE ATHARVa-VEDA. Even in the Atharvan Upanishads the term is wanting ^ The earhest occurrences of the word, aside from 5ankh. G/'zli., are Vait. Su. i, j; Gop. Br. I, 2, 16. The word is common in the Parijish/as. We may note finally the terms pa;7/^akalpa and pa;z/^a- kalpin. They do not refer directly to the Sa/z/hitas of the AV., but are both bahuvrihi-compounds designating ' one who practises with the five kalpas of the AV.,' i.e. Atharvan priests. Thus the words were first explained by the author, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XI, 378 ; Kaui-ika, Introduction, p. Ivii. Cf. also Magoun, The Asuri-kalpa, Amer. Journ. Phil. X, 169. They are very late : they do not occur in the Sutras or Brahma;za of the AV., nor, as far as is known, in the literature proper of that Veda. They appearas the titles of scribes of Atharvan texts, see Kaui-ika, Introduc- tion, p. ix ; Weber, Verzeichniss der Sanskrit und Prakrit Handschriften, II, 96. But they are sufficiently attested outside of the Atharvan, in the expression, pa;7-^akalpam atharva/zam, Mahabh. XII, 342, 99 = 13258, and in the Mahabhashya (Ind. Stud. XIII, 455). II. The position of the Atharva-veda in Hindu Literature in general. In addressing oneself to the task of characterising the estimate which the Hindus placed upon the Atharvan Statement tcxts and practices, it is especially needful to of the take a broad, if possible a universal view, of em. ^j^^ statements of the Vedic and mediaeval texts bearing upon the question. The Atharvan is ' The word occurs in certain doubtful variants of the text of the Mu«(/aka Up.; see Ind. Stud. I, 301, note. In Ram I, 65, 22 brahmaveda is contrasted with kshatiaveda, just as at Mahabh. VH, 23, 39 = 988 brahma veda with dhanurveda. In such cases the word brahma is not to be referred pres^nantly to the fourth Veda, but to Brahmanic religion in general represented by the first caste, the science of war being in the hands of the second, or warrior-caste. Cf. below, p. xlii. The word brahmavid, Mahabh III, 2625 (Nala 14, 18, brahmarshi\ however, seems to mean ' skilled in sorcery,' and may contain an allusion to the AV. IXTROUUCTION. XXIX a sacred text in more than one respect : aside from the materials which it shares with the -Rtg- and Ya^^ur- vedas, many of its hymns and practices are benevolent (bhesha^a) and are in general well regarded, though even these, as we shall see, do not altogether escape the blight of contempt. Many hymns of the AV. are theosophic in character: on whatsoever ground they found shelter in the Atharvan collections they cannot have been otherwise than highly esteemed. The class of charms designed to establish harmony in family and village life and reconciliation of enemies (the so-called sa/z/manasyani, p. 134 fif.), and the royal ceremonies (ra^akarma;/i), are obviously auspicious in their nature. Even the sorceries of the Atharvan neces- sarily show a double face : they are useful to oneself, harmful to others. According as they are employed objectively and aggressively, they are a valuable and forceful instrument for the benefit and aggrandisement of him that employs them ; according as one suffers from them subjectively and passively, they'are dreadful and contemptible. This con- flict of emotions lasts throughout the history of the recorded Hindu thought ; the colour of the Atharvan remans change- able to the end, and is so described in the final orthodox and stereotyped view that it is used ' to appease, to bless, and to curse ^' The fact, however, is that there must have arisen in the long run a strong wave of popular aversion against the Veda, whose most salient teaching is sorcery. This appears from the discussions of the Hindus themselves as to the orthodoxy of that Veda " ; from the conscious efforts of the later Atharvan writings to vindicate its char- acter and value ; from the allegorical presentation of the Atharvan as ' a lean black man, sharp, irascible, and amorous ^ ; ' and many occasional statements of the Vedic and classical texts. The history of the relation of the Atharvan to the remaining Hindu literature is, however, 1 jantikapaush/ikabhiHradipratipadaka, Madhusudanasarasvali (Ind. Stud. I, 16); Kejava to Kauj. i, i ; Deva to Katy. ^^r. XV, 7, 11, and elsewhere. 2 According to Bumell, Vawjabrah-^awa of the Samaveda, p. xxi, the most influential scholars of Southern India still deny the genuineness of the Atharvan. ' Ra^endralalamitra in the Introduction to the Gopatha-brahmawa, p. 4. XXX HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Still unwritten, and the following pages aim to supply the necessary data. In the hymn to the Purusha, the primaeval cosmic man (RV. X, 90, 9), the three Vedic categories, rikdih samani . • . • ysigwh, are mentioned ; a fourth term, the AV. in Manda;;zsi, is generic, embodying the metrical the Rig- canons, or the metrical compositions as a whole, but the opportunity to mention the Atharvan is neglected ^. The names atharvan, ahgiras, and bhr/gu, which occur frequently elsewhere in the RV., designate mythic personages, intimately connected with the production of the fire, and the soma-sacrifice ; nowhere do they seem to refer to any kind of literary composition. Even the expression brahma;/i, used in connection with atharvan, RV. I, 80, 16, can claim no special interest, be- cause, as will appear later (p. Ixvi), the word brahma is never used as a specific designation of Atharvan charms. No great importance is to be attached to this silence ; the praises to the gods in connection with the great soma- sacrifices, with their prevailing mythical colouring, darkened very often by priestly mysticism, offer but scant occasion for the mention of sorcery, or the plainer practices of every- day life. Yet sorcery and house- practices there were in India at all times ^. The failure of the Rig-veda to mention any systematic redaction of charms by a collective name like atharvangirasa/^ must be gauged by the slenderness of its opportunities to mention the Veda as a generic name (cf. VIII, 19, 5), or Vedic collections or redactions in par- ticular (X, 90, 9) 3. There is no proof that even the oldest ' For RV. X, 71, II, which also hints at the three Vedic types, and the brahma that embraces them all, see the full discussion below, p. Ixiv ff. ° Cf. e. g., RV. I, 191 ; VII, 50, and especially VII, 104, 16. ^ The familiar mention of compositions called rik, saman, uktha, stotra, jastra, &c., does not, it is important to note, refer to collections at all, but to types of poetic productivity ; they are moreover all of them such as were dis- tinctly connected with the soma-sacrifice. Their presence simply accentuates the preoccupation of the body of the Rig-vedic collection with the great priestly sacrifices, and the consequent absence of the more general terms for Vedic classes of writings. The stem yaj-u/;, in the sense of collection of formulas of the Ya^ur-veda, occurs only in the above-mentioned passage, X, 90, 9. INTRODUCTION. XXXI parts of the RV., or the most ancient Hindu tradition accessible historically, exclude the existence of the class of writings entitled to any of the names given to the Atharvan charms ; there is no evidence that these writings ever differed in form (metre) or style from those in the existing Atharvan redactions ; and, finally, there is no positive evidence — barring the argumentum ex silentio — that the names current in other texts as designations of Atharvan hymns (bhesha^ani, atharvawa//, aiigirasa//, &c.) were unknown at the earliest period of literary activity. On the other hand, the existing redactions of the AV. betray themselves as later than the RV. redaction by the character of the variants in those mantras which they share with the RV. As regards the AV., the stanza X, 7, 20 presents the four Vedic categories, rika.h, yzguh, samani, and atharvan- „ . . , g^irasa//, the last the traditional name of the Position 01 ^ ' the AV. in 6"aunakiya- version. The same tetrad is intended * ofthe'^^ ^^ ■^^' ^^ ^'l-' where the narrower term bhesha- i'aunakiya- ^a(ni) takes the place of atharvaiigirasa//. At XIX, 54, 5 the mention of atharvan and angiras, though not directly referable to the AV., certainly suggests it, because stanza 3 speaks in the same strain of the i-ikdih and y2.gv\h ; and in XIX, 22, i ; 23, i (parij-ish/a in character ; cf. above, p. xxii), the angirasani and athar- va;/ani (sc. suktani) are mentioned separately. Otherwise this text also fails to present a fixed name for the type of literature known later as Atharvanic ^ The Atharvan is very much in the same position as we shall find the Ya^us- texts : the three Vedas are mentioned, often in connection with other more specific forms and designations of prayer and sacerdotal acts, but the Atharvan is omitted. The impression left in both cases is by no means that of con- scious neglect or contempt, but rather of esoteric restriction to the sphere of the great Vedic ritual (.yrauta) -. Thus ^ The word brahma which is catalogued with the tiayi at XI, 8, 23 ; XV. 6, 3 (cf. also XV, 3, 7) does not refer to the Atharvan, but is the broader and higher term for religiuus activity in general. Cf. RV. X, 71, 11, and see below, p. l.vvi. ''■ E. g. in the very same hymn (X, 7, 14) in which the Alharvahgirasa/4 are xxxii HYMNS of the atharva-veda. it augurs no contempt or neglect of the Atharvan, if in a charm constructed for the purpose of obtaining a know- ledge of the Vedas, AV. VII, 54 (Kaus. 42, 9), only r/k, saman, yagu/i, veda, and oblation (havi/^) are mentioned : the person who here desires Vedic learning is not in training for Atharvan priesthood, and therefore does not take care to include this specialistic learning ^ And similarly a con- siderable number of additional Atharvan passages, IX, 6, I. 2; XI, 7, 5. 24; 8, 23; XII, 1,38; XV, 3, 6-8; 6, 3, in which the Atharvan is not mentioned with the other Vedic compositions, betray no sign of conscious exclusion or con- tempt of the Atharvan. On the other hand, this very omission ensures the interesting result that the Sa7//hita of the AV., unlike its ritualistic adjuncts (see p. Ivii fif.), is in no wise engaged either in self-glorification, or in polemics against the other Vedas. It seems altogether evident that the Atharvan diaskeuasts were totally uncon- scious of any disadvantages inherent in their text, or any contemptuous treatment on the part of the adherents of the other Vedas. In addition to the explicit designation of the Atharvan compositions as atharvaiigirasa//, bhesha^ani, atharva/zani, &c., there is to be noted in the 5aunakiya-text of the hymns a decided advance in the association of the names Atharvan, Arigiras, and Bhrzgu with the practices and conditions which these hymns are aimed at. The older, broader, and vaguer mythic personality of all three which appears, e.g. in RV. VIII, 43, ^3 ; X, 14, 6 ( = AV. XVIII, T, 58); X, 92, 10, is still continued in the Atharvan (VI, 1, 1 ; XI, 6, 13; XVI, 8, 11-14): Atharvan, Ahgiras, and Bhr/gu are at times simply semi-divine, or wholly divine mentioned as the fourth Veda the poet lapses into the more familiar traividya, in a stanza which, like st. 20, aims to state that the Vedas are derived from Skambha (Brahma), a monotheistic personification ; cf. Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, V, 378. » A similar passage in a Sutra of the RV. (A5v Grih. Ill, 3, 1-3, on the same occasion, namely, the study of the Vetla, does not hesitate to include the Atharvan along with many other Vedic texts. This does not argue conscious preference, any more than the Atharvan passage indicates conscious exclusion ; cf. below, p. xliv. INTRODUCTION. XXXlll beings, whose office is entirely non-Atharvanic. But on the other hand the Atharvans appear at IV, 37, 1 as slayers of the Rakshas (similarly IV, 3, 7) ; the Atharvans and Aiigiras fasten amulets, and consequently slay the Dasyus, at X, 6, 20 ; and the name Bhr/gu appears at V, 19, i (cf. TS. I, 8, 18, I ; TB. I, 8, 2, 5) as the typical designation of a Brahma7/a, i.e. here, of an Atharvan priest. Such specialisations of these names are unknown in the RV. Especially noteworthy is the evident beginning of the asso- ciation of the name atigirasa with aggressive witchcraft or spells, and the somewhat less clear corresponding correla- tion of the stem atharva;-?a with auspicious charms (see above, p. xviii ff.). Altogether the impression arises that the names Atharvan, Arigiras, and Bhr/gu, connected with the redaction of the AV., have in the text of that Veda assumed, or commenced to assume, the office which the diaskeuast and the ritualistic texts of the Atharvan have definitely and permanently bestowed upon them. In the domain of the sruti, exclusive of the Rig-veda, i. e. in the Ya^s-sa;;/hitas, and the Brahma;zas., the position of the Atharvan is on the whole defined with Position of -^ . , ^ , , , , the AV. in surhcient clearness. It depends altogether on the rest of ^j-^g practical character of these texts as ex- Ihe smti. ^ ponents of the great Vedic sacrifices, the jrauta-performances : these, by their very nature, exclude any very direct interest in the systematic charms of the bhesha^ani and abhi/{'arika;^i. Such sorcery as is inter- woven with the j-rauta-performances has acquired inde- pendent expression in the metrical and prose formulas the Ya^us-sa?;/hitas ; it figures in the form and by the name of sacrificial formulas (ya^"u;;/shi) as part of the threefold Veda (trayi vidya). Thus the subject-matter of formulas like the following : ' I dig (pits) that slay the Rakshas, destroy the spells that belong to Vish//u ; that spell here which my equal or unequal has dug into (the ground) do I cast out ; I make subject here my equal or my unequal that plans hostile schemes against me ' (Tait. S. I, 3, 2, I ; VI, 2, II, 1. 2; Maitr. S. I, 2, 10. 11 ; Va^. S. V, 23 ff. ; vSat. Br. Ill, 5, 4, 8 ff.), is by its very terms [42] c XXxiv HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Atharvanic, and the practices by which its recitation is supplemented might be described in the Kau^ika-sutra. The formula yo asman dvesh/i ykin kd. vaya;/^ dvishma/^, ' he that hates us and whom we hate ' (shall perish, or the like); occurs countless times in the Ya^us-texts, as well as in the Atharvan charms. The aims and the acts of the Atharvan are present at the Vedic sacrifice, as well as at the practices of private life ; the difference lies in the degree of applicability, and the degree of prominence : in the i-ruti-literature the sphere of the Atharvan is restricted to matters that are incidental and subsidiary, intended merely to pave the way for the main issue, the successful dispatching of the sacrifice to the gods, and the undis- turbed gratification of the priests (the ish/am and the pur- tam). Under these circumstances and at such a time pronounced hostility against the Atharvan would be a paradox, too silly even for the Ya^us-texts and the Brah- mawas ; no such hostility or repugnance is in evidence : that is reserved for a later and more reflective age. In the first place then, the mythic personages Atharvan, Aiigiras, and Bh/7gu, whose proper names in the course of time are growingly restricted to the sphere of the Atharvan, continue in their pristine position of demi-gods. At Maitr. S. I, 6, i the Arigiras are still gods,. arigirasa;;z tva devana;;^ vratena ^ dadhe ; similarly Tait. Br. I, 1,4, 8, bhr/gu;/a;// tva^ngirasa;/^ vratapate vratena^dadhami ; cf. also Tait. Br. Ill, 2, 7, 6; Maitr. S. I, i, 8; Va^- S. I, 18 (5at. Br. I, 2, I, 13; Katy. Sx. II, 4, 3'"^) 5 Apast. Sx. V, 11,7. For Atharvan, see Tait. S. V, i, 4, 3 ; 6, 6, 3 ; Tait. Br. I, I, 10, 4 ; Va^. S. VIII, -^6 ; XI, 32. And so innu- merable other instances. Needless to say, the descendants of the three divinities, conceived eponymically as the founders of families of ^/shis, the Atharva;/a, Aiigirasa, and Bhargava, enjoy the same rights, and hold the same position of honour as the other families of ./^zshis, it being reserved for the later Atharvan writings to extol them beyond measure, and to establish them as the typical teachers ^ Thus Atharvan Daiva is the name of an ancient ^ Cf. Weber, Omina und Portenta, p. 347. INTRODUCTION. XXXV teacher, .S"at. Br. XIV, 5, 5, 22 ; 7, 3, 28 ; Badhy^Tik Atharva7/a; Tait. S. V, I, 4, 4 ; 6, 6, 3 ; ^at. Br. IV, i, .",, 1 8 ; VI, 4, 2, 3 ; the countless Aiigirasa, of which the RV. Anukramawi counts no less than 45 \ e. g. Sat. Br. IV, 1. 5, I ; Kaush. Br. XXX. 6 ; Ait. Br. VIII, 21, 13 ; Apast. Sr. V, 11,7: and the equally frequent Bhargava, Tait. S. I, 8, ]8, I ; ^at. Br. ib. ; Ait. Br. VIII, 2, 1.5; Kau.y. Br. XXII, 4. Occasionally, doubtless, even the j-ruti feels the connection that has been established between these names and the sphere of Atharvanic literary activity, as when the Ka///. S. XVI, 13 mentions a i^z'shi Bhisha^ Atharva;/a "•■' (see Weber, Ind. Stud. Ill, 459) ; the Kaush. Br. XXX, 6, A a i?zshi Ghora Ahgirasa ; or when the Vaiik. Br. XII, 8, 6 states that Dadhya;7/v' xA-iigirasa was the chaplain (puro- dhaniya) of the gods. The manner in which the hymns of the Atharvan are alluded to in the i^rauta-texts is as follows. Ordinarily the texts are preoccupied with the sacrificial literature in the narrower sense, and hence devote themselves to the men- tion and laudation of the trayi vidya, either without recount- ing its specific literary varieties, or by fuller citation of the terms rzk, saman, ya^u/z. For these are substituted not infrequently other terms like stoma, uktha, j-astra, udgitha. &c., special liturgical varieties, also derived directly from the sphere of the j-rauta-performances, and, in fact, strictly dependent upon these performances for their existence. On the other hand, whenever the jrauta-texts mention, or make draughts upon other literary forms like itihasa, purawa, gatha, sutra, upanishad, and many others, the Atharvan literature is almost unfailingly included, and that too almost invariably in the following order : the traividya is mentioned first, the Atharvan holds the fourth place, and next follow in somewhat variable arrangement the types itihasa, &c. * Cf. Weber, Episches im vedischen Ritual, Sitzungsberichte der Koniglich- Preiissischen Akademie d. Wissenschaften zii Berlin, 1891, p. Si 2 (46 of the reprint). ^ The snme apocryphal J?ii,hi is reported by the Anukraniawis as the author of the oshadhistuti, 'the hymn to the plants,' RV. X, 97 ; Va^. S. XII, 75-S9. C 2 XXXVl HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Thus the Taittiriya-sawhita mentions rik, saman, and ysi^u/i alone at II, 4, 12. 7 ; 5, 7, i ; VI, i, 2, 4 ; VII, 3, 1,4 ; 12, 1 ; the same categories are alluded to TheAV. in __ ^ . i • a ? the at 11, 4, IT, 0, m the expressions samna/^, ya^u- Taittiriya- sham, and ukthamadanam ; at III, 2, 0, 5. 6 sawhita. , . , . \ ^ in the expressions udgatr/z/am (with udgitha), ukthai-awsinam (with rika/i), and adhvaryuwam ; of. also ish/aya^usha//, stutastomasya, jastokthasya at I, 4, 28, i. The only mention of Atharvan literature is at VII, 5, 11, 2, under the designation ahgirasa/^ (without atharvawa// ^), and here the text is as follows : righhya/i svaha, ya^urbhya/; svaha, samabhya/^ svaha. ahgirobhya/^ svaha, vedehhya/i svaha, gathabhya// svaha, nara.ja;//sibhya// svaha, raibhi- bhya// svaha. This also, in the main, is the nature of the references to the AV. in the 5atapatha-brahma«a. Either the term trayi vidya is used, or nk, saman, and yagu/i TheAV. in . , i- • i t tt the are mentioned explicitly: 1, i, 4, 2. 3 ; 11, hSlt: ^' 4. 2-7 ; IV, 6, 7, I. 2 ; V, 5, 5, I. 9 ; VI, I, r, 8; 3,1, 10. 11.20; VII, 5, 2,52; VIII, 5, 2, 4; IX, 5, 2, T2; X, 4, 2. 21. 22; 5, 2, I. 2; XI, 5, 4, 18; ^, 3-7; XII, 3. 3, 2 ; 4, 9 ; XIV, 4,3' 12 ; 8, 15, 2.9. In all these cases there is no mention of the Atharvan; but neither is there any mention of any other literary type that has a distinctive standing outside of the trayi vidya. On the other hand, the Atharvan is mentioned in a number of cases, every one of which presents also a lengthy list of addi- tional literary forms. Thus XI, 5, 6, 4-8, rikaJi, ya^u;//shi, samani, atharvaiigirasa//, anuj-asanani, vidya, vakovakyam, itihasapuia;mm, gatha narai^awsya/^ ; XIII, 4, 3, 3 fif., riko veda/^, ya^Liwshi vedaZ;, atharvawo veda//, aiigiraso veda/^, sarpavidya veda//, deva^anavidya veda//, maya veda//, itihaso veda/;, purana^u veda/i, samani veda/^ ; XIV, 5, 4, lo; 6, ID, 6; 7, 3, II ( = Brzh. Ar. II, 4, 10; IV, i, 2 ; 5, 11), r/gvedo ya^Yveda/i samavedo^tharvahgirasa iti- hasa/^ pura/^a;-'/ vidya upanishadaZ; s\oka/i sutra^zy anuvya- kh}anani vyakhyanani ; X, 5, 2, 20, adhvaryava/^ (yag-u/i), ' Cl. above, p. xviii. INTRODUCTION. XXXVll >^//andoga// (saman), hahvrika./i (uktham). yatuvida// (yatu), sarpavida// . . . deva^anavida/;. Only a single Upanishad passage, XIV, tS, 14, 1-4 ( = B/7h. Ar. Up. V, 13, 1-4). seems to mention, or rather hint at. the Atharvan in con- nection with representatives of the trayi vidya, without mentioning other texts ^ The series is uktham, ya_^u//. sama, kshatram ; the passage possibly views the fourth Veda as the Veda of the Kshatriyas, or, more precisely, substitutes the act of kshatra, i. e. the performances of the kshatriya as Athar\-anic by distinction. See. for this, p. xxv, above. The Taittiriya-brahma;/a mentions the Atharvan twice. once in accordance with the method described above, at III, 12, 8, 2, ;-iko }'a^u;//shi samani atharva- The A\'. in . . , • -i a a t i i the ngirasa// . . . itihasapurawam. in the other Taittinya- passage. III, 12, Q. I. the Atharvan is men- tioned without the customary adjuncts, and that too before the Sama-veda, to wit, rik2iin pra^^i mahati dig u/^yate, dakshi;/am ahur ya^'-usham aparam. atharva^/am aiigirasaw pratii"!. samnam udiy^i mahati dig U/^yate. But it is of interest to note that in the sequel, where sundry symbolic and mystic correlations of the Vedas with the sun. &c., are established, the Atharvan is wanting, and the operations take place with vedais tribhi//. Thus, ;7^bhi// purvahne divi deva iyate. ya^urvede tishZ/'ati madhye ahna//, samavedena^stamaye mahiyate, vedair a.yunyas tribhir eti surya//. We shall not err in judging that the fourth Veda is mentioned in a purely formulaic manner, only because it is needed to fill out the scheme of the four principal directions of space; the real theme at the heart of the author is the traividya, as, e. g. in III, lo, II, 5. 6. On the other hand, it would be altogether erro- neous to assume either hostility, or conscious discrimina- tion against the Atharvan. The Taittiriya-arawyaka again falls into line in two passages, II, 9 and 10, presenting the texts in their most expansive form, rikd^h, ya^uwshi. ^ Conversely the trayi is catalogued with other texts (vakovakyam itiha- sapuraz/amj, but without the Atharvan, at XI, 5, 7, 6 ft". ; cf. the same list .Sahkh. Gr/h. I, 24, 8. XXXVIU HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. samani, atharvangirasa//, brahma;/ani, itihasan, pura;^ani, kalpan, gatha/^, naraj^awsi//. The only mention of the Atharvan as a literary type in 6"ahkhayana's vSrauta-sutra is at XVI, 2, 2 ft'., again in the series, j-t'ko veda/i, ya^urveda//, atharvavedaZ; The AV. in ,. . • i i i i \ „ . . , , the remain- (in connection With bhesha^amj, angiraso veaa/i ing jrauta- ^j,-j connection with ghoram), sarpavidya, ra- kshovidya, asuravidya, itihasaveda//, pura;/a- vedci/i, samaveda/^. Very similarly in Ai-valayana's 5rauta- SLitra X, 7, 1 ff., riko veda/^ ya^urveda//, atharva;za/« veda./i (with bhesha^am), angiraso veda/^ (with ghoram), vishavidya, pii'a/^avidya, asuravidya, purawavidya, itihaso veda./i, samaveda/^. These passages are essentially iden- tical with 5at. Br. XIII, 4, 3, 3 ff., above ; their chief interest lies in the differentiation of atharvan and ahgiras, respectively as representatives of the auspicious (bhesha^'-am) and terrible (ghoram = abhiMrikam) activities of this Veda ; cf. above, p. xviii ff. In the Pa7^/v'avi///j"a-brahmawa, XII, 9, 10; XVI, 10, 10, the Atharvan charms are mentioned favourably : bhesha^a;;/ va atharvawani, and bhesha^aw vai devanam atharva;/o bhesha^yayai^va^rish/yai. Cf. also XXIII, 16, 7; Ka//!. S. XI, 5 (cf. Ind. Stud. 111,463). The Va^asaneyi-sa7«hita mentions the traividya (or rik and saman without yagu/i) frequently, IV, 1.9; VIII, 12 ; XVIII. 9. 29. 6y • XX, 12 ; XXXIV, 5 ; XXXVI, 9 ; the x'\tharvan is nowhere mentioned in connection with the other three. Once at XXX, i5=:Tait. Br. 111,4, i, 11, a woman that miscarries (avatoka) is devoted to the Atharvans ; the reference, in the light of AV. VI, 17 ; Kaui-. ^j, 12 (a charm to prevent miscarriage), seems to be to Atharvan hymns or Atharvanic practices. Otherwise the word athar- van occurs in connections that admit of no special, or at any rate obvious, reference to the fourth Veda, VIII, 56 ; XI, 32. Neither is there, as far as is known, any mention of the Atharvan in the Maitraya;n-sa;;zhita, the Aitareya and Kaushitaki-brahma;/as, or Katyayana's and La/ya- yana's 6"rauta-sutras. The position of the Atharvan in the j^rauta-literature according to this evidence is what might be naturally INTRODUCTION. . XXX l.K expected : there is no evidence of repugnance or exclu- siveness. Witchcraft is blended with every sphere of religious thought and activity, and the only the^""auta- sane attitude on the part of these texts must texts estimate ]-,£ ^Yiq recognition of the hterary products of the AV. ^ , . . . , ., . which are by distinction the repositories of witchcraft. No one will expect rigid consistency : witchcraft blows hot and cold from the same mouth ; according as it is turned towards the inimical forces, human and demoniac, or is turned by others against one- self, it is regarded as useful, or noxious. The AV. itself takes the same view by implication : the hymn, II, 1 2, hurls the bitterest invective against enemies that endeavour to thwart one's holy work ; this does not prevent one's own endeavour to frustrate the sacrifice of an enemy (VII, 70); the hymn, II, 7, ensures protection against curses and hostile plots, but does not prevent the existence of fierce imprecations and curses issued forth subjectively for the ruin of another (VI, 13 and 37). It is a question throughout of my sorcery, or thy sorcery. The flavour of holiness and virginal innocency is necessarily absent, and this want crops out in connection with the performances of yatu even in the RV. (VII, 104. i5- i^}, where the writer exclaims : ' may I die to-day if I am a sorcerer,' and com- plains against his enemy who calls him, though he is pure, a sorcerer, and against the real sorcerer who pretends that he is pure. Though yatu (sorcery) is regarded here as devilish (cf. e.g. AV. L 7 and 10; IV, i, 2 ; 5, n, and the Tait, Ar. II, 9 and 10, are of Upanishad character, and the Maitr. Up. VI, 32 repeats the list of texts stated at Sat. Br. = Br/h. Ar. Up., just cited, in precisely the same order. The same text, Maitr. Up. VI, 33 ( = Maha Up. 2 ; Atharva.j-iras 4), has the list r/gya^u/zsamatharvangirasa itihasa// purawam. The AV/and. Up. Ill, 1-4 deals with rik, yagu/i, saman, atharvahgirasa/^, and itihasapuiawani ; the same text at VII, i, 2. 4 ; 2, i ; 7, 1, has the same list, . . . atharva7/a.y y^-aturtha/^ itihasapura/za/^ pa«/'ama/z, to which are added a lengthy series of additional sciences (vidya). The Tait. Up. = Tait. Ar. VIII, 3, again, presents the Atharvan in a formulaic connection, tasj^a (sc. atmana//) ya^r eva slra/i, rig dakshviah paksha//, samo-ttara// pa- ksha//, adej-a atma, atharvaiigirasaZ; ^ukkhaiu^. There is, as far as is known, no additional mention of the Atharvan in the non-Atharvanic Upanishads, and it is evident that there is no marked change in the manner in which the fourth Veda is handled. Very much more numerous are the instances in which the trayi alone appears ; see Jacob's Concordance to the principal Upanishads, under the words r/gveda, r/iimaya, rik ; ya^urveda, ya^urmaya, ya^us ; samaveda, samamaya, saman. They show that the draughts upon the Atharvan and the subsequent literary forms are, in general, made under the excitement of formulaic solem- nity ; while on the other hand, needless to .say, the Upani- shads with their eye aloft alike from hymn, sacrificial formula, and witchcraft charm, have no occasion to condemn the Atharvan, aside from that superior attitude of theirs which implies, and diplomatically expresses condemnation of the entire Veda that is not brahmavidya. Even in the Atharvan Upanishads there is sounded in ' This Upanishad belongs to a Ya^us-school ; hence the pre-eminence of the ya^us. The Atharvan is here forced into a position of disadvantage, and it may be admitted that its mention after the adeJ-a (Upanishad) is intentional. But there is really no other course open to the writer. The tenor of the entire passage excludes the notion of disparagement of any of the te.xls mentioned. xlii HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA, general neither the polemic nor the apologetic note which characterises the ritualistic writings of the Atharvan. We find, to be sure, in the late Prawava Up. a spo- TheAV. in ,. .^ , ,. . , . . the radic, II not sohtary. assumption of superiority Atharvan qj^ ^j^g ^^^.^ ^f j-j^g AV.^ and an interpolated Upanishads. '■ ^ passage in the Prai-na Up. V, 5 betrays the distinct tendency to secure at any cost the correlation of the Atharvan with the highest brahma ^. The authority of Atharvanic teachers, Sanatkumara, Angiras, Paippalada, &c., is, of course, cited with especial frequency in the Atharvan Upanishads, helping to confer upon them an esoteric school character. But in general, all that may be said is, that the Atharvan Upanishads mention the fourth Veda along with the other three more frequently than the corresponding tracts of the other schools, that the Athaivan is quietly added to the trayi^ whether other literary forms like the itihasapura/^am, &c., appear in the sequel, or not. Even these Upanishads, however, occasionally lapse into the more frequent habit of the bulk of the Vedic literature, and fail to refer to the Atharvan, whether consciously or notj it seems impossible to tell. Thus the Muwr/aka Up. I, I, 5 counts the four Vedas (Atharvan included) along with the Ahgas as the lesser science, above which towers the science of Brahma: /vgvedo, ya^urveda//, samavedo ^tharvaveda/^ jiksha, &c. But in II, 1,6 the list is, rika/i sama ya^uwshi diksha yno-uaska.. The Praj-na Up. II, 8 says of the Pra//a, 'life's breath' (personified), r/shiwaw karham satyam atharvaiigirajam asi, which seemingly con- tains an allusion to the Athaivan writings, but in II, 6 we have, pia;/e sarva;;/ pratish///itam r/y^o ya^u;«shi samani yagriah kshatra/// brahma ka ^. See also Mahanaraya//a Up. 22. This betrays the usual preoccupation with the traividya, which is not quite effaced by the possible allusion to the Atharvan in II, 8. The Nrzsiwhapurvatapani Up. ' See Ind. Stud. I, 296 ; IX, 51. - See Ind. Stud. I, 453, note, and cf. Lohtlingk's critical edition of the Pra.fna in the Proceedings of the Royal Saxon Academy, November, 1890. ° It would have been easy to substitute for the last four words, atharvah- girasaj kx ye, or the like. Cf. also Tiaj-na V, 5, alluded to above. INTRODUCTION. xlHi I, 2 has, ;7gya^^u//sainatharva;/aj- /'atvaro veda/; ; I, 4, rig- ya^u/zsamatharvarupa/! surya// ; II, i ( = Nr/.siwhottarata- panl Up. 3 ; Atharvaj-ikba Up. i), r/gbhi// rz'gveda//, ya^r- bhir ya^urveda//, samabhi// samaveda/^,atharva;/air mantrair atharvaveda// ; in V, 9 it falls into the broader style of reference, rika/L ya^uwshi, samani, atharva/^am, aiigirasam, ^akha//, pura//ani, kalpan, gatha//, narajawsi//, leading up finally to pra;^avam, the Om which embraces all (sarvam). But in V, 2 we have r/gmaya/// ya^urmaya;// samamaya?;/ brahmamayam amr/tamayam, where brahmamayam ob- viously refers to the brahmavidya, the holy science, not to the fourth Veda, the Brahmaveda ^ And thus the Brah- mavidya Up. 5 ff. recounts the merits of the traividya, culminating in the Om, without reference to the Atharvan. It seems clear that even the Atharvan Upanishads as a class are engaged neither in defending the Atharvan from attack, nor in securing for it any degree of prominence. Other references to the Atharvan occur in Atharvai'iras i, rzg ahaw ya^r ahaw sama^^ham atharvangiraso-ham ; Mu- ktika Up. 12-14, rzgveda, ya^uZ', saman, atharva;^a ; ibid, i, atharvavedagatanam . . . upanishadam ; Maha Up. 3, gaya- trani k/ia.nda. r/gveda//, traish/ubha;« Mando ya^rveda/?, CSLQ-atam k/ianda/i samaveda^/, anush/ubha/// /V/ando>^tharva- veda/^ Cf also /ifulika Up. 10, 13, H- On turning to the Gr/hya-sutras it would be natural to anticipate a closer degree of intimacy with the Atharvan, and hence a more frequent and less formulaic ^Jnthr reference to its writings. For the subject- Gr/hya- matter of these texts is itself, broadly speak- ing, Atharvanic, besides being dashed strongly with many elements of vidhana or sorcery-practice, i.e. Atharvanic features in the narrower sense and by dis- tinction I Many verses quoted in the G/Vhya-sutras are 1 The Upanishads do not designate the fourth Veda as Brahmaveda, unless we trust certain doubtful variants and addenda, reported by Weber, Ind. Stud. I, 301, note. The earlie-t occurrence of Brahmaveda is at 5ahkh. Gr/h. I, 16, 13 (see above, p. xxvii). 2 Cf., e.g. the use of roots. Par. I, 13, i ; .Vankh. I. 19, i ; 23, i ; the battle- charm, A.rv. III. 12 i^cl. p. 117 ff. of this vclume: ; the bhaisha^yani, ' remedial charms,' Ajv. Ill, 6, 3 ft".; Par. I, 16, 24 ft.; Ill, 6; Hir. II, 7; xliv HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. identical with; or variants of those contained in the Atharva- sawhita. But even the Grzhya-rites, popular, nay vulgar, as they must have been in their untrammelled beginnings, were, so to speak, Rishified, and passed through in due time a process of school-treatment which estranged them as far as possible from the specifically Atharvanic connec- tions, and assimilated them, as far as possible, to the Rig- veda,. Sama-veda, and Ya^ur-veda, as the case may be. Thus the battle-charm, Asv. III. 12, instead of drawing upon the very abundant mantras of this kind, contained in the AV. (see p. 117 ff.). is decked out with the scattering material of this sort that may be extracted from the RV. (see the notes to Stenzler's and Oldenberg's translations). In general the preference for mantras of the particular school is nearly if not quite as great as in the 6"rauta- sutras. The anticipation of a marked degree of literary relationship with the Atharvan is not materialised. The GrzTiya-sutras of the Sama-veda (Gobhila and Khadira), and Apastamba \_ do not seem to mention the Atharvan at all; Aj-valayana (III, 3, 1-3), on the occasion of the svadhyaya. the daily recitation of the Veda, recommends the Atharvan, but the mention of this text is that which we have found to be the normal one in the 5rauta-litera- ture, i.e. preceded by nk, ya^u//, and saman ; followed by brahma;/a, kalpa, gatha, naraj-awsi, itihasa, and pura?/a ^. Similarly Hira;^yakei-in (II, 19, 6), in connection with a long list of deities, mentions in order ;7'gveda^ ya^urveda, samaveda, and itihasapura;/a ; in 5ankhayana I, 24, 8 the Atharvan is even omitted in a similar list, which catalogues Apast. Vn, 18 (cf. p. I ff.) ; the sawmanasyaiii, 'charms to secure harmony,' Par. Ill, 7; Apast. HI, 9, 4 ff. ; VHI, 23, 6. 7; Hir. I, 13, 19 ff. (cf. p. 134 ff.), &c. See in general the list of miscellaneous Gr/hya-rites in Olden- berg's index to the Gr/hya-sutras. Sacred Books, vol. xxx, p. 306 ff. ' This Sutra mentions neither rik, saman, nor atharvan, a probably un- conscious preoccupation with the yagu/i that must not be construed as intentional chauvinism against the other Vedas. The mantra-materials quoted and employed do not differ in their general physiognomy from those of the other Sutras, but they are always referred to as ya^U/^. - The passage contains in slightly different arrangement the list of Vedic texts presented by the Tait. Ar. H, 9 and 10, above; cf. also Sat Br. XI, 5> 7> c- 6. INTRODUCTION. xlv ^/gveda, ya^urveda, samaveda, vakovakyam, itihasapura- wam, and finally sarvan vedan (cf. the same grouping, Sat. Br. XI, 5, 7, 6 ff.). But in 5ahkh. I, i6, 3 (brahmaveda) ; Hir. II, 3, 9 (atharvangirasa//) ; II, 18, 3; 20, 9 (atharva- veda) ; Par. II, 10, 7 (atharvavcda) ; II, 10, 21 (atharva;/am) there is a distinct advance along the line of later develop- ment in the familiar mention of the fourth Veda ; this is not balanced altogether by the restriction to the trayi, ^ahkh. I, 22, 15 ; 24, 2 ; Hir. I, 5, 13; II, 13, i, or the restriction to two Vedas, Gobh. I, 6, 19 ; III, 2, 48 ; Aj-v. I, 7, 6= Par. I, 6, 3 = 5ahkh. I, 13, 4, because these passages are to a considerable extent quotations, or modifications of mantras derived from the j-ruti. The true value of this testimony is chronological, not sentimental : the G;-/hya- sutras, as much as their subject-matter is akin to the Atharvan, are not imbued with a sense of its especial value and importance, any more than the j-rauta-texts. They handle their materials in a self-centred fashion, without acknowledging any dependence upon the literary collections of the Alharvans ; their more frequent reference to the fourth Veda is formulaic in every single instance, and the greater frequency with which it is mentioned marks the later chronology of the Grzhya-sutras (cf. Oldenberg, Sacred Books, vol. XXX, pp. i and xvii ff.). The construction of the Vedic literature in general is, as we have seen, such as to forbid any genuine discrimi- „, .„ nation there against the Atharvan. In so Ihe AV. ° in the law- far as this Veda offers the means of defence books. against the ills of life (disease and posses- sion by demons); in so far as it presents the auspicious blessings pronounced at the sacramental points in the life of the individual, from conception to death, it is holy by its very terms. Even witchcraft is part of the religion ; it has penetrated and has become intimately blended with the holiest Vedic rites ; the broad current of popular religion and superstition has infiltrated itself through numberless channels into the higher religion that is presented by the Brahman priests, and it may be pre- sumed that the priests were neither able to cleanse their xlvi HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. own religious beliefs from the mass of folk-belief with which it was surrounded, nor is it at all likely that they found it in their interest to do so. But there is another field of literature whose roots also reach down to the Veda, in which judgment must be passed over the more unclean and sinister phases of Atharvanic activity. The broad arena on which men meet in daily contact is the true field for the golden rule. The need of doing unto others what one would have others do unto oneself, and leaving the opposite undone, is sure to be felt, and sure to gain expression in the proper literature. This literature is the legal literature (dharma), more narrowly that part of it which deals with the mutual rights and obligations of men, the vyavahara-chapters of the legal Sutras and 6"astras. Here also the Atharvan retains in a measure its place by virtue of its profound hold upon popular beliefs, because indispensable sciences like medicine and astrology are Atharvanic by distinction and because the Atharvan per- forms, especially for the king, inestimable services in the injury and overthrow of enemies. The king's chaplain (purohita) was in all probability as a rule an Atharvan priest (cf. Ya^;?av. I; 312). But incantations, sorceries, and love-charms do work injury, and the dharma-literature pronounces with no uncertain voice the judgment that the Atharvan, while useful and indispensable under certain circumstances^ is on the whole inferior in character and position, that its practices are impure, and either stand in need of regulation, or must be prohibited by the proper punishments. The Atharvan is not mentioned very frequently either in the Dharma-sutras, the older metrical Dharma-jastras, or in the more modern legal Smr/tis. InVish;/u XXX, 37 ; Baudh. II, 5, 9, J4 ; IV, 3, 4; Ya^;/av. I, 44 (cf. Manu II, 107) ; 101^ (cf. Manu II, (S5) ; Aujanasa-smr/ti III, 44 (6"iva- nanda, vol. i, p. 514), the Atharvan is mentioned in the ^ la this passage, vedalharvnpuia;/ani setihasani, tlie Atharvan is kept distinct from the tra)i, the veda by distinction; cf. Weber, Indische Literatur- geschichte^, p. 165, note. INTRODUCTION. xl VU normal Vcdic manner, i.e. preceded by the traividya, and followed by other literary types, especially the itihasapu- ransLvn. It is worthy of note that in only thi'ce of the five cases (Baudh. II, 5, 9, 14; Ya^;7av. I, 44; Aus. Ill, 44), the older name atharvaiigirasa// appears; the other three have atharvaveda, or atharvan. But it seems altogether impossible to derive from this any chronological indications as to the date of a given legal text, since U^'anas, or even Ya^wavalkya, is certainly later than Baudhayana and Vish//u. At this time the names atharvaveda, atharvan, atharva;/a have established themselves as the equivalent of the older atharvaiigirasa//, but the older name crops out at times in a purely chance way. At Ya^wav. I, 3 the fourth Veda is also implied as one of the fourteen foundations of know- ledge and law, without being mentioned by name ; cf. also Auj-anasa-.smrzti V, 66 (6'ivananda, vol. i, p. 531, bottom). The Atharvan, however, holds also the position of the fourth Veda in cases where no additional literature is men- tioned ; at Baudh. Ill, 9, 4 burnt oblations are offered to the four Vedas and many divinities ; at Baudh. IV, 5, i the Saman, Rik, Ya^us, and Atharva-veda are mentioned in connection with oblations calculated to procure the special wishes of one's heart (kamyesh/aya//). At Vas. XXII, 9 the Sawhitas of all the Vedas (sarva,^7/anda//sa;;/hita//) are counted among the purificatory texts : the Atharvan is probably intended to be included, especially as the Athar- va.s-iras (see below) is explicitly mentioned. In the late Vr/ddhaharita-sa/z/hita III, 45^ the atharva;/ani (sc. suktani) are on a level with the r//('o ya^u;;/shi and samani. In the Auj-anasa-smmi III, (S6 (6'ivananda, vol. i, p- 518) the twice- born is recommended to read either a Veda, two Vedas, the Vedas, or the four Vedas, a distinction between the trayi vidya and the four Vedas, not explicitly stated elsewhere. The Atharva-riras, an Upanishad connected with the AV., is mentioned a number of times, Gaut. XIX, 1 2 ; Vas. XXII, 9 ; XXVIII, 14 ; Au.fanasa-smr/ti IV, 5 ; the same text is mentioned under the name of 5iras at Baudh. IV, i, 28; ^ See Givanandavidyasagaia's Dharma.fastrasawgraha, vol. i, p. 213. xlvili HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Vas. XXI, 6-8 ; XXV, 13 ; Vish;ni LV, 9. Certain vows called 5iras, Baudh. II, 8, 14, 2; Vas. XXVI, 12, also emanate from the sphere of Atharvanic practices ; so Govinda at Baudh. loc. cit. More pointedly, and without the company of the traividya, the sacred texts of the Atharvan and Angiras (j-rutir atharvahgirasi//) are recom- mended as the true weapons with which the Brahma;/a may slay his enemies, Manu XI, 33 ; the king must choose for his chaplain (purohita) one who is skilled in the Atharvan and Aiigiras (atharvangirase), Ya^;7av. I, 312^; and the same recommendation is implied at Gaut. XI, 15. 17, where the king is enjoined to take heed of that which astrologers and interpreters of omens tell him, and to cause the puro- hita to perform in his house-fire among other expiatory rites (i-anti), rites for prosperity (mangala), and witchcraft practices (abhiy^ara) against enemies ^. Such a purohita is eo ipso an Atharvan priest. In the Atri-sa;«hita (GW^- nanda's collection, vol. i, p. 45) ^'■yotirvido . . . atharva;/a/i;, * Atharvan priests skilled in astrology ' are recommended for the performance of j-raddhas and sacrifices (cf. Vish^zu III, y^ ; Ya^;7av. I, 332). The sn^taka must not live in a country without physicians, Vish;m LXXI, 66, and the king should consult his physicians in the morning, Ya^;/av. I, 332. At Vish;ai III, 87, the king himself is urged to be conversant with incantations dispelling the effects of poison and sickness, and at Manu VII, 217, the food of the king is rendered salubrious by sacred texts that destroy poison : these passages evidently refer to Atharvanic bhai- sha^yani (cf p. 25 ff.), and Atharvan priests skilled in their use. AtBaudh. II, 8, 15,4; Vish;/u LXXIII, 11 ; LXXXI, 4, the demons called yatudhana are driven out by means of sesame, in perfect accord with AV. I, 7, 2. Thus far then the dharma-literature expresses regard for the Atharvan, and distinct dependence upon its literature and its practices. But the ever dubious quality of the fourth Veda sounds from notes pitched in a different key. In the * The king himself is urged (ib. I, 310) to deyote himself to the trayi. ^ This is the stereotyped summary of the functions of the AV., j'antapush/i- kabhi/Oarika ; see p. xxix. INTRODUCTION. xllx first place we may remark that the conspicuous omission of this Veda which characterises the j-rauta-litcrature, with- out pronounced disapproval of the Atharvan. is continued in the dharma-texts. Thus notably in the prohibition of the recital of the other Vedas while the sound of the Samans is heard, these texts mention only the riV and the yzgwh ; see Gaut. XVI, 21; Vas. XIII, 30; Vish;/u XXX, 26; Manu IV, 123. 124. At Baudh. IV, 5, 29; Manu XI, 26^-66, the recitation of the traividya is recommended as a most efficient means of purification and release from sin. In the cosmogonic account, Manu I, 23, only r/k. ysigwh, and saman are deri\'ed from the primeval creation. In Baudh. II, ^itta- formula, and there are MSS. of the Vaitana-SLitra which add six praya.y/('itta chapters to the eight which make up the body of that text ^ The Gop. Br., more frequently than other Brahma;zas, refers to defects in the sacrifice (virish/a, una, yatayama) which are to be corrected (sawdhana) by certain hymns, stanzas, and for- mulas ; see I, i, 13 and 22. Possibly the germs of the corre- lation of the Atharvan and the Brahman, in his function as supervisor and corrector of the sacrifice, may also turn out to be traceable to a period prior to the present redaction of the Sawhitas. The present volume of translations comprises about one third of the entire material of the Atharva-veda in the text of the 5aunaka-school. But it represents the contents and spirit of the fourth Veda in a far greater measure than is indicated by this numerical statement. The twentieth book of the Sa7//hita, with the exception of the so-called kuntapa- suktani (hymns 127-136^), seems to be a verbatim repeti- tion of mantras contained in the Rig-veda, being employed in the Vaitana-sutra at the .mstras and stotras of the soma- sacrifice : it is altogether foreign to the spirit of the original ' See Garbe, in the preface of his edition of the text, p. 5 ; Weber, Ver- zeichniss der Sanskrit nnd Prakrit Handschriften, II, 8.:; ; Kaujika, Introduction, p. xxxiii. ^ One of these, hymn 127, appears in the present volume, p. 197 ff. Ixxii HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Atharvan. The nineteenth book is a late addendum ^ in general very corrupt ; its omission (with the exception of hymns 26, 34, ^^, 38, 39, 53, and 54) does not detract much from the general impression left by the body of the collec- tion. The seventeenth book consists of a single hymn of inferior interest. Again, books XV and XVI, the former entirely Brahmanical prose ^, the latter almost entirely so, are of doubtful quality and chronology. Finally, books XIV and XVIII contain respectively the wedding and funeral stanzas of the Atharvan, and are largely coincident with corresponding mantras of the tenth book of the Rig-veda : they are, granted their intrinsic interest, not specifically Atharvanic ^. Of the rest of the Atharvan (books I-XIII) there is presented here about one half, naturally that half which seemed to the translator the most interesting and characteristic. Since not a little of the collection rises scarcely above the level of mere verbiage, the process of exclusion has not called for any great degree of abstemiousness. These successive acts of exclusion have made it possible to present a fairly complete history of each of the hymns translated. The employment of the hymns in the Athar- vanic practices is in closer touch with the original purpose of the composition or compilation of the hymns than is true in the case of the other collections of Vedic hymns. Many times, though by no means at all times, the practices connected with a given hymn present the key to the correct interpretation of the hymn itself. In any case it is instruc- tive to see what the Atharvan priests did with the hymns of their own school, even if we must judge their performances to be secondary. I do not consider any translation of the AV. at this time as final. The most difficult problem, hardly as yet ripe for final solution, is the original function of many mantras, ^ See Kaiuika, Introduction, p. xl ff. ^ Translated by Professor Aufrecht, Indische Studien, I, 130, 140. ^ The fourteenth book has been rendered by Professor Weber, Indische Studien, V, p. 195 ft".; the eighteenth book by the same schoLir in the Pro- ceedings of the Royal Prussian Academy, 1S95, p. S15 ff. ; 1896, p. 253 ff. INTRODUCTION. Ixxiil after they have been stripped of certain adaptive modifica- tions, imparted to them to meet the immediate purpose of the Atharvavedin. Not infrequently a stanza has to be rendered in some measure of harmony with its connection, when, in fact, a more original meaning, not at all applicable to its present environment, is but scantily covered up by the secondary modifications of the text. This garbled tradition of the ancient texts partakes of the character of popular etymology in the course of the transmission of words. New meaning is read into the mantras, and any little stubbornness on their part is met with modifications of their wording. The critic encounters here a very difficult situation : searching investigation of the remaining Vedic collections is necessary before a bridge can be built from the more original meaning to the meaning implied and required by the situation in a given Atharvan hymn. Need- less to say the only correct and useful way to translate a mantra in the Atharvan, is to reproduce it with the bent which it has received in the Atharvan. The other Vedic collections are by no means free from the same taint. The entire Vedic tradition, the Rig-veda not excepted, presents rather the conclusion than the beginning of a long period of literary activity. Conventionality of subject-matter, style, form (metre), &c., betray themselves at every step : the ' earliest ' books of the RV. are not exempt from the same processes of secondary grouping and adaptation of their mantras, though these are less frequent and less obvious than is the case in the Atharva-veda. Obligations to previous translators : Weber, Muir, Ludwig, Zimmer, Grill \ Henry, &c., are acknowledged in the intro- duction to each hymn. I regret that the work was in the hands of the printer prior to the appearance of Professor Henry's excellent version of books X-Xll^. The late lamented Professor Whitney kindly furnished me with the 1 Grill's work, entitled, Hundeit Lieder des Atharva-veda, second edition (1888), is cited as ' Grill I' My own six series of Contributions to the Interpre- tation of the Veda, are cited for the sake of brevity as ' Contributions.' 2 Les livres X, XI, et XII de 1' Atharva-veda. Paris, 1896. Ixxiv HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. advance sheets of the late Shankar Pandurang Pandit's scholarly edition of the AV. with Sayawa's commentary, as also with many of the readings of the Cashmir text (the so-called Paippalada-j-akha) of the AV. Neither the Paippalada nor Saya;^a sensibly relieves the task of its difficulty and responsibility. MAURICE BLOOMFIELD. Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore: April, 1S96. HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. I. CHARMS TO CURE DISEASES AND POSSESSION BY DEMONS OF DISEASE (BHAISHAGYANI). V, 2 2. Charm against takman (fever) and related diseases. 1. May Agni drive the takman away from here, may Soma, the press-stone, and Varu?/a, of tried skill ; may the altar, the straw (upon the altar), and the brightly-flaming fagots (drive him away) ! Away to naught shall go the hateful powers ! 2. Thou that makest all men sallow, inflaming them like a searing fire, even now, O takman, thou shalt become void of strength : do thou now go away down, aye, into the depths ! 3. The takman that is spotted, covered with spots, like reddish sediment, him thou, (O plant) of unremitting potency, drive away down below ! 4. Having made obeisance to the takman, I cast him down below: let him, the champion of Sakam- bhara, return again to the Mahav/'/shas ! 5. His home is with the Mu^avants, his home [42] B HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. with the Mahavrzshas. From the moment of thy birth thou art indigenous with the Balhikas. 6. O takman, vyala, vi gada, vyanga, hold off (thy missile) far! Seek the gadabout slave-girl, strike her with thy bolt ! 7. O takman, go to the Mu^avants, or to the Balhikas farther away ! Seek the lecherous ^'udra- female : her, O takman, give a good shaking-up ! 8. Go away to the Mahavrzshas and the Mu^a- vants, thy kinsfolk, and consume them ! Those (regions) do we bespeak for the takman, or these regions here other (than ours). 9. (If) in other regions thou dost not abide, mayest thou that art powerful take pity on us ! Takman, now, has become eager : he will go to the Balhikas. 10. When thou, being cold, and then again de- liriously hot, accompanied by cough, didst cause the (sufferer) to shake, then, O takman, thy missiles were terrible : from these surely exempt us ! 11. By no means ally thyself with balasa, cough and spasm ! From there do thou not return hither again : that, O takman, do I ask of thee ! 12. O takman, along with thy brother balasa, along with thy sister cough, along with thy cousin paman, go to yonder foreign folk ! 13. Destroy the takman that returns on (each) third day, the one that intermits (each) third day, the one that continues without intermission, and the autumnal one ; destroy the cold takman, the hot, him that comes in summer, and him that arrives in the rainy season ! 14. To the Gandharis, the Mu^avants, the Angas, and the Magadhas, we deliver over the takman, like a servant, like a treasure ! CHARMS TO CURE DISEASES. VI, 20. Charm against takman (fever). 1. As if from this Agni (fire), that burns and flashes, (the takman) comes. Let him then, too, as a babbling drunkard, pass away ! Let him, the impious one, search out some other person, not ourselves ! Reverence be to the takman with the burning weapon ! 2. Reverence be to Rudra, reverence to the takman, reverence to the luminous king Varu;^a ! Reverence to heaven, reverence to earth, reverence to the plants ! 3. To thee here, that burnest through, and turnest all bodies yellow, to the red, to the brown, to the takman produced by the forest, do I render obeisance. I, 25. Charm against takman (fever). 1. When Agni, having entered the waters, burned, where the (gods) who uphold the order (of the universe) rendered homage (to Agni), there, they say, is thy origin on high : do thou feel for us, and spare us, O takman ! 2. Whether thou art flame, whether thou art heat, or whether from licking chips (of wood) thou hast arisen, Hrii^u by name art thou, O god of the yellow : do thou feel for us, and spare us, O takman ! 3. Whether thou art burning, whether thou art scorching, or whether thou art the son of king Varu?^a, Hru^u by name art thou, O god of the yellow : do thou feel for us, and spare us, O takman ! B 2 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 4. To the cold takman, and to the dehriously hot, the glowing, do I render homage. To him that returns on the morrow, to him that returns for two (successive) days, to the takman that returns on the third day, homage shall be ! VII, 116. Charm against takman (fever). 1. Homage (be) to the deliriously hot, the shaking, exciting, impetuous (takman) ! Homage to the cold (takman), to him that in the past fulfilled desires ! 2. May (the takman) that returns on the morrow, he that returns on two (successive) days, the impious one, pass into this frog ! V, 4. Prayer to the kushZ/^a-plant to destroy takman (fever). 1. Thou that art born upon the mountains, as the most potent of plants, come hither, O kushZ/^a, destroyer of the takman, to drive out from here the takman ! 2. To thee (that growest) upon the mountain, the brooding-place of the eagle, (and) art sprung from Himavant, they come with treasures, having heard (thy fame). For they know (thee to be) the de- stroyer of the takman. 3. The a^vattha-tree is the seat of the gods in the third heaven from here. There the gods pro- cured the kush//^a, the visible manifestation of amr/ta (ambrosia). 4. A golden ship with golden tackle moved upon the heavens. There the gods procured the kush///a, the flower of am;Vta (ambrosia). I. CHARMS TO CURE DISEASES. 5. The paths were golden, and golden were the oars ; golden were the ships, upon which they car- ried forth the kush///a hither (to the mountain). 6. This person here, O kush//^a, restore for me, and cure him ! Render him free from sickness for me ! 7. Thou art born of the gods, thou art Soma's good friend. Be thou propitious to my in-breathing and my out-breathing, and to this eye of mine ! 8. Sprung in the north from the Himavant (moun- tains), thou art brought to the people in the east. There the most superior varieties of the kush//^a were apportioned. 9. ' Superior,' O kush///a, is thy name ; * superior ' is the name of thy father. Do thou drive out all disease, and render the takman devoid of strength ! 10. Pain in the head, affliction in the eye, and ailment of the body, all that shall the kush//i!a heal — a divinely powerful (remedy), forsooth ! XIX, 39. Prayer to the kush///a-plant to destroy takman (fever), and other ailments. 1. May the protecting god kush///a come hither from the Himavant: destroy thou every takman, and all female spooks ! 2. Three names hast thou, O kush//^a, (namely : kush//^a), na-gha-mara (' forsooth -no- death '), and na-gha-risha (' forsooth-no-harm '). Verily no harm shall suffer (na gha . . . rishat) this person here, for whom I bespeak thee morn and eve, aye the (entire) day ! 3. Thy mother's name is ^ivala ('quickening'), thy father's name is ^ivanta (' living '). Verily no HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. harm shall suffer this person here, for whom I be- speak thee morn and eve, aye the entire day ! 4. Thou art the most superior of the plants, as a steer among cattle, as the tiger among beasts of prey. Verily no harm shall suffer this person here, for whom I bespeak thee morn and eve, aye the entire day ! 5. Thrice begotten by the 6ambu Ahgiras, thrice by the Adityas, and thrice by all the gods, this kushZ/^a, a universal remedy, stands together with soma. Destroy thou every takman, and all female spooks ! 6. The a^vattha-tree is the seat of the gods in the third heaven from here. There came to sight the amr/ta (ambrosia), there the kush//^a-plant was born. 7. A golden ship with golden tackle moved upon the heavens. There came to sight the amrz'ta, there the kush///a-plant was born. 8. On the spot where the ship glided down, on the peak of the Himavant, there came to sight the ambrosia, there the kush//^a-plant was born. This kush^'/za, a universal remedy, stands together with soma. Destroy thou every takman, and all female spooks ! 9. (We know) thee whom Ikshvaku knew of yore, whom the women, fond of kush//^a, knew, whom Vayasa and Matsya knew : therefore art thou a universal remedy. 10. The takman that returns on each third day, the one that continues without intermission, and the yearly one, do thou, (O plant) of unremitting strength, drive away down below ! CHARMS TO CURE DISEASES. I, 12. Prayer to lightning, conceived as the cause of fever, headache, and cough. 1. The first red bull, born of the (cloud-)womb, born of wind and clouds, comes on thundering with rain. May he, that cleaving moves straight on, spare our bodies; he who, a single force, has passed through threefold ! 2. Bowing down to thee that fastenest thyself with heat upon every limb, we would reverence thee with oblations ; we would reverence with oblations the crooks and hooks of thee that hast, as a seizer, seized the limbs of this person. 3. Free him from headache and also from cough, (produced by the lightning) that has entered his every joint ! May the flashing (lightning), that is born of the cloud, and born of the wind, strike the trees and the mountains ! 4. Comfort be to my upper limb, comfort be to my nether ; comfort be to my four members, comfort to my entire body ! I, 22, Charm against jaundice and related diseases. 1. Up to the sun shall go thy heart-ache and thy jaundice : in the colour of the red bull do we envelop thee ! 2. We envelop thee in red tints, unto long life. May this person go unscathed, and be free of yellow colour ! 3. The cows whose divinity is Rohi;^i, they who, moreover, are (themselves) red (rdh'mi/i) — (in their) every form and every strength we do envelop thee. 8 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 4. Into the parrots, into the ropa;^akas (thrush) do we put thy jaundice, and, furthermore, into the haridravas (yellow wagtail) do we put thy jaundice. VI, 14. Charm against the disease balasa. 1. The internal disease that has set in, that crumbles the bones, and crumbles the joints, every balasa do thou drive out, that which is in the limbs, and in the joints ! 2. The balasa of him that is afflicted with balasa do I remove, as one gelds a lusty animal. Its con- nection do I cut off as the root of a pumpkin. 3. Fly forth from here, O balasa, as a swift foal (after the mare). And even, as the reed in every year, pass away without slaying men ! VI, 105. Charm against cough. 1. As the soul with the soul's desires swiftly to a distance flies, thus do thou, O cough, fly forth along the soul's course of flight ! 2. As a well-sharpened arrow swiftly to a distance flies, thus do thou, O cough, fly forth along the expanse of the earth ! 3. As the rays of the sun swiftly to a distance fly, thus do thou, O cough, fly forth along the flood of the sea ! I, 2. Charm against excessive discharges from the body. 1. We know the father of the arrow, Parfanya, who furnishes bountiful fluid, and well do we know his mother, Pmhivi (earth), the multiform ! 2. O bowstring, turn aside from us, turn my body CHARMS TO CURE DISEASES. into Stone ! Do thou firmly hold very far away the hostile powers and the haters ! 3. When the bowstring, embracing the wood (of the bow), greets with a whiz the eager arrow, do thou, O Indra, ward off from us the piercing mis- sile ! 4. As the point (of the arrow) stands in the way of heaven and earth, thus may the mu/l^a-grass unfailingly stand in the way of sickness and (exces- sive) discharge ! II, 3. Charm against excessive discharges from the body, undertaken with spring-water. 1. The spring-water yonder which runs down upon the mountain, that do I render healing for thee, in order that thou mayest contain a potent remedy. 2. Then surely, yea quite surely, of the hundred remedies contained in thee, thou art the most superior in checking discharges and removing pain. 3. Deep down do the Asuras bury this great healer of wounds : that is the cure for discharges, and that hath removed disease. 4. The ants bring the remedy from the sea : that is the cure for discharges, and that hath quieted disease. 5. This great healer of wounds has been gotten out of the earth : that is the cure for discharges, and that hath removed disease. 6. May the waters afford us welfare, may the herbs be propitious to us ! Indra's bolt shall beat off the Rakshas, far (from us) shall fly the arrows cast by the Rakshas ! 0 lO HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. VI, 44. Charm against excessive discharges from the body. 1. The heavens have stood still, the earth has stood still, all creatures have stood still. The trees that sleep erect have stood still : may this disease of thine stand still ! 2. Of the hundred remedies which thou hast, of the thousand that have been collected, this is the most excellent cure for discharges, the best remover of disease. 3. Thou art the urine of Rudra, the navel of amma (ambrosia). Thy name, forsooth, is visha- ?^aka, (thou art) arisen from the foundation of the Fathers, a remover of diseases produced by the winds (of the body). I, 3. Charm against constipation and retention of urine. 1. We know the father of the arrow, Par^anya, of hundredfold power. With this (charm) may I render comfortable thy body : make thy outpouring upon the earth ; out of thee may it come with the sound bal ! 2. We know the father of the arrow, Mitra, &c. 3. We know the father of the arrow, Varuna, &c. 4. We know the father of the arrow, A^andra, &c. 5. We know the father of the arrow, Surya, &c. 6. That which has accumulated in thy entrails, in thy canals, in thy bladder — thus let thy urine be released, out completely, with the sound bal ! 7. I split open thy penis like the dike of a lake — thus let thy urine be released, out completely, with the sound bal ! CHARMS TO CURE DISEASES. I I 8. Relaxed is the opening of thy bladder like the ocean, the reservoir of water — thus let thy urine be released, out completely, with the sound bal ! 9. As an arrow flies to a distance when hurled from the bow — thus let thy urine be released, out completely, with the sound bal ! VI, 90. Charm against internal pain (colic), due to the missiles of Rudra. 1. The arrow that Rudra did cast upon thee, into (thy) limbs, and into thy heart, this here do we now draw out away from thee. 2. From the hundred arteries which are distributed along thy limbs, from all of these do we exorcise forth the poisons. 3. Adoration be to thee, O Rudra, as thou casteth (thy arrow) ; adoration to the (arrow) when it has been placed upon (the bow) ; adoration to it as it is beinor hurled; adoration to it when it has fallen down ! I, 10. Charm against dropsy. 1. This Asura rules over the gods; the com- mands of Varu/^a, the ruler, surely come true. From this (trouble), from the wrath of the mighty (Varu;2a), do I, excelling in my incantation, lead out this man. 2. Reverence, O king Varu7^a, be to thy wrath, for all falsehood, O mighty one, dost thou discover. A thousand others together do I make over to thee : this thy (man) shall live a hundred autumns ! 3. From the untruth which thou hast spoken, the abundant wrong, with thy tongue — from king Varu/ea I release thee, whose laws do not fail. 12 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 4. I release thee from Vai^-vanara (Agni), from the great flood. Our rivals, O mighty one, do thou cen- sure here, and give heed to our prayer ! VII, St,. Charm against dropsy. 1. Thy golden chamber, king Varu^^a, is built in the waters ! Thence the king that maintains the laws shall loosen all shackles ! 2. From every habitation (of thine), O king Varu;za, from here do thou free us ! In that we have said, ' ye waters, ye cows ; ' in that we have said, *0 Varu?2a,' from this (sin), O Varuwa, free us! 3. Lift from us, O Varuna, the uppermost fetter, take down the nethermost, loosen the middlemost! A Then shall we, O Aditya, in thy law, exempt from guilt, live in freedom ! 4. Loosen from us, O Varu;za, all fetters, the uppermost, the nethermost, and those imposed by Varuwa ! Evil dreams, and misfortune drive away from us : then may we go to the world of the pious ! VI, 24. Dropsy, heart-disease, and kindred maladies cured by flowing water. 1. From the Himavant (mountains) they flow forth, in the Sindhu (Indus), forsooth, is their as- sembling-place : may the waters, indeed, grant me that cure for heart-ache ! ' 2. The pain that hurts me in the eyes, and that Vv'hich hurts in the heels and the fore-feet, the waters, the most skilled of physicians, shall put all that to rights ! 3. Ye rivers all, whose mistress is Sindhu, whose I. CHARMS TO CURE DISEASES. 1 3 queen is Sindhu, grant us the remedy for that : through this (remedy) may we derive benefit from you ! VI, 80. An oblation to the sun, conceived as one of the two heavenly dogs, as a cure for paralysis. 1. Through the air he flies, looking down upon all beings : with the majesty of the heavenly dog, with that oblation would we pay homage to thee ! 2. The three kalaka;1^a that are fixed upon the sky like gods, all these I have called for help, to render this person exempt from injury. 3. In the waters is thy origin, upon the heavens thy home, in the middle of the sea, and upon the earth thy greatness. With the majesty of the heavenly dog, with that oblation would we pay homage to thee ! II, 8. Charm against kshetriya, hereditary disease. 1. Up have risen the majestic twin stars, the viirztau (' the two looseners ') ; may they loosen the nethermost and the uppermost fetter of the kshetriya (inherited disease) ! 2. May this night shine (the kshetriya) away, may she shine away the witches ; may the plant, destruc- tive of kshetriya, shine the kshetriya away ! 3. With the straw of thy brown barley, endowed with white stalks, with the blossom of the sesame — may the plant, destructive of kshetriya, shine the kshetriya away ! 4. Reverence be to thy ploughs, reverence to thy 14 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. wagon-poles and yokes ! May the plant, destructive of kshetriya, shine the kshetriya away ! 5. Reverence be to those with sunken eyes (?), reverence to the indigenous (evils ?), reverence to the lord of the field ! May the plant, destructive of kshetriya, shine the kshetriya away ! II, 10. Charm against kshetriya, hereditary disease. 1. From kshetriya (inherited disease), from Nirmi (the goddess of destruction), from the curse of the kinswoman, from Druh (the demon of guile), from the fetter of Yaruna. do I release thee. Guiltless do I render thee through my charm ; may heaven and earth both be propitious to thee ! 2. May Agni together with the waters be auspicious to thee, may Soma together with the plants be auspicious. Thus from kshetriya, from Nirr/ti, from the curse of the kinswoman, from the Druh, from the fetter of Varu;^a do I release thee. Guiltless do I render thee through my charm; may heaven and earth both be propitious to thee ! 3. May the wind in the atmosphere auspiciously bestow upon thee strength, may the four quarters of the heaven be auspicious to thee. Thus from kshetriya, from Nirrz'ti &c. 4. These four goddesses, the directions of space, the consorts of the wind, the sun surveys. Thus from kshetriya, from Nirr/ti &c. 5. Within these (directions) I assign thee to old age; forth to a distance shall go Nirrzti and disease ! Thus from kshetriya, from Nirmi &c. 6. Thou hast been released from disease, from I. CHARMS TO CURE DISEASES. I 5 mishap, and from blame; out from the fetter of Druh, and from Grahi (the demon of fits) thou hast been released. Thus from kshetriya, from Nirmi &c. 7. Thou didst leave behind Arati (the demon of grudge), didst obtain prosperity, didst enter the happy world of the pious. Thus from kshetriya, from Nirrni &c. 8. The gods, releasing the sun and the mam (the divine order of the universe) from darkness and from Grahi, did take them out of sin. Thus from kshetriya, from Nirmi &c. Ill, 7. Charm against kshetriya, hereditary disease. 1. Upon the head of the nimble antelope a remedy grows! He has driven the kshetriya (inherited disease) in all directions by means of the horn. 2. The antelope has gone after thee with his four feet. O horn, loosen the kshetriya that is knitted into his heart ! 3. (The horn) that glistens yonder like a roof with four wings (sides), with that do we drive out every kshetriya from thy limbs. 4. The lovely twin stars, the vi/^mau (' the two looseners ') that are yonder upon the sky, shall loosen the nethermost and the uppermost fetter of the kshetriya ! 5. The waters, verily, are healers, the waters are scatterers of disease, the waters cure all disease : may they relieve thee from the kshetriya ! 6. The kshetriya that has entered into thee from the prepared (magic) concoction, for that I know the remedy : I drive the kshetriya out of thee. t6 hymns of the atharva-veda. 7. When the constellations fade away, and when the dawn does fade away, (then) shall he shine away from us every evil and the kshetriya ! I, 23. Leprosy cured by a dark plant. 1. Born by night art thou, O plant, dark, black, sable. Do thou, that art rich in colour, stain this leprosy, and the gray spots ! 2. The leprosy and the gray spots drive away from here — may thy native colour settle upon thee— the white spots cause to fly away ! 3. Sable is thy hiding-place, sable thy dwelling- place, sable art thou, O plant: drive away from here the speckled spots ! 4. The leprosy which has originated in the bones, and that which has originated in the body and upon the skin, the white mark begotten of corruption, I have destroyed with my charm. I, 24. Leprosy cured by a dark plant. 1. The eagle (supan^a) that was born at first, his gall thou wast, O plant. The Asuri having conquered this (gall) gave it to the trees for their colour. 2. The Asuri was the first to construct this remedy for leprosy, this destroyer of leprosy. She has destroyed the leprosy, has made the skin of even colour. 3. 'Even-colour' is the name of thy mother; ' Even-colour ' is the name of thy father ; thou, O plant, producest even colour : render this (spot) of even colour ! 4. The black (plant) that produces even colour has been fetched out of the earth. Do thou now, pray, perfect this, construct anew the colours ! I. CHARMS TO CURE DISEASES. 1 7 VI, 83. Charm for curing scrofulous sores called apa/'It. 1. Fly forth, ye apa/'it (sores), as an eagle from the nest ! Sfirya (the sun) shall prepare a remedy, A'andramas (the moon) shall shine you away ! 2. One is variegated, one is white, one is black, and two are red : I have gotten the names of all of them. Go ye away without slaying men ! 3. The apa/v'it, the daughter of the black one, without bearing offspring will lly away; the boil will fly away from here, the galunta (swelling) will perish. 4. Consume thy own (proper) oblation with grati- fication in thy mind, when I here offer svaha in my mind ! VII, 76. A. Charm for curing scrofulous sores called apa/^it. 1. Ye (sores) fall easily from, that which falls easily, ye exist less than those that do not exist (at all) ; ye are drier than the (part of the body called) sehu, more moist than salt. 2. The apa/'it (sores) that are upon the neck, and those that are upon the shoulders ; the apa/'it that are upon the vi^aman (some part of the body) fall off of themselves. B. Charm for curing tumours called ^ayanya. 3. The^ayanya that crushes the ribs, that which passes down to the sole of the foot, and whichever is fixed upon the crown of the head, I have driven out every one. [42] c 1 8 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 4. The ^ayanya, winged, flies; he settles down upon man. Here is the remedy both for sores not caused by cutting, as well as for wounds sharply cut ! 5. We know, O ^ayanya, thy origin, whence thou didst spring. How canst thou slay there, in whose house we offer oblations ? C. Stanza sung at the mid-day pressure of the soma. 6. Drink stoutly, O Indra, slayer of V;Vtra, hero, of the soma in the cup, at the battle for riches ! Drink thy fill at the mid-day pressure ! Living in wealth, do thou bestow wealth upon us ! VII, 74. A. Charm for curing scrofulous sores called apa-('it. 1. We have heard it said that the mother of the black apa>^it (pustules) is red : with the root (found by) the divine sage do I strike all these. 2. I strike the foremost one of them, and I strike also the middlemost of them ; this hindmost one I cut off as a flake (of wool). B. Charm to appease jealousy. 3. With Tvash/ar's charm I have sobered down thy jealousy ; also thy anger, O lord, we have quieted. C. Prayer to Agni, the lord of vows. 4. Do thou, O lord of vows, adorned with vows, ever benevolently here shine ! May we all, adoring thee, when thou hast been kindled, O (S'atavedas, be rich in offspring! I. CHARMS TO CURE DISEASES. 1 9 VI, 25. Charm against scrofulous sores upon neck and shoulders. 1. The five and fifty (sores) that gather together upon the nape of the neck, from here they all shall pass away, as the pustules of the (disease called) apa/{'it ! 2. The seven and seventy (sores) that gather to- gether upon the neck, from here they all shall pass away, as the pustules of the (disease called) apa/C-it ! 3. The nine and ninety (sores) that gather together upon the shoulders, from here they all shall pass away, as the pustules of the (disease called) apa/^it ! VI, 57. Urine (^alasha) as a cure for scrofulous sores. 1. This, verily, is a remedy, this is the remedy of Rudra, with which one may charm away the arrow that has one shaft and a hundred points ! 2. With ^alasha (urine) do ye wash (the tumour), with ^alasha do ye sprinkle it! The ^alasha is a potent remedy: do thou (Rudra) with it show mercy to us, that we may live ! 3. Both well-being and comfort shall be ours, and nothing whatever shall injure us! To the ground the disease (shall fall) : may every remedy be ours, may all remedies be ours ! IV, 12. Charm with the plant arundhati (laksha) for the cure of fractures. I. Roha;^i art thou, causing to heal (roha/^i), the broken bone thou causest to heal (roham) : cause this here to heal (rohaya), O arundhati ! c 2 20 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 2. That bone of thine which, injured and burst, exists in thy person, Dhatar shall kindly knit to- gether again, joint with joint! 3. Thy marrow shall unite with marrow, and thy joint (unite) with joint ; the part of thy flesh that has fallen off, and thy bone shall grow together again ! 4. Thy marrow shall be joined together with marrow, thy skin grow together with skin ! Thy blood, thy bone shall grow, thy flesh grow together with flesh ! 5. Fit together hair with hair, and fit together skin with skin ! Thy blood, thy bone shall grow : what is cut join thou together, O plant ! 6. Do thou here rise up, go forth, run forth, (as) a chariot with sound wheels, firm feloe, and strong nave ; stand upright firmly ! 7. If he has been injured by falling Into a pit, or if a stone was cast and hurt him, may he (Dhatar, the fashioner) fit him together, joint to joint, as the wagoner (/?/bhu) the parts of a chariot ! V, 5. Charm with the plant sila/('i (laksha, arundhati) for the cure of wounds. 1. The night is thy mother, the cloud thy father, Aryaman thy grandfather. Sila/'i, forsooth, is thy name, thou art the sister of the gods. 2. He that drinks thee lives; (that) person thou dost preserve. For thou art the supporter of all successive (generations), the refuge of men. 3. Every tree thou dost climb, like a wench lusting after a man. ' Victorious,' ' firmly founded,' ' saving,' verily, is thy name. I. CHARMS TO CURE DISEASES. 21 4. The wound that has been inflicted by the cKib. by the arrow, or by fire, of that thou art the cure : do thou cure this person here ! 5. Upon the noble plaksha-tree (ficus infectoria) thou growest up, upon the ai-vattha (ficus reh'giosa), the khadira (acacia catechu), and the dhava (grislea tomentosa) ; (thou growest up) upon the noble nya- grodha (ficus indica, banyan-tree), and the par/^a (butea frondosa). Come thou to us, O arundhati ! 6. O gold-coloured, lovely, sun-coloured, most handsome (plant), mayest thou come to the fracture, O cure ! ' Cure,' verily, is thy name ! 7. O gold-coloured, lovely, fiery (plant), with hairy stem, thou art the sister of the waters, O laksha, the wind became thy very breath. 8. SilaZi is thy name, O thou that art brown as a goat, thy father is the son of a maiden. With the blood of the brown horse of Yama thou hast verily been sprinkled. 9. Having dropped from the blood of the horse she ran upon the trees, turning into a winged brook. Do thou come to us, O arundhati ! VI, 109. The pepper-corn as a cure for wounds. 1. The pepper-corn cures the wounds that have been struck by missiles, it also cures the wounds from stabs. Anent it the gods decreed : ' Powerful to secure life this (plant) shall be ! ' 2. The pepper-corns spake to one another, as they came out, after having been created : ' He whom we shall find (as yet) alive, that man shall not suffer harm ! ' 3. The Asuras did dig thee into the ground, the 2 2 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. gods cast thee up again, as a cure for disease pro- duced by wind (in the body), moreover as a cure for wounds struck by missiles. I, 17. Charm to stop the flow of blood. T. The maidens that go yonder, the veins, clothed in red garments, like sisters without a brother, bereft of strength, they shall stand still ! 2. Stand still, thou lower one, stand still, thou higher one ; do thou in the middle also stand still ! The most tiny (vein) stands still : may then the great artery also stand still ! 3. Of the hundred arteries, and the thousand veins, those in the middle here have indeed stood still. At the same time the ends have ceased (to flow). 4. Around you has passed a great sandy dike: stand ye still, pray take your ease ! IT, 31. Charm against worms. 1. With Indra's great mill-stone, that crushes all vermin, do I grind to pieces the worms, as lentils with a mill-stone. 2. I have crushed the visible and the invisible worm, and the kururu, too, I have crushed. All the alga;^^u and the ^aluna, the worms, we grind to pieces with our charm. 3. The algaw^u do I smite with a mighty weapon: those that have been burned, and those that have not been burned, have become devoid of streng-th. Those that are left and those that are not left do I destroy with my song, so that not one of the worms be left. I. CHARMS TO CURE DISEASES. 23 4. The worm which is in the entrails, and he that is in the head, Hkewise the one that is in the ribs : avaskava and vyadhvara, the worms, do we crush with (this) charm. 5. The worms that are within the mountains, forests, plants, cattle, and the waters, those that have settled in our bodies, all that brood of the worms do I smite. II, 32. Charm against worms in cattle. 1. The rising sun shall slay the worms, the setting- sun with his rays shall slay the worms that are within the cattle ! 2. The variegated worm, the four -eyed, the speckled, and the white — I crush his ribs, and I tear off his head. 3. Like Atri, like Ka;^va, and like (S'amadagni do I slay you, ye worms ! With the incantation of Agastya do I crush the worms to pieces. 4. Slain is the king of the worms, and their viceroy also is slain. Slain is the worm, with him his mother slain, his brother slain, his sister slain. 5. Slain are they who are inmates with him, slain are his neighbours; moreover all the quite tiny worms are slain. 6. I break off thy two horns with which thou deliverest thy thrusts ; I cut that bag of thine which is the receptacle for thy poison. V, 23. Charm against worms in children. 1. I have called upon heaven and earth, I have called upon the goddess Sarasvati, I have called 24 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. upon Indra and Agni : ' they shall crush the worm,' (I said), 2. Slay the worms in this boy, O Indra, lord of treasures ! Slain are all the evil powers by my fierce imprecation ! 3. Him that moves about in the eyes, that moves about in the nose, that gets to the middle of the teeth, that worm do we crush. 4. The two of like colour, the two of different colour ; the two black ones, and the two red ones ; the brown one, and the brown-eared one ; the (one like a) vulture, and the (one like a) cuckoo, are slain. 5. The worms with white shoulders, the black ones with white arms, and all those that are varie- gated, these worms do we crush. 6. In the east rises the sun, seen by all, slaying that which is not seen ; slaying the seen and the unseen (worms), and grinding to pieces all the worms. 7. The yevasha and the kashkasha, the e^atka, and the ^ipavitnuka — the seen worm shall be slain, moreover the unseen shall be slain ! 8. Slain of the worms is the yevasha, slain further is the nadaniman ; all have I crushed down like lentils with a mill-stone. 9. The worm with three heads and the one with three skulls, the speckled, and the white — I crush his ribs and I tear off his head. 10. Like Atri, like Ka;/va, and like C'amadagni do I slay you, ye worms ! With the incantation of Agastya do I crush the worms to pieces. 11. Slain is the king of the worms, and their viceroy also is slain. Slain is the worm, with him his mother slain, his brother slain, his sister slain. I. CHARMS TO CURE DISEASES. 25 12. Slain are they who are inmates with him, slain are his neighbours ; moreover all the quite tiny worms are slain. 13. Of all the male worms, and of all the female worms do I split the heads with the stone, I burn their faces with fire. IV, 6. Charm against poison. 1. The Brahma?2a was the first to be born, with ten heads and ten mouths. He was the first to drink the soma ; that did render poison powerless. 2. As great as heaven and earth are in extent, as far as the seven streams did spread, so far from here have I proclaimed forth this charm that destroys poison. 3. The eagle Garutmant did, O poison, first devour thee. Thou didst not bewilder him, didst not injure him, yea, thou didst turn into food for him. 4. The five-fingered hand that did hurl upon thee (the arrow) even from the curved bow — from the point of the tearing (arrow) have I charmed away the poison. 5. From the point (of the arrow) have I charmed away the poison, from the substance that has been smeared upon it, and from its plume. From its barbed horn, and its neck, I have charmed away the poison. 6. Powerless, O arrow, is thy point, and powerless is thy poison. Moreover of powerless wood is thy powerless bow, O powerless (arrow) ! 7. They that ground (the poison), they that daubed it on, they that hurled it, and they that let 26 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. it go, all these have been rendered impotent. The mountain that grows poisonous plants has been rendered impotent. 8. Impotent are they that dig thee, impotent art thou, O plant ! Impotent is that mountain height whence this poison has sprung. IV, 7. Charm against poison. 1. This water (var) in the (river) Vara;^avati shall ward off (varayatai) ! Amr/ta (ambrosia) has been poured into it : with that do I ward off (varaye) poison from thee. 2. Powerless is the poison from the east, power- less that from the north. Moreover the poison from the south transforms itself into a porridge. 3. Having made thee (the poison) that comes from a horizontal direction into a porridge, rich in fat, and cheering, from sheer hunger he has eaten thee, that hast an evil body : do thou not cause injury ! 4. Thy bewildering quality (madam), O (plant ?) that art bewildering (madavati), we cause to fall like a reed. As a boiling pot of porridge do we remove thee by (our) charm. 5. (Thee, O poison) that art, as it were, heaped about the village, do we cause to stand still by (our) charm. Stand still as a tree upon its place ; do not, thou that hast been dug with the spade, cause injury ! 6. With broom-straw (?), garments, and also with skins they purchased thee : a thing for barter art thou, O plant ! Do not, thou that hast been dug with the spade, cause injury! 7. Those of you who were of yore unequalled in T. CHARMS TO CURE DISEASES. 27 the deeds which they performed — may they not injure here our men : for this very purpose do I engage you ! VI, TOO. Ants as an antidote against poison. 1. The gods have given, the sun has given, the earth has given, the three Sarasvatis, of one mind, have given this poison-destroying (remedy) ! 0 2. That water, O ants, which the gods poured for you into the dry land, with this (water), sent forth by the gods, do ye destroy this poison ! 3. Thou art the daughter of the Asuras, thou art the sister of the gods. Sprung from heaven and earth, thou didst render the poison devoid of strenofth. fc>' V. 13. Charm against snake-poison. 1. Varu/^a, the sage of heaven, verily lends (power) to me. With mighty charms do I dissolve thy poison. The (poison) which has been dug, that which has not been dug, and that which is inherent, I have held fast. As a brook in the desert thy poison has dried up. 2. That poison of thine which is not fluid I have confined within these (serpents ?). I hold fast the sap that is in thy middle, thy top, and in thy bottom, too. May (the sap) now vanish out of thee from fright ! 3. My lusty shout (is) as the thunder with the cloud : then do I smite thy (sap) with my strong charm. With manly strength I have held fast that sap of his. May the sun rise as light from the darkness ! 4. With my eye do I slay thy eye, with poison 28 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. do I slay thy poison. O serpent, die, do not live ; back upon thee shall thy poison turn ! 5. O kairata, speckled one, upatr^'/^ya (grass- dweller ?), brown one, listen to me ; ye black re- pulsive reptiles, (listen to me) ! Do not stand upon the ground of my friend ; cease with your poison and make it known (to people ?) ! 6. I release (thee) from the fury of the black serpent, the taimata, the brown serpent, the poison that is not fluid, the all-conquering, as the bow- string (is loosened) from the bow, as chariots (from horses). 7. Both Aligi and Viligi, both father and mother, we know your kin everywhere. Deprived of your strength what will ye do ? 8. The daughter of urugula, the evil one born with the black — of all those who have run to their hiding-place the poison is devoid of force. 9. The prickly porcupine, tripping down from the mountain, did declare this : ' Whatsoever serpents, living in ditches, are here, their poison is most deficient in force.' 10. Tabuvam (or) not tabuvam, thou (O serpent) art not tabuvam. Through tabuvam thy poison is bereft of force. 1 1 . Tastuvam (or) not tastuvam, thou (O serpent) art not tastuvam. Through tastuvam thy poison is bereft of force. VI, 12. Charm against snake-poison. I. As the sun (goes around) the heavens I have surrounded the race of the serpents. As night (puts to rest) all animals except the ha;;^sa bird, (thus) do I with this (charm) ward off thy poison. I. CHARMS TO CURE DISEASES. 29 2. With (the charm) that was found of yore by the Brahmans, found by the -/?/shis, and found by the gods, with (the charm) that was, will be, and is now present, with this do I ward off thy poison. 3. With honey do I mix the rivers ; the moun- tains and peaks are honey. Honey are the rivers Parush;n and vSipala. Prosperity be to thy mouth, prosperity to thy heart ! VII, 56. Charm against the poison of serpents, scorpions, and insects. 1. The poison infused by the serpent that is striped across, by the black serpent, and by the adder ; that poison of the kaiikaparvan (' with limbs like a comb,' scorpion) this plant has driven out. 2. This herb, born of honey, dripping honey, sweet as honey, honied, is the remedy for injuries ; moreover it crushes insects. 3. Wherever thou hast been bitten, wherever thou hast been sucked, from there do we exorcise for thee the poison of the small, greedily biting insect, (so that it be) devoid of strength. 4. Thou (serpent) here, crooked, without joints, and without limbs, that twisteth thy crooked jaws — mayest thou, O Br/haspati, straighten them out, as a (bent) reed ! 5. The poison of the 5arko/a (scorpion) that creeps low upon the ground, (after he) has been deprived of his strength, I have taken away ; more- over I have caused him to be crushed. 6. There is no strength in thy arms, in thy head, nor in the middle (of thy body). Then why dost thou so wickedly carry a small (sting) in thy tail ? 30 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 7. The ants devour thee, pea-hens hack thee to pieces. Yea, every one of you shall declare the poison of the i^arko/a powerless ! 8. Thou (scorpion) that strikest with both, with mouth as well as tail, in thy mouth there is no poison : then what can there be in the receptacle in thy tail ? VI, 16. Charm against ophthalmia. 1. O abayu, (and even if) thou art not abayu, strong is thy juice, O abayu ! We eat a gruel, compounded of thee. 2. Vihalha is thy father's name, Madavati thy mother's name. Thou art verily not such, as to have consumed thy own self. 3. O Tauvilika, do be quiet ! This howling one has become quiet. O brown one, and brown-eared one, go away ! Go out, O ala ! 4. Alasala thou art first, sila?^^alala thou art the next, nilagalasala (thou art third ?) ! VI, 21. Charm to promote the growth of hair. 1. Of these three earths (our) earth verily is the highest. From the surface of these I have now plucked a remedy. 2. Thou art the most excellent of remedies, the best of plants, as Soma (the moon) is the lord in the watches of the night, as Varu/^a (is king) among the gods. 3. O ye wealthy, irresistible (plants), ye do generously bestow benefits. And ye strengthen the hair, and, moreover, promote its increase. I. CHARMS TO CURE DISEASES. 3 1 VI, 136. Charm with the plant nitatni to promote the growth of hair. 1. As a goddess upon the goddess earth thou wast born, O plant ! We dig thee up, O nitatni, that thou mayest strengthen (the growth) of the hair. 2. Strengthen the old (hair), beget the new ! That which has come forth render more luxurious ! 3. That hair of thine which does drop off, and that which is broken root and all, upon it do I sprinkle here the all-healing herb. VI, 137. Charm to promote the growth of hair. 1. The (plant) that 6"amadagni dug up to promote the growth of his daughter's hair, Vitahavya has brought here from the dwelling of Asita. 2. With reins they had to be measured, with out- stretched arms they had to be measured out. May thy hairs grow as reeds, may they (cluster), black, about thy head ! 3. Make firm their roots, draw out their ends, expand their middle, O herb ! May thy hairs grow as reeds, may they (cluster), black, about thy head ! IV, 4. Charm to promote virility. 1. Thee, the plant, which the Gandharva dug up for Varu;/a, when his virility had decayed, thee, that causest strength \ we dig up. 2. Ushas (Aurora), Surya (the sun), and this charm of mine ; the bull Pra^apati (the lord of creatures) shall with his lusty fire arouse him ! ^ The original, more drastically, ^epaharsha;/im. By a few- changes and omissions in stanzas 3, 6, and 7 the direct simplicity of the original has been similarly veiled. 32 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 3. This herb shall make thee so very full of lusty strength, that thou shalt, when thou art excited, exhale heat as a thing on fire ! 4. The fire of the plants, and the essence of the bulls shall arouse him ! Do thou, O Indra, con- troller of bodies, place the lusty force of men into this person ! 5. Thou (O herb) art the first-born sap of the waters and also of the plants. Moreover thou art the brother of Soma, and the lusty force of the antelope buck ! 6. Now, O Agni, now, O Savitar, now, O goddess Sarasvati, now, O Brahma;^aspati, do thou stiffen the pasas as a bow ! 7. I stiffen thy pasas as a bowstring upon the bow. Embrace thou (women) as the antelope buck the gazelle with ever unfailing (strength) ! 8. The strength of the horse, the mule, the goat and the ram, moreover the strength of the bull bestow upon him, O controller of bodies (Indra) ! VI, III. Charm against mania. 1. Release for me, O Agni, this person here, who, bound and well-secured, loudly jabbers ! Then shall he have due regard for thy share (of the offer- ing), when he shall be free from madness ! 2. Agni shall quiet down thy mind, if it has been disturbed ! Cunningly do I prepare a remedy, that thou shalt be freed from madness. 3. (Whose mind) has been maddened by the sin of the gods, or been robbed of sense by the Rakshas, (for him) do I cunningly prepare a remedy, that he shall be free from madness. 4. May the Apsaras restore thee, may Indra, may I. CHARMS TO CURE DISEASES. 2i3 Bhaga restore thee ; may all the gods restore thee, that thou mayest be freed from madness ! IV, 37. Charm with the plant a^air/ngi to drive out Rakshas, Apsaras and Gandharvas. 1. With thee, O herb, the Atharvans first slew the Rakshas, with thee Kajr3'apa slew (them), with thee Ka;^va and Agastya (slew them). 2. With thee do we scatter the Apsaras and Gan- dharvas. O a^ai-rmgi (odina pinnata), goad (a.f^a) the Rakshas, drive them all away with thy smell ! 3. The Apsaras, Guggulu, Pila, Naladi, Auksha- gandhi, and Pramandani (by name), shall go to the river, to the ford of the waters, as if blown away ! Thither do ye, O Apsaras, pass away, (since) ye have been recognised ! 4. Where grow the ai'vattha (ficus religlosa) and the banyan-trees, the great trees with crowns, thither do ye, O Apsaras, pass away, (since) ye have been recognised ! 5. Where your gold and silver swings are, where cymbals and lutes chime together, thither do ye, O Apsaras, pass away, (since) ye have been recog- nised. 6. Hither has come the mightiest of the plants and herbs. May the a^airmgi ara/aki pierce with her sharp horn (tikshmai";^mgi) ! 7. Of the crested Gandharva, the husband of the Apsaras, who comes dancing hither, I crush the two mushkas and cut off the 5-epas. 8. Terrible are the missiles of Indra, with a hun- dred points, brazen ; with these he shall pierce the Gandharvas, who devour oblations, and devour the avaka-reed. [42] D 34 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA, 9. Terrible are the missiles of Indra, with a hun- dred points, golden ; with these he shall pierce the Gandharvas, who devour oblations, and devour the avaka-reed. 10. All the Pii-a/^as that devour the avaka-reeds, that burn, and spread their little light in the waters, do thou, O herb, crush and overcome ! 11. One is like a dog, one like an ape. As a youth, with luxuriant locks, pleasant to look upon, the Gandharva hangs about the woman. Him do we drive out from here with our powerful charm. 12. The Apsaras, you know, are your wives ; ye, the Gandharvas, are their husbands. Speed away, ye immortals, do not go after mortals! II, 9. Possession by demons of disease, cured by an amulet of ten kinds of wood. 1. O (amulet) of ten kinds of wood, release this man from the demon (rakshas) and the fit (grahi) which has seized upon (^agraha) his joints ! Do thou, moreover, O plant, lead him forth to the world of the livinof ! 2. He has come, he has gone forth, he has joined the community of the living. And he has become the father of sons, and the most happy of men ! 3. This person has come to his senses, he has come to the cities of the living. For he (now) has a hundred physicians, and also a thousand herbs. 4. The gods have found thy arrangement, (O amulet); the Brahmans, moreover, the plants. All the gods have found thy arrangement upon the earth. 5. (The god) that has caused (disease) shall per- form the cure ; he is himself the best physician. I. CHARMS TO CURE DISEASES. 35 Let him indeed, the holy one, prepare remedies for thee, together with the (earthly) physician ! IV, ^6. Charm against demons {pisa.^a.) conceived as the cause of disease. 1. May Agni Vai-s-vanara, the bull of unfailing strength, burn up him that is evil-disposed, and desires to harm us, and him that plans hostile deeds against us ! 2. Between the two rows of teeth of Agni Vals- vanara do I place him that plans to injure us, when we are not planning to injure him ; and him that plans to injure us, when we do plan to injure him. 3. Those who hound us in our chambers, while shouting goes on in the night of the new moon, and the other flesh-devourers who plan to injure us, all of them do I overcome with might. 4. With might I overcome the Pi^a/C'as, rob them of their property ; all evil-disposed (demons) do I slay : may my device succeed ! 5. With the gods who vie with, and measure their swiftness with this sun, with those that are in the rivers, and in the mountains, do I, along with my cattle, consort. 6. I plague the Pi^a/'as as the tiger the cattle- owners. As dogs who have seen a lion, these do not find a refuge. 7. My strength does not lie with Pi^a/'as, nor with thieves, nor with prowlers in the forest. From the village which I enter the F'lsMas vanish away. 8. From the village which my fierce power has entered the Pi^ai'as vanish away ; they do not devise evil. D 2 36 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 9. They who irritate me with their jabber, as (buzzing) mosquitoes the elephant, them I regard as wretched (creatures), as small vermin upon people. 10. May Nirr/ti (the goddess of destruction) take hold of this one, as a horse with the halter ! The fool who is wroth with me is not freed from (her) snare. II, 25. Charm with the plant przsmpa.r/ii against the demon of disease, called ka;/va. 1. The goddess Frisniparni has prepared pros- perity for us, mishap for N'lrrh'i (the goddess of destruction). For she is a fierce devourer of the Ka;^vas : her, the mighty, have I employed. 2. The Frismparm was first begotten power- ful ; with her do I lop off the heads of the evil brood, as (the head) of a bird. 3. The blood-sucking demon, and him that tries to rob (our) health, Ka;^va, the devourer of our offspring, destroy, O P;7'i-nipar;^i, and overcome ! 4. These Ka;/vas, the effacers of life, drive into the mountain ; go thou burning after them like fire, 0 goddess PrzVnipar;^! ! 5. Drive far away these Ka7^vas, the effacers of life ! Where the dark regions are, there have 1 made these flesh-eaters q-q. VI, 32. Charm for driving away demons (Rakshas and Fisa.^a.s). I. Do ye well offer within the fire this oblation with ghee, that destroys the spook! Do thou, O Agni, burn from afar against the Rakshas, (but) our houses thou shalt not consume ! I. CHARMS TO CURE DISEASES. 'T^'J 2. Rudra has broken your necks, ye Pi-9a/'as : may he also break your ribs, ye spooks ! The plant whose power is everywhere has united you with Yama (death). 3. Exempt from danger, O Mitra and Varu/^a, may we here be ; drive back with your flames the devouring demons (Atrin) ! Neither aider, nor support do they find ; smiting one another they go to death. II, 4. Charm with an amulet derived from the ^ahgi^a tree, against diseases and demons. 1. Unto long life and great delights, for ever unharmed and vigorous, do we wear the ^angirt'a, as an amulet destructive of the vishkandha. 2. From convulsions, from tearing pain, from vishkandha, and from torturing pain, the ^aiigi^/a shall protect us on all sides — an amulet of a thousand virtues ! 3. This ^angi^a conquers the vishkandha, and smites the Atrin (devouring demons) ; may this all- healing ^aiigi^a protect us from adversity! 4. By means of the invigorating ^ahgi^/a, bestowed by the gods as an amulet, do we conquer in batde the vishkandha and all the Rakshas. 5. May the hemp and may the^ahgic/a protect me against vishkandha ! The one (fahgi<^a) is brought hither from the forest, the other (hemp) from the sap of the furrow. 6. Destruction of witchcraft is this amulet, also destruction of hostile powers : may the powerful gdihgxddi. therefore extend far our lives ! 38 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. XIX, 34. Charm with an amulet derived from the ^ahgi^a-tree, against diseases and demons. 1. Thou art an Angiras, O ,^arigi^a, a protector art thou, O ^aiigi^a. All two-footed and four-footed creatures that belong to us the ^angi^'a shall protect ! 2. The sorceries fifty-three in number, and the hundred performers of sorcery, all these having lost their force, the ^angirt'a shall render bereft of strength ! 3. Bereft of strength is the gotten-up clamour, bereft of strength are the seven debilitating (charms). Do thou, O ^angi^a, hurl away from here poverty, as an archer an arrow ! 4. This £-2ihg\da. is a destroyer of witchcraft, and also a destroyer of hostile powers. May then the powerful ^arigi^a extend far our lives ! 5. May the greatness of the ^ahgi^/a protect us about on all sides, (the greatness) with which he has overcome the vishkandha (and) the sai'/^skandha, (overcoming) the powerful (disease) with power! 6. Thrice the gods begot thee that hast grown up upon the earth. The Brahma;zas of yore knew thee here by the name of Angiras. 7. Neither the plants of olden times, nor they of recent times, surpass thee ; a fierce slayer is the ^arigifl'a, and a happy refuge. 8. And when, O ^aiigirt'a of boundless virtue, thou didst spring up in the days of yore, O fierce (plant), Indra at first placed strength in thee. 9. Fierce Indra, verily, put might into thee, O lord of the forest! Dispersing all diseases, slay thou the Rakshas, O plant! 10. The breaking disease and the tearing disease, CHARMS TO CURE DISEASES. the balasa, and the pain in the Hmbs, the takman that comes every autumn, may the ^ahgi^a render devoid of force ! XIX, 35. Charm with an amulet derived from the jrahei^a-tree, against diseases and demons. 1. While utterine Indra's name the seers bestowed (upon men) the ^angi^^a, which the gods in the beginning had made into a remedy, destructive of the vishkandha. 2. May that ^angi^a protect us as a treasurer his treasures, he whom the gods and the Brahma;/as made into a refuge that puts to naught the hostile powers ! 3. The evil eye of the hostile-minded, (and) the evil-doer I have approached. Do thou, O thousand- eyed one, watchfully destroy these ! A refuge art thou, O ^arigifl^a. 4. May the ^angida. protect me from heaven, protect me from earth, protect (me) from the atmos- phere, protect me from the plants, protect me from the past, as well as the future ; may he protect us from every direction of space ! 5. The sorceries performed by the gods, and also those performed by men, may the all-healing ^ahgirtfa render them all devoid of strength ! VI, 85. Exorcism of disease by means of an amulet from the vara7/a-tree. 1. This divine tree, the vara;^a, shall shut out (varayatai). The gods, too, have shut out (a vi varan) the disease that hath entered into this man! 2. By Indra's command, by Mitras and by 40 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Q Varu;za's, by the command of all the gods do we shut out thy disease. 3. As Vrztra did hold fast these ever-flowing waters, thus do I shut out (varaye) disease from thee with (the help of) Agni Vai^-vanara. VI, 127. The /6ipudru-tree as a panacea. 1. Of the abscess, of the balasa, of flow of blood, O plant ; of neuralgia, O herb, thou shalt not leave even a speck ! 2. Those two boils (testicles) of thine, O balasa, that are fixed upon the arm-pits — I know the remedy for that : the /'ipudru-tree takes care of it. 3. The neuralgia that is in the limbs, that is in the ears and in the eyes — we tear them out, the neuralgia, the abscess, and the pain in the heart. That unknown disease do we drive away downward. XIX, 38. The healing properties of bdellium. 1. [Neither diseases, nor yet a curse, enters this person, O arundhati !] From him that is pene- trated by the sweet fragrance of the healing bdellium, diseases flee in every direction, as antelopes and as horses run. > 2. Whether, O bdellium, thou comest from the Sindhu (Indus), or whether thou art derived from the sea, I have seized the qualities of both, that this person shall be exempt from harm. ^ VI, 91. Barley and water as universal remedies. I. This barley they did plough vigorously, with yokes of eight and yokes of six. With it I drive ofl" to a far distance the ailment from thy body. I. CHARMS TO CURE DISEASES. 4 1 2. Downward blows the wind, downward burns the sun, downward the cow is milked : downward shall thy ailment pass ! 3. The waters verily are healing, the waters chase away disease, the waters cure all (disease) : may they prepare a remedy for thee ! VIII, 7. Hymn to all magic and medicinal plants, used as a universal remedy. 1. The plants that are brown, and those that are white ; the red ones and the speckled ones ; the sable and the black plants, all (these) do we invoke. 2. May they protect this man from the disease sent by the gods, the herbs whose father is the sky, whose mother is the earth, whose root is the ocean. 3. The waters and the heavenly plants are fore- most ; they have driven out from every limb thy disease, consequent upon sin. 4. The plants that spread forth, those that are bushy, those that have a single sheath, those that creep along, do I address ; I call in thy behalf the plants that have shoots, those that have stalks, those that divide their branches, those that are derived from all the gods, the strong (plants) that furnish life to man. 5. With the might that is yours, ye mighty ones, with the power and strength that is yours, with that do ye, O plants, rescue this man from this disease ! I now prepare a remedy. 6. The plants ^ivala (' quickening'), na-gha-risha (' forsooth-no-harm '),^ivanti (' living '), and the arun- dhati, which removes (disease), is full of blossoms, 42 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. and rich in honey, do I call to exempt him from injury. 7. Hither shall come the intelligent (plants) that understand my speech, that we may bring this man into safety out of misery ! 8. They that are the food of Agni (the fire), the offspring of the waters, that grow ever renewing themselves, the firm (plants) that bear a thousand names, the healing (plants), shall be brought hither ! 9. The plants, whose womb is the avaka (blyxa octandra), whose essence are the waters, shall with their sharp horns thrust aside evil ! 10. The plants which release, exempt from Varu/za (dropsy), are strong, and destroy poison ; those, too, that remove (the disease) balasa, and ward off witch- craft shall come hither ! 11. The plants that have been bought, that are right potent, and are praised, shall protect in this village cow, horse, man, and cattle ! 12. Honied are the roots of these herbs, honied their tops, honied their middles, honied their leaves, honied their blossoms ; they share In honey, are the food of immortality. May they yield ghee, and food, and cattle chief of all ! 13. As many in number and In kind the plants here are upon the earth, may they, furnished with a thousand leaves, release me from death and misery ! 14. Tiger-like Is the amulet (made of) herbs, a saviour, a protector against hostile schemes : may it drive off far away from us all diseases and the Rakshas ! 15. As if at the roar of the Hon they start with fright, as if (at the roar) of fire they tremble before I. CHARMS TO CURE DISEASES. 43 the (plants) that have been brought hither. The diseases of cattle and men have been driven out by the herbs : let them pass into navigable streams ! 16. The plants release us from Agni Vaii-vanara. Spreading over the earth, go ye, whose king is the tree ! 1 7. The plants, descended from Arigiras, that grow upon the mountains and in the plains, shall be for us rich in milk, auspicious, comforting to the heart ! 18. The herbs which I know, and those which I see with my sight ; the unknown, those which we know, and those which we perceive to be charged with (power), — 19. All plants collectively shall note my words, that we may bring this man into safety out of mis- fortune,— 20. The ai"vattha (ficus religiosa), and the darbha among the plants ; king Soma, amr/ta (ambrosia) and the oblation ; rice and barley, the two healing, immortal children of heaven ! 21. Ye arise: it is thundering and crashing, ye plants, since Par^anya (the god of rain) is favouring you, O children of Frzsni (the spotted cloud), with (his) seed (water). 22. The strength of this amma (ambrosia) do we give this man to drink. Moreover, I prepare a remedy, that he may live a hundred years ! 23. The boar knows, the ichneumon knows the healing plant. Those that the serpents and Gan- dharvas know, I call hither for help. 24. The plants, derived from the Arigiras, which the eagles and the heavenly ragbag's (falcons) know, which the birds and the flamingos know, which all 44 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. winged (creatures) know, which all wild animals know, I call hither for help. 25. As many plants as the oxen and kine, as many as the goats and the sheep feed upon, so many plants, when applied, shall furnish protection to thee ! 26. As many (plants), as the human physicians know to contain a remedy, so many, endowed with every healing quality, do I apply to thee ! 27. Those that have flowers, those that have blossoms, those that bear fruit, and those that are without fruit, as if from the same mother they shall suck sap, to exempt this man from injury ! 28. I have saved thee from a depth of five fathoms, and, too, from a depth of ten fathoms ; moreover, from the foot-fetter of Yama, and from every sin against the gods. VI, 96. Plants as a panacea. 1. The many plants of hundredfold aspect, whose king is Soma, which have been begotten by Bri- haspati, shall free us from calamity! 2. May they free us from (the calamity) conse- quent upon curses, and also from the (toils) of Varu;^a ; moreover, from the foot-fetter of Yama, and every sin against the gods ! 3. What laws we have infringed upon, with the eye, the mind, and speech, either while awake, or asleep — may Soma by his (divine) nature clear these (sins) away from us ! II, 32. Charm to secure perfect health. I. From thy eyes, thy nostrils, ears, and chin — the disease which is seated in thy head — from thy brain and tongue I do tear it out. I. CHARMS TO CURE DISEASES. 45 2. From thy neck, nape of the neck, ribs, and spine — the disease which is seated in thy fore-arm — from thy shoulders and arms I do tear it out. 3. From thy heart, thy kmgs, viscera, and sides ; from thy kidneys, spleen, and liver we do tear out the disease. 4. From thy entrails, canals, rectum, and abdo- men ; from thy belly, guts, and navel I do tear out the disease. 5. From thy thighs, knees, heels, and the tips of thy feet — from thy hips I do tear out the disease seated in thy buttocks, from thy bottom the disease seated in thy buttocks. 6. From thy bones, marrow., sinews and arteries ; from thy hands, fingers, and nails I do tear out the disease. 7. The disease that is in thy every limb, thy every hair, thy every joint ; that which is seated in thy skin, with Ka^yapa's charm, that tears out, to either side we do tear it out. IX, 8. Charm to procure immunity from all diseases. T. Headache and suffering in the head, pain in the ears and Jtlow of blood, every disease of the head, do we charm forth from thee. 2. From thy ears, from thy kahkushas the ear- pain, and the neuralgia — every disease of the head do we charm forth from thee. 3. (With the charm) through whose agency disease hastens forth from the ears and the mouth — every disease of the head do we charm forth from thee. 4. (The disease) that renders a man deaf and 46 HVMXS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. blind — every disease of the head do we charm forth from thee. 5. Pain in the hmbs, fever in the hmbs. the neuralgia that affects every limb — every disease of the head do we charm forth from thee. 6. (The disease) whose frightful aspect makes man tremble, the takman (fever) that comes every autumn, do we charm forth from thee. 7. The disease that creeps along the thighs, and then enters the canals, out of thy inner parts do we charm forth. 8. If from the heart, from love, or from diso;ust, it arises, from thy heart and from thy limbs the balasa do we charm forth. 9. Jaundice from thy limbs, diarrhoea from within thy bowels, the core of disease from thy inner soul do we charm forth. 10. To ashes (asa) the balasa shall turn: what is diseased shall turn to urine ! The poison of all diseases I have charmed forth from thee. 11. Outside the opening (of the bladder) it shall run off; the rumbling shall pass from thy belly! The poison of all diseases I have charmed forth from thee. 12. From th\- belly, lungs, navel, and heart — the poison of all diseases I have charmed forth from thee. 13. (The pains) that split the crown {o( the head), pierce the head, without doing injur}", with- out causing: disease, thev shall run off outside the opening (of the bladder) ! 14. They that pierce the heart, creep along the ribs, without doing injury, without causing disease, they shall run off outside the opening (of the bladder) ! I. CHARMS TO CUKE DISEASES. 47 15. They that pierce the sides, bore along the ribs, without doing injury, without causing disease, they shall run off outside the opening (of the bladder) ! 16. They that pierce crosswise, burrow in thy abdomen, without doing injury, w^ithout causing disease, they shall run off outside the opening (of the bladder) ! 17. They that creep along the rectum, twist the bowels, without doir^ injury, without causing disease, they shall run off outside the opening (of the bladder) ! 18. They that suck the marrow, and split the joints, without doing injury, without causing dis- ease, they shall run off outside the opening (of the bladder) ! 19. The diseases and the injuries that paralyse thy limbs, the poison of all diseases I have charmed forth from thee. 20. Of neuralgia, of abscesses, of inflation, or of inflammation of the eyes, the poison of all diseases I have driven forth from thee. 2 1. From thy feet, knees, thighs, and bottom; from thy spine, and thy neck the piercing pains, from thy head the ache I have removed. 22. Firm are the bones of thy skull, and the beat of thy heart. At thy rising, O sun, thou didst remove the pains of the head, quiet the pangs in the limbs. II, 29. Charm for obtaining long life and pros- perity by transmission of disease. I. In the essence of earthly bliss, O ye gods, in strength of body (may he live) ! May Agni, Surja, B/Vhaspati bestow upon him life's vigour ! 48 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 2. Give life to him, O 6^atavedas, bestow in addition progeny upon him, O Tvash^'ar ; procure, O Savitar, increase of wealth for him ; may this one, who belongs to thee, live a hundred autumns ! 3. May our prayer bestow upon us vigour, and possession of sound progeny ; ability and property do ye two, (O heaven and earth), bestow upon us ! May he, conquering lands with might, (live), O Indra, subjecting the others, his enemies ! 4. Given by Indra, instructed by Varu/^a, sent by the Maruts, strong, he has come to us ; may he, in the lap of ye two, heaven and earth, not suffer from hunger and not from thirst ! 5. Strength may ye two, that are rich in strength, bestow upon him ; milk may ye two, that are rich in milk, bestow upon him ! Strength heaven and earth did bestow upon him ; strength all the gods, the Maruts, and the waters. 6. With the gracious (waters) do I delight thy heart, mayest thou, free from disease, full of force, rejoice ! Clothed in the same garment do ye two drink this stirred drink, taking on as a magic form the shape of the two Ai"vins ! 7. Indra, having been wounded, first created this vigour, and this ever fresh divine food : that same belongs to thee. By means of that do thou, full of force, live (a hundred) autumns ; may It not flow out of thee : physicians have prepared it for thee ! II. PRAYERS FOR LONG LIFE AND HEALTH (AYUSHYANI). Ill, II. Prayer for health and long life. 1. I release thee unto life by means of (my) oblation, from unknown decline, and from consump- tion. If Grahi (seizure) has caught hold (^^agraha) of this person here, may Indra and Agni free him from that ! 2. If his life has faded, even if he has passed away, if he has been brought to the very vicinity of death, I snatch him from the lap of Nirr/ti (the goddess of destruction) : I have freed him unto a life of a hundred autumns. 3. I have snatched him (from death) by means of an oblation which has a thousand eyes, hundredfold strength, and ensures a hundredfold life, in order that Indra may conduct him through the years across to the other side of every misfortune. 4. Live thou, thriving a hundred autumns, a hun- dred winters, and a hundred springs! May Indra, Agni, Savitar, Br/haspati (grant) thee a hundred years ! I have snatched him (from death) with an oblation that secures a life of a hundred years. 5. Enter ye, O in-breathing and out-breathing, as two bulls a stable ! Away shall go the other deaths, of which, it is said, there are a hundred more ! 6. Remain ye here, O in-breathing and out- [42] E 50 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. breathing, do not go away from here ; do ye carry anew to old age his body and his Hmbs ! 7. To old age I make thee over, into old age I urge thee ; may a happy old age guide thee ! Away shall go the other deaths, of which, it is said, there are a hundred more ! 8. Upon thee (life unto) old age has been deposited, as a rope is tied upon a bull. That death which has fettered thee at thy birth with a firm rope, Br/has- pati with the hands of the truth did strip off from thee. II, 28. Prayer for long life pronounced over a boy. 1. For thee alone, O (death from) old age, this (boy) shall grow up : the other hundred kinds of death shall not harm him ! Like a provident mother in her lap Mitra shall befriend him, shall save him from misfortune ! 2. May Mitra or Varu;^a, the illustrious, co- operating, grant him death from old age ! Then Agni, the priest, who knows the ways, promulgates all the races of the gods. 3. Thou, (O Agni), rulest over all the animals of the earth, those which have been born, and those which are to be born : may not in-breathing leave this one, nor yet out-breathing, may neither friends nor foes slay him ! 4. May father Dyaus (sky) and mother Pr/thivi (earth), co-operating, grant thee death from old age, that thou mayest live in the lap of Aditi a hundred winters, guarded by in-breathing and out- breathing ! 5. Lead this dear child to life and vigour, O Agni, II. PRAYERS FOR LONG LIFE AND HEALTH. 5 [ Varu/^a, and king Mitra ! As a mother afford him protection, O Aditi, and all ye gods, that he may attain to old age ! III, 31. Prayer for health and long life. 1. The gods are free from decrepitude; thou, 0 Agni, art removed from the demon of hostility. 1 free thee from all evil and disease, (and) unite thee with life. 2. (Vayu), the purifying (wind), shall free thee from misfortune, ^'akra (Indra) from evil sorcery ! I free thee from all evil and disease, (and) unite thee with life. 3. The tame (village) animals are separate from the wild (forest animals) ; the water has flowed apart from thirst. I free thee from all evil and disease, (and) unite thee with life. 4. Heaven and earth here go apart; the paths go in every direction. I free thee from all evil and disease, (and) unite thee with life. 5. ' Tvash/ar is preparing a wedding for his daughter,' thus (saying) does this whole world pass through. I free thee from all evil and disease, (and) unite thee with life. 6. Agni unites (life's) breaths, the moon is united with (life's) breath. I free thee from all evil and disease, (and) unite thee with life. 7. By means of (life's) breath the gods aroused the everywhere mighty sun. I free thee from all evil and disease, (and) unite thee with life. 8. Live thou by the (life's) breath of them that have life, and that create life ; do not die ! I free thee from all evil and disease, (and) unite thee with life. E 2 52 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 9. Breathe thou with the (Hfe's) breath of those that breathe ; do not die ! I free thee from all evil and disease, (and) unite thee with life. 10. Do thou (rise) up with life, unite thyself with life, (rise) up with the sap of the plants ! I free thee from all evil and disease, (and) unite thee with life. 1 1. From the rain of Par^anya we have risen up, immortal. I free thee from all evil and disease, (and) unite thee with life. VII, 53. Prayer for long life. 1. When, O Br/haspati, thou didst liberate (us) from existence in yonder world of Yama, (and) from hostile schemes, then did the A^vins, the physicians of the gods, with might sweep death from us, O Agni ! 2. O in-breathing and out-breathing, go along with the body, do not leave it : may they be thy allies here ! Live and thrive a hundred autumns ; Agni shall be thy most excellent shepherd and overseer ! 3. Thy vital force that has been dissipated afar, thy in-breathing and thy out-breathing, shall come back again ! Agni has snatched them from the lap of Nirmi (the goddess of destruction), and I again introduce them into thy person. 4. Let not his in-breathing desert him, nor his out-breathing quit him and depart! I commit him to the Seven 7?/shis : may they convey him in health to old age ! 5. Enter, O in-breathing and out-breathing, like two bulls into a stable : this person shall here flourish, an unmolested repository for old age ! TI. PRAYERS FOR LONG LIFE AND HEALTH. 53 6. Life's breath we do drive into thee, disease we do drive away from thee. May this excellent Agn'i endow us with life from every source ! 7. Ascending from the darkness of death to the highest firmament, to Surya (the sun), the god among gods, we have reached the highest light. VIII, I. Prayer for exemption from the dangers of death. 1. To the ' Ender,' to Death be reverence! May thy in-breathing and thy out-breathing remain here ! United here with (life's) spirit this man shall be, sharing in the sun, in the world of immortality (amr/ta) ! 2. Bhaga has raised him up, Soma with his rays (has raised) him up, the Maruts, the gods, (have raised) him up, Indra and Agni (have raised) him up unto well-being. 3. Here (shall be) thy (life's) spirit, here thy in- breathing, here thy life, here thy mind ! We rescue thee from the toils of Nir;Vti (destruction) by means of our divine utterance. 4. Rise up hence, O man ! Casting off the foot- shackles of death, do not sink down ! Be not cut off from this world, from the sight of Agni and the sun ! 5. The wind, Matarii-van, shall blow for thee, the waters shall shower amr/ta (ambrosia) upon thee, the sun shall shine kindly for thy body ! Death shall pity thee : do not waste away ! 6. Thou shalt ascend and not descend, O man ! Life and alertness do I prepare for thee. Mount, forsooth, this imperishable, pleasant car ; then in old age thou shalt hold converse with thy family ! 54 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 7. Thy mind shall not go thither, shall not dis- appear ! Do not become heedless of the living, do not follow the Fathers ! All the gods shall preserve thee here ! 8. Do not long after the departed, who conduct (men) afar ! Ascend from the darkness, come to the light ! We lay hold of thy hands. 9. The two dogs of Yama, the black and the brindled one, that guard the road (to heaven), that have been despatched, shall not (go after) thee ! Come hither, do not long to be away; do not tarry here with thy mind turned to a distance ! 10. Do not follow this path: it is terrible ! I speak of that by which thou hast not hitherto gone. Darkness is this, O man, do not enter it ! Danger is beyond, security here for thee. 11. May the fires that are within the waters guard thee, may (the fire) which men kindle guard thee, may G'atavedas Vai-rvanara (the fire common to all men) guard thee ! Let not the heavenly (fire) together with the lightning burn thee ! 12. Let not the flesh-devouring (fire) menace thee: move afar from the funeral pyre! Heaven shall guard thee, the earth shall guard thee, the sun and moon shall guard thee, the atmosphere shall guard thee against the divine missile ! 13. May the alert and the watchful divinities guard thee, may he that sleeps not and nods not guard thee, may he that protects and is vigilant guard thee ! 14. They shall guard thee, they shall protect thee. Reverence be to them. Hail be to them ! 15. Into converse with the living Vayu, Indra, Dhatar, and saving Savitar shall put thee ; breath 11. PRAYERS FOR LONG LIFE AND HEALTH. 55 and strength shall not leave thee ! Thy (life's) spirit do we call back to thee. 16. Convulsions that draw the jaws together, darkness, shall not come upon thee, nor (the demon) that tears out the tongue (?) ! How shalt thou then waste away ? The Adityas and Vasus, Indra and Agni shall raise thee up unto well-being ! 17. The heavens, the earth, Pra^apati, have rescued thee. The plants with Soma their king have delivered thee from death. 1 8. Let this man remain right here, ye gods, let him not depart hence to yonder world ! We rescue him from death with (a charm) of thousandfold strength. 19. I have delivered thee from death. The (powers) that furnish strength shall breathe upon thee. The (mourning women) with dishevelled hair, they that wail lugubriously, shall not wail over thee ! 20. I have snatched thee (from death), I have obtained thee ; thou hast returned with renewed youth. O thou, that art (now) sound of limb, for thee sound sight, and sound life have I obtained. 21. It has shone upon thee, light has arisen, darkness has departed from thee. We remove from thee death, destruction, and disease. VIII, 2. Prayer for exemption from the dangers of death. I. Take hold of this (charm) that subjects to immortality (life), may thy life unto old age not be cut off! I bring to thee anew breath and life: go not to mist and darkness, do not waste away ! 56 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 2. Come hither to the Hght of the Hving; I rescue thee unto a Hfe of a hundred autumns ! Loosing the bands of death and imprecation, I bestow upon thee long hfe extended very far. 3. From the wind thy breath I have obtained, from the sun thine eye ; thy soul I hold fast in thee : be together with thy limbs, speak articulating with thy tongue ! 4. With the breath of two-footed and four-footed creatures I blow upon thee, as on Agni when he is born (as on fire when kindled). I have paid rever- ence, O death, to thine eye, reverence to thy breath. 5. This (man) shall live and shall not die : we rouse this man (to life) ! I make for him a remedy : 0 death, do not slay the man ! 6. The plant ^ivala (' quickening '), na-gha-risha (' forsooth-no-harm '), and ^vanti ('living'), a victo- rious, mighty saviour-plant do I invoke, that he may be exempt from injury. 7. Befriend him, do not seize him, let him go, (O death) ; though he be thy very own, let him abide here with unimpaired strength ! O Bhava and K^arva, take pity, grant protection ; misfortune drive away, and life bestow ! 8. Befriend him, death, and pity him : may he from here arise! Unharmed, with sound limbs, hearing perfectly, through old age carrying a hundred years, let him get enjoyment by himself (unaided) ! 9. The missile of the gods shall pass thee by ! 1 pass thee across the mist (of death) ; from death I have rescued thee. Removing far the flesh- devouring Agni, a barrier do I set around thee, that thou mayest live. 10. From thy misty road that cannot be withstood. II. PRAYERS FOR LONG LIFE AND HEALTH. 57 O death, from this path (of thine) we guard this (man), and make our charm a protection for him. 11. In-breathing and out-breathing do I prepare for thee, death in old age, long life, and prosperity. All the messengers of Yama, that roam about, dis- patched by Vivasvant's son, do I drive away. 12. Arati (grudge), Nirmi (destruction), Grahi (seizure), and the flesh-devouring Pi^aZ'as (do we drive) away to a distance, and hurl all wicked Rakshas away into darkness as it were. 13. I crave thy life's breath from the immortal, life-possessing Agni C'atavedas. That thou shalt not take harm, shalt be immortal in (Agni's) com- pany, that do I procure for thee, and that shall be fulfilled for thee ! 14. May heaven and earth, the bestowers of hap- piness, be auspicious and harmless to thee ; may the sun shine, and the wind blow comfort to thy heart ; may the heavenly waters, rich in milk, flow upon thee kindly! 15. May the plants be auspicious to thee! I have raised thee from the lower to the upper earth : there may both the Adityas, the sun and the moon, pro- tect thee. 16. Whatever garment for clothing, or whatever girdle thou makest for thyself, agreeable to thy body do we render it ; not rough to thy touch shall it be ! 1 7. When thou, the barber, shearest with thy sharp well-whetted razor our hair and beard, do not, while cleansing our face, rob us of our life ! 18. Rice and barley shall be auspicious to thee, causing no balasa, inflicting no injury ! They two drive away disease, they two release from calamity. 58 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 19. Whatever thou eatest or drinkest, the grain of the plough-land or milk, whatever is or is not to be eaten, all that food do I render for thee free from poison. 20. To day and to night both do we commit thee : from the demons that seek to devour, do ye preserve this (man) for me ! 21. A hundred years, ten thousand years, two, three, four ages (yuga) do we allot to thee ; Indra and Agni, and all the gods without anger shall favour thee ! 22. To autumn thee, to winter, spring and summer, do we commit ; the rains in which grow the plants shall be pleasant to thee ! 23. Death rules over bipeds, death rules over quadrupeds. From that death, the lord of cattle, do I rescue thee : do not fear ! 24. Free from harm thou shalt not die ; thou shalt not die : do not fear ! Verily, they do not die there, they do not go to the nethermost dark- ness ; — 25. Verily, every creature lives there, the cow, the horse, and man, where this charm is performed, as the (protecting) barrier for life. 26. May it preserve thee from sorcery, from thy equals and thy kin ! Undying be, immortal, exceed- ingly vital ; thy spirits shall not abandon thy body ! 27. From the one and a hundred deaths, from the dangers that are surmountable, from that Agni Vaij^vanara (the funeral pyre ?) may the gods deliver thee ! 28. Thou, the remedy called putudru, art the body of Agni, the deliverer, slayer of Rakshas, slayer of rivals, moreover thou chasest away disease. II. PRAYERS FOR I-ONG LIFE AND HEALTH. 59 V, 30. Prayer for exemption from disease and death. 1. From near thy vicinity, from near thy distance (do I call) : remain here, do not follow ; do not follow the Fathers of yore ! Firmly do I fasten thy life's breath. 2. Whatever sorcery any kinsman or stranger has practised against thee, both release and deliverance with my voice do I declare for thee. 3. If thou hast deceived or cursed a woman or a man in thy folly, both release and deliverance with my voice do I declare for thee. 4. If thou liest (ill) in consequence of a sin com- mitted by thy mother or thy father, both release and deliverance with my voice do I declare for thee. 5. Fight shy of the medicine which thy mother and thy father, thy sister and thy brother let out against thee : I shall cause thee to live unto old age! 6. Remain here, O man, with thy entire soul ; do not follow the two messengers of Yama : come to the abodes of the living ! 7. Return when called, knowing the outlet of the path (death), the ascent, the advance, the road of every living man ! 8. Fear not, thou shalt not die : I shall cause thee to live unto old age ! I have charmed away from thy limbs the disease that wastes the limbs. 9. The disease that racks and wastes thy limbs, and the sickness in thy heart, has flown as an eagle to a far distance, overcome by my charm. 60 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 10. The two sages Alert and Watchful, the sleep- less and the vigilant, these two guardians of thy life's breath, are awake both day and night. 1 1. Agni here is to be revered ; the sun shall rise here for thee : rise thou from deep death, yea from black darkness ! 12. Reverence be to Yama, reverence to death; reverence to the Fathers and to those that lead (to them) [death's messengers ?] ! That Agni who knows the way to save do I engage for this man, that he be exempt from harm ! 13. His breath shall come, his soul shall come, his sight shall come, and, too, his strength ! His body shall collect itself: then shall he stand firm upon his feet ! 14. Unite him, Agni, with breath and sight, pro- vide him with a body and with strength ! Thou hast a knowledge of immortality : let him not now depart, let him not now become a dweller in a house of clay ! 15. Thy in-breathing shall not cease, thy out- breathing shall not vanish ; Surya (the sun), the supreme lord, shall raise thee from death with his rays ! 16. This tongue (of mine), bound (in the mouth, yet) mobile, speaks within : with it I have charmed away disease, and the hundred torments of the takman (fever). 1 7. This world is most dear to the gods, uncon- quered. For whatever death thou wast destined when thou wast born, O man, that (death) and we call after thee : do not die before old age ! II. PRAYERS FOR LONG LIFE AND HEALTH. 6 1 IV, 9. Salve (a;7^ana) as a protector of life and limb. 1. Come hither! Thou art the living, protecting eye-ointment of the mountain, given by all the gods as a safeguard, unto life. 2. Thou art a protection for men, a protection for cattle, thou didst stand for the protection of horses and steeds. 3. Thou art, O salve, both a protection that crushes the sorcerers, and thou hast knowledge of immortality (amr/ta). Moreover, thou art food for the living, and thou art, too, a remedy against jaundice. 4. From him over whose every limb and every joint thou passest, O salve, thou dost, as a mighty intercepter, drive away disease. 5. Him that bears thee, O salve, neither curse, nor sorcery, nor burning pain does reach ; nor does the vishkandha come upon him. 6. From evil scheme, from troubled dream, from evil deed, and also from foulness ; from the evil eye of the enemy, from this protect us, O salve ! 7. Knowing this, O salve, I shall speak the truth, avoid falsehood. May I obtain horses and cattle, and thy person, O serving-man ! 8. Three are servants of the salve : the takman (fever), the balasa, and the serpent. The highest of the mountains, Trikakud (' Three-peaks ') by name, is thy father. 9. Since the salve of Trikakud is born upon the Himavant, it shall demolish all the wizards and all the witches. 62 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. lo. Whether thou art derived from the (mountain) Trikakud, or art said to come from the (river) Yamuna, both these names of thine are auspicious : with these, O salve, protect us ! IV, 10. The pearl and its shell as an amulet bestowing long life and prosperity. 1. Born of the wind, the atmosphere, the light- ning, and the light, may this pearl shell, born of gold, protect us from straits ! 2. With the shell which was born in the sea, at the head of bright substances, we slay the Rakshas and conquer the Atrins (devouring demons). 3. With the shell (we conquer) disease and poverty; with the shell, too, the Sadanvas. The shell is our universal remedy; the pearl shall pro- tect us from straits ! 4. Born in the heavens, born in the sea, brought on from the river (Sindhu), this shell, born of gold, is our life-prolonging amulet. 5. The amulet, born from the sea, a sun, born from Vmra (the cloud), shall on all sides protect us from the missiles of the gods and the Asuras ! 6. Thou art one of the golden substances, thou art born from Soma (the moon). Thou art sightly on the chariot, thou art brilliant on the quiver. [May it prolong our lives !] 7. The bone of the gods turned into pearl ; that, animated, dwells in the waters. That do I fasten upon thee unto life, lustre, strength, longevity, unto a life lasting a hundred autumns. May the (amulet) of pearl protect thee ! II. PRAYERS FOR LONG LIFE AND HEALTH. 63 XIX, 26. Gold as an amulet for long life. 1. The gold which is born from fire, the immortal, they bestowed upon the mortals. He who knows this deserves it ; of old age dies he who wears it. 2. The gold, (endowed by) the sun with beautiful colour, which the men of yore, rich in descendants, did desire, may it gleaming envelop thee in lustre ! Long-lived becomes he who wears it ! 3. (May it envelop) thee unto (long) life, unto lustre, unto force, and unto strength, that thou shalt by the brilliancy of the gold shine forth among people ! 4. (The gold) which king Varu/^a knows, which god Br/haspati knows, which Indra, the slayer of Vrttra., knows, may that become for thee a source of life, may that become for thee a source of lustre ! III. IMPRECATIONS AGAINST DEMONS, SORCERERS, AND ENEMIES (ABHIA'ARIKANI AND K;?7TYAPRATIHARAA^ANI). I, 7. Against sorcerers and demons. 1. The sorcerer (yatudhana) that vaunts himself, and the Kimidin do thou, O Agni, convey hither ! For thou, O god, when lauded, becomest the de- stroyer of the demon. 2. Partake of the ghee, of the sesame-oil, O Agni 6'atavedas, that standest on high, conquerest by thyself! Make the sorcerers howl ! 3. The sorcerers and the devouring (atrin) Kimi- din shall howl ! Do ye, moreover, O Agni and Indra, receive graciously this our oblation f 4. Agni shall be the first to seize them, Indra with his (strong) arms shall drive them away ! Every wizard, as soon as he comes, shall proclaim himself, saying, ' I am he ' ! 5. We would see thy might, O 6^atavedas ; dis- close to us the wizards, O thou that beholdest men ! May they all, driven forth by thy fire, disclosing themselves, come to this spot ! 6. Seize hold, O Catavedas : for our good thou wast born ! Become our messenger, O Agni, and make the sorcerers howl ! 7. Do thou, O Agni, drag hither the sorcerers, bound in shackles ; then Indra with his thunderbolt shall cut off their heads ! III. IMPRECATIONS AGAINST DEMONS, ETC. 65 I, 8. Against sorcerers and demons. 1. May this oblation carry hither the sorcerers, as a river (carries) foam ! The man or the woman who has performed this (sorcery), that person shall here proclaim himself! 2. This vaunting (sorcerer) has come hither: receive him with alacrity ! O Br/haspati, put him into subjection ; O Agni and Soma, pierce him throuo^h ! 3. Slay the offspring of the sorcerer, O soma- drinklng (Indra), and subject (him)! Make drop out the farther and the nearer eye of the braggart (demon) ! 4. Wherever, O Agni 6^atavedas, thou perceivest the brood of these hidden devourers (atrin), do thou, mightily strengthened by our charm, slay them : slay their (brood), O Agni, piercing them a hundredfold! I, 16. Charm with lead, against demons and sorcerers. 1. Against the devouring demons who, in the night of the full-moon, have arisen in throngs, may Agni, the strong, the slayer of the sorcerers, give us courapfe ! 2. To the lead Varu;^a gives blessing, to the lead Agni gives help. Indra gave me the lead : unfail- ingly it dispels sorcery. 3. This (lead) overcomes the vishkandha, this smites the devouring demons (atrin) ; with this I have overwhelmed all the brood of the Pi^a/C'as. 4. If thou slayest our cow, if our horse or our [42] F 66 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. domestic, we pierce thee with the lead, so that thou shalt not slay our heroes. VI, 2. The soma-oblation directed against demons (rakshas). 1. Press the soma, ye priests, and rinse it (for renewed pressing), in behalf of Indra who shall listen to the song of the worshipper, and to my call ! 2. Do thou, O doughty (Indra), whom the drops of soma enter as birds a tree, beat off the hostile brood of the Rakshas ! 3. Press ye the soma for Indra, the soma-drinker, who wields the thunderbolt ! A youthful victor and ruler is he, praised by many men. II, 14. Charm against a variety of female demons, conceived as hostile to men, cattle, and home. 1. Nissala, the bold, the greedy demon (? dhi- sha/^a), and (the female demon) with long-drawn howl, the bloodthirsty ; all the daughters of K^nd^., the Sadanvas do we destroy. 2. We drive you out of the stable, out of the axle (of the wagon), and the body of the wagon ; we chase you, O ye daughters of Magundi, from the house. 3. In yonder house below, there the grudging demons (arayi) shall exist ; there ruin shall prevail, and all the witches ! 4. May (Rudra), the lord of beings, and Indra, drive forth from here the Sadanvas ; those that are seated on the foundation of the house Indra shall overcome with his thunderbolt ! III. IMPRECATIONS AGAINST DEMONS, ETC. 6/ 5. Whether ye belong to (the demons) of inherited disease, whether ye have been dispatched by men, or whether ye have originated from the Dasyus (demon-like aborigines), vanish from here, O ye Sadanvas ! 6. About their dwelling-places I did swiftly course, as if on a race-course. I have won all contests with you : vanish from here, O ye Sa- danvas ! Ill, 9. Against vishkandha and kabava (hostile demons). 1. Of kari'apha and vi^-apha heaven is the father and earth the mother. As, ye gods, ye have brought on (the trouble), thus do ye again re- move it ! 2. Without fastening they (the protecting plants?) held fast, thus it has been arranged by Manu. The vishkandha do I render impotent, like one who gelds cattle. 3. A talisman tied to a reddish thread the active (seers) then do fasten on : may the fastenings render impotent the eager, fiery kabava ! 4. And since, O ye eager (demons), ye walk like gods by the wile of the Asuras, the fastening (of the amulet) is destructive to the kabava, as the ape to the dog. 5. I revile thee, the kabava, unto misfortune, (and) shall work harm for thee. Accompanied with curses ye shall go out like swift chariots ! 6. A hundred and one vishkandha are spread out along the earth ; for these at the beginning they brought out thee, the amulet, that destroys vi- shkandha. F 2 68 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. IV, 20. Charm with a certain plant (sada?;2pushpa) which exposes demons and enemies. 1. He sees here, he sees yonder, he sees in the distance, he sees — the sky, the atmosphere as well as the earth, all that, O goddess, he sees. 2. The three heavens, the three earths, and these six directions severally ; all creatures may I see through thee, O divine plant ! 3. Thou art verily the eyeball of the divine eagle ; thou didst ascend the earth as a weary woman a palanquin. 4. The thousand-eyed god shall put this plant into my right hand : with that do I see every one, the KS"udra as well as the Arya. 5. Reveal (all) forms, do not hide thy own self; moreover, do thou, O thousand-eyed (plant), look the Kimidins in the face ! 6. Reveal to me the wizards, and reveal the witches, reveal all the Pii-a/'as : for this purpose do I take hold of thee, O plant 1 7. Thou art the eye of Ka^-yapa, and the eye of the four-eyed bitch. Like the sun, moving in the bright day, make thou the Visaka. evident to me ! 8. I have dragged out from his retreat the sor- cerer and the Kimidin. Through this (charm) do I see every one, the ^'udra as well as the Arya. 9. Him that flies in the air, him that moves across the sky, him that regards the earth as his resort, that Pi^a/('a do thou reveal (to me) ! III. IMPRECATIONS AGAINST DEMONS, ETC. 69 IV, 17. Charm with the apamarga-plant, against sorcery, demons, and enemies. 1. We take hold, O victorious one, of thee, the mistress of remedies. I have made thee a thine of o thousandfold strength for every one, O plant ! 2. Her, the unfailingly victorious one, that wards off curses, that is powerful and defensive ; (her and) all the plants have I assembled, intending that she shall save us from this (trouble) ! 3. The woman who has cursed us with a curse, who has arranged dire misfortune (for us), who has taken hold of our children, to rob them of their strength — may she eat (her own) offspring ! 4. The magic spell which they have put into the unburned vessel, that which they have put into the blue and red thread, that which they have put into raw flesh, with these slay thou those that have prepared the spell ! 5. Evil dreams, troubled life, Rakshas, gruesome- ness, and grudging demons (arayi), all the evil- named, evil-speaking (powers), these do we drive out from us, 6. Death from hunger, and death from thirst, poverty in cattle, and failure of offspring, all that, O apamarga, do we wipe out (apa mr/^mahe) with thee. 7. Death from thirst, and death from hunger, moreover, ill-luck at dice, all that, O apamarga, do we wipe out with thee. 8. The apamarga is sole ruler over all plants, with it do we wipe mishap from thee : do thou then live exempt from disease ! -O HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. IV, 1 8. Charm with the apamarga-plant, against sorcerers and demons. 1. Night is like unto the sun, the (starry) night is similar to day. The truth do I engage for help: the enchantments shall be devoid of force ! 2. He, O ye gods, who prepares a spell, and carries it to the house of one that knows not (of it), upon him the spell, returning, shall fasten itself like a suckling calf upon its mother ! 3. The person that prepares evil at home, and desires with it to harm another, she is consumed by fire, and many stones fall upon her with a loud crash. 4. Bestow curses, O thou (apamarga), that hast a thousand homes, upon the (demons) vi^Ikha (' crestless '), and vigriva ('crooked-neck')! Turn back the spell upon him that has performed it, as a beloved maid (is brought) to her lover ! 5. With this plant I have put to naught all spells, those that they have put into thy field, thy cattle, and into thy domestics. 6. He that has undertaken them has not been able to accomplish them : he broke his foot, his toe. He performed a lucky act for us, but for himself an injury. 7. The apamarga-plant shall wipe out (apa marsh/u) inherited ills, and curses; yea, it shall wipe out all witches, and all grudging demons (arayi) ! 8. Having wiped out all sorcerers, and all grudg- ing demons, with thee, O apamarga, we wipe all that (evil) out. III. IMPRECATIONS AGAINST DEMONS, ETC. IV, 19. Mystic power of the apamarga-plant, against demons and sorcerers. 1. On the one hand thou deprivest of kin, on the other thou now procurest kinfolk. Do thou, more- over, cut the offspring- of him that practises spells, as a reed that springs up in the rain ! 2. By a Brahma;^a thou hast been blest, by Ka;^va, the descendant of Nr/shad. Thou o-oest like a strong army ; where thou hast arrived, O plant, there there is no fear. 3. Thou goest at the head of the plants, spread- ing lustre, as if with a light. Thou art on the one hand the protector of the weak, on the other the slayer of the Rakshas. 4. When of yore, in the beginning, the gods drove out the Asuras with thee, then. O plant, thou wast begotten as apamarga (' wiping out '). 5. Thou cuttest to pieces (vibhindatt), and hast a hundred branches; vibhindant ('cutting to pieces') is thy father's name. Do thou (turn) against, and cut to pieces (vi bhindhi) him that is hostile to- wards us ! 6. Non-being arose from the earth, that goes to heaven, (as) a great expansion. Thence, verily, that, spreading vapours, shall turn against the per- former (of spells) ! 7. Thou didst grow backward, thou hast fruit which is turned backward. Ward off from me all curses, ward off very far destructive weapons ! 8. Protect me with a hundredfold, guard me with a thousandfold (strength)! Indra, the strong, shall put strength into thee, O prince of plants ! 72 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. VII, 65. Charm with the apamarga-plant, against curses, and the consequences of sinful deeds. 1. With fruit turned backward thou verily didst grow, O apamarga : do thou drive all curses quite far away from here ! 2. The evil deeds and foul, or the sinful acts which we have committed, with thee, O apamarga, whose face is turned to every side, do we wipe them out (apa m?'?^mahe). 3. If we have sat together with one who has black teeth, or diseased nails, or one who is de- formed, with thee, O apamarga, we wipe all that out (apa mr/^mahe). X, I. Charm to repel sorceries or spells. 1. The (spell) which they skilfully prepare, as a bride for the wedding, the multiform (spell), fashioned by hand, shall go to a distance : we drive it away ! 2. The (spell) that has been brought forward by the fashioner of the spell, that is endowed with head, endowed with nose, endowed with ears, and multiform, shall go to a distance : we drive it away ! 3. (The spell) that has been prepared by a ^'lidra, prepared by a Ra^a, prepared by a woman, prepared by Brahmans, as a wife rejected by her husband, shall recoil upon her fabricator, (and) his kin ! 4. With this herb have I destroyed all spells, that which they have put into thy field, into thy cattle, and into thy men. 5. Evil be to him that prepares evil, the curse shall recoil upon him that utters curses : back do we hurl III. IMPRECATIONS AGAINST DEMONS, ETC. 73 it against him, that it may slay him that fashions the spell. 6. Prati/v'ina (' Back-hurler '), the descendant of Angiras, is our overseer and officiator (purohita) : do thou drive back again (prati/i/z) the spells, and slay yonder fashioners of the spells ! 7. He that has said to thee (the spell) : ' go on ' ! upon that enemy, that antagonist do thou turn, O spell : do not seek out us, that are harmless ! 8. He that has fitted together thy joints with skill, as the wagoner (I^zhhu) the joints of a chariot, to him go, there is thy course : this person here shall remain unknown to thee ! 9. They that have prepared thee and taken hold of thee, the cunning wizards — this is what cures it, destroys the spell, drives it back the opposite way : with it do we bathe thee. 10. Since we have come upon the wretched (spell), as upon (a cow) with a dead calf, flooded away (by a river), may all evil go away from me, and may possessions come to me ! 11. If (thy enemies) have made (offerings) to thy Fathers, or have called thy name at the sacrifice, may these herbs free thee from every indigenous evil ! 12. From the sin of the gods, and that of the fathers, from mentions of (thy) name, from (evil schemes) concocted at home, may the herbs free thee with might, through (this) charm, (and these) stanzas, (that are) the milk of the T^/shis ! 13. As the wind stirs up the dust from the earth, and the cloud from the atmosphere, thus may all misfortune, driven by my charm, go away from me! 14. Stride away (O spell), like a loudly braying 74 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. she-ass, that has been loosened (from the tether) ; reach those that have fabricated thee, driven from here by (my) forceful charm ! 15. ' This is the way, O spell,' with these words do we lead thee. Thee that hast been sent out against us do we send back again. Go this way like a crushing army, with heavy carts, thou that art multiform, and crowned by a crest (?)! 16. In the distance there is light for thee, hither- ward there is no road for thee ; away from us take thy course ! By another road cross thou ninet)' navigable streams, hard to cross! Do not injure, go away ! 17. As the wind the trees, crush down and fell (the enemy), leave them neither cow, nor horse, nor serving-man ! Turn from here upon those that have fabricated thee, O spell, awaken them to childlessness ! 18. The spell or the magic which they have burled against thee in the sacrificial straw (barhis). In the field, (or) in the burial-ground, or if with superior skill they have practised sorcery against thee, that art simple and innocent, in thy house- hold fire, — 19. The hostile, insidious instrument which they have brought hither has been discovered ; that which has been dug In we have detected. It shall go whence It has been brought hither ; there, like a horse, it shall disport itself, and slay the offspring of him that has fashioned the spell ! 20. Swords of good brass are in our house : we know how many joints thou hast, O spell ! Be sure to rise, go away from hence ! O stranger, what seekest thou here ? III. IMPRECATIONS AGAINST DEMONS, ETC. 75 2 1. I shall hew off, O spell, thy neck, and thy feet : run away ! May Indra and Agni, to whom belong the children (of men), protect us ! 22. King Soma, who guards and pities us, and the lords of the beings shall take pity on us ! 23. May Bhava and ^'arva cast the lightning, the divine missile, upon him that performs evil, fashions a spell, and does wrong ! 24. If thou art come two-footed, (or) four-footed, prepared by the fashioner of the spell, multiform, do thou, having become eight-footed, again go away from here, O misfortune ! 25. Anointed, ornamented, and well equipped, go away, carr) ing every misfortune ! Know, O spell, thy maker, as a daughter her own father ! 26. Go away, O spell, do not stand still, track (the enemy) as a wounded (animal) ! He is the game, thou the hunter : he is not able to put thee down. 27. Him that first hurls (the arrow), the other, laying on in defence, slays with the arrow, and while the first deals the blow, the other returns the blow. 28. Hear, verily, this speech of mine, and then return whence thou earnest, against the one that fashioned thee ! 29. Slaughter of an innocent is heinous, O spell : do not slay our cow, horse, or serving-man! Wherever thou hast been put down, thence thee do we remove. Be lighter than a leaf! 30. If ye are enveloped in darkness, covered as if by a net — we tear all spells out from here, send them back again to him that fashioned them. 31. The offspring of them that fashion the spell, practise magic, or plot against us, crush thou, O spell, 76 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. leave none of them ! Slay those that fashion the spell ! 32. As the sun is released from darkness, abandons the night, and the streaks of the dawn, thus every misery, (every) device prepared by the fashioner of the spell, (every) misfortune, do I leave behind, as an elephant the dust. V, 31. Charm to repel sorceries or spells. 1. The spell which they have put for thee into an unburned vessel, that which they have put into mixed grain, that which they have put into raw meat, that do I hurl back again. 2. The spell which they have put for thee into a cock, or that which (they have put) into a goat, into a crested animal, that which they have put into a sheep, that do I hurl back again. 3. The spell which they have put for thee into solipeds, into animals with teeth on both sides, that which they have put into an ass, that do I hurl back again. 4. The magic which they have put for thee into moveable property, or into personal possession, the spell which they have put into the field, that do I hurl back again. 5. The spell which evil-scheming persons have put for thee into the garhapatya-fire, or into the house- fire, that which they have put into the house, that do I hurl back again. 6. The spell which they have put for thee into the assembly-hall, that which (they have put) into the gaming-place, that which they have put into the dice, that do I hurl back again. III. IMPRECATIONS AGAINST DEMONS, ETC. ']'] 7. The spell which they have put for thee into the army, that which they have put into the arrow and the weapon, that which they have put into the drum, that do I hurl back ag-ain. 8. The spell which they have placed down for thee in the well, or have buried in the burial-ground, that which they have put into (thy) home, that do I hurl back again. 9. That which they have put for thee into human bones, that which (they have put) into the funeral fire, to the consuming, burning, flesh-eating fire do I hurl that back again. 10. By an unbeaten path he has brought it (the spell) hither, by a (beaten) path we drive it out from here. The fool in his folly has prepared (the spell) against those that are surely wise. 11. He that has undertaken it has not been able to accomplish it : he broke his foot, his toe. He, luckless, performed an auspicious act for us, that are lucky. 12. Him that fashions spells, practises magic, digs after roots, sends out curses, Indra shall slay with his mighty weapon, Agni shall pierce with his hurled (arrow) ! V, 14. Charm to repel sorceries or spells. 1. An eagle found thee out, a boar dug thee out with his snout. Seek thou, O plant, to injure him that seeks to injure (us), strike down him that pre- pares spells (against us) ! 2. Strike down the wizards, strike down him that prepares spells (against us) ; slay thou, moreover, O plant, him that seeks to injure us! 78 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 3. Cutting out from the skin (of the enemy) as if (from the skin) of an antelope, do ye, O gods, fasten the spell upon him that prepares it, as (one fastens) an ornament ! 4. Take hold by the hand and lead away the spell back to him that prepares it ! Place it in his very presence, so that it shall slay him that prepares the spell ! 5. The spells shall take effect upon him that prepares the spells, the curse upon him that pro- nounces the curse ! As a chariot with easy-going wheels, the spell shall turn back upon him that prepares the spell ! 6. Whether a woman, or whether a man has pre- pared the spell for evil, we lead that spell to him as a horse with the halter. 7. Whether thou hast been prepared by the gods, or hast been prepared by men, we lead thee back with the help of Indra as an ally. 8. O Agni, gainer of battles, do thou gain the batdes ! With a counter-charm do we hurl back the spell upon him that prepares the spell. 9. Hold ready, (O plant,) thy weapon, and strike him, slay the very one that has prepared (the spell) ! We do not whet thee for the destruction of him that has not practised (spells). 10. Go as a son to his father, bite like an adder that has been stepped upon. Return thou, O spell, to him that prepares the spell, as one who over- comes his fetters ! 11. As the shy deer, the antelope, goes out to the mating (buck), thus the spell shall reach him that prepares it! 12. Straighter than an arrow may it (the spell) fly III. IMPRECATIONS AGAINST DEMONS, ETC. 70 against him, O ye heaven and earth ; may that spell take hold again of him that prepares it, as (a hunter) of his rame ! 13. Like fire (the spell) shall progress in the teeth of obstacles, like water along its course ! As a chariot with easy-going wheels the spell shall turn back upon him that prepares the spell ! VIII, 5. Prayer for protection addressed to a talis- man made from wood of the sraktya-tree. 1. This attacking talisman, (itself) a man, is fastened upon the man : it is full of force, slays enemies, makes heroes of men, furnishes shelter, provides good luck, 2. This talisman slays enemies, makes strong men, is powerful, lusty, victorious, strong ; as a man it advances against sorceries and destroys them. 3. With this talisman Indra slew Vmra, with it he, full of device, destroyed the Asuras, with it he conquered both the heaven and earth, with it he conquered the four regions of space. 4. This talisman of sraktya assails and attacks. With might controlling the enemies, it shall protect us on all sides ! 5. Agni has said this, and Soma has said this ; Brzhaspati, Savitar, Indra (have said) this. These divine purohitas (chaplains) shall turn back for me (upon the sorcerer) the sorceries with ao-oressive amulets ! 6. I have interposed heaven and earth, also the day, and also the sun. These divine purohitas (chaplains) shall turn back for me (upon the sorcerer) the sorceries with agorressive amulets ! 8o HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 7. (For) the folk that make an armour of the tahsman of sraktya — like the sun ascending the sky, it subjects and beats off the sorceries. 8. With the amulet of sraktya, as if with a seer of powerful spirit, I have gained all battles, I slay the enemies, the Rakshas. 9. The sorceries that come from the Ahgiras, the sorceries that come from the Asuras, the sorceries that prepare themselves, and those that are prepared by others, both these shall go away to a distance across ninety navigable streams ! 10. As an armour upon him the gods shall tie the amulet, Indra, Vish;^u, Savitar, Rudra, Agni, Pra^a- pati, Paramesh/Z/in, Vira^, Vaii'vanara, and the seers all. 11. Thou art the most superb of plants, as if a steer among the cattle, as if a tiger among beasts of prey. (The amulet) that we did seek, that have we found, a guardian at our side. 12. He that wears this talisman, verily is a tiger, a lion as well, and, too, a bull ; moreover a curtailer of enemies. 13. Him slay not the Apsaras, nor the Gan- dharvas, nor mortal men ; all regions does he rule, that wears this talisman. 14. Ka.Tyapa has created thee, Kai"yapa has pro- duced thee. Indra wore thee in human (battle) ; wearing thee in the close combat he conquered. The orods did make the talisman an armour of thousandfold strength. 15. He that plans to harm thee with sorceries, wM*th (unholy) consecrations and sacrifices — him beat thou back, O Indra, with thy thunderbolt that hath a hundred joints ! 16. This talisman verily does assail, full of might. III. IMPRECATIONS AGAINST DEMONS, ETC. 8 1 victorious. Offspring and wealth it shall protect, provide defence, abound in luck! 1 7. Remove our enemies in the south, remove our enemies in the north ; remove, O Indra, our enemies in the west : light, O hero, place in front (east) of us ! 18. An armour for me be heaven and earth, an armour day, an armour the sun ! An armour for me be Indra and Agni ; Dhatar shall bestow (dadhatu) an armour upon me ! 19. The armour of Indra and Agni, that is thick and strong, all the gods united do not pierce. This great (armour) shall protect my body on all sides, that I may obtain long life, and reach old age ! 20. The divine talisman has ascended upon me unto complete exemption from injury. Assemble about this post that protects the body, furnishes threefold defence, in order to (secure) strength ! 21. Into it Indra shall deposit manliness: do ye, O gods, assemble about it for long life, for life lasting a hundred autumns, that he may reach old age. 22. May Indra who bestows welfare, the lord of the people, the slayer of Vr/tra, the controller of enemies, he that conquereth and is unconquered, the soma-drinking bull that frees from danger, fasten the amulet upon thee : may it protect thee on each and every side, by day and by night ! X, 3. Praise of the virtues of an amulet derived from the vara/za-tree. I. Here is my vara;m-amulet, a bull that destroys the rivals : with it do thou close in upon thy enemies, crush them that desire to injure thee ! [42] G 82 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 2. Break them, crush them, close in upon them : the amulet shall be thy van-guard in front ! With the vara;^a the Devas (gods) did ward off (avara- yanta) the onslaught of the Asuras (demons) day after day. 3. This thousand-eyed, yellow, golden varaua.- amulet is a universal cure ; it shall lay low thy enemies : be thou the first to injure those that hate thee ! 4. This vara7^a will ward off (varayishyate) the spell that has been spread against thee ; this will protect thee from human danger, this will protect thee from all evil ! 5. This divine tree, the vara;^a, shall shut out (varayatai) ! The gods, too, have shut out (avivaran) the disease that has entered into this (man). 6. If when asleep thou shalt behold an evil dream ; as often as a wild beast shall run an inauspicious course; from (ominous) sneezing, and from the evil shriek of a bird, this vara?^a-amulet will protect thee (varayishyate). 7. From Arati (grudge), Nirr/ti (misfortune), from sorcery, and from danger; from death and over- strong weapons the vara;^a will protect thee. 8. The sin that my mother, that my father, that my brothers and my sister have committed ; the sin that we (ourselves) have committed, from that this divine tree will protect us. 9. Through the vara^^a are confused my enemies and my (rival) kin. To untraversed gloom they have gone : they shall go to the nethermost darkness ! 10. (May) I (be) unharmed, with cows unharmed, lono--lived, with undiminished men ! This vara;/a- amulet shall guard me in every region (of space) ! III. IMPRECATIONS AGAINST DEMONS, ETC. 83 11. This va.r3.n2L upon my breast, the kingly, divine tree, shall smite asunder my enemies, as Indra the Dasyus, the Asuras (demons) ! 12. Long-lived, a hundred autumns old, do I wear this vara;^a : kingdom and rule, cattle and strength, this shall bestow upon me ! 13. As the wind breaks with might the trees, the lords of the forest, thus do thou break my rivals, those formerly born, and the latter born ! The vara^^a shall watch over thee ! 14. As the wind and the fire consume the trees, the lords of the forest, thus do thou consume my rivals, those formerly born, and the latter born ! The vara;/a shall watch over thee ! 15. As, ruined by the wind, the trees lie prostrate, thus do thou ruin and prostrate my rivals, those formerly born, and the latter born ! The vara?^a shall watch over thee ! 16. Do thou cut off, O vara/^a, before their appointed time and before old age, those that aim to injure him in his cattle, and threaten his sove- reignty ! 17. As the sun is resplendent, as in him brilliance has been deposited, thus shall the amulet of vara/^a hold fast for me reputation and prosperity, shall sprinkle me with brilliance, and anoint me with splendour ! 18. As splendour is in the moon, and in the sun, the beholder of men, thus shall the amulet of vara/za hold fast, &c. 19. As splendour is in the earth, as in this 6"ata- vedas (the fire), thus shall the amulet of vara;^a hold fast, &c. 20. As splendour is in the maiden, as in this G 2 84 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. appointed chariot, thus shall the amulet of vara;za hold fast, &c. 21. As splendour is in the soma-draught, as splen- dour is in the honey-mixture (for guests), thus shall the amulet of vara;^a hold fast, &c. 22. As splendour is in the agnihotra-oblation, as splendour is in the call vasha/, thus shall the amulet of vara;^a hold fast, &c. 23. As splendour is in the sacrificer, as (splendour) has been deposited in the sacrifice, thus shall the amulet of vara?2a hold fast, &c. 24. As splendour is in Pra^apati, as in this Para- mesh//zin (the lord on high), thus shall the amulet of vara/ea hold fast, &c. 25. As immortality is in the gods, as truth has been deposited in them, thus shall the amulet of vara;^a hold fast, &c. X, 6. Praise of the virtues of amulet of khadira- wood in the shape of a ploughshare. 1. The head of the hostile rival, of the enemy that hates me, do I cut off with might. 2. This amulet, produced by the ploughshare, will prepare an armour for me : full of stirred drink it has come to me, together with sap and lustre, . 3. If the skilful workman has injured thee with his hand or with his knife, the living bright waters shall purify thee from that, (so that thou shalt be) bright ! 4. This amulet has a golden wreath, bestows faith and sacrifice and might ; in our house as a guest it shall dwell ! 5. Before it (the amulet as a guest) ghee, sura III. IMPRECATIONS AGAINST DEMONS, ETC. 85 (liquor), honey, and every kind of food we place. The amulet having gone to the gods shall, as a father for his sons, plan for us ei"owine eood more and more day after day ! 6. The amulet which Br/haspati tied, the plough- share dripping with ghee, the strong khadira, unto strength, that Agni did fasten on ; that yields him ghee more and more day after day : with it those that hate me do thou slay ! 7. This amulet which Brzhaspati tied . . . that Indra did fasten on, for strength and heroism ; that yields him might more and more, &c. 8. The amulet which Br/haspati tied . . . that Soma did fasten on unto perfect hearing and seeing ; that verily yields him lustre more and more, &c. 9. The amulet which B/Vhaspati tied . . . that Surya did fasten on, with that he conquered these directions of space ; that yields him prosperity more and more, &c. 10. The amulet which Br/haspati tied . . . wear- ing that amulet A'andramas (the moon) conquered the golden cities of the Asuras and the Danavas ; that yields him fortune more and more, &c. 11. The amulet which Br/haspati tied for swift Vata (wind), that yields him strength more and more, &c. 12. The amulet which Br/haspati tied for swift Vata, with that amulet, O A^vins, do ye guard this plough-land ; that yields the two physicians (the Ai-vins) might more and more, &c. 13. The amulet which Br/haspati tied for swift Vata, wearing that, Savitar through it conquered this light ; that yields him abundance more and more, &c. 86 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 14. The amulet which Brzhaspati tied for swift Vata, wearing that, the waters ever run undimin- ished ; that verily yields them ambrosia more and more, &c. 15. The amulet which BWhaspatI tied for swift Vata, that comforting amulet king Varu/^a did fasten on ; that verily yields him truth more and more, &c. 16. The amulet which Br/haspati tied for swift Vata, wearing that the gods did conquer all the worlds in battle ; that verily yields them conquest more and more, &c. 17. The amulet which Br/haspati tied for swift Vata, that comforting amulet the divinities did fasten on ; that verily yields them all more and more, &c. 18. The seasons did fasten it on; the divisions (of the year) did fasten it on. Since the year did fasten it on, it guards every being. 19. The intermediate directions did fasten it on; the directions did fasten it on. The amulet created by Pra^apati has subjected those that hate me. 20. The Atharvans did tie it on, the descendants of the Atharvans did tie it on ; with these allied, the Angiras cleft the castles of the Dasyus. With it those that hate me do thou slay ! 21. That Dhatar did fasten on : (then) he shaped the being. With it those that hate me do thou slay ! 22. The amulet which Brzhaspati tied for the gods, destructive of the Asuras, that has come to me together with sap and lustre. 23. The amulet . . . has come to me together with cows, goats, and sheep, together with food and offspring. III. IMPRECATIONS AGAINST DEMONS, ETC. 87 24. The amulet . . . has come to me together with rice and barley, together with might and pros- perity. 25. The amulet . . . has come to me with a stream of honey and ghee together with sweet drink. 26. The amulet . . . has come to me together with nourishment and milk, together with goods and fortune. 27. The amulet . . . has come to me together with brilliance and strength, together with glory and reputation. 28. The amulet . . . has come to me together with all kinds of prosperity. 29. This amulet the gods shall give me unto prosperity, the mighty amulet that strengthens sovereignty and injures the rivals ! 30. An (amulet) auspicious for me thou shalt fasten upon (me), together with brahma (spiritual exaltation) and brilliance ! Free from rivals, slaying rivals, it has subjected my rivals. 31. This god-born amulet, the sap milked from which these three worlds revere, shall render me superior to him that hates me ; it shall ascend upon my head unto excellence ! 32. The amulet upon which the gods, the Fathers, and men ever live, shall ascend upon my head unto excellence ! 33. As the seed grows in the field, in the furrow drawn by the ploughshare, thus in me offspring, cattle, and every kind of food shall grow up ! 34. Upon whom, O thou amulet that prosperest the sacrifice, I have fastened thee (that art) propitious. him, O amulet, that yieldest a hundredfold sacrificial reward, thou shalt inspire unto excellence ! 88 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 35. This fire-wood that has been laid on together with the oblations do thou, Agni, gladly accept : may we in this kindled 6^atavedas (fire), through (this) charm, find favour, well-being, offspring, sight, and cattle ! IV, 16. Prayer to Varu;ea for protection against treacherous designs. 1. The great guardian among these (gods) sees as if from anear. He that thinketh he is movine stealthily — all this the gods know. 2. If a man stands, walks, or sneaks about, if he goes slinking away, if he goes into his hiding-place ; if two persons sit together and scheme, king Varu/za is there as a third, and knows it. 3. Both this earth here belongs to king Varu;^a, and also yonder broad sky whose boundaries are far away. Moreover these two oceans are the loins of Varu;^a ; yea, he is hidden in this small (drop of) water. 4. He that should flee beyond the heaven far away would not be free from king Varu/za. His spies come hither (to the earth) from heaven, with a thousand eyes do they watch over the earth. 5. King Varu;m sees through all that is between heaven and earth, and all that is beyond. He has counted the winkings of men's eyes. As a (winning) gamester puts down his dice, thus does he establish these (laws). 6. May all thy fateful toils which, seven by seven, threefold, lie spread out, ensnare him that speaks falsehood : him that speaks the truth they shall let go ! III. IMPRECATIONS AGAINST DEMONS, ETC. 89 7. With a hundred snares, O Varu//a, surround him, let the h'ar not go free from thee, O thou that observest men ! The rogue shall sit, his belly hanging loose, like a cask without hoops, bursting- all about ! 8. With (the snare of) Varujia which is fastened lengthwise, and that which (is fastened) broadwise, with the indigenous and the foreign, with the divine and the human, — 9. With all these snares do I fetter thee, O N. N., descended from N. N., the son of the woman N. N.: all these do I design for thee. II, 12. Imprecation against enemies thwarting holy work. 1. Heaven and earth, the broad atmosphere, the goddess of the field, and the wonderful, far-striding (Vish;m) ; moreover, the broad atmosphere guarded by Vata (the wind) : may these here be inflamed, when I am inflamed ! 2. Hear this, O ye revered gods ! Let Bharad- va^a recite for me songs of praise ! May he who injures this our plan be bound in the fetter (of disease) and joined to misfortune ! 3. Hear, O soma-drinking Indra, what with burning heart I shout to thee ! I cleave, as one cleaves a tree with an axe, him that injures this our plan. 4. With (the aid of) thrice eighty saman-singers, with (the aid of) the Adityas, Vasus, and Ahgiras — may our father's sacrifices and gifts to the priests aid us — do I seize this one with fateful fervour. 5. May heaven and earth look after me, may all the gods support me ! O ye Aiigiras, O ye fathers 90 HYMxNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. devoted to Soma, may he who does harm enter into misfortune ! 6. He who perchance despises us, O ye Maruts, he who abuses the holy practice which is being performed by us, may his evil deeds be firebrands to him, may the heavens surround with fire the hater of holy practices ! 7. Thy seven in-breathings and thy eight mar- rows, these do I cut for thee by means of my charm. Thou shalt go to the seat of Yama, fitly prepared, with Agni as thy guide ! 8. I set thy footstep upon the kindled fire. May Agni surround thy body, may thy voice enter into breath ! VII, 70. Frustration of the sacrifice of an enemy. 1. Whenever yonder person in his thought, and with his speech, offers sacrifice accompanied by oblations and benedictions, may Nirr/ti (the goddess of destruction), allying herself with death, smite his offering before it takes effect ! 2. May sorcerers, Nirmi, as well as Rakshas, mar his true work with error ! May the gods, despatched by Indra, scatter (churn) his sacrificial butter; may that which yonder person offers not succeed ! 3. The two agile supreme rulers, like two eagles pouncing down, shall strike the sacrificial butter of the enemy, whosoever plans evil against us ! 4. Back do I tie both thy two arms, thy mouth I shut. With the fury of god Agni have I destroyed thy oblation, 5. I tie thy two arms, I shut thy mouth. With the fury of terrible Agni have I destroyed thy oblation. III. IMPRECATIONS AGAINST DEMONS, ETC. 9 1 II, 7. Charm against curses and hostile plots, undertaken with a certain plant. 1. The god-begotten plant, hated by the wicked, which wipes away the curses (of the enemies), like water a foul spot it has washed away all curses from me. 2. The curse of the rival and the curse of the kinswoman, the curse which the Brahman shall utter in wrath, all that (do thou put) under our feet ! 3. From heaven her root is suspended, from the earth it rises up ; with her that has a thousand shoots do thou protect us on all sides ! 4. Protect me, protect my offspring, protect our goods ; let not ill-will overcome us, let not hostile schemes overcome us ! 5. The curse shall go to the curser ; joint pos- session shall we have with the friend. Of the enemy who bewitches with (his) eye we hew off the ribs. Ill, 6. The a^vattha-tree as a destroyer of enemies. 1. A male has sprung from a male, the a.«rvattha (ficus religiosa) from the khadira (acacia catechu). May this slay my enemies, those whom I hate and those who hate me ! 2. Crush the enemies, as they rush on, O a^vattha, 'displacer,' allied with Indra, the slayer of Vr/'tra, (allied) with Mitra and Varu;^a ! 3. As thou didst break forth, O a^vattha, into the great flood (of the air), thus do thou break up all those whom I hate and those who hate me ! 4. Thou that goest conquering as a conquering 92 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. bull, with thee here, O a^vattha, may we conquer our rivals ! 5. May Nirr/ti (the goddess of destruction), O ai-vattha, bind in the toils of death that cannot be loosened those enemies of mine whom I hate and who hate me ! 6. As thou climbest up the trees, O a^-vattha, and renderest them subordinate, thus do thou split in two the head of my enemy, and overcome him ! 7. They (the enemies) shall float down like a ship cut loose from its moorings ! There is no returning again for those that have been driven out by the ' displacer.' 8. I drive them out with my mind, drive them out with my thought, and also with my incantation. We drive them out with a branch of the ai^vattha- tree. VI, 75. Oblation for the suppression of enemies (nairbadhya?;^ h.a.v'1/1). 1. Forth from his home do I drive that person yonder, who as a rival contends with us : through the oblation devoted to suppression Indra has broken him to pieces. 2. Indra, the slayer of Vr/tra, shall drive him to the remotest distance, from which in all successive years he shall not again return ! 3. He shall go to the three distances, he shall go beyond the five peoples ; he shall go beyond the three ethers, whence he shall not aeain in all successive years return, while the sun is upon the heavens ! III. IMPRECATIONS AGAINST DEMONS, ETC. 93 VI, ;^j. Curse against one that practises hostile charms. 1. The thousand-eyed curse having- yoked his chariot has come hither, seeking out him that curses me, as a wolf the house of him that owns sheep. 2. Avoid us, O curse, as a burning fire (avoids) a lake ! Strike here him that curses us, as the lightning of heaven the tree ! 3. He that shall curse us when we do not curse, and he that shall curse us when we do curse, him do I hurl to death as a bone to a dog upon the ground. VII, 13. Charm to deprive enemies of their strength. 1. As the rising sun takes away the lustre of the stars, thus do I take away the strength of both the women and the men that hate me. 2. As many enemies as ye are, looking out against me, as I come on — of those that hate me do I take away the strength, as the sun takes away the strength of persons asleep (while it rises). IV. CHARMS PERTAINING TO WOMEN (STRIKARMAM). II, 36, Charm to obtain a husband. 1. May, O Agni, a suitor after our own heart come to us, may he come to this maiden with our fortune ! May she, agreeable to suitors, charming at festivals, promptly obtain happiness through a husband ! 2. Agreeable to Soma, agreeable to Brahma, arranged by Aryaman, with the unfailing certainty of god Dhatar, do I bestow upon thee good fortune, the acquisition of a husband. 3. This woman shall obtain a husband, since king Soma makes her lovely ! May she, begetting sons, become a queen ; may she, going to her husband, shine in loveliness ! 4. As this comfortable cave, O Maghavan (Indra), furnishing a safe abode, hath become pleasing to ani- mals, thus may this woman be a favourite of fortune (Bhaga), beloved, not at odds with her husband ! 5. Do thou ascend the full, inexhaustible ship of Bhaga (fortune) ; upon this bring hither the suitor who shall be agreeable (to thee) ! 6. Bring hither by thy shouts, O lord of wealth, the suitor, bend his mind towards her; turn thou the right side of every agreeable suitor towards (her) ! 7. This gold and bdellium, this balsam, and IV. CHARMS PERTAINING TO WOMEN. 95 Bhaga (fortune), too ; these have prepared thee for husbands, that thou mayest obtain the one that is agreeable. 8. Hither to thee Savitar shall lead the husband that is agreeable ! Do thou, O herb, bestow (him) upon her ! VI, 60. Charm for obtaining a husband. 1. This Aryaman (wooer) with loosened crest of hair comes hither in front (of the procession), seeking a husband for this spinster, and a wife for this wifeless man. 2. This maid, O Aryaman, has wearied of o-oino- to the wedding-feasts of other women. Now shall, without fail, O Aryaman, other women go to her weddinof-feast ! 3. Dhatar (the creator) supports (dadhara) this earth, Dhatar supports the heavens, and the sun. May Dhatar furnish this spinster with a husband after her own heart ! VI, 82. Charm for obtaining a wife. 1. I call the name of him that comes here, that hath come here, and is arriving ; I crave (the name) of Indra, Vmra's slayer, the Vasava of hundred- fold strenoth. 2. The road by which the A.cvins carried away as a bride Surya, Savitar's daughter, 'by that road,' Bhaga (fortune) told me, 'thou shalt bring here a wife ' ! 3. With thy wealth-procuring, great, golden hook, O Indra, husband of SslM, procure a wife for me that desireth a wife ! 96 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. VI, 78. Blessing for a married couple. 1. Through this oblation, that causes prosperity, may this man flourish anew ; may he excel the wife that they have brought to him with his sap ! 2. May he excel in strength, excel in royalty ! May this couple be inexhaustible in wealth that bestows thousandfold lustre ! 3. Tvash/ar begot (for thee) a wife, Tvash/ar for her begot thee as a husband. May Tvash^'ar bestow upon you two a thousand lives, may he bestow upon you long life ! VII, 36. Love-charm spoken by a bridal couple. The eyes of us two shine like honey, our foreheads gleam like ointment. Place me within thy heart ; may one mind be in common to us both ! VII, 37. Charm pronounced by the bride over the bridegroom. I envelope thee in my garment that was produced by Manu (the first man), that thou shalt be mine alone, shalt not even discourse of other women ! VI, 81. A bracelet as an amulet to ensure conception. 1. A holder art thou, boldest both hands, drivest off the Rakshas. An acquirer of offspring and wealth this bracelet hath become ! 2. O bracelet, open up the womb, that the embryo be put (into it) ! Do thou, O limit (-setting bracelet), IV. CHARMS PERTAINING TO WOMEN. 97 furnish a son, bring him here (a gamaya), thou that comest here (agame) ! 3. The bracelet that Aditi wore, when she desired a son, Tvash/ar shall fasten upon this woman, intend- ing that she shall beget a son. Ill, 23. Charm for obtaining a son (pu;;2savanam). 1. That which has caused thee to miscarry do we drive away from thee, that very thing do we deposit outside of thee, away in a far place. 2. Into thy womb shall enter a male germ, as an arrow into a quiver ! May a man be born there, a son ten months old ! 3. A male son do thou produce, and after him a male shall be born ! Thou shalt be the mother of sons, of those who are born, and those whom thou shalt bear ! 4. By the effective seed which bulls put forth do thou obtain a son ; be a fruitful milch-cow ! 5. Pra^apati's (the lord of creatures) work do I perform for thee : may the germ enter into thy womb ! Obtain thou, woman, a son who shall bring prosperity to thee, and bring thou prosperity to him! 6. The plants whose father was the sky, whose mother the earth, whose root the (heavenly) ocean — may those divine herbs aid thee in obtaining a son ! VI, II. Charm for obtaining a son (pu7;2savanam). I. The aivattha (ficus religiosa) has mounted the i-ami (mimosa suma) : then a male child was pro- duced. That, forsooth, is the way to obtain a son ; that do we bring to (our) wives. [4-^] II gS HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 2. In the male, forsooth, seed doth grow, that is poured into the female. That, forsooth, is the way to obtain a son ; that has been told by Pra^apati. 3. Pra^apati, Anumati, and Sinivali have fashioned him. May he (Pra^apati) elsewhere afford the birth of a female, but here he shall bestow a man ! VII, 35. An incantation to make a woman sterile. 1. The other enemies conquer with might; beat back, O C'atavedas, those that are not yet born! Enrich this kingdom unto happiness, may all the gods acclaim this man ! 2. Of these hundred entrails of thine, as well as of the thousand canals, of all these have I closed the openings with a stone. 3. The upper part of the womb do I place below, there shall come to thee neither offspring nor birth ! I render thee sterile and devoid of offspring ; a stone do I make into a cover for thee. VI, 17. Charm to prevent miscarriage. 1. As this great earth conceives the germs of the beings, thus shall thy embryo be held fast, to produce a child after pregnancy! 2. As this great earth holds these trees, thus shall thy embryo be held fast, to produce a child after pregnancy ! ^. As this efeat earth holds the mountains and the peaks, thus shall thy embryo be held fast, to produce a child after pregnancy ! 4. As this great earth holds the animals scattered IV. CHARMS PERTAINING TO WOMEN. 99 far, thus shall thy embryo be held fast, to produce a child after pregnancy ! I, II. Charm for easy parturition, 1. Aryaman as active hotar-priest shall utter for thee the vasha/-call at this (soma-) pressing, O Pushan ! May (this) woman, (herself) begotten in the proper way, be delivered, may her joints relax, that she shall bring; forth ! 2. Four directions has the heaven, and also four the earth : (from these) the gods created the embryo. May they open her, that she shall bring forth ! 3. May Sushan open : her womb do we cause to gape. Do thou, O Susha//a, loosen the womb, do thou, O Bishkala, let go (the embryo) ! 4. Attached not at all to the flesh, nor to the fat, not at all to the marrow, may the splotched, moist, placenta come down to be eaten by a dog ! May the placenta fall down ! 5. I split open thy vagina, thy womb, thy canals ; I separate the mother and the son, the child along with the placenta. May the placenta fall down ! 6. As flies the wind, as flies the mind, as fly the winged birds, so do thou, O embryo, ten months old, fall along with the placenta ! May the placenta fall down ! I, 34. Charm with licorice, to secure the love of a woman. 1. This plant is born of honey, with honey do we dig for thee. Of honey thou art begotten, do thou make us full of honey ! 2. At the tip of my tongue may I have honey, at my tongue's root the sweetness of honey ! In my H 2 lOO HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. power alone shalt thou then be, thou shalt come up to my wish ! 3. Sweet as honey Is my entrance, sweet as honey my departure. With my voice do I speak sweet as honey, may I become Hke honey ! 4. I am sweeter than honey, fuller of sweetness than licorice. Mayest thou, without fail, long for me alone, (as a bee) for a branch full of honey ! 5. I have surrounded thee with a clinging sugar- cane, to remove aversion, so that thou shalt not be averse to me ! II, 30. Charm to secure the love of a woman. 1. As the wind tears this grass from the surface of the earth, thus do I tear thy soul, so that thou, woman, shalt love, shalt not be averse to me ! 2. If ye, O two A^vins, shall unite and bring together the loving pair — united are the fortunes of both of you (lovers), united the thoughts, united the purposes ! 3. When birds desire to chirp, lustily desire to chirp, may my call go there, as an arrow-point upon the shaft ! 4. What is within shall be without, what is with- out shall be within ! Take captive, O herb, the soul of the maidens endowed with every charm ! 5. Longing for a husband this woman hath come, I have come longing for a wife. As a loudly neigh- ing horse I have attained to my good fortune ! VI, 8. Charm to secure the love of a woman. I. As the creeper embraces the tree on all sides, thus do thou embrace me, so that thou, woman. IV. CHARMS PERTAINING TO WOMEN. 1 01 shalt love me, so that thou shalt not be averse to me ! 2. As the eagle when he flies forth presses his wings against the earth, thus do I fasten down thy mind, so that thou, woman, shalt love me, so that thou shalt not be averse to me. 3. As the sun day by day goes about this heaven and earth, thus do I go about thy mind, so that thou, woman, shalt love me, so that thou shalt not be averse to me. VI, 9. Charm to secure the love of a woman. 1. Hanker thou after my body, my feet, hanker after my eyes, my thighs ! The eyes of thee, as thou lustest after me, and thy hair shall be parched with love ! 2. I make thee cling to my arm, cling to my heart, so that thou shalt be in my power, shalt come up to my wish ! 3. The cows, the mothers of the ghee, who lick their young, in whose heart love is planted, shall make yonder woman bestow love upon me ! VI, 102. Charm to secure the love of a woman. 1. As this draught animal, O ye A^vins, comes on, and proceeds, thus may thy soul come on, and proceed to me ! 2. I draw to myself thy mind, as the leading stallion the female side-horse. As the stalk of grass torn by the wind, thus shall thy mind fasten itself upon me ! 3. A coaxing mixture of salve, of sweet wood, of kush//^a, and of spikenard, do I deftly pick out wath the hands of Bhaga (good fortune). I02 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Ill, 25. Charm to arouse the passionate love of a woman. 1. May (love), the disquieter, disquiet thee; do not hold out upon thy bed ! With the terrible arrow of Kama (love) do I pierce thee in the heart. 2. The arrow, winged with longing, barbed with love, whose shaft is undeviating desire, with that, well-aimed, Kama shall pierce thee in the heart ! 3. With that well-aimed arrow of Kama which parches the spleen, whose plume flies forward, which burns up, do I pierce thee in the heart. 4. Consumed by burning ardour, with parched mouth, do thou (woman) come to me, pliant, (thy) pride laid aside, mine alone, speaking sweetly and to me devoted ! 5. I drive thee with a goad from thy mother and thy father, so that thou shalt be in my power, shalt come up to my wish. 6. All her thoughts do ye, O Mitra and Varu;ia, drive out of her ! Then, having deprived her of her will, put her into my power alone ! VI, 139. Charm to arouse the passionate love of a woman. 1. Clinging to the ground thou didst grow, (O plant), that producest bliss for me ; a hundred branches extend from thee, three and thirty grow down from thee : with this plant of a thousand leaves thy heart do I parch. 2. Thy heart shall parch (with love) for me, and thy mouth shall parch (with love for me) ! Languish,, IV. CHARMS PERTAINING TO WOMEN. IO3 moreover, with love for me, with parched mouth pass thy days ! 3. Thou that causest affection, kindlest (love), brown, lovely (plant), draw (us) together; draw together yonder woman and myself, our hearts make the same ! 4. As the mouth of him that hath not drunk dries up, thus languish thou with love for me, with parched mouth pass thy days ! 5. As the ichneumon tears the serpent, and joins him together again, thus, O potent (plant), join together what hath been torn by love ! VII, ;^S, Charm to secure the love of a man. 1. This potent herb do I dig out: It draws toward me the eye, causes (love's) tears. It brings back him who has gone to a distance, rejoices him that approaches me. 2. By (the plant) with which the Asuri allured Indra away from the gods, by that do I subject thee, that I may be well-beloved of thee ! 3. Thy face Is turned towards Soma (the moon), thy face Is turned towards Surya (the sun), thy face is turned towards all the gods : 't is thee here that we do Invoke. 4. My speech, not thine, (in this matter) hath weight : In the assembly, forsooth, do thou speak ! To me alone shalt thou belong, shalt not even discourse of other women ! 5. Whether thou art beyond the haunts of men, or whether across the river, this very herb, as if a captive bound, shall bring thee back to me ! I04 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. VI, 130. Charm to arouse the passionate love of a man. 1. This yearning love comes from the Apsaras, the victorious, imbued with victory. Ye gods, send forth the yearning love : may yonder man burn after me ! 2. My wish is, he shall long for me, devoted he shall long for me ! Ye gods, send forth the yearning love : may yonder man burn after me ! 3. That yonder man shall long for me, (but) I for him nevermore, ye gods, send forth the yearning love : may yonder man burn after me ! 4. Do ye, O Maruts, intoxicate him (with love) ; do thou, O mid-air, intoxicate him ; do thou, O Agni, intoxicate him ! May yonder man burn after me ! VI, 131. Charm to arouse the passionate love of a man. 1. From thy head unto thy feet do I implant (love's) longing into thee. Ye gods, send forth the yearning love : may yonder man burn after me ! 2. Favour this (plan), Anumati ; fit it together, Akuti ! Ye gods, send forth the yearning love : may yonder man burn after me ! 3. If thou dost run three leagues away, (or even) five leagues, the distance coursed by a horseman, from there thou shalt again return, shalt be the father of our sons ! VI, 132. Charm to arouse the passionate love of a man. I. Love's consuming longing, together with yearn- IV. CHARMS PERTAINING TO WOMEN. IQC ing-, which the gods have poured into the waters, that do I kindle for thee by the law of Varu;;a ! 2. Love's consuming longing-, together with yearn- ing, which the all-gods (vi^ve deva//) have poured into the waters, that do I kindle for thee by the law of Varuna. ! 3. Love's consuming longing, together with yearn- ing, which Indra;^i has poured into the waters, that do I kindle for thee by the law of Varu;^a ! 4. Love's consuming longing, together with yearn- ing, which Indra and Agni have poured into the waters, that do I kindle for thee by the law of Varu;/a ! 5. Love's consuming longing, together with yearn- ing, which Mitra and Varu//a have poured into the waters, that do I kindle for thee by the law of Varu;za ! IV, 5. Charm at an assignation. 1. The bull with a thousand horns who rose out of the sea, with the aid of him, the mighty one, do we put the folks to sleep. 2. The wind blows not over the earth. No one looks on. Do thou then, befriended of Indra, put all women and dogs to sleep ! 3. The women that lie upon couches and upon beds, and they that rest in litters, the women all that exhale sweet fragrance, do we put to sleep. 4. Every moving thing I have held fast. Eye and breath I have held fast. I have held fast all limbs in the deep gloom of the night. 5. Of him that sits, and him that walks, of him that stands and looks about, of these the eyes we do shut, just as these premises (are shut). I06 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 6. The mother shall sleep, the father shall sleep, the dog shall sleep, the lord of the house shall sleep ! All her relations shall sleep, and these people round about shall sleep ! 7. O sleep, put thou to sleep all people with the magic that induces sleep ! Put the others to sleep until the sun rises ; may I be awake until the dawn appears, like Indra, unharmed, uninjured! VI, ']']. Charm to cause the return of a truant woman. 1. The heavens have stood, the earth has stood, all creatures have stood. The mountains have stood upon their foundation, the horses in the stable I have caused to stand. 2. Him that has control of departure, that has control of coming home, return, and turning in, that shepherd do I also call. 3. O 6^atavedas (Agni), cause thou to turn in; a hundred ways hither shall be thine, a thousand modes of return shall be thine : with these do thou restore us again ! VI, 18. Charm to allay jealousy. 1. The first impulse of jealousy, moreover the one that comes after the first, the fire, the heart- burning, that do we waft away from thee. 2. As the earth is dead in spirit, in spirit more dead than the dead, and as the spirit of him that has died, thus shall the spirit of the jealous (man) be dead ! 3. Yon fluttering little spirit that has been fixed IV. CHARMS PERTAINING TO WOMEN. I07 into thy heart, from it the jealousy do I remove, as air from a water-skin. VII, 45. Charm to allay jealousy. 1. From folk belonging to all kinds of people, from the Sindhu (Indus) thou hast been brought hither : from a distance, I ween, has been fetched the very remedy for jealousy. 2. As if a fire is burning him, as if the forest-fire burns in various directions, this jealousy of his do thou quench, as a fire (is quenched) with water ! I, 14. A woman's incantation against her rival. 1. I have taken unto myself her fortune and her glory, as a wreath off a tree. Like a mountain with broad foundation may she sit a long time with her parents ! 2. This woman shall be subjected to thee as thy wife, O king Yama ; (till then) let her be fixed to the house of her mother, or her brother, or her father ! 3. This woman shall be the keeper of thy house, O king (Yama), and her do we make over to thee ! May she long sit with her relatives, until (her hair) drops from her head ! 4. With the incantation of Asita, of Kajyapa, and of Gaya do I cover up thy fortune, as women cover (something) within a chest. Ill, 18. Charm of a woman against a rival or co-wife. I. I dig up this plant, of herbs the most potent, by whose power rival women are overcome, and husbands are obtained. I08 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 2. O thou (plant) with erect leaves, lovely, do thou, urged on by the gods, full of might, drive away my rival, make my husband mine alone ! 3. He did not, forsooth, call thy name, and thou shalt not delight in this husband ! To the very farthest distance do we drive our rival. 4. Superior am I, O superior (plant), superior, truly, to superior (women). Now shall my rival be inferior to those that are inferior ! 5. I am overpowering, and thou, (O plant), art completely overpowering. Having both grown full of power, let us overpower my rival ! 6. About thee (my husband) I have placed the overpowering (plant), upon thee placed the very overpowering one. May thy mind run after me as a calf after the cow, as water along its course ! VI, 138. Charm for depriving a man of his virility. 1. As the best of the plants thou art reputed, O herb : turn this man for me to-day into a eunuch that wears his hair dressed ! 2. Turn him into a eunuch that wears his hair dressed, and into one that wears a hood ! Then Indra with a pair of stones shall break his testicles both ! 3. O eunuch, into a eunuch thee I have turned ; O castrate, into a castrate thee I have turned; O weakling, into a weakling thee I have turned 1 A hood upon his head, and a hair-net do we place. 4. The two canals, fashioned by the gods, in which man's power rests, in thy testicles I break them with a club. IV. CHARMS PERTAINING TO WOMEN. IO9 5. As women break reeds for a mattress with a stone, thus do I break thy member I, 18, Charm to remove evil bodily characteristics from a woman. 1. The (foul) mark, the lalami (with spot on the forehead), the Arati (grudging demon), do we drive out. Then the (signs) that are auspicious (shall remain) with us ; (yet) to beget offspring do we brinof the Arati ! 2. May Savitar drive out uncouthness from her feet, may Varu//a, Mitra, and Aryaman (drive it) out from her hands ; may Anumati kindly drive it out for us ! For happiness the gods have created this woman. 3. The fierceness that is in thyself, in thy body, or in thy look, all that do we strike away with our charm. May god Savitar prosper thee ! 4. The goat-footed, the bull-toothed, her who scares the cattle, the snorting one, the vilic//ii (the driveling one), the lalami (with spot on the fore- head), these do we drive from us. VI, no. Expiatory charm for a child born under an unlucky star. 1. Of yore, (O Agni), thou wast worthy of sup- plication at the sacrifice ; thou wast the priest in olden times, and now anew shalt sit (at our sacrifice) ! Delight, O Agni, thy own body, and, sacrificing, bring good fortune here to us ! 2. Him that hath been born under the (constella- tion) ^yesh///!aghni ('she that slays the oldest'), or IIO HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. under the vi/'r/tau ('they that uproot'), save thou from being torn up by the root by Yama (death) ! May he (Agni) guide him across all misfortunes to lone life, to a life of a hundred autumns ! 3. On a tiger (-like) day the hero was born ; born under a (good) constellation he becometh a mighty hero. Let him not slay, when he grows up, his father, let him not injure the mother that hath beeotten him ! 't> VI, 140. Expiation for the irregular appearance of the first pair of teeth. 1. Those two teeth, the tigers, that have broken forth, eager to devour father and mother, do thou, O Brahma/mspati 6^atavedas, render auspicious ! 2. Do ye eat rice, eat barley, and eat, too, beans, as well as sesamum ! That, O teeth, is the share deposited for your enrichment. Do not injure father and mother ! 3. Since ye have been invoked, O teeth, be ye in unison kind and propitious ! Elsewhere, O teeth, shall pass away the fierce (qualities) of your body ! Do not injure father and mother! V. CHARMS PERTAINING TO ROYALTY (RAGAKARMAAT). IV, 8. Prayer at the consecration of a king. 1. Himself prosperous (bhuto), he does put strength into the beings (bhuteshu) ; he became the chief lord of the beings (bhutanam). To his consecration death does come : may he, the king, favour this kingdom ! 2. Come forth hither — do not glance away — as a mighty guardian, slayer of enemies ! Step hither, thou who prosperest thy friends : the gods shall bless thee ! 3. As he did step hither all (men) did attend him. Clothed in grace, he moves, shining by his own lustre. This is the great name of the manly Asura ; endowed with every form (quality) he entered upon immortal (deeds). 4. Thyself a tiger, do thou upon this tiger-skin stride (victorious) through the great regions ! All the clans shall wish for thee, and the heavenly waters, rich in sap ! 5. The heavenly waters, rich in sap, flow joyously, (and too) those in the sky and upon the earth : with the lustre of all of these do I sprinkle thee. 6. They have sprinkled thee with their lustre, the heavenly waters rich in sap. May Savitar thus fashion thee, that thou shalt prosper thy friends ! % 112 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 7. (The waters) thus embracing him, the tiger, promote him, the Hon, to great good fortune. Him, the leopard in the midst of the waters, as though standing in the ocean, the beneficent (floods, or the vigorous priests) cleanse thoroughly ! Ill, 3. Charm for the restoration of an exiled king. 1. (Agni) has shouted loud: may he here well perform his work ! Spread thyself out, O Agni, over the far-reaching hemispheres of the world ! The all- possessing Maruts shall engage thee : bring hither that (king) who devoutly spends the offering ! 2. However far he be, the red (steeds) shall urge hither Indra, the seer, to friendship, since the gods, (chanting) for him the gayatri, tl\e br/hati, and the arka (songs), infused courage into him with the sautrama;n-sacrifice ! 3. From the waters king Varu;2a shall call thee, Soma shall call thee from the mountains, Indra shall cite thee to these clans ! Turn into an eagle and fly to these clans ! 4. An eagle shall bring hither from a distance him that is fit to be called, (yet) wanders exiled in a strange land ! The Ai"vins shall prepare for thee a path, easy to travel ! Do ye, his kinfolk, gather close about him ! 5. Thy opponents shall call thee ; thy friends have chosen thee! Indra, Agni, and all the gods have kept prosperity with this people. 6. The kinsman or the stranger that opposes thy call, him, O Indra, drive away; then render this (king) accepted here ! V. CHARMS PERTAINING TO ROYALTY. II3 III, 4, Prayer at the election of a king. 1. (Thy) kingdom hath come to thee: arise, en- dowed with lustre ! Go forth as the lord of the people, rule (shine) thou, a universal ruler ! All the regions of the compass shall call thee, O king ; attended and revered be thou here ! 2. Thee the clans, thee these regions, goddesses five, shall choose for empire ! Root thyself upon the height, the pinnacle of royalty : then do thou, mighty, distribute goods among us ! 3. Thy kinsmen with calls shall come to thee ; agile Agni shall go with them as messenger ! Thy wives, thy sons shall be devoted to thee ; being a mighty (ruler) thou shalt behold rich tribute ! 4. The Ai^vins first, Mitra and Varu;-;a both, all the gods, and the Maruts, shall call thee ! Then fix thy mind upon the bestowal of wealth, then do thou, mighty, distribute wealth among us ! 5. Hither hasten forth from the farthest distance ; heaven and earth, both, shall be propitious to thee ! Thus did this king Varu;/a (as if, 'the chooser') decree that ; he himself did call thee : ' come thou hither ' ! 6. O Indra, Indra, come thou to the tribes of men, for thou hast agreed, concordant with the Varu;^as (as if, ' the electors'). He did call thee to thy own domain (thinking) : ' let him revere the gods, and manage, too, the people ' ! 7. The rich divinities of the roads, of manifold diverse forms, all coming together have given thee a broad domain. They shall all concordantly call [43] I 114 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. thee ; rule here, a mighty, benevolent (king), up to the tenth decade (of thy life) ! Ill, 5. Praise of an amulet derived from the par/^a- tree, designed to strengthen royal power. 1. Hither hath come this amulet of par;2a-wood, with its might mightily crushing the enemy. (It is) the strength of the gods, the sap of the waters : may it assiduously enliven me with energy ! 2. The power to rule thou shalt hold fast in me, O amulet of par^^a-wood ; wealth (thou shalt hold fast) in me ! May I, rooted in the domain of royalty, become the chief! 3. Their very own amulet which the gods de- posited secretly in the tree, that the gods shall give us to wear, together with life ! 4. The parwa has come hither as the mighty strength of the soma, given by Indra, instructed by Varu;za. May I, shining brilliantly, wear it, unto long life, during a hundred autumns ! 5. The amulet of par«a-wood has ascended upon me unto complete exemption from injury, that I may rise superior (even) to friends and alliances ! 6. The skilful builders of chariots, and the inge- nious workers of metal, the folk about me all, do thou, O par;za, make my aids ! 7. The kings who (themselves) make kings, the charioteers, and leaders of hosts, the folk about me all, do thou, O par;^a, make my aids ! 8. Thou art the body-protecting par;/a, a hero, brother of me, the hero. Along with the brilliancy of the year do I fasten thee on, O amulet ! V. CHARMS PERTAINING TO ROYALTY. I 1 5 IV, 2 2. Charm to secure the superiority of a king. 1. This warrior, O Indra, do thou strengthen for me, do thou install this one as sole ruler (bull) of the Vii- (the people) ; emasculate all his enemies, subject them to him in (their) contests ! 2. To him apportion his share of villages, horses, and cattle ; deprive of his share the one that is his enemy! May this king be the pinnacle of royalty; subject to him, O Indra, every enemy! 3. May this one be the treasure-lord of riches, may this king be the tribal lord of the Vis (the people) ! Upon this one, O Indra, bestow great lustre, devoid of lustre render his enemy ! 4. For him shall ye, O heaven and earth, milk ample good, as two milch-cows yielding warm milk ! May this king be favoured of Indra, favoured of cows, of plants, and cattle ! 5. I unite with thee Indra who has supremacy, through whom one conquers and is not (himself) conquered, who shall install thee as sole ruler of the people, and as chief of the human kings. 6. Superior art thou, inferior are thy rivals, and whatsoever adversaries are thine, O king ! Sole ruler, befriended of Indra, victorious, bring thou hither the supplies of those who act as thy enemies ! 7. Presenting the front of a lion do thou devour all (their) people, presenting the front of a tiger do thou strike down the enemies ! Sole ruler, befriended of Indra, victorious, seize upon the supplies of those who act as thy enemies ! I 2 Il6 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. I, 9. Prayer for earthly and heavenly success. 1. Upon this (person) the Vasus, Indra, Pushan, Varu;m, Mitra, and Agni, shall bestow goods (vasii) ! The Adityas, and, further, all the gods shall hold him in the higher light ! 2. Light, ye gods, shall be at his bidding : Surya (the sun), Agni (fire), or even gold ! Inferior to us shall be our rivals ! Cause him to ascend to the highest heaven ! 3. With that most potent charm with which, O 6^atavedas (Agni), thou didst bring to Indra the (soma-) drink, with that, O Agni, do thou here strengthen this one ; grant him supremacy over his kinsmen ! 4. Their sacrifice and their glory, their increase of wealth and their thoughtful plans, I have usurped, O Agni. Inferior to us shall be our rivals ! Cause him to ascend to the highest heaven ! VI, 38. Prayer for lustre and power. 1. The brilliancy that is in the lion, the tiger, and the serpent ; in Agni, the Brahma;za, and Surya (shall be ours) ! May the lovely goddess that bore Indra come to us, endowed with lustre! 2. (The brilliancy) that is in the elephant, panther, and in gold ; in the waters, cattle, and in men (shall be ours) ! May the lovely goddess that bore Indra come to us, endowed with lustre ! 3. (The brilliancy) that is in the chariot, the dice, in the strength of the bull ; in the wind, Par^anya, and in the fire of Varu;^a (shall be ours) ! May the V. CHARMS PERTAINING TO ROYALTY. I I 7 lovely goddess that bore Indra come to us, endowed with lustre ! 4. (The brilliancy) that is in the man of royal caste, in the stretched drum, in the strength of the horse, in the shout of men (shall be ours) ! May the lovely goddess that bore Indra come to us, endowed with lustre ! VI, 39. Prayer for glory (ya^as). 1. The oblation that yields glory, sped on by Indra, of thousandfold strength, well offered, pre- pared with might, shall prosper! Cause me, that offers the oblation, to continue long: beholding (light), and to rise to supremacy ! 2. (That he may come) to us, let us honour with obeisance glory-owning Indra, the glorious one with glory-yielding (oblations) ! Do thou (the oblation) grant us sovereignty sped on by Indra ; may we in thy favour be glorious ! 3. Glorious was Indra born, glorious Agni, glorious Soma. Glorious, of all beings the most glorious, am I. VIII, 8. Battle-charm. 1. Ma)' Indra churn (the enemy), he, the churner, ^'akra (mighty), the hero, that pierces the forts, so that we shall slay the armies of the enemies a thousandfold ! 2. May the rotten rope, wafting itself against yonder army, turn it into a stench. When the enemies see from afar our smoke and fire, fear shall they lay into their hearts ! 3. Tear asunder those (enemies), O ai'vattha Il8 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. (ficus religiosa), devour (khada) them, O khadira (acacia catechu) in lively style ! Like the ta^ad- bhahga (ricinus communis) they shall be broken (bha^yantam), may the vadhaka (a certain kind of tree) slay them with his weapons (vadhai//) ! 4. May the knotty ahva-plant put knots upon yonder (enemies), may the vadhaka slay them with his weapons ! Bound up in (our) great trap-net, they shall quickly be broken as an arrow-reed ! 5. The atmosphere was the net, the great regions (of space) the (supporting) poles of the net : with these 6'akra (mighty Indra) did surround and scatter the army of the Dasyus. 6. Great, forsooth, is the net of great 6"akra, who is rich in steeds : with it infold thou all the enemies, so that not one of them shall be released ! 7. Great is the net of thee, great Indra, hero, that art equal to a thousand, and hast hundredfold might. With that (net) 6'akra slew a hundred, thousand, ten thousand, a hundred million foes, having sur- rounded them with (his) army. 8. This great world was the net of great 6akra : with this net of Indra I infold all those (enemies) yonder in darkness. 9. With great dejection, failure, and irrefragable misfortune ; with fatigue, lassitude, and confusion, do I surround all those (enemies) yonder. 10. To death do I hand them over, with the fetters of death they have been bound. To the evil messengers of death do I lead them captive. 1 1. Guide ye those (foes), ye messengers of death ; ye messengers of Yama, infold them ! Let more than thousands be slain ; may the club of Bhava crush them ! V. CHARMS TERTAINING T(3 ROYALTY. II9 12. The Saclhyas (blessed) go holding- up with might one support of the net, the Rudras another, the Vasus another. (Still) another is upheld by the Adityas. 13. All the gods shall go pressing from above with might ; the Aiigiras shall go on the middle (of the net), slaying the mighty army ! 14. The trees, and (growths) that are like trees, the plants and the herbs as well ; two-footed and four-footed creatures do I impel, that they shall slay yonder army ! 15. The Gandharvas and Apsaras, the serpents and the gods, holy men and (deceased) Fathers, the visible and invisible (beings), do I impel, that they shall slay yonder army ! 16. Scattered here are the fetters of death ; when thou steppest upon them thou shalt not escape ! May this hammer slay (the men) of yonder army by the thousand ! 17. The gharma (sacrificial hot drink) that has been heated by the fire, this sacrifice (shall) slay thousands ! Do ye, Bhava and ^'arva, whose arms are mottled, slay yonder army ! 18. Into the (snare of) death they shall fall, into hunger, exhaustion, slaughter, and fear ! O Indra and ^'arva, do ye with trap and net slay yonder army ! 19. Conquered, O foes, do ye flee away; repelled by (our) charm, do ye run ! Of yonder host, re- pulsed by Br/haspati, not one shall be saved ! 20. May their weapons fall from their (hands), may they be unable to lay the arrow on (the bow) ! And then (our) arrows shall smite them, badly frightened, in their vital members ! 21. Heaven and earth shall shriek at them, and I20 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. the atmosphere, along with the divine powers ! Neither aider, nor support did they find ; smiting one another they shall go to death ! 2 2. The four regions are the she-mules of the god's chariot, the purodasas (sacrificial rice-cakes) the hoofs, the atmosphere the seat (of the wagon). Heaven and earth are its two sides, the seasons the reins, the intermediate regions the attendants, VaJ: (speech) the road. 23. The year is the chariot, the full year is the body of the chariot, Viraf the pole, Agni the front part of the chariot. Indra is the (combatant) stand- ing on the left of the chariot, A'andramas (the moon) the charioteer. 24. Do thou win here, do thou conquer here, overcome, win, hail ! These here shall conquer, those yonder be conquered! Hail to these here, perdition to those yonder ! Those yonder do I envelop in blue and red ! I, 19. Battle-charm against arrow- wounds. 1. The piercing (arrows) shall not hit us, nor shall the striking arrows hit us ! Far away from us, O Indra, to either side, cause the arrow-shower to fall ! 2. To either side of us the arrows shall fall, those that have been shot and shall be shot ! Ye divine and ye human arrows, pierce ye mine enemies ! 3. Be he our own, or be he strange, the kinsman, or the foreigner, who bear enmity towards us, those enemies of mine Rudra shall pierce with a shower of arrows ! 4. Him that rivals us, or does not rival us, him V. CHARMS PERTAINING TO ROYALTY. 12 1 that curses us with hate, may all the gods injure : my charm protects me from within ! Ill, I. Battle-charm for confusing the enemy. 1. Agni shall skilfully march against our oppo- nents, burning against their schemes and hostile plans ; G"atavedas shall confuse the army of our opponents and deprive them (of the use) of their hands ! 2. Ye Maruts are mighty in such matters : ad- vance ye, crush ye, conquer ye (the enemy) ! These Vasus when implored did crush (them). Agni, verily, as their vanguard shall skilfully attack ! 3. O Maghavan, the hostile army which contends against us — do ye, O Indra, Vrz'tra's slayer, and Agni, burn against them ! 4. Thy thunderbolt, O Indra, who hast been driven forward swiftly by thy two bay steeds, shall advance, crushing the enemies. Slay them that resist, pursue, or flee, deprive their schemes of fulfilment ! 5. O Indra, confuse the army of the enemy; with the impact of the fire and the wind scatter them to either side ! 6. Indra shall confuse the army, the Maruts shall slay it with might ! Agni shall rob it of its sight ; vanquished it shall turn about ! Ill, 2. Battle-charm for confusing the enemy. 1. Agni, our skilful vanguard, shall attack, burn- ing against their schemes and hostile plans ! 6"ata- vedas shall bewilder the plans of the enemy, and deprive them (of the use) of their hands ! 2. This fire has confused the schemes that are in 122 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. your mind ; it shall bloW you from your home, blow you away from everywhere ! 3. O Indra, bewildering their schemes, come hither with thy (own) plan : with the impact of the fire and the wind scatter them to either side ! 4. O ye plans of theirs, fly ye away ; O ye schemes, be ye confused ! Moreover, what now is in their mind, do thou drive that out of them ! 5. Do thou, O (goddess) Apva, confusing their plans, go forth (to them), and seize their limbs ! Attack them, burn with flames into their hearts ; strike the enemy with fits, (strike our) opponents with darkness ! 6. That army yonder of the enemy, that comes against us fighting with might, do ye, O Maruts, strike with planless darkness, that one of them shall not know the other ! VI, 97. Battle-charm of a king upon the eve of battle. 1. Superior is the sacrifice, superior Agni, superior Soma, superior Indra. To the end that I shall be superior to all hostile armies do we thus, offering the agnihotra, reverently present this oblation ! 2. Hail be, ye wise Mitra and Varu;/a : with honey swell ye our kingdom here, (so that it shall) abound in offspring ! Drive far to a distance mis- fortune, strip off from us sin, even after it has been committed ! 3. With inspiration follow ye this strong hero ; cling close, ye friends, to Indra (the king), who conquers villages, conquers cattle, has the thunder- bolt in his arm, overcomes the host arrayed (against him), crushing it with might ! V. CHARMS PERTAINING TO ROYALTY. 1 23 VI, 99. Battle-charm of a king on the eve of battle. 1. I call upon thee, O Indra, from afar, upon thee for protection against tribulation. I call the strong avenger that has many names, and is of unequalled birth. 2. Where the hostile weapon now rises against us, threatening to slay, there do we place the two arms of Indra round about. 3. The two arms of Indra, the protector, do we place round about us : let him protect us ! O god Savitar, and king Soma, render me of confident mind, that I may prosper ! XI, 9. Prayer to Arbudi and Nyarbudi for help in battle. 1. The arms, the arrows, and the might of the bows; the swords, the axes, the weapons, and the artful scheme that is in our mind; all that, O Arbudi, do thou make the enemies see, and spectres also make them see ! 2. Arise, and arm yourselves ; friends are ye, O divine folk! May our friends be perceived and protected by you, O Arbudi (and Nyarbudi) ! 3. Arise (ye two), and take hold ! With fetters and shackles surround ye the armies of the enemy, O Arbudi (and Nyarbudi) ! 4. The god whose name is Arbudi, and the lord Nyarbudi, by whom the atmosphere and this great earth has been infolded, with these two companions of Indra do I pursue the conquered (king) with my army. 124 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 5. Arise, thou divine person, O Arbudi, together with thy army ! Crushing the army of the enemy, encompass them with thy embraces ! 6. Thou, Arbudi, makest appear the sevenfold spectral brood. Do thou, when the oblation has been poured, rise up with all these, together with the army ! 7. (The female mourner), beating herself, with tear-stained face, with short (mutilated ?) ears, with dishevelled hair, shall lament, when a man has been slain, pierced by thee, O Arbudi ! 8. She curves her spine while longing in her heart for her son, her husband, and her kin, when (a man) has been pierced by thee, O Arbudi ! 9. The aliklavas and the ^ashkamadas, the vul- tures, the strong-winged hawks, the crows, and the birds (of prey) shall obtain their fill ! Let them make evident to the enemy, when (a man) has been pierced by thee, O Arbudi ! 10. Then, too, every wild beast, insect, and worm shall obtain his fill on the human carcass, when (a man) has been pierced by thee, O Arbudi ! 11. Seize ye, and tear out in-breathing and out- breathing, O Nyarbudi (and Arbudi): deep-sounding groans shall arise ! Let them make it evident to the enemy, when (a man) has been pierced by thee, O Arbudi ! 12. Scare them forth, let them tremble; bewilder the enemies with fright ! With thy broad embrace, with the clasp of thy arms crush the enemies, O Nyarbudi ! 13. May their arms, and the artful scheme that is in their mind be confused ! Not a thinof shall remain of them, pierced by thee, O Arbudi ! CHARMS PERTAINING TO ROYALTY. I 25 14. May (the mourning women) beating them- selves, run together, smiting their breasts and their thighs, not anointed, with dishevelled hair, howling, when a man has been slain, has been pierced by thee, O Arbudi ! 15. The dog-like Apsaras, and also the Rupakas (phantoms), the plucking sprite, that eagerly licks within the vessel, and her that seeks out what has been carelessly hidden, all those do thou, O Arbudi, make the enemies see, and spectres also make them see ! 16. (And also make them see) her that strides upon the mist, the mutilated one, who dwells with the mutilated ; the vapoury spooks that are hidden, and the Gandharvas and Apsaras, the serpents, and other brood, and the Rakshas ! 17. (And also) the spooks with fourfold teeth, black teeth, testicles like a pot, bloody faces, who are inherently frightful, and terrifying ! 18. Frighten thou, O Arbudi, yonder lines of the enemy ; the conquering and the victorious (Arbudi and Nyarbudi), the two comrades of Indra, shall conquer the enemies ! 19. Dissolved, crushed, slain the enemy shall lie, O Nyarbudi ! May victorious sprites, with fiery tongues and smoky crests, go with (our) army ! 20. Of the enemies repulsed by this (army), O Arbudi, Indra, the spouse of Sali, shall slay each picked man : not a single one of those yonder shall escape ! 21. May their hearts burst, may their life's breath escape upward ! May dryness of the mouth over- take (our) enemies, but not (our) allies ! 22. Those who are bold and those who are 126 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. cowardly, those who turn (in flight) and those who are deaf (to danger ?), those who are (Hke) dark goats, and those, too, who bleat like goats, all those, do thou, O Arbudi, make the enemies see, and spectres also make them see ! 23. Arbudi and Trisha7;/dhi shall pierce our enemies, so that, O Indra, slayer of Vmra, spouse of Sa.^i, we may slay the enemy by thousands ! 24. The trees, and (growths) that are like trees, the plants and the herbs as well, the Gandharvas and the Apsaras, the serpents, gods, pious men, and (departed) Fathers, all those, O Arbudi, do thou make the enemies see, and spectres also make them see ! 25. The Maruts, god Aditya, Brahma^^aspati did rule over you ; Indra and Agni, Dhatar, Mitra, and Pra^apati did rule over you ; the seers did rule over you. Let them make evident to the enemies when (a man) has been pierced by thee, O Arbudi ! 26. Ruling over all these, rise ye and arm your- selves ! Ye divine folk are (our) friends : w^n ye the battle, and disperse to your various abodes ! XI, 10. Prayer to Trisha;;^dhi for help in battle. 1. Arise and arm yourselves, ye nebulous spectres together with fiery portents ; ye serpents, other brood, and Rakshas, run ye after the enemy ! 2. He knows how to rule your kingdom together with the red portents (of the heavens). The evil brood that is in the air and the heaven, and the human (powers) upon the earth, shall be obedient to the plans of Trishawdhi ! V. CHARMS PERTAINING TO ROYALTY. 12 J 3. The brazen-beaked (birds of prey), those with beaks pointed as a needle, and those, too, with thorny beaks, flesh-devouring, swift as the wind, shall fasten themselves upon the enemies, together with the Trisha;;/dhi-bolt (the bolt with three joints) ! 4. Make away with, O 6^atavedas Aditya, many carcasses ! This army of Trisha;;2dhi shall be de- voted to my bidding ! 5. Arise thou divine person, O Arbudi, together with thy army ! This tribute has been offered to you (Arbudi and Trisha;;/dhi), an offering pleasing to Trishawdhi. 6. This white-footed, four-footed arrow shall fetter (?). Do thou, O magic spell, operate, together with the army of Trishawdhi, against the enemies ! 7. May (the mourning woman) with suffused eyes hurry on, may she that hath short (mutilated ?) ears shout when (a man) has been overcome by the army of Trisha?;/dhi ! Red portents shall be (visible) ! 8. May the winged birds that move in the air and in the sky descend ; beasts of prey and insects shall seize upon them ; the vultures that feed upon raw flesh shall hack into (their) carcasses ! 9. By virtue of the compact which thou, O Br/- haspati, didst close with Indra and Brahman, by virtue of that agreement with Indra, do I call hither all the gods : on this side conquer, not over yonder ! 10. Brz'haspati, the descendant of Ahgiras, and the seers, inspired by (our) song, did fix the three- jointed (Trisha?;2dhi) weapon upon the sky for the destruction of the Asuras. 11. Trishawdhi, by whom both yonder Aditya 128 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. (the sun) and Indra are protected, the gods did destine for (our) might and strength. 12. All the worlds the gods did conquer through this oblation, (and) by the bolt which Br/haspati, the descendant of Aiigiras, did mould into a weapon for the destruction of the Asuras. 1 3. With the bolt which Br/haspati, the descendant of Ahgiras, did mould into a weapon for the destruc- tion of the Asuras do I, O Br/haspati, annihilate yonder army : I smite the enemies with force. 14. All the gods that eat the oblation offered with the call vasha/ are coming over. Receive this oblation graciously ; conquer on this side, not over yonder ! 15. May all the gods come over: the oblation is pleasing to Trisha?;/dhi. Adhere to the great compact under which of yore the Asuras were conquered ! 16. Vayu (the wind) shall bend the points of the enemies' bows, Indra shall break their arms, so that they shall be unable to lay on their arrows, Aditya (the sun) shall send their missiles astray, and A'an- dramas (the moon) shall bar the way of (the enemy) that has not (as yet) started ! 17. If they have come on as citadels of the gods, if they have constituted an inspired charm as their armour, if they have gathered courage through the protections for the body and the bulwarks which they have made, render all that devoid of force ! 1 8. Placing (our) purohita (chaplain), together with the flesh-devourer (Agni) and death, in thy train, do thou, O Trishawdhi, go forth with thy army, conquer the enemies, advance ! 19. O Trisha;?2dhi, envelop thou the enemies in V, CHARMS PERTAINING TO ROYALTY. I 29 darkness ; may not a single one of those, driven forth by the speckled ghee, be saved ! 20. May the white-footed (arrow ?) fly to yonder lines of the enemy, may yonder armies of the enemies be to-day put to confusion, O Nyarbudi ! 21. The enemies have been confused, O Nyar- budi : slay each picked man among them, slay them with this army ! 22. The enemy with coat-of-mail, he that has no coat-of-mail, and he that stands in the battle-throng, throttled by the strings of their bows, by the fasten- ings of their coats-of-mail, by the battle-throng, they shall lie ! 23. Those with armour and those without armour, the enemies that are shielded by armour, all those, O Arbudi, after they have been slain, dogs shall devour upon the ground ! 24. Those that ride on chariots, and those that have no chariots, those that are mounted, and those that are not mounted, all those, after they have been slain, vultures and strong-winged hawks shall devour ! 25. Counting its dead by thousands, the hostile army, pierced and shattered in the clash of arms, shall lie ! 26. Pierced in a vital spot, shrieking in concert with the birds of prey, wretched, crushed, prostrate, (the birds of prey) shall devour the enemy who attempts to hinder this oblation of ours directed against (him) ! 27. With (the oblation) to which the gods flock, which is free from failure, with it Indra, the slayer of Vr/tra, shall slay, and with the Trisha;;^dhi-bolt (the bolt with three joints) ! 130 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. V, 20. Hymn to the battle-drum. 1. High sounds the voice of the drum, that acts the warrior, the wooden (drum), equipped with the skin of the cow. Whetting thy voice, subduing the enemy, Hke a Hon sure of victory, do thou loudly thunder aorainst them ! 2. The wooden (instrument) with fastened (cover- ing) has thundered as a lion, as a bull roars to the cow that longs to mate. Thou art a bull, thy enemies are eunuchs ; thou ownest Indra's foe- subduinof fire ! 3. Like a bull in the herd, full of might, lusty, do thou, O snatcher of booty, roar against them ! Pierce with fire the heart of the enemy ; with broken ranks the foe shall run and scatter ! 4. In victorious battles raise thy roar! What may be captured, capture ; sound in many places ! Favour, O drum, (our deeds) with thy divine voice ; bring to (us) with strength the property of the enemy ! 5. When the wife of the enemy hears the voice of the drum, that speaks to a far distance, may she, aroused by the sound, distressed, snatch her son to her arms, and run, frightened at the clash of arms ! 6. Do thou, O drum, sound the first sound, ring brilliantly over the back of the earth ! Open wide thy maw at the enemies host ; resound brightly, joyously, O drum ! 7. Between this heaven and earth thy noise shall spread, thy sounds shall quickly part to every side ! Shout thou and thunder with swelling sound ; make V. CHARMS PERTAINING TO ROYALTV. I^I music at thy friend's victory, having (chosen) the good side ! 8. Manipulated with care, its voice shall resound ! Make bristle forth the weapons of the warriors ! Allied to Indra do thou call hither the warriors ; with thy friends beat vigorously down the enemies ! 9. A shouting herald, followed by a bold army, spreading news in many places, sounding through the village, eager for success, knowing the way, do thou distribute glory to many in the battle ! I o. Desiring advantage, gaining booty, full mighty, thou hast been made keen by (my) song, and winnest battles. As the press-stone on the gather- ing skin dances upon the soma-shoots, thus do thou. O drum, lustily dance upon the booty 1 11. A conqueror of enemies, overwhelming, foe- subduing, eager for the fray, victoriously crushing, as a speaker his speech do thou carry forth thy soimd ; sound forth here strength for victory in battle ! 1 2. Shaking those that are unshaken, hurrying to the strife, a conqueror of enemies, an unconquerable leader, protected by Indra, attending to the hosts, do thou that crusheth the hearts of the enemies, quickly go ! . V, 21. Hymn to the battle-drum, the terror of the enemy. 1. Carry with thy voice, O drum, lack of heart, and failure of courage amone the enemies ! Dis- agreement, dismay, and fright, do we place into the enemies : beat them down, O drum ! 2. Agitated in their minds, their sight, their K 2 132 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. hearts, the enemies shall run, frightened with terror, when our oblation has been offered ! 3. Made of wood, equipped with the skin of the cow, at home with every clan, put thou with thy voice terror into the enemies, when thou hast been anointed with ghee ! 4. As the wild animals of the forest start in fear from man, thus do thou, O drum, shout against the enemies, frighten them away, and bewilder their minds ! 5. As goats and sheep run from the wolf, badly frightened, thus do thou, O drum, shout against the enemies, frighten them away, and bewilder their minds ! 6. As birds start in fear from the eagle, as by day and by night (they start) at the roar of the lion, thus do thou, O drum, shout against the enemies, frighten them away, and bewilder their minds ! 7. With the drum and the skin of the antelope all the gods, that sway the battle, have scared away the enemies. 8. At the noise of the beat of the feet when Indra disports himself, and at his shadow, our enemies yonder, that come in successive ranks, shall tremble ! 9. The whirring of the bowstring and the drums shall shout at the directions where the conquered armies of the enemies go in successive ranks ! 10. O sun, take away their sight; O rays, run after them ; clinging to their feet, fasten your- selves upon them, when the strength of their arms is gone ! 1 1. Ye strong Maruts, Frisnis children, with Indra V. CHARMS PERTAINING TO ROYALTY. I 33 as an ally, crush ye the enemies ; Soma the king (shall crush them), Varu/^a the king, Mahadeva, and also Mrityu (death), and Indra! 1 2. These wise armies of the gods, having the sun as their ensign, shall conquer our enemies ! Hail! VI. CHARMS TO SECURE HARMONY, INFLUENCE IN THE ASSEMBLY, AND THE LIKE (SAJ/MANASYANI, ETC.). Ill, 30. Charm to secure harmony. 1. Unity of heart, and unity of mind, freedom from hatred, do I procure for you. Do ye take dehght in one another, as a cow in her (new-) born calf! 2. The son shall be devoted to his father, be of the same mind with his mother ; the wife shall speak honied, sweet, words to her husband ! 3. The brother shall not hate the brother, and the sister not the sister! Harmonious, devoted to the same purpose, speak ye words in kindly spirit ! 4. That charm which causes the gods not to dis- agree, and not to hate one another, that do we prepare in your house, as a means of agreement for your folk, 5. Following your leader, of (the same) mind, do ye not hold yourselves apart ! Do ye come here, co-operating, going along the same wagon-pole, speaking agreeably to one another ! I render you of the same aim, of the same mind. 6. Identical shall be your drink, in common shall be your share of food ! I yoke you together in the same traces : do ye worship Agni, joining together, as spokes around about the hub ! 7. I render you of the same aim, of the same VI. CHARMS TO SECURE HARMONY, ETC. 1 35 mind, all paying deference to one (person) through my harmonisuig charm. Like the gods that are guarding the ambrosia, may he (the leader) be well- disposed towards you, night and day ! VI, 73. Charm to allay discord. 1. Hither shall come Varu/^a, Soma, Agni ; Bri- haspati with the Vasus shall come hither ! Come together, O ye kinsmen all, of one mind, to the glory of this mighty guardian ! 2. The fire that is within your souls, the scheme that hath entered your minds, do I frustrate with my oblation, with my ghee: delight in me shall ye take, O kinsmen ! 3. Remain right here, go not away from us ; (the roads) at a distance Pushan shall make impassable for you ! Vastoshpati shall urgently call you back : delight in me shall ye take, O kinsmen ! VI, 74. Charm to allay discord. 1. May your bodies be united, may your minds and your purposes (be united) ! Brahma;^aspati here has brought you together, Bhaga has brought you together. 2. Harmony of mind (I procure) for you, and also harmony of heart. Moreover with the aid of Bhaga's exertions do I cause you to agree. 3. As the Adityas are united with the Vasus, as the fierce (Rudras), free from grudge, with the Maruts, thus, O three-named (Agni), without grudge, do thou render these people here of the same mind ! I';6 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. VII, 52. Charm against strife and bloodshed. 1. May we be in harmony with our kinfolk, in harmony with strangers ; do ye, O Ai-vins, estabhsh here agreement among us ! 2. May we agree in mind and thought, may we not struggle with one another, in a spirit displeasing to the gods ! May not the din of frequent battle- carnage arise, may the arrow not fly when the day of Indra has arrived! VI, 64. Charm to allay discord. 1. Do ye agree, unite yourselves, may your minds be in harmony, just as the gods of old in harmony sat down to their share ! 2. Same be their counsel, same their assembly, same their aim, in common their thought ! The ' same ' oblation do I sacrifice for you : do ye enter upon the same plan ! 3. Same be your intention, same your hearts ! Same be your mind, so that it may be perfectly in common to you ! VI, 42. Charm to appease anger. 1. As the bowstring from the bow, thus do I take off thy anger from thy heart, so that, having become of the same mind, we shall associate like friends ! 2. Like friends we shall associate — I take off thy anger. Under a stone that is heavy do we cast thy anger. 3. I step upon thy anger with my heel and my fore-foot, so that, bereft of will, thou shalt not speak, shalt come up to my wish ! VI. CHARMS TO SECURE HARMONY, ETC. 1 37 VI, 43. Charm to appease anger. I. This darbha-Q^rass removes the anoer of both kinsman and of stranofer. And this remover of wrath, ' appeaser of wrath ' it is called. 2. This darbha-grass of many roots, that reaches down into the ocean, having risen from the earth, ' appeaser of wrath ' it is called. 3. Away we take the offensiveness that is in thy jaw, away (the offensiveness) in thy mouth, so that, bereft of will, thou shalt not speak, shalt come up to my wish ! II, 27. Charm against opponents in debate, undertaken with the pa/a-plant. 1. May the enemy not win the debate ! Thou art mighty and overpowering. Overcome the debate of those that debate against us, render them devoid of force, O plant ! 2. An eagle found thee out, a boar dug thee out with his snout. Overcome the debate of those that debate against us, render them devoid of force, O plant ! 3. Indra placed thee upon his arm in order to overthrow the Asuras. Overcome the debate of those that debate against us, render them devoid of force, O plant ! 4. Indra did eat the pa/a-plant, in order to over- throw the Asuras. Overcome the debate of those that debate against us, render them devoid of force, O plant! 5. By means of thee I shall conquer the enemy, 138 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. as Indra (conquered) the Salavr/kas. Overcome the debate of those that debate against us, render them devoid of force, O plant ! 6. O Rudra, whose remedy is the urine, with black crest of hair, performer of (strong) deeds — overcome thou the debate of those that debate against us, render them devoid of force, O plant ! 7. Overcome thou the debate of him that is hostile to us, O Indra ! Encourage us with thy might ! Render me superior in debate ! VII, 12. Charm to procure influence in the assembly. 1 . May assembly and meeting, the two daughters of Pra^apati, concurrently aid me ! May he with whom I shall meet co-operate with me ; may I, O ye Fathers, speak agreeably to those assembled ! 2. We know, thy name, O assembly : ' mirth,' verily, is thy name ; may all those that sit assem- bled in thee utter speech in harmony with me ! 3. Of them that are sitting together I take to myself the power and the understanding : in this entire sfatherinor render, O Indra, me successful ! 4. If your mind has wandered to a distance, or has been enchained here or there, then do we turn it hither : may your mind take delight in me ! VI, 94. Charm to bring about submission to one's will. 1. Your minds, your purposes, your plans, do we cause to bend. Ye persons yonder, that are devoted to other purposes, we cause you to comply ! 2. With my mind do I seize your minds : do ye VI. CHARMS TO SECURE HARMONY, ETC. 1 39 with your thoughts follow my thought ! I place your hearts in my control : come ye, directing your way after my course ! 3. I have called upon heaven and earth, I have called upon the goddess Sarasvati, I have called upon both Indra and Agni : may we succeed in this, O Sarasvati ! VII. CHARMS TO SECURE PROSPERITY IN HOUSE, FIELD, CATTLE, BUSINESS, GAMBLING, AND KINDRED MATTERS. Ill, 12. Prayer at the building of a house. 1. Right here do I erect a firm house : may it stand upon a (good) foundation, dripping with ghee ! Thee may we inhabit, O house, with heroes all, with strong heroes, with uninjured heroes ! 2. Right here, do thou, O house, stand firmly, full of horses, full of cattle, full of abundance ! Full of sap, full of ghee, full of milk, elevate thyself unto great happiness ! 3. A supporter art thou, O house, with broad roof, containing purified grain ! To thee may the calf come, to thee the child, to thee the milch-cows, when they return in the evening ! 4. May Savitar, Vayu, Indra, Br/haspati cunningly erect this house ! May the Maruts sprinkle it with moisture and with ghee ; may king Bhaga let our ploughing take root ! 5. O mistress of dwelling, as a sheltering and kindly goddess thou wast erected by the gods in the beginning ; clothed in grass, be thou kindly dis- posed ; give us, moreover, wealth along with heroes ! 6. Do thou, O cross-beam, according to regulation ascend the post, do thou, mightily ruling, hold off the enemies ! May they that approach thee rever- VII. CHARMS TO SECURE PROSPERITY, 1 4 I ently, O house, not suffer injury, may we with all our heroes live a hundred autumns ! 7. Hither to this (house) hath come the tender child, hither the calf along with (the other) domestic animals ; hither the vessel (full) of liquor, together with bowls of sour milk ! 8. Carry forth, O woman, this full jar, a stream of orhee mixed with ambrosia ! Do thou these drinkers supply with ambrosia ; the sacrifice and the gifts (to the Brahmans) shall it (the house) protect ! 9. These waters, free from disease, destructive of disease, do I carry forth. The chambers do I enter in upon together with the immortal Agni (fire). VI, 142. Blessing during the sowing of seed. 1 . Raise thyself up, grow thick by thy own might, O grain ! Burst every vessel ! The lightning in the heavens shall not destroy thee ! 2. When we invoke thee, god grain, and thou dost listen, then do thou raise thyself up like the sky, be inexhaustible as the sea ! 3. Inexhaustible shall be those that attend to thee, inexhaustible thy heaps ! They who give thee as a present shall be inexhaustible, they who eat thee shall be inexhaustible ! VI, 79. Charm for procuring Increase of grain. 1. May this bounteous Nabhasaspati (the lord of the cloud) preserve for us (possessions) without measure in our house ! 2, Do thou, O Nabhasaspati, keep strengthening 142 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. food in our house, may prosperity and goods come hither ! 3. O bounteous god, thou dost command thou- sandfold prosperity : of that do thou bestow upon us, of that do thou give us, in that may we share with thee ! VI, 50. Exorcism of vermin infesting grain in the field. 1. Slay ye the tarda ('borer'), the samaiika ('hook'), and the mole, O Ai-vins ; cut off their heads, and crush their ribs ! Shut their mouths, that they shall not eat the barley; free ye, moreover, the grain from danger ! 2. Ho tarda ('borer'), ho locust, ho ^abhya (' snapper '), upakvasa ! As a Brahman (eats not) an uncompleted sacrifice, do ye, not eating this barley, without working injury, get out! 3. O husband of the tarda (-female), O husband of the vagha (-female), ye of the sharp teeth, listen to me ! The vyadvaras (' rodents ') of the forest, and whatever other vyadvaras (there are), all these we do crush. VII, II. Charm to protect grain from lightning. With thy broad thunder, with the beacon, elevated by the gods that pervade this all, with the lightning do thou not destroy our grain, O god ; nor do thou destroy it with the rays of the sun ! II, 26. Charm for the prosperity of cattle. I. Hither shall come the cattle which have strayed to a distance, whose companionship Vayu VII. CHARMS TO SECURE PROSPERITY. 1 43 (the wind) enjoys ! (The cattle) whose structure of form Tvash/ar knows, Savitar shall hold in place in this stable! 2. To this stable the cattle shall flow tocrether, Br/haspati skilfully shall conduct them hither! Sinivali shall conduct hither their van : do thou, O Anumati, hold them in place after they have arrived ! 3. May the cattle, may the horses, and may the domestics flow together ; may the increase of the grain flow together! I sacrifice with an oblation that causeth to flow together ! 4. I pour together the milk of the cows, I pour together strength and sap with the ghee. Poured together shall be our heroes, constant shall be the cows with me the owner of the cows ! 5. I bring hither the milk of the cows, I have brought hither the sap of the grain. Brought hither are our heroes, brought hither to this house are our wives ! Ill, 14. Charm for the prosperity of cattle, 1. With a firmly founded stable, with wealth, with well-being, with the name of that which is born on a lucky day do we unite you (O cattle) ! 2. May Aryaman unite you, may Pushan, Br/- haspati, and Indra, the conqueror of booty, unite you ! Do ye prosper my possessions ! 3. Flocking together without fear, making ordure in this stable, holding honey fit for soma, free from disease, ye shall come hither ! 4. Right here come, ye cows, and prosper here like the i-aka-bird ! And right here do ye beget (your young) ! May ye be in accord with me ! 144 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 5. May your stable be auspicious to you, prosper ye like the ^ari-birds and parrots ! And right here do ye beget (your young) ! With us do we unite you. 6. Attach yourselves, O cows, to me as your pos- sessor ; may this stable here cause you to prosper ! Upon you, growing numerous, and living, may we, increasing in wealth, alive, attend ! VI, 59. Prayer to the plant arundhati for pro- tection to cattle. 1. Thy foremost protection, O Arundhati, do thou bestow upon steer and milch-kine, upon (cattle of) the age when weaned from their mother, upon (all) four-footed creatures ! 2. May Arundhati, the herb, bestow protection along with the gods, render full of sap the stable, free from disease our men ! 3. The variegated, lovely, life-giving (plant) do I invoke. May she carry away for us, far from the cattle, the missile hurled by Rudra ! VI, 70. Charm to secure the attachment of a cow to her calf. 1. As meat, and liquor, and dice (abound) at the gambling-place, as the heart of the lusty male hankers after the woman, thus shall thy heart, O cow, hanker after the calf! 2. As the elephant directs his steps after the steps of the female, as the heart of the lusty male hankers after the woman, thus shall thy heart, O cow, hanker after the calf! 3. As the felloe, and as the spokes, and as the VII. CHARMS TO SECURE PROSPERITY. 1 45 nave (of the wheel is joined) to the felloe, as the heart of the lusty male hankers after the woman, thus shall thy heart, O cow, hanker after the calf! Ill, 28. Formula in expiation of the birth of twin-calves. 1. Through one creation at a time this (cow) was born, when the fashioners of the beings did create the cows of many colours. (Therefore), when a cow doth beget twins portentously, growling and cross she injureth the cattle. 2. This (cow) doth injure our cattle : a flesh-eater, devourer, she hath become. Hence to a Brahman he shall give her ; in this way she may be kindly and auspicious ! 3. Auspicious be to (our) men, auspicious to (our) cows and horses, auspicious to this entire field, auspicious be to us right here ! 4. Here be prosperity, here be sap! Be thou here one that especially gives a thousandfold ! Make the cattle prosper, thou mother of twins ! 5. Where our pious friends live joyously, having left behind the ailments of their bodies, to that world the mother of twins did attain : may she not injure our men and our cattle ! 6. Where is the world of our pious friends, where the world of them that sacrifice with the agnihotra, to that world the mother of twins did attain : may she not injure our men and our cattle ! VI, 92. Charm to endow a horse with swiftness. I. Swift as the wind be thou, O steed, when joined (to the chariot) ; at Indra's urging go, fleet as [42] L 146 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. the mind ! The Maruts, the all-possessing, shall har- ness thee,Tvash/ar shall put fleetness into thy feet! 2. With the fleetness, O runner, that has been deposited in thee in a secret place, (with the fleetness) that has been made over to the eagle, the wind, and moves in them, with that, O steed, strong with strength, do thou win the race, reaching the goal in the contest ! 3. Thy body, O steed, leading (our) body, shall run, a pleasure to ourselves, delight to thyself! A god, not stumbling, for the support of the great, he shall, as if upon the heaven, found his own light! Ill, 13. Charm for conducting a river into a new channel. 1 . Because of yore, when the (cloud-) serpent was slain (by Indra), ye did rush forth and shout (ana- data), therefore is your name ' shouters ' (nadya/^ ' rivers ') : that is your designation, ye streams ! 2. Because, when sent forth by Varu;2a, ye then quickly did bubble up; then Indra met (apnot) you, as ye went, therefore anon are ye ' meeters ' (apa^ ' waters ') ! 3. When reluctantly ye flowed, Indra, forsooth, did with might choose (avivarata) you as his own, ye goddesses ! Therefore ' choice ' (var * water ') has been given you as your name ! 4. One god stood upon you, as ye flowed accord- ing to will. Up breathed (ud anishu//) they who are known as ' the great ' (mahi//). Therefore ' up- breather ' (udakam ' water ') are they called ! 5. The waters are kindly, the waters in truth were ghee. These waters, truly, do support Agni and VI!. CHARMS TO SECURE PROSPERITY. 1 47 Soma. May the readily flowing, strong sap of the honey-dripping (waters) come to me, together with hfe's breath and histre ! 6. Then do I see them and also do I hear them ; their sound, their voice doth come to me. When, ye golden-coloured, I have refreshed myself with you, then I ween, ambrosia (amr/ta) am I tasting ! 7. Here, ye waters, is your heart, here is your calf, ye righteous ones ! Come ye, mighty ones, by this way here, by which I am conducting you here ! VI, 106. Charm to ward off danger from fire. 1. Where thou comest, (O fire), and where thou goest away, the blooming durva-plant shall grow : a well-spring there shall rise up, or a lotus-laden pool ! 2. Here (shall be) the gathering place of the waters, here the dwelling-place of the sea! In the midst of a pond our house shall be : turn, (O fire), away thy jaws ! 3. With a covering of coolness do we envelop thee, O house ; cool as a pond be thou for us ! Agni shall furnish the remedy ! IV, 3. Shepnerd's charm against wild beasts and robbers. 1. Three have gone away from here, the tiger, man, and wolf. Out of sight, forsooth, go the rivers, out of sight (grows) the divine tree (the banyan-tree ?) : out of sight the enemies shall retreat ! 2. The 'wolf shall tread a distant path, and the robber one still more distant! On a distant path shall move the biting rope (the serpent), on a distant path the plotter of evil ! L 2 148 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 3. Thy eyes and thy jaw we crush, O tiger, and also all thy twenty claws. 4. We crush the tiger, the foremost of animals, armed with teeth. Next, too, the thief, and then the serpent, the wizard, and also the wolf. 5. The thief that approacheth to-day, crushed to pieces he goeth away. Where the paths are preci- pitate he shall go, Indra shall slay him with his bolt ! 6. The teeth of the wild beast are dulled, and broken are his ribs. Out of thy sight the dragon shall go, down shall tumble the hare-hunting beast ! 7. The (jaw, O beast,) that thou shuttest together, thou shalt not open up ; that which thou openest up, thou shalt not shut together! — Born of Indra, born of Soma, thou, (my charm), art Atharvan's crusher of tigers. Ill, 15. A merchant's prayer. 1. Indra, the merchant, do I summon: may he come to us, may he be our van ; driving away the demon of grudge, the waylayers, and wild beasts, may he, the possessor, bestow wealth upon me ! 2. May the many paths, the roads of the gods, which come together between heaven and earth, gladden me with milk and ghee, so that I may gather in wealth from my purchases ! 3. Desirous do I, O Agni, with firewood and ghee offer oblations (to thee), for success and strength ; according to ability praising (thee) with my prayer, do I sing this divine song, that I may iiain a hundredfold ! 4. (Pardon, O Agni, this sin of ours [incurred VII. CHARMS TO SECURE PROSI'ERITV. I49 Upon] the far road which we have travelled !) May our purchases and our sales be successful for us; may what I get in barter render me a gainer ! May ye two (Indra and Agni) in accord take pleasure in this oblation ! May our transactions and the accru- ing gain be auspicious to us ! 5. The wealth with which I go to purchase, de- siring, ye gods, to gain wealth through wealth, may that grow more, not less ! Drive away, O Agni, in return for the oblation, the crods who shut off eain ! 6. The wealth with which I go to purchase, de- siring, ye gods, to gain wealth through wealth, may Indra, Pra^^apati, Savitar, Soma, Agni, place lustre into it for me ! 7. We praise with reverence thee, O priest (Agni) Vai^vanara. Do thou over our children, selves, cattle, and life's breath watch ! 8. Daily, never failing, shall we bring (oblations to thee), O 6^atavedas, (as if fodder) to a horse stand- ing (in the stable). In growth of wealth and nutri- ment rejoicing, may we, O Agni, thy neighbours, not take harm ! IV, 38. A. Prayer for success in gambling. 1. The successful, victorious, skilfully gaming Apsara, that Apsara who makes the winnings in the game of dice, do I call hither. 2. The skilfully gaming Apsara who sweeps and heaps up (the stakes), that Apsara who takes the winnings in the game of dice, do I call hither. 3. May she, who dances about with the dice, when she takes the stakes from the game of dice, when she desires to win for us, obtain the advantage 150 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. by (her) magic ! May she come to us full of abun- dance ! Let them not win this wealth of ours ! 4. The (Apsaras) who rejoice in dice, w^ho carry grief and wrath — that joyful and exulting Apsara, do I call hither. B. Prayer to secure the return of calves that have strayed to a distance. 5. They (the cattle) who wander along the rays of the sun, or they who wander along the flood of light, they whose bull (the sun), full of strength, from afar protecting, with the day wanders about all the worlds — may he (the bull), full of strength, delight- ing in this offering, come to us together with the atmosphere ! 6. Together with the atmosphere, O thou who art full of strength, protect the white (karki) calf, O thou swift steed (the sun) ! Here are many drops (of ghee) for thee ; come hither ! May this white calf (karki) of thine, may thy mind, be here ! 7. Together with the atmosphere, O thou who art full of strength, protect the white (karki) calf, O thou swift steed (the sun)! Here is the fodder, here the stall, here do we tie down the calf What- ever (are your) names, we own you. Hail ! VII, 50. Prayer for success at dice. 1. As the lightning at all times smites irresistibly the tree, thus would I to-day irresistibly beat the gamesters with my dice ! 2. Whether they be alert, or not alert, the fortune of (these) folks, unresisting, shall assemble from all sides, the gain (collect) within my hands ! VII. CHARMS TO SECURE PROSPERITY. 15! 3. I invoke with reverence Agni, who has his own riches ; here attached he shall heap up gain for us ! I procure (wealth) for myself, as if with chariots that win the race. May I accomplish au- spiciously the song of praise to the Maruts ! 4. May we by thy aid conquer the (adversary's) troop ; help us (to obtain) our share in every con- test! Make for us, O Indra, a good and ample road ; crush, O Maghavan, the lusty power of our enemies ! 5. I have conquered and cleaned thee out (?) ; I have also gained thy reserve. As the wolf plucks to pieces the sheep, thus do I pluck thy winnings. 6. Even the strong hand the bold player conquers, as the skilled gambler heaps up his winnings at the proper time. Upon him that loves the game (the god), and does not spare his money, (the game, the god) verily bestows the delights of wealth. 7. Through (the possession of) cattle we all would suppress (our) wretched poverty, or with grain our hunger, O thou oft implored (god) ! May we foremost among rulers, unharmed, gain wealth by our cunning devices ! 8. Gain is deposited in my right hand, victory in my left. Let me become a conqueror of cattle, horses, wealth, and gold ! 9. O dice, yield play, profitable as a cow that is rich in milk ! Bind me to a streak of gain, as the bow (is bound) with the string ! VI, 56. Exorcism of serpents from the premises. I. May the serpent, ye gods, not slay us along with our children and our men ! The closed (jaw) 152 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. shall not snap open, the open one not close ! Rever- ence (be) to the divine folk ! 2. Reverence be to the black serpent, reverence to the one that is striped across ! To the brown sva^a reverence ; reverence to the divine folk ! 3. I clap thy teeth upon thy teeth, and also thy jaw upon thy jaw ; I press thy tongue against thy tongue, and close up, O serpent, thy mouth. X, 4. Charm against serpents, invoking the horse of Pedu that slays serpents. 1. To Indra belongs the first chariot, to the gods the second chariot, to Varu?^a, forsooth, the third. The serpents' chariot is the last : it shall hit a post, and come to grief! 2. The young darbha-grass burns (the serpents ?), the tail of the horse, the tail of the shaggy one, the seat of the wagon (burns the serpents ?). 3. Strike down, O white (horse), with thy fore- foot and thy hind-foot ! As timber floating in water, the poison of the serpents, the fierce fluid, is devoid of strenorth. 4. Neighing loudly he dived down, and, again diving up, said : * As timber floating in water, the poison of the serpents, the fierce fluid, is devoid of strength.' 5. The horse of Pedu slays the kasar;^ila, the horse of Pedu slays the white (serpent), and also the black. The horse of Pedu cleaves the head of the ratharvi, the adder. 6. O horse of Pedu, go thou first : we come after thee ! Thou shalt cast out the serpents from the road upon which we come ! 7. Here the horse of Pedu was born ; from here VII. CHARMS TO SECURE PROSI'ERITY. 15^ is his departure. Here are the tracks of the serpent- killing, powerful steed ! 8. May the closed (serpent's jaw) not snap open, may the open one not close ! The two serpents in this field, man and wife, they are both bereft of strength. 9. Without strength here are the serpents, those that are near, and those that are far. With a club do I slay the vr/^/ika (scorpion), with a staff the serpent that has approached. 10. Here is the remedy for both the aghajrva and the sva^a! Indra (and) Pedu's horse have put to naught the evil-planning (aghayantam) serpent. 11. The horse of Pedu do we remember, the strong, with strong footing: behind lie, staring forth, these adders. 12. Deprived are they of life's spirit, deprived of poison, slain by Indra with his bolt. Indra hath slain them : we have slain them. 13. Slain are they that are striped across, crushed are the adders ! Slay thou the one that produces a hood, (slay) the white and the black in the darbha- grass ! 14. The maiden of the Kirata-tribe, the little one digs up the remedy, with golden spades, on the mountain's back. 15. Hither has come a youthful physician : he slays the speckled (serpent), is irresistible. He. forsooth, crushes the sva^'a and the vrzs^ika. both. 16. Indra did set at naught for me the serpent, (and so did) Mitra and Varu;^a, Vata and Par^anya both. 17. Indra did set at naught for me the serpent, the adder, male and female, the sva^a, (the serpent) 154 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. that is striped across, the kasar;/ila, and the dai'onasi. 1 8. Indra slew thy first ancestor, G serpent, and since they are crushed, what strength, forsooth, can be theirs ? 19. I have gathered up their heads, as the fisher- man the karvara (fish). I have gone off into the river's midst, and washed out the serpent's poison. 20. The poison of all serpents the rivers shall carry off! Slain are they that are striped across, crushed are the adders ! 21. As skilfully I cull the fibre of the plants, as I guide the mares, (thus), O serpent, shall thy poison go away ! 22. The poison that is in the fire, in the sun, in the earth, and in the plants, the kanda-poison, the kanaknaka, thy poison shall go forth, and come ! 23. The serpents that are sprung from the fire, that are sprung from the plants, that are sprung from the water, and originate from the lightning ; they from whom great brood has sprung in many ways, those serpents do we revere with obeisance. 24. Thou art, (O plant), a maiden, Taudi by name ; Ghn'ia/d, forsooth, is thy name. Underfoot is thy place : I take in hand what destroys the poison. 25. From every limb make the poison start ; shut it out from the heart ! Now the force that is in thy poison shall go down below ! 26. The poison has gone to a distance : he has shut it out ; he has fused the poison with poison. Agni has put away the poison of the serpent, Soma has led it out. The poison has gone back to the biter. The serpent is dead ! VII. CHARMS TO SECURE PROSPERITY. I 55 XI, 2. Prayer to Bhava and ^'arva for protection from dansfers. 1. O Bhava and 6arva, be merciful, do not attack (us) ; ye lords of beings, lords of cattle, reverence be to you twain ! Discharge not your arrow even after it has been laid on (the bow), and has been drawn ! Destroy not our bipeds and our quadrupeds ! 2. Prepare not our bodies for the dog, or the jackal ; for the aliklavas, the vultures, and the black birds ! Thy greedy insects, O lord of cattle (pa^u- pate), and thy birds shall not get us to devour ! 3. Reverence we offer, O Bhava, to thy roaring, to thy breath, and to thy injurious qualities ; reverence to thee, O Rudra, thousand-eyed, im- mortal ! 4. We offer reverence to thee from the east, from the north, and from the south ; from (every) domain, and from heaven. Reverence be to thy atmosphere ! 5. To thy face, O lord of cattle, to thy eyes, O Bhava, to thy skin, to thy form, thy appearance, (and to thy aspect) from behind, reverence be ! 6. To thy limbs, to thy belly, to thy tongue, to thy mouth, to thy teeth, to thy smell (nose), reverence be ! 7. May we not conflict with Rudra, the archer with the dark crest, the thousand-eyed, powerful one, the slayer of Ardhaka ! 8. Bhava shall steer clear from us on all sides, Bhava shall steer clear from us, as fire from water ! May he not bear malice towards us : reverence be to him ! 9. Four times, eight times, be reverence to Bhava, T56 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. ten times be reverence to thee, O lord of cattle ! To thy (charge) have been assigned these five (kinds of) cattle : cows, horses, men, goats and sheep. 10. Thine, O strong god (ngra), are the four regions, thine the sky, thine the earth, and thine this broad atmosphere ; thine is this all that has a spirit and has breath upon the earth. 1 1 . Thine is this broad, treasure-holding receptacle within which all worlds are contained. Do thou spare us, O lord of cattle : reverence be to thee ! Far from us shall go the jackals, evil omens, dogs ; far shall go (the mourning women) who bewail mis- fortune with dishevelled hair ! 12. Thou, O crested (god), earnest in (thy hand), that smites thousands, a yellow, golden bow that slays hundreds ; Rudra's arrow, the missile of the gods, flies abroad : reverence be to it, in whatever direc- tion from here (it flies) ! 13. The adversary who lurks and seeks to over- come thee, O Rudra, upon him thou dost fasten thyself from behind, as (the hunter) that follows the trail of a wounded (animal). 14. Bhava and Rudra, united and concordant, both strong (ugrau), ye advance to deeds of heroism : reverence be to both of them, in whatever direction (they are) from here ! 15. Reverence be to thee coming, reverence to thee going; reverence, O Rudra, be to thee standing, and reverence, also, to thee sitting ! 16. Reverence in the evening, reverence in the morning, reverence by night, reverence by day ! I have offered reverence to Bhava and to 6"arva, both. 1 7. Let us not with our tongue off^end Rudra, who VII, CHARMS TO SECURE PROSPERITY. 1 57 rushes on, thousand-eyed, overseeing all, who hurls (his shafts) forward, who is manifoldly wise ! 18. We approach first the (god) that has dark horses, is black, sable, destructive, terrible, who casts down the car of Ke^^in : reverence be to him ! 19. Do not hurl at us thy club, thy divine bolt; be not incensed at us, O lord of cattle ! Shake over some other than us the celestial branch ! 20. Injure us not, interpose for us, spare us, be not angry with us ! Let us not contend with thee ! 21. Do not covet our cattle, our men, our goats and sheep ! Bend thy course elsewhere, O strong god (ugra), slay the offspring of the blasphemers ! 22. He whose missile, fever and cough, assails the single (victim), as the snorting of a stallion, who snatches away (his victims) one by one, to him be reverence ! 23. He M^ho dwells fixed in the atmosphere, smit- ing the blasphemers of the god that do not sacrifice, to him be reverence with ten j-akvari-stanzas ! 24. For thee the wild beasts of the forest have been placed in the forest : flamingoes, eagles, birds of prey, and fowls. Thy spirit, O lord of cattle, is within the waters, to strengthen thee the heavenly waters flow. 25. The dolphins, great serpents (boas), purikayas (water-animals), sea-monsters, fishes, ra^asas, at which thou shootest— there exists for thee, O Bhava, no distance, and no barrier. At a glance thou lookest around the entire earth ; from the eastern thou slayest in the northern ocean. 26. Do not, O Rudra. contaminate us with fever, or with poison, or with heavenly fire : cause this lightning to descend elsewhere than upon us ! % 158 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 27. Bhava rules the sky, Bhava rules the earth ; Bhava has filled the broad atmosphere. Reverence be to him in whatever direction from here (he abides) ! 28. O king Bhava, be merciful to thy worshipper, for thou art the lord of living beasts! He who believes the gods exist, to his quadruped and biped be merciful ! 29. Slay neither our great nor our small ; neither those of us that are riding, nor those that shall ride ; neither our father, nor our mother. Cause no injury, O Rudra, to our own persons ! 30. To Rudra's howling dogs, who swallow their food without blessing, who have wide jaws, I have made this obeisance. 31. Reverence, O god, be to thy shouting hosts, reverence to thy long-haired, reverence to thy reverenced, reverence to thy devouring hosts ! May well-being and security be to us ! IV, 28. Prayer to Bhava and 6arva for protection from calamities. 1. O Bhava and 6arva, I am devoted to you. Take note of that, ye under whose control is all this which shines (the visible universe) ! Ye who rule all these two-footed and four-footed creatures, deliver us from calamity ! 2. Ye to whom belongs all that is near by, yea, all that Is far ; ye who are known as the most skil- ful archers among bowmen ; ye who rule all these two-footed and four-footed creatures, deliver us from calamity ! 3. The thousand-eyed slayers of Vmra both do VII. CHARMS TO SECURE PROSPERITY. 1 59 I invoke. I go praising the two strong gods (ugrau) whose pastures extend far. Ye who rule all these two-footed and four-footed creatures, deliver us from calamity ! 4. Ye who, united, did undertake many (deeds) of old, and, moreover, did visit portents upon the people ; ye who rule all these two-footed and four- footed creatures, deliver us from calamity ! 5. Ye from whose blows no one either among gods or men escapes ; ye who rule all these two- footed and four-footed creatures, deliver us from calamity ! 6. The sorcerer who prepares a spell, or manipu- lates the roots (of plants) against us, against him, ye strong gods, launch your thunderbolt ! Ye who rule all these two-footed and four-footed creatures, deliver us from calamity. 7. Ye strong gods, favour us in battles, bring into contact with your thunderbolt the Kimidin ! I praise you, O Bhava and ^'arva, call fervently upon you in distress : deliver us from calamity ! VII, 9. Charm for finding lost property. 1. On the distant path of the paths Pushan was born, on the distant path of heaven, on the distant path of the earth. Upon the two most lovely places both he walks hither and away, knowing (the way). 2. Pushan knows these regions all ; he shall lead us by the most dangerless (way). Bestowing well- being, of radiant glow, keeping our heroes undi- minished, he shall, alert and skilful, go before us ! 3. O Pushan, under thy law may we never suffer harm : as praisers of thee are we here ! 4. Pushan shall from the east place his right hand l60 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. about US, shall bring again to us what has been lost : we shall come upon what has been lost ! VI, 128. Propitiation of the weather-prophet. 1. When the stars made 6'akadhuma their king they bestowed good weather upon him : * This shall be his dominion,' they said. 2. Let us have good weather at noon, good weather at eve, good weather in the early morning, good weather in the night ! 3. For day and night, for the stars, for sun and moon, and for us prepare good weather, O king ^akadhuma ! 4. To thee, O vSakadhuma, ruler of the stars, that gavest us good weather in the evening, in the night, and by day, let there ever be obeisance ! XI, 6, Prayer for deliverance from calamity, w addressed to the entire pantheon. 1. To Agni we speak and to the trees, to the plants and to the herbs ; to Indra, Brz'haspati, and Surya : they shall deliver us from calamity ! 2. We speak to king Varu;za, to Mitra, Vish^m and Bhaga. To Amssi and Vivasvant do we speak : they shall deliver us from calamity ! 3. We speak to Savitar, the god, to Dhatar, and to Pushan ; to first-born Tvash/ar do we speak : they shall deliver us from calamity ! 4. We speak to the Gandharvas and the Apsaras, to the Ai"vins and to Brahma^mspati, to the god whose name is Aryaman : they shall deliver us from calamity ! 5. Now do we speak to day and night, to 3<^rya N VII. CHARMS TO SECURE PROSPERITY. l6l (sun) and to A'andramas (moon), the twain ; to all A the Adityas we speak : they shall deliver us from calamity ! 6. We speak to Vata (wind) and Par^anya, to the atmosphere and the directions of space. And to all the regions do we speak : they shall deliver us from calamity ! 7. Day and night, and Ushas (dawn), too, shall deliver thee from curses ! Soma the god, whom they call Alindramas (moon), shall deliver me ! 8. To the animals of the earth and those of heaven, to the wild beasts of the forest, to the winged birds, do we speak : they shall deliver us from calamity ! 9. Now do we speak to Bhava and ^'arva, to Rudra and Pai^upati ; their arrows do we know well : these (arrows) shall be ever propitious to us ! 10. We speak to the heavens, and the stars, to earth, the Yakshas, and the mountains ; to the seas, the rivers, and the lakes : they shall deliver us from calamity ! 1 1. To the seven ^/shis now do we speak, to the # divine waters and Praf-apati. To the Fathers with ?> Yama at their head : they shall deliver us from calamity ! 12. The gods that dwell in heaven, and those that dwell in the atmosphere ; the mighty (gods) that are fixed upon the earth, they shall deliver us from calamity ! 13. The Adityas, Rudras,Vasus, the divine Athar- vans in heaven, and the wise Angiras : they shall deliver us from calamity ! 14. We speak to the sacrifice and the sacrificer, to the riks, the samans, and the healing (Atharvan) charms ; we speak to the ya^us-formulas and the [42] M 1 62 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. invocations (to the gods) : they shall deliver us from calamity ! 15. We speak to the five kingdoms of the plants with soma the most excellent among them. The darbha-grass, hemp, and mighty barley : they shall deliver us from calamity ! 16. We speak to the Arayas (demons of grudge), Rakshas, serpents, pious men, and Fathers ; to the one and a hundred deaths : they shall deliver us from calamity ! 17. To the seasons we speak, to the lords of the seasons, and to the sections of the year ; to the half- years, years, and months : they shall deliver us from calamity ! 18. Come, ye gods, from the south and the west ; ye gods in the east come forth ! From the east, from the north the mighty gods, all the gods assembled : they shall deliver us from calamity ! 19. 20. We speak here to all the gods that hold to their agreements, promote the order (of the universe), together with all their wives : they shall deliver us from calamity ! 21. We speak to being, to the lord of being, and also to him that controls the beings ; to the beings all assembled : they shall deliver us from calamity ! 22. The five divine regions, the twelve divine seasons, the teeth of the year, they shall ever be propitious to us ! 23. The am;7ta (ambrosia), bought for the price of a chariot, which Matali knows as a remedy, that Indra stored away in the waters : that, O ye waters, furnish ye as a remedy ! VIII. CHARMS IN EXPIATION OF SIN AND DEFILEMENT. VI, 45. Prayer against mental delinquency. 1. Pass far away, O sin of the mind! Why dost thou utter things not to be uttered ? Pass away, I love thee not ! To the trees, the forests go on ! With the house, the cattle, is my mind. 2. What wrongs we have committed through imprecation, calumny, and false speech, either awake, or asleep — Agni shall put far away from us all offensive evil deeds ! 3. What, O Indra Brahma/^aspati, we do falsely — may Pra/'etas (' care-taker ') Ahgirasa protect us from misfortune, and from evil ! VI, 26. Charm to avert evil. 1. Let me go, O evil; being powerful, take thou pity on us ! Set me, O evil, unharmed, into the world of happiness ! 2. If, O evil, thou dost not abandon us, then do we abandon thee at the fork of the road. May evil follow after another (man) ! 3. Away from us may thousand-eyed, immortal (evil) dwell ! Him whom we hate may it strike, and him whom we hate do thou surely smite ! M 2 164 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. VI, 114, Expiatory formula for imperfections in the sacrifice. 1 . The god-angering (deed), O ye gods, that we, the (Brahman) gods, have committed, from that do ye, O Adityas, release us, by virtue of the order of the universe ! 2. By virtue of the order of the universe do ye, A O reverend Adityas, release us here, if, O ye carriers of the sacrifice, though desirous of accomplishing (the sacrifice), we did not accomplish (it) ! — 3. (If), when sacrificing with the fat (animal), when offering oblations of ghee with the spoon, when desiring to benefit you, O all ye gods, we have contrary to desire, not succeeded ! VI, 115. Expiatory formulas for sins. 1. From the sins which knowingly or unknowingly we have committed, do ye, all gods, of one accord, release us ! 2. If awake, or if asleep, to sin inclined, I have committed a sin, may what has been, and what shall be, as if from a wooden post, release me ! 3. As one released from a wooden post, as one in a sweat by bathing (is cleansed) of filth, as ghee is clarified by the sieve, may all (the gods) clear me from sin ! VI, 112. Expiation for the precedence of a younger brother over an older. I. May this (younger brother) not slay the oldest one of them, O Agni ; protect him that he be not torn out by the root ! Do thou here cunningly VIII. CHARMS IN EXPIATION OF SIN ETC. 165 loosen the fetter of Grahi (attack of disease) ; may all the orods orlve thee leave ! o o 2. Free these three, O Agni, from the three fetters with which they have been shackled ! Do thou cunningly loosen the fetters of Grahi ; release them all, father, sons, and mother ! 3. The fetters with which the older brother, whose younger brother has married before him, has been bound, with which he has been encumbered and shackled limb by limb, may they be loosened ; since fit for loosening they are ! Wipe off, O Pushan, the misdeeds upon him that practiseth abortion ! VI, 113. Expiation for certain heinous crimes. 1. On Tr/ta the gods wiped off this sin, Tma wiped it off on human beings ; hence if Grahi (attack of disease) has seized thee, may these gods remove her by means of their charm ! 2. Enter into the rays, into smoke, O sin ; go into the vapours, and into the fog ! Lose thyself on the foam of the river! Wipe off, O Pushan, the misdeeds upon him that practiseth abortion ! 3. Deposited in twelve places is that which has been wiped off Tr/ta, the sins belonging to humanity. Hence if Grahi has seized thee, may these gods remove her by means of their charm ! VI, 120. Prayer for heaven after remission of sins. I. If air, or earth and heaven, if mother or father, we have injured, may this Agni Garhapatya (house- hold fire) without fail lead us out from this (crime) to the world of well-doing ! 1 66 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 2. The earth is our mother, Aditi (the universe) our kin, the air our protector from hostile schemes. May father sky bring prosperity to us from the world of the Fathers ; may I come to my (departed) kin, and not lose heaven ! 3. In that bright world where our pious friends live in joy, having cast aside the ailments of their own bodies, free from lameness, not deformed in limb, there may we behold our parents and our children ! VI, 27. Charm against pigeons regarded as ominous birds. 1. O ye gods, if the pigeon, despatched as the messenger of Nirr/ti (the goddess of destruction), hath come here seeking (us out), we shall sing his praises, and prepare (our) ransom. May our two- footed and four-footed creatures be prosperous ! 2. Auspicious to us shall be the pigeon that has been despatched ; harmless, ye gods, the bird shall be to our house ! The sage Agni shall verily take pleasure in our oblation ; the winged missile shall avoid us ! 3. The winged missile shall not do us injury : upon our hearth, our fireplace he (the pigeon) takes his steps ! Propitious he shall be to our cattle and our domestics ; may not, ye gods, the pigeon here do harm to us ! VI, 29. Charm against ominous pigeons and owls. I. Upon those persons yonder the winged missile shall fall ! If the owl shrieks, futile shall this be, or if the pigeon takes his steps upon the fire ! VIII. CHARMS IN EXPIATION OF SIN ETC. 1 67 2. To thy two messengers, O Nirrni, who come here, despatched or not despatched, to our house, to the pigeon and to the owl, this shall be no place to step upon ! 3. He shall not fly hither to slaughter (our) men ; to keep (our) men sound he shall settle here ! Charm him very far away unto a distant region, that (people) shall behold you (i.e. him) in Yama's house devoid of strength, that they shall behold you bereft of power ! VII, 64. Expiation when one is defiled by a black bird of omen. 1. What this black bird flying forth towards (me) has dropped here — may the waters protect me from all that misfortune and evil ! 2. What this black bird has brushed here with thy mouth, O Nirmi (goddess of misfortune) — may Agni Garhapatya (the god of the household fire) free me from this sin ! VI, 46. Exorcism of evil dreams. 1. Thou who art neither alive nor dead, the immortal child of the gods art thou, O Sleep! Varu/^ani is thy mother, Yama (death) thy father, Araru is thy name. 2. We know, O Sleep, thy birth, thou art the son of the divine women-folk, the instrument of Yama (death) ! Thou art the ender, thou art death ! Thus do we know thee, O Sleep : do thou, O Sleep, protect us from evil dreams ! 3. As one pays off a sixteenth, an eighth, or an (entire) debt, thus do we transfer every evil dream upon our enemy. 1 68 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. VII, 115. Charm for the removal of evil character- istics, and the acquisition of auspicious ones. 1. Fly forth from here, O evil mark, vanish from here, fly forth to yonder place ! Upon him that hates us do we fasten thee with a brazen hook. 2. The unsavoury mark which flying has alighted upon me, as a creeper upon a tree, that mayest thou put away from us, away from here, O golden-handed (golden-rayed) Savitar (the sun), bestowing goods upon us ! 3. Together with the body of the mortal, from his birth, one and a hundred marks are born. Those that are most foul do we drive away from here ; the auspicious ones, O (9atavedas (Agni), do thou hold fast for us ! 4. These (marks) here I have separated, as cows scattered upon the heather. The pure marks shall remain, the foul ones I have made to disappear ! IX. PRAYERS AND IMPRECATIONS IN THE INTEREST OF THE BRAHMANS. V, 1 8. Imprecation against the oppressors of Brahmans. 1. The gods, O king, did not give to thee this (cow) to eat. Do not, O prince, seek to devour the cow of the Brahma/^a, which is unfit to be eaten ! 2. The prince, beguiled by dice, the wretched one who has lost as a stake his own person, he may, perchance, eat the cow of the Brahma;^a, (thinking), ' let me live to-day (if) not to-morrow ' ! 3. Enveloped (is she) in her skin, as an adder with evil poison ; do not, O prince, (eat the cow) of the Brahma;^a : sapless, unfit to be eaten, is that cow ! 4. Away does (the Brahma;ea) take regal power, destroys vigour ; like fire which has caught does he burn away everything. He that regards the Brahma/^a as fit food drinks of the poison of the taimata-serpent. 5. He who thinks him (the Brahman) mild, and slays him, he who reviles the gods, lusts after wealth, without thought, in his heart Indra kindles a fire ; him both heaven and earth hate while he lives. 6. The Brahma;za must not be encroached upon, lyO HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. any more than fire, by him that regards his own body! For Soma is his (the Brahma;^a's) heir, Indra protects him from hostile plots. 7. He swallows her (the cow), bristling with a hundred hooks, (but) is unable to digest her, he, the fool who, devouring the food of the Brahmans, thinks, ' I am eating a luscious (morsel).' 8. (The Brahman's) tongue turns into a bow- string, his voice into the neck of an arrow ; his windpipe, his teeth are bedaubed with holy fire : with these the Brahman strikes those who revile the gods, by means of bows that have the strength to reach the heart, discharged by the gods. 9. The Brahma;eas have sharp arrows, are armed with missiles, the arrow which they hurl goes not in vain ; pursuing him with their holy fire and their wrath, even from afar, do they pierce him. 10. They who ruled over a thousand, and were themselves ten hundred, the Vaitahavya, when they devoured the cow of the Brahma;^a, perished. 11. The cow herself, when slaughtered, came down upon the Vaitahavyas, who had roasted for themselves the last she-goat of Kesaraprabandha. 12. The one hundred and one persons whom the earth did cast off, because they had injured the offspring of a Brahma?^a, were ruined irretrievably. 1 3. As a reviler of the gods does he live among mortals, having swallowed poison, he becomes more bone (than flesh). He that injureth a Brahma/^a, whose kin are the gods, does not reach heaven by the road of the Fathers. 14. Agni is called our guide. Soma our heir, Indra slays those who curse (us): that the strong (sages) know. IX. PRAYERS AND IMPRECATIONS FOR BRAHMANS. I 7 I 15. Like a poisoned arrow, O king, like an adder, O lord of cattle, is the terrible arrow of the Brahma/^a : with that he smites those who revile (the gods). V, 19. Imprecation against the oppressors of Brahmans. 1. Beyond measure they waxed strong, just fell short of touching the heavens. When they in- fringed upon Bh;7gu they perished, the SmT^aya Vaitahavyas. 2. The persons who pierced Br/hatsaman, the descendant of Aiigiras, the Brahma;^a — a ram with two rows of teeth, a sheep devoured their offspring. 3. They who spat upon the Brahma;/a, who desired tribute from him, they sit in the middle of a pool of blood, chewing hair. 4. The cow of the Brahman, when roasted, as far as she reaches does she destroy the lustre of the kingdom ; no lusty hero is born (there). 5. A cruel (sacrilegious) deed is her slaughter, her meat, when eaten, is sapless ; when her milk is drunk, that surely is accounted a crime against the Fathers. 6. When the king, weening himself mighty, de- sires to destroy the Brahma7^a, then royal power is dissipated, where the Brahma;^a is oppressed. 7. Becoming eight-footed, four-eyed, four-eared, four-jawed, two-mouthed, two-tongued, she dispels the rule of the oppressor of the Brahman. 8. That (kingdom) surely she swamps, as water a leaking ship ; misfortune strikes that kingdom, in which they injure a Brahma7/a. 9. The trees chase away with the words : ' do not 172 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. come within our shade,' him who covets the wealth that belongs to a Brahma^^a, O Narada ! 10. King Varu/ea pronounced this (to be) poison, prepared by the gods : no one who has devoured the cow of a Brahma;^a retains the charge of a kingdom. 11. Those full nine and ninety whom the earth did cast off, because they had injured the offspring of a Brahma;2a, were ruined irretrievably. 12. The kudi-plant (Christ's thorn) that wipes away the track (of death), which they fasten to the dead, that very one, O oppressor of Brahmans, the gods did declare (to be) thy couch. 13. The tears which have rolled from (the eyes of) the oppressed (Brahman), as he laments, these very ones, O oppressor of Brahmans, the gods did assign to thee as thy share of water. 14. The water with which they bathe the dead, with which they moisten his beard, that very one, O oppressor of Brahmans, the gods did assign to thee as thy share of water. 15. The rain of Mitra and Varuna. does not moisten the oppressor of Brahmans ; the assembly is not complacent for him, he does not guide his friend according to his will. V, 7. Prayer to appease Arati, the demon of grudge and avarice. I. Bring (wealth) to us, do not stand In our way, O Arati ; do not keep from us the sacrificial reward as It is being taken (to us) ! Adoration be to the power of grudge, the power of failure, adoration to Arati ! IX. PRAYERS AND IMPRECATIONS FOR BRAIIMANS. I 73 2. To thy advising minister, whom thou, Arati, didst make thy agent, do we make obeisance. Do not bring failure to my wish ! 3. May our wish, instilled by the gods, be fulfilled by day and night ! We go in quest of Arati. Adoration be to Arati ! 4. Sarasvati (speech), Anumati (favour), and Bhaga (fortune) we go to invoke. Pleasant, honied, words I have spoken on the occasions when the gods were invoked. 5. Him whom I implore with Va^^ Sarasvati (the goddess of speech), the yoke-fellow of thought, faith shall find to-day, bestowed by the brown soma ! 6. Neither our wish nor our speech do thou frus- trate! May Indra and Agni both bring us wealth! Do ye all who to-day desire to make gifts to us ofain favour with Arati ! 7. Go far away, failure ! Thy missile do we avert. I know thee (to be) oppressive and piercing, O Arati ! 8. Thou dost even transform thyself into a naked woman, and attach thyself to people in their sleep, frustrating, O Arati, the thought and intention of man, 9. To her who, great, and of great dimension, did penetrate all the regions, to this golden-locked Nirr/ti (goddess of misfortune), I have rendered obeisance. 10. To the gold-complexioned, lovely one, who rests upon golden cushions, to the great one, to that Arati who wears golden robes, I have rendered obeisance. 174 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. XII, 4. The necessity of giving away sterile cows to the Brahmans. 1. ' I give,' he shall surely say, ' the sterile cow to the begging Brahmans' — and they have noted her — that brings progeny and offspring ! 2. With his offspring does he trade, of his cattle is he deprived, that refuses to give the cow of the gods to the begging descendants of the 7?/shis. 3. Through (the gift of) a cow with broken horns his (cattle) breaks down, through a lame one he tumbles into a pit, through a mutilated one his house is burned, through a one-eyed one his property is given away. 4. Flow of blood attacks the cattle-owner from the spot where her dung is deposited : this under- standing there is about the va.sa. (the sterile cow) ; for thou (sterile cow) art said to be very difficult to deceive ! 5. From the resting-place of her feet the (disease) called viklindu overtakes (the owner, or the cattle). Without sickness breaks down (the cattle) which she sniffs upon with her nose. 6. He that pierces her ears is estranged from the gods. He thinks : ' I am making a mark (upon her),' (but) he diminishes his own property. 7. If any one for whatsoever purpose cuts her tail then do his colts die, and the wolf tears his calves. 8. If a crow has injured her hair, as long as she is with her owner then do his children die : decline overtakes them without (noticeable) sickness. 9. If the serving-maid sweeps together her dung. IX. PRAYERS AND IMPRECATIONS FOR BRAHMANS. I 75 that bites as lye, there arises from this sin disfigure- ment that passeth not away. 10. The sterile cow in her very birth is born for the gods and Brahma;ms. Hence to the Brahmans she is to be given : that, they say, guarantees the security of one's own property. 11. For those that come requesting her the cow has been created by the gods. Oppression of Brahmans it is called, if he keeps her for himself. 12. He that refuses to give the cow of the o-ods to the descendants of the J^ishis who ask for it, infringes upon the gods, and the wrath of the Brahma;^as. 13. Though he derives benefit from this sterile cow, another (cow) then shall he seek ! When kept she injures (his) folk, if he refuses to give her after she has been asked for ! 14. The sterile cow is as a treasure deposited for the Brahma;/as : they come here for her, with whom- soever she is born. 15. The Brahma;^as come here for their own, when they come for the sterile cow. The refusal of her is, as though he were oppressing them in other concerns. 16. If she herds up to her third year, and no disease is discovered in her, and he finds her to be a sterile cow, O Narada, then must he look for the Brahma/jvins have measured, upon which Vish;2u has stepped out, which Indra, the lord of might, has made friendly to himself; she, the mother, shall pour forth milk for me, the son ! 1 1. Thy snowy mountain heights, and thy forests, O earth, shall be kind to us ! The brown, the black, the red, the multi-coloured, the firm earth, that is protected by Indra, I have settled upon, not sup- pressed, not slain, not wounded. 12. Into thy middle set us, O earth, and into thy navel, into the nourishing streno^th that has grrown up from thy body ; purify thyself for us ! The earth is the mother, and I the son of the earth ; Par^anya is the father ; he, too, shall save us ! 13. The earth upon which they (the priests) in- close the altar (vedi), upon which they, devoted to all (holy) works, unfold the sacrifice, upon which X. COSMOGONIC AND TtlEOSOPHIC HYMNS. 20I are set up, in front of the sacrifice, the sacrificial posts, erect and briUiant, that earth shall prosper us, herself prospering ! 14. Him that hates us, O earth, him that battles against us, him that is hostile towards us with his mind and his weapons, do thou subject to us, anticipating (our wish) by deed ! 15. The mortals born of thee live on thee, thou supportest both bipeds and quadrupeds. Thine, O earth, are these five races of men, the mortals, upon whom the rising sun sheds undying light with his rays. 1 6. These creatures all together shall yield milk for us ; do thou, O earth, give us the honey of speech ! 17. Upon the firm, broad earth, the all-begetting mother of the plants, that is supported by (divine) law, upon her, propitious and kind, may we ever pass our lives ! 18. A great gathering-place thou, great (earth), hast become ; great haste, commotion, and agitation are upon thee. Great Indra protects thee unceas- ingly. Do thou, O earth, cause us to brighten as if at the sight of gold : not any one shall hate us ! 19. Agni (fire) is in the earth, in the plants, the waters hold Agni, Agni is in the stones ; Agni is within men, Agnis (fires) are within cattle, within horses. 20. Agni glows from the sky, to Agni, the god, belongs the broad air. The mortals kindle Agni, the bearer of oblations, that loveth ghee. 21. The earth, clothed in Agni, with dark knees, shall make me brilliant and alert ! 22. Upon the earth men give to the gods the sacrifice, the prepared oblation ; upon the earth 202 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. mortal men live pleasantly by food. May this earth give us breath and life, may she cause me to reach old age ! 23. The fragrance, O earth, that has arisen upon thee, which the plants and the waters hold, which the Gandharvas and the Apsaras have partaken of, with that make me fragrant : not any one shall hate us ! 24. That fragrance of thine which has entered into the lotus, that fragrance, O earth, which the immortals of yore gathered up at the marriage of Surya, with that make me fragrant : not any one shall hate us ! 25. That fragrance of thine which is in men, the loveliness and charm that is in male and female, that which is in steeds and heroes, that which is in the wild animals with trunks (elephants), the lustre that is in the maiden, O earth, with that do thou blend us : not any one shall hate us ! 26. Rock, stone, dust is this earth ; this earth is supported, held together. To this golden-breasted earth I have rendered obeisance. 27. The earth, upon whom the forest-sprung trees ever stand firm, the all-nourishing, compact earth, do we invoke. 28. Rising or sitting, standing or walking, may we not stumble with our right or left foot upon the earth ! 29. To the pure earth I speak, to the ground, the soil that has grown through the brahma (spiritual exaltation). Upon thee, that boldest nourishment, prosperity, food, and ghee, we would settle down, O earth ! 30. Purified the waters shall flow for our bodies; X. COSMOGONIC AND THEOSOPIIIC HYMNS. 203 what flows off from us that do we deposit upon him we dishke : with a purifier, O earth, do I purify myself! 31. Thy easterly regions, and thy northern, thy southerly (regions), O earth, and thy western, shall be kind to me as I walk (upon thee) ! May I that have been placed into the world not foil down ! 32. Do not drive us from the west, nor from the east ; not from the north, and not from the south ! Security be thou for us, O earth : waylayers shall not find us, hold far away (their) murderous weapon ! 33. As long as I look out upon thee, O earth, with Siir}^ (the sun) as my companion, so long shall my sight not fail, as year followeth upon year ! 34. When, as I lie, I turn upon my right or left side, O earth ; when stretched out we lie with our ribs upon thee pressing against (us), do not, O earth, that liest close to everything, there injure us ! 35. What, O earth, I dig out of thee, quickly shall that grow again : may 1 not, O pure one, pierce thy vital spot, (and) not thy heart ! 36. Thy summer, O earth, thy rainy season, thy autumn, winter, early spring, and spring ; thy decreed yearly seasons, thy days and nights shall yield us milk! ^j. The pure earth that starts in fright away from the serpent, upon whom were the fires that are within the waters, she that delivers (to destruc- tion) the blasphemous Dasyus, she that takes the side of Indra, not of Vmra, (that earth) adheres to ^'akra (mighty Indra), the lusty bull. 38. Upon whom rests the sacrificial hut (sadas) and the (two) vehicles that hold the soma (havir- dhane), in whom the sacrificial post is fixed, upon 204 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. whom the Brahma;ms praise (the gods) with riks and samans, knowing (also) the ya^ur-formulas ; upon whom the serving-priests (mvi^) are employed so that Indra shall drink the soma ; — 39. Upon whom the seers of yore, that created the beings, brought forth with their songs the cows, they the seven active (priests), by means of the satra- offerings, the sacrifices, and (their) creative fervour (tapas) ; — 40. May this earth point out to us the wealth that we crave ; may Bhaga (fortune) add his help, may Indra come here as (our) champion ! 41. The earth upon whom the noisy mortals sing and dance, upon whom they fight, upon whom re- sounds the roaring drum, shall drive forth our enemies, shall make us free from rivals ! 42. To the earth upon whom are food, and rice and barley, upon whom live these five races of men, to the earth, the wife of Par^anya, that is fattened by rain, be reverence ! 43. The earth upon whose ground the citadels constructed by the gods unfold themselves, every region of her that is the womb of all, Pra^apati shall make pleasant for us ! 44. The earth that holds treasures manifold in secret places, wealth, jewels, and gold shall she give to me ; she that bestows wealth liberally, the kindly goddess, wealth shall she bestow upon us ! 45. The earth that holds people of manifold varied speech, of different customs, according to their habitations, as a reliable milch-cow that does not kick, shall she milk for me a thousand streams of wealth ! 46. The serpent, the scorpion with thirsty fangs, X. COSMOGONIC AND THEOSOPIIIC HYMNS. 205 that hibernating torpidly lies upon thee ; the worm, and whatever living thing, O earth, moves in the rainy season, shall, when it creeps, not creep upon us : with what is auspicious (on thee) be gracious to us ! 47. Thy many paths upon which people go, thy tracks for chariots and wagons to advance, upon which both good and evil men proceed, this road, free from enemies, and free from thieves, may we gain : with what is auspicious (on thee) be gracious to us ! 48. The earth holds the fool and holds the wise, endures that good and bad dwell (upon her) ; she keeps company with the boar, gives herself up to the wild hoQf. 49. Thy forest animals, the wild animals homed in the woods, the man-eating lions, and tigers that roam; the ula, the wolf, mishap, injury (rzkshika), and demons (rakshas), O earth, drive away from us ! 50. The Gandharvas, the Apsaras, the Arayas and Kimidins; the Pi^aZ'as and all demons (rakshas), these, O earth, hold from us ! 51. The earth upon whom the biped birds fly together, the flamingoes, eagles, birds of prey, and fowls ; upon whom Matari^van, the wind, hastens, raising the dust, and tossing the trees — as the wind blows forth and back the flame bursts after ; — 52. The earth upon whom day and night jointly, black and bright, have been decreed, the broad earth covered and enveloped with rain, shall kindly place us into every pleasant abode ! 53. Heaven, and earth, and air have here given me expanse ; Agni, Surya, the waters, and all the gods together have given me wisdom. 206 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 54. Mighty am I, 'Superior' (uttara) by name, upon the earth, conquering am I, all-conquering, completely conquering every region. 55. At that time, O goddess, when, spreading (prathamana) forth, named (pr/thivi 'broad') by the gods, thou didst extend to greatness, then pros- perity did enter thee, (and) thou didst fashion the four regions. 56. In the villages and in the wilderness, in the assembly-halls that are upon the earth ; in the gatherings, and in the meetings, may we hold forth agreeably to thee ! 57. As dust a steed did she, as soon as she was born, scatter these people, that dwelt upon the earth, she the lovely one, the leader, the guardian of the world, that holds the trees and plants. 58. The words I speak, honied do I speak them : the things I see they furnish me with. Brilliant I am and alert : the others that rush (against me) do I beat down. 59. Gentle, fragrant, kindly, with the sweet drink (kilala) in her udder, rich in milk, the broad earth together with (her) milk shall give us courage ! 60. She whom Vii-vakarman (the creator of all) did search out by means of oblations, when she had entered the surging (flood of the) atmosphere, she, the vessel destined to nourish, deposited in a secret place, became visible (to the gods) and the (heavenly) mothers. 61. Thou art the scatterer of men, the broadly expanding Aditi that yields milk according to wnsh. What is wanting in thee Praf-apati, first-born of the divine order (ma), shall supply for thee ! 62. Thy laps, O earth, free from ailment, free X. COSMOGONIC AND THEOSOPHTC HYMNS. 207 from disease, shall be produced for us! May we attentively, through our long; lives, be bearers of bali-offerings to thee ! 6t,. O mother earth, kindly set me down upon a well-founded place! With (father) heaven co- operating, O thou wise one, do thou place me into happiness and prosperity ! XIII, I. Prayer for sovereign power addressed to the god Rohita and his female Rohi/^i. 1. Rise up, O steed, that art within the waters, enter this kingdom, rich in liberal gifts ! Rohita (the red sun) who has begotten this all, shall keep thee well-supported for sovereignty ! 2. The steed that is within the waters has risen up : ascend upon the clans that are sprung from thee ! Furnishing soma, the waters, plants, and cows, cause thou four-footed and two-footed creatures to enter here ! 3. Do ye, strong Maruts, children of Vrism (the cloud), allied with Indra, crush the enemies ! Rohita shall hear you, that give abundant gifts, the thrice seven Maruts, who take delight in sweet (nourish- ment) ! 4. Rohita has climbed the heights, he has ascended them, he, the embryo of women, (has ascended) the womb of births. Closely united with these women they found out the six broad (direc- tions) ; spying out a road he has brought hither sovereignty. 5. Hither to thee Rohita has brought sovereignty; he has dispersed the enemies : freedom from danger has resulted for thee. To thee heaven and earth 208 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. together with the revati and j^akvari-stanzas shall yield gifts at will ! 6. Rohita produced heaven and earth ; there ParameshZ/^in (the lord on high) extended the thread (of the sacrifice). There A^a Ekapada (the one- footed goat, the sun) did fix himself; he made firm the heavens and earth with his strength. 7. Rohita made firm heaven and earth, by him the (heavenly) light was established, by him the firmament. By him the atmosphere and the spaces were measured out, through him the gods obtained immortality. 8. Rohita did ponder the multiform (universe) while preparing (his) climbings and advances. Having ascended the heaven with great might, he shall anoint thy royalty with milk and ghee ! 9. All thy climbings, advances, and all thy ascents with which thou, (Rohita, the sun), fillest the heavens and the atmosphere, having strengthened thyself with their brahma and payas (spiritual and physical essence) do thou keep awake (do thou watch over) among the people in the kingdom of the (earthly) Rohita (the king) ! 10. The peoples that have originated from thy tapas (heat, or creative fervour), have followed here the calf, the gayatri. They shall enter thee with kindly spirit ; the calf Rohita with its mother shall come on ! 11. High on the firmament Rohita has stood, a youth, a sage, begetting all forms. As Agni he shines with piercing light, in the third space he did assume lovely (forms). 12. A bull with a thousand horns, C'atavedas (fire), endowed with sacrifices of ghee, carrying X. COSMOGONIC AND TI1E0S0PHIC HYMNS. 2O9 soma upon his back, rich in heroes, he shall, when implored, not abandon me, nor may I abandon thee: abundance in cattle and abundance in heroes procure for me ! 13. Rohita is the generator of the sacrifice, and its mouth ; to Rohita I offer oblations with voice, ear, and mind. To Rohita the gods resort with glad mind : he shall cause me to rise through eleva- tion derived from the assembly ! 14. Rohita arranged a sacrifice for Vi^-vakarman ; from it these brilliant qualities have come to me. Let me announce thy origin over the extent of the world ! 15. Upon thee have ascended the br/hati and the paiikti (metres), upon thee the kakubh with splendour, O 6^atavedas. Upon thee the vashaAcall, whose syllables make an ush/ziha, has ascended, upon thee Rohita with his seed has ascended. 16. This one clothes himself in the womb of the earth, this one clothes himself in heaven, and in the atmosphere. This one at the station of the brown (sun) did attain unto the worlds of light. 17. O Va/['aspati (lord of speech), the earth shall be pleasant to us, pleasant our dwelling, agreeable our couches ! Right here life's breath shall be to our friend ; thee, O ParameshMin, Agnl shall envelop in life and lustre ! 18. O Va/^aspati, the five seasons that we have, which have come about as the creation of Vii^va- karman, right here (they and) life's breath shall be to our friend ; thee, O Paramesh//zin, Rohita shall envelop in life and lustre! 19. O Va/t-aspati, good cheer and spirit, cattle in our stable, children in our wombs beget thou ! Right [42] 1' 2IO HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. here life's breath shall be to our friend ; thee, O Paramesh//^in, I envelop in life and lustre. 20. God Savitar and Agni shall envelop thee, Mitra and Varuna. surround thee with lustre ! Tread- ing down all powers of grudge come thou hither : thou hast made this kingdom rich in liberal gifts. 21. Thou, O Rohita, whom the brindled cow, harnessed at the side, carries, goest with brilliance, causing the waters to flow. 22. Devoted to Rohita is Rohi;^t his mistress, with beautiful colour (complexion), great, and lustrous: through her may we conquer booty of every descrip- tion, through her win every battle ! 2T,. This seat, Rohi;d, belongs to Rohita; yonder is the path on which the brindled (female) goes ! Her the Gandharvas and the Ka('/'//ish/a, and the modulations and the music of the saman. That is in me. 6. The prayer to Indra and Agni (aindragnam), the call to the soma, as it is being purified (pava- manam), the mahanamni-verses, the singing of the mahavrata, (these) divisions of the service are in the u/{'/7/ish/a, as the embryo in the mother. 7. The ceremony of the consecration of the king (ra^asuya), the va^apeya, the agnish/oma, and the cattle-sacrifice belonging to it, the arka and the horse-sacrifice, and the most delightful (sacrifice) for which fresh barhis is strewn, are in the u/'/'/nsh/a. X. COSMOGONIC AND THEOSOPHIC HYMNS. 227 8. The preparation of the sacred fire (agnya- dheyam), the consecration for the soma-sacrifice (diksha), the sacrifice by which (special) wishes are fulfilled, together with the metres, the sacrifices that have passed out, and the extended sacrifices (satra), are founded upon the u/'/t7/ish/a. 9. The agnihotra, faith, the call vasha/, vows and asceticism, sacrificial rewards, what is sacrificed (to the gods) and given (to the priests) are contained in the uH7nshfa.. 10. The (soma-sacrifice) that lasts one night (ekaratra), and that which lasts two nights (dviratra), the (condensed soma-sacrifice called) sadya//kri, and (that which is called) prakri, the (songs called) ukthya, are woven and deposited in the u/'/'/^ish/a ; (also the parts) of the sacrifice subtle through (higher) knowledge. 11. The soma-sacrifice that lasts four nights (/aturatra), five nights (pa/^/aratraX six nights (sha^ratra), and along (with them) those that last double the time ; the sixteenfold stotra (sho^^a^in), and the soma-sacrifice that lasts seven nights (saptaratra), all the sacrifices which w-ere founded upon immortality (amr/ta), were begotten of the u/^/7/ish/a. 12. The pratlhara-passages (in the saman-songs), and their final syllables, the (soma-sacrifices called) vi^va^'it and abhi^'it, the soma-sacrifice that ends with the day (sahna), and that which lasts into the next day (atiratra), are in the u/77ish/a — the soma-sacrifice also that lasts twelve days. That is in me. 1 3. Liberality, accomplishment, possession, the call svadha, nurture, immortality (amr/ta), and might, Q 2 2 28 HYiMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. all inner desires are satisfied according to wish in the u^^/nsh^a. 14. The nine earths, oceans, heavens, are founded upon the u/'/'//ish^'a. The sun shines in the u/'Z7nsh/a, and day and night also. That is in me. 1 5. The (soma-sacrifice called) upahavya, the offer- ing on the middle day of a sacrifice lasting a year (vishuvant), and the sacrifices that are secretly pre- sented, U/'/'/nsh/a, the sustainer of the universe, the father of the generator (Pra^apati), supports. 16. U>('/7/ish/a, the father of the generator, the grandson of the spirit (asu), the primal ancestor (grandfather), the ruler of the universe, the lusty bull dwells upon the earth. 17. Order (ma), truth (satya), creative fervour (tapas), sovereignty, asceticism, law and works ; past, future, strength, and prosperity, are in the uX7'/Ash/a — force in force. 18. Success, might, plans, dominion, sovereignty, the six broad (regions), the year, libation (i7a), the orders to the priests (praisha), the draughts of soma (graha), oblations (are founded) upon the u/'/^7/ish^a. 19. The (liturgies called) /^aturhotara//, the apri- hymns, the triennial sacrifices, the (formulas called) nivid, the sacrifices, the priestly functions, the cattle- sacrifice and the soma-oblations connected with it, are in the u/'/(7ish/a. 20. The half-months and months, the divisions of the year together with the seasons, the resounding waters, thunder, the great Vedic canon (.sTuti) are in the u/^/7^ish/a. 21. Pebbles, sand, stones, herbs, plants, grass, clouds, lightning, rain, are attached to, and are founded upon the u/'/(7ash/a. X. COSMOGONIC AND THEOSOPIIIC HYMNS. 229 2 2. Success, attainment, accomplishment, control, greatness, prosperity, supreme attainment, and well- being rest upon, rest in, have been deposited in the U/('/7/ish/a. 23. Whatever breathes with breath, and sees with sight, all gods in the heavens, founded upon heaven, were born of the u/i-Mish/a. 24. The r/ks and the samans, the metres, the ancient legends (pura/^am) together with the ya^us, all gods in the heavens, founded upon heaven, were born of the u/'/'/zish/'a. 25. In-breathing and out-breathing, sight, hearing, imperishableness and perishableness, all gods in the heavens, founded upon heaven, were born of the uM/iish/a.. 26. Joys, pleasures, delights, jubilation and merri- ment, all gods in the heavens, founded upon heaven, were born of the u/('/'//ish/a. 27. The gods, the (deceased) Fathers, men, Gandharvas and Apsaras, all gods in the heavens, founded upon heaven, were born of the u/'/7/ish/a. IX, I. Hymn to the honey-lash of the Awins. 1. From heaven, from earth, from the atmosphere, from the sea, from the fire, and from the wind, the honey-lash hath verily sprung. This, clothed in amma (ambrosia), all the creatures revering, acclaim in their hearts. 2. Great sap of all forms (colours) it hath — they call thee moreover the seed of the ocean. Where the honey-lash comes bestowing gifts, there life's breath, and there immortality has settled down. 230 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA, 3. Men severally, contemplating it profoundly, behold its action upon the earth : from the fire and from the wind the honey-lash hath verily sprung, the strong child of the Maruts. 4. Mother of the Adityas, daughter of the Vasus, breath of life of created beings, nave of immortality, the honey-lash, golden-coloured, dripping ghee, as a great embryo, moves among mortals. 5. The gods begot the lash of honey, from it came an embryo having all forms (colours). This, as soon as born, (while yet) young its mother nourishes; this, as soon as born, surveys all the worlds. 6. Who knows it and who perceives it, the inex- haustible, soma-holding cup that has come from the heart of it (the honey-lash) ? 'Tis the wise priest : he shall derive inspiration from it ! 7. He knows them, and he perceives them, the inexhaustible breasts of it (the honey-lash), that yield a thousand streams. Nourishment they pour out without recalcitration. 8. The great (cow) that loudly gives forth the sound ' him,' that bestows strength, and goes with loud shouts to the holy act, bellowing with lust for the three (male) gharmas (fires), she lows, and drips with (streams) of milk. 9. When the waters, the mighty bulls, self-sove- reign, wait upon (the cow), swollen with milk, (then) they, the waters, pour nourishment (upon her), and cause her to pour nourishment at will for him that knoweth this, 10. The thunder is thy voice, O Pra^^pati ; as a bull thou hurlest thy fire upon the earth. From the fire, and from the wind the honey-lash hath verily sprung, the strong child of the Maruts. X. COSMOGONIC AND THEOSOPHIC HYMNS. 2^1 11. As the soma at the morning-pressure is dear to the A^vins, thus in my own person, O Ai'vins, lustre shall be sustained ! 12. As the soma at the second (mid-day) pressure is dear to Indra and Agni, thus in my own person, O Indra and Agni, lustre shall be sustained ! 13. As the soma at the third pressure (evening) is dear to the yc*/bhus, thus in my own person, O ^zbhus, lustre shall be sustained ! 14. May I beget honey for myself; may I obtain honey for myself! Bringing milk, O Agni, I have come : endow me with lustre ! 15. Endow me, O Agni, with lustre, endow me with oft'spring and with life ! May the gods take note of this (prayer) of mine ; may Indra together with the i?/shis (take note of it) ! 16. As bees carry together honey upon honey, thus in my own person, O A^vins, lustre shall be sustained ! 1 7. As the bees pile this honey upon honey, thus in my own person, O Ai"vins, lustre, brilliance, strength, and force shall be sustained ! 18. The honey that is in the mountains, in the heights ; in the cows, and in the horses ; the honey which is in the sura (brandy) as it is being poured out, that shall be in me ! 19. O Ai'vins, lords of brightness, anoint me with the honey of the bee, that I may speak forceful speech among men ! 20. The thunder is thy speech, O Pra^apati ; as a bull thou hurlest thy fire upon earth and heaven. All animals live upon it (the earth), and she with it (Pra^apati's fire) fills nourishment and food. 21. The earth is the staff, the atmosphere the 2 7,2 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. embryo, the heaven the whip (itself?), the Hghtning the whip-cord ; of gold is the tip (of the whip ?). 2 2. He that knoweth the seven honies of the whip becomes rich in honey ; (to wit), the Brahma;/a, the king, the cow, the ox, rice, barley, and honey as the seventh. 23. Rich in honey becomes he, rich in honey become his appurtenances, worlds rich in honey does he win, he that knoweth thus. 24. When in a bright sky it thunders, then Pra^a- pati manifests himself to (his) creatures (praoa/i). Therefore do I stand with the sacred cord suspended from the right shoulder (pra/^inopavita), saying, ' O Pra^apati, watch over me ! ' The creatures (pra^a//) watch over him, Pra^apati watches over him, that knoweth thus. EXTRACTS FROM THE RITUAL TEXTS AND COMMENTARY. I, 2. Commentary to page 8. The ritual application of this hymn is a twofold one. It is employed as a medical charm and, again, as a battle-charm, owing to the belief that certain diseases are inflicted upon mortals by the arrows of Par^'-anya, a belief which intro- duces into the context a large number of words redolent of battle, as well as some designations of diseases. Cf. with this the double treatment, e.g., of AV. I, 12. As a battle- charm the present hymn figures in Ka.us. 14, 7 in a lengthy list (ga//a) of hymns called sa;«gramika;^i (or apara^itaga//a) ; this list is employed in connection with warlike practices in the subsequent Sutras (14, 8-13, and more especially Sutra 13). Still more secondarily, the entire list (apara^ita) is employed in Kau.y. 139, 7, along with certain other ga«as, at the ceremonies connected with the beginning of the study of the Veda (up^karma)^ Cf. also the ^^ntikalpa 17 and 18 2. In its medicinal construction the hymn is a charm against diarrhoea, being followed by AV. I, 3, a charm against dis- eases of the opposite character, constipation and retention of urine. It is handled in this sense at Kauj-. 25, 6-9, along with AV. II, 3, in a practice which, according to Darila, is directed against diarrhoea (atisara) ; Ke^-ava and Saya;;a construe it more broadly as against fever, diarrhoea, exces- ' See the introduction to VI, 97. ^ Quoted erroneously by Sayawa as the Nakshatrakalpa. 2 34 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. sive urine, and even flow of blood, i.e. against excessive or unnatural flows from the body in general. The practices are as follows : 25, 6. ' While reciting the two hymns I, 2 and II, 3 the (practising priest) ties the head of a stalk of mu;7^a-reed (saccharum munja) with a cord (made from the same plant, as an amulet, upon the patient ^). 7. Having ground up a natural lump of earth, and earth from an ant-mound ^, he gives (a solution of this to the patient) to drink. 8. He smears him with ghee. 9. He blows upon (the rectum of the patient ^).' The hymn has been translated and analysed by Weber, Ind. Stud. IV, pp. 394-5 ; and the present writer, in ' Seven Hymns of the Atharva-veda,' Amer. Journ. Phil. VII, pp. 467-9. Cf. also Florenz in Bezzenberger's Beitrage, XIV, pp. 178 fl". ; and, as a specimen of an interpretation which assumes that no Vedic passage has previously been correctly understood, Regnaud, LAtharva-Veda et la methode d'interpretation de M. Bloomfield, pp. 8-10. Stanza 1. a. Par^anya is the god of rain (hence his epithet bhuri- dhayas), and his outpourings upon the earth seem to be compared with a shower of arrows ; hence in RV. VI, 75, 15 the arrow is said to come from the semen of Par^anya (par^anyaretasa I'shvai). Possibly, however, the arrow is Par^anya's child, because arrow-reeds (j-ara) grow in conse- quence of the rain. It seems further that the discharges from the body are compared with Par^anya's rain, and are therefore under his control ; cf. I, 3, 1 below. Hence the ^ The passage in brackets is derived from the Commentaries. ^ For the role of the ant-mound, see the note on II, 3, 4, and more especially VI, 100. ^ So according to Darila, apane dhamati ; Ke^ava and Sayawa, in accordance with their more liberal construction, cause the blow- ing to be performed upon the particular opening in the body from which the excessive discharge flows (Sa}'a;m, apanajii'nanaf/ivrawa- mukhanam dhamanam). For apana, a euphemism for ' rectum,' see Kaujika, Introduction, p. Iv, bottom. I, 3. COMMENTARY. 235 double construction of this hymn as a battle-charm, and as a remedy against excessive discharges. — For the knowledge which imparts power and control, cf. VII, 12, 2 ; 76, 5, and elsewhere. Also vS"at. Br. IX, i, i, 17, 'no damage comes from him who has been recognised and addressed.' b. The earth as mother of the plants yields the shafts for the arrows. Stanza 2. a. Weber's translation ' Bogenschnur ! schlinge dich um uns,' is not in accordance with the quotable uses of the verb pari nam. Sayawa, quite correctly, asman parihr/tya . . . ma?;^ vihaya anyatra strain preraya. Cf. II, 13, 4 b ; Tait. S. IV, 6, 6, 4. c. Saya;/a, who throughout this hymn identifies Par^a- nya and Indra (cf. Biihler, Orient und Occident, I, p. 229 ; Bergaigne, III, p. 25), refers vuK\k to Indra. But it refers to the bowstring ; cf. v\d"\ ayudha, RV. I; 39, 2 ; and similarly, RV. VI, 47, 26. Stanza 3. a. Literally, ' when the cows embracing the tree.' The singular or plural of the stem go for 'sinew,' and some word for tree in the sense of 'bow,' occur also RV. VI, 47, 26; 75, II ; X, 27, 22. b. Saya;/a, anusphuraw pratisphura;zaw, sphur sawZ'a- lane . . . ar/^anti . . . prerayanti. Stanza 4. d. Cf with this the tying of the amulet in the practices of the Sutra. Saya//a, mu;7^''eshika-nirmita ra^u//. Cf. the introduction to I, 12. I, 3. Commentary to page io. The Kauj'ika prescribes this hymn against retention of urine and constipation ; the stanzas themselves seem to refer to difficulties in micturation only, and very possibly, the Sutra adds the other feature. The hymn is the pendant 236 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. to I, 2, which aims to obviate the opposite difficulties. The practices in Kauj-. 25, 10-19 ^.re as follows: 10. 'While reciting AV. i, 3 (the practitioner) ties on (as an amulet upon the patient) a substance promoting mictura- tion^ II. He gives him to drink a solution of earth from a molehill, of putika (a stinking plant, guilandina bonduc), of pulverised, dried pramanda ^, each mixed with (wood-) shavings ^. 1 2. While reciting the last two stanzas of the hymn, he gives him an enema. 13. He makes him take a ride in a vehicle. 14. He shoots off an arrow. 15. He opens the urethra. 16. He probes the bladder*. 17. Having poured twenty-one barley-grains with water into a milk-pail, placing an axe behind (the patient), he pours the water from the grain ^ (upon the suffering part). 18. He gives him to drink a decoction of ala ^, lotus-root, and ula'^. 19. The same treatment is prescribed for one suffer- ing from constipation.' The performances are in part therapeutic, in part symbolic (the shooting of the arrow). Cf. Wise, Hindu System of Medicine, pp. 364 ff. The hymn has been translated by Weber, Ind. Stud. IV, pp. 395-6. Cf. also Bergaigne et Henry, Manuel Vedique, p. 130. Stanza 1. Cf. I, 2, I above. The expression .fatav/-/sh«ya refers to the abundant semen (rain) of Par^anya ; cf. especially ' According to the commentators, haritaki, ' gall-nut,' and kar- pura, ' camphor,' are such substances. - Darila, at Ka.us. 8, 1 7, glosses this with induka. ^ The sense and the construction of the long compound in this Sutra are not altogether clear. Cf. Kaujika, Introduction, p. Ixii flf. ^ According to Saya;za, in the introduction, he probes the bladder with a copper instrument. So also Ke^-ava. ^ The text, phalato : this seems to refer to the twenty-one barley-grains. * ' Apparently a kind of creeper or weed in grain-fields.' Darila, godhiamavyadhi/z ; Ke^ava, yavagodhumavalli. See Kaujika, Intro- duction, p. xlvii. ' Darila, kasturikajaka, ' musk ; ' Kejava, pavika. I, 7. COMMENTARY. 237 RV. VI, 75, 15. Hence the repetition of the same expres- sion with four other gods is secondary and mechanical. The medicine man wants to make sure that he does not neglect and offend. Saya/^a justifies the mention of Mitra and Varu;/a by a reference to Tait. S. II, 4? ^o? 2 ; of A'andra by saying, asya oshadhijratvat j-arasya pitr/tvena vya.padesa./i ; and of Surya by relying again upon Tait. S. II, 4, 10, 2. Stanza 6. a. Saya;za explains gavinyor by, antrebhyo vinirgatasya mutrasya mutr^.fayapraptisadhane parjrvadvayasthe na^^yau gavinyau ity ukyate. The urethra and the ureter? Cf. the dual gavinyau in Tait. S. Ill, 3, 10, 1 ; and gavinike, AV. I, 11,5; IX, 8, 7. b. The majority of the MSS. read sa^z/^rutam ; but one of Shankar Pandit's MSS. has sa;«srutam. For the root SYU, 'flow,^ see Bloomfield and Spieker, Proc. Amer. Or. Soc, May, 1886 (Journal, vol. xiii, p. cxx). For years I have had sawi-ritam written as a possible emendation on the margin of my copy of the text, and now Sayawa persis- tently (three times) comments upon the same reading. Stanza 7. b. The MSS. are divided between the readings vartram and vartam. Sayawa comments upon the latter, vartam vartate pravahati ^alam atre^^ti varto marga//, and some of the MSS. of Kaus. 25, 16, a Sutra coined with evident reference to this stanza (vartiw bibhetti, see the translation above), also read vartam. Darila comments, vartaw mu- trabilam. I do not feel certain that this is not the correct word for the text : ' like the outlet of a lake.' For vartra, see Tait. S. I, 6, 8, i ; Maitr. S. I, 4, 10. I, 7. Commentary to page 64. This and the following hymn are directed chiefly against the species of beings called yatudhana, a term which oscil- lates between the meaning ' human sorcerer ' and ' hostile 238 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. demon.' The entire tradition, Sutras and Commentaries, give the word the latter bent, but we can see from RV. V, 12, 3 ; VII, 104, 15, 16, that men might practise yatu, and, therefore, be yatudhana. Both hymns are catalogued in a series (ga;/a) called Mtana, ' driving away (demons, &c.),' in Kaui'. 8, 35, and the Gawamala, Ath. Parij-. 33, 3 {ka.- tanagawa) : for their employment, see Kau^ika, Index B, under Htanani, and vSantikalpa 16. With the subject- matter of these hymns cf. in general RV. VII, 104, and III, 30, 14 ff. Both hymns have been rendered by Weber, Indische Studien, IV, 398 ff. ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, ^'Z'^ ; cf. also Bergaigne et Henry, Manuel Vedique, p. 131 ff. Stanza 1. Throughout this and the next hymn Sayawa takes the root stu in its ordinary holy sense of ' praise,' a mistake which leads to the most contorted renderings, and to an utter disregard of grammatical construction, excused by assuming interchanges of inflections (vibhaktivyatyaya). He seems to be shy to attach any sinister sense to the root, or to connect it in any way with evil beings. For kimidin, see the note on IV, 30, 5. Stanza 2. c. tailasya in the vulgata is an emendation of the MS. reading taulasya (Saya;/a, tulavat huyamana-dravyasya). d. VI lapaya, ' make howl,' obviously includes as a double entente the other possible sense of the word ' annihilate,' as causative from the root li. Stanzas 4, 5. A great deal of stress is laid in these hymns upon the confession of the yatudhana himself. Half the battle is won when their true nature is made apparent. Cf. I, 8, 4 and the note on I, 3, i. Hence the neat difference between the active pra bruhi in 5 b, said of Agni (cf. RV. X, 87, 8 = AV. VIII, 3, 8), and the middle prabruva;/a7^ in 5 d, said of the yatudhana. Stanzas S~7 ^^e perhaps of a later I, 9. COMMENTARY. 239 hand, since the hymns of the first book ordinarily present only four stanzas ; cf. the introduction to I, 1 3. I, 8. Commentary to page 65. For the employment of this hymn in the Atharvanic practices, and previous translations, see the introduction to the preceding hymn. Stanza 4. c. In order to obtain a trish/ubh line we may either resolve both ta;«s or tvam, or insert ^ahi after tvam. I, 9. Commentary to page 116. The hymn has been translated by Ludwig. Der Rigveda, III, 456, and entitled ra^abhisheke^ 'at the coronation of a king.' Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 163, renders it in the same spirit. The Kauj-ika, however, in its descrip- tion of the coronation (chapter 17), does not rubricate this hymn, but rather IV, 8 (cf. also Vait. Su. 36, 7), and the Ga;/amala, Ath. Parij. 32, 30, again only counts IV, 8 as the abhishekagawa (see Kauj-. 1 7, 1 note). Weber, Ind. Stud. IV, 401, entitles it ' Segensspruch fiir einen Fursten,' but this also seems to be too narrow : the Sutra, advisedly no doubt, employs it in practices designed to confer glory, lustre upon any one at all. At Kaui-. II, 19. 20, the hymn is employed along with I, ^^ and V, 28 in a practice designed to make one success- ful (sa;;/patkarma), to wit : ' an amulet made of a pair of kr/sh;/ala-berries (abrus precatorius linnaeus) ^, which has ^ Or the weight of two k;-/sh;/ala in gold? All the commentators explain yugmakr/shz/alam as 'gold.' Darila, raktike^ti (see Pet. Lex.) prasiddhabhidhana aya?« /^'a sauvarwama;;!/^ ; Kexava, suvarwa- m3.mh, hira«yama«i/z (here, and at Ka.us. 52, 20). Cf. the word hirawya in I, 9, 2 ; 35, i; V, 28, 6. A very similar performance undertaken with the same three hymns is stated at Ka.us. 52, 20. 21, being a rite which bestows long life (ayushyakarma). See also 240 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. been steeped (in honey during certain three days, Kauj-. 7, 19), is tied on. Then a mess of porridge, cooked in the milk of a cow with a calf of the same colour, is shaped in the figure of a man, enriched during twelve days with the dregs of ghee, and consumed with averted face ^. Further, at Kaui-. 16, 37. 28, the hymn is associated with a practice intended to restore the loyalty of a disaffected people ^ : the king is given to eat a porridge prepared from an after-growth of rice ^, cooked in the milk of a cow with a calf of the same colour, upon a fire of kampila-branches (crinum amaryllacee), which have grown out where they have been previously cut. A neat bit of symbolism : the milk of the cow with a calf of the same colour represents complete harmony ; the after-growth of rice and kampila represents the resumption of the sharply interrupted rela- tions between the king and his people. Once more the hymn is recited for obvious reasons at Kau.y. 5^, 17, along with a list of others at the investiture of the young ' twice-born ' (cf. also the scholiast at 17, 31), and it figures in one of the two var/^asyaga;/as, ' series of hymns which confer lustre,' in the Ga;zamala, Ath. Parij-. 32, 10 (see Kauj-. 13, i note). Stanza 2. The abrupt change of person in Pada c suggests the pos- sibility of emending asmat to asmat, ' inferior to him.' But cf. the same formula in st. 4 c. ^^antikalpa 17 and 19 (quoted by Sayawa erroneously as Naksha- trakalpa). Cf. also Tait. Br. I, 3, 6, 7. ' As the porridge-man drips with ghee, thus the real man shall live in abundance. ^ rash/ravagamanam. Darila, ^anapada/^ tasya^-^vagamanakaram . . . anuragakaram. Sayawa, 'a performance designed to restore a king, driven from his kingdom by an enemy.' Cf. the hymns III, 3 and 4. ^ The commentators state explicitly that rice which has grown anew upon the place, where it has previously been cut, is to be used. See Darila, Kejava, and Sayawa (lunapunarutthita^am odanam). I, lO. COMMENTARY. 24 1 Stanza 3. Allusion seems to be made here to the rape of the soma in Indra's behalf by Agni, the heavenly eagle (j-yena). According to our interpretation, in Contributions, Fifth Series, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XVI, 1 ff., this Agni, the eagle, is the lightning. I, 10. Commentary to page ii. Varuwa punishes crime, especially falsehood (cf. AV. IV, 16; Tait. Br. I, 7, 2, 6, &c.), with his disease, the 'water- belly,' dropsy ^. The performance of the Kau.yika is purely symbolic: 25,37. 'While reciting the hymn (the priest) sprinkles the patient over the head (with water) by means of twenty-one tufts of darbha-grass together with reeds taken from the thatch of a house' The water in the body is supposed to be washed out by the water sprinkled upon it (attractio similium). The hymn has been translated by Weber, Ind. Stud. IV, 403-4 ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 445 ; cf. also Bergaigne et Henry, Manuel Vedique, p. 133, Stanza 1. b. Weber regards va.ya as fem. sing. ; Whitney, in the Index Verborum, as nom. plur. masc. ; Sayawa, as neut. plur., vaj'a va.fani. Varu;/a and Asura are, of course, the same divinity. c. Weber, ' durch mein gebet von da herauss dich reis- send ; ' Ludwig, ' mit meinem brahma hervor mich tuend ; ' Saya;/a, brahma;^i mantrena . . . sasadana/i atyarthani tiksh;^a// . . . praptabala/^. Stanza 2. c, d. The passage is a reverberation from the legend of 6"una//i-epa ; cf Ait. Br, VII, 15. ^ Varuwa is the lord of the waters (see the note on IV, 16, 3) : the dropsy is therefore conceived to be due to his infliction. [42] R 242 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. d. For tava-yam, cf. VIII, 2, 20 d. Ludwig suggests that the sufferer, being a kshatriya, is said to be the man of Varuwa, the king (kshatriya). Weber construes it as though it were an ethical dative, ' dieser lebe dir (i. e. durch deine gnade) hundert Herbste.' Sayawa, identically the same way, tava anugrahat. Stanza 4. a, b. Ludwig, rendering ' von dem grossen meere Vaij-- vanara,' thinks that the lower regions are alluded to, since death overtakes him that has been seized by Varu;/a. Sayawa over-ingeniously connects vai^-vanara with the digestive fire (^a///arigni), i. e. in this connection, digestive disturbance. But AV. VIII, 2, 27 shows that nothing more is intended than the funeral fire. Cf for the entire stanza, Vait. Su. 38, i. I, II. Commentary to page 99. The ceremonies connected with this hymn are described in KsLUS. ^^, I fif. They are in part intended to procure easy and natural parturition, but the attention of the sutra- kara seems to be engrossed even more by certain oracles which shall tell whether the woman is in danger, and whether or not she will give birth to a male child. As the practices, in spite of their unusual length, do not ex- hibit any very close connection with the hymn, we may only present the first six Sutras, as follows: i. 'While reciting AV. I, 11, four portions of the dregs of ghee are poured into a water-pail, and four mu%a-reeds are plucked (and placed) eastward upon the head (of the pregnant woman ^). 2. The sheaths (of the mu/T^a-reeds) are placed westward. 3. If (these reeds and stalks) should break, there is danger. 4. (The practitioner) washes her with warm water, beginning with the braid of hair to the right. ^ Cf. the four directions mentioned in the second stanza of the hymn. I, II. COMMENTARY. 243 5. The joints of the house are loosened ^ 6. On both sides of her a cord and a wagon-rope is fastened.' The remaining Sutras are not all of them clear ; they seem to be devoted wholly to oracles for finding out whether it is to be a boy or not. Practices similar to the above, in part built up upon mantra-materials of a similar character, are known in the GrAya-sutras and elsewhere by the name of soshyanti- karma; see 5at. Br. XIV, 9, 4, 22 = Br/h. Ar. VI, 4, 23: Par. Gr/Ti. I, 16, i fif. ; 5ankh. Grih. I, 23 ; Gobh. Grih. II, ^ 7, 13 ff- ; Khad. G;7h. II, 2, 28 ff. ; Hin Grzh. II, 2, 8 ff. ; Apast. Grih. VI, 14, 13 fif. The hymn has been treated by Roth, Ueber den Atharva- veda (Tubingen, 1856), pp. 15 ff. ; Weber, Indische Studien. IV, 404-5; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 478. Stanza 1. a, b. The point of the first hemistich is the punning comparison of the birth (suti) with the act of pressing the soma. This makes of it a sacrifice ; Aryaman, as the hotar-priest, utters the vasha/-call for Pushan who is, as it were, the adhvaryu-priest ; cf. Ind. Stud. X, 324. Lud- wig's surmise that Sushan is to be read for Pushan (cf stanza 3) is untenable. The association of the two in matters connected with marriage (RV. X, 85, ^^6, 37) is well known ^. For hota vedha/i, see Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, pp. 223-4; vedha//, however, is not derivable from the root vidh, but is equal to Avestan vazdaiih (Geldner, Studien zum Avesta, p. 58). c. The Pada is very difificult. Roth emends freely, si'srz- tain nary r/tapra^ato, ' (a child) begotten at the proper time shall detach itself, O woman!' He compares, for this use of si'sr/tam, Va^. S. VIII, 28, eva-ya;;^ da.5-amasyo asrat. ' Symbolic action calculated to loosen the foetus; cf. in general AV. IX, 3. ^ The mantra quoted in Kauj. 33, 7 is also based upon the same hymn, RV. X, 85, 40 (the surya-sukta). R 2 244 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. where asrat is, however, to be derived from sra;;/s, ' fall.' Weber regards nary r/tapra^atA as parenthetic, and com- bines sisratam with parva;n, ' lass nachgeben — mog die frau richtig gebaut sein! — lass weichen die glieder!' Ludwig, ' es lose sich die frau als eine richtig gebarende.' We have adhered closely to the text, but sisratam as a third singular middle imperative is problematic, and perhaps Roth's emen- dation (sisrz'tam) is to be adopted. Possibly some deriva- tive of sra;«s stood in place of the word (sisrasat, ' may she cause the child to fall ' ?). Stanza 2. d. The editio princeps reads ta;;z vyurwuvantu sutave ; Shankar Pandit, following the minority of his MSS. and Saya;/a, reads ta;«, which was also proposed by Roth, 1. c, p. 15, and adopted by Weber, I.e., p. 405. I have trans- lated taw, because the womb and not the foetus (cf. AV. IV, 2, 8) is opened at birth. Stanza 3. a. We shall, in all probability, never be able to unravel the tangle of mixed, punning notions which have given rise here to the a-n. Key., the proper name Sushan. Ludwig is impressed with it so much as to endow the entire hymn with the title Sushan. In the first place it is a modification of Pushan, suggesting the future or desiderative of the root su, 'beget;' cf. sushyanti, RV. V, 78, 5. Then, there is surely an allusion to usha(//) vyur^vatr in RV. I, 92, 11, that is, susha is dimly felt to be su + usha, ' beautiful Ushas ;' cf. Tait. S. IV, 7, 3, 2. Saya//a plainly and mechanically offers this as one of three explanations, j-obhana usha/? susha. And again the words su 'well' and san 'obtain' may also have flitted before the eyes of the versifex, cf. siisha;/e in Pada c. Saya/^a offers two explanations in addi- tion to the above, susha savitri pra^anayitri devata, and suvaw sanoti^ti susha. The Pada is catalectic, but scarcely stands in need of emendation ; cf. Oldenberg, Die Hymnen des Rigveda, pp. 34 ff. I, II. COMMENTARY. 245 b. Cf. RV. V, 78, 5 ; Ait. Br. V, 15, 4- c. Susha;/e {air. Aey. as susha in PAda a) may be a voca- tive from either susha;n or susha;/a Saya//a, he susha;/e, suva;« sanoti praya;^/^//ati . . . sukhaprasavakari/zi devatd. d. Still more problematic is bishkale. Sayawa explains it as either from bishka, an imitative word, and the root la * take ' or ' make,' or else from a combination of the roots vish ' permeate ' and kal ' go ! ' According to the .Sabda- kalpadruma, bishkala is the domestic sow (gramyaj-ukara//) called bahv-apatya, ' having abundant offspring,' on account of its prolificness. Stanza 4. Cf Par. Grth. I, 16, 2 ; Hir. Grih. II, 3, 3. Saya;/a, supported by some MS. authority, reads ma;/^sena, as does PAraskara. Saya;/a quotes from an unquotable Vedic text (nigamdntaram) another form of this mantra, svavity(!) avapa- dyasva na mawseshu na snavasu na baddham asi ma^^asu. c. ^evalam is problematic. The scholiast to Paraskara renders it ' moist, slimy,' and the Petersburg lexicon's sus- picion that this is a purely etymological rendering based upon the name of the water-plant j-aivala is fully borne out by Saya;/a's statement, j-evalam^alasyoparisthita.faivalavat antaravayavasawbaddham. Roth, 1. c, p. 16, suggests kevalam, ' alone ; ' cf for the interchange between s and k. Bloomfield and Spieker in the Proc. Amer. Or. Soc. for May, 1886 (Journ., vol. xiii, p. cxxi). Stanza 5. Cf Tait. S. Ill, 3, 10, I ; AV. I, 3, 6. Saya/^a, gavinike yone/i par^vavartinyau nirgamanapratibandhike na^yau. Stanza 6. Cf RV. V, 78, 7. 8 ; 5at. Br. XIV, 9, 4, 22 ; Va^. S. VIII, 28; Nirukta III, 15; Hir. Grih. II, 3, i; Apast. Mantrabr. II, 11, i^; Bhar. Grth. I, 21; Baudh. Gr/h. Parij'ish/a II, 2. 246 TIYMN?; OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. I, 12. Commentary to page 7. The history of the interpretation of this hymn is of uncommon interest, because it illustrates forcibly the par- ticular closeness of relation between the hymns of the Atharvan and the practices reported in connection with them. Professor Weber, Indische Studien, IV, p. 405, translated the hymn under the caption ' Gegen hitziges fieber,' and, guided especially by the more immediate meaning of ^arayu^a//, ' the product of the placenta, after- birth,' he thought that the hymn referred to puerperal fever, or the fever of a child. Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, p. 343, surmised that the hymn was directed against inflam- mation, and Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 390, refers to it in connection with the word vata in the first stanza, which he would translate by ' wound ; ' he also identifies vata with ' wound ' etymologically. The compound vata- bhra^as in the first stanza, as he understands, means • suffering from wound-fever.' But Zimmer's theory that the word vata ever means ' wound ' has not sustained itself: vata is 'wind in the body;' vatikrztana'i-ani (VI, 44, 3 ^) is ' destroyer of the disease which comes from wind (of the body) ;' cf. bata byadhi (vatavyadhi), ^diseases pro- duced by wind (in the body),' in Wises Hindu System of Medicine, p. 250, and see Contributions, Fourth Series, Amer. Journ. Phil. XII, p. 427. In Seven Hymns of the Atharva-veda, 1. c, VII, pp. 469 ff., I presented a full discussion of the hymn, and, aided by the indications of the Kaujika-sutra, showed that the hymn referred to lightning, which is regarded as pro- ductive of certain diseases mentioned in the context, to wit, fever (cf. the word sokisha. in st. 2), headache, and cough. The pivotal word in the hymn is ^arayu^a//, and it is interesting to note why it is especially misleading. The first book of the Atharvan is a miscellaneous collec- ^ Cf. the note there, at VI, 109, 3, and IX, 8, 20. I, 12. COMMENTARY. 247 tion of hymns containing for the most part, thougli not unfaih'ngly, four stanzas each (cf. AV. XIX, 23, i ; Athai-va- nukrama;/! I, i, 13; Ath. Fans. 4S, 9 and 10; Gop. Br. I, 1,8; Ind. Stud. IV, 433 ; XVII, 178). There is no definite order in the arrangement of the hymns within the book, but there appears a marked tendency to group together two or even three having the same or a similar subject. This concerns especially hymns 1 1-13. The eleventh is a charm for easy delivery in childbed. The last three stanzas end with the refrain, ava ^arayu padyatam, ' may the placenta come down ; ' in addition to this the word ^arayu occurs thrice more in the course of the last three verses. Now, there can be no doubt that the redactor placed our hymn (I, 12) after I, 1 1 simply because it begins with the word ^arayu^a// ^ This does not argue that he misunderstood the true nature of the hymn ; on the con- trary it is quite clear that he recognised its association with lightning, because he has placed after it I, 13, a hymn which is evidently a prayer to lightning (namas te vidyute, &c.). He placed I, 12 after I, 11 simply because the word ^a.rAyug-A/i offered as good a point of linkage as any other at hand, the fundamental difference in its value notwith- standing. But it is natural that European readers should have seized upon this erroneous suggestion, so as to be influenced by it in deciding the purpose of the hymn. The native treatment of the hymn exhibits considerable divergence, owing to its duplex character. It is a hymn to lightning ; and, on the other hand, the diseases attributed to lightning present even more salient and practical points, destined to be prominent in its designation and ritual application. So the Anukramawi describes it as a yaksh- mana5-ana;« suktam, ' a hymn which cures consumption ' (cf. the word kasas ' from cough ' in st. 3) ; in the Ga//a- mala, Ath. Parij-. 32, 7, it is one of the takmanajanagaz/a, ^ Note the words stana>^ and stanayitnur respectively, in VII, 10 and VII, II, as the probable, and even more inane reason for the ju.xtaposition of the two hymns in the redaction. 24S HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 'a group of hymns designed to cure takman, fever' (cf. Kauj. 26, I, note). Kauj-ika employs it twice, presenting its two main characteristics. In 38, 1-7 it is used in a charm against thunderstorms, preceding the employment in a similar charm of AV. I, 13 and VII, 11, both of which are palpably hymns addressed to lightning. But in 26, 1-9 it is employed further in a performance which is dis- tinctly described by Darila as a jirorogabhaisha^ya;«, ' cure for headache ' (cf. mu;7^a Jirshaktya in st. 3 a), and by Ke^yava as, atikase ^irshaktijirovedanayaw^ kd^ karma;zi, 'rites against excessive cough and pains in the head.' The latter practice is as follows : i. ' While reciting AV. I, 1 2 {the priest) lets (the patient) drink of fat ^, honey, ghee, and sesame-oil. 2. (The patient), his head covered with a turban made of muw^a-grass ^ (saccharum munja roxburgiense), goes along carrying in his left hand parched grain ^ in a sieve, from which he scatters it with his left hand. 3. (The patient then goes on, carrying) in his left hand the sieve and the turban, in his right hand a bow- string and an axe. 4. The (patient goes) in front of the priest who gives the orders'*. 5. On the spot where the disease seizes upon him he puts down the sieve and the turban. 6. And (also) the bowstring. 7. He returns home^. 8. (The patient) puts ghee up his nose. 9. (The priest) while supporting the patient's head with a stafif (of bamboo) having five knots mutters (the hymn).' The sense of these practices, obscure though they are in many ^ Kejava, mawsameda,^. ^ Kau^f. mau«§'a-pra.fna ; Darila, prajna ush;/isha/« ; Ke.?ava, mauT/^a-induka (cf. \nd\z. in the Pet. Lex., and especially in Kauj. 26, 30). ^ Kauj. pulyani ; Kej. la^an. Symbolic scattering of the fever. ^ Kej'ava here is the least obscure of the commentators, vya- dhitam agre kr/tva. * The text of the Siitra is very obscure. One MS. of the text reads avra^anam ; the rest, avra^atam. Darila has avra^aw/ twice (see notes 7 and 10 on p. 71 of the edition); this may be for the participle avra_§-an, and has served as the basis of the translation. I, 12. COMMENTARY. 249 details, is clearly a symbolic act of drawing the disease out of the head, and depositing it where it is supposed to have come from ; cf. the introduction to VI, 26. One is tempted, at first sight, to accuse the medicine man of the banalite of employing mu;/^a-grass simply because it puns with muuM, ' release,' and this would be no more than Atharvanesque. Possibly, however, there is a little more contained in the practice. In Sat. Br. VI, 3, i, 26 we have the following legend : ' Agni went away from the gods, he entered the mu//^a-grass. Therefore that is hollow, and for that very reason it is as it were disfigured by smoke. The mu;7^a is the womb here of Agni.' In that case we have here the usual attractio similium. The mu;'?^a is employed in drawing off" the effect of lightning, because it is the natural home of fire (lightning). Cf. also 5at. Br. VI, 6, I, 23. Uncanny is the rite which the Kaujika prescribes in connection with the hymn at 38, 1-7. It is directed against stormy weather, durdina, the relation of which to lightning, of itself obvious, is stated explicitly in the Hariva;/wa 9609, tumula;;/ durdina;« H^^sid vidyutstanayitnumat, 'and there arose a crashing storm accompanied by lightning and thunder.' The passage of the Sutra may be translated as follows: I. 'When one goes against a storm he faces it ^ while reciting AV. I, 12. 2. Stanza by stanza (he faces the storm hurling) jets of water ^ (against it). 3. (And he faces it) with a sword, a firebrand^, and a club ". 4. (And he faces it) naked while wiping his forehead. 5. Into a coal-pan which he has removed outside (of the house) he makes an oblation of (the leaves of) the horse-radish ' Kejava, durdinam abhimukham upatish///ate. ' udava^rai/z : the Brahmawas have innumeral)le times the ex- pression va^ro va apa/i, e.g. ^S'at. Br. VII, 2, i, 17. ^ kishkuru (with variants) is unknown elsewhere, but Kejava in glossing it with laku/a = lagUf/a is clearly well-informed. The word is doubtless identical with kishku, which the scholiast at Pa«/^. Br. VI, 5, 1 2 glosses with danda.. 250 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. tree^ and pebbles. 6. He puts on (fagots of) the kera ^ and arka (calotropis gigantea) plants. 7. Beaten by the rain, with dishevelled hair ^, going thrice around a pit he quickly buries into it the arka-wood.' The symbolism of this performance is not altogether transparent ; the use of the arka is doubtless founded upon a double entente : arka is ' flash of lightning,' and its cessation is coaxed by burying the arka-wood in the pit. Stanza 1. a. For ^ariyu-^a, ' born of the (cloud-)womb,' cf. abhra-^a in St. 3, and such expressions as vidyiin meghasakha, ' the lightning whose companion is the cloud,' in the Supar//a- khyana 3, 3. The more literal meaning of the word is ' placenta-born,' an idea thoroughly Indie. Cf. ^Sat. Br. ^I) 5' 3' 5) trivr/d dhi pra^ati// pita mata putro^tho garbha ulba/z/^^arayu. Cf. also VI, 6, 1, 24. Professor Kern some years ago was good enough to impart to me his own some- what different view : ' As to ^arayu^a-, I think that is what the Norse skalds called a kenning, an oratorical peri- phrasis of vatsa, and this is a veiled expression for light- ning ; cf. apa;;z vatsa as denoting the fire of lightning, and the JTivatsa, the lightning figure on the breast of Vishwu.' (Letter of May 10, 1S87.) — For the epithet vr/shan as applied to lightning see now my article on j-ushma. Con- tributions, Sixth Series, Zeitschrift der Deutschen Mor- genlandischen Gesellschaft, XLVIII, 565 ff. The entire passage has a good parallel in RV. IX, 74, 3, "se yo vr/sh/er ita usri'yo vr/shi apaw neta ya itautir /Vgmi'ya^, where Soma is obviously compared with lightning. b. The edition reads vatabhra^a(/^), but the text is not absolutely certain, as Saya/^a comments upon vatavra^a/^ ^. ' Darila, jigrupalrawi. ^ Darila, kerapar«isti ya surash/re pu?«i3'arike^ti; Ke.yava, pa/er- akasamidha-^. ^ pratilomakarshitas is explained in the light of ke^eshu karshita in the Mr/H'^aka/ika 16, 25. * Sayawa refers the entire stanza to aditya, ' the sun.' I, 12. COMMENTARY. 251 Both readings are worthless ; I have substituted in my article on the Seven Hymns, vata-abhra-^'^a/^ It is refreshing to see for once an emendation rendered abso- lutely certain by a later discovery. The entire Pada presents the stereotyped four component parts of a storm, vata, abhra, stanayitnu, and vr/sh/i ; in this way they are catalogued in a variety of Vedic texts ; see the article on .yiishma just quoted, 1. c, pp. 569-70. c. Read tanvar^ugo with crasis of sandhi-hiatus. The juxtaposition of r/^ugo and ru^an is of the punning order. d. Read trayadha ^. — Cf. the statements about Vish//u, who himself single passes through three regions, e.g. RV. VIII, 2y, 7, trmy eka urugayo vi /f-akrame. Resting upon this parallelism I have taken ekam q^as as in apposition with the subject of the clause. Stanza 2. a. sokis, the salient symptom of fever, AV. I, 25, 2, 4 ; V, 22, 2 ; VI, 20, 3. c. I have translated ahka as ' crook ' and samarika synonymically as ' hook.' Both translations are purely tentative ; aiika may mean ' hook,' and at present any ren- dering of samahka is an enfant perdu. The word occurs once more in the Atharvan, VI, 50, i, apparently as the name of some pestiferous insect, or animal which destroys grain. I do not know how to mediate between the two uses of the word. Saya;/a, ahkan aw^anaj-ilan suryasya anuZ-aran samahkan sama//>^anaj-ilan samipe vartamanan antaraiigan api parivarabhutan devan. d. The text of the Sawhita reads asya, the PadapaZ/^a, asya. If the latter is correct in its interpretation, this is the only instmce in the Rig and Atharvan-vedas of asya as a masculine. Looked at purely by itself asya grabhita may stand for asya(//) grabhita, and this opens out the ' Cf. my article, On certain irregular Vedic subjunctives or imperatives, Amer. Jouin. Phil. V, p. 27 (12 of the reprint). 252 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. possibility that the stanza stood originally in some other connection where a feminine was appropriate. Stanza 3. The stanza, in accordance with its context, is employed in Kauj-. 27, 34, along with the so-called mr/gira-suktani, in a more general remedial charm, designated by Darila as a sarvabhaisha^yam. a. ^irshakti, probably for Jirshasakti with haplology ; see Proceedings of the American Oriental Society, 1893 (Journal, vol. xvi), p. xxxv. The poet puns upon the word in Pada d with sa/^atam, although sakti is more likely to come from sa%-, rather than sa/l'. b. The masculine yo is difficult. I have referred it to the lightning (usn'yo vr/sh^, or sushma./i), which involves a considerable ellipsis, indicated by the parenthesis in the translation. But it seems to me possible to refer yo to kasa(/^) in Pada a, and to translate more simply, ' Release him from headache, and also from cough, which has entered every joint of him.' Namely kas, feminine, jostles with its thematic pendant kelsa, masculine, in AV. V, 22, 10 and II (kasa, instrumental feminine in 10; but kasam, accusa- tive masculine in 11). It requires no violent stretch of the grammatical imagination to suppose that the poet uncon- sciously has shifted his position from the feminine in Pada a to its masculine doublet kasa in Pada b. The masculine form prevails in the classical period. c. For j^Lishmo, see the article on the word, cited above, where several close parallels to this passage are assembled. I, 14. Commentary to page 107. The history of the interpretation of this hymn is of interest. Weber, Ind. Stud. IV, 408 (cf. also V, 218); Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 459 ; and Zimmer, Altin- disches Leben, p. 314, translated and interpreted the hymn as a marriage-hymn. Zimmer thought that the stanzas were spoken at the end of the ceremony, as the bridegroom T. 14. COMMENTARY. 253 assumed charge of the bride. The present writer, following the indications of the practices connected with the hymn in the Kauj-ika (36, 15-17), thought that it was a charm of a woman against a rival, and dealt with the hymn and the ritual in this sense in an article devoted to the subject in Seven Hymns of the Atharva-veda, Amer. Journ. Thil. VII, pp. 473-6. It is of interest to find now that Saya«a construes the hymn in the very same spirit. The proceedings in the Kauj-. are somewhat as follows : 36, 15. 'While reciting AV. I, 14, the wreath, pillow (?), tooth-brush, and hair (of the woman against whom the charm is undertaken are placed) into the skin of a cow slain by Rudra, or of a funeral cow, and buried in the cavity of a mortar under a pile of three stones \ 16. The h}'mn is recited while the wreath is being ground up. 17. Three tufts of hair are tied (each) with a black thread (and buried under) a pile of three stones, the stones each alternately above (each tuft).' Then follows in Sutra 18 a subsidiary rite for digging the 'fortune ' up again (Ke.yava), saubhagya- kara;/am : ' Then one digs her fortune up with the formula, " That fortune of thine which they have buried into a pile of three stones, or four stones, that we now dig up, along with offspring and wealth." ' Throughout the hymn and the ritual the spirit of fierce hatred manifests itself in allusions to the burial rites. Thus in the ritual the anustarawi; in stanzas 1,;^, the word pitr/shu, translated above ' with her relatives,' may also mean (with ' The Sutra bristles with difficulties; nishpramanda has been translated by ' pillow,' because Sayawa says, taduj^abhuktamalya- kandukadantadhavanake^anam. . . (ni)khananadikarma«i. But the word nishpramanda is none too certain ; some IMSS. and Ke^-ava read nipramanda, and Darila's comment on the word is unintel- ligible (kru/ayavarga^enduka// ; of. pramanda = induka/;, Kauj. 8, 17; 25, 11; 32, 29, and Kaujika, Introduction, p. Hi). I trans- late koja by ' skin,' because Kejava says, iranahata tasya/z /-armada xivesh/ya (the passage is not extracted in the edition). But cf. the word anta/^ko^am in st. 4 c. Both Darila and Ke^ava explain ij-anahata, 'slain by Rudra,' as=^varahata, 'killed by fever.' 2 54 HYMNS OF THE ATHAKVAVEDA. double entente) ' among the Fathers or manes.' The first hemistich of the third stanza, considered by itself, might be readily interpreted as being uttered at the funeral of a maiden ; indeed, it seems possible that material of this sort has been worked over for the occasion. The secondary employment of stanzas, composed primarily for the burial service, is possibly to be assumed for stanzas 2-4 of RV. VII, 55 (see Aufrecht, Ind. Stud. IV, 342), and for AV. II, 1 2, 7-8 (q. v.). The Anukrama;n makes the following curious statement in regard to our hymn : namas te astu (I, 13), bhagam asya (I, 14), iti sukte vaidyute dve anush/ubhe, prathamaw vaidyuta;« paraw varu;^a;;/ vo^ta yamya;// va, prathamena vidyutam astaud, dvitiyena tadarthaw yamam. There seems to be no reason for associating these hymns, nor for regarding I, 14 as having any relation to lightning^. Stanza 1. Padas a and e, apparently each hypermetric, may be restored by reading, with elision and crasis, bhagasya, and mahabudhneva. d. pitr/shu, ' with her relatives,' as stated more explicitly in St. 2. So also Saya;/a. Cf. the words pit/Vshad and ama^ur in the lexicons. But there seems to be intended, too, an allusion to the manes, i. e. to death ; cf. the intro- duction. Stanza 2. a, b. Saya;/a, here and in the next stanza, refers ra^n to Soma, supporting his hypothesis by a reference to RV. X, 85, 40, where Soma is said to have been the first to woo the maiden, being followed by Gandharva, Agni, and man. Cf. also Vas. Dharm. XXVIII, 5. c, d. It depends upon circumstances whether the girl lives with her (widowed) mother, or her father, or, after the decease of her parents, with her brother ; cf. for the latter contingency, AV. I, 17, 1. ' Unless the word Mnahata, Kauj'. 36, 15, lias misled the author cf that very late and bungling performance. I, 14. COMMENTARY. 255 Stanza 3. a. Sayaz/a comments upon kulapa instead of kulapa(//) of the Sawhita and Padapa/Z-a. d. The MSS. unanimously have this Pada in the form a sirsh/ia/i i-am6p}-at (Padap., jam opyat). Saya;/a emends to samopyat, commenting, jirasa// sawvapanat bhumau sa;«pa- tanat, ' until her head sinks to the ground.' This coin- cides with the reading of the Paippahlda, and is accepted by Shankar Pandit and Whitney ; see Festgruss an Rudolf von Roth, p. 90. For the interchange between s and s, see our article in the Proc. Amer. Or. Soc, May, 1886 (Journal, vol. xiii, p. cxx). The text in this form might mean ' until she scatters from her head,' i. e. ' until she becomes bald.' Even after the authority of the Paippalada I venture to repeat, very hesitatingly, my suggestion (Amer. Journ. Phil. VII, p. 476), that a sirslvia/i kesam opyat may have been the original text of the 6'aunakiya-j-akha. ' Let her scatter her hair from her head,' or ' let her scatter the hair of her head,' either by growing bald, or as a sign of mourning (cf. Contributions, Second Series, Amer. Journ. Phil. XI, pp. 336 ff.). Opya as a noun is very strange, and sam + a + upyat (precative) would seem to require an expressed object in the accusative. We are reminded, too, of the expression ke^-an pra vapanti, ' they let down their hair,' AV. XIX, 32, 2, as a sign of mourning. Stanza 4. a, b. The juxtaposition of Kajyapa and Gaya reminds one of Ka^yapa of Gaya, who plays a conspicuous part in the Buddha legend. Asita is another worthy in the same narrative. See the words in the Pet. Lex., and cf. our note on IV, 20, 7. c. ^ami, in the broader sense of the word in the later language, 'female relatives of the householder.' Saya;/a, striya/^ ; cf. Nirukta III, 6. 256 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. I, 16. Commentary to page 6^. The Kau^ika, 47, 23-4, presents this hymn in the sixth book, devoted to the witchcraft practices (abhiMrika/n), as follows: 23. 'While reciting AV. i, 16 he who performs the practice collects ground lead, and puts it into the food (of his enemy), or upon the ornaments (upon his person). 24. With a staff, made from a decayed bamboo-reed, as long as an arm, and ornamented ^, he strikes (the enemy).' According to the Paribhasha-sutra, Kaui". 8, 18, the word ' lead ' in these practices is to be construed very broadly, including both lead itself, ' river-lead ' (i. e. according to the commentators, river-foam), iron-filings, and the head of a lizard. In Contributions, Third Series, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XV, pp. 157 ff, I have endeavoured to show that this class of practices is founded upon the famous legend of Indra and Namu/ti, in which Indra slays Namu/^i with the ' foam of the waters.' The other substances seem to be substituted for practical reasons, being more easily obtained and more readily handled. They may, of course, have been regarded as available for this purpose for other reasons, that escape us. The hymn has been translated by Weber, Ind. Stud. IV, 409; Grill-, pp. I, 75. The Anukrama;/i describes the hymn as /^atanam, ' charm to chase away with,' and accord- ingly it figures in the series called Mtanaga/za in the Ga;/amala, Ath. Parii-. 32, 3 ; see Kau.y. 8, 25 note. Stanza 1. a. In Apastamba's Dharmasutra I, 11, 31, 21 we have: ' During the day the sun protects the creatures, during the night the moon. Therefore let him eagerly strive to pro- tect himself on the night of the new-moon by purity, con- ^ The term alawkrz'ta here seems to mean technically 'anointed (with ghee); ' see Darila at Kauj-. 48, 3, and cf. Kaui-. 47, 40. 44. I, 17. COMMENTARY. 257 tinence, and rites adapted to the season.' Cf. also AV. IV, ^6, 3 ; Tait. S. II, 2, 2, 2 ; Maitr. S. II, i, 11. The accu- sative ratrim is not favoured by the metre, and we should expect ratryam. Saya;/a, sarvasya;« ratrau udasthu// uttish- ///anti. b. Saya«a reads bhra^am for vra^am, to wit : ratriw ra^niw bhra^aw bhra^amanam ; or again, bhra^amanarn . . . purushaw hi;//situm udasthu//. He repeats this read- ing when quoting the stanza in his comment on II, 9, 1. Cf. also the note on vatabhra^a//, I, 12, i ''. c. Sayawa takes turfya in the sense of ' fourth,' as allud- ing to the well-known legend of the three older brothers of Agni who were worn out in the sacrificial service before the present Agni ; see RV. X. 51 and 52 ; ^at. Br. I, 2, 3, i ; Tait. S. II, 6,6; Mahabh. Ill, 222, 7 = 14214, &c. (cf Ludwig, Der Rigveda, V, 504-5). But turi'ya is the equiva- lent of tura, e. g. RV. VIII, 52, 7. Stanza 2. For the uses of lead in the ritualistic texts, see Weber, 1. c, p. 410, and our article on Indra and NamuZ'i, quoted above in the introduction. Stanza 3. For a full discussion of vi'shkandha, either some disease, or, as seems to us more likely, a kind of demon, see the note on II, 4, i. I, 17. Commentary to page 22. This charm against flow of blood is the only one of the kind in the Atharvan. Ke^ava specifies that it is employed against internal and external flow of blood and (excessive) menstruation, atha lohita;;/ vahati j-ariramadhye bahii- ka. . . . rudhiravrawe . . . strira^aso^tipravartane bhaisha^ya;;/ rudhirapravahe ka.. The Kaui-ika attaches to it the fol- lowing performances at 26, 10-13: 'While reciting AV. I, 17 (the practitioner) strews dust and sand around (the wound) with a bamboo-staff containing five joints (accord- [42] s HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. ing to Kej-ava he places the staff upon the wound [cf. Kauj. 36, 9, sawstabhya], and then strews the dust and sand ^). II. He ties on mud from a marsh ^. 12. He gives (the patient a solution of it) to drink. 13. He (also) gives (him) to drink a mixture of curds and ground sesame, along with four tips of millet-grass.' The chief point of relation be- tween the practices and the hymn is the application of a bandage or poultice of dust and sand which seems indi- cated in the fourth stanza with the words si'katavati dhanur. The first stanza of the hymn is quoted with variants in Yaska's Nirukta, HI, 4, from an unknown source ; the Anukrama;n designates the hymn as yoshiddevatyam. Previous translations by Weber, Ind. Stud. IV, 441 ; Lud- wig, Der Rigveda, HI, 508 ; GrilP, pp. 16, 76 ; cf. also Hillebrandt's Vedachrestomathie^ p. 46. Stanza 1. In Yaska's Nirukta, III, 4, the stanza occurs in the fol- lowing version : amur ya yanti^amaya/^ sarva lohitavasasa// : abhratara iva yoshas tishZ/^anti (Durga, tish//^antu) hata- vartmana/^. Durga declares this to be an Atharvan-stanza, and says that the women are the blood-vessels {nkdydih) which shall stand still, like brotherless maidens, debarred ^ The word pa?;/susikatabhi/?, which I have translated as a copu- lative compound, ' dust and sand/ is regarded by the commen- tators as a descriptive. Darila, pawsuvat jlakshwadhuli/i sikata valuka; Ke^ava, rathyaya/^ paw/sun. ^ It is not quite clear whether the armakapalika is tied on as an amulet or as a bandage upon the wound : usually badhnati is the terminus technicus for the tying on of an amulet. Nor are the commentators agreed as to the meaning of the word ; Kej. keda- ramr/itika, and pahkamr/ttika. But the word occurs also in Tait. Ar. V, 2, 13 (cf. also Tait. S. V, i, 6, 2), and in the commentary on the Tait. Ar., p. 394, it is explained as 'potsherds deposited in the decayed portion of the village,' /C'irawztane ^irwagramade^'e avasthita hh^Jid-Ams^h. Sayawa to our passage, .yushkapahkamrz't- tika kedaram/'z'ttika va. T, 17. COMMENTARY. 259 from the sawtanakarma and the pi;/^adana (ancestral rites) practised by the family of their husband. In AV. I, 14, 2 the girl who has lost her father and mother is depicted as living in the house of her brother. Cf. Roth's comment, p. 25, and Zimmer, p. 328. The exact point of the com- parison is not quite clear, and Zimmer's translation of hata- vary('as as ' deprived of support or protection ' seems to import an occidental idea not in the text. See RV. I, 124, 7 ; IV, 5, 5, and especially the statement, na^bhratrim upaya/^-Z/eta, ' one may not marry a brotherless girl,' in the commentary on Nirukta III, 5 ; Manu III, 11 ; Ya^z/avalkya I, S?, ; Vasish//^a XVII, 16 ; Gautama XXVIII, 20. b. lohita, with double entente, ' red ' and ' blood.' c. Read abhratareva ; the Anukramawi, upon the strength of the apparently additional syllable, designates the stanza as a bhuri^. Stanza 3. b. Ludwig rather whimsically translates sahasrasya hira- «am 'von den tausend gelben.' It would seem as though the stanza intends to bring out a distinction between hira and dhamani. the former being the smaller and the latter the larger blood-vessels. Accordingly, 'veins' and 'arteries.' And yet in VII, 35, 2 (see the note there) both hira and dhamani apparently have the more general sense of ' inte- rior canals,' such as entrails, vaginal passage, and the like. Naturally, the knowledge of internal physiology is of the vaguest sort. For hira, see Aufrecht in Kuhn's Zeitschrift, III, 199 ; Weber, Omina und Portenta, p. 346. Stanza 4. Our translation of this stanza derives its main support from the practices above, which seem to imply that sand is put upon or about the wound. Saya;/a gives the passage a totally different bent ; he takes si'katavati dhanCfr brzliati' as the designation of one of the canals in the body which contains the sand that results in calculi in the bladder, sikata ra^a;;^si tadvati n2.d\, ' sikata, i.e. sand, the canal containing that.' He says, further, that it is the canal S 2 26o , HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. (na^i) which generates calculi (ajrnari), and finally describes it more explicitly as a ' kind of canal crooked like a bow, and the seat of the urine,' dhanur dhanurvad vakro mutra- Sciyo nadWisesha/i. And he quotes a similar statement from a Smrz'ti, mutra^ayo dhanur vakro vastir ity abhidhiyate ^. It would seem accordingly that he imagines the bladder, or some similar vessel, capable as it is of producing sand or calculi;, a fitting agent to stop the flow of blood — an inter- esting conceit at any rate ! Grill thinks that the entire stanza is a later addition. But Kauj-ika, at any rate, found it where it is, and the original diaskeuasis of the AV. postulates four or more stanzas for each hymn of the first book ; see Seven Hymns of the Atharva-veda, Amer. Journ. Phil. VII, 470 ff. Against this, there is only the deviation in the metre. c. The Pdda is a formula ; see RV. I, 191, 6. I, 18. Commentary to page 109. Saya7/a, in the introduction to the hymn, describes the practices associated with it at Ka.us. 42, 19-21 as designed to remove the blemishes of a woman afflicted with the evil characteristics mentioned in the samudrika-treatises. These blemishes are supposed to be on her face, hands, feet, and other members, mukhahastapadadyangeshu samu- drikoktadurlaksha;^ayuktaya// striyis taddoshanivr/ttaye. The samudrika-books (treatises on chiromancy) treat of both good and evil characteristics, for in his comment on St. I c he says, yani samudrikaj-astraprasiddhani . . . sau- bhagyakarawi /^ihnani santi. Cf. Pet. Lex. under 2. samu- dra, and Kej-ava to Kauj-. 42, 19, samudrike strilakshawa;;/ vyakhyatam, and note also Kaus. iH, 38, samudra ity a/^akshate karma. The practices of the Kauj-ika are as follows: 42, 19. 'While reciting AV. I, 18, the face of the woman afflicted ' Cf. with these statements Saya;/a's comment on vasti, I, 3, 6, dhanurakaro mutiajayo vastir uX'yate. I, 18. COMMENTARY. 26 1 with evil characteristics is sprinkled after each verse, com- mencing at the braid of hair at the right. 20. Having made an offering of chaff from a vessel made of the wood of a pala.va-tree (butea frondosa), he pours the rest (of the chaffj after (the first oblation). 31. Chaff, husks, refuse of grain, and shavings are placed upon the heel of her left foot.' There are good and evil characteristics (lakshmi =: lak- sha;/a, cf. AV. VII, 115), and the main point of the prac- tices is their removal by washing, and by placing all kinds of offal where it will easily drop from the person under treatment, and cause symbolically the removal of the bad points. The hymn has been translated by Weber, Ind. Stud. IV, 411 (i. ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 498 (cf. also 338) ; and Geldner, Vedische Studien, I, pp. 313 ff., where the charm is interpreted erroneously as directed against the house-cat. Cf. our brief criticism in the Journ. Am. Or. Soc. XV, 153, note. Stanza 1. a. Saya;/a reads lakshmam for lakshmyam, commenting, asaubhagyakara;// Z'ihnam. To lalamyam he remarks, lalame bhava;« tilakasthanagatam. d. The Pada is hypermetric, unless we read pra^ayaratim with double sandhi. Ludwig would cure the passage by substituting ni'r for pra^ayai, but the latter word seems guaranteed by AV. V, 25, 8, pra^ayai tva (tva a) nayamasi. and possibly this is the original reading (cf. Geldner, 1. c. 314). In adhering to the traditional text I have supposed the meaning to be that she who has the character of an Arati is rendered fit for marriage and child-birth by the charm. Very problematic this is, to be sure. Saya;/a takes pra^ayai with Pada c, yani . . . saubhagyani /^ihnani . . . tani . . . asmaka/w pra^ay^i . . . bhavantu, . . . yani pur- vaju ni//saritani asaubhagyakara/n /^ihnani . . . aratiw j^atrum . . . prapayama// ! 262 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Stanza 2. a. arawim is air. Aey., reminding us of ara«a, 'strange,' ara;/ya, ' waste, forest/ and ara.7iya.ni {-ni), the personified goddess of the forest, RV. X, 146. Saya;/a reads ara/nm, commenting, arama;nm alakshmiw daurbhagyakaraw k\h- nam . . . yadva aramani?;/ sarvada parya/anakdri;^im arti- kari;;^ va alakshmim. Shankar Pandit retains the reading of the MSS., savishak (for savishat in our edition), but Saya;/a reads sivishat. Cf. the Va^. S. in the Kawva- jakha X, 2, I ; XX, i, i (= IX, 5; XVIII, 30 of the M^dhya;«dina-^akha), and Weber, Ind. Stud. IV, 348, 412; XIII, loH. See also Apast. Sr. XIII, 7, 13. Stanza 4. Sayawa treats all these epithets as referring directly to a woman ; we prefer to regard them as personifications of evil qualities, imagined as dwelling within the person whose characteristics are foul. Saya;/a, vrz'shasye^va danta yas- yak sa vr/shadati sthuladanta nari . , . gaur iva sedhati gakk/iail^ii gosedha stri . . . vikr/ta;;/ dhamati j'abdayate iti vidhama, phutkaradivividhajabdakari;/i . . . lalamya;;/ lalamasthdne lala/aprante bhavam . . . viWdhyain vijeshewa WdJiam vilirt%am, vili<^//am iva sthita/;^ kej-anaw pratilo- myarupam. Our rendering of vilidhyam is not at all certain. I, 19. Commentary to page 120. The hymn is one of a list of battle-charms, si;;/grami- ka«i (sc. sLiktani), rubricated in Kau.y. 14, 7, and associated with ceremonies of a general character, preparatory to going to battle. The Ga;/amal^, Ath. Pari^. 32, 13, has a similar list, somewhat more extensive, which is entitled apara^itaga/<;a : see the note at Kau^. 14, 7, and cf. the introduction to I, 2. The hymn is also employed against certain portentous occurrences, as when Brahma;/?as carry arms (Kauj-. 104, 3), when images of the gods dance, shake, laugh, sing, or indulge in other freaks (KauJ-. 105, i), or I, 2 2. COMMENTARY. 263 when a bull sucks a cow (Kaui-. 113, 3). Cf. also Ath. Parij. 17, 2. The hymn has been translated by Weber, Indische Studien, IV, 413 ; cf. also Bergaigne et Henry, Manuel Vedique, p. 134. Stanzas 3, 4. These two stanzas are an expanded version of RV. VI. 75, 19. The latter part of that hymn contains suggestions which have been freely utilised in the battle-charms of the Atharvan. I, 22. Commentary to page 7. The proceedings of the practitioner, Kauj-. 26, 14-2 r, are entirely symbolic ; the main effort is to banish the yellow colour to yellow creatures and objects (the sun), where it properly belongs, and to derive for the patient redness from that quarter where it is peculiarly at home, namely a red bull ; cf. RV. I, 62, 9, and Aufrecht in the introduction to his edition of the Rig-veda, vol. ii, p. xvii. The practices are as follows : 26, 14. 'While reciting AV. I, 22 (the priest) gives (the patient water) to sip, which is mixed with hair from (a red bull) the object mentioned in the mantra (st. i). 15. And having poured (water) upon the back of the bull (he lets the patient drink it). 16. He ties on as an amulet upon the (patient) sitting upon the skin of a bull (the piece of skin) pierced by the peg with which it is fastened (when it is spread out)\ after having steeped it in cow's milk and anointed it with the dregs of ghee'-. 17. He gives (the patient the milk) to drink. 18. He feeds (the patient) with ^ The words ' the piece of skin,' &c. are all of them a tentative rendering of jahkudhanam, to which Darila, ka.rm3.no vistaraya kilakabandha/z ^ahkusthapanam. Sayawa, in the introduction to the hymn, raktago-('arma-<-/zidrama«im . . . tanmawibandhanam. Kejava, go rakta/^armaX'/^idramawim. Cf. also Kauj. 27, 29, to AV. Ill, 7, I. - Cf. Kauj-. 7, 15. 264 HVMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. porridge made of haridra (turmeric, or curcuma, a yellow plant), daubs him from head to foot both with the remnants of the porridge and (additional porridge) from which he has not eaten, (places him upon a couch), ties the (three birds) mentioned in the mantra ^ by their left legs to the foot of the couch, and washes (the patient) off (upon the birds). 19. He makes the patient step forward (after having first given him a stirred drink, mantha, in accordance with the paribhasha at Ka.us. 7, 18). 20. He makes (the patient) address (with the hymn) the chattering (birds). 21. Having glued together with lac the hairs from the breast (of the red bull) and getting them covered with gold (the patient ties that on as an amulet).' Saya;/a in his introduction defines the purpose of the hymn as against heart-disease and jaundice, hr/drogaka- miladirogopajantaye ; Ke.yava advances a broader construc- tion, according to which it cures in addition epilepsy and fainting (vismaya ?), apasmara-vismaya-hr/droga-kama- lakarohi/zakani bhaisha^y^ni. Adalbert Kuhn, in Kuhn's Zeitschrift, XIII, 113 ff., has assembled from Greek, Roman, and Teutonic sources notions and practices analogous to those elaborated by Kau.fika. The principle that the yellow disease belongs by right to yellow objects, birds, and plants, is there again applied practically, with a touch, here and there, of similia similibus curantur. In addition to Kuhn's translation we note Weber's, Ind. Stud. IV, 415 ff. ; cf. also Ludvvig, Der Rigveda, III, 343 ; Bergaigne et Henry, Manuel Vedique, pp. 134-5 ; Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 388 ; Wise, Hindu System of Medicine, 247 ff. (espe- ^ The juka, ropawaka, and haridrava mentioned in st. 4. Sayawa, in his introduction, j^ukakash/Z/ajukagopitanakakhyanaw pakshi- ?;am. Darila defines haridrava/^ by haridravar;/aj X'i/aka>^, Kejava, juka// kash///a(mu)sukam (!) X-a gopitilaka?;^ X'a. They seem to refer respectively to the parrot, the thrush, and the yellow wagtail, all doubtless birds prevailingly yellow. The yellow jaundice of the patient, accentuated by his coat of yellow curcuma, is washed down upon the yellow birds, where it belongs. Cf. the notes on St. 4, and the introduction to VII, 116. I, 2 2, COMMENTARY. 265 cially 249, where turmeric still appears prominent among the curative agencies). Stanzas similar to 1,^33 occur, RV. I, 50, 11-12; Tait. Br. Ill, 7, 6, 22-23; Apast. Sr. IV, 15,1. . Stanza 1. b. For hnddyota the RV., Tait. Br., and Apast. Sr. have hndroga (cf. Ridraga, Wise 321) ; see also AV. V, 20, 12 ; VI, 24, I. Still another name is hrzdayamaya, AV. V, 30, 9 ; VI, 14, I ; 127, 3. For the root dyut, cf. AV. IV, 12, 2; XII, 3, 22: hr/d-dyota literally means 'heart-break;' Saya//a takes it as ' heart-burning,' hridayaw sa;//tapayati (cf. Lat. splendida bilis). c. The Vedic Hindu is deeply impressed with the red- ness of the cow, which is contrasted with its white milk, RV. I, 62, 9, &c. ' O sage mir wie geht es zu, gibt weisse milch die rothe kuh.' Perhaps we have here, too, an allu- sion to the divine Rohita in the thirteenth book of the AV. ; see Henry, Les Hymnes Rohitas, and our Contribu- tions, Fourth Series, Amer. Journ. Phil. XII, 429 ff. Stanza 2. The anacoluthon in Padas c, d, seems to be occasioned by ayam, which is a sort of vox media fit for both second and third persons singular. Stanza 3. a. I have followed Bergaigne and Henry, Manuel Ve- dique, p. 135 note, in emending the unintelligible rohi/nr devatya(//) to r6hi;ndevatya(//), ' the cows whose divinity is Rohi;/i.' I differ from these scholars in co-ordinating it with gavo, rather than supplying r/ka/i ; see the above- mentioned Contributions, p. 437. Rohi/n is the female of Rohita, a personification of the red, ascending (ruh), ruling sun. The stanzas devoted to Rohi/n occur AV. XIII, I, 22 ff. Saya/^a's comment on Padas a, b, is, deva- tya/i devatasu bhava/^ . . . uktavarwa (sc. rohi;n/^) ya./i ka- madhenvadayo gava/^ santi, uta api ya/i manushyasa;/^- 266 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. bandhinyo rohbn/i rohbiya/i lohitavan/a giva/i santi tabhi/z ubhayavidhabhir gohhi/i. Stanza 4. b. ropa;/aka is glossed by Siya;^a at RV. I, 50, 12 by j-arika, 'thrush;' Sayawa on our hymn, twice, kash//}a^uka (harit pakshi : the word is not in the lexicons). Darila at Kau^y. 26, 20. haridravarwaj- >^i/aka// (not in the lexicons ; cf. /^i/^^ika, RV. X, 146, 2). Kej-ava, kash//^a(mu)sukam (!), and kash///aj-u(sh)ka/^andana (! a kind of sandal). The com- mentators seem therefore to waver between a bird and a plant. c. haridrava is glossed by Saya;^a at RV. VIII, ^S^ 7 by pakshin, but the same work at I, 50, 12, as also the scholiast at Tait. Br. Ill, 7, 6, 22, has haritaladrumeshu (a kind of tree !). Saya;/a on our hymn, twice, gopitana- kakhya haridvan/a/^ pakshiua/i (gopitanaka is not in the lexicons, but gopita is ' wagtail ') ; Darila, ib., pita.f kitak^i ; Ke.fava, twice, gopitilaka. I, 23. Commentary to page 16. The practices connected with this and the next hymn are defined by the commentators as a cure for white leprosy, Jvetakush///apanodanaya (Saya;/a), j-vetakush///a- bhaisha,^ani (Kei-ava). They are stated at Kauj. 26, 22- 24, as follows : 22. ' While reciting AV. I, 23 and I, 24 (the priest) having rubbed dung (upon the sores) until they are red, smears upon them the substances, mentioned in the mantras ^ 23. He cuts off the white (scurf). 24. (The patient ?), having been covered, performs the rites to the Maruts.' The latter, described at Kauj-. 41, 1-7, are ^ Kejava and Sayawa mention bhrmgara^a (eclipta prostata ; note the pun between ra^a and ra^ani, &c. in I, 23, i), haridra (yellow sandal, or yellow turmeric), indravaruwi (colocynth), and nilika. Darila has a somewhat different statement, too corrupt to be reported here. I, 23. COMMENTARY. 267 primarily designed to produce rain, and their employment here, secondarily, may be intended to put the patient into a sweat. The point is problematic and not cleared up by the scholiasts. The entire hymn is repeated with variants at Tait. Br. II, 4, 4, I. 2. The third stanza of the next hymn is there added to the charm. Both this and the next h}'mn have been translated by Weber, Ind. Stud. IV, pp. 416 ff, ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 506, 509 ; GrilP, pp. 19, 77 ff. ; cf. Wise, Hindu Sys- tem of Medicine, pp. 25H ff. ; Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 391 ; and Bergaigne et Henry, Manuel Vedique, p. 135. The Anukrama;/! designates I, 23 as vanaspatyam, and I, 24 as asurivanaspatidevatyam. Stanza 1. Saya;/a refers the adjectives dark, &c., to the plants, indicated by Kaui-ika's commentators. The word ra^ani (as well as all others designating night) has also the mean- ing 'curcuma longa.' Cf the scholiast at Tait. Br. II, 4, 4, 1, ra;/^anakshame oshadhe . . . atra haridra ra^ani^ti ke^it. The two meanings are blended with the idea of ' rich in colour,' by virtue of which the word puns with ra^aya. Stanza 2. b. A considerable number of MSS., here as well as in 3 d, followed by Saya//a, read pr/thak for pr/shat, which also makes good sense. The Tait. Br. also reads pr/shat. c. This seems to be addressed to the patient : his natural colour shall return to him. Grill takes offence at the parenthesis ^ and proposes to refer sva// to the plant ; cf. also Ludwig, and Bergaigne et Henry, 1. c, note. But the plants are of a colour different from the leper's spots (hence their virtue), and sva./i is inappropriate. Saya;/a, as in our translation, he rug;;a . . . svakiya/^ prag avasthito var;-;a/^ ^ Cf. Aufrecht, Festgruss an Olto von Bohilingk, p. 3. 268 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. And still more explicitly the scholiast at Tait. Br., dehasya svakiya/^ purvasiddho var;/a//. I, 24. Commentary to page 16. For the application of the hymn in the ritual, and previous translations, cf. the introduction to I, 23. Stanza 3 is repeated at Tait. Br. II, 4, 4, 2. Stanza 1. Saya;za states the little legend (akhyayika) as follows : The dark plant here in question was the gall (pitta, dosha) of the primordial bird supar;/a (garutman). The Asuri (asur^;/a;« maya ka-^ana stri) engaged in battle with him and conquered. The gall captured in the battle she embodied into the form of trees (nili, and so forth). This neat story would commend itself at once but for the word ^ita, which does not mean ' she conquered ' (Say., ^itavati), but ' she was conquered.' The story is so pat as to tempt to the emendation ^itva, or (as Ludwig suggests) ^itam. In general, of course, asura in the Atharvan, as elsewhere, stands for the hostile powers conquered by the Devas, e. g. AV. II, 27, 3. 4 ; IV, 19, 4 ; VI, 7, 2 ; VIII, 5, 3 ; IX, 2, 17. 18; X, 3, [I ; 6, 22-8; XI, 5, 7; TO, 10. 15; XII, I, 15. But a different tone prevails occasionally. In VI, 108, 3 the Asuras are said to know wisdom ; in VI, 100, 3 the ant (upa^ika), which is employed as an antidote against poison, is called the daughter of the Asuras; in II, 3, 3; VI, icg, 3 they dig remedies into the ground, and finally, in VII, 38, 2, the Asuri attracts to herself Indra from the company of the gods, so that, according to Kaf/i. S. XIII, 5, he lives with the Asuras (cf. Ind. Stud. Ill, 479 ; V, 250, 453). The sense of Saya;za's story is therefore not irrelevant. Note also that asurf itself is the name of a magic plant (cf. Magoun, Asuri-kalpa, Amer. Journ. Phil. X, 165 fif.). If, on the other hand, ^ita of the text is retained, it is hard to see how she possessed herself of the gall of the supar//a, unless by way of revenge. I, 24. COMMENTARY. 269 or theft. Hence we have, hesitatingly, adopted the emen- dation ^itva. A later transcriber, shocked by the imputation that the Asuri was victorious, might easily have made the change. Weber, 1. c, p. 418, regards supar;/a as the sun and asuri' as the night, who, having been conquered by the sun, with- draws into the forest and assumes the form of trees : ' Dor vogel, der zuerst erstand, dessen gall' du gewesen bist. Die Asuri im kampf besiegt machte die baum' zu ihrer form.' But there is scarcely any occasion here for a mythical eagle : the eagle and the boar naturally find plants, the one with his eye, the other with his snout (see II, 27, 2 ; V, 14, i), and the legend must in some way rest upon this natural fact. This translation, too, establishes no connection between the first and second parts of the stanza. Very similarly Grill. d. For vanaspatin the Paippalada has vanaspati// in accordance with the common usage of the Brdhma;/as, e.g. asvo rupam kr/tva, Tait. Br. Ill, 8, 12, 2; Apast. Sr. V, 2, 4 ; kn'sh/io rupaw krz'tva, Tait. Br. Ill, 7, 4, 8. See Delbriick, Altindische Syntax, p. 103 ; Pet. Lex. s. v. rupa (column 421); Ind. Stud. XIII, 1 1 1 . This makes a decidedly better construction : ' having assumed the form of a tree.' Ludwig, translating the 6"aunakiya-text, '(die Asuri) hat es zur farbe der baume gemacht,'and similarly Saya;/a,^ayena labdhaw tat pitta?;^ rupa;;/ /^-akre, oshadhyatmana sevyam akaram akarshit, tad eva rupam aha, vanaspatin nilyadin. I have followed their lead, though I am for my part unacquainted with any such construction of kar (with three accusatives ; note also the middle, kakre). Stanza 2, a, b. Saya;/a treats idam as follows : Ida;// supar^apittena nirmita;;/ nilyadikam, which corresponds with his and our interpretation of st. i. In the later literature asuri is a branch of medicine ; see the Pet. Lex. under asuri 3) and m^nusha. The metre of the two P^das is irregular : idaw kilasana'j-anam seems to be a gloss. 270 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Stanza 4. a. The European edition reads j-ama, which Ludwig puts forth as the title of the hymn. The Paippalada, as also two of Shankar Pandit's MSS., have jryama (cf ^am^ka = jy^maka, Kslus. 8, 11); this is undoubtedly correct, and corresponds with ra^ani in I, 23, i. I, 25. Commentary to page 3. The practice which Kau^-ika reports for this hymn is similar in character, but totally different in detail from those connected with AV. V, 22 and VI, 20. The practising priest, according to Sutra 26, 25, has an axe heated ; then the axe is quenched in water, and the water thus heated is poured upon the patient: yad agnir iti para^-u;;/ ^apa;«s tapayati kvathayaty avasi^^i-ati. Darila renders this quite clear, paraj-una kvathayaty udakaw . . . taptenodakena ^vasi;;/y^ati rogi/^aw. The heated water is supposed doubt- less to draw the heat of the fever out of the patient; as it flows from him (attractio similium). Kei-ava describes the performance as a ^varabhaisha^yaw, nitya^vare vela^are satata^are ekantarita^vare /^aturthika^vare ka. r/tu^are /:a. ; cf. stanza 4 c, d. Similarly Saya«a in the introduction, aikahikadi^ita^arasa7;/tata^aravela^varadij-antaye. The hymn has been treated by Weber, Indische Studien, IV, 419 fif. ; Grohmann, ib. IX, 3(S4 fif. ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 511 ; Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, pp. 381, 384 ; Bergaigne et Henry, Manuel Vedique, p. 136. It is quoted also at Kauj-. 26, 1 note, as one of the takmana- .yanaga;/a of the Gawamala, Ath. Parii-. 32, 7. Stanza 1. The stanza is not quite clear. Saya;;a refers to the practices in the Sutra, which are, of course, themselves based upon suggestions derived from the mantra. ' When Agni having entered the waters burned ' refers doubtless to the circle of well-known legends that deal with Agni's escape to the waters. Two hymns of the Rig-veda, X, 51 and T, 25. COMMENTARY. 271 52, deal with this subject, and it is one of the stock-legends, with protean variations, in the Brahma;/as (cf. Indische Stiidien, III, 467), e.g. ^at. Br. I, 2, 3, i ; 3, 3, 13-16; Tait. S. II, 6, 6, I ff. ; VI, 2, 8, 4 ff. For later forms of the same legend, see Adolf Holtzmann's essay, Agni nach den Vorstellungen des Mahabharata, p. 11, and especially Mahabh. Ill, 14214 ff. = 222, 7 ff. The basis of these legends is the plain observation that lightning comes from the clouds, that is, the waters (cf. Nirukta VII, 23), and perhaps, again, that it strikes the water upon earth, and disappears in it. This again connects the takman with lightning, which is conceived as a cause of fever, &c. See our introductions to V, 22, and I, 12. It is perhaps not going too far to suppose that the connection of fever with lightning is another way of saying that fever is associated especially with the rainy season, and that indeed seems to be the purport of the stanza : the period of the lightning is the time when the takman originates. Cf. Grohmann, 1. c, p. 403 ; Zimmer, I.e., p. 384. a. apo, the nominative for the accusative, especially in the AV., as conversely apa// the accusative appears as nominative ; see Whitney's Sanskrit Grammar, § 393 a. The expression apo . . . pravi'i-ya, as in RV. X, 51, i, pravivwitha ^pa//. b. dharma-dhr/ta/^ with alliteration. The expression does not refer to pious men, as is assumed by Weber, Grohmann, and Zimmer ; and that too, although their translation would seem to receive support from RV. X, 51, 5, ehi manur devayiir ya^;7akama/^, 'come (O Agni), pious men desire to sacrifice.' The meaning of the first two Padas would according to this be as follows : When Agni hid himself in the waters, and men being thus deprived of the carrier of the sacrifice approached him humbly, with the purpose of inducing him to resume his functions ^. . . But ^ Weber, ]. c, to be sure, quite differently, refers the humble attitude of the pious to the dread of the supposed consequence of Agni's action, namely, the fever. 272 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. dharma-dhr/ta/z cannot refer to men, and Ludwlg is quite correct in his view, ' die erhalter der satzungen (die gotter).' The dharman is upheld by the gods ; so, e. g. Vish;/u is described as dharmawi dharayan in RV. I, 22, 18; Indra as dharma-kr/t in VIII, 98, i ; cf. also the epithet dhr/ta- vrata as applied to Varu;/a at AV. VII, 83, i. Reference is therefore made to the suppliant attitude of the gods, as they induce Agni by promises to come forth from the waters and attend to his business. c. Weber translates tatra . . . paramaw^ani'traw ' dort is hauptsachlich dein Entstehen,' and Grohmann and Zimmer adopt this very pregnant rendering. Ludwig, on the other hand; says, *da war deine erste geburt.' It seems to me that neither translation is correct. The Pada is formulaic ; in RV. I, 163, 4 (the hymn to the horse, ai-vastuti) we have, yatra ta ahu// parama;« ^ani'tram, and Ludwig translates (902), ' wo man sagt, dass dein hochster geburtsort.' Cf. also parame ^anitre in X, 56, i. The expression paramaw g-a.nitra.7n, moreover, is the equivalent of parame ^anman in RV. II, 9, 3, which is contrasted with avare sadhasthe. The former obviously refers to Agni, the lightning, and, as the takman is the effect of that Agni, the same origin is assumed for him. Hence I have translated the expres- sion by ' origin on high.' Stanza 2. b. Literally, ' or whether thy origin is a spHnter-seeking one,' a bold figure as applied to the takman. But throughout this hymn the parallelism between fire and the takman is uppermost in the mind of the poet, and the phenomenon of Agni's growth, as he eagerly licks the split wood, is meta- phorically transferred to his disease. Weber translates prettily, *sei Splitterfeuer, ziingelndes, dein geburtsort.' Zimmer, less vividly, ' oder wenn deine geburtsstatte glim- mend ist.' Ludwig does not comment upon his obscure result, ' oder mag spitze stachel suchend (stechend) deine geburt sein ; ' he, at any rate, unnecessarily abandons the metaphor of the fire. Sayawa, jakalya;;/ dahya^u kash//^a- samuham i/('//ati j-akalye/ agni//. I, 25. COMMENTARY. 273 c. I have left the word hruVu ^ untranslated, as I have not been able to discover any basis for the existing trans- lation, ' cramp,' which Weber, 1. c, p. 420, proposes, and Ludwig adopts. Weber's result is derived from etymo- logical considerations of insufficient cogency, and the recorded symptoms of the takman or the ^^ara fail to include cramps. The word occurs only in this hymn, in evident alliteration with haritasya, and I should not wonder if the word would yet turn out to have some connection with 'yellow.' For haritasya deva, see the note on V, 22, 2 a. Stanza 3. b. The takman as a son of Varu;/a presents a snatch of that broader and deeper view of the origin of disease, according to which it is due to the violation of the laws of Varu;/a, who has in his charge the order of the universe, and punishes the sinner by his ' fetters ' of disease, especially the dropsy ; see, e.g. AV. IV, 16, 6, 7 2. In general, to be sure, the lower view prevails in the Atharvan : possession by demons, and the witchcraft of enemies, are the causes of sickness. Stanza 4. The metre is irregular : Pida a, anush/ubh ; b and c, trish/ubh ; d,^agati. b. For rura. see the note on V, 22, 10 a. c. yo anyedyur . . . abhyeti (see also VII, 116, 2) refers to a fever which attacks, or becomes highest, every twenty- four hours ; cf. perhaps the vela^vara, mentioned by Kei-ava ^ Some MSS., according to Weber, read hrud\i, and Whitney, Index Verborum, s. v., reports also hCiVu, hrilrt'ru, and rddu. Saya«a reads rudku/i (rohaka/i purushajarire utpadaka/^). Shankar Pandit notes still other variants. ^ I prefer this view to another suggested by Grohmann, 1. c., p. 406 ff., according to which the malarial takman in marshy (i. e. watery) regions is especially pointed out. Varu«a, being the god of the sea (water), this variety of takman might thus be regarded as his son. This seems rather far-fetched. [42] T 2 74 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. to Kaus. 26, 25. Such is the interpretation of all authorities (Grohmann, p. 3H7 ; Zimmer, p. 382), and Wise, p. 232, describes the Anye^yuka (Su^ruta's anyedyushka) as follows: 'If the paroxysm of fever recurs at the same hour daily, it is called Anye^yuka.' It is therefore equiva- lent to the rhythmus quotidianus. Sayaz/a, anye- dyu^ anyasmin paradine ya// shagvara/i abhyeti. — yo . . . ubhayadyur abhyeti, ' he who returns for two successive days,' i. e. with the implication that the next day (as we should say, the third day) is free from fever'. Grohmann, p. 388. and Zimmer, p. 382. identify this with the rhythmus quartan uscomplicatus, a form of the disease in which the attacks repeat themselves on two successive days, the third day being exempt. This would remind us of the ekantarita mentioned by Kei-ava, 1. c. But it seems to fit also the Hturthaka viparyaya. Wise, 1. c, says, ' In Chaturthaka the paroxysms of this fever occur every fourth day. When the paroxysm continues for two days, the fever is that called Chaturthaka Bipar^aya.' None of these construc- tions, however, is certain. Saya;m here says, ubhayadyu/z ubhayasmin dvitiye^hani . . . ayati, and, still more ex- plicitly at VII, 116, 2, yas ka ubhayedyu/^ (!) ubhayor divasayo//, atitayor iti sesha/i, abhyeti, Mturthika^ara ity artha//. This means a kind of fever that omits two days and returns on the third day, and would thus be identical with the tr/tiyaka, according to the current construction (see Pada d). But see the Pet. Lex. under ubhayadyu/^ and ubhayedyu/^. d. For tr/tiyaka, see the note on V, 22, 13 a. I, 34. Commentary to page 99. This hymn belongs to a quite extensive class of Atharvan charms, the object of which is either to generate love in a person of the opposite sex, or restore alienated affection. In general, charms of this class are rubricated in the second ^ Cf. our not altogether certain interpretat'.on of vitr/tiya, V, 22, 13a. I, 34. COMMENTARY. 275 part of the fourth book of the Kau^ika (32, 28-36, 40). This is designated by the commentators as strikarma;n. ' women's rites.' and presents the greatest variety of prac- tices connected with the hfe of women and their relations to men ; see Kauj-ika, Introduction, p. Ixv, and cf the fol- lowing hymns. Yet this particular hymn is not mentioned in the book in question, though it is otherwise worked up three times, K&us. 38, 17 ; 76, 8. 9 ; 79, 10. In the first of these passages, 38, 17, the hymn is employed in a simple practice uttered by an intending disputant before entering upon a debate in the sabha or parishad, the village assembly : ' While reciting AV. I, 34 he approaches the assembly from the north-east, chewing licorice.' The commen- tators do not quite agree as to the special purpose of the practice. Ke.fava says that it produces victory in disputa- tion (vivade ^ayakarma;/a;;/ vidhi/f) ; Darila, more mildly, says that it is an expiatory performance to wipe out the guilt incurred in defeating an opponent (in debate), praty- artha^ayadoshai-amanaw ^ pr^yaj-/('ittam. Either of these manipulations of the hymn is reasonable if we regard kami'ni in stanza 5 as referring to the parishad or sabha ^, and there is therefore no absolute guarantee that the hymn had originally anything to do with sexual love. Cf. how- ever II, 30, I. In Ka.us. 76, 8, 9 the bridegroom, while reciting this hymn, ties to his little finger an amulet of licorice-wood (madugha), fastening it with thread coloured red with lac, ^ The jNISS. have pratyartha^apa-, but this does not yield good sense. The correction was suggested by Professor Cowell in a kind note. Correct accordingly our treatment of the passage in Seven Hymns of the Atharva-veda, Amer. Journ. Phil. VII, 481 (p. 16 of the reprint). - There is, too, a bare possibility that the fifth stanza is of later origin, especially if we attach any weight to the tradition that the first book of the AV. consisted of hymns of four stanzas each ; see the introduction to I, 12 (p. 247). The meaning of that tradition seems, however, rather to be that each hymn consisted of at least four stanzas, or more, since many of them, in fact, consist of more. T 2 276 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. and placing it so that the amulet is on the outside of the finger, the knot within (the hand). In Sutra 10 he leads the bride forth, and the amulet is, therefore, obviously intended to make him attractive to the bride. This in- volves the construction of the hymn which we have pre- sented in our translation, i.e. the bridegroom, by means of the amulet, secures the love of the bride \ Once more, in Kauj'. 79, 10, at the consummation of the marriage, a ceremony, involving this hymn, is enacted by the married couple. The bridegroom takes hold of the amulet of licorice (which he has put on previously, Kauj. 76, 8. 9), puts it into bull's grease, and while reciting the pre- sent hymn and AV. XIV, 2, 71. 72, they embrace one another. Kei"ava, more explicitly, states that the amulet is first ground up, madughama//i;// pishA^a aukshe '^ prakshipya abhimantrya parasparam varavadhvau samalabhete. The purpose of the performance is not quite clear ; it seems to be designed to render the affection mutual ^. Cf. AV. II, 36, 7, and our discussion there. The hymn has been translated by Weber, Ind. Stud. IV, 429 (cf. V, 218); Grill-, pp. 52, 78. The Anukramawi designates it as madughamawisuktam, ' the hymn of the amulet of licorice.' ^ Dr. Haas in the Indische Studien, V, 386, makes the bride- groom fasten the amulet upon the bride's finger. There is nothing to indicate this proceeding, which is contrary to the context of the hymn. Dr. Haas, to be sure, erroneously refers the pratika iyaw virudh to AV. VII, 56, 2; hence he did not see that the bridegroom desires to make himself lovable in the sight of the woman (see I, .34, 5). ^ For aukshe, see our note on 11, 36, 7. ^ Professor Weber in his translation of this passage, Ind. Stud. V, 401, takes madughamawi to mean 'hymen,' for reasons not apparent to me. I fancy that Ke^ava's pish/va removes the possi- bility of such a construction, and the madughama/ziprayaj/fitta quoted by the same scholar on p. 404, refers simply to the loss of the amulet here in question ; this is restored by making another amulet from the putudaru (devadaru)-tree. II, 3* COMMENTARY. 277 Stanza 1. Honey is the symbol of '■joersonal agreeableness from earliest times. Cf. e.g. RV. X, 40, 6, 'From you, O Ai-vins, the bee took honey in its mouth, as a woman goes (with honey in her mouth) to an assignation ^' The digging of the plant with honey is not to be taken too literally, as Saya;/a does, madhurupe//a khanitradina, or madhure;/a prakare/^a, but rather, ' with the influence of the sweetness of honey, prompting or supporting him who digs after the licorice-root.' Cf. AV. VII, S^, 2. Stanza 2. The second half is a formula, being repeated almost literally at III, 25, 5 and VI, 9, 2 ; Pada d, at VI, 42, 3 ; Stanza 4. c, d. The passage contains an elliptic comparison, as indi- cated by the brackets in our translation. Without the ellipsis supplied there is no good sense : Weber, ' mich allein drum du lieben magst wie einen honigsiissen zweig ; Grill, ' so sei denn ich das Hebste dir, gleich einem honig- siissen zweig.' But what human being regards a branch sweet as honey as the most precious possession ? Stanza 5. a. The clinging sugar-cane is used here metaphorically for sweetness and attractiveness ; no practice of this cha- racter is indicated anywhere. 0, d. The passage is a formula; see II, 30, i ; VI, 8, 1-3. II, 3. Commentary to page 9. The hymn is joined with I, 2 at Kaui'. 25, 6-9, in a charm against excessive discharges from the body ; see the treatment at I, 2. The particular part of Kau.rika's prac- tices, which is based on our hymn, is contained in Sutra ^ A different interpretation is suggested by Bergaigne, La syutaxe des comparaisons vediques (Melanges Renier, p. 89). 278 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 25, 7. It is founded upon the conception that ants are endowed with the faculty of producing water, and that, too, healing-water, wherever they appear, and consequently whenever they are applied as a remedy. Hence they are here given to the patient to be drunk in water. For fuller statements of this belief, see the introduction to VI, 100, and Seven Hymns of the Atharva-veda, Amer. Journ. Phil. VII, pp. 482-4. The hymn has been translated by Weber, Ind. Stud. XIII, 138 ff. ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 507 ; GrilP, pp. 17, 79 ff. The Anukrama;n designates it as bhaisha^yayurdha- nvantaridaivatam. Stanza 1. b. The difficult word here is avatka. In the Paippalada XIX, 8, 2 (see Bohtlingk's lexicon s. v.) occur the two hypermetric Padas, avataka;;/ mama bhesha^am avatakaw pariva/^anam. Here the metre suggests emendation to avatka, but at the same time shows pretty clearly that the word is a derivative of avata, ' spring.' Saya;m is very mis- leading. Having in mind the performances of the Sutra, he identifies avatka with mu;}^a.yira/^ in Kauj-. 25, 6, and the mountain mentioned in the stanza with the Mu/z^avat, to wit : atra parvata.yabdena mu%-avan nama parvato viva- kshita/^ ^ . . . tasmat ada/i viprak;'zsh/a;« yat prasiddham avatkaw vyadhipariharewa rakshakaw muu^Siska/i ava- dhavati avaruhya bhAmau dhavati. This involves an im- possible rendering of avadhaVati, and leaves out of sight the possibility that this hymn may have nothing to do with the mu;4^a-reed, being concerned rather with the healing water, procured by the ants ; see the introduction. c, d. The passage as it stands in the text, and our trans- lation, can be sustained only on the supposition that the water is added to some other substance, not indicated in the stanza. Ludwig, feeling this difficulty, emends siibhe- sha^am to siibhesha^o, ' so that you (the patient) may have a powerful remedy.' A simpler emendation is to change ^ Cf. the note on V, 22, 5. II, 3- COMMENTARY. 279 asasi to asati, ' that do I make into a remedy for you, so that it may contain goodly remedy.' But the next stanza, as it stands, seems also to point to a mixed remedy; hence I have adhered to the text. Sayawa comments against sense and grammar. Stanza 2. I have adhered to the unanimous reading of the MSS.; the Paippalada offers no help, Ad afiga skatam (!) yad bhe- sha^ani te sahasra;// va gha yani te (cf. also VI, 44, 2). The sense of the passage, as it stands, seems to be that all the remedial substances which are combined with the avatka are, after all, inferior in healing capacity to the avatka itself. This is much as Sdya;/a construes it, tava sawbandhini sa^atiyani jatam . . . yani . . . bhesha^ani tesha;;^ bhesha^ana;// madhye tvam uttamam utkr/sh/ata- mam asi. Ludwig and Grill emend te to me ' dann wird's doch wohl geschehen, dass von meinen hundert Arzenei'n du selbst die allerbeste bist ' (Grill). I am not convinced that this is right. a. adaiiga, 'then surely;' kuvid anga, * yea, quite surely;' the latter phrase is a rhetorical question (' art thou) surely ? ' Cf. Yaska's Nigh. I, 3, and Nirukta IV, 15. Stanza 3. a. The Asuras, the demons, here either hide away the remedies by burying them deep in the ground (cf. VI, 109, 3), or they bury them for secure keeping, so that they may become available on occasion (cf. I, 24, 2). See in general the note on I, 24, i. b. aruy<;)sra//am is emended well by Ludwig to aru(/^)- jTa;/am, from root sra, 'cook.' The Dhatupa///a, 22, 22, has sra (srayati) pake, and S^ya/za also avails himself of this root in one explanation of the word, aru/i srayati pakva?« bhavati anena ; and (under st. 5), arusho vra;/asya pa/^-anam. That is ' a remedy which causes the wound to ripen or heal.' We seem to have here the very source for the root sra of the Dhatup^///a. For the interchange of the sibilants, see Bloomfield and Spieker, Proc. Amer. Or. 28o HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Soc, May, 1886 (Journ., vol. xiii, pp. cxvii fif.). Possibly the word asrava may have had something to do with the change of -srana. to -srawa. d. Saya;^a reads asisama.t for anina^at ; cf. st. 4. Stanza 4. For upagika/i, ' ants,' see the introduction to VI, 100. Saya;/a, valmikanishpadika vamrya//. Stanza 6. The stanza consists of 12 + 11 + 11 syllables; the last word rakshasam, obviously a gloss, is metrically super- fluous. For Pada c, cf. I, 19, i. II, 4. Commentary to page ;^y. The plant called ^ahgi^T^a illustrates very perfectly the absence of any boundary line between disease and demon- ology in the Atharvan. On the one hand it is employed against a variety of diseases, fever (takman), internal sores (balasa), and other minor manifestations, or symptoms, designated as ^ambha, vi^ara and viVarika, ai-arika, and pr/sh/yamaya (II, 4, 2 ; XIX, 34, lo), receiving therefore the epithet vi^-vabhesha^a, 'all-healing,' XIX, ^S^ 5; it is moreover the specific against rheumatic troubles, if vi- shkandha and sa;«skandha (11,4, 1 ff- ; XIX, 34, i. 5; 35, i) shall turn out ultimately to have this meaning (see the note on St. I c). On the other hand it obviates all the dangers arising from hostile demons and sorceries, as is expressly stated in all the three hymns devoted to its praise (II, 4 ; XIX, 34 and ;^^). The plant is not mentioned outside of the Atharvan which, in lieu of description, indulges in the customary vague rhodomontades. The gods themselves have thrice produced the g-ahgida, Indra has put strength into it, and (XIX, 34, 6) the seers of yore are said to have known it by the name of Ahgiras — a very pretty conceit, but for the fact that it harbours nothing more than a stolid pun {g-ahgufas and ahgiras). From the Kauj-ika and its commentaries we learn at least one thing that it is a tree. In the Sutra, 8, 15, it occurs in a list of 'holy' (santk/t) II, 4- COMMENTARY. 28 1 trees, as is expressly stated by Kej-ava, atlia jantavr/ksha u/?^yante. Darila at 8, 15 ; 42, 23 describes it as a white tree growing in the Dekkhan, ar^una// a/'ala iti dakshi;za- tya// ; Ke^ava at 8, 15, and Saya;/a at II. 4, i say that it is faniihar in Benares, vara;/asya?// prasiddha//. S^yawa, in the introduction to our hymn, as also to AV. XIX, 34, has ^angi<^avrzksha, and in the commentary at XIX, 34, i he places the home of the tree in the north, uttaradej-e pra- siddha//, all of which would seem to show that the tree is known in many parts of India. The following is the literature on the ^angic/a : Groh- mann, Indische Studien, IX, 417 fif. ; Weber, ib. XIII, 141 ; Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 65. The hymn II, 4 is employed, Kauj-. 42, 23, in a practice which, according to Darila, is destined to drive away demons (pij-a/f'a/(-atana) ; according to Ke^-ava — I state the text literally — it is, purushahave (cod. purusho have ; cf. XIX, 34, 3) akaryakara«ena vighnafamanakarma ; and further, kr/tyadusha//arthe (cod. krztva-) apyayati vigh- naj-amanarakshakara;^a/^ vighna/^ viskandhe (!) ya/^ (the latter passage is not printed in my extracts from that authority in the edition). The practice consists in tying on as an amulet the substance mentioned in the hymn : dir- ghayutvaye-ti mantroktaw badhnati. Darila says ^angi- ^amawim, and Ke^ava more explicitly states that an amulet derived from the^ahgi^a be tied on with a thread of hemp, ^arigi^akshus, ' evil eye,' at IV, 9, 6 ; XIX, 35> 3- II, 8. Commentary to page 13. The word kshetriya is interpreted by the Atharvavedins quite unanimously as ' inherited disease.' Three hymns, II, 8. COMMENTARY. 287 II, 8 and 10; III, 7 (cf. also IV, iH, 7; V, 30, 4), are designed to drive it out, and the Kaiuika rubricates all of them among the medical charms (bhaisha^yani), 26, 41-27, 4; 27, 7-8 ; 27, 29-31. Dariia at 26, 43 defines it as 'family- disease,' kaulo vyadhi// ; Kej-ava at 27, 4 i as, pit;7'par}agata// kshetriyaroga/^ kushz/^akshayaroga/^ graha«idosha/^ sarva- j-ariraspho/akara// ; similarly Say. at II, 8, 1. The scholiast at Tait. Br. II, 5, 6, 3 (p. 628) has kshetra;;/ garbhasthanaw tatrotpannatvat, i. e. 'disease which has arisen while in the womb' (rather differently at II, 5, 6, i, pp. 626-7). The practices connected with these hymns are obscure in detail, and their application is remote. Kauj-. 26, 41-27, 4 deals with our hymn, to wit : 41. 'While reciting AV. II, 8, 1 (the practitioner) washes the patient outside (of the house). 42. While reciting AV. II, 8, 2 (he washes him outside of the house) at dawn. 43. While reciting AV. II, 8, 3 he pulverises the plants mentioned in the stanza (see the translation), as also natural mud, and mud from an ant-hill, sews this up into the skin of a living animal ^ (freshly slain), and fastens it (as an amulet upon the patient). 27, i. While reciting II, 8, 4 he places a plough with its span of cattle over the head of the patient ^ and pours water over it. 2. While reciting AV. II, 8, 5 he pours the dregs of ghee into (a vessel full of) water (placed) within an empty house. 3. He pours more (dregs of ghee) into an old ditch into which grass from the thatch of the house has been placed. 4. Placing the patient into this ditch he gives him of the water to drink, and rinses him with it.' The symbolism of these practices is not clear, but they seem at any rate to be built up on the derivation of the word kshetriya from kshetra in the sense of 'field,' rather than in the sense of ' womb.' See especially the last * For ^ivakoshawi see Kau.rika, Introduction, p. 1. Other sub- stances derived from living animals occur at Katy. St. IX, 2, 16; Par. Grih. Ill, 7, 2. "^ That is, he puts the patient under the plough with its span, vr/shabhayuktasya halasya adhastad vyadhitam avasthapya (Sayawa in the introduction to the hymn). 288 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Stages of the performance, Sutra 27, i (the plough and the span of cattle), and Sutras 27, 3. 4, which aim to wash off the illness into the very ground, whence (according to this conception) it has been derived. And the hymn itself is redolent of fields, plants, ploughing, &c., and calls upon (st. 5) ' the lord of the field ^' Thus Professor Weber was led repeatedly to look upon this hymn as a charm to counteract injuries to fields"; see Ind. Stud.V, 145 note ; XIII, 149; Nakshatra II, 292. And yet, I think, all this is mere play upon the two meanings of kshetra, ' field,' and ' womb ^ ; ' the poet, thinking that the disease derives its name from the field, conjures with the properties of the field, or, perhaps, adapts secondarily stanzas constructed originally for practices in the field. The hymn has been translated by Weber, Ind. Stud. XIII, 149 ff. ; and Ludvvig, Der Rigveda, III, 513. The Anukramawi describes it as vanaspatyaw yakshmana^ana- daivatyam. Stanza 1. The last three Padas are repeated at III, 7, 4; the first half in VI, 121, 3. The point in all these cases is the supposed etymology of the constellation vikrita.u (later mCilabarha«i, and mula) from vi krit, 'loosen;' this enables the word to figure wherever there is question of the ' fetters ' of disease. Cf. in general, Weber, Nakshatra II, 292, 310, 374, 389; Zimmer, pp. 356, 392. For an opposite construction of the function of the viknta.u, see the note on VI, no, 2. ^ See, however, the note on this expression below. 2 Cf. also Pawini V, 2, 92, and commentaries ; Ind. Stud.V, 145 note; XIII, 159 note; XVII, 208 note; Zimmer, 391 ff. ^ Note especially the passage from Ka//i. S. cited by Weber, Ind. Stud. XIII, 150 note. The expression svak/Vta iriwe does not prove that a field is in the view of a performer. A spot where there is a natural rift in the ground is frequently, in witchcraft, made the theatre of the performance, without any such special end in view. Cf. the passages in the Pet. Lex., and the paribhasha to the abhi- X'ara performances, Kauj. 49, 6. II, 8. COMMENTARY. 289 Stanza 2. a, b. I have translated apauMatu transitively ; cf. 111,7,7; RV. I, 48, 8, &c. Weber and Ludwig, contrary to ordinary usage, take it intransitively : ' hinschwinden moge jetzt die nacht,' and * weg geh mit ihrem liechte diese nacht.' Sa.ya.na., in agreement with our version, ' the night at the time of dawn (usha//kalina ratri) shall chase away (vivasayatu).' In Pada b I read, for the same reason, with one of Shankar Pandit's MSS., apo-^//atu for apo/vr//antu, making it govern abhikr/tvari/^. Weber, ' die zauberspinnerinnen (mogen schwinden) hin ; ' Ludwig, ' weg gehn sollen die bezau- bernden.' Saya;^a, retaining the plural, forces, it seems to me, the meaning of abhikr/tvari// in translating it by abhita^ rogasant'iin kurva;/a/z, ' working a cessation of disease all about.' And recognising the futility of the first, he also, alternatively, takes apo/^/^antu as an intransitive, . . . pii'a- kya/i apaga/^//antu ! Cf. the note on III^ 7, 7. Stanza 3. a, b. According to our translation the words babhror ar^unakaw^asya qualify yavasya ; Kej-ava (and Saya//a who repeats Kcyava's substance) make the two words represent an independent plant : ar^unakash///a7« yavabusaw tilapi%"ikaw ka ekatra tri//i baddhva. And Darila also recognises three plants, the first of which he describes as babhruvarwasya ^ r^nasya tasya kaz/rt'aj-esham (! for kawrt'avii'esham). Ac- cording to these constructions the first substance is a branch from the tree (Sayawa in commenting on the word in our stanza, aronnakhyav;-z'kshavij-eshakash///asya) ai^una (ter- minalia arjuna). But the construction renders this extremely unlikely, and we prefer to render the text philologically. b. The word te, ' thy,' would seem at first sight to refer to a field, and, as stated in the introduction, this would show that the poet here looks upon kshetriya as a derivative of kshetra, ' field,' and that he therefore introduces the para- phernalia of the field in his incantation. But this cannot stand against the ordinary value of the word, nor is it [42] U 290 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. impossible to imagine the introduction of these substances simply on the ground of the supposed (etymological) deri- vation of the name of the disease. At any rate we have Kau^ika on our side. Stanza 5. a. sanisrasaksha is air. Aey. ; sanisrasa occurs once at AV. V, 6 4 as a designation of the intercalary month (cf. AV. XIII, 3, 8 ; Weber, Nakshatra II, p. ^^6 note). Our translation is conjectural and etymological ; the only sup- port I find is in srastaksha (Sui-ruta I, 115, 7), 'with sunken eyes.' Saya;^a leans with his full weight on the Kauj-ika's employment of the stanza (27, 2 ; see the translation of it above), in which an ' empty house ' figures, and he identifies the word with sunyagrtha/i (sanisrasyamanani atij-ayena visra7«samanani vij-iryama/zani aksha/n gavakshadidvara/n yeshaw te sanisrasaksha/^ ^unyagrzha ity artha//), i. e. in brief, ' the decayed doors of the empty house.' Credat Judaeus ! Does ' with sunken eyes ' refer to the demon of the disease ? b. The difficulty is much increased by the unintelligible sa;;/dejyebhya// which Saya/za, who reads sawdej-ebhya//, again identifies with the ,^aratkh^ta, ' the old ditch,' in the Sutra, 27, 3. 4: sa;« di.yyante tya^'yante tadgatamr/dadanene ^ti saindesa/i ^aradgarta// ! The word seems to refer to some kind of evil (papa) at AV. X, i, 11. 12 ; in IV, 16, H (where it is contrasted with videj^ya, ' foreign ') it refers to the ' fetter of Varu;za,' i. e. disease. Weber, ' den auftrag' ausfiihrenden verneigung sei ; ' Ludwig, ' anbetung den zu beauftragenden (sich fiigenden).' The entire stanza is highly problematic ; its relation to the Sutra very obscure. II, 9. Commentary to page 34. The disease which the hymn is designed to exorcise is, according to Darila, possession by the kind of demons called Piji^a. Kej-ava (followed by Saya;za) describes it as due to brahmagraha, a word hitherto not quoted from any text, but reported by the lexicons as equal to brah- II, 9- COMMENTARY. 291 marakshasa. The practices connected with the hymn at Kaiu. 27, 5. 6 are as follows: 5. 'While reciting AV. II, 9 a talisman consisting of splinters (from ten kinds of wood is fastened upon the patient). 6. Ten friends (of the patient) while muttering the hymn rub him down.' The commen- tators (cf. Ka.us. 13, 5 ; 26, 40) understand the word jakala to mean ' a talisman made of ten kinds of holy wood,' and these are derived from the list of holy trees catalogued at Kelus. 8, 15. Cf. also the splinters from the (holy) kampila- wood, Kaui-. 27, 7 (see the introduction to II, 10). used against kshetriya (hereditary disease). For similar Germanic uses of nine kinds of wood to allay disease, see Wuttke, Der Deutsche Volksaberglaube der Gegenwart, §§ 121, SS^ i Mannhardt, Baumkultus der Germanen, p. 18. The hymn has been translated by Weber, Ind. Stud. XIII, 153 ff. ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 506 ; Grill-, pp. 8, 82 fif. ; cf. also the author in Amer. Journ. Phil. VII, 478, and Bergaigne et Henry, Manuel Vedique, p. 137. The hymn figures in the takmana.yanaga;/a of the Ga//amala, Ath. Parii-. 32, 7 (see Kaus. 26, 1 note) •, the Anukrama;/i describes it as vanaspatya;/^ yakshmana^anadaivatam. The Paippalada presents the hymn, the stanzas arranged as follows: I, 5, 4, 2, 3. Stanza 1. The metre is irregular, pahkti (Anukr., vira/ prastara- pankti). The Paippalada has the first half as follows : dasavrikshs. mu/7/^emam ahiwsro grahya^- ka. Stanza 3. a. For adhitir the Paippalada reads adhitam. Saya;/a, ' the Vedas, which he has read formerly, or their meaning, which is to be remembered, he has recalled ! ' Cf. K/iand. Up. VI, 7. Ludwig emends adhiter, and translates ' from insensibleness he has come away,' but the translation con- flicts with the meaning of adhi ga ; cf. RV. II, 4, 8. c, d. The Sutra embodies the indefinite large numbers ICO and 1000 in the amulet often kinds of wood, and the U 2 292 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. ten friends (Brahmans according to the scholia) who attend the patient. Stanza 4. The word khirn occurs only in this stanza, and is very problematic. The Pet. Lex. and Weber, ' sammeln ; ' Ludwig, ' pfllickung ; ' Saya;/a, ' covering.' We are con- necting the word with /^inoti in the sense of ' arrange, build up,' having in mind the peculiar amulet or remedy daja- vr/ksha, ' consisting of ten woods,' in st. i. The sense then would be that the gods have found out the magic arrange- ment of the woods, while the Brahmans contribute the practical knowledge of the woods which are endowed with the healing property. Cf. Grill's similar exposition. Stanza 5. I have followed Saya;/a who, relying alternatively upon RV. II, 33, 4, and Tait. S. IV, 5, i, 2, makes i.yvara//, 'lord,' the subject of the sentence, ij-vara eva he rug;za tubhyam idani7«tanabhishagrupe;/a bhesha^ani karotu. But the text of Pada d is awkward, and rendered somewhat doubtful by the Paippalada, whose version of c, d is, sa eva tubhyaw bhesha^aw /^-akara bhisha^ati ka.. Upon the basis of this reading Grill suggests for Pada d, kr/;^avad bhisha^ati ka. Ludwig suggests j-u>^i, Vedic accus. plur. neut. in agreement with bhesha^ani ; Weber, bhisha^a;;^ for bhisha^a. Saya«a thinks also of j-u/tina for suki/i. I have translated the unanimous text of the 5aunakiya-school. II, lo. Commentary to page 14. The practice associated with this hymn at Kauj-. 27, 7. 8 is colourless: 7. 'While reciting AV. II, 10 (the prac- titioner) fastens upon the limbs (of the patient who has been placed) upon a cross-road ^ splinters of kampila-wood (crinum amaryllacee), and washes him off with (water ^ The favourite place to divest oneself of evil influences ; see the note in the introduction to VI, iii. II, lO. COiMiMENTARY. 293 dipped out) by means of a bunch of grass. 8. (Or) he sprinkles (him in the same way).' C(. the practices under II, H. A closely parallel mantra-passage occurs at Tait. Br. II, 5, 6, 1-3 ; this the commentator on the authority of Baudhayana (see p. 62(S, bottom) connects with the cere- monies at the birth of a child (^atakarma). According to Baudh. Grih. II, 1 and 7, the child is bathed with these stanzas, and this prescription is borne out by Hir. Grih. II, 3, 10 ff., where the same stanzas are quoted. They occur also in Apast. Mantrabr. II, 12, 6 (cf. Apast. Grih. VI, 15, 4). This usage does not really conflict with the Atharvanic employment of the hymn, since it aims to free the child from diseases and troubles derived from the womb of the mother. The conception borders closely on that of original sin. That the Atharvavedins regarded the kshe- triya in this hymn as a disease may be gathered from the employment of the hymn among the bhaisha^yani in the Kaujika ; it figures also in the takmanaj-anagawa, * the list of hymns destructive of fever,' in the Ga;^amala ; see Kauj-. 26, I note. The hymn has been translated by Weber, Ind. Stud. XIII, T56 ff., and Ludvvig, Der Rigveda, III, 513. Stanza 1. a. ^ami.ya;;/sa is equivalent to^amya// japatha// in II, 7, 2; the word recurs at AV. IX, 4, 15, and Tait. Br. II, 5, 6, 3 (where it is glossed by alasyaprakhyapakat). Saya«a, bandhavo^amaya/^, apraptabhilashitana;// tesha;;/ savis^n^t akroj-a^anitat papat. Stanza 3. The sense of this and the following two stanzas is interrupted by the refrain ; Pada 3 b is in catenary con- struction with Pada 4 a. The other version of the hymn (Tait. Br.) does not exhibit the refrain, and the connection of the passages appears undisturbed. a. Saya«a reads vayodha/^ for vayo dha/^, glossing it by vayasa;;/ pakshi//a;// dhata dharayita. 294 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Stanza 8. The stanza alludes to the well-known legend which makes the demon Svarbhanu smite with darkness (eclipse) the sun, who is then freed by Indra and Atri ; see RV. V, 40, 5-9 ; Tait. S. II, 1, 2, i ; Ka///. S. XII, 13 ; 5at. Br. V, 3, 2, 2 ; Y2.nk. Br. IV, 5, 1 ; XIV, 11,14; XXIII, 16, 2 ; 5ahkh. Br. XXIV, 3. 4. The moralising cause of the sun's mishap, his enas (sin), is not expressed distinctly anywhere, nor is it to be taken au grand serieux. Bycomparison it is treated as a disease, and, like disease or misfortune in general, ascribed to some moral delinquency, requiring expiation (prayaj/'itti) ; cf. st. 1. II, 12. Commentary to page 89. The essays on the interpretation of this hymn form an interesting chapter in the history of Vedic study, and we have devoted to the subject an article in the second series of our Contributions, Amer. Journ. Phil. XI, 330 ff., entitled 'On the so-called fire-ordeal hymn, AV. II, T2.' The hymn was first interpreted in the sense of a fire-ordeal by Emil Schlagintweit, in an address before the Royal Bavarian Academy in 1866, entitled 'Die Gottesurtheile der Indier;' this interpretation was adhered to by Weber, Ind. Stud. XIII, 164 ff.; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, 111,445; Zimmer, p. 183 fif.; cf. also Kaegi, 'Alter und Herkunft des germanischen Gottesurtheils,' Festschrift zur Begriis- sung der XXXIX. Versammlung deutscher Philologen und Schulmanner in Zurich (1887), p. 51 ^ The interpretation which is presented here is founded upon our above-men- tioned article, where Kauj-ika's significant employment of the hymn was first brought forward ; in essential agree- ' See also Stenzler, ' Die Indischen Gottesurtheile,' Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenlandischen Gesellschaft, IX, 661-82. II, 12. COMMENTARY. 295 ment with it is the translation and exposition in Grill^, pp. 47. 85 ff. The hymn is employed in the sixth book of the Kaiuika which professes to deal with abhiHra, ' witchcraft.' At 47, 12 it is designated as the bharadva^apravraska, 'the hewer, or cleaver of Bharadva^'-a ' (the reputed author ; cf. II, 1 2, 2) : ' With the cleaver of Bharadva^a one cuts a staff for practices pertaining to witchcraft.' A staff so procured is then employed variously in Kauj. 47, 14. 16. 18; 48, 22. The direct ritual application of the hymn is indicated in Kauj-. 47, 25-29, to wit : 25. ' While reciting the hymn II, 12, one cuts the foot-print of an enemy, as he runs in a southerly ^ direction with a leaf from a paraj-u-tree '". 26. He cuts three (lines) along (the length of the foot- print of the running enemy), and three (lines) across (the same). 27. aksh;/ay^ sawsthapya •'. 2H. He ties dust derived from the cut foot-print into a leaf of the pala.ya-tree (butea frondosa), and throws it into a frying-pan. 29. If the dust crackles (in the pan) then (the enemy) has been overthrown.' The Sutra then proceeds to prescribe still more elaborate and potent charms for the purpose of down- ing the enemy. Of any connection with the fire-ordeal the tradition makes no mention. There are points of contact between our hymn and RV. VI, 52 ; VII, 104. The Anu- krama;/i describes the hymn as nanadevatyam, composed by Bharadva^a. Stanza 1. d. Schlagintweit, ' may these be burned here, if I am burned.' So also Weber, Ludwig, and Zimmer. Grill correctly, ' die sollen gliihen jetzt, wenn ich ergliihe.' Cf. ^ South is the region of Yama and the departed, i.e. of death. - Or, with the blade of an axe. At any rate symbolically. The commentators differ as to the meaning of para^upala^ena ; see Kau.fika, Introd. p. li, bottom. Sayawa, as usual, follows Kejava. See also the note on Ka.us. 30, 14 in tlie introduction to VI, 25. ^ The text of this Sutra is not altogether secure, its meaning and the scholia are obscure. 296 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. RV. X, 34, 10; 95, 17 ; AV. XIX, 56, 5. Sdyawa, mayi abhiMrake tapyamane dikshaniyamena upavasadina klijya- mane sati tapyanta;// sa/z^tapta bhavantu. That is, heaven and earth shall participate in the consecration (diksha) of the performer for the sorcery-practices against his enemy. The appeal to heaven and earth in Pada a, and the mis- interpreted fourth Pada, are really the sole cause of the hypothesis of a fire-ordeal. An appeal to heaven and earth is in occidental minds associated inseparably with asseverations of innocence. A similar construction of it for India is apparently unwarranted. Stanza 2. b. For Bharadva^a, see IV, 29, 5; XVIII, 3, 16; XIX, 48, 6 ; and Ludwig, Der Rigveda, pp. 128 fif. d. Schlagintweit, ' der diesen (unsern) geist beschadigt (i. e. schwur bezweifelt).' Weber, ' wer diesen meinen sinn beschadigt, i. e. meinen schwur antastet, mein wort bezwei- felt.' Ludwig, ' der diesen meinen sinn anklagt (verlaum- det).' All these renderings are founded upon the theory of the fire-ordeal. Sayawa, purvaw sanmargapravr/tta;;/ mana// manasaw hinasti. There is no lack of evidence that religious performances were at times the object of enmity and the butt of abuse ; cf. stanza 6 ; RV. VI, 56, and Ludwig, Der Rigveda, IV, 219 ff. Stanza 3. a. The first Pada is defective, but occurs in the same form in the Paippalada. It may be corrected by reading somapavan, somapayin, somapa tvam, or the like. But Atharvan metres are so generally capable of improvement, that we are in danger of singing our own, rather than Atharvan hymns, when we apply ourselves to the task of improving them. Stanza 4. a. Professor Weber, I.e., pp. 167-8, has assembled some interesting statements in reference to the connection of the II, 12. COMMENTARY. 297 number 80 with the fire-ritual. Saya;/a attaches a certain significance to the number three, which he connects with the trz'/^as of the Sama-sawhitas. The number is solemn and formulary. c. A clear instance of a Vedic parenthesis ; cf. Aufrecht, Festgruss an Otto von Bohtlingk, pp. 2 ff. For ish/a- purtam, see Windisch, ib., pp. 115 ff. Cf. also RV. X, 14, 8; AV. Ill, 12, 8. d. Schlagintweit supplies ' firebrand ' in the last Pada, and translates, ' nehme ich jenen (feuerbrand) an mich mit gottlicher inbrunst.' Weber, in still more direct adherence to the hypothesis of a fire-ordeal, supplies with amiim 'gliihendes beil,' and translates, 'mit gottlicher gluth nehme ich diesen an mich.' Ludwig, 'jenen (den verlaumder) erfasse ich mit der gottlichen glut.' Zimmer, 'halte ich jenen (? feuerbrand, ?axt) mit gottlichem griff.' Siyawa properly refers amum to the enemy, and takes haras in the sense of krodha (haras etymologically = depos ; cf. II, 2, 2). Stanza 5. a. didhitham for didhiyatham. Sayawa, adipte bhavatam. Stanza 6. Recurs with variants at RV. VI. 52, 2 ; the connection there is less pregnant. 0. Saya;/a differently, tapuwshi tapakani te^awsi ayu- dhani va vrz^anani var^akani badhakani santu, i. e. ' may our zealous deeds or weapons be destructive to him.' Perhaps this is simpler. Stanza 7. This and the following stanza seem to be adapted from the funeral ritual (see Amer. Journ. Phil. VII, 476 ; XI, 335> 336 ff-)- Such as they are they occur also in the same connection in the Paippalada ; cf. RV. X, 14, 13; 16, 2. Stanzas of this character lend themselves naturally to 298 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. imprecation and incantation. Here the poet takes the offensive against the thwarting enemy. a. For sapta prawan, cf. Tait. Br. I, 2, 3, 3. Shankar Pandit, on the basis of a considerable number of his MSS. (both Sawhita and PadapaMa), reads manya// for ma^^a//. So also Saya//a, manya/^ dhamanya// ka/^/Z^agata na II- 13; AV. I, 22, I ; V, 23, 6; IX, 2, 15; 8, 22; XIII, 1,32. Stanza 2. The stanza is repeated at V, 23, 9 with the variants trijirsha;/aw trikakudam in Pada i ; these readings com- bined show that the poet in designating the worms has in mind the demon Vij'varupa who is familiarly known to have had three heads. Cf also Mantrabr. II, 7, 2. krimiw dvi^yirsham ar^unaw dvisirshaw kz. ^aturhanum. Professor Kuhn, I.e. 147, lays especial stress upon the agreement of the Vedic and Teutonic charms, in that they point out the colours of the worms. a. Saya;/a, vi.yvarupa;;/ nanakaram ; Ludwig, ' den voll- gestaltigen.' The epithet ' four-eyed' is originally at home with the four-eyed dogs of Yama, and is due, primarily, to some mythological conception ; cf. our note on IV, 20, 7. But in the view of the Hindus ' four-eyed' means ' with spots over the eyes ; ' see Contributions, Third Series, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XV, 165 note. Sayawa, ^aturnetram. b. The Pet. Lexs. render saraiiga by ' bunt, scheckig ; ' Weber, ' schwarzlich ; ' Ludwig, ' braunlich.' The native explanations of the word are stated by Prof Weber^, Indische Studien, VIII, 275. c. The Pada is a catalectic anush/ubh. II, 32. COMMENTARY. 319 Stanza 3. The stanza recurs in V 23, 10. The Tait. Ar. IV, ^6, and Mantrabr. 11,7, i- 2 have similar stanzas: atri«a tva krime hanmi ka//vena ^amadagnind, vij-vavasor brahma;/a (Tait. Ar.) ; and, hatas te atri//a krimir hatas te ^amadag- nina, gotamena tinik/'z'to^tr^i^va tva krime brahmavadyam avadya. bharadva^asya mantre«a sawtinomi krime tva (Mantrabr.) Rehance upon the great seers of the past is a common-place expression in charms and exorcisms ; cf. e.g. I, 14,4; IV, 20, 7. c. Hillebrandt and Grill regard va./i as a gloss. But it is written also in V, 23, 10, and its expulsion does not effect good metre, the final cadence being ^ — ^. Stanza 4. Recurs in V, 23, 11. The Tait. Ar. reads at IV, 36, hata// krimi//a;« ra^a, apy esh^;;/ sthapatir hata/^ atho mata^tho pita, atho sthur^ atho kshudra//, atho k;'/sh;/a atho sveta/i, atho a^-atika ^ hata//, svetabhi/^ saha sarve hati/^ ; cf. also the next stanza of our hymn. For sthapati, see Weber, Ind. Stud. XIII, 202 ff. ; Uber den Va^apeya, 9, 10(769, 770), Sitzungsberichte der Koniglich Preussischen Akademie, XXXIX (1H92); Uber die Konigsweihe, p. 6^ (Transactions of the same Academy, i H93), Saya;/a, sakWa./i. The scholiast at Tait. Ar. has anyo^pi r%-avyatirikta/^ prabhu//. The etymologies suggested are unsatisfactory (see Pet. Lex. and Weber, 1. c.) ; it has occurred to me that possibly the word might be a loan-word with folk- etymological modification, being Avestan shoithrapaiti (cf. Achemenian khshatrapavan), 'satrap,' a word which later again finds its way into Indo-Scythian coins in the form ^ Scholiast, agatya j-atyamana/i asmabhir eva badhyamana//. Cf. with this also Mantrabr. II, 7, 4. krimim indrasya bahubhyam ava?)/('aw patayamasi, hata/z krimaya/z sai-atika// sanilamakshika//. The scholiast defines sa.ratika// by a^atikaya (! for ai'atikaya ?) saha vartamana^. 320 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. kshatrapa ; cf. Zeitschrift fur die Kunde des Morgenlandes, III, i6i ; IV, 186, 300. Stanza 5. Repeated in V, 23, 12. The Mantrabr. II, 7, 3 presents a passage which concerns stanzas 4-6 of our hymn, hata/z krimi;/aw kshudrako hata mata hata pita, athai^sham bhinnaka/i! kumbho ya esha;// vishadhanaka/^. a, b. Sayawa, without regard to the oxytone accent of vesiis (nomen agentis), renders vej-aso . . . pAr[vesa.sa./i as follows, nivej-asthanani mukhyagrzha/^ . . . parita/z sthita/^ samipagrz'ha//. Weber renders the two words by'diener' and ' umdienenden ; ' Grill by ' horige ' and ' zugehorige ; ' Ludwig and Hillebrandt by ' horige ' and ' der horigen horige.' Stanza 6. The metre of the stanza is quite irregular ; the Anukra- manl describes it at /^atushpan nivrzdushwik. The first and third Padas are catalectic ; in the second Pada yabhyam is yabhiam, or the like; the fourth Pada may also be sustained as a catalectic anush/ubh by substituting tava for te, or resolving te into tai or taya. c, d. The Paippalada reads, atho bhinadmi taw kumbha7« yasmin te nihata;« (! for nihitaw/ ?) visham ; cf. also the parallel stanza RV. I, 191, 15. Saya;/a substitutes shu- kambham for kushumbham, and he has the support of some MSS. His comment is avayavavij-esha, 'some part of the body.' Ludwig translates kushumbham by ' tail,' but the parallel passages of the Paippalada and Mantrabr. obviously point to some word like ' receptacle.' This word as well as kuj-umbha and kusumbha, ' water-pitcher of hermits,' seem to me to be extensions of kumbha by popular etymology, introducing the influence of kosha, kosa, ' basket,' and perhaps in the case of kuj-umbha the stem j-umbha-, ' purify.' Direct etymological analysis of such words is difficult because they become so readily the play-ball of kindred notions ; cf. Weber, 1. c. 204. II, T,2>- COMMENTARY. 32 1 II, ^^. Commentary to page 44. The commentators fitly treat this charm as a cure for all diseases (sarvabhaisha^yam). The practices at Kauj-. 27, 37-8 are of the simplest sort, and their symbolic relation to the hymn superficially obvious : 27. ' The stanzas of the hymn are recited over the patient while (fetters with which he has been bound) are being torn off. 2(S. He is sprinkled with water mixed with the dregs of ghee from a water- vessel.' The hymn figures also in a list designed to bestow long life (ayushyaga;/a) in the Ga//amala, Ath. Parij-. 32, 4; see Kaus. 54, t i note. According to Saya/^a the hymn is also a member of the a;//holirigaga;^a, ' a list characterised by (driving away) distress,' consisting of II, ^^ ; III, 11 ; IV, 13; V, 30; IX, 8. But the Ga;/amaia, Ath. Parij-.32,3i, strings together a very different group under the same caption ; see Ka.us. 32, 27 note. Cf also Vait. Su. 38, i ; Ath. Parij-. ;^^, 3. The hymn recurs with variants, RV. X, 163 ; AV. XX, 96, 17-22 ; the first stanza at Par. Grzh. Ill, 6, 2. In its Rig- veda form it constitutes also a part of the Apast. Mantra- brahma;/a I, 17, 1-6, employed at Apast. Gr/h. Ill, 9, 10 ; see Winternitz, Das Altindische Hochzeitsritual, p. 99. The many, often perplexing designations of the parts of the body are paralleled in the catalogues of the parts of the horse's body, at the horse-sacrifice, TS. V, 7, 11 fif. (cf. also I, 4, 36; VII, 3, 16); Maitr. S. Ill, 15, i ff. ; Va^. S. XXV, I ff. Cf also AV. X, 2 ; XI, 8. The hymns in question have been translated and com- pared with certain Teutonic charms by Adalbert Kuhn in his ever-charming work on ' Indische und germanische Segens- spruche,' Kuhn's Zeitschrift, X 1 1 1, 63 ff. These comparisons are of permanent interest for folk-psychology, even though the genetic relationship of the charms may be doubted. The Atharvan version has been rendered in addition by Weber, Ind. Stud. XIII, 205 fi". ; for RV. X, 163 see Ludwig's and Grassmann's translations. [42] Y ^2 2 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Stanza 2. a. Saya//a here defines ush/n'habhya/^ etymologically as, urdhva;;^ snigdhabhya// raktadina utsnatabhyo va na<^i- bhya/^, but at RV. snayubhya/^ for na<'/ibhya/^ Cf. AV. VI, 134, 1 ; IX, 8, 21 ; X, 10, 20, and the schol. at Pa//ini III, 2, 59. Stanza 3. to. haliksh;/at is obscure : Saya;/a, tatsa;«bandhad (tat refers to klomna//) mawsapiw^avijeshat, ' a ball of flesh adjoining the lungs.' The word may possibly be related to hira, ' canal, vein.' Stanza 5. c, d. The tautological use of bhasadyam and bhasadam is justified in the mind of the Atharvan poet, because it heightens the effect of the cumulative pun upon bhawsasa/^. RV. X, 163, 4 exhibits but two of these stems. Stanza 7. d. kaj-yapasya vi'barhe;/a (sc. brahma;^a). For Kajyapa, see the notes on I, 14, 4 ; IV, 20, 7. II, 36. Commentary to page 94. The practices associated with this hymn are part of the 'women's rites' (Kauj. 32, 28-36, 40), and they are pre- sented under the special rubric of pativedanani (Ke^-ava, patilabhakarma;zi), ' practices by which a husband is ob- tained,' Kaui". 34, 12-16 (cf also Kauj-. 75, 7), as follows: 13. 'While reciting the hymn the maiden is given to eat a pudding of rice and sesame, such as is cooked for guests. 14. Upon an altar, made out of clay from a cave inhabited by animals (cf. stanza 4), are placed the substances recited in the hymn (gold, bdellium, &c. ; cf st. 7) ; these are anointed with the dregs of ghee, and given to the maiden II, 36. COMMEiNTARY. 323 at the door\ 15. Having sacrificed by niglit rice and barley from a copper vessel to Glmi ", the maiden walks forth with her right side turned towards (the vessel ; cf. St. 6). The maiden, having been washed and cleaned to the west of the fire, while stanza 5 of the hymn is being recited, is made to do what is told in the stanza (upon a ship) anointed with the dregs of ghee (i. e. she is made to ascend the ship).' After that follow certain oracles to decide whether the maiden shall succeed in obtaining the husband or not. The hymn has been translated by Weber, Ind. Stud. V, 219 ff . ; XIII, 214 ff. ; Ludwig, Rigveda, III, 476; Grill", pp. ^^, 102 ff. ; cf. also Zimmer, p. 306. Stanza 1. a. Literally, ' may a suitor come to our favour,' i. e. a suitor who shall gain our favour. Sayaz/a, sohha.na.fn buddhim a gamet . . . kalya/n;// buddhi;;/ prapya. Cf. 5ankh, Grih. I, 6, 1 ff . ; Apast. Gr/h. I, 2, 16; 4, 1-2; Ind. Stud. V, 276, 29T ff. b. The suitor comes ' with our fortune,' since the betrothal of a daughter is regarded in that light. c. Sayawa, samaneshu samanamanaskeshu . . . yad va samanaw manyamaneshu sahrz'dayeshu. d. Sayawa reads usham for osham, and glosses, usham ushati ru^ati apanudati du//kha^atam iti ushaw sukha- karam. Stanza 2. a, b. Cf. RV. X, 85, 40. 41, where Soma, Gandharva, and Agni are said to be the mythical first husbands of every maiden. S^yawa has in mind the same passages, since he glosses brahma with gandharva, and identifies Ar3^aman with Agni, leaning upon the slender support of Asv. Grih. ^ So that she may adorn and anoint herself with them. ^ The personified goddess of femininit}', or maternity ; Daiila, ^amika (.'') mat^-Zka. Cf. AV. V, i, 4, and Kau^-. 34, 20. Y 2 324 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. I, 7, 13. Cf. AV. XIV, 1, 31, which shows that sa;«bhr/tain alludes consciously to sa;/zbhala in st. i. c. Dhatar, the god of divine order and creation, just as the three gods in the first hemistich, is especially charged with the arrangement of marriage ; see VI, 60, 3. Stanza 4. Saya7/a, with one of Shankar Pandit's MSS., reads maghavan (mawhaniyabhogyapadarthayukta//), in agree- ment with akhara// ; also abhiradhayanti, which he glosses by abhivardhayanti, yad va . . . putrapaj-vadibhi// samr/ddha bhavanti. For the juxtaposition of Indra and Bhaga, cf. VI, 82. For Bhaga in relation to matters of love, VI, 102, 3. Stanza 6. a, b. Judging from IV, 22, 3; V, 23, 2; X, 10, 11, the divinity addressed as 'lord of wealth' is Indra (Maghavan in St. 4). c, d. The sense is : Every suitor who approaches her shall indicate his esteem, or admiration, so that the event shall not fail to result auspiciously. Cf. the symbolic realisation of this arrangement in Kaus. 34, 15, above. Stanza 7. a. Some MSS. read gulgulu for guggulu (Sayawa, dhupanadravyavij'esha/^). b. auksha, ' balsam,' according to Saya/^a = pralepana- dravyam. It seems to be simply 'bull's grease;' see the jloka quoted by Kej-ava at Kauj-. 34, 14 (repeated by Saya;;a on our passage), as also by Darila, Ke^ava, and Ath. Paddh. at Kauj-. 79, 9 (in elucidation of the word aukshe), and cf. our introduction to AV. I, 34. See also the analogous passage AV. VI, 102, 3, and aukshagandhi as the name of an Apsaras, IV, 37, 3. c. For the plural patibhya//. see Ind. Stud. V, 205 ff., 221. d. pratikamaya is emended by the Pet. Lex. to prati- kamyaya (cf. sts. 5, 6, 8, and VI, 60, 3) ; Saya/za, ena;« kanyaw kamayamanam. The Paippalada reads patikamaya, Ill, I. COMMENTARY. 325 which makes good sense, ' in order to obtain the love of a husband.' Stanza 8. The second nayatu seems superfluous, derived, perhaps, from some parallel expression in which nayatu was the last word. The entire stanza is loosely connected with the hymn ; the plant addressed seems to have no reference to the proceedings in hand. Cf. AV. Ill, iH. Ill, I. Commentary to page 121. In accordance with our title for this and the following hymn is their designation in the ritual as mohanani (sc. suktani), 'charms for causing bewilderment ; ' see Kaujr. 14. 17. With them go in the subsequent Sutras (18-21) the following performances : 18. 'Chaff (of rice), underlaid with porridge, is sacrificed from a mortar. 19. (Or) in the same way small grain ^ (is offered). 20. Twenty-one pebbles are shaken (in a winnowing-basket^) against (the enemy). 21. (A pot of rice) is offered to the goddess Apva.' The sym- bolism is obvious : the chaff or the small grain symbolises the dispersion of the enemy ; the pebbles shaken against them the destructive attack of the sacrificing king. An offering is made to the goddess of evacuation (from the body). See the note on III, 2, 5. The present hymn has been rendered by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 518 ; Weber, Ind. Stud. XVII, 180 ff. The Anukramawi, senamohanam. Stanza 1. Agni, the fire, figures largely as the typical leader of the vanguard of armies, e. g. in the battle-hymn, RV. X, 84, 2, and in Tait. S. I, 8, 9, i ; Tait. Br. I, 7, 3, 4. A special ' army-fire,' sen^gni, is mentioned at Kauj-. 60, 5, and in the ^ Darila, ka;/ikvika/z ; Ke^ava, kamka/i ; Saya«a, ka//ikikam. - Cf. Darila and Ke^ava on the Sutra, and emend siirye in both texts to ^urpe. ^26 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 3 scholion to Paraskara's G/vTiya-sutra I, lo. The preparation of such a fire is described at Kaiu. i6, 9 ff. Professor Weber, 1. c., suggests that the name of the war-god Kumara (Skanda) is in reality one of the manifestations (murti) of Agni-vSiva-Rudra ; cf our introduction to XI, 2. Stanza 2. Professor Aufrecht in Kuhn's Zeitschrift, XXVII, 219, advances very good reasons for beheving that this stanza is constructed awkwardly out of Rig-veda reminiscences. Especially noteworthy is his emendation of amimrwan to amimriWan, ' they have taken pity,' in the light of RV. II, 29, 4 ; VI, 50, 5 ; X, 34, 3. Yet we must question whether the Atharvan versifex did really compose that ideal stanza, suggested by Aufrecht, or the more uncouth performance, handed over to us by the redactors. I incline to the latter view, and have rendered the text as reported unanimously in the wSaunakiya-tradition \ though fully conscious that amim;7an. Ill, 2. 3. COMMENTARY. 327 III, 2. Commentary to page 121. For the employment of the hymn in the practices, see the introduction to the preceding. Previously translated by Weber, Indische Studien, III, 1H3 ff. ; cf. also Bergaigne et Henry, Manuel Vedique, p. 139 ff. The Anukrama//i, senamohanam. Stanza 5. Repeated with variants at RV. X, 103, 12. For the variants pratimohayanti and pratilobhayanti see Contri- butions, Fourth Series, Amer. Journ. Phil. XII, 422 ff. The goddess Apva (metrically apuva), ' impurity,' is a drastic embodiment of 'defecation from fear.' The enemy shall not contain themselves from fear. Cf. udarabhedi bhayam at Bhagavata Pura;/a, III, 15, 33, and passages like Tait. S. VI, 2, 2, 5 ; 3, 2, 3. Yaska, Nirukta IX, ^^, as restored by Weber, clearly explains the word in this way. See in general Ind. Stud. IX, 482 ; XVII, 184 ; and AV. IX, 8, 9. Ill, 3. Commentary to page 112. This and the following hymn are made the basis, at Kaui-. 16, 30-33, of a performance that ensures the restor- ation of a king who has been driven out from his kingdom by a hostile king (parara^ena, according to Darila), to wit : 30. ' In the domain of the kingdom, from which the king has been driven out, a rice-cake in the form of a couch (i-ayanavidham) ^ is placed upon darbha-grass, and sub- merged in water. 31. A lump of earth taken from that ' This reading is not quite certain : most MSS. of the Sutra, and Darila read 3-ayanavidhim. Ke^ava, however, and after him Saya7;a, read senavidham (senakaram), ' having the form of an army ; ' cf. for the interchange between aya and e our remarks in Amer. Journ. Phil. V, p. 27. Either reading makes good sense : the couch would symbolise permanent, peaceful possession of the kingdom ; the army, its conquest by force of arms. 328 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. (region) is spread over the fire-place \ and (the king) con- sumes a mess of porridge, mixed with milk. 32. The utensils are taken from the same place as the lump of earth. 34. On the morning of the fourth day (the king) eats the (submerged) rice-cake, and then he is called (to his kingdom).' Professor Weber remarks that an exiled potentate could scarcely expect to be restored by any more simple device. The symbolism of the practice is obvious : especially the bed and the clod of earth from the native sod (' heimathsscholle ') are suggestive. Cf. Kauj-ika's rite at 16, 27. 28 in connection with AV. I, 9 (introduction). Stanzas i and 2 are rubricated at Vait. Su. 9, 2 and 30, 27. The hymn has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 441 ff. ; Weber, Indische Studien, XVII, 185 ; cf. also Bergaigne et Henry, Manuel Vedique, p. 140 ff. The Anukrama;/!, nanadevatyam uta^gneyam. Stanza 1. Agni figures here as the war-god, capable of bringing vic- tory to the cause of the dethroned king. Cf. Ill, i and 2. With him are united the fighting Maruts who hitch up Agni that he may bring (vah) the king. S4ya;/a, curiously, makes the king subject of a^ikradat (cf. RV. X, 45, 4), ' the king calls (!) upon thee that he may again enter his king- dom.' In Pada d amiim is perhaps replaced by the name of the king, in the manner of the ritual ; cf. e. g. Va^. S. IX, 40; Tait. Br. Ill, 2,3, 7. Stanza 2. The stanza is difficult and full of double intent. The crucial word seems to us to be sautrama//ya. This is a sacrifice originally devised by the gods to cure Indra from the eff"ects of over-indulgence in soma ; see our Contribu- tions, Third Series, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XV, 153 fif. ; Oldenberg, Nachrichten von der Koniglichen Gesellschaft ^ The Sutra, ^yotirayatanam ; Darila, ^yotisha ayatanawi sthanam uttaravedini avakirya. Ill, 3. COMMENTARY. 329 der Wissenschaften zu Gottingen, 1893, p. 342 fif. But secondarily this rite is also employed by an exiled king, who is also shaky, as it were (maiikur iva /f-a^-ara, like the somatiputa, 5at. Br. V, 4, 11, 13) K Throughout this stanza Indra is both the god, and the dethroned king ; the gods are the heavenly physicians (the Aj-vins and Sarasvati), as well as the Brahmans who are engaged in the restoration of the king. We have therefore rendered sautrama;/ya dadhr/shanta by * infuse courage with the sautrama;n-sacn- fice.' The veiled sense of the entire passage is : ' However far the king (Indra) is he shall come back to friendly relations with his people, when the priests (devaZ-) chant their songs and apply the sautrama;/i to his restoration. Indra is the typical king, AV. IV, 6,11; VI, 98, i ; Tait. S. II, 2, IJ,6; the Brahma//as are the human devas, times without end, ^at. Br. II, 2, 2, 6 ; Tait. S. I, 7, 3, i ; Maitr. S. I, 4, 6 ; Kaui-. 6, 26 ; cf. Indische Studien, IX, 152; X, 16, 35, 36. Stanza 3. Varu^/a's relation to water appears here as in IV, 16, 3 (see the note there) ; Soma grows upon the mountains (Veda and Avesta). The sense is : Even if the exiled king is separated by mountain and sea from his people, let him quickly, untrammelled by such restraints, as an eagle, come to them. Stanza 4. a. The accent of havyam is suspicious : we should expect havyam. It is either to be emended, or indicates that the Pada has been adapted from a different sphere. The eagle brings the soma from a distance to be offered to Indra. For such adaptations, cf. e. g. the hymn I, 2. ^ For the sautramawi in general, see Weber, Indische Studien, X, 349, and especially the same author's recent treatise, ' tjber die Konigsweihe (r%asuya),' in the Transactions of the Royal Academy at Berlin, 1893, p. 91 ff. 330 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Stanza 6. d. We have rendered ava gamaya, ' render accepted,' because the word does not mean elsewhere ' bring down ' (Weber). Our authority is Darila on Kauj-. 16, 27, avaga- mana = anuraga, 'affection •/ see the introduction to I, 9. Saya/za, ima;// ra^anam asmin rash/re bodhaya (similarly Ludwig). Ill, 4. Commentary to page 113. The Sutra treats this hymn along with the preceding as a charm for the restoration of a king ; see the introduction to III, 3. Support for such a construction may be derived from St. 5. This, however, is not borne out by the text of the stanzas themselves. These are more general in character, and seem to indicate as their theme the election of a chief. See Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 250; Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 162 ff. Note especially st. 2, and the play upon the word varu;za (as if from root var, ' choose ') in sts. 5, 6. The hymn has been translated by Ludwig, III, 252; Zimmer, p 164; Weber, Indische Studien, XVII, 190 ff. ; cf. also Bergaigne et Henry, Manuel Vedique, p. 141 ff. The Anukrama;/!, aindram. Stanza 1. The first hemistich is hypermetric, and Weber, Zimmer, and Bergaigne- Henry each differ in their attempts at restoration. We are not at all certain that this need is urgent : P^da a is a good ^i^agati-line, ending at ud ihi ; for Pada b see Oldenberg, Die Hymnen des Rigveda, pp. 66, 67. If the pruning-knife must be used patir in b is most easily spared, and a most natural interpolation. a. gan is vox media, either injunctive, or perfect-aorist. The latter in its sense of prophetic aorist is in the Athai"van stylistically very close to the injunctive : often things desired are stated as having been already accomplished. See e. g. I, 23, 4. Ill, 5. COMMENTARY. 33 T Stanza 2. Recurs with marked variants at Tait. S. Ill, 3, 9, 2 ; Maitr. S. II, 5, 10. Stanzas 5, 6. The expression aya/// raV^ variw/a// in st. 5 a is too pointed to signify merely ' that king Varu/^a : ' varu/^a is used here with false etymological intent as 'chooser;' the word plays upon the sense of ahvat, and vr//^atam in st. 2. Similarly varu;/ai/^ in the next stanza means (Indra), with the remain- ing gods (Varuwa, Mitra, &c.), all choosing the king, and again, with double entente : ' Come on, O king, thou hast come to an agreement with the leaders of thy people who are the electors' (cf. Ill, 5, 7). All this is thoroughly Atharvanesque. Stanza 7. Cf. Vait. Sli. 13, 2, where this stanza is employed in con- nection with a personified Pathya Svasti, the wife of Pushan (ib. 15, 3), 'the prosperous path,' as an embodiment of success and well-being. Cf. also ib. 24, 8 ; 37, 20, and the Pet. Lex. under pathya 3. In Pada d most MSS., both of the Sawhita and Padapa/Z/a, read vaj-a, ' rule ; ' some MSS., Sayawa, and the Western authorities, vasa, 'dwell.' Cf. AV. XII, 4, 27. P'or the interchange of s and s, see the present writer in the Proc. Amer. Or. Soc, May, i(S86 (Journ., vol. xiii, p. cxvii ff.). Cf. also the note on V, 19, 5. Ill, 5. Commentary to page 114. The par;za-tree figures in many sacerdotal performances, being identical with the palai-a (butea frondosa). Its branches and especially its wood are employed directly, and in the form of utensils, at most sacrifices (cf. Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 59) ; its sanctity is accentuated by myths which derive the plant directly from heaven, and that, too, in connection with the descent of the soma (cf. St. 4). A divine archer., who guards the soma, shoots at 332 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. the eagle that robs the soma ; the eagle looses a feather (par;/a), which alights upon the earth and becomes the par;/a-tree. See RV. IV, 26 and 27, and the extensive legen- dary material attaching thereunto, and cf. Adalbert Kuhn, Die Herabkunft des Feuers und des Gottertranks, pp. 148, 192 ; Contributions, Fifth Series, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XVI, 20, 24. No very specific instructions are recorded in the ritual regarding the manipulation of the hymn. At Kau.f. 19, 22, in the course of the so-called push/ikarma«i^ ' practices designed to engender prosperity' (Kauj-. 18, 19-24, 46), we have the mere statement that this and other hymns, dealing with amulets, are recited, while the amulet in question (mantrokta), after it has been steeped in sour milk and honey for three days (Kaui-. 7, 19), is fastened on the person desiring its protecting influence \ Accordingly, the Atharva;nya-paddhati (Kau^-. 19, i note) mentions it in a long list of push/ika mantra//. Cf. also vSantikalpa 17, and 19". The Anukrama;n describes it as saumyam (cf. St. 4) . . . (etena) par;/ama«im uktarshir (i. e. Athar- van) astaut. Translated by Weber, Indische Studien, XVII, 194 ff. Stanza 1. d. For aprayavan of the vulgata, read aprayavam (gerund) with the Index Verborum ; cf. XIX, ^^, 1, and Va^. S. XI, 75- Stanza 4. For the relation of the par//a to soma, see the introduc- tion above. In Pada c Weber emends priy^sam to bhriyasam, and Sa.ya.7i2L hovered on the edge of the same correction, priya- sa7U bhriyasa;// dharayeyam. It is, however, not certain, for in La/y. Sr. Ill, 2, 10 (also Drahyayawa) we have manas tanushu piprata//, parallel to manas tanushu bibhrataZ;, RV. ^ Saya^/a, te^obalayurdhanadipush/aye. ^ Cited erroneously by Sayawa as Nakshatrakalpa. Ill, 5. COMMENTARY. ;^T,^ X,S7, 6 ; Va^. Ill, 56 ; Kaiu. 89, i ; Tait. Br. 11,4, 2, 7. Nay, we have the passage with piprata/; in another place in the Tait. Br. (Ill, 7, 14, 3) itself, and it would seem, therefore, that piprata/^ (Pet. Lex. ' erhalten') has a meaning closely analogous to that of bibhrata/^. Stanza 5. Both Weber and Saya;/a cite in illustration of the meaning 'friend' for aryaman the passage Tait. S. 11,3,4, i,'he, verily, who gives, is a friend (aryaman).' Weber renders Pada d, ' uber die gunst des freundes selbst,' a rendering which rather forces the meaning and position of uta. Stanzas 6, 7. The two stanzas prove conclusively that the hymn belongs to the sphere of practices connected with the consecration of a king, and the firm establishment of his royalty. The four classes of persons whose aid is regarded as desirable for the king belong to the so-called ratna, 'jewels,' of the court, i. e. they are honoured and indispensable members of his household. Their number altogether is about a dozen, and according to Tait. Br. I, 7, 3, i ff., they are the ' givers and takers of royalty (rash/rasya pradatara//, rash- /rasya^padat^ra//).' As a preliminary to the consecration of a king they must be conciliated, and an oblation is offered in the house of each. See for the entire subject Professor Weber's notes on the two stanzas, and his still more elaborate exposition of this interesting theme in his monograph, Uber die Konigsweihe, p. 19 ff. ; cf. also Zim- mer, Altindisches Leben, p. 252 ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 246, 249, 251. 7 a. Weber in the note on this passage, and Uber die Konigsweihe, p. 22 ff., presents serious evidence in favour of reading ye^ra^ano (ara^ano) for ye ra^ano, ' they who make kings, though themselves not kings :' see Sat. Br. Ill, 4, I, 7. 8 ; XIII, 2, 4, 18. Certainly this suits the character of the suta and grama/zT better than the title ra^a. Nevertheless minor potentates, influential in the choice of a greater king, may be alluded to here ; cf. the expressions 334 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. ra^a varuwa/^ and varu;/ai/z in III, 4, 5. 6, and our note to the passage. Weber himself has not embalmed his sugges- tion in the translation, ' die kon' ge konigsmacher auch.' Ill, 6. Commentary to page 91. The a.fvattha-tree (ficus religiosa) is a strong tree of hard wood whose branches grow into other trees, resulting in their destruction \ On the other hand the union of the two trees is regarded as sexual (VI, 11), and emblematic of strength. In this hymn, as well as in the associated prac- tices, the ai-vattha is employed to destroy enemies. At Kauj-. 48, ;^-6, the hymn is worked up in the following sorcery-practice (abhi/^arika) : 3. 'While reciting III, 6 (the performer) ties on as a talisman the substance mentioned in the hymn (i. e. wood from an aj-vattha-tree which has fastened itself upon a khadira-tree), after an oblation has been poured upon it, and it has been anointed (with ghee). 4. As many enemies (as this practice is aimed at) so many fetters, anointed with ihgi(^a-oil -, besmeared with the dregs (of that same oil ?), (the performer), having recited the hymn over them, (places) along with the threads^ into a soma-vessel, and digs them into the vital spot^ (of the enemies). 5. While reciting st. 8 of this hymn along with IX, 2, 4 (q. v.), he pushes off what is mentioned in the stanza (namely, a boat) by means of a branch (of the ai-vattha-tree). 6. While reciting st. 7 he causes (the fetters) to float down (the water).' The practices are not quite clear, nor do the commentators seem to understand them at all points. Cf. also 5antikalpa 19^. ^ Cf. K3.//1. S. XIX, 10, esha (so. ajvattho) vai vanaspatina/w sapatnasaha//. 2 The oil of ihgida. takes the place of ghee (a^ya) in witchcraft ; see the paribhasha, Ka.us. 47, 3, and cf. 14, 28 ; 25, 30. ^ Which threads ? Darila, sutrewa saw/bandha;« kr/tva. * This presupposes an effigy of the enemy who is thus reached by proxy. Cf. 47, 51. ^ Erroneously quoted by Saya;/a as Nakshatrakalpa. Ill, 6. COMMENTARY. 335 The hymn has been translated by Kuhn, Die Herab- kunft des Feuers \ p. 324 ; Weber, Ind, Stud. XVII, 204 ff.; Grill ^, pp. 21, 104 ff. ; cf. also Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, pp. 58, 257. The Anukrama/zi, vanaspatyaj-vatthade- vatyam. Stanza 1. Both a.yvattha and khadira are masculines, i. e. males ; hence the virility of the aj-vattha is, as it were, in the second power. The aj-vattha, moreover, is intimately related with the production of fire (cf Tait. Br, I, 1,3, 9), being in fact an embodiment of the lightning. Hence its special fitness for aggressively hostile practices ; see Weber's note, 1. c. Stanza 2. b. Sayawa reads vaibadha dodhata/^ without support from the MSS. (Sa7/^hita or Padapa/"//a). We have adopted this emendation which is indeed self-evident in the lig-ht of St. 7. It is of interest to note that the Pet. Lexs., Weber, and Grill felt constrained to resort to the same remedy. The name ' displacer ' for the aj-vattha becomes clear in the light of the natural history of the tree ; see the introduction above, and Lassen, Indische Altertumskunde I -, 304 ff. Saya;/a takes vaibadha as 'sprung from the vibadha, i e. the khadira,' the latter being so-called because it strikes with its thorns (ka;//akair badhate). Stanza 3. a. Saya;/a with the Paippalada reads nir abhina// (nir- bhidya utpanno-si) ; some of Shankar Pandit's MSS. (both Padapa///a and Sawhita) support this by reading nirablfinno (ni// abhinna/^) ; cf Pada c. b. Saya;/a, correctly, ar;^ave antarikshe ; cf. RV. VIII, 26,17; TS. IV, 5, II, I. c. Sayawa, the Paippalada, and some of Shankar Pandit's MSS., ni'r bhinddhi ; cf. Pida a. Stanza 4. a. Saya/^a, the Paippalada, and some of Shankar Pandit's MSS., /^arati. -^ 36 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Stanza 7. The stanza is repeated at IX, 2, 12 with the variant sayakapra/aitt^nam for vaib^dhapra/zuttanam. The similes in this and the next stanza are put into practice in the rites of the Sutra ; see the introduction above. Ill, 7. Commentary to page 15. This hymn and the practices connected with it harbour the pecuHar conception that the horn and the skin of the antelope have the power to drive out inherited disease. Kauj-. 27, 29-31 we have the following performances: 29. ' While reciting AV. Ill, 7 (the practitioner) fastens (an amulet made from the horn of an antelope upon the patient), gives him (water) to drink, lets him rinse himself (with water), and at the time when the stars fade away (at dawn) he sprinkles him with water which has been warmed by quenching in it the kindled piece of antelope's skin pierced by the peg with which it is fastened (when it is spread out) ^ 30. From a heap of undetermined measure he offers as much barley (cf. AV. II, cS, 3) as can be taken up by a single grasp (of the hand). 31. He gives food (to the patient).' The relation of the antelope and the practices to the kshetriya are extremely obscure. Again as in II, 8 it seems to rest upon a rapprochement with kshetra, ' field,' at least if we trust the vague suggestion of the obscure stanzas, Va^. S. XXIII, 30. 31 ; Maitr. S. Ill, 13, i ; Tait. S. VII, 4, 19, 2 ; cf. also Tait. Br. Ill, 9, 7, 2 ; Sat Br. XIII, 2, 9, 8. Here the antelope is said to eat grain (yad dhariwo yavam atti ; cf. yava in Kauj-. 27, 30). But we are ^ The words ' he sprinkles him, &c.' to the end of the sentence are all of them a paraphrase with the help of the scholiasts of the words j-ahkudhana^valena . . . avasi;7,^ati. For jaiikudhana, see Kauj. 26, 16, as explained in the introduction to I, 22 (p. 263); for ava^vala, cf. also Kau^-. 28, 2, in the introduction to IV, 6 (p. 374). and Kau^. 27, 33; 29, 8; 30, 8; 32, 10. Ill, 7. COMMENTARY. 337 attempting to explain obscurum per obscurius. Perhaps the swiftness of the animal (st. i) symbolises the rapid removal of the disease. The skin of the antelope is used for an amulet at Kauj'. 16, 3, the horn at Sa.t. Br. Ill, 2, 2, 20; Apast. Sr. X, 9, 17; ^Santikalpa 17, and 19. We must not forget, of course, that visha;/a, ' horn,' suggests VI shyati, * loosen,' and that the entire employment of the horn may therefore be in its capacity as a ' loosener ' of disease (cf. the introduction to VI, 44). The hymn puns freely upon these words ; cf. sts. i, 2. In general there are many points of contact between Kauj-ika's practices and the stanzas. The first two stanzas occur (with variants) at Apast. Sr. XIII, 7, 16; the second ib. X, to, 3. The hymn has been translated by Weber, Ind. Stud. XVII, 208 ff. ; Grill 2, pp. 8, 105 ff. The Anukrama;/i has, sap- ta.rka.in yakshmanai-anadevatam uta bahudevatyam, anush- /ubham, bhr/gvaiigira adyabhis tisr/bhir hariwam astaut, paraya (st. 4) tarake, paraya (st. 5)^pa//, parabhyam (sts. 6, 7) yakshmanaj"anam. Stanza 1. a. At Apast. Sr. XIII, 7, 16 most MSS. read raghush- yato, genitive of the participle raghushyant, but two MSS. report the reading of our text. c, d. visha;/aya vishu/f-mam are in punning alliteration with one another and with vi shyati, ' loosen ' (understood ; cf. visha/^e vi shya in st. 2). Stanza 2. b. For padbhu the Apast. Sr., ib., reads pa^^bhii- ; see our Contributions, Second Series, Amer. Journ. Phil. XI, 350 ff. (cf. also 5at. Br. XIII, 2, 7, 6), and especially pp. 352-3, where we have endeavoured to prove that the expression ' with (four) feet ' has come to have the general value of ' quickly, nimbly, briskly.' The fact that human beings have but two feet, the swifter animals four, is of far greater salience to the Hindu mind than to ours ; cf. Maitr. S. I, 5, 10 (p. 78, 1. 12), Ait. Br. Ill, ^i, 13, and especially Tait. S. V, 4, 12, i. [42] z 338 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. c. Two of Shankar Pandit's MSS. have gulphitam for gushphitam ; they are supported by Sayawa (gulphita;;/ gulphavad grathitam), and the unanimous reading of the MSS. at Apast. Sr. X, 10, 3; XIII, 7, 16. Another variant of the word is gush/itam, .Sat. Br. Ill, 2, 2, 20. Stanza 3. b. ' The roof with four wings (sides) ' alludes vaguely to the antlers of the antelope, compared with the roof upon a house ; the exact meaning of paksha, as part of a house, is not clearly defined; see our notes on AV. IX, 3, 4. 21. Saya;/a, -^atushkowam ^/ladk iva. Possibly Grill is right in translating ' a roof which rests upon four posts ; ' he thinks that the four feet of the animal (st. 2) are compared with posts. Stanza 4. The stanza is closely parallel with II, 8, i ; see the dis- cussion there. Stanza 5. Parallel passages, at RV. X, 137, 6 ; AV. VI, 91, 3, mark the stanza as formulaic ; its connection with the rest of the stanza is probably purely liturgical. The hymns of the third book are theoretically entitled to six stanzas only (or to six stanzas at least) ; see AV. XIX, 23, 3, and cf. the literature cited in Amer. Journ. Phil. VII, 470 (bottom). Stanza 6. a. Weber translates asute//, ' through the act of propaga- tion.' This would comport well with hereditary disease, but does not accord with the use of the word and the root a su in general. Saya//a, strikriyama;/^ya asute/^, asuyate ksikyaie hy asutir dravibhutam annam. b, d. Note the alliteration between vyana.fe and naj-ayami. Stanza 7. d. I have, very hesitatingly, construed apa . . . u^/^atu transitively, in accordance with the usual force of the ex- ril, 9. COMMENTARY. 339 pression, and the close parallelism with II, 8, 2 c, d (cf. also VI, 83, i), where kshetriyam is an accusative dependent upon apa . . . u/^/^atu. For the subject of the verb cf. sa in st. i. Perhaps apavase in Padas a, b is also to be taken transitively, ' when the constellations shine away (as they fade out in the morning the evil powers of night), &c.' Saya/za, as the Pet. Lex. s. v. apa vas, construes all the derivatives from root vas in this stanza intransitively ; cf. our note on II, 8, 2. Ill, 9. Commentary to page 67. The hymn, one of the most perplexing in the AV., is directed against a variety of bodily disorders, or demon- iacal forces, among which vi'shkandha and kabava stand out most clearly. For vi'shkandha see our discussion in the introduction, and in the note on the first stanza of II, 4. The Kauj-ika rubricates the hymn at 43, i, 2, where Darila describes the performance as a pi^-a/^-anajanam, Ke^ava (and Saya;/a in his introduction) as a vighnaj-amanam, to wit : 43, I. 'While reciting III, 9, an amulet of aralu (calosan- thes indica, a tree) is fastened (to the sufferer) by a red- dish brown thread (cf. st. 3) ; he is given a staff to carry (cf St. 2), and he also carries a weapon ^ 2. He is fumi- gated with (the smoke of burning) grain-chaff.' The hymn has been translated by Weber, Ind. Stud. XVII, 215 ff The Anukrama;/! designates it as dyav^pr/- thiviyam uta vaij-vadevam. Stanza 1. a. The Pet. Lexs. and Weber see in karj-apha and vi^-- apha (both air. Aey.) the designations of certain demons or diseases (Weber, ' des Abmagernden, Durchdringenden '). Sayawa operates on the same line by means of character- istic etymologies, karj-aphasya (karaj-aphasya) krtsasa.pha.sya. ^ The commentators prescribe that the staff shall be anointed with the dregs of ghee and then be polished off, as in Kaus. 23, 11. The same treatment is also prescribed for the weapon. Z 2 ;40 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. va jvapadasya vyaghrade//, vij-aphasya vigataj-aphasya spardhamanapurushakalasarpade// vispash/a^aphasya va kruragomahishade//. But the statement that beneficent heaven and earth are father and mother of demons is startHng ^ ; the usual Atharvanic way is to say that heaven and earth are the parents of some curative plant : III, 23, 6; VIII, 7, 2, &c. There is nothing in the way of such an interpretation, and it is to be noted that the amulet of aralu-wood, Kaus. 43, i (see above), is not otherwise indi- cated in the hymn. I do not venture to decide. Stanza 2. a. Saya;/a with some MSS., both Sawhita and Padapa///a, and the Paippalada read ajleshmaV-^a/^ for a.sreshir\a.;ia./i. Our translation is purely conjectural. Saya;/a depends upon the practices of the Sutra : ' They (the people) carried the aralu-talisman, the staff, &c., being aj-leshma;/a//, i. e. unaffected (aj-lish/a//) by troubles, &c. ;' or, ' the gods, being free from phlegmatic diseases (.yleshmopalakshitatridosha- dushitaj-arirarahita//), carried them.' The first of these suggestions, barring the precision of its application, appears to contain something of the truth. Stanza 3. a. Saya;/a, quoting in support RV. II, 39, 4, and relying upon Bharatasvamin's interpretation, renders khr/galam by tanutrawam, ' protection of the body,' and Kau.yika's opera- tions seem to render this quite likely: he prescribes the fastening of an amulet by a reddish-brown thread. But in the RV., khr/gale^va visrasa/^, the word seems to mean ' crutch, support.' c. Sayawa with some MSS., Sawhita and Pada, and the Paippalada read .rravasyam ; kabava is explained charac- teristically as follows : kabu/i karburavar;/a/^ krura/^ prawi, tatsawbandhi vighna// kabava/^. ^ It seems, however, to derive support from RV. I, 191,6, which Sayawa quotes very aptly. Ill, II. COMMENTARY. 34 1 d. bandhura//, apparently plural of bandhur, is hopelessly obscure ; our translation ' fastenings ' is no better than Saya;m's asmabhir baddha/^, or his alternate bandhura/; asmabhir dharyama/za/^ ma//ida;/rt'adaya/!. The word ought to be identical with the stems vandhur, RV. I, 34, 9 (trayo vandhura// ; cf. trivandhura), bandhura, and vandhiira, ' the seat of a wagon.' The matter is complicated still further by bandhura with discordant accent in st. 4. Stanza 4. The basis of this translation is again very unstable owing to the word bandhura which is lexically and grammatically obscure. Saya;/a presents an entirely different result : ' O ye people who desire glory (by conquering the enemy), but go (into battle) bewildered as the gods by the wile of the Asuras, may your weapons (bandhur^ sawbaddha dhr/ta khart'gadirupa hctUi !) destroy the kabava as the ape the dog!' Stanza 5. Saya;/a upon the basis of many MSS. (both Sawhita and Padapa/Z-a) reads bhatsyami (badhnami). Shankar Pandit adopts this reading. In Pada d, Saya;/a with some MSS. reads /-arishyatha for sarishyatha ; cf. st. 4. Ill, II. Commentary to page 49. This hymn, whose first four stanzas are essentially the same as RV. X. 161 = AV. XX, 96, 6-9, must have originally had the general value indicated by our title. But the Sutra (Kauj-. 27, 32-33) specialises, and directs its employment against gramya (sc. vyadhi), 'venereal disease,' (Darila. mithunasa;«yogat). Ke^-ava prescribes it against children's diseases and venereal diseases (balarogagr/hite X-a maithunadoshabhaisha^'^ny U/('yante . . . maithunara^a- yakshma;/i bhaisha^yam) ; Saya/^a, against diseases of children, or disease contracted from women (b^lagraharoge nirantarastrisawgati^anitayakshma//i X'a). The practices 342 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. are as follows : 27, 32. 'While reciting the hymn the patient is given to eat a porridge containing rotten fish ^ 32. He is taken to the forest^, and (in the morning), when the constellations begin to fade, he is sprinkled with water \vhich has been warmed by quenching in it burning sesame, hemp, cow-dung, and sacred firewood ^ (all gathered in the forest).' The hymn figures in the takmana^anagawa (Ath. Parij-. 32, 7), and the ayushyaga;/a (ib. 32, 4) of the Ga;/amala ; see Ksius. 26, i note; 54, 11 note. See also 58, 11, and Vait. Su. 38, I. -Stanza 4 is quoted in Ath. Taris. \^^, i. The Anukramawi, aindragnam ayushyam. The hymn has been translated by Weber, Ind. Stud. XVII, 231. There is no basis, as far as can be seen, for his caption, ' Bei schwerer Geburt.' Stanza 1. For the disease a^^;7atayakshma (cf. AV. VI, 127, 3), and ra^ayakshma, see Wise, Hindu System of Medicine, p. 32 1 fif. ; Grohmann, Ind. Stud. IX, 400 ; Zimmer, p. S7S^- Stanza 2. d. Most of Shankar Pandit's and, apparently, all of Roth and Whitney's MSS. read asparj-am. Saya;/a, as the vuigata, asparsham (prabala?// karomi). Stanza 3. a. The divine attribute ' thousand-eyed,' predicated to Indra, Agni,Vish;/u. &c. (see Pet. Lex. s. v. sahasraksha), is here transferred to the powerful oblation. Cf. the note on IV, 20, 4^ '■ For puti.yaphari, see Kauxika, Introduclion, p. Hi. ■^ In order lo wipe away the effects of the dissolute habits of the village (gramya). ^ For ^vala, cf. Kau^-. 27, 30 in our introduction to III, 7 (also Kauj. 28, 2 ; 29, 8). For janta, see Kauj. 8, 15. 16. Ill, 12. COMMENTARY. 343 Stanza 8. The correlation of the hymn with diseases of children (Kcj-ava and Sayawa) is based upon this stanza. Kau^ika, however, has other matters in mind. Ill, 13. Commentary to page 140. The hymn forms in the ritual a part of a ga;/a or series entitled vastoshpatiyani (sc. suktani), ' hymns pertaining to Vastoshpati, the lord of the homestead,' Kauj-. 8, 23 ff. (see index B, p. 384'', of the edition). More specifically it is employed in Kau^-. 43, 8-1 1 as part of an extensive ceremony at the erection of a house entitled by the Atharva- Paddhati (see p. 118, note 11) as br/ha/^Malakarma, 'the great ceremony of house-building,' in distinction from a less elaborate ceremony at Kaus. 23, i ff, entitled laghu- j-alakarma (see p. 61, note 12). The performances at Kaui-. 43, 3 ff. begin with an intro- ductory rite in connection with AV. VII, 41, designed to remove obstacles in the way of the builder; apparently this is known by the special name of jryenayaga, or j-yene^ya. See the discussion of this somewhat obscure point in the fifth series of our Contributions, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XVI, p. 12. Then the materials for building are brought on, and the excavation for the house is made, and next the actual work of erection is accompanied by the recitation of the stanzas of our hymn, to wit : 43, 8. ' The hymn AV. Ill, 12 is recited while the (central post ^) is being fixed and erected. 9. Having anointed it, the sixth stanza of the hymn is recited while the act stated in it is being performed (i. e. while the cross- beam is being placed upon the post). 10. Having taken a pitcher of water, and the fire, they enter the house while reciting the eighth stanza. 11. (The house) is rendered ' So according to Darila, madhyamasthuttam ; Ke^ava and Alh. Paddh., more generally, jalam. Cf. Hir. Gri'h. I, 27, 2, dvarasthu- jiiixn uW/nayati ; also Apast. Grih.VlI, 17, 3. 344 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. firm by reciting the two ' firm ' stanzas (dhruvabhyam, sts. I and 2). The ctremonies are concluded in Kauj-. 43, 12-15 with sprinkhng the house, the recitation of more mantras, an especial oblation to Vastoshpati, feeding the Brahmans, and final blessings. The hymn has been .treated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 463; Zimmer, p. 150 ff. ; Weber, Ind. Stud. XVII, 234 ff. ; GrilP, pp. 59, 108 ff.; cf. also Hillebrandt, Veda- chrestomathie, p. 45. The Anukrama;n designates the hymn as j-alasuktam, and vastoshpatij-aladaivatam. Similar A themes are treated in Asv. Grih. II, 8 ; Par. G;'?"h. Ill, 4 ; 5ahkh. Grih. Ill, 2, 3 ; Hir. Grih. I, 27 ; Apast. Grzh. VII, 17; Apast. Mantrabr. II, 15; Bhiradva^a's Gr/h. II, 3 ; cf. Oldenberg, Sacred Books of the East, vol. xxix, pp. 92, 212, 345 ff. Stanza 1. a, b. The words dhruvaw and ksheme convey each the idea of good settlement, and sound foundation ; cf. V^^. S. XVIII, 7 ; Tait. S. IV, 7, 3, i, ksemaj- ka. dhritis ka., and RV. I, 73, 4; VII, 88, 7, dhruvasu kshitishu. Hence the renderings of Ludwig, Weber, and Hillebrandt ' im glucke, in frieden,' &c., do not quite catch the point. Cf. also AV. IV, I, 4. d. upa sAm ^arema seems to convey the idea of close union. In the only other passage quoted by the Pet. Lex. it refers to sexual intercourse, bhart^ram upasa;///^aret (BrzTiat-Sawhita 77, 26). Sayawa, vyavaharema. Stanza 2. The wording of the stanza is formulaic. In Par. Grih. II, 17, 9 Pada b is applied to the furrow of the field; see also the other GrzTiya-texts, cited in the introduction. For sunr/tavati, ' full of abundance,' see Oertel in the Proceedings of the Amer. Or. Soc, May, 1891 (Journ., vol. XV, pp. xcv fif.), and our Contributions, Fifth Series, ib. XVI, p. 19. Ludwig, 'reich an trefflichkeit ; ' Zimmer, ' reich an wonne ; ' Weber, * reich an frohen liedern ; ' Hillebrandt, ' reich an lieblicher rede ; ' Grill, ' reich an herrlichkeiten.' Ill, 12. COMMENTARY. 345 Stanza 3. Hillebrandt and Grill regard the first two Padas as defective, but they are anush/ubh, no poorer than many others in the AV. The Anukr., brz'hati. a. dharu;/i is in intentional relation with dhruva, hence ' a supporter ; ' cf. Tait. S. IV, 3, 7, 2. Grill, ' vielfassend, vielbergend ; ' Zimmer and Hillebrandt, ' geriiumig.' The Pada is catalectic b. br/haX'/V/andaZ;, ' with broad roof.' The translation is problematic, the word being air. Aey. /V^andas does not by itself ever occur in the meaning ' roof (/'/^adis, Z'//adman). Some support may be derived from st. 5 c, tr/naw vasana, since in Hir. Gri\\. the roof is smoothed with a stanza containing the same Pada. The words there used are Mannam (sc. jalam) abhimr/i-ati. Saya;/a, prabhuta/^//a- dana, mahadbhij /^V/andobhir devair upeta v^. For puti- dhanya ^ of the text of the ^aunakiya-i^akha, the Paippalada reads putadhanya ; this underlies our translation. Cf. pariputeshu dhanyeshu, Manu VIII, 331, and perhaps also the expression kr/ta dhana//, RV. Ill, ^^, 7. d. Cf. .Sankh, Grih. Ill, 3, 9, a syandanta;;/ dhenavo nityavatsi//. The majority of Shankar Pandit's MSS. (both Padapa/'/^a and Sawhita) read aspandamana/;. Stanza 4. c. Most MSS., and the editio princeps, read uH'/^antu ; Saya«a, Shankar Pandit, with some MSS., and the Paippa- lada, ukshantu, the basis of our translation. Again, our translation presupposes the reading udna for unna of the edition: the MSS. read utna (cf. VII, 45, 2 ; VII, 18, i, and the Index Verborum, p. 67). The Paippalada, Shankar Pandit with some of his MSS., and Saya;/a have udna ; cf. RV. I, 85, 5, (maruta//) udabhir vy undanti bhuma. ' Sayawa, with desperate literalness, puiigandhopeta^irwadhanya- yukta, ' endowed with evil smelling, old, grain ! ' Ludwig suggests pratidhanya or pratidhanya, ' gut zu verschliessen.' 346 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. d. For ni tanotu, cf. AV. VII, 90, 3 ; VII, 31, 3, and the plant nitatni, used to prevent the falling out of hair at AV. VI, 136, I. Saya;/a, nitara;;/ karotu. Stanza 5. a. The words manasya patni are addressed directly to the house (ssda.), as may be gathered from IX, 3, 21 ; the house, after it is erected, is deified, since the weal or woe of its inhabitants are now dependent upon its behaviour. Saya;/a, mananiyasya vastupate// patni, 'O wife of Vastupati who is to be honoured ^ ! ' Grill's etymological combinations are superfluous ; his comparison of Zend nmano-pathni and nmano-paiti (Gathic, demana) contrary to phonetic law. Ludwig and Weber, ' herrin des maasses;' Ludwig at IX, 3, 5 ff. (Der Rigveda, III, pp. 464-5), ' herrin des verweilens ; ' Zimmer and Hillebrandt, ' genie des baues ; ' Grill, ' hort der rast.' b. Sayawa reads nirmita for nimita. Stanza 6. a, b. The expression a roha, ' ascend,' harbours two double ententes, borrowed from other well-known events in life. First, sexual connection, in a manner similar to the union of the two sticks with which fire is churned (see e. g. VI, II, I, and cf. Ill, 6, i) ; secondly, the various acts of ascend- ing which form parts of the consecration of a king, the ra^asuya (cf. Kaui". 17, 3. 9 ; AV. IV, 8). The rule of the king is indicated clearly in the next Pada (cf. AV. I, 10, 1), and in the anointing of the post, prescribed at Kauj-. 43, 10. The word vira^an in Pada b, which we have rendered ' ruling,' again suggests the alternate meaning, ' shining ; ' cf. 'the shining roof in AV. Ill, 7, 3. The vawi-a is a very important part of the house ; sometimes it splits, and elaborate performances are prescribed in Kauj. 135 to meet that misfortune. ^ Still worse is the alternate interpretation, miyamana;;/ dhan- yadikaw mana?« tasya patni palayit;'/. Ill, 12. COMMENTARY. 347 c, d. Both Padas are hypermetric ; the first may be mended by excluding grzha;/am (so in our version), which seems to have crept in from st. 9 c ; the second by chang- ing sarvavir^// to suvkA/i or savira//. The translators render upasattaro, erroneously, by ' inmates ; ' this is certainly incorrect, as may be gathered from Va^. S. XXVII, 2. 4, ma ka. rishad upasatta te agne ; AV. II, 6, 2, ma te rishann upasattaro agne. Saya//a, upavadanakartara// ; Ludwig, fancifully, ' nicht sollen dich verletzen die belagerer der hauser! ' Stanza 7. Occurs with many variants in the Gr/hya-sutras of Asv., Par., 5ahkh., Hir., Apast., Bharadv^^a, Manava ; see the introduction, and Professor Kirste's edition of the Hira;/ya- kei-in, p. 54, notes. b. The reading ^agata saha, also in Hir. and Bhar. ; Man. has ^agada saha ; Par. ^agadai/z saha ; the other texts show still greater differences. For^agat, see Zimmer, p. 150, and AV. IX, 3, 17. Oldenberg in the Sacred Books, vol. xxix, pp. 345, 395, and xxx, p. 205. renders both^agat and ^agada by ' companion ; ' Ludwig, ' mit dem lebenden ; ' Weber, ' nebst allem was sich riihrt.' The others, as above. Sayawa, gamanaj-ilena gavadina saha. c, d. Saya«a has kumbha/^ which approaches the reading of 5ankh., kumbhya// ; and kalaj-ir, like Apast. and Bhar. The last seems preferable to kala^-air of our texts ; cf. the note on VI, 59, 2 b. Stanza 8. In the Paippalada this stanza is wanting here, appear- ing (with variants) in another hymn ; Grill in his transla- tion places it before stanza 7, without a statement of his motive. Cf. Kauj-. 43, 10; Vait. Su. 16, i (with the vikara, adhvaryo for nari)^ and in general AV. IX, 3, 22, and Kau.r, 66, 2.5. c. Saya;^a reads patrim and samindhi (sawdiptan kuru). Shankar Pandit, with most of his MSS., reads imaw patrm, referring imam to the house. 34^ HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. d. Weber emends, abhi ksharaty enan, but neither change is necessary. See II, 12, 4, ish/apurtam avatu na/^. Stanza 9. Identical with AV. IX, 3, 33, and quoted frequently in the Atharva-Parij-ish/as (16 ; 19 ", 3, &c.). Ill, 13. Commentary to page 146. The first six stanzas of this hymn recur in Tait. S. V, 6, i, 2-4 ; Maitr. S. II, 13, i, in connection with -certain oblations of water (kumbhesh/aka/^, or apa;;« graha//), and they are evi- dently originally at home in the Ya^us-ritual. The etymolo- gical puns, heaped up in the first four stanzas, explain the various names of water quite in Nirukta and Brahmawa-style. The seventh stanza does not occur in the Ya^us-sa;;^hitas ; it is the one that is characteristically Atharvanic : it narrows down the general subject of the praise of the waters to the special subject in hand, the deflection of a river from its course ^. The Kauj'ika, 40, 1-6, supplies the very inter- esting practices engaged in for the same purpose, to wit : ' I. He who desires that a river shall go a certain way, walks along that way, pouring out water, while reciting the pre- sent hymn. 2. He sticks up the (kinds of grass or reeds called) ka.ya, dividhuvaka, and vetasa^. 3. While reciting St. 7 a, he places gold upon the mouth of the river (that is, the point from which the river shall branch into the desired channel). 4. With st. 7 b he ties a frog, striped like the reed-plant ishika, through the arm-pits (pits of the fore- feet) with two threads, one red and the other blue'*^ (and places him into the outlet). 5. With st. 7 c he envelopes ^ For its employment in the Vaitana-sutra, see the note on the stanza. ^ For the explanation of these varieties of water-plants, see Darila and Ke^ava. Saya«a, ka^a.yaivalapa/erakavetasa.s'akha^. ^ Cf, the introduction to YII, 116, and the notes on IV, 17, 4 ; VIII, 8, 24. Ill, 13. COMMENTARY. 349 the frog in an avaka-plant (blyxa octandra) ^ 6. With st. 7 d he pours water (over the frog) ^.' The symbolism of these performances is unmistakable : they anticipate the presence of the water with all its life. The gold (40, 3) reflects ' the golden-coloured, clear, pure waters ' (AV. I, ^^, i : see also st. 6 of our hymn) ; the river grasses and reeds symbolise the river-vegetation. Above all the frog, securely tied so that he cannot leap away, and the water-bringing avaka affiliate this practice with one of the most interesting practices of Vedic common life ;. see our article, ' On a Vedic group of charms for extin- guishing fire by means of water-plants and a frog,' in the second series of Contributions, Amer.Journ. Phil. XI, 342 fif. The hymn has been translated by Weber, Indische Studien, XVII, 240 fif. ; cf. also Bergaigne et Henry, Manuel Vedique, p. 143. The Anukrama;/i, varu;^am (cf. Kauj-. 40, 7), uta sindhvabdaivatam. Stanza 1. The etymologies in this and the next three stanzas are dominated by that punning spirit which has made etymo- logy by far the feeblest product of the linguistic endeavours of the Hindus. In the present instance, however, the deri- vation of nadi', ' river,' from nad, ' roar,' is likely enough. The mythological event alluded to is the well-known rush of the waters over the dead body of the (cloud-) dragon VWtra, slain by Indra ; cf. e.g. RV. I, 32. Stanza 2. Varu;/a (and Mitra) are also instrumental in procuring water, but it is rather the quiet streaming down of refresh- 1 Cf. Amer. Journ. Phil. XI, p. 349, and add ^at. Br. XIII, 8, 3, 13; La/y. St. Ill, 5, 13 ff. 2 Kauj. 40, 7-10 continues with an expiatory performance, con- sisting chiefly of oblations to Varuwa, the god of the waters, in case this new watercourse should threaten the surrounding country with an inundation. The hymn is employed further with many others at Kaus. 41, 12 for sprinkling certain oblations, offered by one about to start upon a business tour. Cf. also Ath. Fans. 10. 350 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. ing- rain, than the storm-flood at the time of the monsoon. The notion of conquest by thunderbolts, as weapons used against demon serpents, is not present. See Bergaigne^ La Religion Vedique, III, 122 ff. (especially pp. 125-6). The root valg, which here represents the motion of the waters, seems to contain an almost playful touch : it is used of the gamboling of animals. The allusion to Indra's ' meeting of the waters as they went ' is obscure. The Maitr. S. reads sawpra-^yuta for yat preshita. Stanza 3. b. The lexicons and the translators derive avivarata from var, ' enclose.' Sayawa, correctly, it seems to us, from var, ' choose,' avivarata vrz'tavan yushman svatmasat kartum 2i\kkJi2X. What sense is there in saying of Indra that he hindered the waters, and when did the waters flow against his will (' contre le gre d'indraj Bergaigne)? An obvious paradox. Soma is said, RV. IX, 94, i, to purify himself by acting wisely in choosing the waters : apo vrzV^ana/^ pavate kaviyan; cf. also V, 48, i. Indra here is said to appro- priate the waters for his purpose, the benefaction of men. Stanza 4. The exact mythic attitude of this stanza is not clear. Is Indra the subject of apy atish/Ziat or some god hindering, or trying to hinder? Cf. RV. VIII, 6, 16: ' He, O Indra, who lay confining thy great waters, him didst thou smite.' Cf. also RV. I, 32, 12, where one god, or a certain god (deva eka//), resists Indra. The verb apy atish//^at means either to stand upon (so Saya;;a, adhyatish///at), or ' stand in the way' (Pet. Lex.). We incline to the former view. The way in which the word mahi'r in Pada c is utilised is somewhat obscure : it seems to be brought in partly for the sake of furnishing an etymological basis (sit venia verbo) for the m of udakam, and partly (note the iti), to infuse a dash of archaism into the reminiscence. Stanza 7. This seems to be distinctly ritualistic (sautra) in charac- ter. The calf may be the frog of the Sutra above. Cf. Ill, 14. COMMENTARY. 35 T also its use in Vait. Su. 29, 13, for which see the introduc- tion to VI, 106. The waters are cows, because the frog, the water-animal, is their child. Or the new river-bed may be the calf; cf. RV. Ill, 33, i. Ill, 14. Commentary to page 143. For the employment of the hymn in the ritual, see our introduction to II, 26. Cf. also Ath. Parij-. 16. The Anu- krama/n, nanadevatyam uta gosh//^adevatakam. Previous translations: Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 469; Weber, Ind. Stud. XVII, 244 ff. ; Grill 2, pp. 64, 112 f{. Stanza 1. c, d. Sayawa defines ahar^ata by ahany-ahani ^ayate. The expression occurs once more, V, 28, 12, and 'aus- picious ' comes very near to its sense. Its opposite is anahar^ata, 5ankh. .S"r. XIV, 51, 2-5, 'born on an unlucky day' = papanakshatre ^ata//, Kaus. 46, 25, and elsewhere. Cf. Weber, Nakshatra, II, 314-15 note. Either it is, ' born on a good (pu;/ya) day,' or ' born by day in distinction from night' (cf. naktaw^ata, I, 23, i). The word adr/sh/a, II, 31, 2; RV. I, igi, I fif., &c., would then approach the opposite meaning. Cf. aharbhag- and ahardn's. ' With the name ' may mean ' with the kind, or species ; ' cf. V, 4,8. Stanza 3. Both milk and honey are frequently added to the Soma. Hence the milk is here spoken of as honey, Soma being the middle term as it were. Cf. Hillebrandt, Soma und ver- wandte Cotter, pp. 219, 238 fif. Stanza 4. b. j-ake^va (Padap. ^aka iva) has occasioned unnecessary discussion. The word is not treated at all independently in the lexicons. The Western authorities generally regard it as ace. plur. neut. of skkn't, j-aknas, &c. Saya//a's saka. 352 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. makshika has good support in the literature. At Tait. S. V, 5, 12, I ; Maitr. S. Ill, 14, 13 ; Va^. S. XXIV, 33 the word occurs in connection with other animals (Mahidhara, ^akunti ; Madhava, ^aka makshike^ty eke, dirgha-karwo mngavij-esha ity apare), and as the word is preceded or followed there by j-uka, ' parrot,' and s&ri (see the note on St. 5), there is no doubt but what Saya?^a has hit the point. I should not be surprised to find the saka. identical with the krwa, mentioned at Kau^y. 10, 2, along with .yuka and sarika. Cf. also Tait. S. V, 5, 18, i, and commentary. Grill suggests an improbable remedy, .yakeva = .yaka(m) iva or .yaka iva, * like vegetables ' (cf. German, ' wie 's unkraut '). Stanza 5. b. .rarij-akeva (Padap. .yarijaka iva) is doubtful, Saya;/a, helplessly, ksha;/ena sahasra^yo ^bhivardhamana/^ pra«ivi- sesha/i ; the suggestion seems incredible even from Saya;m. jari ( = sari, j-arika, and sarika) is a certain bird which, like the parrot (j-uka), imitates the human voice ; see Tait. S. V, 5, 12, I ; Maitr. S. Ill, 14, 14; Vd^. S. XXIV, ^c^. It appears there in connection with .yuka, ' parrot,' and j-aka (cf. St. 4). It seems hardly possible that our passage does not harbour these very two words, and accordingly I have emended to i-arij-ukeva ( = j-arij-ukaZ; iva, with double sandhi). Cf. also Kauj-. 10, 2. The translators have again endea- voured to find sakrtt, jaknas in the second part of the word. For further suggestions, all of which seem to me to be silenced by the considerations advanced in this and the preceding notes, see Grill, 1. c. Ill, 15. Commentary to page 148. The Sutra rubricates the hymn in various non-significant practices. At Kaus. 50, 12 the merchant, while reciting the hymn, sets up (or, loads up) his ware (or, his shop), after it has been anointed with the dregs of ghee. At 59, 6 the person who desires merchandise recites the hymn. Cf. Gobh. IV, 8, 19 ff. ; Khad. IV, 3, 7. The hymn is also Ill, 15. COMMENTARY. 353 worked up in the comparatively late indramaha or indra- mahotsava festival, Kslus. 140, 16; Ath. Parij-. 19 ^ ; and sts. 7, 8, which are scarcely connected with the body of the hymn, are rubricated in Kau^. 70, 13. 14. The Anukramawi, vaij-vadevam utai^ndragnam ; the author is paz/yakamo ^thai'va. Previous translations: Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 215; Zimmer, p. 258 ; Weber, Ind. Stud. XVII, 247 ff. ; Grill^, pp. 69, 113 ff. Cf. also Hillebrandt's Vedachrestomathie, p. 38. Stanza 1. Indra who gathers in the stakes at all contests (dhana- ^I't, dhana;//^aya) is their possessor (isana.), and hence in the position to bestow wealth (dhanada). The same attributes are given to Agni in various passages of the RV., justifying the appeal to him in the sequel (st. 3 ff.). Stanza 2. The first two Padas are repeated in a different connec- tion at VI, 55, I ; cf. Tait. S. V, 7, 2, 3. Stanza 3. Cf. RV. Ill, 18, 3, where the stanza occurs in its proper connection. The word i/^-Z^amano doubtless suggested its adaptability for the present mixtum compositum. Stanza 4. The brackets about the two first Padas are designed to show the looseness of the connection with the rest ; but there is no reason for doubting that they were put here by the Atharvan poet. They were put here because they speak of the ' far road which we have travelled.' Saya;/a treats them as an independent (fourth) stanza, and then continues with the following divisions, thoroughly subver- sive of good sense : our 4 b-f and 5 a, b (six Padas) = 5 ; our 5 c, d and 6 a, b = 6 ; our 6 c, d = 7 ; our 7 = 8 ; our 8 = 9. a. Weber emends saranim to sara/^im, translating, ' Diesen Weg du glattestest uns, o Agni ! ' [-12] A a 354 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. e. The Paippalada reads, sawrara//a havir ida;// ^usha- ntam. But the plural is vague. f. ^aritam and utthitam are rendered in accordance with Grill and Saya;^a, /^aritam a/^arita;// vikrayadikam utthi- taw tasmad vyavaharad utpannaw labhayuktaw dhanam. The other translators, flatly, 'our going and our departure.' Stanza 5. d. devan is metrically superfluous : the sense, too, ' devas who shut off" gain,' has an Avestan rather than a Vedic ring. The word is a gloss, suggested by deva./i in Pada b. Stanzas 7, 8. The two stanzas seem to have no connection with the rest of the hymn. They are Ya^us-formulas (st. 8, witli variants in Tait. S. IV, i, lo, i ; Maitr. S. II, 7, 7 ; Ka///. S. XVI, 7 ; Va^. S. XI, 75), and are employed fittingly as puronuvakya and ya^-ya in connection with a purwahuti at Kauj-. 70, 13. 14, on the occasion of the ceremony of build- ing the householder's fire (agnyadhanam). The Atharvan tradition regards six stanzas as the normal number for the hymns of the third book (see AV. XIX, 33 and 23, and Ath. FsLYis. 46, 9. 10}. Ill, 18. Commentary to page 107. This hymn is a repetition with variants of RV. X, 145. The Anukramawi there gives it the name indraz/y-upanishad (Sha^^gurujrishya, indra;/yr/shika ; Sayawa, indrawya ar- sham)^ It constitutes also a part of the Apast. Mantra- brahmawa I, 15, 1-6, and the stanzas are employed at Apast. Grih. Ill, 9, 5. 6 (cf. Kauj. ^3, 7 ; Gobh. Gr/h. II, 6, 6 ff.) in a charm practised with the pa/a-plant (clypea ^ Cf. for the relation of Indrawi to marital life, our Contribu- tions, Sixth Series, Zeilschr. d. Deutsch. Morg. Gesellsch. XLVIII, 551 ff-; 579- Ill, 1 8. COMMENTARY. 355 hernandifoHa ; cf. our introduction to II, 27). The prac- tices of Kauj-ika (^6, 19-21) differ entirely from those of Apastamba. The plant which is used there is the ba;/a- parwi (so also Kau^. ^6, 38). Darila glosses, ^arapunkha ; Ke.$-ava, masika (cf. Kauj-ika, Introduction, p. liii)^ It seems to have been suggested to the ritualist by the epithet uttanapar;/a in stanza 2, but Saya//a there has in mind again the pa/a, since he quotes AV. II, 27, 4, and in his comment on st. i says outright, pa///akhyam oshadhim. Kauj-ika's performance is as follows: 36, 19. 'While reciting III, 18, a ba//apar/^i-plant is mashed, mixed with a spray (of milk) from a red she-goat, and scattered round about the bed (of the rival woman). 20. While reciting stanza 6 a, a leaf (of the plant) is fastened beneath the bed. 21. While reciting stanza 6 b (a leaf) is thrown upon the (bed).' We would draw especial attention to the totally different employment of the stanzas in Apast. Grih. Ill, 9, 5. 6, in illustration of the loose, subjective symbolism which governs their manipulation. The general purpose of the practice is. however, there the same as with Kauj-ika. The hymn has been translated by Weber, Ind. Stud. V, 222 ; XVII, 264 ff. ; Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 307. The Rigveda version by Ludwig (932) and Grassmann in A their well-known works ^ ; the version of the Apast. Man- trabr. by Winternitz, Das altindische Hochzeitsrituell, p. 98. The Ath. Anukrama//i, atharva^nena suktena sapatni- pra;mttyai va«apar;^am oshadhim astaut. Stanza 2. a. Sayawa here and at RV., uttanapar/^e uttanani urdhva- mukhani par;/ani patra/n yasya//. ^ According to the Pet. Lex. the common name for this plant is uwhali, similar to the indigo-plant ; it is also known as suryavawj-i. Both ba/zapar/n and jarapuhkha seem to mean ' having arruw-form leaves.' ^ The RV. version seems on the whole secondary to that of the AV. : dhama for //uda in st. 2 c ; kuru for kr/dhi in 2 d, A a 2 356 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Stanza 4. c. I read adha, ' now,' upon the basis of adha in some MSS., Sayawa's adha, and with reference to atha in the RV. Most MSS. read adha/^ (' low shall be my rival,' &c.) ; this is the text adopted by the vulgata, and Shankar Pandit. Stanza 5. A very similar stanza occurs XII, i, 54; Saya;^a is seduced by its pratika, aham asmi sahamana(/^), to confuse it with the present, and to suppose that Ka.us. 38, 30 quotes it, instead of XII, 1, 54. Stanza 6. The Sutra does not place the plant about and upon the husband, but about and upon the rival. Saya/^a follows through thick and thin. Apast. Gnli. Ill, 9, 6 correlates the stanza with the husband : ' she embraces the hus- band with her arms,' with the stanza alluding to the word upadhana (Mantrabr. I, 15, 6). Ill, 23. Commentary to page 97. This hymn furnishes the mantras for the well-known house-practice, called puwsavanam in the Grzhya-sutras ^. The Atharvanic form of it is described in Kauj-. ^S> i-4» ^^ follows: I. Now the rites for producing a son. 3. (They are made) in behalf of the woman after she has laid aside the linen soiled by her menses, under a male constellation. 3. While reciting III, 23 an arrow is broken to pieces over her head, and (a piece of the arrow) is fastened (upon her as an amulet). 4. Into a cup made from a plough (the practitioner) puts milk of a cow which has a calf of a colour identical with her own, and rice and barley, mashes it up, adds to the mixture two adhyaz/^ya plants, or leaves from a great palaj-a (butea frondosa) and a vidari (batatas pani- ^ Cf. ^ahkh. I, 19. 20; Asv. I, 13; Par. I; 14; Gobh. II, 6 ; Khad. II, 2, 17 ff. ; Hir. II, 2 ; Apast. VI, 14, 9. Ill, 23. COMMENTARY. 35/ culata), and does with the mixture as in the case of the paidva-ceremony (i.e. he puts it uj) the right nostril of the woman with his right thumb; cf. Kaus. 32, 21, in the introduction to X, 4) ^. Stanzas 2-4 are repeated with variants in >Sahkh. Gr/h. I, 19, 6 ; stanzas 2, 4, 5 (entire or in part) in Hir. Gnh. I, 25, I. The hymn has been translated by Weber, Ind. Stud. V, 223 ; XVII, 285 ff. ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 477 ff. ; Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 319. The Anukrama;zi, Hndramasam uta yonidevatyam, brahm^^nena putra;;^ prarthayad yonim abhish/uya pra^aya iti. Stanza 2. d. Ten lunar months reconcile this statement with the biological facts; see Weber. Nakshatra, II, 313; Zimmer, 366. Stanza 4. Hir. Gr/h. I, 25, i, yani prabhuwi virya;/y r/shabha ^ana- yantu na/^ tais tvaw garbhi/^i bhava . . . prasur dhenuga bhava. 5ahkh. Grih. I, 19, 6, purusha/^ for rzshahha/i. Stanza 5. a. Ludwig, 'das pra^apatyam vollziehe ich dir;' Zim- mer, ' ich verschaffe dir Zeugungsfahigkeit ;' Weber, ' ich thu dir an das Zeugungswerk ' (Ind. Stud. XVII, 286): 'ich schaff' dir Zeugungsfahigkeit' (ib. V, 224); Sayawa, pra^apatina . . . nirmitaw pra^otpattikara;« karma. Stanza 6. Cf. VIII, 7, 2, and perhaps III, 9, i- The plants arc undefined ; see the Sutra, and 5ahkh. Grih. I, 19, 1 ; 20, 3-4. ' The complicated practice is not clear in every detail. For phala/(-amasa and adhyaw^'e, see Kaujika, Introduction, pp. lii and xlv, and Sahkh. Gnh. I, 19, i ff. The Gr/hya-texts, cited in the preceding note, contain quite a number of parallels. There seems to be a cheap symbolism in the choice of the names of the two plants, adhya;;^o ; cf. St. 7. Stanza 6. The stanza is irregular (Anukr., prastarapahkti), the second half being an anush/ubh. Since stanzas 5 and 7 are connected by concatenation (Pada 5 d == 7 a), stanza 6 might be regarded as a very early intrusion. But Kauj-ika employs it particularly for his practices (see above), and 364 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. thus the criticism must be made for a very early period, to say the least. The stanza may, however, have stood in a different position in the hymn. Stanza 7. The stanza concatenates with 5 ; cf. e. g. the relation of RV. II, 38, 7 and 9, where st. 8 interrupts a similar relation. b. Saya;/a reads ekaj^nush/in. On p. 256 Ludwig emends sa;;/vananena to savanena, but on p. 516 he adheres to the text and translates it by ' versohnungsspruch.' Say., va.fi- karawena anena sawmanasyakarma;/a. c. In RV. I, 71, 9, Mitra and Varuwa are said to be guarding the amrz'ta. d. Ludwig on p. 516 emends saumanas6 to saumanasam, but this is unnecessary if we remember that the leader or chief is referred to in ^yayas-, in st. 5 a, and eka-, in 7 b. Moreover at Tait. S. IV, "], '^■, i, saumanasa/^, masc, is an abstract = saumanasam. Ill, 31. COMxMENTARY TO PAGE 51. This extraordinary composition makes draughts upon a variety of mythological and philosophical (psycho- physical) conceptions for the purpose of accentuating the desired separation from misfortune, and union with life. Accordingly each of its eleven stanzas ends in a refrain which states this desire distinctly. Further the hymn is divisible into two halves, the first of which (sts. 1-4) has for its key-note the subject of separation illustrated by cosmic examples; the second (6-11) illustrates union with the principles of life. The intermediate stanza is more problematic ; it has been discussed by the translator in connection with his treatment of the marriage of SarawyQ in the third series of his Contributions, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XV, pp. 181 ff. The principal employment of the hymn in the ritual is in connection with the initiation (upanayana) of the young Aryan into the Brahmanical community. At Kauj-. 58, 3 Ill, 31. COMMENTARY. 365 the hymn is recited in the presence of the young man, in connection with a list of kindred hymns. The last two stanzas arc employed at Kauj-. 24, 31, along with others, on the occasion of the solemn rising from a couch, at the cere- mony of the full-moon of the month agrahaya/^a. Cf. also Vait. Su. 13, 10. The Ga;^amala, Ath. Parij-. 32, 6, counts this hymn as one of three which make up the papmaga;-;a and are papmahan ; see Kaui-. 30, 17 note. Similarly the Anukrama/zi (papmahadevatyam). It has been translated by Weber, Ind. Stud. XVII, 306 ff. Stanza 1. a. The MSS. read avrztan, which Roth and Whitney have emended to a/^rztan. Saya;/a reads vyavntam (viyo- ^'•ayatam), and takes deva correspondingly as vocative dual (devau a^-vinau). This reading with vi I find also in the papmaga;/a of the Gawamala, cited above, and one wonders whence it comes from. I would suggest the emendation avr/tran (avr/tram), literally 'the gods have separated themselves from old age.' The gods are a^ara, ' free from old age,' and Agni is mentioned particularly RV. VI, 68, 9 (cf. Pada b). The middle passive of vi + vart in this sense governs the instrumental ; see Pet. Lex., vol. vi, col. 775. The metre, however, does not favour the suggestion. Stanza 4. b. The paths are the heavenly paths, travelled by the gods (devayana//) ; cf. Ill, 15, 2; VI, SS^ i; Tait. S. V, 7, 2, 3. Stanza 5. Cf. RV. X, 17, i; AV. XVIII, i, S?i- The passage as it appears here is doubtless the product of adaptation. Prof. Weber has interpreted it as an additional instance of thorough separation, the motif of the first four stanzas. According to his view Tvash/ar is making preparations to marry his own daughter, and everybody (tout le monde) is scattering in consternation at the unholy proceeding. I have subjected Prof. Weber's construction to a detailed o 66 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. criticism in my essay quoted above. The chief difficulty is in VI yati, which means ' pass through,' not ' go apart, scatter.' The passage seems to mean that the whole world on the occasion of the marriage of Tvash/ar's daughter to Vivasvant — not to himself — pass through (a given point of observation) to witness the marriage. Thus they might illustrate separation from their ordinary places of abode. Or, a still more literal and philological translation of the passage would be : ' " Tvash/ar is preparing a marriage for his daughter," thus saying (or noting) he (who? Tvash/ar or Vivasvant ?) passes through the entire world.' But the other versions read sam eti, and all the following stanzas (6-1 1) have for their theme union with the principle of life. Since, now, vi occurs no less than thirty times in the entire hymn, it is possible that sam has given place to it, and the passage would thus revert to its original meaning in RV. X, 17, I ; AV. XVIII, I, ^^. Sayawa takes vi yati in the sense of going asunder, vahatum . . . prasth^payati iti bud- dhya tasya avaka^-a;// datum idaw vi.fva;// bhuvana;;/ prz'thi- vyantarikshadirupa;// vi yati paraspara/;^ vigata?;/ bhavati. Stanza 6. a, b. Or, ' Agni bestows life's breaths.' Agni is frequently identified in the Upanishads with the breaths of life : see Maitri-Upanishad VI, 5. 9. 33 ; Prajna-Upanishad I, 7. Sayawa, ' the Agni of the belly, the cause of the digestion of food and drink.' Similarly the sun (cf. the next stanza) in Maitri-Up. VI, i. 5; Pra.yna-Up. I, 5 ; II, 8 ; Tait. Ar. I, 14, 1. Stanza 11. For vr/sh/yod (Padapa///a, v;7'sh/ya ud) read vr/sh/}'a(//) ud with Roth, Zeitschrift d. Deutsch. Morgenl. Gesellsch. XLVIII, 684. IV, 3. Commentary to page 147. At Kauj. 51, 1-6 the following practices are prescribed : I. 'While reciting AV. IV, 3 (the shepherd) follows the cattle, (alternately) raising and digging into (the ground) IV, 3- COMMENTARY. 367 a pole of khadira-wood (acacia catechu, a hard wood), which has been anointed with the dregs of ghee ^ 2. He pours out water, sweeps together the (moistened dust) ^ ; then he offers, while walking, thrice to Indra milk of a cow with a calf of the same colour as herself. 3. He offers the bali (tribute offering) to the (four) regions. 4. He reveres each of the regions 'I 5. In the middle (between the four regions) he offers a fifth bali-offering. 6. The remainder he pours down (upon the ground).' The hymn is one of the raudraga;/a in the Ga//amala, Ath. Parij. 32, 17; see Kau.s\ 50, 13 note. The Anukramawi accordingly desig- nates it as raudram uta vyaghradevatyam. It has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 499; Grill", pp. 33, 1 J 8 ff. Stanza 1. Saya;/a suggests, very properly, that the man (purusha) in question is the robber mentioned below. Pada d is difficult ; Ludwig compares RV. I, 24, 7, which according to Geldner, Vedische Studien, I, IT3 ff.. refers to the ban- yan-tree (nyagrodha, va/a). The branches of that tree take root anew, are ni/{'ina, or nihita, and therefore grow until they are out of sight (hi'ruk. an antarhitanamadhej-am. a word for 'out of sight' according to Yaska's Naigha///uka, III, 25). Prof. Roth, as quoted by Grill, p. t1(S, suggests an arrow, or spear, but the expression devo vanaspatir (cf. VI, 85, 1) is favourable to the other construction. Saya;/a, helplessly, vananam adhish///ata devas tatra^ntarhito var- tate tadvad vyaghradayo^pi antarhita bhavantu. ^ The symbolism is transparent : he pierces the imaginary track of the dreaded hostile creatures, and thus pierces the creatures themselves. ^ According to Kcrava and Sayawa he then places his left hand upon the dust and with his right scatters half of it. The words ninayana?« samuhya refer back to the practice at Kau.s-. 19, 17. 18 ; see the introduction to II, 26, p. 303. ^ According to Kcj'ava he recites in this connection AV. III. 26 ; cf. Kauj. 14, 25. 368 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Stanza 2. c. 'The rope full of teeth,' by familiar figure of speech, the serpent ; cf. VII, io8, i ; XIX, 47, 7. 8 (partially verbal parallelism with our stanza) ; Sd.t. Br. IV, 4, 5, 3. Stanza 5. c. Literally, ' let him go on the falling down of the paths,' i. e. ' where the paths are precipitate.' Saya«a arrives at a similar result, even though he handles his text very freely, sa ka patha;;z madhye dhvaw^sena dhva;;/sakena kash/ena marge;/a apa ga.k/^a.tu. Ludwig, ' wo die pfade abbrechen ; ' Grill, 'auf nachstem wege pack' er sich.' Stanza 6. b. Saya;/a reads api j-irsh;?a/^, glossing, slrasl bhava h\M- saka/i srmga.daya/i avayava api mud/ia bhavantu, ' the de- structive members of the body on the head, horns, &c., shall be dulled.' e. All translations, including our own, are mere guesses, nimruk, ' sunset,' is not found except in connection with the setting of the sun. Saya;^a's drz'sh/ivishayo na bhavati has suggested our * out of sight shall go.' Grill has in mind the root mar/^, 'injure,' something like nimr/kto, 'injured, destroyed ; ' but there is no such word, godha (Pet. Lex. 'sinew') is equally difficult. Saya;/a, 'a kind of wild beast.' As it has also the meaning ' large lizard,' we have said ' dragon,' a pure conjecture. Ludwig's ' in der tiefe soil das krokodil gchn ' does not differ materially. Grill, ' mit lah- mer sehne geh's zu grund.' d. j-aj'ayur {air. Aey.) mriga/i is also not clear. Saya;/a, ' the evil beast inclined to lie down.' Ludwig. ' tief hinab- springend geht das wild.' We have adopted with profound misgivings the translation of the Pet. Lex., Grill, and Zimmer (p. 79). The latter regards j-aj-ayur as an epithet of the tiger (cf. sts. i, 3, 4, 7) ; cf., however, ja^-aghatin, and sasada, names of birds of prey. Prof. Roth, however, as quoted by Grill, holds now a different opinion, ' a bird of prey which swoops down from on high.' IV, 4- COMMENTARY. 369 Stanza 7. a, b. Cf. VI, ^6, I ; X, 4, H, a similar formula calculated to regulate the snapping of the serpent's mouth. The Pa- dapa///a treats sa;;/yama// both times as a noun-compound, but it is easier to construe it as sa.in yama/i, an injunctive aorist. The sense is the same. Saya;/a treats vi yama// also both times as a noun, sawyama// sa;;2yamanaw samyag vyaghradinaw mantrasamarthyena niyamana;;/ yad asti na ^sau viyama/^ viruddhayamana;// bhavati, &c. The passage seems to refer to the jaws of the wild beasts. c, d. This may either refer to brahma, ' charm,' or to some plant or amulet, of which the Sutra, to be sure, makes no mention. The hemistich is hypermetric, fairly curable by throwing out atharvawam. The Anukrama;a, kakum- mati garbhoparish/adb/'zliati. IV, 4. COMMENTAR\ TO PAGE 31. A characteristic mixture of pharmaceutical applications and drastic symbolism constitutes the practices of the ritual, Kans. 40, 14 ff., as follows: 14. 'The hymn IV, 4, and, in addition, the following mantra is recited : " Bulls have dug thee up, thou art a bull, O herb ! Thou art a bull, full of lusty force ; in behalf of a bull do we dig thee up ! " During these recitals the plants u^/^/^ushma and parivyadha ' are dug up with an iron instrument (Darila, a ploughshare). 15. Two decoctions are made from these plants, poured into milk, a drawn bow is placed into the lap, and then the decoctions are drunk-. 16. (The same ' Darila and Kejava, uX'/^/^ushma kapika>^X'>^u (mucuna pruritus) parivvadha/i suravalaka/^ (or, sfikaravalaka//) ; Sayawa ^mentions only one plant, kapitthakamulam, the root of feronia elephantum. For u/^X7/ushma, cf. st. 4. ^ We now correct Sutra 1 5 as follows, dugdhe pha;//av adhi_^yam (sc. dhanur) upastha adhaya pibati. Cf. Kauj-ika, Introduction, p. Iviii ff. The symbolism is quite apparent ; see stanzas 6 and 7 of the hymn. [42] B b 370 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. performance takes place) while he sits upon a stake or a pestle^' (generous suggestions! cf. VII, 90, 3). For hymns (and their collateral practices) dealing with the same subject, see VI, 72 ; 101 ; VII, 90; Kauj-. 40, 16-18 ; Stanza 1. The Gandharvas, the divine libertines (IV. 37, 11), who enjoy themselves in the company of the heavenly nymphs, the Apsaras, are peculiarly likely to stand in need, and have a knowledge of regenerating plants. Hence the Gandharva digs them up. But why should Varu;^a need an aphro- disiac? At VII, 90. 2, a charm for inhibiting the redundant sexual power of an enemy, the divine law of Varu//a ' withers excessive fire.' The paradox may be only a seeming one. Varu??a, as is well known, not infrequently appears in opposition to Indra, and his name even is occa- sionally, by etymological play (root var), assimilated to Vr/tra, the demon, whom Indra at RV. I, 32, 7 turns in a castrate (vadhri) ; cf. RV. IV, 42, 7; X, 124, 4. 5, and Bergaigne, La Religion Vedique, III, 144 ff. Saya;m does not comment upon this extraordinary imputation against Varu;^a, the most highly respected of all the gods. Stanza 2. e. I have followed Sayawa in regarding lid e^atu as transitive, udv;'/tta;;/ karotu, and, utkr/sh/aviryayukta;// karotu. Cf. the similar double use of the root ud ar (lid iyarti), and the simple root ir. The Pet. Lex., ' sich riihren, sich erheben.' This translation fits poorly for Pada c. Stanza 3. a, b. Saya;/a with some MSS. (Sawhiti and Padapa///a) reads virohito for virohato, and construes it as an epithet of the penis, putrapautradirupe;^a viroha;/asya nimitta;;/ puw- ^ The first part of Sutra 16 in the edition is to be regarded with Kejava as an independent Sutra. Ke^ava was not at hand until the body of the text was in print. IV. 5- COMMENTARV. 371 vyaw^anam. The sense is changed very little. Our trans- lation of abhi'taptam iva^^nati by 'exhales heat like a thing on fire ' is somewhat uncertain, since anati means ' breathe.' The Pet. Lexs., ' nach luft schnappen, lechzen;' accord- ingly 'longs for cooling like a thing on fire.' Stanza 4. a, b. Saya;/a supplies irayatu with lid. This is at least approximately correct, as may be learned from RV. X, 97, 8, u/' k/iushma. oshadhina?^ gavo gosh/Z-ad ive^^rate. The only question is whether the simple verb, rather than the causative, is to be supplied : ' The fire of the plants &c. shall arise.' The ritual embodies with stereotyped sym- bolism the w'ords uk /(Vaishma in the plant uX'X'Z/ushma ; see the introduction. c, d. Saya;/a, supported by a few MSS., reads sa;;/pusham and tanuvaj^am, glossing, samyak poshayitri/zam oshadhinaw sawbandhi yad vrish;iya.m viryam asti tad asmin purushe tanuvaj-a;;? j-ariradhina;// k/7'tva dhehi. Stanza 7. Repeated at VI, 101, 3; cf. the practice, Kau.y. 40, 15, above. d. Saya//a, with one of Shankar Pandit's MSS., reads anu valguyata (nr/tyata manasa). The Pet. Lexs. and Whitney, Index Verborum, regard sada as the instrumental of a (ITT. Key. sad, ' mounting.' But such a root-abstract is naturally feminine, and the participle anavaglayata is neuter, agreeing with pasasa supplied from Pada a. Saya;/a correctly takes sada as ' ever.' IV, 5. Commentary to page 105. The purpose of this hymn, regarded from wathin. is clear, and its position in the ritual in connection with one of the strikarma//i (Kauj-. 32, 28-36, 40) makes it certain that the Atharvavcdins dealt with it in the light indicated by our B b 2 372 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. title. Four of its stanzas (i, 3, 5, 6) appear in a different arrangement, and in connection with other material, in RV. VII, ^^. and, as usual, the Atharvan recension smacks of adaptation to a particular purpose ^. The Rigveda form itself, however, is open to the same suspicion ; both ver- sions may have draughted into service materials whose original connection in olden times (pura//a) has passed out of sight. Professor Aufrecht, Ind. Stud. IV, 337 ff., presented as early as 1858 a peculiarly lucid interpretation of both hymns (cf Zimmer, pp. 149, 308), and more recently Pro- fessor Pischel, Vedische Studien, II, ^^ ff., has made a determined attempt — in our opinion unsuccessful — to vin- dicate the interpretation of the Rigveda version as under- taken by Sha^guruj-ishya and the Brz'haddevata. Accord- ing to Pischel, Vasish//^a entered the house of Varuwa after he had fasted three days in order to steal food, and employed this charm to put all waking persons and dogs to sleep ^. There is at any rate no question as to the purpose of the stanzas as arranged by the Atharvan diaskeuasts. Darila describes it as maithuna/('ara;^avighnanai'akartar, ' removing obstacles in the way of an assignation.' The practices are stated at Kauj-. ;^6, 1—4, as follows: i. 'While reciting IV, 5 a sleeping-charm is performed. 2. The house is sprinkled with water from a vessel which has been anointed with the dregs of ghee, and the rest is poured upon the inside of the door. 3. The same act is repeated naked. 4. Then a mortar ^ is addressed (with the hymn) ; next, the northern corner (of the house), the southernmost foot of the ^ Note especially asyai in st. 6 of the AV. for sarve in st. 5 of RV. ; also svaptu for sastu (archaic) in the same stanzas. ' Pischel argues that Brahmans are known to have committed thefts in later times (Mr/X-XV/aka/ika 46, 10, &c. ; see also J^ig- vidhana I, 26, 2 ; Manu XI, 251). On the same principle it might be argued that Vedic Rishis acted as clowns (vidushaka) and even cooks, as in modern times. Cf. also Fank. Br. XXI, 11,2. ^ Does the mortar symbolise the vulva, just as the pestle the membrum virile, Kauj. 40, 16 (see IV, 4, introduction)? IV, 6. COMMENTARY. 373 woman's bed, and the ropes (of the bed).' The hymn is rubricated also in Ath. Parij-. 8, i, and it has been trans- lated by Aufrecht, 1. c. ; Grill", pp. S3, "9 ff- The Anu- kramawi, varshabham. Stanza 1. a. * Having a thousand horns,' of Agni, RV. V, i, 8 ; Tait. Br. III. 7. 2, 7; AV. XIII, i, 12 (cf RV. V, 2, 9). Saya;m. both here and at RV. VII, S5^ 7, suggests Surya. the sun ; Aufrecht, 1. c, p. 344, the moon, the father of sorcery ; Grassmann, in his translation of the Rigveda, I, 343, the starry heaven. In RV. I, 154, 6 the stars are said to be bhuri-^r/iiga, 'having many horns;' this seems to fortify Grassmann's view. Agni is also fitted for this epithet, since his flames and sparks may be viewed as horns. But fire (light) little befits the occasion. Stanza 3. c. Saya;/a, pu//yagandhaya/^ j-obhanagandhayukta/^. Pischel, 1. c, p. 57 fif., adduces proof that the Hindus of later times imagined that their women gave forth fragrance during intercourse ; hence, that the women here mentioned are awaitinsf their lovers. This narrow construction of the word is hardly necessary in the light of Manu V, 130 ; Marka7/<^eya Pura;/a XXXV, 12, quoted by Pischel himself. Stanza 5. d. Saya;?a, ida;// dn'sya.ma.na.;n harmya;« yathA. darj-a- nasaktlsunyam tatha, ' as these premises, though seen, are (themselves) devoid of the power of seeing.' IV, 6. Commentary to page 25. According to the commentators, Darila, Ke^-ava, and Saya/^a, the performances for removing poison at Kauj-. 28, 1-4 include the recitation of this as well as the next hymn (IV, 7). Kau.s-ika, however, rubricates only IV, 6, as fol- lows : 1. ' While reciting IV, 6, in a low voice, and making 374 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. obeisance to Takshaka \ the patient is made to sip water and is sprinkled with water. 2. The same performance takes place with water into which has been put a branch of the kr/muka-tree, which has been ground to pieces, and then the patient is sprinkled with water warmed by quench- ing in it a heated old garment ^ or a heated old skin of an antelope, or a heated wisp of a broom ^ 3. In a water- vessel which has been smeared with the drees of o-hee a mixed drink is stirred by means of two arrows (whose points) have been daubed (with poison ; cf st. 7), and whose points are upward ^ ; then lumps of earth ^ are broken into it (while the hymns are being recited) stanza by stanza, and the mixture is drunk until vomiting takes place. 4. Then the patient is given to drink yellow curcuma in ghee (cf. IV, 7, 2, and especially 3).' The hymn has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rig- veda, 111,512. Stanza 1. For the cosmogonic conception in the first hemistich, cf. Muir, Orig. Sanskrit Texts, I-, p. 2t, In the Ramaya/^a (cf. IV, 10, 22), the demon Rava;?a is represented as a ^ Takshaka Vaij-aleya, a serpent-god ; cf. Kaiu. 29, i; 32, 20; 56, 13, and Ind. Stud. I, 35. ^ Darila, ^irwavasa-^; Kejava, dunnaka/^, or dullaka;^. The passages are not given in the edition. ^ The Sutra abounds in subtle symbolic allusions. The krnnuka- tree embodies the bow (kai muka) ; cf. sts. 4, 6. The garment, and the old antelope-skin refer to IV, 7, 6. For ^vala cf. Kauj. 27, 29, in the introduction to III, 7. Darila glosses avakara by ukura- /ikat/7>/ani ; Kejava by ukari^ ; cf. Kaujika, Introduction, p. xlv, bottom. ■* For urdhvaphalabhyam see Kau^ika, Introduction, p. Hi, s.v. phala. The poisoned arrows with their points upward symbolise the flight of the poison away from the patient ; cf. sts. 4, 5. ^ Darila glosses rayidhara«api«^an by bhumis tanmayan plndan. But Kejava (and Saya«a with him, as usual) has madanaphalani, ' fruit from the madana-plant.' And Ke^ava remarks anent this plant, yatha X-Z/ardayati. IV, 6. COMMENTARY. 375 Brahmawa with ten heads. S^ya;/a identifies the Brahma/za with Takshaka, in accordance with the Sutra, above. Stanza 2. Cf. Va^. S. XXXVIII, 26, and for the seven rivers, Max Mliller, Chips from a German Workshop, I, 6^ ; Muir, 1. c, p. 490, note ; Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 21. Stanza 3. The poison is evidently a plant (Saya;/a, kandavisha), since the eagle is constantly associated with the origin and functions of medicinal and magic plants; see I, 24, i ; II, 27, 2 ; IV, 20; 3 ; V, 14, I, and especially our note on IV, 20, 3. For amimada// in Pada c, cf. madavati in IV, 7, 4 a. Stanza 4. c. The rendering of apaskambha is mere conjecture. Neither the root skambh nor stambh occurs with the pre- position apa. The Pet. Lexs., and Zimmer, 1. c, p. 300, 'the fastening of the point upon the shaft of the arrow ;' Ludwig, ' widerhaken.' Saya;/a has two explanations neither of which is satisfactory, apaskabhyate vidharyate antarikshe iti apaskambha// kramukavr/ksha// (cf. Kaui-. 28, 2, above) tasya .ralyad j-akalat . . . yadva avaskabhyate dhanushi dharyate iti apaskambho hkua/i. Our own ' tearing (arrow) ' is based upon the supposition that apa + skambh may mean ' uproot,' or the like, as opposite of skambh. Stanza 5. P'or the parts of the arrow as described here, see Zimmer, 1. c, p. 300. Sayawa, praw^anat pralepAt . . . apash/'Z'at apakr/sh/avasthad etatsa7//^;)ad vishopadanat. We have translated apash/Z/a/?- k//n'hga.t, ' from its barbed horn,' deriving ap^sh/Z/a from the root a^r in a^rri, ' corner ; ' cf. ash//nvantau, ' the knees.' Saya;za ascends the dizziest height of absurdity in his rendering of kulmalat, to wit : kutsitapra;nmala/^ ka. yad 376 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. udbhutam visham, ' the poison sprung from the filth of loathsome animals.' Stanza 7. Saya??a agrees with all Western authorities in deriving apishan from the root pish, to wit : aushadham apiwshan. He glosses vishagiri by kandamflladivishotpattihetu/^ par- vata/^. IV, 7. Commentary to page 36. The practices, Kauj-. 38, 1-4, obviously refer to this hymn as well as IV, 6. See the introduction to the pre- ceding hymn. Translations are offered by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 201 ; Grill^, pp. 28, 121 ff. The Anukrama/n, vanaspatyam. Stanza 1. All Western interpreters regard vara^^avati as a river ; cf., in addition to the authorities given above, Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 20. Saya/za, varawa n^ma vrzksha- visesh^/i te asyaw santi»ti vara;/dvati ; cf varawa (crataeva roxburghii), AV. VI, 85, i ; X, 3, 2 ff., where the same puns upon derivatives of the root var are displayed. The formation of the word vara/^avati might be compared with jitikavati and hladikavati in RV. X, 16, i4 = AV. XVIII, 3, 60 ; see our Contributions, Second Series, Amer. Journ. Phil. XI, p. 341 ff. Cf also madavati in St. 4 (cf IV, 6, 3 c), as a designation of the poisonous plant, varawavati would then be the name of the curative plant, the antidote, ' affording protection.' But the ceremonies in the Sutra (28, 1) begin with the use of water, and the appearance of var in Pada a also points to the name of a river. Stanza 2. d. Cf. RV. I, 187, 10; Apast. ^r. XII, 4, 13. Cf. for this and the next stanza the ritual, above, Kauj-. 28, 4. Stanza 3. a. In deciding upon the meaning of tiryam we have had in mind the evident concatenation of st. 2 with 3 a, b. The IV, 7- COMMENTARY. 377 thought is continued, and, as is customary in catenary con- structions, a new motif is added, tirya;« (sc. visham) in addition to the pra-^yam, &c. of stanza 2. Since pra-^yam, &c. indicate directions, we have regarded tiryam in the same Hght, i.e. as a variant of tiryank ; cf. X, 2, 11. 24. 25. 28; 8, 19; XI, 4, 25; XV, 3, 6. Saya;/a also attributes tiryam to visham, but in the sense of ' secret, hidden,' tiro- bhava;;^ pra/V/annatvena prayuktam. This rendering is certainly possible. The Western translators all err because they attribute the word to karambham : Pet. Lexs. and Zimmer = tilya, 'made from sesame;' Ludwig, ' einen breiten kuchen;' Grill emends to atiriya ( = ati + riya), ' overflowing.' b. The vulgate reads pibasphakam (Padapa///a in Whit- ney's Index, piba// + phakam}. Shankar Pandit's MSS. read pibaspakam (Padap. piba// + pakam) ; Saya;/a, piva- spakam, 'a rich mess.' For udarathi'm, see RV. I, 187, 10. The Pet. Lexs., and Grill, ' dampfend ; ' Ludwig, ' hoch- aufgegangen ; ' Saya;/a, ' prosperous ' (udriktarti^anakam). Our own translation, ' cheering,' is equally conjectural. Stanza 5. Far from clear (cf. VI. 44, 1). Ludwig, ' wie einen wall (cine aufschiittung) um das dorf richten wir auf;' Grill, upon the basis of the Pet. Lex., ' als wie mit einer heeres- schaar umstellen wir dich mit dem wort.' Sayawa, ' the poison which is heaped up like a throng of people ' (^ana- samuham iva upa>^ita;// visham). He adds that the com- parison with the throng suggests the power of the poison (^''ramadr/sh/antena vishasya prabalyam uktam), and thus nearly meets our own rendering, which, to be sure, suggests the frequency of the poison, rather than its strength. Stanza 6. a, b. The Sutra (28, 2) ought to be helpful here. Three articles are mentioned there, dur.ya, a^ina, and avakara, two of which are given here in the same terms. It would seem to follow that the third, avakara, is identical with pavasta, 2,'/S HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. and accordingly Saya;/a says outright, pavastai// pavanaya cLstsLi/i sa;//mar^anit;7';/ai/;. All this may be correct : the implication appears to be that the poisonous plant, itself worthless, is bartered for worthless things, stray wisps of broom-straw, old garments, and worn-out skin. But the word ^arat, ' old,' is not mentioned in the hymn, and the symbolism of the Sutra is obscure ; we cannot therefore regard all this as in any way secure. Moreover the diffi- cult task of making this interpretation fit the only other occurrence of pavasta (dual, pavaste), RV. X, 27, 7, remains. Sayawa quotes the passage and glosses the dual by dyava- pr/thivi, here as well as in the RV. Stanza 7. Repeated at V, 6, 2 in an equally obscure connection. Saya;za, ' those enemies, O people, who were hostile to you in the witchcraft-practices which they performed, may they not by these practices injure our men here.' IV, 8. Commentary to page hi. This hymn is founded upon certain practices, well known in connection with the consecration of a kiner throug-hout the Vedic literature. Professor Weber has recently devoted to this subject a characteristically excellent treatise, ' Uber die Konigsvveihe, den Ra^asuya,' Transactions of the Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences, 1H93. Two noteworthy performances are indicated in the hymn : the king is sprinkled with water, derived from holy rivers, and mixed with the essence of holy plants (.yantyudakam : see Kauj-. 17, 1, and 9, 1 ff.) ; and he steps upon a tiger-skin. Both practices figure prominently in the descriptions of the ra^asLiya in the Ya^us-sa/Zz-hitas, Brahma;/as, and Sutras : see the index to Weber's treatise under ' salbung,' and 'tiger-fell.' The hymn reflects throughout the spirit of antique popular institutions, and a genuine appreciation of the dignity of royalty. The Atharvan ritual presents it in connection with a IV, 8. COMMENTARY. 379 double treatment of the ra^asuya, either as a more solemn and elaborate priestly jrauta-practice, or a more popular and direct gr/hya-practice. The former is given at Vait. Su. ^6, 1-13 : it presents in a compendious form the practices current in other j-rauta-works, with particular attention to the chronology of the months. The sprinkling (abhisheZ^aniya) and the tiger-skin figure as the prominent points. The more popular phase of the practice is stated in a double form at Kau.y. 17, 1-29. The first (Kauj-. 17, i-io) is the simplest. Only the king and his chaplain (purohita) are here actively engaged: i. 'While reciting the hymn he who is about. Jto sprinkle a king prepares at the banks of a great river.i/''' holy water " from the ingre- dients prescribed (in st. 5 ; cf. Kauj-. 9). 2. He causes a porridge to be cooked, and sprinkles the king who stands upon darbha-grass on the south-side of the vedi (called) parigr/hya ^. 3. He seats the king upon a couch (placed) on a bull's skin ^ 4. They (the king and the purohita) fill for one another a water-vessel (with water). 5. They exchange them. 6. The Brahman says: "In common to us be the good we do, in common the bad." 7. (The king says) : " He (of us two) who shall do evil, his may the evil be ; the good deed alone shall belong to both of us." 8. (The purohita) gives the porridge (to the king) to eat. 9. Then he causes him to mount a horse, and turn to the north-eastern direction (apara^ita, " the unconquered "). According to Darila near the rivers Ganga, Yamuna, or Sarasvati. 2 Darila, parigr/hya parigr/hyavedi// parigrahawam, sa yogo(!). Cf. Tait. S. II, 2, 10, 5; Maitr. S. I, 6, 3 (p. 89, 1. 14); Apast. Sr. IV, 5, 4, and AV. XII, i, 13. ^ I fail to see why Professor Weber (1. c, p. 1 40, note 5) ignores my obvious emendation of talparshabham to talpa (i. e. talpe) arshabham. The bull's skin takes here the place of the tiger-skin. The more elaborate ceremony (mahabhisheka), described in the sequel (Kauf. 17, 11 ff.), brings in the tiger-skin. The present form of the ra^asfiya is the ' simple one' (lagliu, laghvabhisheka), according to Kej-ava and Sayawa. LO 380 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 10. A thousand (cows), or a choice village, is the fee for the priest.' The Kauj-ika continues further with another mode of consecration for an ekara^a, 'sole ruler \' In this the tiger-skin takes the place of the bull's skin. Four princes and a number of servants and subjects participate in this. See Weber, 1. c, p. 141 ff. The hymn has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III. 458; Weber, I.e., 139. By itself it figures as the abhishekaga;/a in the Gawamala, Ath. Parij. 32, 30. Stanza 1. c, d. The king is all-powerful. But there is yet another king, more powerful than he, death. Death is present in person now, as at all times, but he shall assent to the rule of the king. Stanza 3. This stanza recurs in a hymn to Indra, RV. Ill, 38,4. The manly Asura is primarily Indra. Since Indra is the typical king (kshatriya), stanzas in praise of Indra lend themselves readily to adaptation to praises and beatifica- tion of royalty ; cf III, i, 4; 2, 5, and elsewhere. Stanza 4. The tiger, as well as the lion (st. 'j), is the king of animals : vSat. Br. V, 5, 4? 10 ; XII, 7, i, 8 ; hence his skin is a mark of royalty. Control of the regions is a sine qua non of royalty; cf e.g. Maitr. S. II, 1, 12, and the dig-vyastha- pana-mantra// at Tait. S. I, 8, 13, i. 2 ; Tait. Br. I, 7, 7, i. 2. ^ I am inclined to think that ' sole ruler,' and not * simple king/ as Weber (p. 141) renders it, is the meaning of ekara^a ; cf. ekara^ in Ait. Cr. VIII, 15, i (scholiast, eka eva ra^a); AV. Ill, 4, I ; RV. VIII, 37, 3, and ekavr/sha, AV. IV, 22, i. 5, a hymn which is rubricated in the sequel of this description (Kauj-. 17, 28). Kejava, moreover, introduces Sutra 11 with the words, maha- bhishekavidhi/«.vakshyama/^. The entire passage Kauj-. 17, n-29 deals with this more pompous ceremony. IV, 9- COMMENTARY. 381 See in general, Contributions, Fourth Series, Amer. Journ. Pliil. XII, 432. d. The heavenly waters are the very ones with which the king is consecrated. By a bold figure of speech they, as they are about to moisten him, are said to long for him ! Stanza 6. a. Some MSS. and Saya«a read abhi . . . asrz^an for abhi . . . a.sin/:an. Saya;^a glosses, abhimukhyena sdiinsrig- antu. Stanza 7. c, d. The passage is not quite clear : subhuva/^ may refer to the waters, or to the attendant priests (so Sayawa, seva- ka^ana/^). The word dvipi'nam harbours a double entente : dvipa is ' island.' Vaguely, the position of the king, as he is surrounded by the consecrating water, suggests an island in the ocean. IV, 9. Commentary to page 6r. The hymn is rubricated at Kau^\ 58, 8 in a practice calculated to bestow long life upon the young Aryan, after he has been invested with the holy cord (cf. Hir. G/Zh. I, II, 5), to wit: ' While reciting IV, 9, an amulet of salve is fastened (upon the youth).' See also vVantikalpa 17 and 19^; Ath. Parij-. 4, i. A persistent tradition has it that the mountain Trikakud (' Three-peaks '), in more modern times Triku/a or Triy^ota, between the Pcnjab and the Himalayas, is the source from which the salve is derived. See the Pet. Lex. under a/7^ana, trikakud, and traikakuda, and Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, pp. 29, 69. The Anu- kramawi describes the hymn as traikakuda/T^anadaivatam ; it has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 507 ; Grill", pp.35, 123 ff., and exhibits noteworthy points of contact with RV. X, 97. ' Erroneously quoted by Saya?/a as Nakshatrakalpa. 382 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 3 Stanza 1. b. The majority of Shankar Pandit's MSS. read akshyam ; this he has taken into the text. Other MSS. read akshyam. But there is also MS. authority for aksham, the reading of the vulgate, and Saya;/a, who glosses it by kakshu/i, ' eye.' But aksham does not mean ' eye,' and akshyam is other- wise unquotable. Nevertheless, we have translated akshyam , for the passage seems to be a tantalising reverberation of Sat. Br. Ill, I, 3, 12. 'When Indra slew Vrztra, he trans- formed that eye of his (Vrztra's) into the mount Trikakud. The reason, then, why (ointment) from mount Trikakud (is used) is that he thereby puts eye into eye.' This seems to show that the ointment was applied about the eye^, and apparently silences Professor Roth's objection, as reported by Grill, that this is too narrow a view of the usefulness of the ointment. Cf also Maitr. S. Ill, 6, 3; Tait. S. VI, i, I, 5, which are equally pertinent. Stanza 3. c, d. The Paippalada reads, uta^mr/tatvasye^^jisha uta ^sa// pitubho^anam. Pada e looks like an appendage ; cf XIX, 44, 2. Stanza 4. Cf. RV. X, 97, i2 = Va^. S. XII, 86. The difficult word of the stanza is madhyamaj-ir, all the renderings of which, both native and western, are mere conjectures. S^ya«a, here, either 'wind' (i.e. who dwells in the middle region), or, arir mitram arer mitram iti nitij-astroktama//c/alama- dhyavarti ra^a. The gloss at RV. is similar to the latter interpretation. Still more fanciful is Mahidhara at Va^. S. Stanza 5. Cf II, 4, 2, and for the meaning of vishkandha, see the note on II, 4, i. Saya«aon st. 3, anakti /(-akshuyhi anene^ti a%anam. IV. lO. COMMENTARY. ';8 0*-'J Stanza 7. d. We have taken purusha in the sense which it fre- quently has in the V^eda. namely, ' menial, servitor.' Cf. RV. X, 97, 4; AV. X. I, 17; ^at. Br. VI, 3, i, 22 ; and probably also RV. VI, 39, 5 (discussed erroneously by Pischel, Vedische Studien, I, 43). Ludwig, ' und dein leben, o mensch ; ' Grill, ' auch deinen lebensgeist, du mann ! ' Saya?/a reads purushas with some MSS. (both Sawhita and Padapa/Z/a), all of which, however, present the word as an enclitic without udatta. With the nominative the sense is, ' may I as thy servitor (O salve) obtain horses, &c.' Stanza 8. For balasa, see the discussion in the note on V, 22, ir. The poison of the serpent is considered as a disease ; hence it is mentioned along with takman and balasa. Stanza 9. Cf. Tait. Ar. VI, 10, 2 ; Hir. G;-/h. I, 11, 5. IV, 10. Commentary to page 62. The hymn is employed at Kaui-. 58, 9 in connection with a practice for bestowing long life and prosperity upon the young Brahmanical disciple after the investiture : ' While reciting IV, 10 an amulet of pearl is fastened (upon the youth).' Cf. also ^antikalpa in the introduction to XIX, 34. The hymn has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rig- veda, III, 462; Grill-, pp. 36, 124 ff. Cf. also Pischel in Zeitschr. d. Deutsch. Morg. Gesellsch. XXXVI, 135 ff. The Anukrama/n, j-aiikhamawisuktam. Stanza 1. In this and the subsequent stanzas the fanciful sources of the pearl, some of which become commonplace in the later literature, are paralleled with great fidelity in the imaginations of Arabic and classical writers ; see Pischel, 1. c. The glint on the surface of both pearl and shell 384 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. suggests gold ; and the changes are rung upon this com- parison. See also Yaska's Nighaw/u I, 2, where k/wana is put among the names for gold ; cf. especially st. 6. Stanza 2. a. Sayawa, ro,^anana;;z ro/^'amananaw bhasvarawaw nak- shatradinam. He has in mind, doubtless, the beautiful stanza RV. X, 68, ti, 'as a black steed with pearls, thus did the Fathers stud the sky with stars.' Stanza 3. b. For sadanva^, see our note on II, 14, i d. Stanza 5. b. Sayawa, ' from the body of Vr/tra, or from the cloud.' The latter alternative hits the point. According to the familiar Hindu notion, the pearl is a drop of rain, and thus it here breaks through the cloud, like the sun, itself a small sun. Stanza 6. Pada a accounts for the presence of the word kr/jrana among the names for gold, Yaska's Nigh. I, 2. With Pada c cf. RV. I, ^^, 4. The extra fifth Pada is formulaic, and betrays its character as an appendage by the change of person (tarishat) ; see the note on II, 4, 6. Stanza 7. e. The MSS. available for the vulgate read kari-anas ; so also the majority of Shankar Pandit's MSS. The emendation of the Pet. Lex. to karj-anas is now substan- tiated by Sayawa (karsAna/i krwanasaw/bandhi ma;/i//), and a minority of Shankar Pandit's MSS. IV, 12. Commentary to page 19. The purport of this hymn is manifest both from its wording, and its function in the ritual. It is to cure external lesions, and fractures of bones. The Kaui'ika IV, T2. COMMENTARY, 385 deals with it twice, 28, 5. 6, and 28, 14. The practice described in the former place is assigned by Kej-ava to the healing of broken bones, wounds, and flow of blood caused by weapons (asthibhaiige rudhirapravahe j-astrabhighatadau bhaisha^yam). It consists in sprinkling the patient at dawn when the stars fade (with a decoction of the laksha-plant, Kej-ava adds), then giving him to drink a so-called przsha.- taka \ a mixture of ghee and milk (so Darila ; cf. Kauj". 49, 15), and finally anointing him with it : 28, 5. roha;n^ty avanakshatre^vasi/zZ^ati. 6. p;'/shataka;« payayaty abhy- anakti. At Kauj-. 28, 14 the performance is very similar, lakshaliiigabhir (sc. r/gbhir) dugdhe pha;//an payayati, 'while reciting the stanzas characterised by the mention of the laksha-plant (according to the commentators, AV. V, 5 in addition to our hymn) he gives the patient to drink a decoc- tion (of the plant) in milk.' Darila distinctly describes this as a cure for wounds (arusho bhaisha^^yam), while with Kejava the scope of the charm is broader, namely, ' against wounds from knives, clubs, stones, burns, in fact all wounds of the body.' The name laksha, under which the plant addressed in this hymn goes consistently in the ritual books, does not occur in our hymn, but instead arundhatu In AV. V, 5, 7 the laksha is mentioned— apparently a air. Key. in the Mantras — and it there appears distinctly as an alternate designation of the creeper called arundhati', or silaK^ a parasitic plant which grows up on the stems of many trees (V, 5, 5), and which is otherwise described in the same hymn ; cf. also Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 67. Since the plant is employed to cure wounds (arus), the student of the Atharvan need hardly be warned that there is a punning symbolic connection between the disease and the simple ; cf. Darila's ' For pnshataka, see Gobh. Gn'h. Ill, 8, i ff. ; Gr/hyasa;«graha II, 59, and my note on the same, Zeitsclir. d. Deutsch. jNIorgenl. Gesellsch. XXXV, p. 580. ^ Possibly also r6ha«i ; seethe note on stanza i. Sayawa at VI, 59, I explains arundhati as sahadevi (cf. the text of VI, 59, 2). [42] c c ^86 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. o statement, arusho bhaisha^yam, at Kauj-. 28, 14, and the doubtless conscious mention of arus and arundhati' in V, 5, 4. 5 ; cf. also VIII, 7, 6. The word is, however. Hkel}- to be a-rundhati', a feminine present participle with a priva- tive ; so Saya;/a at VI, 59, 2. Adalbert Kuhn, Zeitschrift fiir vergleichende Sprach- forschung, XIII, 58 ff . ; 151 ff., has compared the hymn with the Merseburg- charm, and a considerable variety of related materials from German, Scandinavian, and English sources. And, having in view more particularly AV. V, 5, 8. 9, he believes that the creeper was used primarily to heal the fractured limbs of horses — a construction which seems to me too narrow. Any kind of genetic connection between the Hindu and the German charm is none too certain, since the situation may have suggested the same expressions independently. Yet as a strongly-marked line in the folk-psychological character of the peoples in question, the parallels are extremely valuable and instructive. The hymn has also been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 508, and Grill ^, pp. 18 and 125 ff . ; cf. also Hillebrandt, Vedachrestomathie, p. 48. The Anukrama/n designates the hymn as vanaspatyam, ' devoted to Vanaspati,' its author being Ribhu (cf. st. 7). Stanza 1. a, b. I take it that the three occurrences of the word r6ha;/i in the stanza are intended to convey the same word in at least a double meaning. The plant is a creeper growing upon trees, as is stated distinctly in AV. V, 5, 3. vr/ksha;>'^-vr/ksham a rohasi, ' every tree thou doest ascend.' The poet is very likely to have in mind this meaning of the root ruh in addition to the more direct one, ' cause to grow,' at least in connection with the first occurrence of the word. It seems necessary to construe one of the two roham in the first Pada as a proper name ; Ludwig in his translation goes farther than that, and seems to take one of them as vocative, ' Roha;/)[, die wachsen macht ] bist du, o Rohawi, &c.' The passage with its three identical nomi- natives has a parallel in the traditional text of XIX, ;^^, i, IV, 12. COMMENTARY. 387 ^arigiVo^si ga.hgy6 rakshita^si g-ahglda/t (so the MSS. ; the edition corrects to angira asi ^aiigi^'/a, &c.). The tempta- tion in both cases is to change at least one of the nomi- natives to a vocative : see the note on XIX, ^S, t. Grill translates the two roha/n in Pada a by two synonymic expressions, 'Verheilung wirkst du, ja du heilst-' This simply veils the difficulty. It may be worth noting that the MSS. of the Kaiuika in quoting the hymn at 2H, 5 read unanimously rohi;/i ; this is the reading of Saya//a, and of the Paippalada for all three occurrences of the word, and it suggests ' red,' a quality which is borne out by certain ,. epithets of the plant, hira;/yavar//a, ' golden-coloured.' in V, 5, 6. 7 ; suryavar;m, ' sun-coloured,' in Y, S^ 6'- ^ushma, ' fiery/ in V, 5, 7. The name of the plant, laksha, ' lac-dye' — cf. the Pet. Lex. s. v. 2 — also suggests ' red,' and this may be a third thought which runs through the mind of the versifex while composing the stanza. I attach no text- critical significance to the metre of the stanza (gayatri), which differs from that of sts. 2-5 on the one hand, and 6 and 7 on the other; cf. e.g. RV. VII, 103 ; AV. II, 4 ; VI, III, &c. Stanza 2. h. I have reluctantly refrained from emending asti to asthi ^, ' bone.' The rather superfluous copula at the begin- ning of the Pada is suspicious, and the translation of pesh- /ram by ' bone ' is not at all certain. Both the related pi^ita and pesi' mean ' flesh,' and that, not ' bone,' may be the meaning of pesh/ram. This fits here as well as at AV. VI, 37, 3, the only other place where the word occurs, and Hillebrandt in the vocabulary of his Vedachrestomathie states a similar view, * losgeschlagenes stuck fleisch, fleisch- fetzen,' although his derivation from the root pish, 'crush,' separates needlessly our word from pi.yita and pei'i'. With this change, Padas a, b should be translated ' what bone and flesh in thy person has been injured and burst, (may Dhatar, * By way of illustrating the easy confusion of these two words we may mention that Sayawa at IV, 10, 7 a, reads asti for asthi. C C 2 388 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. &c.).' Note, too, the parallelism which is thus established with Padas c, d in st. 3 (asthi in both stanzas, and pesh/ram = ma;//sasya). Saya;/a comments upon presh/Z/am instead of pesh/ram. c, d. dhata in alliteration with dadhat. Stanza 3. Almost every feature of the detailed account of the parts of the body, here and in the following two stanzas, may be paralleled from the Teutonic charms, e.g. Kuhn, 1. c, p. 51 : ' ben zi bena bluet zi bluoda lid zi geliden sose gelimida sin.' The Norwegian charm mentioned on the same page recites marrow, bones, and flesh : ' marv i marv, been i been, kjod i kjod.' A charm from the Orkneys recites (1. c, p. 54) : ' Sinew to sinew, joint to joint, Blood to blood, and bone to bone, Attend thou in God's name ! ' a. As the Pada stands it is hypercatalectic. The Paippa- lada omits te, which may have crept in from Pada c. But even this leaves a bad final cadence : perhaps bhavatu is to be read dissyllabically (bhotu, in the manner of the Prakrit hodu). For the metrical equivalence of ava and o, see the author's article, ' On certain irregular Vedic Subjunctives,' Amer. Journ. Phil. V, 25 ff. (p. 10 ff. of the reprint). Saya;/a reads sa.m for sam in each of the four Padas. Stanza 6. The metre is very irregular ; the Anukrama;/i describes the stanza as tripada yavamadhya bhuriggayatri, not a bad characterisation, as the middle Pada is larger than the other two. By reading sottish///a we obtain a good octosyllabic Pada a; b is a trish/ubh, and c is a catalectic anush/ubh (read urdhua/^). Hillebrandt and Grill assume that this and the following stanza are later accretions, and both metre and sense seem to bear them out. But these matters are so IV, 1 6. COMMENTARY. 389 very subjective ! Ludwig does not construe Pada b as a comparison, but translates ' gutes rad, gute felge, gute nabe hat der wagen.' Evidently, he also has in mind an exoteric origin of the stanza. Stanza 7. Cf. RV. VI, 54, 7. The stanza consists of two eleven- syllable and two octosyllabic Padas. The first Pada may be righted by reading patitua, or possibly yadi vd kartam, &c. (cf. yadi va in Pada b). The Anukrama;/i baldly counts thirty-six syllables as they stand, without resolution, and designates the stanza as bWhati. c, d. The subject of saw dadhat seems to me (as to Grill) to be Dhatar, the fashioner in st. 2 ; r/bhCi belongs to the comparison, as in X, 1,8. The 7?/bhus are known to have constructed the chariot of the Ajvins, but they are not counted among the divine physicians (Rudra, the Aj-vins, the waters, and Sarasvati). Kuhn and Ludwig make ribhu the subject of saw dadhat, but the former regards it as an epithet of Dhatar. IV, 16. Commentary to page 88. Professor von Roth, who first treated this hymn in his well-known essay, entitled ' Abhandlung iiber den Atharva- veda ' (Tubingen, 1856), remarks on p. 30: 'There is no other hymn in the entire Vedic literature which presents divine omniscience in terms so emphatic, and yet this beautiful fabric has been degraded to serve as an introduc- tion to an imprecation. One may surmise, however, in this case as well as in the case of many other parts of this Veda, that fragments of older hymns have been utilised to deck out charms for sorcery.' We may remark, however, that the stanzas of this hymn do not occur in any other connection, and there is no tangible evidence that they were constructed for any other purpose than that before us. Certainly the Atharvavedins had nothing better in view, and accordingly the hymn is rubricated in the sixth book of the Kau.fika which is 390 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. devoted to sorcery (abhi/^arika). At Kau^. 48, 7 the con- juring enemy, as he comes on, is met by the recital of this hymn; at 127, 3 the third stanza, in praise of Varu;/a, figures in an expiatory rite when the constellation, ' the seven Rishis ' (the dipper), is ominously obscured by some nebulous mass, or comet (yatra dhumaketu/^ saptarshin upadhupayati). The Anukrama/n describes the hymn as satyanr/tanvikshaz/asuktam, ' a hymn which searches out truth and untruth,' There are many translations of the piece : Roth, 1. c, pp. 29 ff. ; Zeitschr. d. Deutsch. Morg. Gesellsch. VII, 607 ; Max Miiller, Chips from a German Workshop, I, 40 ff. ; Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, V, 63 ff. (cf. also 11,451); Metrical Translations, p. 163 ; Kaegi, Der Rig-veda^ p. 89 ff. (p. 65 ff. of Arrowsmith's translation) ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 388; Grill 2, pp. 32, 126 ff. ; cf. also Hille- brandt's Vedachrestomathie, p. 38 ff. ; Bergaigne et Henry, Manuel Vedique, p. 146 ff. Stanza 1. Cf Psalms xxxiii. 1 3 ; cxiii. 5 ; cxxxviii. 6 ; cxxxix. 2 ; Jer. xxiii. 23, and see for scriptural parallels to the next stanzas the notes to Kaegi's translation. Saya;/a refers esham to the enemies ; most translators, to the human race in general. We supply devanam from deva/i in Pada d. Some MSS. of the Padapa//^a read tayat and ^arat ; the latter is adopted by Sayawa, ka.ranasi\avi ka. naj-vara;/^ ka vastu manyate. Stanza 2. a. Saya;/a explains va;H'ati by kau/ilyena pratarayati, ' leads astray by means of guile.' Cf the formula, namo va/H'ate, pariva;//^ate, stayuna;// pataye nama//, Mait. S. II, 9, 3 ; Tait. S. IV, 5, 3, i ; Va^. S. XVI, 21, addressed as part of the i-atarudriya-litany to god Rudra in his capacity of master-thief (Mahidhara also, va;?/^ati pratarayati). The Paippalada reads, yas tish///ati manasa yas ka va;7/'ati, sup- porting in a measure Siyawa's and Mahidhara's glosses. b. The Padapa///a reads ni^layan, a participle, not a TV, 1 6. COMMENTARY. 39 1 gerund ; pratankam is left as an accusative dependent upon /^ar, a verb of motion. The meaning 'hiding-place' for pratahka suits its only other occurrence, AV. V, 13, 8 : ' the poison of all (serpents) who have run into their hiding- place is without force.' Cf. also pratakvan, Maitr. S. I, 2, 12 ; Tait. S. I, 3, 3, i ; Va^. S. V, 32. and Pet. Lex. (epithet of a pit). Saya;/a reads nilayam, and glosses pratankam with prakarshe/^a kr/Z'/^/zra^ivana;/? prapya. The Paippa- lada has pralayam, absolutive, in the place of pratankam. Stanza 3. e, d. The last two Padas foreshadow Varu//a's later func- tion as Neptune (apaw pati//) ; cf. RV. II, 38, 8 ; AV. Ill, 3, 4 ; Maitr. S. II, 6, 8 ; Tait. S. I, 8. ] 2, 1 ; V, 6, i, i ; Va^. S. X, 7, and Weber, Rag-asuya, p. 44, note i. The two oceans are the heavenly and earthly oceans ; cf. RV. X, 136,5; AV. XI, 2, 25; 5,6. Stanza 4. Varu;/a's spies are the stars, ' the eyes of night' (RV. X, 1 27, 1), ' the beholders of men,' AV. XIX, 47, 3 ff. Cf. our Contributions, Third Series, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XV, p. 170. Stanza 5. b, c. Saya;/a reads purastat for parastat, and construes sawkhyata as the nom. of the stem sa;//khyatar (prama«a- yita). d. The Pada is exceedingly difficult, ni minoti has the sanction of all MSS., and is apparently the reading of the Paippalada also. The gamester throws down (ni vapati, Kau.y. 41, 13) his dice, and it is implied here, of course, that it is done successfully, that the player obtains the stakes (kr/tam, see Pet. Lex., s. v. kr/ta 3 c), because Varu;?a cannot be otherwise than successful. As the player plants down these (successful dice) thus does Varu;/a establish these laws (tani, sc. vratani?). Saya/^a, who did not primarily influence our conclusion, in part approaches the same interpretation, tani papina;;/ 5ikshakarma;n tattatpa- 392 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. panusare;/a ni minoti ni kshipati . . . yatha kitava/^ akshan atmano ^ayartha;// nikshipati. The Pet. Lex. (V, 764 ; VII, 409) emends to 111 /^inoti and vi y^inoti without real gain, tempting as the emendation is in the Hght of RV. X, 42, 9 = AV. VII, 50, 6, and AV. IV, 38, 2. Grill suggests ni minoti (or minati) in the sense of ' reducing, causing to vanish the strength of men ' (cf. Sayawa), but neither expression will bear such an interpretation (ni minati does not occur). The translators offer the greatest variety of versions, without, as a rule, adhering closely to the text. Stanza 6. Saya;/a reads visita/^ and rushanta/^ (so also the Paippa- lada). For sinantu of the vulgate the MSS. have k/nnantu, /(Vnnattu, and sinantu (Saya//a, >^//inattu X'/nndantu). Stanza 7. a. varu;/a is metrically superfluous, an obvious gloss. c. The MSS. read sra.msa.yitva. and j-ra7;/sayitva. Sayawa, correctly, srawsayitva (^alodararogewa srasta;;u krz'tva). d. Saya/^a, followed by Shankar Pandit, reads abandha/^ for abandhra//. The Pet. Lex. s. v. 2 kart, 'like a leaking tub wound about with rags ' (to stop the leakage). Saya;/a, ase// kosa. iva parikr/tyamana/^ (krz'ti X'/^edane), ' like the broken sheath of a sword.' Stanza 8. Literally, ' with Varu7/a who is fastened lengthwise, &c.' The word va.runa./i could be well spared from all three Padas, if it were not for the metrical symmetry with the next stanza. Or it might be changed to the vocative varu;/a. For samamyo and vyamyo, cf AV. XVIII, 4, 70 : the words are clear. Ludwig and Saya//a erroneously connect them with amaya, ' disease.' vide^-ya is naturally derived from videja, ' foreign country ; ' in that case saw- de.fya is an artificially formed opposite 'native, indigenous.' So Saya;/a. Both words are diT. key. An alternate possibility IV, 17- COMMENTARY, 393 is to render sawde^ya, ' subject to command ; ' then vide^ya is 'exempt from command.' Or, again, each may be translated independently: sa7;^dej-ya, 'subject to command ;' vide^yya, ' foreign : ' their juxtaposition in a magic formula may be of the punning order. For sawde.yya, cf. our note on II, 8, 5 b. The divine and the human (noose of) Varuwa refers either to divine and human disease (so, apparently, Saya;/a), or to diseases instigated by gods and men. The formula grovels in the lowest bathos of hocus-pocus. IV, 17. Commentary to paCxE 69. This and the two following hymns are addressed to the apamarga-plant (achyranthes aspera) ^ It is employed to ward off all kinds of evil and witchcraft, and its qualifica- tions in that direction are guaranteed to the Atharvanic Hindu by its real or supposed etymology. The name is hardly ever mentioned without bringing in its trail the verb apa mar^, ' to wipe out.' The pun assumes the most lively reality : diseases, enemies, demons, and sins are wiped out by its influence. See Zimmer, p. 66 ff. ; our Contribu- tions, Third Series, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XV, 161 ; Weber, Ra^asuya, p. i^ kriiyzih piatisarafr a^antu, and cf. the note on VIII, 5, i. IV, I 7- COMMENTARY. 395 Stanza 3. Identical with I, 28, 3. The Pet. Lexs., Zimmer, and Grill regard muram = mulam. ' root (of an injurious plant).' Sayawa, mur/V/apradam. Padas c, d perhaps rather, 'she who has taken in hand the (magic substances) created to rob strentrth . . .' Stanza 4. Cf. V, 31, 1, and the note on Kau.<-. 39, 31. The unburned vessel seems to symbolise the fragility, destructibility (5at. Br. XII, I, 3, 23) of the person upon whom enchantments are practised. At 5at. Br. XIV, 9, 4, it = Brih. Ar. VI, 4, 12 it figures in a sorcery practice against a wife's para- mour. The compound nilalohita is also connected with sorcery from the first. It occurs in RV. X, 85, 28 = AV. XIV, 1,26 = Apast. Mantrabr. I, 6, 8 (Apast. Gr/h. II, 5, 23)=:Baudh. Gnh. I, 8 ; AV. VIII, 8, 24. The Atharvan ritual, Kau.y. 16, 20 (rubricating AV. VIII, 8, 24 d) ; 32, 17; 40, 4 ; 48, 40 ; 83, 4, leaves little room for doubt that in its view a dark blue and a red thread are here intended. This is also the tradition of Apast. Grzh. II, 5, 23, and similarly 5ahkh. Gr/h. I, 12, 8 prescribes, in connection with RV. X, 85, 28, a red and black cord upon which amulets are fastened. Only Baudh. I, 8 treats the compound as a symbolic representation of night and day ; see Winternitz, Das Altindische Hochzeitsrituell, pp. 6, ] 2, 67. It is, of course, possible to conclude that this is the true source of the symbolism : day and night rendered concrete by these two colours. Sayawa seems to have lost his grip upon Atharvan tradition when he says to our passage, 'the fire which is black from the rise of smoke and red from its flame.' Zimmer and Grill both co-ordinate nilalohite with ame patre, 'an das ungebrannte ' and 'am rotgebrannten,' obviously against the spirit of the Atharvan tradition. Cf. also the introduction to VII, 116, and Tait. S. IV, 5, 10, i. c. Raw meat is eaten by demons, and therefore realises symbolically their presence ; see V, 29, 6 ; VIII, 6, 23. 396 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Stanza 5. Identical with VII, 23. I have translated abhvam by ' gruesomeness,' because it has occurred to me at various times that it, as well as abhu (cf. RV. X, i 29, 3), is related to nabhas, ' fog, cloud,' being in the current terms of comparative grammar = nbhuo-, and nbhii from root nebh. For this and the following two stanzas, cf RV. V, :^6, 3 ; VII, I, 19 ff. Stanza 6. b. The clever emendation of the Pet. Lex. anapatyatam, for anapadyatam, as is the reading of the MSS.of the vulgate, is now authenticated by quite a number of Shankar Pandit's MSS., and Saya;/a (apatyarahityam) ; cf the words apra- ^asta and apra^astva. IV, 18. Commentary to page 70. For the treatment of this hymn in the ritualistic texts, see the introduction to IV, 17. The hymn has been trans- lated by Grill"-^, pp. 25, 131 ff. Stanza 1. The Atharvanist loves to point to cosmic correspond- ences and harmonies as the foundation of his own righteous undertakings. This harmony furnishes the satyam, the unfailing basis (cf. r/tam) for his own operations against the powers of evil. Professor Roth, as quoted by Grill, refers ^yoti/^ to the light ^ of the moon (cf ^yotsna), thus establishing a closer parallelism between Padas a and b. I doubt whether the text will bear this strain. Saya;i!a literally, 'the light of thee (the apamarga-plant) ;' cf IV, 19, 3. The night is frequently viewed as illumined, starry (RV. X, 127 ; AV. XIX, 47, i ; 49> 6. 8). b. kr/tvari// either ' enchantments ' or ' witches.' Stanza 3. In our view the solution of the difficulty here lies in the assumption of a change of gender from yas in Pada b (the ^ Correct ' Night' at the beginning of the stanza to ' Light.' IV, 19- COMMENTARY. 397 male sorcerer) to tasyam (the witch) in Pada c. The entire second hemistich describes the punishment of sorcerers, for which cf. V, 23, 13. If we were to change tasyfi;« dag- dhayam to tasmin dagdhe the sense would be obvious. Cf. V, 14, 6, yadi strf yadi va piiman kr/tya;/z /-akara pap- mane. Grill emends ama to amayam (sc. sthalyam) with a result somewhat as follows: 'He who practises sorcery in an unburned vessel and then puts it upon the fire to bake, his magic vessel cracks as though hit by great stones.' Saya//a deprives himself of possible helpfulness by reading dugdhay^m for dagdhayam (pratikarewa riktikr/tay^w . . . kr/tydyam, 'upon his sorcery rendered impotent by the counter-charm '). Stanza 4. b. The Vulgate's vi'grivaw /^//apaya (Padapa/Z'a, vigrivan sipaya) is at the base of our rendering. Shankar Pandit's MSS. seem to read unanimously ^V/ayaya (^ayaya), 'lay.' Saya;^a, kshayaya (kshayaw prapaya). Cf. RV. VII, 104, 24. Stanza 6. The first three Padas are identical with the first three of V, 31, II. IV, 19. Commentary to page 71. For the employment of this hymn in the ritualistic texts, see the introduction to IV, 17. It has been translated by Grill-, pp. 34, 132 ff. Cf. Zimmer, pp. 66-6^. Stanza 1. The sense of the first hemistich seems to be that the plant in its dual role of destroyer of enemies and protector of friends depletes and increases families or clans. Saya;/a erroneously derives -krit from root kart, ' cut,' to wit, .yatru- 7/a w kartakaZ; . . . ^amaya/^ saha^^// satrava/i tesham api kartayita asi. For Pada d, cf. VI, 14, 3 c Stanza 2. The words ka;^vena narshadena (RV. X, 31, 11) seem to be a gloss upon brahma;/ena ; cf. IV, 37, 1 ; VI, 52, 3, &c. 39^ HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. S^yawa regards the a-ir. Aey. paryukt^ as = pariyukta (vini- yukta^si); cf. our remarks on haplology. Proc. Amer. Or. Soc, April, i(S93 (Journ., vol. xvi, p. xxxiv ff.). But pari yu^ is not quotable elsewhere The stanza figures in one of the abhayaga;/a of the Gawamala ; see Kau^y. 16, (S, note. Stanza 4. The order of the statement here is really to be reversed : when thou, O plant, wast begotten as apamarga (' wiping out '), then the gods drove out the Asuras with thee. Stanza 5. For 'thy father's name,' cf the note on V, 5, i. For pratyak, see pratyah and pratiKnaphalas in st. 7, and the note on IV, 17, 2. Stanza 6. A cosmogonic brahmodya, pressed into the service of incantation ! Cf Contributions, Third Series, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XV, 172 ff. We have presented a purely philological translation of the stanza without attempting to bend it to the situation any further than is warranted by the wording. Grill takes asat in the sense of ' wrong,' and similarly Sayawa, asatkalpaw kr/tyarupam. But a glance at the word in Jacob's Concordance to the principal Upani- shads reveals the subjective character of the proceeding. The asat is simply ' chaos,' manipulated as one of the primary cosmic forces : the sat, tad, satyam, or r/tam would apparently have done just as well. For kartaram in the sense of ' evil-doer,' cf V, 14, 11. IV, 20. Commentary to page 6(S. The hymn is addressed to a magic plant which is sup- posed to impart the power to expose hidden demons, wizards, and their hostile practices. The attributes of the plant are not stated in the hymn with sufficient clearness to enable us to point out its place in the redundant Indian TV, 20. COMMENTARY. 399 flora. The Kaiuika, 28, 7, mentions the name of the plant as sadaw/pushpa ; this is glossed by Darila with trisa;//- dhya and by Ke^ava with sawdhya (probably a corruption of trisawdhya). The Sutra reads : a pa^yati^ti sada;/^- pushpamawi;/^ badhnati, ' with AV. IV, 20 he ties on as an amulet the plant sada/wpushpa.' The plant is mentioned again along with others in a charm directed against witch- craft in 39, 6, and Saya;/a defines it in agreement with Kauj-ika, he devi sadawpushpakhye oshadhe ; cf. also sadapushpi in the lexicons. The plant seems to be the calotropis gigantca ; cf. A'araka-sa;//hita I, 4. 3. For amulets derived from the vegetable kingdom see Seven Hymns of the Atharva-vcda, Amer. Journ. Phil. VII, 47H, and for amulets in general Kaus. 7, 19. The hymn is rubricated further in the list of stanzas designated as kata- nani (sc. suktani), 'hymns to chase away with,' in Kaus. 8, 25, and the Ga;/amala, Ath. Parii". 32, 4, adds it also to the three hymns which Kau^. 8, 24 describes as the matr/- namani (sc. suktani). The reason for this classification is the expression devy (oshadhe) in stanzas i and 2. See the note at Kau^y. 8, 24, and cf for the matr/ga;/a our remarks in the introduction to VI, 11 1. The Anukrama;/i follows these secondary considerations, designating the hymn as matr/namadaivatam, its author being Matr/namarshi. The hymn has been translated by Ludvvig, Der Rig- veda, III, 525, and Grill', pp. 2, 133 ; cf. also Hillebrandt's Vedachrestomathie, p. 48. Stanza 1. For the description of the plant in this stanza, cf. maw- paj-ya in VII, 38, 1. and see the introduction to VI, 139. I have upheld in my translation the text of the edition, guaranteed as it is by the unanimous tradition of the MSS. of the .Saunakiya-^akha. All corrections, including the important variant pai-yasi for paj-yati throughout the stanza in the Paippalada, seem to me in this instance to amount to the substitution of a better literary performance for a poorer one ; they do not bring with them the proof that 400 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. the priests of our school ever had any other text, or, what is more to the point, that the original versifex had com- posed differently. The merit of the Paippalada's paj-yasi is so obvious that it may be due to a conscious improve- ment on the part of its author. The metre of the stanza is irregular (Anukrama/^i, svara^) ; the first Pada is hyper- catalectic, the third Pada may be sustained by reading, with elision and crasis, divantariksham for di'vam anta- riksham. Hillebrandt's suggestion, accepted by Grill, that ad be thrown out seems to me unnecessarily violent. a. Hillebrandt would restore the Pada : pa^yati prati paj-yati ; Grill (with the help of the Paippalada), a pa^yasi pra paj-yasi, continuing with pa^-yasi throughout. Saya«a retains the third person, referring the stanza to the person who wears the amulet : he devi sadawpushpakhye oshadhe tvadvikarama;Hdharako^ya;« ^anas tvatprasadad apaj-yati agamibhayakarawawz pratihartuw^^anati, 'O goddess plant, sadawpushpa by name, this person here, who wears an amulet fabricated out of thee, by thy favour perceives the cause of approaching danger, and knows how to repel it.' The emendation of prati to pra (Grill) is especially unde- sirable, as the same expression occurs in a closely parallel situation, AV. VII, 13, 2. b. Grill suspects the second paj-yati, and imagines oshadhe in its place. d. The temptation to emend the vocative devi to the nominative devi' is great. The sense then would be that the amulet itself sees all dangers. Grill, as we have seen above, adopts the Paippalada reading paryasi, is thus enabled to retain devi, and also obtains essentially the same sense. Stanza 2. a. Read pr/thvi7/. The three heavens are well known ; see, e.g. AV. V, 4, 3 ; VI, 95, i ; XVIII, 2, 4« ; XIX, 39, 6 (cf. the note on V, 4, 3). For the three earths see RV. I, 108, 9 ; II, 27, 8 ; III, s^, 2 ; AV. VI, 21, i, and Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, V, p. 305, note ; Zimmer, Altin- disches Leben, p. 357 ; Bergaigne, La Religion Vedique, I, IV, 20. COMMENTARY. 4OI 239. Cf. also Yasna XI, 7 : madheme thrishve aihhao zemo, ' in the middle third of this earth.' Stanza 3. a, b. divyasya supar/zasya . . . kaninika is rendered by Ludwig, ' dises himlischen adlers kleine tochter ;' by Grill, ' der Augenstern des Adlers, der am Himmel ist.' Saya;/a glosses supar//a by garutmant, which suggests RV. I, 164, 46. Grill follows the Pet. Lex. [s.v. 2 a), a)] in regarding the divine eagle as the sun. But perhaps the lightning-fire is in the mind of the poet. At Va^. S. XVII, 72 ; XVIII, 51 ; Sat. Br. IX, 2, 3, 34; 4, 4, 3, the divinity addressed, supar;/o^si garutman, is treated distinctly as Agni, and Mahidhara states this plainly. In Maitr. S. I, 2, 5 ; Va^. S. IV, 32; Tait. S. VI, I, 7, 3, 'the eye-ball (kanmika, kanihaka) of Agni's eye' is spoken of. The expression divya supar;/a may be the exact equivalent of diva/i syena., and that, I believe I have proved, is Agni, the lightning, personified as a divine eagle ; see Contributions, Fifth Series, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XVI, 1 ff. The descent of this eagle, or the Gayatri, as the Brahmawas have it, is frequently disturbed by a heavenly archer Krisanu who wounds the eagle, so that he loses a feather which falls to the earth, and grows up as a plant or tree. See Adalbert Kuhn, Die Herabkunft des Feuers und des Gottertranks, p. 148 (first edition). The use of the word supar/^a in our edition is, in my opinion, intended to convey a double entente, ' bird ' and ' having beautiful leaves.' Cf. Tait. S. VI, I, I, 5, where Vrz'tra's eye-ball (kanmika) flies away after he had been slain by Indra, and turns into salve (a;/^anam). Ludwig does not comment upon his transla- tion of kanmika by 'kleine tochter,' rather than 'eye-ball ;' it may possibly turn out correct when RV. X, 40, 9 yields up its meaning. We have there as follows : ^anish/a yosha patayat kaninako vi M'^ruhan virudha//, a passage which suggests the situation in our stanza completely and yet vaguely. But it is interpreting obscurum per obscurius [42] D d 402 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. to bring the RV. stanza into play. Cf. also our note at V, 5, H. c. Saya;/aj ^agadrakshartham oshadhirupe//a bhumav avatir;/a^si. Stanza 4. a ' The thousand-eyed god.' In X, 3, 3 an amulet derived from the vara;/a-tree is designated as sahasraksha ; in XI, 2, 3. 7. 17 ; Sat. Br. IX, 1, i, 6 Rudra is so called ; in IV, 28, 3 Bhava-vSarva ; in IV, 16, 4 Varuna's spies; in RV. I, 23, 3 Indra and Vayu ; in Tait. S. II, 3, 14, 4 Indra. Further, we have the ' thousand-eyed papman, evil,' in AV. VI, 26, 3; japatha, 'curse,' in VI, ;^7, i. Grill fancies that the god of the plant here in question is meant, but this seems faint after the plant herself has been personified as a goddess, devy oshadhe, in st. 2. Perhaps rather Agni, said to be * thousand-eyed ' with especial frequency, is meant; see RV. I, 79, 12; Va^. S. XVII, 71 (XIII, 47) ; 5at. Br. VII, 5, 2, 32 ; IX, 2, 3, 32 ; Apast. Sr. VI, 25, 10. Agni particularly chases away evil spirits, agnT rakshawsi sedhati, RV. VII, 15, to ; AV. VIII, 3, 26 ; Tait. Br. II, 4, 1, 6 ; agnir hi rakshasam apahanta, 5at. Br. XIV, 3, I, II. b. a dadhat. Zimmer, 1. c, 204, construes this as an augmentless imperfect. In the Sa^/^hita the augmented form would not differ, adadhat. The sense is satisfactory either way. c. Sayawa comments upon tvaya instead of taya, as in st. 2. d. ' The ^udra and the Arya,' i. e. every kind of person, as we should say in America ' black and white.' The phrase is formulaic, as may be seen from the compound .ytidraryau (Mahidhara, .yudravaij'yau), Va^. S. XIV, 30 ; .Sat. Br. VIII, 4, 3, 12. See in general Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, II, 368; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 212; Zimmer, I.e., 117 ff., 204, 216, 435. Stanza 5. a, b. rupa/n and atmanam are antithetical : rupa//i, ' the outer forms of things ;' atmanam, ' thy own nature.' It is IV, 20. COMMENTARY. 403 a controlling characteristic of Vedic conceptions that the inner, true nature of any divinity, or instrument of power, must be understood in order to control its influence or power: ya eva;;/ veda, and ya eva;// vidvan in the Brah- mawas are crystallisations of this idea ; cf. AV. I, 13, 3 ; VI, 46, 2; VII, 12, 2, &c. c. sahasra/^aksho, here, and XIX, ^^, 3, as epithet of the plant £-ahglda., is a vocative from a stem sahasra-z^akshu. The beginnings of a stem /takshu, a pendant of /-akshus in the ablative /^akshos, RV. X, 90, 13. Transition forms between the us- and u-declensions (as also between the is- and i-declensions) are not uncommon in the Veda ; see Lanman, in the Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. X, 568 f{. d. For the class of demons called kimidin, see AV. I, 7 ; I, 28; II, 24; VIII, 3, 25; 4, 2; 6, 21; XII, 1,50. Stanza 6. For yatudhana, -ni", and plskki, see the hymns I, 7 and 8. Stanza 7. a. Ka.ryapa is a name to conjure with in the Atharvan writings ; amulets and charms handled by him are peculiarly powerful (e.g. I, 14, 4 ; IV, 37, i ; VIII, 5, ^4)- He rises to the dignity of the supreme self-existing (svaya;;z-bhu) being in AV. XIX, 53, 10; cf. also Tait. S. V, 6, i, 1, and see the Pet. Lex. s. v. 2 b. He is also intimately related with forms of the sun, Surya and Savitar, as is stated expressly in Tait. Ar. I, 7, i ; see also Tait. Ar. I, 8, 6, and compare Tait. S. V, 6, i, i with AV. I, ^:^, 1 b. This fact may by itself account for the expression kaj-yapasya /^-akshur asi. In fact kai'yapa is the sun as a tortoise, that creeps its slow course across the sky ; cf. the conceptions of the sun as a hermit, and a Brahman disciple, XI, 5, introduction. Only we must not forget that these writings neglect no opportunity of being guided in their construc- tions by puns, even of the most atrocious sort, and kaj-yapa surely suggests pai-yaka, ' seer,' to the Atharvan mind, as is written distinctly in Tait. Ar. I, 8, 8, kaj-yapa// pajyako D d 2 404 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. bhavati yat sarva?// paripajyati. The name kaj-yapa is ia some special relation to the Atharvan writings, not as yet fully cleared up ; cf. the author in the Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XI, p. 377- b. The MSS. read ^aturaksha//, but Saya;/a fitly com- ments upon /^aturakshya//, the form as emended in Roth and Whitney's edition ; cf. akshos for akshyos in AV. V, 4. 10 (see the note). The ' four-eyed bitch' is Sarama the mother of the two four-eyed dogs of Yama \ ^"y^ma and .Sabala, which I have explained as the sun and the moon ; see Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XV, 163 ff. The epithet ' four- eyed ' seems possibly to be derived from the same view, namely the capacity of the two dogs to see both by day (the sun), and by night (the moon). The Paippalada as quoted by Grill", p. 135, makes the notable statement that ' the four-eyed dog (obviously the moon) overlooks b\- night the sphere of the night,' yathA sva. /^aturaksho ratri;/z nakta^tipaj-yati. In practice the fiction of a four- eyed dog is materialised both by the Hindus and Iranians in the form of a dog with marks over the eyes ; see my article, I.e., p. 165, note i, and Kaegi in the Philolo- gische Abhandlungen fur Heinrich Schvveizer-Sidler, p. 64, note 57. c. vidhre, lit. ' in the clear sky ; ' Ludwig, ' im hellen ; ' Grill, ' heiteren tags.' siiryam iva is to be read as three syllables, as frequently elsewhere, either sCiryeva or surya;;^ va. Stanza 8, c. tena may be either masculine, referring to the divinity in St. 4, or neuter, agreeing with brahma, ' charm.' IV, 22. Commentary to page 115. The hymn is employed twice in the so-called ra^akarma;/i, ' the royal practices,' Kauj-. 14-17. The first is characterised by the scholiasts, Kej-ava and Sayawa, as a battle-charm ' In RV. I, 29, 3 the two messengers (dogs) of Yama are per- sonified as females. IV, 2 2. COMMENTARY. 4O5 (^ayakarma, sawgrama^ayartham), and its rather colourless proceedings are as follows: 14, 24. 'While reciting IV, 22 and 2'J, he performs the ceremonies which culminate in the presentation (of the bow to the king).' These are described in Sutras 8-11 of the same chapter, to wit: H. ' An oblation of ghee and grits is poured out. 9. Upon a fire made of bows a bow is laid on as a fagot. 10. Like- w^ise an arrow (is laid on) upon a fire made of arrows. II. The bow (of the king), smeared with the dregs of the ghee, is presented to him.' The other performance, Kauj-. 17, 2H-9, is part of the consecration of a chief ruler (ekara^a, Kauj-. 14, 11 ; cf. ekavr/sha in our hymn, sts. i, 5, 6, 7). The special solem- nities of the consecration have been absolved, but every morning the royalty of the king has to be renewed, to wit : 28. ' Every morning the hymn IV, 22 (or its first stanza?) is recited to the king (by the purohita, the house-priest). 29. They (the king and the purohita) then perform the above-mentioned pouring of water (each into a vessel), and the exchange (of the vessels).' This refers to Sutras 4 and .", of the same chapter ; cf. the introduction to IV, 8, and Professor Weber's discussion of the passage in his treatise. Uber die Konigsweihe, p. 140 (Transactions of the Royal Prussian Academy, 1893). The hymn, further, is one of a cycle (ga;/a) devoted to the gain of royal power (rash/ra- sa/z/varga). grouped together in the indramahotsava, Ath. Parij-. 19, 1 (cf. Kauj-. 140, 6, note). See also Ath. Parij". 4, I and 16. The fanciful analysis of the hymn by the Anukrama/n may be seen in Grill's introduction. The hymn appears again in Tait. Br. II, 4, 7, 7 ff. ; it has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 457; Zimmer, 165; Grill", 67, 135 fif. ; cf. Hillebrandt's Veda- chrestomathie, p. 43. Stanza 1. The speaker is the purohita, the house-priest, or chaplain of the king ; he figures prominently in all the ra^akarma;/i, Kaus. 14-17. b. Saya;/a with one of Shankar Pandit's MSS. reads 406 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. vr/sham ekavn'sham, and glosses, se/('anasamarthana;;^ virya- vataw purusha;/a;/^ madhye imaw ra^anam . . . mukhya- sektaram asahaya^uram . . . kuru; cf. our note on III, 5, 7. c. ni'r aksh;aihi, lit. ' castrate,' continuing the picture of the preceding Pada : the king is to be a bull, his enemies castrated. Cf. RV. I, ^2>' ^ \ -S'at. Br. IV, 4, 2, 13 ; XIII, 4, 2, 5, and the word mahanirash/a. Ludwig, ' drive out ; ' Zimmer, ' zerstreue ; ' Sayawa, sawku/J4taprabhavan kuru. d. Saya;/a divides aham uttareshu, with the result, ' I (the purohita) put him among the highest rulers.' Cf. XII, 4, 50. Stanza 2. c. The Tait. Br. II, 4, 7, 7, the Paippalada, and Sayawa read varshman, loc. sing. I see no cogent reason for giving up (with Zimmer, Hillebrandt, and Grill) the reading of our MSS., varshma. IV, 28. Commentary to page 158. Bhava and vSarva, two of the well-known forms (murti) of Rudra (cf. especially their epithet ugra in sts. 3, 6, 7) \ are implored by virtue of their cosmogonic powers to afford protection against calamity, and, with the familiar Athar- vanic specialisation, to destroy sorceries and demons. The ritual, Kauj-. 28, 8, regard the hymn as medicinal (sarva- vyadhibhaisha^yam, ' a remedy for all diseases '). Seven cornucopias are made from (leaves of) the kampila (crinum amaryllacee), filled with water, and anointed with the dregs of ghee. With the right hand the water is poured upon the patient, and the cornucopias are thrown behind the patient. The connection between the prayer and the practice is not manifest. The hymn is rubricated also in takmana.fanaga?^a of the Gawamala, Ath. Parii'. 32, 7 ; see Kauj-. 26, I, note. It has been translated by Muir, I.e., P- S?,^- ^ See the introduction to XI, 2 for the Vedic texts, and the Western literature, dealing with this subject. IV, 36. COMMENTARY. 407 Stanza 3. b. The periphrastic expression stuvann emi is so strange to the padakara as to induce him to divide it into stuvan nemi. S^ya;m blunders still further, reading stuvan nemi (stuvan pra^a;«san . . . nema/^ ardhaw balam asya^sti^ti nemi). Stanza 6. a. mulakr/t, ' manipulator of roots,' is so characteristic a feature in sorcery-practice, as to give rise to specific prohibition of the act; see Vishwu-smr/ti XXV, 7; Manu IX, 290, and cf. Narayawa on the latter passage in Buhler's translation of Manu, Sacred Books of the East, XXV, 394- IV, 0^6. Commentary to page ^S- The hymn is one of the Htanani (sc. suktani), ' hymns which drive away demons and diseases,' Kauj-. 8, 25. The entire list (ga;/a) is employed at Kauj-. 25, 22, among the bhaisha^ani, ' remedial charms,' against bhuta and pij-a/^a ; the performance connected with the recital of the ga/za is identical with the so-called apanodanani, ' practices to drive away,' described at Kauj-. 14, 14 ff. They consist chiefly in burning chaff, spelt, offal of grain, and wood shavings, symbolizing, doubtless, rapid consumption or destruction. The hymn has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 526; GrilP, pp. 3, 136 ff. The Anukramam, satyau- ^asam agneyam (cf. st. 1). Stanza 3. The first hemistich is not at all clear, agare being ai:. Xey. and uncertain. We have taken it with the Pet. Lexs. and Ludwig as = agara, and it is to be noted that two MSS. of S^ya;/a's commentary (^ Kd) read ^garo for agaro. Cf. also agara at ksv. G/vh. I, 7, 21. Saya/za etymologises, agiryate samantad bha^yate m^;;/saj'o«itadikam atre^ti agaro yuddharariga/^. Grill, supported by a more recent utterance of Roth, renders ' unter rufen.' In that case agara would be ' shouting to ' (cf. kkros^, Ke.yava, p. 327, and 408 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. often elsewhere), pratikroj-a, 'shouting back,' i.e. 'under shouting and counter-shouting.' We have taken amavasya as an adjective = amavasya, ' in the night of the new moon ' (Pa;/ini IV, 3, 30. 31), Cf. our note on I, 16, i. Saya;/a aptly quotes from the Apast. Sr. the following passage : ' In the night of the new moon one shall ofTer to Agni, the slayer of Rakshas, a rice-cake in twelve cups.' Note the concatenation between this and the following stanza. Stanza 5. The sense is that the superior gods who vie with the sun (RV. 1,98, I ; 123, 12 ; V, 4, 4; IX, 27, 5) shall afford pro- tection against the Vlsakas to man and beast. Stanza 7. Note the pun between pij-a/('ai7/ and j-aknomi, and the concatenation with the following stanza. For grama, see the note on VIII, 7, 11. Stanza 9. a. Saya;za with some MSS. reads lipita/^ (upadigdha/^ sawkranta//), and Whitney in the Index, guided perhaps by the pada-MSS., which read lapita without visarga, suggests lapitva. But the text seems well enough as it stands. d. alpaj-a}am is uncertain : Saya;/a, alpakaya/^ . . . kUa./i, and we accordingly. Ludwig (c, d), ' mein ich, sind sie ungliicklich, nur kurze zeit mer im volke verweilend ' (cf. RV. 1,3., 2; 111,55,6; IV, t8, 12). IV, 37. Commentary to page ^^. ' The plant agasringV, or, as it is called synonymously by Darila, mesha.y/'mgi, 'goat's horn ' (Saya;/a, again synonym- ously, visha;/i), is the odina pinnata ; see Zimmer, p. 68. The hymn is directed against Visakas, Apsaras, and Gan- ' In stanza 6 it has the additional obscure epithet ara/akf. Sayawa, ara . . . a/ayati u-^/^atayati. IV, 37- COMMENTARY. 409 dharvas, and, according to Darila at Kauj-. 28, 9-1 1 , it is cm- ployed in a remedial charm against one possessed by Visakas {pisakagrihita). Kej'ava and Saya;/a, more broadly and correctly, sarvabhutagrahabhaisha^'yam. The practices are stated as follows : 9. ' While pronouncing IV, 37 the prac- titioner takes pulverised ^ami (i.e. the pulverised leaves, or fruit, of the prosopis spicigera) from a basket (and puts it) into the food (of the patient) ^ 10. (He puts it also) into the cosmetics (of the patient). 11. He scatters (the pulverised jami) around the house (of the patient) ^.' The hymn is also rubricated among the /^atanani (sc. suktani) ' hymns to drive away with,' Kau^'. 8, 25. Cf. 5antikalpa 17 and 21 'K Adalbert Kuhn, in Zeitschr. f. vergl. Sprachf. XIII, 118 ff., has translated this hymn and compared it with parallel conceptions in the Teutonic folk-lore. Especially good are the parallels drawn between the Apsaras, who, from the time of RV. X, 95 onwards, are engaged in enticing heroes and divine seers ^, with the Germanic elfs who fascinate the wanderer at night with their dance. The hymn has also been rendered by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III. 352. Stanza 3. The description of the natural abode of the Apsaras in this and the following stanzas is in accord with the Brah- manical view from earliest times. Cf. the apya yosha. 'water-woman,' RV. X, 10, 4; Bergaigne, La Religion Vedique, II, 3,5, 40, 96 ; III, 65 fif. ; A. Holtzmann. Zeitschr. d. Deutsch. Morg. Gesellsch. XXXIII, 631 ff. The fanciful list of names embodies largely a superficial personification of fragrant cosmetics and ointments: bdellium, spikenard, fragrant salve, &c. ^ According to Kcj-ava and Saya;/a he puts pulverised leaves of .rami into a jami-fruit, and feeds the patient upon that. Cf. Kauj-. 47. 23. ^ As there is no mention of the .rami in the hymn, one is almost tempted to identify the agasn'hgi with it. ^ Shankar Pandit, erroneously, Nakshatrakalpa 17 and 21. * Cf. our note on VI, 1 1 1, 4. 4IO HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. For aukshagandhi, cf. auksham in our note on II, 0^6^ 7, and in the introduction to I, 34 ; pramandani' reminds us of pramanda, Kaui'ika, Introduction, p. lii. See also Kuhn, 1. c, 127. b. Bohtlingk, in his lexicon, proposes avaxvase, dative infinitive, ' to blow away.' Saya;/a and the Paippalada read iva svasam for avajvasam. The former glosses, sush///u nauprera«akuj"alam yatha titirshavo ^ana upaga- f. Saya/^a reads pratibaddha/^ for pratibuddha// (nirud- dhagataya//) in this and the subsequent stanzas. Stanza 4. We have adopted Shankar Pandit's arrangement of sts. 4-6, to wit : his st. 4 is made up of vulgata 4 a, b + 3 e, f^ which is repeated by all his MSS. ; his st. 5 is the rest of vulg. 4 ; and his st. 6 is vulg. ^-\-6. Saya;/a does not insert the additional hemistich, but he also differs from the vulgate in his arrangement. b. The Pet. Lex. suggests sV^^iudmih, vocative, ' crested,' as an epithet of the Apsaras ; cf. the same epithet of the Gandharva in st. 7. Sayawa simply 'peacocks.' We prefer the poetic figure : the crowns of the great trees are likened unto crests. Stanza 7. a. For the epithet anr/tyata//, cf. the parinr/tyati apsara in IV, 38, 3. Stanza 8. c, d. The epithet avakada, ' devouring avaka-reeds ' (blyxa octandra), is clear. The Gandharvas live on the shores of waters, and the avaka is the typical water-plant. See our Contributions, Second Series, Amer. Journ. Phil. XI, 342 ff. (especially 349 ff.) ; Roth, in Festgruss an Otto von Bohtlingk, p. 97 ff. Less certain is havirada, ' devouring oblations.' The sense of the hemistich might be taken pregnantly: The Gandharvas who devour our oblation, though their natural food is the avaka-reed, &c. But IV, 2)1 • COMMENTARY. 4II I have in mind RV. X, 95, 16, where the Apsaras Urva^i exclaims that upon eating a drop of ghee her appetite was cloyed for ever (cf. Harivawj-a 1377 ; Vish//u-piua;/a IV, 6, 28, and Geldner, Vedische Studien, I, pp. 263, 282). The Atharvan is reminiscent, and fond of generalising salient features of legends. It seems possible that the Gandharvas are substituted for the Apsaras who represent the Apsaras par excellence, Urvaj-i. Sayawa on the AV. evinces his customary and astonishing talent of dodging difficulties by means of bad variant readings, to wit : abhi- hradan abhigatAhladan prapta^ald^-ayan va. Stanza 10. Professor von Roth in F"estgruss an Otto von Boht- lingk, pp. 97 ff., proposes to read^yotayamamakan (Pada- pa///a, ^yotaya mamakan) as one word, and interprets the word in his inimitably ingenious manner as=pi.ya>('adipika, ' will o' the wisp, Jack o' lanthorn.' Yet we have adopted the simpler solution of the .difficulty, proposed by Whitney in Festgruss an Rudolf von Roth, p. 91. He proposes ^^otayamanakan, comparing pravartamanaka, RV. I, 191, 16. In both cases the suffix ka is truly diminutive, indi- cating that the action of the verb is undertaken by a dimi- nutive agent ; cf also ava/^arantika, AV. V, 13, 19 (see the note there), and the Mantrabrahma/^a of the S^ma-veda II, 7, 3, athai^sha;// (sc. krimi//am) bhinnaka// kumbha/^. ' Little shiner ' would be the literal translation of ,^otaya- manakan, and Roth's comparison with the will o' the wisp may yet hold good. Stsinza II. b. The epithet sarvake^-aka reminds one of hairiness as a sign of sexual power, RV. I, 126, 7 ; X, 86, 16, a very suitable attribute of the Gandharva ; cf. also kapi in v;7shakapi in X, 86. But the word for ' hair ' in both these passages is roma^ while sarvakej-aka naturally refers to the hair of the head ; RV. X, 136, 6. Yet the two conceptions may be connected. 412 HYMNS OF THP: ATHARVA-VEDA. IV, 38. Commentary to i'age 149. Both the internal evidence of the stanzas themselves (including the metre), and their employment in the ritual prove the composite character of this hymn. The Anu- krama;n, too, significantly describes the hymn as dvideva- tyam. A gambling song of four stanzas is combined with cattle-charm of three stanzas, apparently for the purely formal reason that every hymn of the fourth book must consist of at least seven stanzas ; cf. AV. XIX, 23, 4 ; Gop. Br. I, I, 8; Ath. Parii-. 46, 9. 10 ; Ind. Stud. IV, 433 ; XVII, 178 ; Kaujika, Introduction, p. xli. Saya;/a is the only authority that makes a blend of the two parts. He comments upon yasam rz'shabho, &c., in st. 5, as follows; yasam apsarasam . . . sc/^anasamartha/^ pati//. A. The practices connected with the gambling-song are reported at Kaus. 41, 10-13, as follows: 10. 'Under the constellation purva ashair//^a// ^ the gambler digs a pit (in the gambling-house). 11, Under the constellation uttara a.shad//a/i he (again) fills up the pit. 12. He smoothes the place where the play takes place. 13. While reciting IV, 38, 1-4; VII, 50 ; and VII, 109 he throws dice which have been steeped (in curds and honey during the three nights [and days] beginning with the thirteenth day of the month ; see Kaui". 7, 19).' This part of the hymn has been rendered by Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, V, 430 ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, 111,4.54; GrilP, pp. 71, 140 ff. ; cf also A. Holtzmann. Zeitschr. d. Deutsch. Morg. Gesellsch. XXXIII, 631 ff. ^ The name asha^i'. V, 7. Commentary to page 173. The Veda, especially the Atharvan, is much given to personify evil qualities as female divinities, e.g. ni'rrzti, araddhi, arti, arayi, and particularly arati. The present hymn aims to appease the powers of avarice and grudge personified as Arati ; more particularly the poet has in mind the dakshi;/a of the priest ; that shall not be with- held, but shall accrue abundantly. Cf. st. 1 ; Ka///. Up. I, ]. The 5astras expressly forbid the withholding of the dakshi/za, e.g. Vish;ni-smr/ti LIV, 15. See also in general RV. X, 107; AV. V, 18; 19; XII, 5; Gop. Br. I, 5, 25. In the Atharvan rites our hymn figures in a variety of connections. At Kauj-. 18, 14, in the course of the so-called nirr/tikarm^wi (18, 1-18), grain is offered to the goddess of misfortune while the hymn is being recited. At Kaui". 41, 8 a person about to engage in a business venture makes an offering (upadadhita ^) while pronouncing our hymn, as well as III, 20 and VII, i. The intention is to remove obstacles. 1 For the meaning of this technical term, see Kejava to Kau.r. 6 (p. 309 of the edition). The upadhana according to this consists in offering one of thirteen different kinds of havis. 424 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Once more in Kaui'. 46, 6 he who has a request to make, recites sts. 5-10 along with VII, 57, in order that his request shall not be refused. The hymn has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 305 ; Grill 2, pp. 39, 145 ff. Stanza 2. a, b. purodhatse, lit. 'dost make thy agent or purohita;' purusha, ' servant, minister ; ' parir^pin, * suggesting, prompt- ing, advising ; ' cf. XII, 4, 51. Stanza 5. The j-raddha is ' faith, religious zeal,' that makes the sacrificer liberal to the priests. Cf. Darila to Kaui-. 46, 6. It is the same j-raddha which entered Na/^-iketas, Ka//^. Up. I, 1 ff., to such an extent that he desired to be given himself as sacrificial reward to his priests. This zeal is naturally bestowed by the brown soma, i.e. in the course of solemn sacrifice, and through the inspiration that comes from the hymns (VaZ' Sarasvati), sung while drinking the soma. The previous translations seem to me to miss the point wholly : Ludwig, *den (anteil, den) ich verlange . . . den soil heute 6"raddha finden.' But yam refers to the person supplicated, not to favours asked. Grill, ' wen ich angehe mit dem spruch . . . der werd heut inne mein vertraun^ und nehm den braunen soma hin.' Cf. also Zimmer, p. 272. Stanza 6. d. The Pet. Lex. suggests for this single occurrence of prati hary the meaning ' verschmahen, zuriickweisen,' though the word ordinarily means ' delight in, long for.' The passage seems to contain the euphemistic insinuation that Arati when sufficiently cajoled is favourable to generosity. Or, those who desire to be generous must curry favour with Arati ; otherwise she frustrates their intentions. Cf. I, 8, 2. Stanza 8. Arati is here connected with nightmare. Her appear- ance as a naked woman recalls the German ' alp,' or 'mahre' V, 13- COMMENTARY. 425 which also manifests itself as a woman ; see A. Kuhn, Zeitschr. f. vergl. Sprachf. XIII, 125 fif. For the spirit of this and the subsequent stanzas, of. the description of the Apsaras, IV, 2)1' V, 13. Commentary to page 27. This charm against snake poison claims interest chiefly from its designations of serpents, mostly of obscure mean- ing, and reaching down to the bed-rock of folk-lore. Kau- .yika's performances 29, 1-14 are very explicit : they follow the hymn stanza by stanza. But they are not as instruc- tive as they might be owing to their symbolism, and their own obscurity. They begin with the performances in honour of Takshaka, described at 28, 1-4 in connection with IV, 6 and 7 (see the introduction to IV, 6), and con- tinue with additional doings, based upon each stanza of our hymn. These will be referred to most profitably under the head of each separately. The hymn exhibits noteworthy points of contact with RV. I, 19^. Stanza 1. Cf. RV. I, 191, 7, II. We have translated saktam by 'what has been fastened;' cf. RV. I, 191, 10. The Pet. Lex. s. V. sa«^ 4), * inherent.' Stanza 2. Kauj. 29, 2-4 : ' With the second (stanza) the act of con- fining (the poison) takes place ^. 3. The (priest) walks about (the patient) towards the left (Kej^ava, savyam = ^ dvitiyaya graha;/i. Darila, ka/akabandha ity artha/^, ' with the second stanza a rope is fastened (about the patient) ' 1 Cf. agra- bham, and gr/hwami in the mantra. The feminine gender of graham is pecuhar. We should expect either graha«am, or dvittya grahawi. Ke^ava, vishaw na visarpati dexasthitaw bhavati j-arire na sarpati vishastambhana?;^ bhavati. 426 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. apradakshi?/am). 4. He fastens a bunch of grass ^ to the border of the (patient's) tuft of hair.' b. etasu, feminine, with reference to the numerous female reptiles in sts. 7 fif. Stanza 3. Kaui'. 29, 5 : ' With the third (stanza) he drives the poison forth.' Kej-ava, da;;«ad visham anyatra ga/l'>^/^ati. In Padaa, vr/sha me rava/^ suggests perhaps the fire which is built to frighten away serpents; see RV. I, 94, 10 ; VII, 79, 4 ; X, III, 2. At RV. X, 146, 2=:Tait. Br. II, 5, 5, 6 vrzsharava is the designation of a croaking bird. Pada d echoes RV. I, 191, 8 : the rising sun symbolises the qui- escence or destruction of all harmful powers. Stanza 4. Kauj-. 29, 6. 7 : ' While reciting the fourth stanza, along with VII, 88 2, the (serpent's) bite is rubbed^ with grass, and the grass thrown upon the serpent. 7. (Or in the absence of the serpent he throws it) where the biting took place.' Cf. Kauj-. 32, 25. The ceremony is an attempt at the complete realisation of the mantra. Stanza 5. Kauj-. 29, 8 : ' With the fifth stanza he sprinkles the poisoned person with water heated by quenching in it ^ The virtue of this manipulation rests apparently in the pun between stamba and the root stambh, ' fasten, confine ' ! ^ ' Go away, thou art an enemy, an enemy surely art thou ! Thou hast mixed (thy) poison into poison, thou hast certainly mixed poison. To the serpent himself do thou go away. Him slay !' Cf. Ludwig, Rigveda, III, 511; Henry, Le livre VII de I'Atharva-v^da, pp. 36, 106. ^ Kejava, pra^valya, ' heating the bite with burning grass.' This is due to confusion of this performance with Kauj. 32, 24, da;/wma nitapya. COMMENTARY. 427 burning reeds from a thatch ^ mixed with grains of sesame.' For ava^vala, cf. Kaiu. 27, 29 (introduction to III, 7); Kauj-. 27, ^'^ (introduction to III, 11); 2(S, 2 (introduction to IV, 6). The punning symbolism which connects this practice with upatri?iya, and perhaps also alika/^ (as though it were vahka) in the mantra, represents the low-water mark of banale attempts to construct a practice upon the indications of the mantra. The names of the serpents in this and the following stanzas are for the most part very obscure (cf. Zimmer, pp. 94, 95) : for kairata, see X, 4, 14, for babhru, VI,56, 2. asita is a more common designation, VI, S^, 2 ; VII, S^, I, &c., and cf. the note on VI, 56, 2. c. stamanam, air. Aey., we have rendered as though it were sthamanam (masculine !). Cf. our remarks on the interchange between surd aspirates and non-aspirates, Amer. Journ. Phil. XII, pp. 436 fif., and Roth in the Zeitschr. d. Deutsch. Morg. Gesellsch. XLVIII, 105 ff. The Pet. Lex. under stha + api suggests srama/^am, without interpreting the passage in this form. Stanza 6. Kaus. 29, 9 : ' With the sixth (stanza) a bowstring taken from the notched end of the bow is fastened upon the patient.' Again, the vaguest kind of symbolism in refer- ence to Pada d. For taimata, see V, 18, 4. The rendering of apodaka is very uncertain. Though in accord with the apparent meaning of the same word in st. 2, it jars here : we should rather expect another designation of serpents, ' one that does not live in the water (?).' Stanza 7. Kauj-. 29, 10: 'With the two next stanzas (7 and 8) the patient is given to drink water with the earth of a bee-hive.' (Kej^ava, however, madhudvapa^^madhuvrz'kshamrzttika). The relation of the practice to the stanzas is profoundly obscure. Cf. the note on V, 5, i. ^ Cf. the introduction to VI, 24. 428 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Stanza 8. b. We are tempted to change the instrumental asiknya to the ablative asiknya//, ' born of the black serpent,' or ' born of the black night/ c. For prataiikam, see our note on IV, 16, 2 ; cf. also XII, I, 46 ; Sat. Br. VII, 4, i, 28 (ye va^va/eshu jerate), and Ait. Br. VI, i, 3. Stanza 9. Kauj. 29, 1 1 : ' With the ninth (stanza) the patient is given to drink water containing the excrement of a porcu- pine. With a prick (of the porcupine) that has three white stripes he feeds meat to the patient '.' Cf. the closely cor- related RV. I, 19I5 16. a. The Pet. Lexs. and Zimmer, p. 82, translate karwa by ' long-eared.' But has the porcupine long ears ? I have preferred to think of his pricks (j-alali') as giving rise to the somewhat fanciful adjective. The prickly porcupine may naturally not live on good terms with serpents, being hard to tackle. b. ava/^arantika, left untranslated by the Pet. Lexs., in the light of pravartamanaka//, RV. I, 193, 11, is obviously a diminutive participle; see our note on IV, ■^j, 10. Stanza 10. Kaui-. 29, 13: ' W^ith the tenth (stanza) the patient is given water to sip from a gourd.' This looks as though there was some connection in the mind of the Sutrakara between tabiiva and alabu. At any rate t^buva,. and tas- tuva in the next stanza, seem to be a cure for poison. This and the next stanza are whoUy problematic. Stanza 11. Kaui". 29, 14 : ' With the eleventh stanza he ties (a gourd) to the navel of the patient.' For tastuvam some MSS., according to Bohtlingk's lexicon, read tasruvam. ^ Cf. Kaus. 10, 16, and the Grz'hya-sutras, where the prick with three stripes figures frequently ; see Stenzler's index, s. v. tryem. V, 14- COMMENTARY. 429 V, 14. Commentary to page 77. The hymn is one of the kr/tyapratihara/^^ni, a series of hymns which counteract spells, given in the list at Kaui". 39, 7. See the introductions to IV, 17; V, 31 ; VIII, 5; X, I, &c. The plant which figures prominently (sts. i, 2, 4, 9) is not specified. It may be the apamarga, as in IV, 17-19; cf. the Anukramawi, vanaspatyam. The hymn has been translated by Zimmer, p. 396 fF. ; Grill'-, pp. 26, 147 ff. Stanza 1. The first hemistich is repeated at II, 27, 2 ; see the note there. Stanza 9. In the course of the performances yndertaken with the k;-/tyaga;^a at Kau^f. 39, 7-12 (cf. the introduction to IV, 17) this stanza is rubricated (Sutra 11), preceded by the words krz'tyayi^mitra/^akshusha samikshan, which seems to be mantra, either entirely, or in part ; cf. Darila and Kej-ava, p. 341. The sense of the Sutra, as much else in the same passage, is very obscure. Stanza 10. a. As a son goes to his father, thus do thou, O spell, return to thy father, i. e. to him that has prepared thee. c, d. Grill, following Roth's lead, reads bandhum iva and translates, ' wie sich der fliichtling heimwarts kehrt, &c.' We do not feel constrained to accept the emendation, ava + kram ordinarily means ' overcome,' hence we have trans- lated avakrami by ' one who overcomes.' The comparison is as good, if not better. Zimmer, ' wie den Banden entfliehend eile zuriick &c.' — a forced construction of the accusative, bandham. Stanza 11. A doubtful stanza in changed metre (gayatri). It may have slipped in because of mr/gam iva in the next stanza. 430 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. The sense seems to be : as surely as the antelope, shy though she be, mates with the buck, so surely shall the spell strike him who prepares it. Cf. IV, 4, 7 = VI, loi, 3, and VII, 115, 2. But abhiskandam is air. Aey. : we have followed Grill in referring it to the mounting buck. The Pet. Lex. regards it as a gerund, and Whitney, Index Ver- borum, emends to abhiskandan, a masculine participle, yielding a very problematic construction. Zimmer, ' wie die scheue Antilope, die Gazelle dem Angreifer (entflieht, so du, o Kranker, dem Zauber).' V, 18. Commentary to page 169. The object of the two hymns V, 18 and 19 is clearly to present in the most drastic language the danger which arises from the oppression of Brahmans, and usurpation of their property ^. Especially the cow of the Brahman, given to him as his sacrificial stipend (dakshi//a ; cf. XII, 4), is sacred and inviolable. The point is accentuated by the practices connected with them. The two hymns are rubricated at Kau.y. 48, 13 ff. under the name brahma- gavyau (i.e. the two brahmagavi-hymns). The practices are intended to compass the death of him that robs or slays the cow of a Brahman; they are as follows: 13. '(The Brahman) recites the two brahmagavi-hymns against (the robbers)-. 14. He recites them while the activity (of killing and cutting up the cow is being performed). i5- vi/^rz'tati (Dar. uvadhye havi/zkr/te^ty artha/i). 16. (He recites the hymns) over the excrement within the entrails^. 17. And ^ This is the a^yeyata, ' freedom from oppression,' of the Brahman ; cf. Weber, Ind. Stud. X, 60 ff. ^ Darila and Ke^ava add to this the related hymn XII, 5 (mixed prose and verse). ^ Excessively doubtful ; Darila has the following as text and scholion : ka^ kriya anvaha, ubadhye, dveshyara manasi (Cod. anasi) kr?tva saptaminirde^-at. Cf. XII, 5, 39, where the excrement of the cow is described as fit for sorcery-practices. V, 1 8. COMMENTARY. 43 1 also at a burial-ground ^ 18. Thrice he exclaims: "Slay those yonder." 19. While reciting the second (brahma- gavi-hymn) he hides a stone in the excrement. 20. Twelve nights does he rest observing every vow (of the brahma- /•arin). 21. When the sun has risen twice (after the twelve days, the enemy) is laid low.' Cf. especially AV. XII, 4 and 5, and 5at. Br. XIV, 6, 7, 4 = Brzh. Ar. Up. Ill, 7, i. The Anukramawi designates the two hymns as brahma- gavidevatye. Both hymns have been translated by Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, I-, 285 ff. ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda. Ill, 447 ff., 451 ff. (cf. also 154); Zimmer, 199 ff. ; Grill-, 41, 148 fif. ; cf. also Hillebrandt's Vedachrestomathie, p. 42. Stanza 3. Ludwig very ingeniously suggests the change of ma to ya at the beginning of Pada c ; this yields a more concin- nate construction : ' Enveloped in her skin, as an adder with evil poison, sapless, unfit to be eaten is the cow of the Brahma;/a.' Shankar Pandit with all MSS., sa. Stanza 4. This and the following stanza, as also 8, 9, and 13 are in trish/ubh metre, and bear no reference to the cow of the Brahman : they deal with the Brahman himself. Muir, Ludwig, and Zimmer refer the verbs to the cow. Stanza 5. b. na Htiat, lit. 'not as the result of thought ; ' cf. a/^-ittya, V, 17, 12, and malva//, V, 18, 7. Stanza 6. b. The Paippalada reads ague// priyatama tanu/^, and the Pet. Lex. suggests agne// priya tanur iva ; cf. st. 14, and XII, 5, 41.73- c. Soma is the heir of the Brahman, i. e. Soma is bene- fited by the service of the priest ; or, perhaps, Soma is ' Dar jma^ane pakasthane libadhyavat. 432 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. interested in the Brahman's cow (implied throughout the hymn), because her milk is mixed with Soma; cf. st. 14. See also Sat Br. V, 4, 2, 3. Stanza 7. Cf. RV. X, 85, 34. ni//khidam, lit. ' to throw out.' Pro- fessor Roth suggests ni-khi'dam, ' to get down.' ni//khid is certainly air. \ey. and might be for nishkhid = ni-shkhid, re- minding us of the MSS. of the Tait. S. which write khkhid in the interior of words (after augment and prepositions) ; see Ind. Stud. XIII, 106-7. But the statement, that the oppressor of Brahmans swallows the cow, and that he then cannot get her out again, because she sticks in his throat, is equally suitable. Stanza 8. b. The expression nadika. dantas tapasa^bhidigdha/^ seems to me to contain a double entente, ' his windpipe (shaft of the arrow), his teeth (points of the arrow), are bedaubed (like the arrow with poison) with holy fire.' A striking figure of speech, hardly to be misunderstood ! Muir, ' his windpipe is arrow-points smeared with fire ; ' Ludwig, ' die na^ika (speiserore oder luftrore ?) die zahne vom tapa// bestrichen ; ' Zimmer, ' seine luftrohre mit Gluth bestrichne Pfeilspitzen ; ' Grill, ' die Luftrohr Pfeil- spitze, in des Eifers Gluth getauchet.' Stanza 10. d. vaitahavya, patronymic from vitahavya, a proper name; cf. st. 11, and V, 19, i. Zimmer, pp. 132, 200-1, translates the word by ' die aus habsucht opfernden,' and ' die opfergierigen,' but the word per se has no disparaging meaning ; cf viti'hotra. Stanza 11. c, d. Ludwig, ' die der Kesaraprabandha letztgeborene gebraten.' This involves the emendation of ^arama^am to y^arama^am (sc. vatsam, ' calf), and makes Kesarapra- bandha the name of a cow ; cf prathama^a. That cows V, 19- COMMENTARY. 433 had names may be seen from our introduction to II, 33, but this name, ' having her hair braided,' is clearly that of a woman. Apparently the iniquity of the Vaitahavyas reaches its height, when they do not spare the only goat of the poor woman. If the text were only as sound as the moral ! Stanza 12. a. Cf. V, 19, II, where the number 99 takes the place of loi. Both are formulaic. Stanza 14. Cf. St. 6 and XII, 5, 4. 58. e. hantabhi'i-astendras ought, in the light of stanza 6, to mean ' Indra slays the curser,' or * Indra destroys curses.' Accordingly the Pet. Lex. proposes hanta^bhuastim (cf Whitney, Sanskrit Grammar^, §§ 271 d, 946}; hanta ^bhuaster is equally possible (cf 1. c, § 1182 d). The text might possibly be sustained by reading hanta ^bhiVasta (ace. plur. neut.). Ludwig takes both words as nomina- tives of tar-stems, ' Indra toter flucher.' Zimmer, still differently, reads hanta ^bhiVastam. d. For vedhas, cf our note on I, ir, i b. V, 19. Commentary to page 171. For the employment of this hymn in the ritual, and other general considerations, see the introduction to V, 18. Stanza 1. c. Bh;'/gu is a typical name for an Atharvan priest ; cf ahgirasa in st. 3 ; bhr/gvangiras, like atharvaiigiras, is a name of the Atharva-veda itself; see Kauj-. 6^, 3 ; 94, 3. 4. Like Atharvan and Ahgiras, the Bhrzgu are connected with the production of fire ; cf Ludwig, III, 140. For the S;'/;7^ayas, see Weber, Ind. Stud. I, 208 ff., 232 ; Ludwig, III, 154; Zimmer, 132; Weber, ' Episches im vedischen Ritual,' Sitzungsberichte der Koniglich Preu- ssischen Akademie, July 23, 1891, vol. xxxviii, p. 797 [42] F f 434 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. (p. 31 of the reprint). The legend which is alluded to here (and in V, 18, 10. 11) is not to be found elsewhere. One may fairly question whether it is not, in a measure at least, trumped up in deference to a supposed etymology :--^aya in sr//7^aya suggests ' conquer, oppress ' (cf. ^iyate in st. 6, and brahma^asya in st. 7) ; the syllable sr/n (Padapa//^a sr/n 3^^aya) is not above the suspicion of having suggested .S7'mg'm, 'horned animal,' RV. I, 32, 5, &c. ; cf. the later writing srin^aya., Vish;m-pura//a, &c. Note however Tait. S. VI, 6, 6, 2, and 5at. Br. XII, 9, 3, i ff., in both of which places the Sr//7^ayas come to grief. Stanza 2. c. The text has ubhayadam, which we have emended (with Grill) to ubhayadann, ' having two rows of teeth.' The ram is ordinarily a harmless animal ; but, just as he portentously devours a lioness at RV. VII, 18, 17, so he here appears armed with extra teeth, and capable of doing mischief. Possibly, however, ubhayadam is an accusative from ubhayada = ubhayadant, ' horse,' and ' the goat de- voured the horse ' is another way of marking the ominous destruction of the property of oppressors. Cf. RV. X, 90, i o, and the Pet.Lexs., s.v. ubhayatodant; ubhayatodanta, ubha- yadant. Stanza 3, b. I have accepted Professor Weber's not altogether certain emendation of i-uklam to ^ulkam (Ind. Stud. XVII, 304). This is based upon Muir's perfectly secure parallel correction at III, 29, 3 (Original Sanskrit Texts, V, 310). These two passages are the only ones upon which the Pet. Lex., s.v. 2d, bases the meanings 'auswurf, schleim, rotz ' for .?ukla ; otherwise the word means ' white.' It must be conceded, however, that the reading j-ulkam disturbs the parallelism between Padas a and b,. and that the construc- tion of ish with the locative of the person from whom something is desired is strange. The text as it stands would yield, ' who threw slime upon him.' c, d. This punishment broaches upon the later infernal V, 19- COMMENTARY. 435 fancies of the Marka;/c/eya-pura;m ; see Scherman, Roman- ische Forschungen, V, 539 ff. ; Materialien zur Geschichte der Indischen Visionsliteratur (Leipzig, 1892), and Feer, Journal Asiatique, Eighth Series, vol. xx, p. iH^ ff. ; Ninth Series, vol. i, p. ] j 2 ft". ; cf also Zimmer, 420 ff. Stanza 4. b. * As far as she reaches or penetrates,' i.e. wherever she is distributed and eaten (?). Ludwig, ' wohin sie uberhaupt gewandelt,' i. e. wherever she has been during her life-time. Zimmer (and similarly Grill), ' wahrend sie noch untcr dem beile zuckt.' Stanza 5. b. I read aj^yate for asyate with Zimmer and Grill ; cf. V, 18, 3 d. See also the note on III, 4, 7, and Proc. Amer. Or. Soc, May, 1886 (Journ., vol. xiii, p. cxvii ff.). Stanza 7. The last word, brahma^yasya, is a gloss (Anukr. upari- sh/adb/'/hati). The cow is described as portentous, hence she forebodes destruction ; cf. VIII, 6, 22. Stanza 9. c. The Pet. Lex., s. v. man with abhi, reads tad dhanam for sad dhanam. The emendation is not urgent. d. Narada is the typical interlocutor in the Pura;/as ; in AV. XII, 4, ]6. 24. 41 ft"., he is especially engaged in pro- curing the brahmagavi'. Stanza 11. Cf V, 18, 1 2. For nava navataya//, see Whitney, Sk. Gr.^ § 477 d. Stanza 12. A favourite method of imprecation in the Atharvan consists in threatening with the ceremonies of funeral, or even employing stanzas and formulas originally constructed for burial ; cf the introduction to I, 14, and the note on 11^ 12, 7. The present stanza, as well as sts. 13, and F f 2 436 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. XII, 5, 47 ff., contain such threats against the oppressor of Brahmans ; cf. our Contributions, Second Series, Amer. Journ. Phil. XI, p. 336 ff. (especially pp. 339 ff.). In this stanza reference is made to the custom of tying a kiidi'-plant (according to Darila at Kaux. 21, 2. 13, &c.= badari, ' Christ's thorn ; ' cf. Kaui". Introduction, p. xliv) to the dead, so that it trails after him and effaces the track of death : death shall not lind the path again and turn upon his trail for further victims. Cf. Antoninus Liberalis 23, k^rjirre 8e ck tijs ovpai Trpos enaaTov vki]v, wj av to. Ixyi) twv ^owv a(f)avia"i]. To this rough embrace, symbolic of death, the oppressor is here assigned. See Roth in Festgruss an Bohtlingk, pp. 98-9 ; and the present translator, Amer. Journ. Phil. XI, 338 ; XII, 416. Stanza 14. Cf. Aj-v. ^raut. VI, 10, 2 ; A.yv. Gr/h. IV, i, 16; Max Mliller, 'DieTodtenbestattung bei den Brahmanen,' Zeitsch. d. Deutsch. Morgenl. Gesellsch. IX, p. ii. Stanza 15. a. For the relation of Mitra and Varu//a to rain, see Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 314. c. Cf. VI, 88, 3; Khad. Grzh. Ill, i, 6; and Ludwig, 1. c, p. 256. V, 20. Commentary to page 130. The purpose of the hymn is obvious. At Kauj-. 16, i, it is rubricated along with VI, 126, i, and accompanied by the following solemnities. All musical instruments are washed, dipped into a mixture which contains the fragrant substances tagara (powder of the tabernaemontana coro- naria) and ujira (the root of andropogon muricatus) ; they are next anointed with the dregs of ghee (cf. V, 21, 3), and finally the chaplain (purohita) of the king sounds them thrice and hands them over to the warriors as they go forth to battle. Cf. also Vait. Su. 34, 11 ; Ath. Parij-. 5, 4. V, 20. COMMENTARY. 437 The hymn has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 460 ff. ; GrilP, pp. 68, 153 ff. Cf. Zimmer, p. 289. The Anukrama;/!, vanaspatyadundubhidevatyam . . . sapatnasenapara^aydya devasenavi^aydya. Stanza 1. Cf. V, 21, 3. The Padapa///a satvana^yan, 'going with, or to, the warriors.' Grill, ' wann sie in den kampf ruft.' As regards the resonance of the wood, Tait. S. VI, i, 4, i has the following pretty conceit : ' Va>^, speech, once upon a time escaped from the gods, and settled in the trees. Her voice still resounds in wooden instruments.' Stanza 2. a. druvaya (cf. XI, i, 12), with an obscure suffix vaya, perhaps = maya ; cf. our remarks on the interchange of V and m in the Proc. Amer. Or. Soc, May, 1886 (Journ., vol. xiii, pp. xcvii ff.) ^ Ludwig, ' an beiden holzern nach beiden seiten befestigt.' b. The MSS. read vasitam, emended in the vulgate to vaj-itam. This we have translated. Ludwig also adopts va^-itam, but renders ' losbriillend wie ein stier auf die klihe.' Cf.VIII, 6, 12; XI, 9, 22. Stanza 3. c. Possibly VI vidhya is to be read forvidhya (haplology ; cf. Proc. Amer. Or. Soc, April, 1893; Journal, vol. xvi, p. xxxiv ff.) ; see I, 8, 2 ; VI, 66, 1 ; XI, 9, 23. d. hitva graman, ' with broken ranks/ or, ' having aban- doned the villages ' (so Pet. Lex. and Ludwig). Stanza 7. e. For ulpipana/;, see our discussion. Contributions, Fourth Series, Amer. Journ. Phil. XII, p. 441 ff, d. In the light of j-atruturya and vr/traturya one is ^ Perhaps, however, druv-aya, formed upon a denominal verb- stem ; cf. gav-aya, ' bos gavaeus : ' go, ' cow.' 438 HYMNS OF THE ATIIARVA-VEDA. tempted to read amitraturyaya, notwithstanding the metre. The sense would be the same in the end. svardhi' (stem sv-ardhin), air. \ey., we have translated philologically 'having the good side;' of. RV. II, 27, 15. The Pet. Lexs. and Grill, ' ein guter parteigenosse (kampfgenosse)/ but the word is certainly a bahuvrihi. Ludwig's ' sinnend auf liecht (gewinn) ' presupposes svar-dhi/^, but there is no reason for the loss of the visarga. Stanza 8. a. The metre suggests for dhibhi'/z the synonymous dhiti- bhi>^ ; cf. RV. 1, 161, 7 with III, 60, 2. Likewise, vadasi for vadati would harmonise better with Pada b. e. Ludwig takes satvano as nominative of satvana, ' Indra- freund und held lass dich nennen.' Stanza 9. Treated by Roth, Festgruss an Otto von Bohtlingk, p. 99. His translation implies that the drum heralds the return of the warriors after the battle, and announces the respective merits of the participants K This breaks the connection, and imports over-pregnant sense into Padas c, d, ' das verdienst sachverstandig abschatzend (but vayiinani vidvan is a mere formula !), telle vielen lob aus im kriege,' i.e. ' fiir ihre haltung im kriege (for their conduct in battle).' P'or dvira^a, cf. duellum, bellum. Stanza 10. c, d. A blurred comparison. The press-stones are placed over the skin into which the juice trickles, adhishava;/am (sc. ^arma)^; cf. Hillebrandt, Soma und verwandte Gotter, p. 181 f{. They dance upon (beat down upon) the stems ^ Note XII, I, 41, akrando yasyam vadati dundubhi/;, 'upon whom (sc. the Earth) resounds the roaring drum.' 2 adhishavawam by itself means the pressing-board, and so it may be understood here without altering the sense materially. Only the simile in that case is still further diluted. V. 2 1. COMMENTARY.- 439 of the plant over the skin. Thus the drum-sticks beating upon the skin for victory, as it were, dance upon (beat upon) the booty. The Pet. Lex. and Grill change adri to adhri, apparently as though it were the MS. reading (' man konnte an eine verwechselung mit adri denken,' Pet. Lex. s. V. adhri). Rut there is no word adhri, and according to the Index Verborum the MSS. read adri^. The expression grava adn/i seems to be a composite phrase, ' press-stone ; ' cf. Hillebrandt, I.e., 152 ff. Stanza 12. c. For vidatha ni/^-i'kyat cf. RV. IV, 38, 4. It seems to mean ' like a leader (puroeta) attending to the troops.' Ludwig, ' der opferversammlungen gedenkeiid ; ' cf. Der Rigveda, III, 259 ff. I believe that vidatha primarily means 'family;' cf. su-vidatra, 2. vedana (pativedana), pari vid, &c. V, 21. Commentary to page 131. The practice connected with this hymn at Kaui-. 16, 2. 3 is as follows : ' (The purohita) while reciting the hymn makes an offering aloud, and swings the sacrificial spoon about high in the air ■^. Then he sews a soma-branch upon (a piece) of the skin of an antelope, and fastens it (as an amulet) upon the king.' The performance on high sym- bolises the shrill sound of the drum (cf. V, 20, i) ; the amulet seems to be a blended, vague embodiment of the soma-shoot in V, 20, jo, and the antelope's skin in V, 21, 7. Stanza 12 of our hymn is rubricated in the apara^itaga/^a of the Ga/zamala, Ath. Parij-. 32, 13. The hymn has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 373-4- Stanza 7. b. The skin of the antelope seems thus to have been used for the covering of the drum just as the skin of the ' Some of Shankar Pandit's MSS. do, however, read adhri. ^ Darila, mdh\a.m parivartayan . . . homaj ka u/^/^ai>^. 440 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. COW (V, 20, I ; 21, 3). But the matter is not altogether clear, since in the Sutra above the antelope's skin is com- bined with a soma-shoot. This points, rather, to some use of it either at the soma-pressing, or, perhaps, at some preparatory stage (diksh^). The black antelope's skin is regularly employed at the diksha ; cf. Ait. Br. I, 3, 17 ; Lindner, Die Diksha, p. 27 ff. ; Oldenberg, Die Religion des Veda, pp. 87, 399 K Stanza 8. The first hemistich is altogether obscure. One may imagine that the poet desires to accentuate Indra's (and implicitly the king's) power by stating that the enemies are frightened at the beat of his feet, even when he is amusing himself; cf. Mahabh. Ill, 14882, yadi prakri^ate sarvair devai// saha j-atakratu//, ' if (Indra), of hundredfold power, disports himself in the company of the gods.' The words Mayaya saha would naturally mean ' in the company of ^//aya,' and one is almost tempted to suspect sikya (s-dkia.), ' in the company of Saki.' But it is possible to extract the meaning, 'the enemies are frightened at the beat of Indra's feet and at his shadow.' Ludwig, ' mit denen Indra spilet mit dem fussgerausch und seinem schatten '(!). Stanza 9. Ludwig, ' nur wie der laut einer bogensene sollen die dundubhi herschreien, von den heeren der feinde, welche besigt sind, und mit ihrer front nach alien weltgegenden gehn.' But ^yaghosha// is not a possessive compound, witness the accent, and the sense of abhi kroj-antu must be the same as that of abhi krand in V, 20, 2. 7 ; 21, 4-6. Stanza 10. The picture is that of interference of the sun and its rays with the operations of the enemy, patsangi'nir, ' clogging their feet,' is not quite clear. Ludwig may be right in regarding it as an independent noun, ' schlingen,' ' traps ; ' cf. Kauj-. 16, 16. V, 2 2. COMMENTARY. 44 1 V, 22. Commentary to page i. The word takman is not mentioned at all in the Risf- veda, but occurs very frequently in the Atharvan. Four hymns, I, 25; V, 22; VI, 20; VII, 116, are devoted exclusively to its cure ^ ; the word is mentioned frequently elsewhere in the Atharvan ; and there are descriptions of diseases, such as are stated in AV. I, 12, which are very closely allied in character to the takman, but the word is not mentioned in the text. The Ga/^-amala, the 32nd of the Atharva-Parij-ish/as, presents in its seventh paragraph a series (ga/za) of no less than nineteen hymns, supposed to be devoted to the cure of this disease (takmanaj-ana) ; see Kaui-. 26, i, note. Sayawa to AV. XIX, 34, 10 explains takman as follows : kr/X'Mra^ivanakartaraw yasmin sati kril^k/irena. ^ivanaw bhavati. Professor Roth in his famous tract, ' Zur Litteratur und Geschichte des Veda ' (p. 39), published in 1846, thought that the takman referred to leprosy because the name of the plant kush///a (costus speciosus), the specific against takman, is in the later medical writings also a designation of leprosy. Adolphe Pictet in an article entitled ' Die alten Krankheitsnamen der Indo-Germanen,' published in Kuhn s Zeitschrift, V, ^^J, thought he found etymological support for this view in Persian takhtah and Erse tachas, tochas, both of which refer to leprosy, or the like. Professor Weber, judging from the symptoms described in AV. I, 25, recognised fever as the chief feature of the takman (see Indische Studien, IV, 119); after him Dr. Virgil Grohmann published in the same Journal, IX, 381 ff., a careful and exhaustive essay which corroborated Weber's view. This was still further supported by Professor Zimmer in his Altindisches Leben, p. 379 ff., and now Darila and Kej^ava, the com- mentators of the Kau.fika-sutra, everywhere gloss the word ^ Cf. also the hymns to the kush/Aa-plant, V, 4 and XIX, 39. 442 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. by ^vara ^ The descriptions of ^ara as offered by the Hindu medical .Sastras arc such as to leave no doubt that the two diseases are essentially the same. Just as the word takman is lost in the later literature, the word ^vara is totally wanting in the Atharvan : the two words comple- ment one another. Only one must not expect to find lucidly expressed diagnosis and consistent therapeutics in Atharvan writings ; the descriptions are frequently vague, being blended with that of other diseases, and the treat- ment frequently symbolic. In many passages, moreover, the takman is a person, and belongs to the same class of demoniacal manifestations as graha, amiva, rakshas, and the like. Briefly, the disease is described as having for its chief symptom the change between heat and chills ; inter- mittency, arriving either every day at the same time, every third day, or omitting every third day ^ ; jaundice, which suggests true malarial fever, especially during the rainy season ; and the association with a variety of other diseases, some of which are none too clear in character. Headaches, coughs are alluded to unmistakably ; in addition the diseases called balasa (AV. IV, 9, 8 ; XIX, 34, 10), and his 'brother's son,' the paman (V, 22, 12). Almost all diseases in India show a tendency to be accompanied by febrile symptoms, and the frequency of malarial fevers is notorious. Suj-ruta designates fever as ' the king of diseases ; ' fever is present when man comes into the world, and it is also present when he leaves the world. Gods and men alone survive its ravages (Suj-ruta, Uttaratantra, chapter 39). No wonder, then, that the burning weapons of Takman are dreaded so much in the Atharvan. The effort is made to drive him out, either with polite words (I, 25 ; VI, 20) ; with potent charms (IX, (S, 6); or with plants used as specifics, especially the kush///a (costus speciosus), which is ^ We may mention also that Dr. IMuir translated the word by ' consumption : ' Original Sanskrit Texts, IV, p. 280. ' Cf. AV. 1, 25, 4 ; VII, 116. 2. V, 2 2. COMMENTARY. 443 therefore designated as takmana^-ana (V, 4, i. 2), and the ^aiigi^T'a, an unexplained member of the Indian floral In V, 22 the gods, Agni, Soma, Varu//a, the Adityas, and the deified press-stones (pressing the soma) are appealed to for help. Cf in addition to the authorities mentioned above, Edmund Hardy, Die Vedisch-Brahmanische Periode, p. 198, and, for detailed descriptions of fever and its treatment in the medical 6"astras, Wise, Hindu System of Medicine, p. 219 ff. The treatment of AV. V, 22 in the ritual, Kaui-. 29, j8. 19, is as follows : '(The priest) gives (the patient) gruel made of roasted grain to drink. The dregs (of the gruel) he pours from a copper vessel over the head (of the patient) into fire derived from a forest-fire^.' The treatment is intensely symbolical, being based upon the attractio si- milium, with a touch of homoeopathy. The roasted grain represents heat and therefore fever ; the copper vessel (lohitapatra), with the other meaning of lohita, ' red.' in mind, again suggests heat and fever, and the forest fire, davagni, figures in preference to ordinary fire because it is occasioned by lightning, and lightning is conceived as the cause of fever and its related diseases. See our treatment of AV. I, 12, and cf. Seven Hymns of the Atharva-veda, Amer. Journ. Phil. VII, 469 ff. (p. 4 ff. of the reprint). Note also the very parallel treatment which the fever patient undergoes at the hands of Kauj'ika in 25, 26, in connection with AV. I, 25. The hymn has been translated many times, either entirely or in part. See Roth, 1. c, p. 38 ; Grohmann, Indische ^ Darila at Kauj. 8, 15, ^angia'o^ir^una// a/c3.\a. iti dakshi«atya>^. Kcrava, ib., gahgido vara«asya/« prasiddha//. It is the name of a tree in any case ; see XIX, 34 and 35. ^ Kaujika's language is of the most concise Sutra sort : 18 . . . la^an payayati. 19. dave lohitapatre;/a murdhni sawpalan anayati. The translation above is with tlie help of Darila. The employment of the dregs after the act of aplavana is technical ; see the Pari- bhasha-sutra Kauj. 7, 15. For the sa;«pata, see also G rthyasa/u- grahal, 113. 444 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Studien, IX, p. 381 fif. (especially pp. 411-13) ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 510 ; Zimmer, 1. c, pp. 380 ff. ; GrilP, pp. 12, 153 fif. ; cf. also Hillebrandt,Vedachrestomathie,p.49. The Anukramawi designates it as a takmanaj"anadevatyam (sc. SLiktam) ; Bhr/gu-Angiras are the authors. Stanza 1. a. Because the first Pada is a ^agati followed by three trish/ubh Padas the Anukrarna;/i designates the stanza as a bhuri^. It is possible, however, to obtain a trish/ubh by reading apabadhateta// with elision and crasis ; cf. Roth in Kuhn's Zeitschrift, XXVI, 50 ff. I prefer to retain the ^agati, because it frequently appears in trish/ubh stanzas, without the possibility of a change. b. putadaksha/^ (stem putadakshas) is not easily rendered. Roth, 1. c, 'von unversehrter kraft ;' the Petersburg lexicons, Grohmann, and Grassmann, ' von reiner gesinnung ; ' Hille- brandt, ' von gelauterter gesinnung ; ' Grill, 'lantern sinnes ;' Ludwig, ' von geheiligter kraft ; ' Max Mliller, Vedic Hymns, Sacred Books of the East, vol. xxxii, p. 493, ' endowed with pure strength.' But ' lautere gesinnung ' idealises over much, and ' pure strength ' is vague. Perhaps after all our translation ' of tried skill or strength ' comes nearest to the true sense of the original. Cf. RV. Ill, 1,5, kratum punana/^ kavi'bhi// pavitrai//, ' purifying his intellect by wise means of purification.' The epithets puta-daksha and puta-dakshas are employed very frequently in connec- tion with the Adityas, singly or collectively, and it is perhaps significant that Daksha is one of the Adityas. d. Ludwig takes the words amuya bhavantu in their plainest sense, ' sollen nach jener seite hinweggehn.' But amuya frequently has a sinister, contemptuous meaning, ' in that well-understood, suitable, evil manner ;' it is a kind of euphemism like English ' gone,' German (slang) ' caput.' Cf amuya j-ayanam, RV. I, 32, 8 ; papaya ^muya, RV. I, 29, 5, &c. ; and Grill's note, p. 155. V, 2 2. COMMENTARY. 445 Stanza 2. a. In India malarial fever is frequently accompanied by- jaundice ; cf. AV. VI, 20, 3, ' thou that makest all forms yellow/ and I, 25, 2. 3, where the takman is designated as haritasya deva, 'the god of the yellow (colour).' Cf. Grohmann, ib. 393. b. Between the expression agnir iva^bhidunvan and the davagni of the ritual practice (Kau^-. 29, 19) there is a thread of symbolic connection. Cf. AV. I, 25, 2. 3 ; VI, 20, I. d. nyan and adharaii are synonymous to such an extent as to render it difficult to preserve the flavour of the original : literally, ' do thou go away down, or lower ! ' Stanza 3. a. For parusha and parusheya, Ludwig reads arusha and arusheya, and translates ' der rot ist von rotem ' — an un- necessarily severe handling of the text. b. avadhvawsa is air. Aey., but the meaning is fairly clear ; cf. the expression /^ur;mir avadhva;;^s in the Pet. Lex., s.v. dhvaws. The eruption (Grohmann, 394) produces roughness of the skin's surface, and the Hindus look upon such super- ficial changes as coming from without ; cf. Contributions, Second Series, Amer. Journ. Phil. XI, 323 (5 of the reprint). c. vij-vadhavirya would seem to refer to the kush/Zia- plant, if we consult AV. XIX, 39, 10. But the ritual does not indicate its employment. Stanza 4. a, b. Note the concatenation between this and the pre- ceding stanza, effected by Padas 3 d and 4 a. The expres- sion nama/^ kr/tva indicates a polite modification of the power of the charm, calculated to engage the co-operation of the demon Takman himself. P4da a is trochaic ; in b read kr/tua. c. Literally, 'the fist-fighter of vSaka;/^bhara,' i.e. the champion carrier of excrement, or the chief of diarrhoea 446 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. producing diseases: jakaw/bhara seems to be the personifica- tion of abnormal evacuation. Stanza 5. I do not consider the versifier incapable of a certain kind of punning intention in the choice of ethnic communities to which he would relegate the takman : mahavr/sha, here, and elsewhere in the hymns, may suggest to him ' a very strong ' tribe, better fitted to cope with the ravages of the disease ; balhika surely suggests to his mind b^hika and bahis, 'without,' i.e. not his own people^ ; and even mu^a- vant may suggest mu;7^a-grass, the plant which figures among Kauj^ika's remedies for the disease ; see the intro- duction to I, 1 2, and cf. mu;7^avant in Yaska's comment at Nirukta IX, 8, as the equivalent of mu^avant"-^. Rigorous geographical deductions derived from the juxtaposition of these names are therefore to be avoided. They are, how- ever, as also the Gandhari, Anga, and Magadha in the sequel, true ethnical designations ; see Roth, Zur Literatur und Geschichte des Weda, p. 39 ; Zimmer, pp. 29, 129, 431, 433, and Weber's article, ' Uber Bahli, Bahlika,' Proceed- ings of the Berlin Academy of November, 1892, vol. xlvii, p.'985ff. a,b. Note the concatenation with 4d. c, d. The Anukrama/n designates the stanza as vira/pathya br/hati, but takma;«s is in all probability interpolated. Its removal ensures a fairly good anush/ubh. — nyo/^ara is 0,77. Aey., its form being perhaps twisted in some measure in deference to the obvious pun with okas in a, b (' gelegen- heitsbildung ') ; it also suggests doubtless in its suffix the ^ Cf. especially, Zimmer, p. 433, top. ^ The name mff^avant, however, is typical for a region far dis- tant; see Tait. S. I, 8, 6, 2 ; Va^. S. Ill, 61, and Sat. Br. II, 6, 2, 17, in all of which Rudra with his destructive bow is entreated to depart beyond the Mii^avants : esha te rudra bhaga/^ . . . tena ^^vasena paro niu^avato^vti^ihy avatatadhanva, &c. 'Here is thy share, O Rudra; provisioned with it go beyond the Mia^avants with thy bow strung, &c.' V, 2 2. COMMENTARY. 447 word /'ara, 'going.' Ludwig's translation is very literal, ' wie gross du audi geboren bist, so gross hist du heimisch bei den Bahlikas.' Stanza 6. a, b. I really see no present possibility of translating the words vyala vi gada vyahga ; everything suggested is mere guess-work. A brief history of the interpretation of the words may be given in lieu of any personal conviction as regards their meaning, vy^la, according to the lexicons, means either ' malicious, wily,' or ' serpent,' or some other ferocious animal, any of which meanings might be given to the demon of a severe disease. Ludwig translates it ' schlange,' a rendering which is supported in a measure by vyaiiga, ' limbless ;' Grill and Hillebrandt prefer ' tiick- isch.' The text of the Sa;//hita and the Padapa///a both have VI gada, w^hich is doubtless felt to be an imperative. Accordingly Ludwig translates it ' sprich hcraus ; ' Grill in the first edition of his ' Hundert Lieder,' pp. 11, 63, emended VI gadha, and rendered ' lass los.' Whitney in his Index Verborum, s.v. gad and vi'gada, as also in his ' Roots, Verb- Forms,' &c., under root gad suggests the reading vi'gada, vocative, and this is now accepted by Grill in the second edition, who renders it ' stumm,' and Hillebrandt, s.v. vi'gada, who entertains the same view : etwa ' wort-, sprach- los.' With this emendation in mind the word might also be translated ' O chatterer,' referring to the delirium of the patient. One may be permitted, too, to consider the possibility that gada, ' sickness,' is at the bottom of the word : vi'gada, ' free from sickness ' (euphemistic address to the demon of the disease) ; cf. Bohtlingk's Lexicon, s. v. In that case vi'gada would be synonymous with agada, 'free from disease,' and this would remind us strongly of RV. X, 16, 6; AV. XVIII, 3, S5' Tait. Ar. VI, 4, 2, yat te k;'/sh;/a/^ .rakuna atutoda pipila// sarpa uta va svapada/i, agni'sh /ad vi^-vad agadawz krz//otu, ' If the black bird (vulture) has bitten thee, the ant, the serpent, or even the wild animal, may all-devouring Agni restore (agada;;/ krinotu) that.' And further, we may remember that the 448 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. kush///a-plant, the specific against takman, renders agada a person suffering from takman in AV. V, 4, 6 ; VI, 95, 3. vyaiiga again calls up a variety of possibilities. If we translate vyala by ' serpent,' we will not fail to remember that vyanga, 'limbless,' occurs in AV. VII, ^^6, 4 as an epithet of the serpent, and render accordingly. So Ludwig and Grill in the second edition. Hillebrandt more vaguely, ' korperlos.' The Petersburg Lexicons, and Grill in the first edition, translate it by ' fleckig ' (vi + a;7^), which might be justified by some symptom of the disease. Non liquet. — With bhuri yavaya we have supplied va^ram from Pada d. c. nish/akvarim with the following pun in mind : ni'sh takmanam (suva, or the like), * drive out the takman.' The word is ctTT. Aey., but fairly clear as a synonym of prakir;/a \ pu;;w/^ali, vipravra^ini, bahu/&ari;/i, &c. Such a person is correlated with the cross-roads ; see the citations in our edition of the G;7"hyasa;wgraha II, 23, note 3 (Zeitschr. d. Deutsch. Morgenl. Gesellsch. XXXV, 573), and add Kau.y. 37,9- Stanza 7. b. The etymology of balhika in the mind of the poet (bahika ' externus ; ' cf. note on st. 5) accounts for para- staram 'farther away.' The statement may not be utilised for geographical purposes. d. VI ^va dhunuhi, 'shake her through as it were' with humorous intent. The symptom referred to is ague, and it is paralleled by the use of the root vip in st. 10 (cf. also IX, 8,6). Stanza 8. b. I have translated in accordance with the vulgata, bandhv addhi paretya, but not without a strong temptation to emend to bandhv adhi paretya, and translate, ' having passed over to thy kinfolk, the Mahavr/shas and the Mu^a- vants.' 'Eat your kinfolk' seems exceedingly crude even for the present production. The MSS. exhibit indigestible variants. ^ Schol. at G/Vhyasawgraha II, 22, gnhe-grihe gamanaj'ila. V, 2 2. COMMENTARY. 449 d. anyakshetra;/i va ima seems to refer to other countries, nearer to the speaker than those mentioned in the stanza ; perhaps, as Grill remarks, the Ahga and Magadha men- tioned in St. 14. Stanza 9. The exact connection between the various statements made in this stanza is not easy to find. Perhaps as fol- lows : Takman does not take pleasure in the other regions (near by), that is, he remains in the country of the person praying ; therefore he seems to be implored not to damage him personally, but to seek out other victims. But (after all?) Takman has got himself ready and will go to the remotest region, that of the Balhikas, that being the final outcome announced by the priest in charge of the exorcism. Ludwig translates anyakshetre ' in andrer leib ;' neither his, nor Grill's translation makes clear the sequence of thought. b. The Pada is formulaic = VI, 26, 1 b. c. The translations of prarthas, our own included, are practically guess-work. The Pet. Lexicons, ' ausriistung zur reise ; ' Ludwig, ' begirig nach der feme ; ' Grill, in the same spirit, 'schon riistet Takman sich zur reis ; ' Hillebrandt, ' bereitwillig.' I have translated simply upon the basis of the denominative prarthayati, ' desire, demand.' The metre demands pra-arthas. Stanza 10. a. We have translated rura by ' deliriously hot.'' In the Atharvan it occurs only as a form of the takman (see st. 13, and I, 25, 4 ; VII, 116, I, and cf. Tait. S. II, 5, 2, 3), but in the T^/^^a, Kauj-. 29, 29, Sayawa veads gapMims /:a. This does not commend itself : since the passage refers to the rites described in Ksais. 28, 2 we should expect ^apadini (sc. karma?;!) X-a. 462 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. The hymn has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rig- veda, III, 501 f{. ; Florenz, Bezzenberger's Beitrage, XII, 262 ff. Cf. also Bergaigne et Henry, Manuel Vedique, p. 149. The Anukramawi, takshakadaivatam (cf. Kau^. 2S, 1 ; 29, I, and the introduction to IV, 6). Stanza 1. Imperfect metaphors. In the second half the notion is that night puts a stop to all activity, and thus the physician stops the action of the poison. In Pada c the notion seems to be that the ha;//sa is awake at night ; cf. Zimmer, Altin- disches Leben, p. 90. Sayawa takes ha;;/sa in the sense of atman, soul (cf. brahman = paramahawsa), ' as the entire body, but not the soul, is at rest.' Perhaps ha;«sa is here, as frequently elsewhere, the sun. Can we trust the present poet to know that the sun is at work by night in another hemisphere ? The sense would then be that every creature but the ha;;/sa (i. e. the sun) is at rest. Cf. RV. X, 136, 5. Ludwig, ' wie die nacht das iibrige lebende totet (? dhvan- sat),' or, 'as night separates the remaining living things from the sun (ha;//sa).' Stanza 2. c. asanvat (Padap. asan-vat) is air. Aey., literally ' that which has a mouth.' Sa)-a;/a, asyayuktam. In effect the ■word seems to mean ' the present ' (' that which can speak, or breathe ? ' highly and grotesquely poetic, if true). The Pet. Lex. suggests that it is either an obscure derivative of root as, ' be,' or a corruption of asannam. Does it stand for asthanvat, ' corporeal ; ' cf. Avestan astvat ? The change of asthan to asan may have crept in from asne in 3 d. Or possibly, atmanvat. The Paippalada has dsunvat. Stanza 3. c. Parushwi is the name of a river: Zimmer, 1. c, p. 11. ■Sipali seems to be a fanciful, typical river, or lake, named after the water-plant jipala, avaka (blyxa octandra), ib., p. 71. The avaka quenches fire, see Contributions, Second Series, Amer. Journ. Phil. XI, p. 342 ff. The entire stanza VI, 14- COMMENTARY. 463 O contains the statement that the poet with his song- is sweetening all waters and (the plants of) the mountains. In the practice honey is added to water and other ingredients, as a potion for the invalid. VI, 14. Commentary to page 8. For the nature of the disease balaisa, see our discussion in the note at V, 22, ii, and cf VI, 127. This particular charm is defined by Kei-ava (and Saya;/a) as a jleshma- bhaisha^^am, 'cure for phlegm,' in agreement with the medical 5astras ; cf Wise, Hindu System of Medicine, p. 311. We may suppose that it refers to some virulent swelling of the throat. The indications of the Kauj-ika, 2y, 30, are not helpful : the practice is purely symbolic. A reed is placed into the water (of a river) and then the patient is washed with water by means of a branch from a ' holy ' tree (D^.rila, .yantav;7ksha.s-akalena ; cf. Ka.us. 8, 15), so that the water flows down upon the reed. The perishable reed upon which the disease has been washed out of the patient is supposed to float away ; cf. sts. 3 c, d. The hymn has been translated by Florenz, Bezzenberger's Beitrage, XII, 265 fl". The Anukramam, balasadevatyam. Stanza 1. Cf. the parallel stanza, V, 30, 9, where very similar qualities are ascribed to consumption, yakshma. But we must not, on that account, go so far as to identify balasa outright with yakshma. a, b. Note the alliteration between asthi- and asthitam. Stanza 2. a, b. The Paippalada has kri/ioml for kshi/^omi. The Pet. Lex. suggests, most ingeniously, the reading ni'r . . . aksh;^omi for ni'r . . . kshi;/omi (cf. IV, 22, i, and for the sense in general III, 9, 2). But perhaps the liir. Aey., ni/i kshi;/omi, 'remove, destroy,' simiply suggests the other verb by way of zeugma. Sayawa with the Paippalada 464 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. escapes the difficulty by reading pushkaram, ' as a lotus that has grown up in a great lake thus it is torn up by the root.' Possibly this is the true solution. Cf. also VI, 137, 2. c, d. Cf. RV. VII, 59, 12. The Paippalada, mulam ulvalvo yatha. Stanza 3. b. Saya;^a reads susuka/i, ' as a wild animal of that name (juj-uka) runs to a distance.' The word is not quotable. The Pet. Lexs., on the other hand, suggest that asu7;iga. is the name of some bird. Neither suggestion commends itself. c. For the reed that passes away in a year's time, cf. IV, 19, I. On the other hand reeds grow profusely and quickly, VI, 137, 2. 3. Saya;^a reads ita for iVa. VI, 16. Commentary to page 30. This hymn, full of hocus-pocus and singular diction, represents the extreme Atharvanesque manner, and for this reason alone is worth reproducing. All details are ex- ceedingly obscure, and the rather full elaboration of it in the ritual is not very helpful. The commentators agree in regarding it as a charm against ophthalmia (akshirogabhai- sha^yam) ; the performances, Kaus. 30, 1-6, are as follows : I. ' While reciting the hymn (an amulet derived from the mustard-plant), anointed with the dregs of mustard-oil ^, is fastened (to the patient). 2. (And) the stem (of the mus- tard-plant) smeared with (mustard-oil is also fastened upon him as an amulet). 3. The leaf (of the mustard-plant) mixed (with the oil) is given (to the patient) ^. 4. (Then) four fruits of the j-aka-tree (tectona grandis) are given (to ^ We would now read sarshapatailasawjuttam in accordance with the comments of Darila, Kejava, and Saya«a. The latter sarsha- patailena sawpatitam. ^ Sayawa, sarshapatailena hhnsh/3.m sarshapapatra^akam -('akshu- rogagrastaya prayaX',(7/et. Vr, 1 6. COMMENTARY, 465 the patient). 5. A paste made from the sap of the plant is smeared (upon the eyes of the patient) ^ 6. (The patient) eats (of the sap).' We are permitted to judge from these practices that the mustard-plant, and perhaps other plants (the j-aka-tree) are referred to in the hymn, but the identification is uncertain. The fourth stanza is rubricated at Kauj-. 515 i5- i^ hi a practice that seems to be calculated to remove weeds from a field (alabhesha^am)^. The practice consists in burying three tips of the sila%ala-plant (cf. Kau^ika, In- troduction, p. xlv) into the middle of a furrow. The hymn has been translated by Florenz, Bezzenber- ger's Beitrage, XII, 268 ff The Anukrama;n, mantrokta- devatyam uta /^indramasam. Stanza 1. Saya«a reads avayo and anavayo, which he derives from avayati, ' eat,' and accordingly, with complete dependence upon the Sutra, 'O mustard that art being eaten, and, O mustard-stalk that art not eaten.' It must be admitted that there is a punning correlation between these two words and avaya/^ in st. 2d, which Saya;/a renders, bhakshitam akaro// ; it is quite likely, too, that abayu is more or less identical with the mustard-plant. But here our guesses end. S^yawa glosses karambham again after the Sutra, sarshapatailamii-rabhrzsh/aw tatpatrajakam (Kauj-. 30, 3). Stanza 2. a, b. The mention by name of the father and mother of a plant is typical and formulaic; cf. the note on V, 5, i. Shankar Pandit reads vihahlo ; Sayawa, viha;;/lakhya/('yuta (probably the hymn given in full at Kauj. 98, 2 ^). It is as follows: 2^, 13, *A bowstring, thrice knotted, is tied about (the foetus) that has been seized by convulsions. 14. (The woman) is fed upon lumps of earth. 15, Black pebbles are scattered about her couch.' For the character of ^ambha, 'convulsions,' see the note on II, 4, 2, and cf. especially the references there given to Wise, pp. 421-3. The hymn has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 477 ; Florenz, Bezzenberger's Beitrage, XII, 269 ff. The Anukrama/n, garbhadr/whanadevatyam. VI, 18. Commentary to page 106. The performances at Kauj-. ^6, 25 fif. involve the use of this hymn in company with VII, 45, and the third stanza of VII, 74. They picture a woman engaged in symbolic acts calculated to appease a jealous man, and to remove the jealousy from his body, to wit: 25. 'The practising woman mutters the above-mentioned mantras against (the jealous) man, presents to him (a stirred drink with grits, Kauj'. 7, 7), and touches (his person). 26. With the first (of these hymns) she performs upon his body the act described in the hymn (i.e. she blows out fire held over his body^). 27. While reciting VII, 45, 2 (see the stanza) [she gives him to drink] water, warmed by pouring it over a heated axe.' Soothing the jealous man, and the symbolic removal of the fire of his jealousy, are therefore the points of the practice. ' Kejava, a/^yuta dj'aur iti. Darila, jakhantariyasuktam. "^ Darila, h;-/daye^gninirvapa«a;« mantroktatvat. Ke^ava, ka/ipra- desQ . . . dhamati. H h 2 468 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. The present hymn has been rendered by Weber, Indische Studien, V, 235 ff. ; Ludvvig, Der Rigveda, 111,514 ; Florenz, in Bezzenberger's Beitrage, XII, 270 ff. ; Grill -, pp. 28, 159 ff. The Anukrama;/!, irshyavinaj-anadevatyam. Stanza 3. b. For manaska?;/ patayish;mkam, cf. RV. I, 163, 11 ; VI, 9, 5. Ludwig renders patayish/mkam by ' zu falle bringend,' but that would require patayishwukam, since the Vedas discriminate between the stems pataya and pataya, the former being simple, the latter alone causative. Weber also causatively, ' was dir den sinn entfallen macht.' d. nr/'ter is untranslatable, though Ludwig renders the Pada, ' wie die erhitzung eines tanzers.' The Paippalada reads triter ; this supports in a measure Weber's and the Pet. Lexs.' emendation to dr/ter, ' as heat from a pot,' or, 'as the exhalation from a (water-carrier's) skin.' Similarly also Sayawa, with the approval of Shankar Pandit, yatha drite/i kd.rmama.yyA bhastrikaya/z saka^at tanmadhyavarti- nam ushma;/aw^ .fvasavad anta/zpurita;/-? vayum. 'VI, 20. Commentary to page 3. The Kaui-ika offers by way of practice to be performed in connection with this charm a part of that reported for AV. V, 22. The exceedingly terse Siatra, 31, 7, agner ive»ty ukta;;^ dave, is to be translated, ' With AV. VI, 20 he does what has been said in connection with the forest-fire,' i.e. according to Darila, what is prescribed in Sutra 29, 19 (and by implication also what is prescribed in 29, 18). Namely, he pours the dregs of gruel, which the patient has imbibed previously, from a copper vessel over his head into fire derived from a forest-fire. See the introduction to V, 22. The practice is again symbolic, aiming by attractio similium to obviate the symptoms of heat and fire incidental to the disease. The hymn has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 5 1 1 ; Zimmer, p. 380 ; and Florenz, in Bezzen- berger's Beitrage, XII, 273 ff. ; and it is quoted also in the VI, 20. COMMENTARY. 469 takmanaj-anaga;/a of the Ga;/amala, Ath. Parix. 32, 7 (Kaiu. 26, I, note). The Anukrama;/! designates it as yakshma- naj-anadaivatam, and describes its authorship and purpose as follows : bhr/gvaiigira// . . . anena mantroktan sarvan devan astaut. Stanza 1. a. A^agati Pada may be construed if one syllable is sup- pressed. Probably agner iva is to be read as three syllables with elision of r and crasis (cf. Pet. Lex., s. v. iva 4 c), or by reading va in the manner of the Prakrit. Florenz, 1. c, makes different propositions. The Anukramawi designates the stanza as ati^agati. jushmi'n is a derivative from jushma, whose fundamental meaning seems to be ' lightning,' from which ' strength ' is derived secondarily ; see Contributions, Sixth Series, Zeitschr. d. Deutsch. Morgenl. Gesellsch. XLVIII, 565 ff. b. matto vilapan ; cf. the words unmadito and lalapiti in AV. VI, III, I. c. Ludwig and Florenz propose to emend avratas to avratam, because the epithet ' impious ' does not seem to suit the takman ; cf. RV. I, 132, 4. A glance at AV. VII, 1 J 6, 2 exhibits the takman with the same epithet under circumstances which admit of no doubt, showing the danger of subjective reasoning on matters connected with foreign folk-psychology. Ludwig renders ' irgend einen werklosen.' Stanza 2. a. Note the concatenation with Pada i d : tapurvadha in I d suggests Rudra in 2 a, and takmane is repeated. c, d. The diction lapses into formulary prose, which does not however deter the Anukrama;/i from assigning the entire stanza to the metre kakummati prastarapankti. Stanza 3. The metre is very rough, according to the Anukramawi, sata/^parikti. Pada a is a trochaic anush/ubh if we read ^bhi.iO/v'ayishwur ; b is a trish/ubh ; c is a hypercatalectic anushAibh; d a^'^agati. 470 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. a, b. In close parallelism with V, 22, 2 a, b : see the note on the passage. c. The epithet babhru calls to mind Latin febris from febrv-is, which would then be the ' brown, sallow disease.' d. The meaning of vanya, ' silvestris,' seems fairly certain. The Pet. Lex. suggests ' greenish,' in order to establish a parallelism with aruua and babhru in the preceding Pada. Grohmann, 1. c, p. 385, translates ' dem wilden (wasserge- borenen ?) Takman.' If the word means ' forest-born ' then it must refer to the malarial fever of the rainy season which is caused by the decay of the tropically prolific flora. Cf. the takman varshika in AV. V, 22, 13. Living in wooded, ill-ventilated valleys is, according to Wise, 1. c, p. 220, one of the causes of fever. Sdya;/a, sawsevyaya, ' to him that is to be adored.' VI, 21. Commentary to page 30. This interesting hymn is accompanied by equally in- teresting symbolic practices, at Kauj-. 30, 8-10, part of which passage is unfortunately very obscure : 8. ' While reciting the hymn the person that desires the growth of hair (Saya^a, kej-avr/ddhikama;;/) is rinsed off with water heated by burning plants^ that grow upon the earth under trees. 9. His head is rinsed off with an effusion prepared by heating dice in water. 10. (And also with an effusion prepared) from two nika/a-plants ^ (?).•' The symbolism of the first practice is quite clear : as the head of the earth is clothed with plants (cf. st. i), as the crown of the tree is full of leaves, so shall the person practising the charm be luxuriantly hirsute. But the dice (the fruit of the vibhitaka-tree) and the nika/a are left unexplained. ^ Cf. the note on Kauj 27, 29, in the introduction to III, 7 (p. 336, note). ^ Very doubtful. Kejava, daruharidraharidre (!) X'a dvabhya/// kvathayitva avasi«/('ati. Sayawa, haridrakvathodakena avasi«/^et. According to these authorities nika/a would then be the yellow curcuma. VI, 24- COMMENTARY. 47 1 The hymn has been translated by Florenz, Bezzenber- ger's Beitriige, p. 275 fF. ; GrilP, pp. 50, 160 ff. Cf. also Bergaigne et Henry, Manuel Vedique, p. 150. The Anu- krama«i, ^andramasam (cf. st. 2). Stanza 1. For the conception of the three earths, see the note on IV, 20, 2. Sayawa refers tva>('6 in Pada c to the real earth, which is the skin of the other earths, tasa;« pr/thivina;^ tva-ta// tvag iva upari vartamana ya bhumi/^ tasya/^. VI, 24. Commentary to page 12. Rubricated at Kauj-. 30, 13. Darila prescribes it against dropsy ; Kejava, more explicitly, as a cure for pain in the heart, dropsy and jaundice (cf. the introduction to I, 22). Kau.nka's performance is as follows : ' While reciting VI, 24 water is drawn from a stream along its current ^ ; (the water is warmed with burning) grass from a thatch (and sprinkled upon the patient)-/ It seems quite possible that the ritualist has in mind the particular disease dropsy : the water (Varu;/a's infliction) shall flow from the body like a running stream. The word hr/ddyota (st. i) would accord with dropsy, since diseases of the heart are fre- quently associated with it. But st. 2 seems to point to a more general and vague conception on the part of the hymn, and accordingly we have expanded the caption. See also Kauj-. 9, 2 ; i8, 3, note ; 41, 14 ; Ath. Parij. 41, i. The hymn has been translated by Florenz, Bezzenber- ger's Beitrage, XII, p. 279 ff. ; Grill-, pp. 13, 161 ff. ^ anvipam : Pet. Lex. 'am wasser gelegen'(?). The word means ' along the course,' i. e. the water must not be drawn against the current. Cf. INIaitr. S. IV, 4, i, anu ' -java, anulomam. The opposite of anvipam is pratipam, ' against the current.' ^ The supplied passages are indicated, it seems, by Kaus. 29, 8 ; see the note on V, 13, 5. Kaujika is at times so terse as to render necessary the memorising of the entire Sutra. 472 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Stanza 1. d. For hr/ddyota, see the note on I, 22, i. VI, 25. Commentary to page 19. Adalbert Kuhn, in Zeitschrift fiir vergleichende Sprach- forschung, XIII, 128 ff., treated the hymn under the head of ' Seven and seventy-fold disease,' comparing with it Ger- manic formulas directed against fever and other diseases ; these are often described as being of seventy-seven varieties. Florenz, Bezzenberger's Beitrage, XII, 281 fif., suggests that some febrile disease, accompanied by eruptions, is in question. In Contributions, Second Series, Amer. Journ. Phil, XI, 327 ff., we assumed that the hymn with its ritual represent a charm against a disease, similar to the scrofu- lous swellings called apa>^it (VI, 83 ; VII, 74, 1-2 ; 76, 1-2), and this is now fully corroborated by Kejava and Sayaz/a who define the present charm as a cure for ganda.- mala, 'scrofula.' Cf. also the interesting 'Manskunder' (many^// and skandhya-^ in sts. i, 3 of the hymn), defined as 'tumours of the neck' in the previously quoted passage of Wise, Hindu System of Medicine, p. 316. The Anu- krama;n, mantroktamanyavinajanadevatyam. The practices are stated at Ka.us. 30, 14-16, as follows: 14. ' While reciting the hymn, fifty-five leaves of the paraju ^ (plant or tree ?) are kindled by means of pieces of wood. 15. (The sap of the leaves) which has boiled forth into a cup is smeared with a stick of wood (upon the sores). 16. (The sores are then smeared) with a (pul- verized) shell, and with the saliva of a dog, and subjected to the bites of leeches, gnats, and so forth (cf. Ke.fava's ^ The word parajuparwan is not altogether clear, Darila's and Ke^ava's (gopajulikam ?) glosses being corrupt. Kauj. 47, 25 presents the obviously parallel parajupalaja which Ke^ava glosses by parjuv/vkshapatiam, and this we have adopted as the sense here. But Darila at 47, 25 has kuMaramukham, 'the blade of an axe ! ' Cf. the note on Kaus. 47, 25 in the introduction to II, 12. VI, 26. COMMENTARY. 473 comment upon this Sutra at Kauj-. 31^ 16, and our remarks in the above-cited Contributions, pp. 325-6). Stanzas 13. d. The word vaka// in the refrain is translated by Kuhn as ' swarms,' by the Pet. Lexs. and Florenz as ' buzzing.' But the apakit are not insects (see VI, 83). and Saya;/a's va>^aniy4 dosha// designates the low water-mark of his hermeneutical capacity. As it seems impossible to retain the word, we may perhaps resort to the emendation paka//, remembering the well-known confusion in the MSS. of v and p^ The sense would then be ' may they (the tumours) pass away like the pustules of the apa/^i't.' The implication would then be that the tumours in question are ' hard and large' (Wise, I.e., 316), and that the apa-^i't are more easily brought to the point of breaking open. VI, 26. Commentary to page 163. The ritual treats this as a remedial charm, fit to remove all diseases (sarvarogabhaisha^yam). The performances, Kaui-. 30, 17. 18, are as follows: By night the hymn is recited, parched grains of corn are poured into a sieve, and then cast away. On the next day three bali-offerings are thrown into the water for Sahasraksha (' the thousand-eyed divinity,' cf. st. 3), and (three) puddings of rice are thrown and scattered upon the cross-roads^. The ceremony is symbolic for the most part : the sieve is always the tangi- ble expression of passing through and out (cf. Kauj-. 26, 2 in the introduction to I, 12), and general dispersion is the salient motif. The hymn is also rubricated in the 5anti- kalpa, chapter 15, in a rite directed against the goddess of ' Cf. upolava and upolapa, Kaujika, Introduction, p. xlviii. ^ Cf. the sentiment in st. 2 of the hymn : the cross-roads are the most convenient spot at which to part company. For the character of the cross-roads in general, see the note on p. 519 in the introduc- tion to VL III. 474 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. misfortune (nirr/ti/'arma), and in the papmaga«a and the takmana^anagawa of the Ga;/amala, Ath. Parii-. 32, 7. la (cf. Kaus. 26, I ; 30, ly, notes). It has been translated by Florenz, Bezzenberger's Beitrage, XII, 282. The Anu- krama;n, papmadevatakam. Stanza 1. b. The Pada is formulaic, being repeated at V, 22, 9 b. Stanza 3. b. For the epithet sahasraksha, see the note on IV, 20, 4. * Thousand-eyed ' here refers to the power of infallibly spy- ing out victims ; cf. especially the ' thousand-eyed curse ' atVI, 37, I. VI, 27. Commentary to page 166. The pigeon as a bird of omen is well known in Teutonic mythology; cf. Gothic hrai'vadubo, literally ' carcass -dove,' as the name of the turtle, and see Grimm, Deutsche Mytho- logie, p. 659 ff. The present hymn is the Atharvanic equivalent of RV. X, 165, 1-3, and the archaic locative ^sh/ri in 3 b (cf. Ath. Prdti^akhya I, 74) seems to indicate a certain superiority of the Atharvan text, which is, how- ever, not borne out by 2 b and 3 c, whose Rig-vedic form is metrically preferable. Cf. Adbhuta-Brahma;/a 6 and 8 (Weber, Omina und Portenta, pp. 325, 330) ; Hultzsch, Prolegomena zu des Vasantara^a 5akuna, p. 7. At Kau.y. 46, 7 this and the two following hymns are recited while the 'great consecration' (mahaxanti) is being poured (cf. Kauj. 9, 6, note). The Anukrama/n defines the three hymns as yamyany uta nairr/tani. The present hymn has been treated by Florenz, Bezzenberger's Beitrage, XII, p. 282 ff. Stanza 2. b. The RV., grzheshu for grihim na/i. The Atharvan reading almost looks as though anaga(/^) were understood in the sense of ' not arriving ' (an-a-ga//). The accent of VI, 2>1- COMMENTARY. 475 the stem is both anagas and anagas, and the Padapa/^a does not divide it, thus apparently indicating its own doubt as to the character of the word. Sayawa, anaparadhaka/^. VI, 29. Commentary to page i66. For the general character of this hymn and its treat- ment in the ritual, see the introduction to VI, 27. It has been treated by Florenz, Bezzenberger's Beitriige, XII, p. 287 ff. VI, 32. Commentary to page '^6. The practice connected with this hymn at Kauj-. 31, 3 consists in digging a ditch near the fire, filling it with hot water, and in sacrificing into it a rice-cake after circum- ambulating it thrice and muttering the hymn. The hot water near the fire is doubtless emblematic of the well- known properties of Agni as the most obvious enemy of spooks and uncanny hostile forces. Darila, pij-a/^anaj-anam. The hymn figures also in the /^atanaga//a, ' list of hymns with which (demons, &c.) are chased away ' in the Ga;/amala, Ath. Parii-. 32, 3 (cf. Kauj-. 8, 25, note). It has been trans- lated by Florenz, Bezzenberger's Beitrage, XI I, 291 ff Stanza 3. The second hemistich is repeated at VIII, 8, 21. Sayawa renders ^;7^taram by abhi^/7aw svaminam, 'experienced master.' Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 528, bottom, ' der sie kennt.' VI, 37. Commentary to page 93. The hymn is rubricated at Kauj-. 48, 23-26, in prac- tices designed to repel the sorcery-practices of enemies. A white lump (of earth) ^ is given to a dog (cf. st. 3), an ^ So Kej-ava and Sayawa, jvetamr/ttika. 47^ HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. amulet of tar/'//a ^ is put on, an oblation (of ingi^/a-oil, Kauj. 47, 3) is poured, and fagots (of vadhaka-wood, Kau^. 47, 13 ; cf. AV. VIII, 8, 3) are laid on the f^re. The practice is based upon symbolic realisations of suggestions contained in the hymn -. Previous translations: GrilP, pp. 25, 161 ff . ; Florenz, Bezzenberger's Beitrage, XII, 297. The Anukramawi, /(-andramasam. Stanza 1. a. For the epithet ' thousand-eyed,' see the note on IV, 20, 4, and especially VI, 26, 3. Saya;;a identifies it out- right with Indra, indra// j-apatha/z i'apakriyaya/^ karta. Stanza 2. d. The sentiment of this Pada and of the first hemistich of the next stanza are worked up anew in VII, 59. That mantra is accompanied, Kauj. 47, 37, by an interesting practice : wood from a tree struck by lightning is put on the fire, to symbolise the destruction of the enemy by lightning. Stanza 3. c. pesh/ram may mean ' flesh ' rather than ' bone,' in accordance with our note on IV, 12, 2, Sayawa reads pesh/am (pish/amayaw khadyam). For avakshamam (Pada- pa///a, ava-kshamam) we have ventured a new interpreta- tion, ' down upon the ground,' from ava and kshdman 'ground.' Saya;/a, avadagdham ; Pet. Lex., 'abfindung' ('sop'); Grill, 'brocken;' Florenz, ' knochenrest ;' Boht- ^ According to Daiila 'an amulet consisting of a bone' (.? asthi- kamawi ; cf. pt^sh/ram in st. 3) ; according to Ke^ava and Saya/za ' an amulet of palaja-wood.' Cf. the mantra in K^us. 13, 12. ^ Saya«a thinks that st. 3 is referred to in Kaus. 47, 37 under the pratika, yo na-^ japat. But the lightning is not mentioned in St. 3, but rather in st. 2. Hence the little hymn VII, 59 is doubt- less the one intended at Kauj. 47, 37 : it consists of sentiments contained in VI, 37, 3 and 2, and begins also with the words, yo na^ japat. VI, 38. COMMENTARY. 477 lingk's Lexicon, ' lean ; ' Whitney in the Index Verborum shelters the word under the root ksham with ava. Cf. XI, 10, 23. VI, 38. Commentary to page ii6. This and the next hymn are worked up in the course of the royal rites (ra^akarma;/i, Kauj". 14-17). The object of both the hymn and the practices connected with it is to endow a king with var^as, ' lustre,' and more particularly to transfer to him the var/^as inherent in men, animals, and brilliant substances. The practice, Kauj. 13, ;^-6, is as follows : While reciting VI, 38 and 39, hairs from the navel of a snataka \ a lion, a tiger, a goat, a ram, a bull, or a king, are pasted together with lac, covered with gold, and fastened on as an amulet. Also an amulet prepared from the splinter of ten kinds of (' holy ') wood is put on (see the introduction to II, 9). While reciting the same two hymns, and in addition III, 16 ; VI, 69, and IX, i, the seven vital organs - (of a lion or any of the other animals mentioned above), mixed with a mess of rice, are eaten. The relation of these performances to VI, 38 are obvious. Both hymns are rubricated further in the course of the practices at the initiation of pupils to the study of the Vedas, Kauj-. 139, 15, and they hold membership in the two var/('asyaga«as of the Ga;/amala, Ath. Parii-. 32, 10 and 27 (see Kauj-. 12, 10 and 13, i, notes). Cf. also Ath. Parii-. 4, i; i8^ 12. The two hymns have been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 240; Florenz, Bezzenberger's Beitrage, XII, 297 ff. The Anukramawi : ime b/zliaspatidevatye var/C'as- kama// . . . rz'shir apai^yat. ^ A Brahmawa who has performed the ceremony of ablution, required on finishing the period of his disciplehood (brahmaX'drya), before entering the second period of his Hfe, that of a house- holder (g/Vhasiha). This embodies in practice the word brah- ma«^ in st. 38, i b. ^ Darila defines these as padamadhyani nabhihndayaw murdha /(-a. 478 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Stanza 1. The relation of the two hemistichs of each stanza of the hymn is anacoluthic. It seems best in translation to supply some such expression as na astu from na etu in Pada d. b. The rendering of brahmawe by ' in the Brahma;/a ' is rendered certain by the word snataka in the Sutra above. Florenz, erroneously, ' im Brahman Agni.' d. The mention of Indra in all sorts of royal charms is due to the most prominent characteristic of the god, namely strength. Indra is the heavenly ra^an, par excellence. His ever-shadowy mother also is personified strength. Indra is putrA/i sa.va.sa/1 and sa.vasa./i sunu// (RV. VIII, 92, 14; IV, 24, i). See Perry, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XI, 130 ff. ; Contributions, Sixth Series, Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenlandischen Gesellschaft, XLVIII, 548. Stanza 2. Cf. the related passage from the var/^asya-hymn, IX, i, 18. Stanza 4. a, b. Ludwig renders dundubhav ayatayam ' in der pauke, der langezogen tonenden.' This receives a certain support from Sayawa, atart^yamanayam, but we prefer to compare ayata as used of the tightened bowstring, e.g. XI, 2, i. For purushasya mayau, cf XIX, 49, 4. VI, 39. Commentary to page 117. For the employment of this hymn in the ritual, and pre- vious translations, see the introduction to VI, 38. The keynote of the present hymn is yaj-as (cf. VI, 58), that of the preceding, virka.s. The word ya.yas seems to be technically the name of the oblation which must have accompanied the recital of the hymn ; see sts. i a and 2 a. Stanza 1. a. Ludwig, ' als herrlichkeit gedeihe das havis (das yaj-o- havis) ;' Florenz, ' zur ehr' gedeih das havis mir;' Saya«a, VI, 42. COMMENTARY. 479 ya^aso hetutvat. It seems difficult to construe ya^as as a nominative, in co-ordination with havis, but cf. the bhu- ta;« havis, VI, 78 ^ We may, of course, either emend to yajohavi'r, or take yaso as an instrumental ; cf. Lanman, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. X, 562. But, I believe, the con- struction as it stands is technical. b. Saya;/a has for subhrztam the rather more acceptable reading suvr/tam (sush///u vartamanam). Stanza 2. a. ya.yobhir seems to refer directly to the havis in st. i ; see the introduction. Sayawa, evasively, kirtibhi/^. VI, 42. Commentary to page 136. According to the text of the mantra this is a charm to appease wrath in general. But the Kau.yika, ^6, 28-31, deals with it in the course of the so-called ' women's rites ' (strikarm^wi, 32, 27-36 end), and the commentators are agreed in regarding it as an instance of conflict between two persons of opposite sex. According to Kei^ava and Saya;^a the charm is practised by a woman against an angry man (her husband, or lover) ; Darila, on the other hand, more naturally ascribes the acts to a man trying to appease an angry woman. These nicer specifications are therefore in all probability secondary. The practice is as follows : The person who desires to appease wrath takes up a stone while reciting st. i. He places the stone upon the ground while reciting st. 2. He spits around the stone while reciting st. 3. Finally he lays an arrow on a bow while standing in the shadow (of the wrathful person). The last executes the sentiment of st. i, with rather vague symbolism. The hymn is also recited, at Vait. Su. 1 2, 13, by ^ So also abhivart^na havfsha, RV. X, 174, i. Ordinarily these havfs are accompanied by an adjective, e. g. samsr^vyam havis, II, 26, 3 ; nairbadhyaw havfs, VI, 75, i. Cf. also VI, 64, 2 ; VI, 87, 3, and Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 371 ff. 480 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. one who is consecrated for the performance of the soma- sacrifice (dikshita), if he has been guilty of an outburst of wrath. Previous translations by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 515 ; Florenz, Bezzenberger's Beitrage, XIT, 302 ff. ; GrilP, 29, i6a. The Anukrama/zi, mantroktamanyudevatyam. Stanza 3. The elaboration of this stanza in the Sutra above shows how vaguely punning the connection of the two channels of literature, mantra and sutra, may be at times : the words abhi tish///ami of the stanza seem to have suggested abhi- nishZ/^ivami in the Sutra. Cf, e.g. 5ankh. Grth. where the mantra word akshan, ' they have eaten,' is employed as though it meant aksham, ' axle.' This is symbolism gone to seed, but we should err in supposing that the performers of the practices really misunderstood the mantras to that extent. It is the extreme outgrowth of the habit of con- sciously turning to immediate use, in any way at all, materials whose real value is something quite different, and whose true sense may have been well understood. d. The Pada is formulaic; see I, 34, 2; III, 25, 5 ; VI, 9, 2 ; 43, 3. The entire second hemistich is repeated in VI, 43> 3- VI, 43. Commentary to page 137. The magic power of darbha-grass (cf XIX, 32) is here employed to appease wrath. According to Kau.y. ^6, 32, the grass is dug up (in the manner prescribed at Kaui". 33i 9 '•> cf. Kesd-va), and fastened on as a talisman. The Kau.fika, in working up this hymn among the ' women's rites ' (cf the introduction to the preceding hymn), is com- mitted to the view that the hymn deals with a conflict between a man and a woman. The text of the hymn, how- ever, reveals no such specific purpose. The hymn has been translated by Florenz, Bezzenberger's Beitrage, XII, 303 ; Grill ^, pp. 30, 162. The Anukrama;/i, mantroktamanyui-a- manam. VI, 44- COMMENTARY. 48 1 Stanza 1. For Pada b, cf. RV. VI, ^^^ 1 9. The text of Pada c seems untenable. For vimanyukasya^yam, Grill suggests vi'man- yukai- M^yam, Florenz, vi'manyuko ayam, either of which yields the sense of our translation. Possibly manor viman- yukasya^yam may be the true reading: 'the appeaser of wrath of the man that is free from wrath it is called ; ' cf. Sayawa, manyo// manyumata/^ purushasya. Stanza 3. For the second hemistich, and for Pada d, cf. the note on VI, 42, 3. VI, 44. Commentary to page io. Darila does not state what disease this hymn and the practice at Kauj-. 31, 6 are directed against. K&yava (and Sayawa depending upon him) describes it as an apavdda- bhaisha^yam, and his comment leaves no doubt that he regards it as a practice against calumniators ^ It looks as though this obvious misconstruction stood in some connection with the word apavataya// in the Sutra, which Kei-ava either fails to understand, or deflects by a pun into the channel of a usage with which neither hymn nor Sutra had anything to do in the first instance. Unless indeed Kej-ava interprets the first stanza in the sense that the heavens, the earth, and all living beings have stood (stand), and that, therefore, the character of the person impugned will stand in spite of all aspersions. Or, again, the horn fallen by itself from the head of a cow, and that, too, a cow that has weaned her calf, symbolises, perhaps, the withdrawal of the goodwill of men. This might be employed homoeopathically to cure their hostility. Note also visha;^a, ' horn,' which suggests vi sa, ' loosen ; ' cf. VI, 121, 1 . The practice is as follows : A horn ^ apavade bhaisha^yam u>('yate, bahubhashawam adharme /^a pra- vartane tasya apavada/^ (!). [42] I i 482 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. that has been shed by a cow whose calf has been weaned ^ is anointed with the dregs of ghee (is filled with water ; the patient is given the water to drink, and is also sprinkled with it) while the hymn is being pronounced in a low voice (cf. Kau^. 28, i). Obviously Kauj'ika interprets visha;/aka in St. 3 as ' horn,' and a horn that has curative power we have in III, 7, 2. 3 (cf. the Sutra in the introduction). But the statements in st. 3 seem to contain a fitting characterisa- tion of a plant, and in this sense we have interpreted the passage in our Contributions, Fourth Series, Amer. Journ. Phil, XII, 426 ff. On the other hand, visha;^aka is a air. Aey., and may after all be only the diminutive of visha;/a, ' horn,' III, 7, 2. 3 ; VI, 121, I. This seems on the whole the more conservative view, although Kaui-ika's gosrmgena. may be due either to misunderstanding, or to conscious symbolic manipulation. At any rate the hymn itself is of no uncertain character : being a remedial charm, it takes its place among the bhaisha^yakarmawi in the first part of the fourth book of the Kaui-ika, and the terms for the diseases mentioned in it are fairly clear. Previous translations by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 509 (cf. also 321, 343) ; Florenz, Bezzenberger's Beitrage, XII, 304 ff. Cf. also Bergaigne et Henry, Manuel Vedique, p. 151, The Anukrama/n, vij-vamitramantroktadevatyam ^ uta vanaspatyam, ^ The MSS. of the text read apavataya/z. Darila apagataya//. which he explains by, apagata vatsavigalitasneha ; cf. Kau^ika, Introduction, p. xlv. The opposite of apavata is abhivata, La/y. 6'r. VIII, 5, 3, 'a cow that nourishes her calf.' Cf. abhivanyavatsa, '3. cow that gives suck to a strange calf,' Ait. Br. VII, 2, 4 (cf. the commentary, p. 377 of Aufrecht's edition) ; apivanyavatsa, Kauj. 80, 25 ; 82, 22 (our edition, erroneously, api vanyavatsaya/^), in the same sense ; and nivanyavatsa (also nivanya) frequently in the -S'at. Br. in the same sense (see Pet. Lex.). See also Ludwig's note on RV. VI, 67 (no), Der Rigveda, IV, p. 113. ^ The word vuvam, not vij'vamitra, occurs in st. i. In st. 2 we have vasish///am. Some blundering manipulation of the two seems to have inspired the compiler of this futile tract. VI, 45- COMMENTARY. 4S3 Stanza 1. The first hemistich is formulaic ; see VI, 77, i. Sayawa, his general interpretation of the hymn notwithstanding, is not prevented from interpreting roga and asrava (st. 2) by rudhirasrava or raktasrava, ' flow of blood.' In the intro- duction to I, 2, he interprets asrava more broadly as excessive discharge in general, diarrhoea, flow of urine, or of blood. The word vatikr/tanaVani (see the note on st. 3) tends to narrow down this more general construction in accordance with our caption, but we must beware of ascrib- ing any too pointed diagnoses to these early physicians ; it is quite possible that excessive discharges of all sorts were exorcised with this charm. For the use of the aorists, cf. Delbriick, Syntaktische Forschungen, II, 87. Stanza 2. Cf. II, 3, 2. Stanza 3. a. For visha;/aka, see the introduction. Possibly the word is identical with vishawika, reported by the medical ^astras (cf. Wise, Hindu System of Medicine, p. 146), and the lexicographers, as the name of a plant. e. Cf. Wise, I.e., 250, bata byadhi (vatavyadhi), ' diseases produced by wind (in the body),' not 'wound,' as Zimmer has argued, Altindisches Leben, pp. 389 ff. Saya«a divides vatikr/tanaVani in two, vati asravasya rogasya j-oshayitri ; krit3.na.s3.ni, krt'tam rogasya nidanabhutaw dushkarma, tasya na^-ayitri. Cf. the note on VI, 109, 3, and the intro- duction to 1, 12. VI, 45. Commentary to page 163. This hymn (along with the next) is directed against bad dreams, an application due, perhaps, in the first instance, to the chance expression, ' awake or asleep,' in st. 2. It may be the case, however, that evil thoughts were conceived as returning in the form of annoying dreams. The practice 112 . 484 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. at Kauj-. 46, 9-10 is as follows: ' With VI, 45 and 46 the person that has an (evil) dream rinses his mouth. If he has had an excessively frightful dream he offers a cake of mixed grain, and deposits a second in the territory of an enemy.' Kej-ava tells what constitutes an evil dream, mentioning the svapnadhyaya, probably Matsya-pura;/a 242, as his authority. Cf. also Markawrt'eya-purawa 43 ; Vayu- pura;^a 19 ; Ait. Ar. Ill, 5, 16 iif. (Sacred Books, I, 262 ff.) ; Aufrecht, Zeitschr. d. Deutsch. Morgenl. Gesellsch., XXXII, 574 ; and Hultzsch, Prolegomena zu des Vasantara^a 6'akuna, pp. 15 fC. Both hymns figure in the du//svapnana- janaga;/a of the Gawamali, Ath. Faris. 32, 8 (Kauj. 46, 9, note) ; cf. also Ath. Parij-. ^^, i. The present hymn has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 443, and Florenz, Bezzenberger's Beitrage, XII, 305 ff. The Anukramawi, du/«vapnana.yanadevatyam. Stanza 1. a. Saya/^a, contrary to the Padapa/Z-a, reads manas papa, 'O mind devoted to evil that hast become the cause of dreams ; ' cf. the introduction. The text of the Pada seems to be an Atharvanic contortion of RV. X, 164, i a, ape ^ hi manasas pate. Stanza 2. Cf. RV. X, 164, 3 with the variant aVasa ni//i-asa^bhi.fasa ; Tait. Br. Ill, 7, 12, 4, aj-asa nij-asa yat parai-asa. The exact meaning of the words in our text is not easily definable ; Sayawa transcribes them all by compounds of j-asana = hiwzsana, ' injury.' Ludwig leaves them untranslated, and regards them as various kinds of imprecations ; but compare his version of the RV. words (927, vol. ii, p. 552). Florenz, 'durch unrecht verlangen, abweis, verwiinschung.' Stanza 3. Cf. RV. X, 164, 4. Saya;/a identifies the lightly personified Pra^etas with Varuwa. The word is indeed a frequent epithet of Varuwa. But the patronymic Aiigirasa suits VI, 50- COMMENTARY. 485 Brahmawaspati rather than Varu;/a (so Grassmannj II, 501) ; Ludwig refers it to Agni. VI, 46. Commentary to page 167. The hymn is employed along with VI, 45 in the practice described at Kaiu. 46, 9. 10 ; see the introduction to the preceding hymn. The last two stanzas of the present hymn are employed further, in the case of peculiarly oppressive dreams, in a cumulative performance embracing the acts of Kaux. 46, 9. 10, as well as those of 46, 11. 12. The latter are undertaken in connection with AV. VII, icc and loi : the dreamer turns over on his other side, and looks at real food if he has dreamt of eating food. Cf also Ath. Tans, 8, 1 ; ;;^^, 1. The hymn has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 498 ; Florenz, Bezzenberger's Beitrage, XII, 306. Stanza 1. Varuwani is a variable term, either a personification of the waters (cf. Tait. S. V, 5, 4, i), or of the night (see the passages in the Pet. Lex. under varu;/a i b, column 724, bottom). Here the latter function is in evidence ; cf. Ait. A Ar. Ill, 4, 18. Araru is a pensonification of hostility and demoniac force ; cf. Tait. Br. Ill, 2, 9, 4. Stanza 3. Cf. RV. VIII, 47, 17; AV. XIX, 57, I. Saya;/a, mechanically, ' as one removes claws and other parts that have been injured by disease, or as wicked men transmit their debts by tradition (inheritance),' &c. VI, 50. Commentary to page 142. Kej-ava and Saya;/a, in their introductions to the cere- monies prescribed in connection with this hymn at Kauj. 51, 17-22, mention a long line of pestiferous insects, but the rare and unknown words in the hymn are not elucidated. 486 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. The performances are as follows: 17. 'While the hymn is being recited, the performer walks about the grain-field, hacking a piece of lead with an iron instrument^. 18. He scatters stones upon the field. 19. He ties a hair through the mouth of a tarda (insect) and buries him head down- ward into the middle of the field. 20. He performs the act which is to be done while walking ^. 21. He offers a bali- offeringto Aj-a(" region"), to Aj-apati ("lord of the regions"), to the two A^yvins, and to Kshetrapati (" lord of the field "). 22. On the day when he performs the ceremonies for these (divinities?) he shall remain silent up to the time of sunset.' The hymn is catalogued also in the first abhayagawa (cf. St. i) of the Ga;/amala, Ath. Parij. 32, 12 (cf. Kauj-. 16, 8, note). It has been rendered by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, HI, 499 ff". ; Florenz, Bezzenberger's Beitrage, XH, 312 ff. The Anukramawi, ^j-vinam abhayakama//. Stanza 1. The renderings of tardam and samahkam are conjectured etymologically. For the latter, see the note on I, 1 2, 2 c. Stanza 2. The name lipakvasa is not even etymologically sugges- tive. S^ya;^a reads apakvasa// (a-pakvas), glossing, adag- dha/i santa//. ^ For Kau^s-ika's ayasa sisa;;/ karshan Sayawa reads aya/;sisaw gharshan, paraphrasing it by loliamaya»; sham gharshan. Possibly sisam is to be changed to sitam : the performance would then con- sist in ploughing a furrow with an iron (plough) about the field. Cf. Kauj. 50, 17. '"' Cf. Kau^y. 51, 2 (in the introduction to IV, 3) : 'While walk- ing he offers thrice to the A j-vins (so Sayawa ; cf. st. i of our hymn) milk of a cow with a calf of the same colour as herself.' Sayawa reads for /'are, the word which we have rendered ' while walking,' /■arau. By transcribing ksLre in Devanagari, and adding a vertical line after the r, the partial ambiguity will appear. Saya«a's statement is, ^arum ajvibhyaw^uhuyat. We are not convinced. Why should the MSS. of the Kau^ika write the diphthong au in this fashion in this instance, and never elsewhere ? VI, 56. COMMENTARY, 487 Stanza 3. The two compounds with pati are ambiguous. The final long a of the stems preceding may be due to Vedic (metrical) lengthening : in that case, ' lord of the tarda,' &c., is the proper rendering. So Sayawa. For vyadhvara/^ Shankar Pandit's edition, with most MSS. and Saya;/a, read vyad- varaV^ ; cf. our notes on II, 31, 4 c ; III, 28, 2. VI, ^6. Commentary to page 151. The terms of the hymn indicate a charm against serpents, of the general sort \ but KauJ". 50, 17-22 gives it a prag- matic turn ; the practice is designed to keep serpents away from the premises: 17. 'While reciting this hymn along with sundry other mantras, lines are scratched around the bed, the house, and the grain-field. 18. Grass that has been anointed with the dregs of ghee is fastened upon the door through a yoke-hole^. 19. Dung from the entrails (of a cow) is crumbled (at the door). 20. It is dug into (the ground). 21. And laid on (the fire). 22. (The same performances as with the dung are undertaken with) the blossoms of the apamarga-plant (achyranthes aspera ; cf. the introduction to IV, 17), the hoofs(!) of the kudri/('i-tree ^, the roots of them being turned away ■* (from the ground, fire, &c.) ■''.' The hymn is also rubricated (with others) at Kauj-. 139, 8, in the course of practices preparatory to the study of ^ Cf. Kei'ava, sarpadisvastyayanam. ^ Cf. AV. XIV, I, 40; Kauj. 76, 12, and Indische Studien, V, 199, 387- ^ Very doubtful : the word is kudriX'ijaphan. Ke^'ava, gwdnkl- padan, 'the feet of the gua'u/C'i (cocculus cordifolius '). Saya«a simply, gU(/uX'im. * The text, para/^inamulan. Neither Ke^ava, nor Saya;?a com- ments upon the word. * The aim of these performances is clear : the serpents are to be excluded by magic lines, and purifying substances and plants. 488 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. the Vedas. Cf. also Vait. Su. 29, 10 ; Ath. Parii'. 19, 5. It has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 503; GrilP, pp. 5, i62ff. Stanza 1. The second hemistich recurs at X, 4, 8 (cf. also IV, 3, 7) without the formula namo deva^anebhya/^. This may therefore have been borrowed from the end of st. 2. The divine folks are the serpents themselves, cf. XI, 9, 2. 5. 26 ; 10, 5, and the sarpadeva^ana/z, Va^. S. XXX. 8. See also Sat Br. VII, 4, i, 28. Stanza 2. For different designations of serpents, see Zimmer, Altin- disches Leben, pp. 94 fif. For asita (Saya;/a, kr/sh/^avar/i-a) and tiraskirag-'i (Saya;/a, tiryag avasthita . . . valayo yasya), see III, 27, 12 ; VII, 56, i ; X, 4. 5 «"• ; XII, 3, 55 ff., and the note to the last-mentioned passage. See also the note on V, 13, 5, and TS. V, 5, 10, i. 2. The Hindu commen- tators explain sva^a als ' self-born.' Sayawa, svayam eva ^ayate kara;/antaranairapekshye;/a utpadyate ; cf. the gloss, Tait. S. V, 5, 14, I. The Pet. Lex,, ' vivipara,' or 'the em- bracer.' Weber at Tait. S., 1. c, also derives it from sva^, ' enfold.' Stanza 3. Cf. A. Kuhn, Zeitschrift fur vergleichende Sprachfor- schung, XIII, 60. The third Pada may refer to the forked tongue of the serpent (Saya;^a, sarpasya hi dve ^ihve). But perhaps^ more likely, it is a strong way of saying, ' I shut up thy tongue,' continuing under the impetus of the first hemistich. Cf. Pada d. VI, 57. Commentary to page 19. The practices of the Kau.yika, 31, 11- J 5, contribute not a little towards the elucidation of this medicinal charm. In the hymn the disease is merely designated as the arrow of Rudra, but in the Sutra it is called akshata ; the remedy is akshatavrawabhaisha^yam (Kej-ava), and Saya;/a explains VI, 57* COMMENTARY. 489 it as a 'wound without opening' (mukharahitavra;/a ') ; cf. also Darila at Kauj-. 32, 11. 13. In Contributions, Second Series, An:ier. Journ. Phil. XI, 321 ff., we have shown that the disease in question is a tumour or a boil, and in Contributions, Fourth Series, ib. XII, 425 ff., we have assumed on the basis of the ritual that the remedy- designated in the hymn (st. 2) as ^alasha, the particular remedy of Rudra, is identical with mutra, ' urine,' of the Sutra ^. The practice consists in moistening the tumour with the foam of (cow's) urine, throwing the urine itself upon it ; next, washing it off, then, smearing it with scour- ings from the teeth, and with the pollen from bunches of grass. The disease is probably much the same as the ga/zrt'amala, ' scrofula ; ' cf AV. VI, 83 ; VII, 74 ; VII, 76, 4, and the introductions to these hymns. The third stanza is rubricated in the list of purificatory mantras, Kauj-. 9, 2 (cf. the br/ha/^/^/^antiga;/a of the Ga//amala, Ath. PanV. 32, 26), and in a similar list, Kaus. 41, 14. Stanza 1. c, d. The arrow here described is Rudra's arrow that in- flicts disease. Fittingly, Rudra's own remedy the ^alasha is employed as a cure. The very rare word ^alashabhe- sha^a occurs also in the Nilarudra-Upanishad 3, esha ety aviraha rudro^alashabhesha^a/^ (see Jacob's Concordance). Stanza 2. For _^alasha Saya//a reads four times ^alasha ; cf. our discussion of the forms of the word in Contributions, Fourth Series, 1. c, 425. Stanza 3. c, d. Cf. RV. VIII, 20, 26 ; X, 59, 8-10. The last Pada ' Ke^ava, yasya ga«lV/ri-, emended in the Index Verborum to ta;« sy\-. Shankar Pandit adopts Siyawa's rather vapid sivayami {iknt vividham akuti;// balaw k^. . . . parasparasawbaddhaw karomi). Stanza 3. Both Pushan, the guardian of the distant ways, and Vastoshpati, the genius of home, are invited to co-operate with the person desiring adherents, in order to put a stop to dissension and disintegration. VI, 74. Commentary to page 135. This is one of the sa?>'mT[anasyani (sc. suktani), ' charms designed to produce harmony,' treated at Kauj-. 12, 5. See the introduction to III, 30 for the practices connected with these hymns. Stanza 2. d. The word i-rantam seems suspicious. Possibly jantam is intended ' with the peace of Bhaga.' The root jam is used with words for 'strife,' vigraha, Kathasaritsagara 56, 96 ; vaira, Mahabh. XIV, 2509. Stanza 3. Cf. Tait. S. II, I, II, 3, with the variant rudra// for ugra// (Saya;/a = xndYkh). Saya;/a explains tri;/aman as the threefold fire of the earth, lightning, and sun, or, as the threefold fire of the sacrifice (^arhapatya, &c.}. Cf. the gloss at Tait. S., 1. c. VI, 75. Commentary to page 92. This hymn is an abhi/('arika-hymn, and is, accordingly, rubricated twice in the sixth adhyaya of the Kauj-ika, which is devoted to hostile (witchcraft) practices. The 49^ HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. so-called sawsthitahoma//, ' final oblations,' in the case of auspicious (i-anta) performances, are undertaken while VII, 97 is being recited. Thus according to Ka.us. 6, 3 (cf. also 3, 19, note). But in the case of abhi/^arika-practices, accord- ing to the Paribhasha-sutra 47, lo, a sinister turn is given to the saw/sthitahoma// by reciting the present hymn with them 1. The more special practice attached to this hymn is at KsLus. 48, 29-31. The sacrificial straw is spread with the thumb. Reed-grass (or an arrow, jara?) is thrown upon it from baskets made of kadvindu ^. By means of a leaf of the red aj-vattha an oblation^ (of ingi<^a-oil ; 47, 3), dashed with poison, is offered. There is no special rapport between the hymn and the ceremony. Previous translations by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 373 ; GrilP, pp. 22, 165 ff. The Anukramawi, mantroktade- vatyam aindram sapatnakshayakama//. The entire hymn recurs with variants, and markedly different arrangement of the Padas, at Apast. 5r. Ill, 14, 2 ; cf. also Tait. S. V, I, 10, 3 fif. VI, 77. Commentary to page 106. This charm is obviously a patchwork of mantras of various original values. The first hemistich of stanza 1 is identical with VI, 44, i a, b. The second hemistich of st. 3 is also formulaic (cf. Va^. S. XII, 8), and fits poorly into the present conception of the hymn. The second stanza (= RV. X, 19, 5) is clearly derived from a charm calculated to bring stray cattle home. As the hymn stands it would answer this purpose quite well, but the Kauj-ika, 36, 5-9, as explained by the commentaries, treats it as a charm for capturing a runaway woman, or holding in check a woman ^ The oblations in the latter case, implicitly, are not of ghee, but of ingi^/a-oil ; cf 47, 3. ^ Cf. 47, I ; Tait. S. II, 1,5. 7. Our rendering of the an. \ey. kadvindukosh///ai/i is conjectural. ^ This is the nairbadhya/« havis (st. i). For these especially pointed havis, see the note on VI, 39, i. VI, 77- COMMENTARY. 497 disposed to run away^. The proceedings consist in fasten- ing a band down the cross-beam of the house and then fastening it to the middle post^. Then the foot of the (woman's) bed is fastened to an utpala-plant (nymphaea) ^. Further it is fastened to an akrz'sh/a^. Finally sesame is offered by means of a coal-rake (akarsha : cf. Darila). The two words akrzsh^a and akarsha both contain the root karsh with a, ' drag back ; ' cf. akn'sh/imantra, ' charm for drawing a person to one's self,' Hitopadejra, book I, sloks. 90. There can be no doubt as to the meaning of the performances : they are intended to hold fast, or to compel the return of a person that has gone off. The hymn has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 468, under the heading asva./i (' horses'). Stanza 1. For the use of the aorists in this and the following stanza, cf. Delbriick, Syntaktische Forschungen, II, 87, To our feeling presents would be preferable to the aorists, and we might perhaps have better so rendered. In Pada d Saya;/a supplies iva (luptopamam) with a.yvan, and striyam with atish/Z/ipam, in slavish adherence to the Sutra. See the introduction. Stanza 3. Padas b, c are formulaic : cf. Vi^. S. XII, 8. ^ Saya/za, palayanajilaya/^ striya nirodhanakarma;/!. The posi- tion of the charm in the second part of the fourth adhyaya of the Sutra, among the strikarma/zi (Kauj. 32, 28-36, end), shows that Kaiuika himself regards it as a practice concerning women. ^ The symbolism is obvious. For the parts of the house, cf. Ill, 12, 6. and the introduction to III, 12. See also Zimmer, Altin- disches Leben, p. 153. ' This is very doubtful. The word utpale here, as at Kaiu. 35, 26 (see the introduction to III, 25), is very problematic. S3.ya.na. has upale, ' to a stone.' Apparently a specious, easier reading. * Whatever that may be. Darila, ak;7sh/a^ matr/ke^ti prasi- ddhabhidhanas tasmin jayanapada;;? badhnati. See Pet. Lex. under matr/ka. [42] K k 498 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. VI, 78. Commentary to page 96. In the light of the words bhutena (st. i a), and rash/re;/a (st. 2 b) it would seem as though this blessing related to the marriage of a royal personage (kshatriya). The central idea of this charm is the bhutawz havi's, ' oblation that produces power;' cf. especially IV, 8, i, and the ya^o havi's, 'oblation that yields glory,' VI, 39. The latter forms also part of the practices of a king (see the introduction to VI, 38). But there is nothing in the treatment of the hymn, Kauj-. 78, 10. 14-16, to show that it refers to a royal couple, though that is not conclusive as regards its original intent. The practices consist in pouring the dregs of ghee upon the heads of the couple, after they have come home (a kind of consecration, abhisheka) ; in causing them to eat together of fluid food (rasa ; cf. st. i d) and porridge ; and, finally, in offering as much barley mixed with ghee as can be held in the two hands placed side by side. The hymn has been translated by Weber, Indische Studien, V, 238 ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 37 i fif. ; Grill ^, pp. 57, 166. The Anukramawi to the first two stanzas, /^andramasyau (cf. a pyayatam, st. i ; abhi vardhatam, st. 2) . . . ^ayabhiv/'/ddhyai ^'andramasam astaud rayiw kd, dampatyor aprarthayat ; to the third stanza, tvash/ri. Stanza 1. a, b. For bhutena the Paippalada reads bhutasya ; Grill suggests bhutyena. But the use of the noun in apposition, rather than the attributive adjective, seems to be idiomatic in connection with these pregnantly employed havi's : see ya.yo havi's, VI, 39, 1 (cf the note there), and abhivartaw havi's, RV. X, 174, 1. Weber regards Agni as the subject of a pyayatam ; Saya;/a, the bridegroom. The latter is correct, but it would seem as though the passage alluded to the moon (cf the Anukrama;n), the typical bridegroom ; cf. RV. X, 85, 6 ff. = AV. XIV, I, 6 ff. d. The Paippalada has sa rasenabhi vardhatam. The rendering of the P^da is not at all certain ; the word rasena VI, 79- COMMENTARY. 499 (and payasa in st. 2) surely alludes to sexual sap (cf. RV. I, 105, 2): some such sense as 'he causes the wife to increase with his semen ' is to be expected. But vardhatam is not causative, and we have given a purely philological rendering. Cf. also RV. X, 174, i d ; AV. I, 29, i d. Weber, ' das (weib) mog' umwachsen er mit kraft ; ' Ludwig, ' die soil er mit dem besten gedeihen machen (vardhatam) ; ' Grill, ' fiir's weib . . . nehm er an zeugungskraften zu.' VI, 79. Commentary to page 141. The performance which accompanies this charm at Kau^. 21,7 consists in placing a stone upon a grain-bag (cf. st. 2 b), sprinkling it, laying upon it a handful of grain with each of the three stanzas, and letting (another person also) lay on (three hands full). The hymn is also rubricated at Vait. Su. 31,4; Gop. Br. II, 4, 9, where nabhasaspati is explained as vayu, ' wind,' and deva sawsphana as aditya, ' sun.' The Atharva/nya-paddhati (Kauj-. 19, i, note) counts the hymn among the push/ika mantra//, ' hymns that produce pros- perity.' The hymn recurs with notable variants at Tait. S. Ill, 3, 8, 2-3 ; cf. also III, 3, 8, 6. Stanza 1. c. The Padapa///a does not analyse asamatim, either here or at RV. X. 60, 2. 5^ The Pet. Lex. renders it by ' incomparable.' Bohtlingk, in the smaller lexicon, emends it to asamarti, ' exemption from injury;' cf. asamartyai in the passage cited above from the Tait. S. We with Saya;/a, matir manam pari/^/'/zedas tena saha vartata iti samati//, tadvaiparityam asamati//. Stanza 3. e. The Pada is formulaic : Tait. Br. Ill, 7, 5, 7, tasyas te bhakshiva/^a// sy^ma ; Maitr. S. I, 4, 3 ; 5, 3. 10 ; Apast. ^ The later tradition regards asamati as a proper name ; cf. Saya/za on RV., and Weber, Ind. Stud. X, 33. K k 2 500 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Sr. IV, 13, 7, tasyas (tasya) bhaktivano bhuyasma ; cf. Whitney, Sanskrit Grammar^, §462d. VI, 80. Commentary to page 13. The subject matter of this hymn is identical with a Brahma;^a legend, told at Maitr. S. I, 6, 9 ; Kaf/i. S. VIII, T ; Tait. Br. I, i, 2,4-6 (cf. also Sat. Br. II, i, 2, 13-16). The substance of the story is that certain demons (asura) called kalaka;'?^a piled up a fire-altar in order to ascend by it to heaven. Indra joined them, adding a brick of his own. When they had climbed to heaven, Indra pulled out his brick and they tumbled down. They became spiders, all but two who flew up and became the two heavenly dogs. In our essay, 'The two dogs of Yama in a new role,' printed in the third series of Contributions, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XV, i63fif.\ it has been shown that the two heavenly dogs, otherwise the two dogs of Yama, are the sun and the moon. The mythic character of the kalaka;7^a is altogether uncertain. We have surmised (1. c, p. 169) that they are either the galaxy, or the stars in general, conceived as spiders. Possibly some especial group of stars, three in number (cf. st. 2 of our hymn), is intended. All this is embalmed in the present hymn in a technical oblation (havi's ; cf. the note on VI, 39, i) which is designated 'the majesty of the heavenly dog,' i. e. presum- ably, ' the majesty of the sun.' This and an appeal to the three kalaka%a are the central points of the hymn, and the ritual, in a fashion altogether obscure, manipulates the prayer as a cure for paralysis (pakshahatabhaisha^'am, Darila and Ke^ava) ^. But the sense of the Sutras, Kaus. ' Cf. also the note on IV, 20, 7 b. ^ Cf. Wise, Hindu System of IMedicine, pp. 253, 256. Accord- ing to Saya«a, kakakapotajyenadipakshihatam, it would seem as though paralysis was supposed to be inflicted by strokes of the wings of crows, pigeons, eagles, and other birds (cf. also Kejava). Apparently purely symbolic : pakshin, ' winged, bird,' and paksha, ' side, half (hemiplegia). VI, 8 1. COMMENTARY. 50I 31, 18. 19 is also not at all clear. With the help of the commentators some such practice as the following seems to be restorable. The paralysed part of the body is rubbed with earth taken from the footprint of a dog, while keeping in quick motion. Then the part is fumigated by burning an insect (taken from a dog). The dog — the word occurs only in the commentaries, not in the Sutra itself— refers, of course, to the 'heavenly dog' in the mantra; the quick motion is opposed to the palsy of the patient ; the use of the insect seems to symbolise the fate of the kalaka%a, who in the legend become spiders. Cf. the article cited above, p. 166. The third stanza is employed also in a nondescript fashion at Vait. Su. 23, 20 ; Ath. Fans. 39, 1 (ta^agadividhi) and 42, 3 (snanavidhi). The hymn has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, ^y^. Stanza 1. The stanza cannot be addressed to anything else but the sun, judging from the identity of its first hemistich with RV. X, 136, 4 a, b, which clearly refers to the sun (cf. Con- tributions, 1. c, pp. 167-8, and Tait. S. IV, 6, 3, 4, uksha samudro, &c.). Saya/^a, along totally different lines : ' The bird, crow, pigeon, &c., looking down upon all beings with a desire to injure, flies down upon the limbs of men. In order to remove its injury we honour thee, O Agni, with the oblation, that is the majesty of the heavenly dog.' Cf. the note on st. 3. Ludwig's rendering ignores te in Pada d, ' des himlischen hundes grosse der mochten wir dienen mit disem havis.' Stanza 3. Here even Siya//a feels compelled to recognise the presence of the sun, he ague . . . dyuloke tava adityatmana/^ sahasthanam. VI, 81. Commentary to page 96. The practice connected with this hymn at Kaus. ;^^, 1 1 is restricted to the tying on of the (bracelet) mentioned in the 502 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. mantra. No ceremony of this sort is found in the Gr/hya- sutras (cf. Paraskara, I, 13), and the word parihasta seems to occur here alone (cf. pariha/aka in the Pet. Lex.). The hymn has been rendered by Ludvvig, Der Rigveda, III, 477 ; Weber, Indische Studien, V, 239. Cf. also Bergaigne et Henry, Manuel Vedique, p. 153. Stanza 2. The second hemistich is exceedingly obscure : maryade seems to be the vocative of maryada, and our rendering is a pis-aller. The idea of ' limit ' may refer to the confine- ment within the womb ; cf. S^ya;/a in the foot-note. The Pet. Lex., simply, ' designation of an amulet.' If it could be construed as a locative singular masculine ^ (maryade for maryade; cf. V, i, cS) it might be translated 'within proper limits of time ; ' cf. sha;/masamaryadaya, ' within six months,' Br/liat-sawhita 4, 24. The sense would then be that the child shall be born within ten months; see Par. Gr/h. I, 16, I ; ^^nkh. Grih. I, 19, 6 ; Hir. Gr/h. I, 25, i ; II, 2, 5. Again, agame is not at all clear; it may possibly refer to the circular shape of the bracelet, ' that comes back upon itself.' Stanza 3. Aditi is the typical mother that desires a son ; cf. RV. X, 72, 8 ; AV. VIII, 9, 21 ; Maitr. S. II, i, 12 ; 5at. Br. III, 1, 3, 2. Nowhere else have we met with the statement that her desire was promoted by a bracelet furnished by Tvash/ar. The latter, however, fashions the embryo in the womb ; cf. Ludwig, 1. c., p. 334. VI, 82. Commentary to page 95. In the Kauj-ika the hymn is employed in a twofold man- ner. At 59, II a person who desires a wife sacrifices and ^ Cf. Saya?za, maryade marya^ marawadharmano manusliya/; tair adiyamane svotpattyarlha;;^ svikriyama«e sthane garbha^aye he ^^aye tva^w putram a dhehi, i. e. ' O woman, place a son into thy womb, the place appropriated by men for reproducing themselves !' VI, 83. COMMENTARY. 503 prays with it to Indra. At 7H, 10 the hymn is recited with sundry other mantras (cf. VI, 78) while dregs of ghee are being poured upon the heads of the bridal couple, after they have come home. The hymn has been translated by Weber, Indische Studien, V, 239 ff. ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 470; GrilP, pp. 57, 167. The Anukrama;n,, aindram, composed by ^ayakamo hhaga./i. Stanza 2. The marriage of Surya, the daughter of Savitar, to Soma, the moon, is the typical heavenly marriage. The Aj-vins acted as wooers. Cf. RV. X, 85, 6 ff = AV. XIV, 1, 7 ff. ; Ait. Br. IV, 7, I. For a large number of correlated pas- sages, see Contributions, Third Series, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XV, 186. To these may be added Maitr. S. II, 2, 7 ; IV, 2, 12; Ka///. S. XI, 3 (Indische Studien, III, 467); Tait. Br. II, 3, 10, i ff. Surya is probably identical with Ushas ; the Ai"vins are frequently conceived as her hus- bands, rather than wooers in behalf of Soma. Stanza 3. According to RV. VIII, 17, 10, Indra is conceived as having a long hook or rake with wliich he heaps together goods : here he is implored to furnish with its aid a wife (and, implicitly, property also). At II, ^6,, 6 he is addressed as ' lord of wealth.' The word sa.kipa.te is to be taken here in its secondary, legendary sense, not in its primary sense, "lord of might;' cf. Contributions, Sixth Series, Zeitschr. d. Deutsch. Morgenl. Gesellsch. XLVIII, 548. VI, 83. Commentary to page 17. The two Petersburg Lexicons ; Adalbert Kuhn in Zeit- schrift fur vergleichende Sprachforschung, XIII, 155 ; Lud- wig, Der Rigveda, III, 342, 500; Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, 54, 97 ; and Florenz, Bezzenberger's Beitrage, XII, 280 regarded the apakit as a certain noxious insect. In Contributions, Second Series, Amer. Journ. Phil. XI, 504 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 320 ff., we assumed for it the meaning ' sore, pustule, boil,' or the Hke, and this is now fully borne out by Ke^-ava and Saya;/a who render the word by ga;/^amala, ' scrofula.' The apa/^i't is a scrofulous sore, from root k\ and apa, ' pick off;' cf. Lat. scabies, scabere, Germ, die schabe, schaben, Engl. scab. The word is identical with apa^i in the medical 6"astras. The hymn is rubricated along with the first part of VII, 76 at Kauj. 31, 16. 17 ; the practices prescribed are in part those undertaken in connection with VI, 25 (Kau.y. 30, 16), for which see above: the sores are smeared with a (pulverised) shell, and with the saliva of a dog, and sub- jected to the bites of leeches, gnats, &c.^ The practice is then continued : rock-salt is ground up, placed upon the sore, and spat upon. Cf. the strikingly similar perform- ances, reported by Wise, Hindu System of Medicine, p. 315, in connection with the cure of ' scrofulous swellings' (ga;/(^amala, apa-^i). The second hemistich of st. 3 is accompanied by an independent practice at Kauj". 31, 20: it is identical with the one described in the introduction to VI, 57 for the cure of the akshata. And the fourth stanza, again, is prescribed against wounds (sores, arus) of unknown origin, at Kauj-. 31, 21 : the wound is sprinkled with 'holy water' (i-antyu- daka), and, while the nature of the disease is revolved in the mind, with the dregs of ghee ^. The hymn has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 500. ^ Saja/^a, rudhiramokshartham, ' to relieve the congestion by letting blood.' ^ Kaujika seems to express this in the curiously condensed statement, manasa sawpatavata (cf. the stanza). Saya7/a (after Kejava) a^yaw hutva manasa sawkalpya vrawe sawpatan ana}-et. Saya«a, by the way, connects st. 4 with the following hymn (VI, 84), which he supposes to be included in these perform- ances. But VI, 84 appears in a totally different function at Kauj. 52, 3, of which Sayaz/a makes no mention. Cf. also Vait. SQ. 38, I. VI, 85- COMMENTARY. 505 Stanza 1. The conception that a disease flies forth from the patient occurs also at RV. X, 97, 13, ' O yakshma, fly forth, fly with the blue jay, fly with the current of the wind.' See also AV. V, 30, 9 ; VI, 40, 3. The converse notion that sores fly on to the body occurs at AV. VII, 76, 4. Stanza 3. Saya;/a, glau/; var;/a^anito (Shankar Pandit, vra;za-) har- shakshaya// . . . galunta// ga;/(yamalodbhavavikare«a tatra- tatra hastapadadisawdhishu udbhutan gart'un tasyati (!) upakshapayati^ti gadunta/i. Wise, 1. c, p. 311, has, ' Giliii. The swelling in this disease is like the swelling of a plum, not painful, but hard ; and is produced by diseased phlegm, and blood.' Cf. gil^yu, ' a hard boil in the throat,^ Pet. Lex. The correspondence with either is uncertain. Stanza 4. The formula seems to correspond perfectly with its use in the practice (Ka.us. 31, 21) above: whatever oblation suits thee, that do thou comfortably enjoy, while I am mentally making an offering with the auspicious svaha. The disease is uncertain, hence the exact character of the offering is left undefined. VI, 85. Commentary to page 39, The vara//a-tree (crataeva roxburghii) is extolled very highly for its medicinal and magic qualities. See the longer hymn, X, 3, and cf Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 60 ff. Apparently the sole basis for this belief is the supposed derivation of the word from the root var, ' shut off;' cf. the similar puns upon a^vattha, khadira, ta^ad- bhanga, vadhaka at VIII, 8, 3 ; sari [sri/mtl), vibhTdaka (bhinatti) at Tait. S. II, 1, 5, 7, and many more. At Kau.f. 26j ;^;^. 37 the practice prescribed consists simply in tying on an amulet derived from the vara/^a-tree. The hymn is also rubricated in the takmanaj-anagaz/a of the Ga;/amala, 506 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Ath. Pam. 32, 7 (Kaiu. 36, 1, note). The first hemistich of St. 2 recurs in a different connection, Kauj". 6, 17, In St. 3 b Saya;/a reads vij-vadhayani// for vij-vadha yati/z. VI, 90. Commentary to page ii. It is far from easy to determine the exact disease which this charm aims to mitigate. The text of the hymn sug- gests rheumatism, but this presupposes perhaps too acute a diagnosis. At any rate it is some kind of sharp internal pain, either rheumatism, neuralgia, or colic, and that is the view of the ritualist. The hymn is rubricated at Kauj-. 31,7, as follows : 'While pronouncing VI, 90 a spear (-amulet)^ is fastened upon him who suffers pain as if from a spear (or who has, as it were, a spear sticking in him).' Kei-ava describes the symptoms as follows : atha udare va h;-zda)'e va^nge va sarvaiige va jule utpanne. The disease sula., and he who suffers from it (j-ulin) are well known in the medical ^astras. Wise, Hindu System of Medicine, p. 341 ff., identifies it with colic (gastro-periodynia), and reports it as due to the deadly trijula or trident of 5iva (Rudra). This seems to establish a fairly firm connection between the hymn (cf. st. i) and the later medical tradi- tion. In the 6"rauta-practices the hr/daya^-ula, the spit upon which the heart of the sacrificial animal is roasted (Tait. S. VI, 4, I, 4 ; Apast. Si: VII, 8, 3 ; 23, 10 ; 27, 15 ; XI, 20, 15; 5at. Br. III,a7/a, pragantavyam avadhim ; the Pet. Lexs., etwa 'fluchtigkeit;' Zimmer, 'fittig;' Ludwig, 'wehen;' Hille- brandt, ' flugbahn.' VI, 106. Commentary to page 147. The present charm forms a link in a long chain of prac- tices for quenching fire by means of water-plants (cf. dCirva/^ in st. i) and a frog (cf. the Vaitana-sutra, below). This line of conceptions has been assembled and treated by the translator in Contributions, Second Series, Amer. Journ. Phil. XI, p. 342 ff., where the present hymn is also treated \ Allied with it most closely is the passage, RV. ' I'he numerous passages assembled in ihat article may be supplemented further by Maitr. S. Ill, 3, 3- 6 ; Tait. S. V, 4, 2, I ; ^at. Br. IX, i, 2, 20 ff. ; XIII, 8, 3, 13 ; La/y. Sv. Ill, 5, 13 ff-; cf. also Indische Studien, IX, 414, and our introduciions to III, 13 and VII, 116. VI, I06. COMMENTARY. 515 X, 142, 7, 8 ; anent this, the Rigvidhana, IV, 11, i, statts that it is also employed against danger from conflagrations (agnibhaye sati) ; see Oldenberg, Zeitschr. d. Deutsch. Morgenl. Gesellsch. XXXIX, 79, and cf. Sha^guruj^ishya (ed. Macdonell), p. 16;^. The practices at Kauj-. 52, 5-9 present the hymn in the somewhat general character of a ^-amanam, ' quieting force,' operative against danger from fire in the first place, but, further, intended to appease curses (mental fire) and to quiet the pain of one that has been burned by fire : 5. ' While reciting the present hymn a practice to quiet (fire) is performed within a pond ^. 6. (The same ceremony is performed) in a ditch dug inside of the house. 7. The house is covered with an avaka-plant (a water-plant, blyxa octandra ; cf. the article cited above, p. 349). 8. To a person who is being cursed (a stirred drink and porridge ~) are offered. A person who has been burned is washed (with water).' The third and second stanzas are employed, along with III, 13, 7 and XVIII, $, 5 (6), at Vait. Su. 29, 13, to scatter the fire upon the altar by means of a frog, an avaka-plant, and reed-plants ; see our article, p. 345. The hymn has been treated previously by Grill-, pp. 6^, 170. The Anukramawi, durv^j-aladevatyam. Stanza 1. The durva-plant, a kind of a millet (panicum dactylon), figures from early times (RV. X, 16, 13, &c.) in these fire- charms ; see our article, pp. 342-3, and Zimmer, Altin- disches Leben, p. 70. The stanza is repeated with variants at RV. X, 142, 8. Stanzas 2, 3. Cf. RV. X, 142, 7; Maitr. S. II, ic, i ; Tait. S. IV, 6, i, 3; Va^. S. XVII, 7; Asv. Sr. II, 12, 2. Pada 3d occurs ^ Accoiding to Ke^ava water is poured into the pond, as a pro- tection against fire. ^ Thus if we trust the Paribhasha-sutra, Kauj. 7, 7. But Saya7/a (after Kej'ava), taptamashake divye tailadikam abhimantrya ^apatha- kartre (!) praya/'/^et. l1 2 5l6 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. frequently in the Ya^us-texts, &c., in the form agnir himasya bhesha^am : Tait. S. VII, 4, 18, 2; Maitr. S. Ill, 12, 19; Va^. S. XXIII, 10; A^v. Sy. X, 9, 2 ; cf. Tait. Br. Ill, 9, 5, 4. The present version seems adapted for the occasion. VI, 109. Commentary to page 21. The hymn is rubricated at Kaui-. 26, ;^;^ along with five others ^ in a series which is designated ga;/akarmaga;m (!) by the Gawamala, Ath. Pari^. 32, 24. Its particular employ- ment is indicated at 26, 38: the patient is given pepper- corns to eat. Darila defines the practice as kshiptabhai- sha^yam, and Ke.yava (and Saya;/a) clearly regard it as a cure for wounds. Cf. the note on st. 3. The hymn has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 509 ; Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 389. Cf. also Bergaigne et Henry, Manuel Vedique, p. 154. Stanza 1. Saya;/a has alternate renderings for kshiptabhesha^i', and atividdhabhesha^i', in eft"ect, 'throwing aside, and suppressing (other) remedies/ Hardly probable : note the accents. Stanza 3. a. For the role of the Asuras in connection with curative plants, see the introduction to I, 24, and cf. especially II, 3^3- c. Zimmer, I.e., p. 389, has endeavoured to show that vati'kr/ta means ' produced by wounds.' Kei'ava (and Saya/za) here (not however at VI, 44, 3) seem to agree with this construction of the word. Sayawa, in the introduction, must have this word in mind when he defines the charm as dhanurvata - kshiptavatadi - kr/tsnavatavyadhij-antyartham, and he seems to take vata in the sense of ' wound.' Yet we would adhere to the ordinary sense of vata, ' wind of the body,' in the rnedical ^astras ; cf. Wise, Hindu System 1 II, 7; 25; VI, 85; 127; VIII, 7. VI, no. COMMENTARY. 517 of Medicine, p. 250. Zimmer's quotation from Wise, p. 333, is based upon a misunderstanding of the English words. The words, ' or throw pieces of wood or stone,' mean that the consumptive shall not exert himself by throwing, not, that his consumption has been brought on by throws (on the part of some other person) of pieces of wood or stone. VI, 110. Commentary to page 109. The Kauj-ika, 46, 25, very intelligently, prescribes this charm for one born under an inauspicious constellation (papanakshatre^ataya). The sense of the Sutra is obscured The word mulena refers to some performance undertaken elsewhere either ' under the constellation mula ' — this is identical with the vi/^r/tau, st. 2 — , or 'with a root.' Curiously enough, it would seem as though this referred to some per- formance described in the Nakshatrakalpa, if we are to trust Kej-ava, who says : ' This rite is performed under the constellation mula. He shall perform the rite mentioned in the Nakshatrakalpa . . . He eats milk-porridge over which dregs of ghee have been poured ... In this rite sacrificial straw with the roots (samula) is spread ^ ; fagots with the roots attached are laid on the fire . . .' The entire practice according to Kei-ava (and Saya//a) consists in washing off and sprinkling (the child, or the parents), and in eating the above-mentioned porridge (cf. Kaujr. 46, 26) 3. The hymn has been treated by Weber, Die vedischen Nachrichten von den Nakshatra, II, 291 ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, HI, 431 (under the caption, ' Segensgebet fiir den opferer ') ; Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 321. ^ The full text is, pratiio hi^sti papanakshatre ^ataya mulena., ^ Cf. Kauj. I, 22. 23 and the scholiasts. Of course the word ' root ' throughout symbolises the constellation mula. ^ The practice thus coincides largely with that undertaken in connection with VI, 112 (see the introduction) and, since the word mula occurs also in its first stanza, mulena in Kau-r. 46, 25 perhaps simply refers to the practices in Kaus. 46, 26 if. 5l8 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Stanza 1. Repeated with variants at RV. VIII, ii, lo; Tait. Ar. X, I (st. 69). In Pada c Saya/.-a with these texts reads piprayasva (j-ariram . . . puraya) for piprayasva. The mean- ing of the latter is at any rate in doubt, either ' dehght ' (from root pri) or ' fill ' (from root pra ^). Stanza 2. For the character of the constellations ^yesh///aghni' (thus, not ^^}'aish//^aghni', the MSS.) and vi,^;'/tau, see Weber, Nakshatra, II, pp. 292, 310, 374, 389 ; Zimmer, I.e., pp. 356, 392. In PAda b (formulaic, see VI, 112, i b) the expression mulabarhaz/at plays upon two alternate names of the vik/'/tau, namely, mula, and mulabarha/a -. The name vi/v'/tau is here felt to be ' entanglers, ensnarers;' elsewhere in the AV. and in other texts, the word is rather regarded auspiciously, ' they that loosen the bonds of disease,^ and the like. See the note on II, 8, i. The change of person in the second hemistich is noteworthy, but Agni seems to be the subject in both. Stanza 3. For vyaghre^hni, cf. vyaghrau dantau VI, 140, i. The tiger, thus early, typifies danger to life, as even to this day he claims thousands of victims annually in India. VI, III. Commentary to page 32. The hymn is one of the three matr/namani (sc. suktdni), ' hymns that contain the names of the mothers,' Kaui". 8, 24. They are II, 2 and VIII, 6 in addition to the present, and appear to have been so designated because they contain the words apsaras (II, 2, 3. 5 ; VI, 111,4), and matar (VIII, ' So ^Vllit^ey, doubtfulh', in the Index Verborum, p. 195 b (cf. also 382). The form piprayasva is not quoted in the same author's Roots, Verb Forms, &c., either under pra and pri (p. 102), or under pn' (p. 100). ^ Cf. also the foot-note on VI, 112, i a, b. VI, III. COMMENTARY. 519 6, I ^) ; cf. Kaiuika, Introduction, p. Iviii, The matr/namani are mentioned frequently in the Kauj'ika (see Index B) ; the employment which bears most closely upon the sense of the present hymn is at Kaui". 26, 29-32, a rite which, according to the scholiasts, cures a person possessed by demons. Pulverised fragrant substances, mixed with ghee, are sacrificed, and the patient is anointed with what remains. The patient is next placed upon a cross-roads -, a wicker-work of darbha grass, containing a coal-pan, upon his head ; and upon the coal the previously mentioned frag- rant substances are again oftered. The patient going into a river against the current throws the same substances into a sieve ^, while another person from behind washes him off. Pouring more of the fragrant substances into an unburned vessel, moistening the substances (with ghee), placing the vessel into a three-footed wicker-basket made of mu%a-grass he ties it to a tree in which there are birds' nests. The complicated ceremony is largely symbolic : it aims to purify, and indicate the passing out of the unhealthy conditions. The hymn has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 512; Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 393; Grill 2, pp. 21, 170; cf. also Hillebrandt, Vedachrestomathie, p. 50 ; Wise, Hindu System of Medicine, p. 279 ff. The Anukramawi, agneyam. Stanza 1. The Anukrama;/! designates the first stanza as para- nush/up trish/ubh. A considerable variety of textual emendations, none of which seems warranted by the exigencies of the case, are suggested by Grill-, p. 170. The stanza consists of three trish/'ubh Padas, the second of ^ Cf. also XII, I, 60, and the introduction to IV, 20. 2 The favourite place to divest oneself of evil influences ; cf. Kauj. 27, 7, in the introduction to II, 10; Kd.us. 30, 18, in the introduction to VI, 26, &c. See in fjeneral Oldenbero:, Die Relisjion des Veda, p. 267, and the index under ' kreuzweg.' ^ For the sieve, see the introduction to VI, 26. 520 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. which is hypermetric, and seems to suggest a slurred reading of the five syllables preceding the caesura, perhaps €m yo baddha/^ for aya;;z yo baddha// (cf. Avestan aem). b. baddha// and siiyata// may refer either simply, or with double entente to the mental condition of the patient, ' bound and checked by the fetters of the dementia.' c. Zimmer, p. 393, ' dann wird er dir deinen antheil darbringen.' But adhi kar does not seem to bear any such interpretation. Stanza 3. a. Zimmer renders devainasa by ' sin against the gods ; ' Ludwig, ' von befleckung (where is there a corresponding word in the original ?), siinde gegen die gotter, der wan- sinnig.' It does not seem that the gods madden him that offends against them, a mere sight of them suffices : see Mahabh. Ill, 1450T, 'the man who, awake or asleep, beholds the gods quickly becomes mad ; that is known as possession by the gods.' Our translation, too, preserves the parallelism between the first two Padas. Indeed, devainasa seems to mean outright ' the sins committed by the gods.' See the introduction to VI, 112, and Proc. Amer. Or. Soc, March, 1894 (Journal, vol. xvi), p. cxix ff., and cf. especially Apast. Sx. XIII, 17, 9; Pa;?/'. Br. I, 6, 10 (devakr/tasyai'^^nasa/^). Thus also Saya;/a, devakr/tam enas . . . devakr/tat papad upaghatad unmaditam. Cf., perhaps, also VIII, 7, 2(S. b. Read yathanunmadito for yadanunmadito : the corrup- tion is due to I d. Stanza 4. a. At AV. II, 2, 5 the Apsaras arc designated as the ' mind-bewildering ' wives of the Gandharvas ; at Tait. S. Ill, 4, 8, 4, 'the Gandharvas and Apsaras render mad him that is mad.' In the sequel of the latter passage it is stated that it is necessary to quiet them (j-amayati, cf. st. 2 a). The expression punar da is used in the sense of ' give back, give up possession,' rather than in the derived sense, ' make well, restore.' All this seems to be well founded in the early Hindu view; in RV. X, 11, 2 the Gandharvi and the VI, 112. COMMENTARY. 52I woman of the waters (apya yoshawa) perform a similar service : ' And the Gandharvi, the woman of the water, spake ; when the reeds rustle may she protect my mind ^.' Primarily, the madness which the Gandharvas and Apsaras can cause, and which they are called upon to remove, is, in accordance with the general character of these divinities, the madness of love ; cf. the story of Urvaj-i and Pururavas (RV. X, 95, especially st. 14). VI, 112. Commentary to page 164. This and the following hymn reflect a cycle of legends to which the translator has devoted an article in the Proc. Amer. Or. Soc, March, 1H94 (Journal, vol. xvi, p. cxix ff.), entitled, ' Trita, the scapegoat of the gods.' Without the light of the conceptions there alluded to the hymns are hardly intelligible ^, and a brief statement of them here will not be out of place. At Maitr. S. IV, i, 9, it is stated that the gods did not find a person upon whom they might be able to wipe off from themselves the bloody part of the sacrifice, i.e. their guilt. Agni spat upon the waters, and successively three personages, Ekata, Dvita, and Trita, were born. The gods wiped off their guilt upon them ; they in turn wiped themselves upon one who was overtaken by the rising sun, i.e. one over whom the sun had risen while he was asleep; this one wiped himself upon one who was over- taken by the setting sun ; he upon one afflicted with brown teeth ; he upon one with diseased nails ; he upon one that had married a younger sister, before the older was married ; he upon one whose younger brother had married before himself ; he upon one who had married before his older brother ; he upon one who had slain a man ; he upon one who had committed an abortion. ' Beyond him who has committed an abortion the sin does not pass.' In Tait. Br. Ill, 2, 8, 9 ff. the same story is told with ^ Cf. Pischel, Vedische Studien, I, 188. ^ Cf. Contributions, Third Series, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XV, 163; Fifth Series, ib. XVI, 3. 522 HYMNS OF THE ATHAkVA-VEDA. variants, the chief difference being that the culminating sin is the slaying of a Brahman : ' Beyond the slayer of a Brahman the sin does not pass.' Still other versions occur in the Ka//^ S. XXXI, 7; Kap. S. XLVII, 7 (cf. also Sa.t. Br. I, 2, 2, 8 ; Ka/y. St. II, 5, 26 ; Mahidhara to Va^. S. I, 23 ; Apast. Sr. I, 25, 15); and similar lists of sinful personages are to be quoted from a variety of Sutras, and later Smarta-texts ; see Delbriick, Die Indoger- manischen Vervvandtschaftsverhaltnisse, in the Transac- tions of the Royal Saxon Society, vol. xi, nr. v, p. 57 cS ff. (200 ff. of the reprint) ; cf. also Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 315. All those mentioned in the lists are obviously regarded as burdened with guilt (enas) ; and the legend clearly marks them as persons upon whom, therefore, the guilt of others may be unloaded. In another version of the legend, 5at. Br. I, 2, 3, i ff., Trita and his two shadowy companions Ekata and Dvita roam about with Indra, and when the latter slays Vii-varupa, the son of Tvash/ar, they are saddled with this crime, equivalent to the murder of a Brahman, because they ' knew about his going to be killed.' The truth is this : Indra's drastic performances upon the great variety of demons whom he slays, coupled as they are at times with wiles and treachery, have not failed to arouse the compunctions of a certain school of Vedic moralists (see, e.g. TS. VI, 5, i, 1-3 ; Tait. Br. I, 7, i, 7. 8 ; FaTik. Br. XII, 6, 8 ; XX, 15, 6 ; Maitr. S. IV, 3, 4 ; 5, 6), and they have given rise to the notion of misdeeds on the part of the gods in general (devainasa, AV. VI, iii, 3; X, i, 12). It was natural, now, that some personage closely associated with Indra — a personage, moreover, who could be construed as sub- servient, or at least ancillary to him — should be picked out for the unenviable position. For this Trita seems fitted in an eminent degree. Trita is the double of Indra in his struggle with the demons (RV. I, 187, i), or his coadjutor (RV. I, 52, 5 ; V, 86, 1 ; VIII, 7, 24, and especially X, 8, 8). Whether we regard him as the faded predecessor of Indra in the role of a demiurge, being, as it were, the Indo-Iranian VI, 112. COMMENTARY. 523 Hercules (cf. the Avestan Thraetaona Athwya) ; whether we regard him as Indra's lieutenant (see the passages of the RV. just cited) ; or whether we follow Bergaigne, La Religion Vedique, II, 326, 330, in viewing him as a divine sacrificer; in each case the moralising fancy, which would whitewash the cruelties incidental upon Indra's valued services, naturally alights upon Trita, and makes him bear the burden of his superior's misdeeds. And this again has been generalised so that in AV. VI, 113 the gods in general, without specification, are said to have wiped off their guilt upon Trita. He in his turn passes off his guilt upon the sinners among men. The rites within which AV. VI, 1 12 and 1 13 are embedded in Kauj-. 46, 26-9 have for their object the removal of the sin of him whose younger brother marries first, as also of the prematurely married younger brother. Symbolically the sin is again removed, this time to a non-living object, to wit: 'While reciting VI, 113 and 113 (the performing priest) ties fetters of mu;7i,'a-grass upon the limbs of the parivitti and the parivividana ^, as they sit at the edge of a body of water (a river), v/ashes them by means of bunches of grass, and rinses them off. Placing other fetters upon the foam (in the river) he lets them flow away while reciting the hemistich, VI, 113, 2 c, d. And having entered the dwelling (the priest) sprinkles them while reciting all the hymns to the waters (see Kaui-. 7, 4, note). The treatment of the Kau^ika embraces but one aspect of the hymn, in employing it in connection with the ex- ^ Darila, * the younger brother along with the unmarried older brother.' Ke^ava somewhat differently, ' an expiatory performance for him who marries, sets up the fire, and is consecrated for the soma-sacrifice, while the older brother is living.' Cf. the sins of the paryadhatar and the paryahita, ' the younger brother who sets up the fire, and the older brother who is passively implicated in the same sin ; ' and the pariyash/ar and the parish/a, ' the younger brother who is consecrated for the sacrifice before the older, and the older brother who is passively implicated in the same sin.' See Delbriick, 1. c, pp. 580-1 (202-3). 524 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. piatory performances of the parivitta and the parivividana. It seems that this is too narrow, and that the hymns were constructed to cover all the crimes in the catalogues con- nected with the legend of Trita, as mentioned above. This at least is in Kej-ava's mind ; see the foot-note. Further, the text of both hymns (VI, 1 12, 3; 113, 2) states distinctly that the sins in question shall be wiped off upon the abor- tionist, the bhru;/ahan, whose crime figures as a most shocking one at the end of the lists. This indicates that the entire list of sins is in the mind of the poet, even though he intends to direct his charm against some special part of them. Finally, the expression dvada^-adha in VI, 113,3, refers, in my opinion, again to the list of crimes which are stated variously as from 9-11 in number, the use of the numeral 12 being due to its formulary and solemn character. From all this it seems to me that the hymns have in mind at least all those sins that arise from the inversion of the order of precedence as between the younger and older brothers, and probably the rest also. The hymns have been translated by Ludwig, Der Rig- veda, 111,469,444; Grill-, pp. 15, 1 71; Hardy, Die Vedisch- brahmanische Periode, p. 201. Cf. also Zimmer's luminous allusion to VI, 113, Altindisches Leben, p. 315; and Ber- gaigne et Henry, Manuel Vedique, p. 154. Ludwig intro- duces VI, 112 with the caption ' Heirat. Fur vater mutter sohn,' and defines it (1. c, p. 470) as follows : ' Der bruder der vor seinem iiltern geheiratet hat, oder (so the text) der altere, der den jungern frliher hat heiraten lassen, hat dadurch trockenheit verursacht. Er wird gebunden, seine frau, sein kind, bisz der regen ihn erlost.' Support for this statement is wanting, and the author has not defined his motives. Grill treats both hymns rather too vaguely under the caption 'krankheit' (p. 8 ff.). The Anukrama//i defines VI, 112 as agneyam ; VI, 113 as paushwam. Stanza 1. a, b. Our reference of the pronoun ayam to the delin- quent younger brother, the parivividana or parivettar, while VI, 112. COMMENTARY. 525 not altogether certain, seems better than Grill's to some disease, a conception which leads him to emend the word to iyam (sc. gta.h\/i). Both Ludwig and Grill, moreover, refer ^yesh//^am to ' the father,' who, to be sure, is mentioned in St. 2 in a general way, along with the mother and the sons, ' release them all, father, sons, and mother.' This is simply another way of saying, ' release the entire family from the consequences of the sin committed by a single member.' The point of the hymn is stated in the first Pada, and their rendering of ^yesh///am causes them to miss it ^. I do not know whether the selection of Agni as the helping agent is of the general sort, or whether it refers to the legends reported above, in all of which Agni plays a part. In the versions of the Maitr. S. and Tait. Br. Agni helps the gods to free themselves from their pollution, and he is introduced also in the narrative of the vSat. Br. But in general Agni chases away evil demons, protects against poverty, straits, and enmities (RV. IV, 11,5); especially does he remove the consequences of sin, vy ena7;/si j-i^ratho vishvag agne (RV. IV, 1 2, 5). c. Grahi is the attack of disease personified as a female demon. Since the word is derived from the root g-rah ' seize,' she is supposed to fetter the sick person (cf, the second stanza), and the medicine man's practices take the turn of freeing him from them symbolically ; see the Kau^ika above, and cf. RV. X, 161, i ; AV. II, 9, i. d. ' May all the gods give thee leave,' i. e. may they support thee in thy undertaking, as e.g. Agni is supported by a train of gods when he drives out fever in AV. V, 22, I. The entire hemisiich, however, may have been secondarily adapted to the present situation : ^yeshZ/zaw vadhit reminds us of ^yeshZ/^aghni; the designation of a certain constellation (VI, no, 2), and Pada b repeats formulaically VI, no, 2 b, which obviously alludes to the constellation mula. Cf. the introduction to that hymn and the note on its second stanza. 526 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Stanza 2. b. The use of the number three is formulary and solemn. I see no possibility of pointing out any three persons of the family, especially subject to the consequences of the illegal marriage, since primarily only the parivitta and the parivividana are involved. The cataloguing of father, sons, and mother in Pada d simply expands the notion contained in the solemn number three. Stanza 3. a. For parivitta the Kauj-ika (46, 26) substitutes the synonymous parivitti. Ludwig's suggested emendation to parivetta, 'the younger brother who marries before the older' ( = parivividana in the Kaui'., I.e.), is unnecessary, since both brothers alike are affected by the sin, wherever these conceptions crop out, and the mention of the older is as appropriate as that of the younger ; cf. the monograph of Prof. Delbriick cited above, p. 578 ff. (200 fif.). c. vimu/^o hi santi is difficult to translate ; literally, ' they are loosenings,' i.e. the fetters are subject in their very nature to the charm instituted to loosen them. Grill, in his note, paraphrases prettily, but not quite in accordance with the situation, ' denn sie sind Stricke der Ausspannung.' Ludwig, rather vaguely, 'denn es sind die befreier da (oder : denn es ist regen gekommen).' Possibly vlmuJto is genitive singular, and the expression is to be rendered ' for they belong to release,' i.e. are subject to release. The poet sacrifices rigorous logic to the pun which is secured by introducing vimu/^o after vi mu/'antam. The word vimu/'o, moreover, foreshadows the statement about Pushan in Pada d, since he is designated in RV. I, 42, 1 ; VI, 55, i as vimu/l'o napat, ' the son of release,' i.e. ' the releaser ' par excellence (cf. sahaso napat, and the like), and in RV. VIII, as vimo/l'ana, ' the liberator.' d. The Pada is very characteristic in that it assigns quite definitely the conceptions at the base of the hymn to the cycle of ideas which are worked up in the legends reported VI, 113. COMMENTARY. 527 in the introduction. Pushan is asked to wipe off (mr/l'shva, from root mar^, the technical verb in those legends) the sin upon the abortionist (bhru//ahan), his sin being greatest : ' beyond him that has committed an abortion the sin does not pass ;' see Maitr. S. IV, i, 9, and the corresponding passages of the Ka//^aka and Kapish///ala Sa7;/hitas, as quoted by Prof. Delbriick, 1. c, pp. 579 (20] ) ff, Cf. also VI, 113, 2d. VI, 113. Commentary to page 165. For the conceptions at the base of this hymn, see the introduction to VI, 112. The statements here are more general than in the preceding, but the sins consequent upon the precedence of the younger brother are especially in the inind of the poet, at least if we trust the tradition of the ritual ; cf. the discussion of this point, above. Stanza 1. h. It is not absolutely necessary to emend enam to enan (i.e. enad) with the Pet. Lex., s. v.,trita b), and Grill-, p. 171, since the masculine enam may refer to papmanam, abstracted from papman in 2 a. Read mamr^Ve, and cf Kiihnau, Die Trishtubh-Jagati-Familie, pp. 69-71, and Oldenberg, Die Hymnen des Rig-veda, p. 477. c, d. Read tua graahir, in order to obtain a ^agati-pada in the midst of a trish/ubh stanza, and cf. Oldenberg, 1. c, p. 115 ff. Note the pun between anaj-e and naj^ayantu ; cf III, 7, 6. Both Padas are repeated in st. 3. Stanza 2. For the first hemistich, cf. Tait. Br. II, 2, 9, 2. c. Cf I, 8, I ; VI, 14, 3; X, I, 10; 4, 20; RV. X, d. The identity of Padad with VI, 112, 3 d elicits certain text-critical remarks from Dr. Grill, which are, to say the least, premature. The repetition of the Pida does not suffice for the basis of textual manipulations, and the 528 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. appearance of Pushan, in addition to Agni. upon the scene is sufficiently accounted for by the suggestion of the root vi mu/^ ; cf. our note on VI, 112, 3 c. Stanza 3. a. The expression, ' deposited in twelve places is that which has been wiped off T;7'ta,' contains a distinct refer- ence in round number to the list, of delinquencies, stated variously as being from nine to eleven, through which Trita's sin passes as it is transferred among men, from one sin to another ; see the introduction above. Saya;/a makes out the count by counting the gods as one, the three Aptyas as three, and eight human sinners : he who is caught asleep by the rising sun, and seven others. b. Read manushyaenasani in accordance with the divi- sion of the Padapa///a, or manushiyainasani. c. d. Identical with i c, d. VI, 114. Commentary to page 164. In accordance with the general character of its contents this hymn is employed, in connection with one or more of those following, on a considerable number of occasions. At Kauj-. 46, 30-32 the entire anuvaka beginning with our hymn is employed in expiatory rite at the death of one's teacher ; at 46, ^^S^ in connection with an expiatory offering from one's store of grain and provisions ; at 46, 36-40 in connection with the discharge of one's debts on the death of the creditor ^ Still more secondary is the use of these hymns at Kaui'. 60, 7; 67, 19 (here only VI, 114, 115, 117), in connection with the sava or brahmaudana, the solemn presentation of the priest's rewards ; and at Vait. Su. 22, 15; 23, 12 ; 30, 22 ; 5antikalpa 17, 18 ; Ath. Parij-. 22,4; 39, II. Similar formulas to those contained ^ So according to Darila : Kejava and Saya;/a with better reason perhaps restrict the recitation to VI, 11 7- 11 9, three hymns that deal with debt (rmi) explicitly. VI, I20, COMMENTARY. 529 in this and the next hymn occur in RV. X, 37, 12: Maitr. S. Ill, II, 10; IV, 14, 7; Va^. S. XX, 14-20; Tait. Br. II, 4, 4, '"! ; 6, 6, I ; Tait. Ar. II, 3, i ; 7, 3. The h}'mn has been translated by Ludvvig, Der Rigveda, III, 443; Grill-, pp. 45, 172. The Anukrama/n, vaij-va- devam. Stanza 1. For the designation of the Brahmans as gods, see the note on XII, 3, 38. Stanza 3. a. medasvata (sc. paj-una) ; cf. Tait. S. VI, 3, 11, 5. The point is felt by Sayawa who supplies paj-una. Not so Darila at Kauj-. 46, 30, note, medasvata sruM^^ya/z/^uhoti. According to this construction it would be proper to emend to medasvatya. VI, 115. Commentary to page 164. In general the employment of this hymn coincides with that of the preceding, as far as the Kauj-ika and Vaitana- sutra are concerned ; see the introduction there. The additional employment in Vait. Su. 8, 7, and (of st. 3) in 30, 23 is without special significance. See also Ath. PanV. 39, II. For parallel passages in other texts, see the intro- duction to the preceding hymn. Previous translations by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 443 ; Grill-, pp. 46, 172 ff. ; cf. also Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 182. The Anukra- ma;/i, vaijvadevam. Stanza 2. Saya;^a, on the strength of Tait. Br. Ill, 8, 18,5, suggests that bhutam and bhavyam may refer to this and the next world. Cf. VI, 12, 2 ; XI, 4, 20, and II, 28, 3. VI, 120. Commentary to page 165. The employment of this hymn in the ritual takes place on the same occasions as VI, 1 14 ; see the introduction to that hymn, and cf. Darila's corrupt gloss on Kauj-. 46, 30 [42] M m 530 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. (note 5). Previous translations by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, 111,442; Grille pp. 72,173; cf. Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, V, pp. 299, 41, 306. The Anukrama/zi, mantrokta- devatyam. Stanza 1. a. Maitr. S. I, 10, 3; IV, 14, 17 ; Tait. S. I, 8, 5, 3; Tait. Br. Ill, 7, 12, 4; Tait. Ar. II, 6, 8. Stanza 2. b. The Paippalada has trata for bhrata, hardly an im- provement in the light of the connection. Stanza 3. The first hemistich recurs at III, 25, 8 a, b ; cf. Muir, 1. c, I^ 3^5, "ote. VI, 127. Commentary to page 40. The hymn is rubricated at Kans. 26, 33 along with five others (11,7; 25 ; VI, 85 ; 109 ; VIII, 7) in a series which the Ga;/amala, Ath. Taiis. 32, 24, designates as ga;/akarma- ga;^a. In the sequel the Kaujika prescribes its employment twice : at 26, 34 it is recited while the patient is being anointed (with the powder obtained by pulverizing a chip of) palaj-a-wood of the width of four fingers^; at 26, 39 it is employed while dregs of ghee are being poured upon the head of one afflicted with dropsy. Darila regards both treatments as cures for dropsy; Kej-ava and Saya;/a con- struct them more broadly as universal remedies ^. It would seem as though the chip of palai-a-wood (butea frondosa) is intended to reflect the Zipudru in st. 2 of the hymn. A previous translation by Zimmer, Altindischcs Leben, p. 3^6. ^ Saya;/a, X-aturahgula?;/ pala^a^akala;;/ pish/va abhimantrya vyadhitaj'arira;/'/ limpet. 2 Saya;/a, ^alodaravisarpadisarvarogabhaisha^yartham. VI, 127- COMMENTARY. 53 T Stanza 1. For vidradha, see Grohmann, Indische Studien, IX, 397 ; Zirnmer, Altindisches Lebeii, p. 3(S6 ; and Wise, Hindu System of Medicine, pp. 210, 3(S4, 288, 362. Saya^a, vidara/zai-ilasya vraz/avij-eshasya. For balasa, see the note on V, 22, II. Not at all clear is lohita: it is either ' flow of blood,' or 'inflammation.' Saya/za suggests both (visar- pakavij-eshasya nama, yad va . . . rudhirasravatmakasya rogasya). Cf. vilohitam IX, 8, i ; XII, 4, 4. Shankar Pandit and Saya;/a read visalpakasya ^ ; cf. their readings at XIX, 44, 2 (in the note on IX, 8, 2). Finally, the sense of pijritam, ordinarily ' flesh,' is by no means clear in this connection : we have taken it in the attenuated meaning ' piece, bit, speck.' The Pet. Lex. suggests that it is for *pishitam==pish/am, but that would be equally problematic in any such sense as is demanded by the connection. Saya//a, literally, nidanabhuta;// dush/a;// ma;/^sam, i.e. (with a change of construction : accusative for genitive), ' the plant shall not leave the diseased flesh which is the root of the afore- mentioned diseases.' Very unlikely. Stanza 2. The mushkau are likely to be bag-hke swellings. Accord- ing to Grohmann, 1. c , p. 399, Su^ruta designates certain swellings on the neck as mushkavat, ' similar to testicles.' Cf. also VI, 14, 2. In Pada d j-ipudrur of the vulgata is faulty: the MSS. and Shankar Pandit read /-ipudrur ; Saya;/a, /^ipadrur (etatsa7«^«o drumavijesha//). The word occurs nowhere else ; cf. the introduction. Stanza 3. The last two Padas may be an afterthought. For Agnktdiin yakshma//^ the compound ?i^/7atayakshma occurs III, II, I =RV. X, 161, I. Cf. Zimmer, 1. c, p. 377, who tries ^ Saya;/a, vividha;// sarpati na^/imukhena jarirasya antarvyapnoli iti visarpaka/;. M m 2 532 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. to define it— though by its very terms it is undefinable — as the name of a certain disease. VI, 128. Commentary to page 160. The present hymn, and the custom which it harbours, have been treated by the writer in ' Seven Hymns of the Atharva-veda,' Amer. Journ. Phil. VII, 4H4 ff. According to the indications of the ritual the hymn is in praise of ^akadhuma, which, as a possessive compound, means ' he of the dung-smoke,' i. e. ' he that prophesies from the smoke of cow-dung.' The j-akadhuma predicts the weather for a person about to start on a journey ; see below. As weather-prophet he very naturally comes, like our ' Old Probabilities,' or ' weather-clerk,' to be regarded at the same time as controlling the weather for good or bad — in short, as a weather- maker. Control of the weather, as a delegated power, comes most naturally from the stars : hence these are said, in st. 1, to have made him their king. In the Paribhasha-sutra, Kau.f. 8, 17, we have the clear statement that the j-akadhuma is an old Brahman. Ac- cording to the Dasa. Karma;/i, and the Atharva;/iya-pad- dhati, at Ka.us. 76, 19, one (or four) j-akadhumas recite at a certain stage of the wedding-practices the surya-hymn (RV. X, 85) ^ In Kaus. 50, 15. 16, in the course of the practices of a merchant about to start on an expedition, the merchant, while reciting this hymn, places lumps of dung (j-akr/tpi/z^/an) upon the joints of a Brahman friend, and asks the j-akadhuma : ' What sort of a day shall we have to-day ? ' He answers : ' A fair day, a very auspicious one'-.' 1 sui} apa//;am kurvanti. The sense of this expression is not altogether certain. It may mean simply, 'they read the sun,' i.e. for indications of weather. Kcj-ava in the same place has vr/sha- kapibrahma;/a/z suryaw pa//mnti, a most curious statement. Does vr/shakapibrahma«a mean ' sun-Brahma;/a, astrologer,' and does sfiryam refer to the vr/shakapi-hymn, RV. X, 86 ? 2 Sayawa, s\ghra.m kartukama/^ . . . brahma;/asya sawdhishu gomayapiWan nidhaya agnilvena sawkalp}'a abhimantrya siatrokt- aprakarewa prajuaprativaX'ane kuryat. VI, 128. COMMENTARY. 533 Once more the hymn is prescribed, Kau-f. ico, 3, in a pra- yaj/'itti for an ech'pse of the moon, probably on account of the prayer in the third stanza ; cf. also 5antikalpa 15. For St. 3, see Kaiu. i;^H, 8. The hymn, with the addition of sundry other stanzas, is repeated in an appendix to the Nakshatrakalpa, and has been presented in our afore-mentioned article, p. 485 ff. ; cf. Weber's translation of it in his Omina und Portenta, p. ^S^- The vulgata form of the hymn has been rendered by Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. ;^^^ ; cf. also Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 187. Stanza 1. Saya;^a also defines j-akadhuma as brahma;/a, but in a roundabout way. Primarily, according to his view, it is the fire in which lumps of dung have been placed, and from which the smoke rises (sakrita/i sawbandhi dhumo yasminn agnau sa .yakadhuma// agni//). But agni (e.g. according to Tait. S. V, 2, 8, 2) is identical with brahma;/a ; cf his words, agnitvena sawkalpya, in the note above ^ In the brahmodya-stanza, RV. I, 164, 43 = AV. IX, 10, 25, occurs the expression jakamayaw dhumam ; this is paraphrased in Katyayana's Sarvanukrama;/i and in Sha.'/guruj-ishya's comment (pp. 1 1, 97 of Macdonell's edition) by .yakadhuma, ' dung-smoke.' Possibly ' the fire that gives forth dung- smoke ' (cf Haug in the Proceedings of the Bavarian Academy, 1875, II, p. 506) forms the true mythic back- ground of these conceptions ; the Brahman interpreter may be secondarily called j-akadhuma. Weber, 1. c, surmises that it may be the first morning fire, kindled while the stars are still shining, and indicating by its rising or falling smoke the weather of the breaking day ; cf. also the same author, In- dische Studien, V, 257 ; X, 65 ; Nakshatra, II, 272, note ; 393. ^ Saya?za continues, ta/;^ .rakadhuma/?/ brahma;/a??z pura naksha- tra;/! taraka/z ra^ana?;/ /('andramasam akurvata. According to this the moon (fire) is the jakadhuma, the controller of the weather. This is good folk-lore : the Brahmawa may be the moon's repre- sentative on earth. 534 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. VI, 130. Commentary to page 104. This and the following two hymns ^ are accompanied at Kaiu. 36, 13-14 by the following practices: 'Bean-loves' (mashasmaran; Kej-ava and Saya;/a simply ' beans,' mashan) are thrown (upon the head of the person whose love is de- sired "). Then the points of arrows (sara) are kindled and are cast in every direction about the effigy (of the desired person), its face fronting towards the performer. The bean (masha) is doubtless regarded as inflammatory food (cf. the Pythagorean prohibition), since it is forbidden at the fasts preliminary to holy practices, along with honey, salt, meat, and brandy; see Kaui". i, 32, and note (and frequently elsewhere) : its fitness in a love-charm seems derivable from this notion. A similar practice with the effigy occurs at KauJ". ^^, 28 (see the introduction to in, 25). The hymn has been interpreted by Weber, Indische Studien, V, 244 ff. ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 515 ; GrilP, pp. 58, 174 ff. Stanza 1. The pada-MSS. read ratha^^^ite yi'nam ; Saya/^a substi- tutes dhinam for this yi'nam. But the text of the Sawhita- MSS. justifies ratha^iteyi'nam 'K Weber, 1. c, p. 345, note, refers by way of illustration of the present epithets of the Apsaras to the names sa;//^ayanti (IV, 38, i), ugra^i't, ugra;//pa.yya, and rash/rabhr/t (VI, 118, i. 2), and to the frequent warlike epithets of the Gandharvas, with whom they are associated closely (cf. e.g. Tait. S. Ill, 4, 7, 3). Grill, too daringly, emends to artha^i'tam artha^iti'nam, supporting his theory by a reference to IV, 38, where the ^ Thus according to the commentators: 131 and 132 are not otherwise rubricated. ^ Thus Darila ; according to Ke^ava, upon his couch, house, or bed ; according to Sayaz/a, on the ground which he walks. ^ The hymn is wanting in the Paippalada. VI, 132. COMMENTARY. 535 Apsaras are implored for help in gambling. He supposes that they ' gain their object ' both in play and in love. VI, 131. Commentary to page 104. For the practices connected with this hymn, see the introduction to the preceding. Previous translations by Weber, Indische Studien, V, 244 ff. ; Grill-, pp. 58, 175 ff. Stanza 2. Anumati is the goddess of favour and consent ; cf. the play of words in anu manyasva (as in VII, 20). Akuti is the goddess of schemes. In XIX, 4, 2 she is called /'ittasya mata, ' mother of thought ' (' the wish is father to the thought '). Cf. Ill, 8, 5 ; V, 8, 2, &c. VI, 132. Commentary to page 104. For the practices connected with this hymn, see the introduction to VI, 130. It has been translated by Weber, Indische Studien, V, 245, who supposes that it is the text of a brewing-charm (sudzauber), in which the person de- sirous cf love boils some concoction that attracts irresistibly the coy beloved. But the absence of any such practice in connection with the hymn casts much doubt upon this interpretation. It seems rather to allude to some mythic touch (akhyayika). Saya/^a suggests that the gods either poured love into the water, to quench him, or that they placed him into the atmospheric waters as ruler of all lovers. Varu/^a in the refrain is, of course, in the position of lord or controller of those waters, and varu//asya dharma;/a is not remote from the meaning ' by the permission or order of Varu7/a.' The whole savours of the conception that the gods poured smara into the waters either by way of punishing him for his attacks upon themselves \ or in order ^ Cf. the stories of iheir burning Kama, ' love,' e. g. Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts. P, 112; IV-, 364. Or is there still a different notion, namely that the fruitful waters are the natural seat of love ^ 53<3 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. to quench him, and that the person practising the charm kindles him anew with the permission of Varu;/a. Stanza 1. b. In Tait. S. Ill, 4, 7, 3, the Adhis, 'yearnings,' are personified as the Apsaras, the wives of Kama, ' love,' the Gandharva. Stanza 3. Indrawi is the goddess of successful and happy conjugal love ; see our Contributions, Sixth Series, Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenlandischen Gesellschaft, XLVIII, 551 ff, VI, 136. Commentary to page 31. The plant nitatni, ' she that takes root ' (cf the note on III, 13, 4d, and Ait. Br. VII, 31, 3), is not mentioned else- where. In Tait. S. IV, 4, 5, i ; Ka//^ S. XL, 4 ; Vish;/u, LXVII, 7, the word designates a personification of one of the bricks of the fire-altar (ish/aka) ; in Tait. Br. Ill, i, 4, 1, one of the stars of the constellation kr/ttika. This and the next hymn are supplied with practices at Kauj-. 31, 28, to wit: The fruit of (the plant) mentioned in the mantra (i. e. the nitatni ^), together with the plants ^ivi and ^l^ka ^, (are concocted into a solution) and poured (by the medicine-man) who is clothed in black and has eaten black food ^, in the early morning before the rise of the crows (upon the head of the person for whom the hair cure is undertaken). The exact virtue of these plants escapes ^ The scholiasts agree in defining this by ka/'ama/'i. The word is not elsewhere quotable as the name of a plant, but is mentioned in Bohtlingk's Lexicon as a kind of spirituous liquor. " Cf. Kaujika, Introduction, pp. xlv and 1. Sayawa has ^ivanti for ^ivi, and bhr/hgar%a for alaka. On p. xlv we have written alaka, but Darila has alaka. On the other hand Bohtlingk's Lexicon, vol. i, p. 294, mentions alaka = alarka, ' calotropis gigantea.' ^ That is sesame, beans, and the like ; of Kamika, Introduction, p. xlix. VI, 138. COMMENTARY. 537 our knowledge ; the black colour symbolises, perhaps, the (black) hair. The hymn has been translated by Zimnier, Altindisches Leben, p. 68 (cf. also p. 264); Grill^, pp. 50, 176. The Anukrama;n,vanaspatyam,by kej-avardhanakamaVitahavya (VI, 137, 1). Stanza 3. b. For vrMate the Pet. Lex. suggests vrzV/^yate. So also Sclya//a, /{-/ndyate. Cf. the note on XII, 4, 12. VI, 137. Commentary to page 31. For the employment in the ritual see the introduction to the preceding hymn. Previous translations by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 512 ; Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 68 (cf. also p. 264) ; Grill 2, pp. 50, 176. The Anukrama;/i, as in the preceding. Stanza 1. No further trace of this curious, probably ad hoc, legend (akhyayika) has been found. Saya/^a cites no parallels. Camadagni is mentioned in connection with helpful charms at II, 32, 3 ; V, 28, 7 ; for Asita, cf. the note on I, 14, 4. Stanza 2. Zimmer renders abhuuna, ' with the finger ; ' so also Saya//a with the Naigha;//uka II, 4. 5, angulibhi//. I do not feel altogether convinced that the Pet. Lex. (s. v. abhuu) is right in denying this meaning. VI, 138. Commentary to page 108. Unsavoury and obscure is the performance associated with the recital of this hymn at Kauj-. 48, 32-34. Urine and dung are put into the skin-bag that covers the tail of a calf, they are covered up with kaku/^a-fruits \ the entire ' For jepya, 'skin of the tail,' see Kaujika, Introduction, p. liv ; for kakuX-a, ibid, xlviii. The latter word, however, is explained by 538 HYMXS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. mess is crushed and dug into the ground \ Next (Sutra ^^) the (same) skin-bag and a reed (are crushed and dug into the ground ?). Finally (Sutra 34) the reed is stuck into the skin-bag and again dug into the ground (?). The Sutras are extremely brief, and the scholiasts do not make clear these performances which reach the lowest plane even of Atharvanic doings. The hymn has been rendered by Weber, Indische Studien, V, 246 ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 470 ; cf. also Geldner, Vedische Studien, I, 131 ; Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, Index, p. 455 a. Stanza 1. d. The exact meaning of opa^i'nam escapes us, owing to the complete absence of graphic representations. The lexicons, Weber and Zimmer, ' gelockt ;' Ludwig, ' bezopft.' Saya/^a, as the scholiasts in general, derives opaj-a from the verb upaj-ete, and arrives at the meaning ' one with female organs ' (strivya;/^anam). Geldner, I.e., has gone peculiarly astray in comparing the cuckold and translating 'with horns,' since in Maitr. S. II, 7, 5 = Tait, S. IV, i, 5, 3 = Va^. S. XI, ^6 the goddess Sinivali is described as suka- parda sukurira svopaj-a. All three epithets obviously refer to female methods of dressing the hair and the head. The notion here is that the eunuch shall develop hermaphroditic characteristics, and hence assume the head-gear of a woman. See stanzas 2 and 3, and cf. in addition AV. VIII, 6, 7^; IX, 3, 8 ; Apast. Sr. X, 9, ^-7 ; ^at. Br. V, i, 2, 14 ; 4, I, I ; Katy. 5r. XIV, i, 14; XV, 5, 22. The opaj-a Ke^ava in a very dififerent \va}', namely, tasya (sc. vatsasya) vr/sha- 7m/i, i. e., the skin containing the mutrapurisham is covered up with the testicles of the calf. ' The scholiasts say, marma«i nikhanati (cf. Kauj. 47,51 ; 48, 4^. The digging is supposed to take place, symbolically, in the vital spot of the rival, ^ The an. \ey. tiii/in in this passage is doubtless identical with the later kiri/in, and again refers to some feminine mode of dressing the head. VI, 139- COMMENTARY. 539 seems to be some form of coiffure which has become at this stage of the hterature a characteristic ornamentation of women ; its primary meaning may have been ' horn,' but this is by no means rendered certain by FaTik. Br. XIII, 4, 3 (upon which Geldner reHes), since it may be figurative in that sense. Stanzas 2, 3. The exact meaning of kuri'ra (Saya/^a, kcya^alam), kuriri'n (Saya;/a, kurira// ke.ya// tadvanta/// kuru), and kumba (Sa}'a//a, abhara;/a;;^ stri//am) is again uncertain, but they all refer to female head-gear. VI, 139. Commentary to page 102. The present charm is apparently addressed to a plant which is, however, not mentioned by name, unless nyastika be a proper noun. The hymn is rubricated, along with VI, 1 29 and VII, 38, at Kauj. 36, 12 : the person practising the charm digs up a suvar/^ala-plant ^, with the ceremonies pertaining to the digging up of plants (cf. Kau.v. ;^;^, 9. 16), fastens (its) white blossoms upon his head, and thus enters the village. Neither of the two other hymns (VI, i 29 and VII, 38) defines the plant more specifically^: the exactitude of the Sutra does not inspire confidence. The hymn has been rendered by Weber, Indische Studien, V, 247 ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 515. Stanza 1. For the formulaic numbers see the analogical parallels mentioned by A. Kuhn in Zeitschrift fiir vergleichende Sprachforschung, XIII, i^^. The air. Aey. nyastika is ^ Darila, suvar/^ala prasiddha trisaw^dhyasadr/ji (of. the introduc- tion to IV, 20); Ke^ava has ^ahkhapushpi and suryavela (cf. surya- val'ii) ; Sayawa, i-ahkhapushpika, ' andropogon aciculatus.' - Cf. however the epithet mawpajya, VII, 38, i, with the descrip- tion in IV, 20, I. This again points to the plant trisawdhya. 540 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. obscure : Kuhn and Ludvvig incline to its construction as a proper noun, and that may be correct. Saya;^a, (' the plant) that suppresses the characteristics of ill-luck.' Our rendering is etymological, and equally guess-work. Stanza 3. a. Most of Shankar Pandit's MSS. read samushpala for samushyala. Saya;/a also, samushpala samyak uptaphala sati. The Pet. Lexs. derive the word (a air. Aey.) from a root ush = uj-, the weak form of vas, 'arousing love;' Ludwig, doubtfully, ' procuress.' We, with Weber (' zusam- men uns brennend '), derive the word from ush, ' burn.' Everything is uncertain. Stanza 5. The hostility of the ichneumon and the serpent is known in Hindu literature from earliest to latest times ^ The putting together of the serpent by the ichneumon refers perhaps to the cat-like antics of the animal over his prey. It is a lame comparison at the best. VI, 140. Commentary to page jig. ' When the upper two teeth come before the lower, then there is danger of death to the parents, and the following expiatory rite is prescribed,' says Kejava at Kaus. 46, 43-46. The performance consists in scattering or offering (rice, barley, or sesame : cf. Kaui-. 7, 5) ; in making the child bite some of the kinds of grain indicated in the mantra (st. 2) ; in giving him some of the same grain cooked in ' holy water ' (Kauj-. 9, 8 ff.) to eat ; finally, in making the parents eat of the same dish. The hymn has been rendered by Zimmcr, Altindisches Lcben, p. 321 ; Grill 2, pp. 49, 176 ff. (cf also Weber, Indische Studien, V, 224; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 343). These interpreters construe the hymn as a charm for avert- ' Cf. VcV- S. XXIV, 26, 32; Tait. S. V, 5, 12, 21. VI, 142. COMMENTARY. 541 ing danger from the first pair of teeth in general, without reference to any irregularity in their appearance. Possibly this broader construction is the more original, Kaui-ika's being a later refinement. Stanza 1. For vyaghrau, cf. the note on VI, no, 3 ; for the com- bination Brahma/zaspati (BWhaspati) Catavedas (Agni), the note on VII, ^^, 1. VI, 142. Commentary to page 141. At Krus. 24, I, this hymn is recited while barley (or grain in general, yava), mixed with ghee, is swept into a furrow in the grain-field by means of the plough ; then (three) handfuls of seed are poured (into the furrow) \ one with each stanza of the hymn, and these finally are covered (with earth). Stanza 3 is recited at Kaus. ig, 27, while an amulet of barley is being fastened on a person to ensure him prosperity (cf. Kslus. 28, 20 in the introduction to VI, 91). The hymn is one of the class designated by the Atharva;/iya-paddhati (at Kaus. 19, 11) as push/ika man- tra//, ' stanzas that ensure prosperity.' The hymn has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 463; Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 237; GrilP, pp. 66, i77 ff Cf. also Bergaigne et Henry, Manuel Vedique. p. 156. The Anukrama;/i, yavyam. Stanza 1. c. Ludwig, and, independently, Aufrecht in Kuhn's Zeit- schrift, XXVII, 218, read pr///ihi, ' fill,' for mrrnihu Saya;/a, vrz/nhi, which he also explains, ' with a change of a letter,' as p;7V/ihi puraya. Sensible suggestions these, but they do not prove that the 5aunakiya-poet did not make use of the bold yet natural figure of speech involved in mriuihi (' full unto bursting,' ' zum bersten vol! '). Cf. the note on III, ],2. ' Cf. RV. VIII, 78, 10. 542 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Stanza 3. a. Saya;/a, upasada// upasattara// (cf. Ill, 12,6 c) upagan- tara// karmakara//. This is essentially correct. The western translators take the word as an abstract noun, ' stores ; ' Ludwig, ' ansatze ' (? ' aufspeicherungen '). VII, 9. Commentary to page 159. The prayer is addressed to Pushan. the sun that watches over the ways, and is accompanied by characteristic prac- tices at Kauj-. 52, 12-14: They who seek lost property have their hands and feet washed and anointed ; their right hands are then scoured, and they are started upon the search. The same performance is undertaken with dregs of the ghee, and the right hands are again scoured • off ^. Then twenty-one pebbles are thrown scatteringly upon a cross-roads. The last practice is an interesting instance of attractio similium : the scattering of the pebbles upon the cross-roads symbolises the lost objects, and at the same time counteracts their lost condition ^. The second stanza is enlisted in the first abhayaga/za, a series designed to secure immunity from danger, in the Gawamala, Ath. Parij-. 32, 12 (cf. Kauj-, 16, 8). See also Vait. Su. 8, 13. Stanza i is repeated in RV. X, 17, 6 = Tait. Br. II, 8, 5, 3 ; st. 4 in RV. VI, 54, 9-VcV. S. XXXIV, 4i=Tait. Br. H, 5, 5, 5. Previously rendered by Henry, I.e livre VII de I'Atharva- veda, pp. 4, 52. Stanza 4. Professor Henry cites the following interesting Alsatian charm : — Hailcher antonius von patua Schick mer was i verlore ha Ter teifel well's en sine kloye ha. 'Holy Antony of Padua, send to me what I have lost; the devil must have it in his claws.' ' The word nimr^^ya at the beginning of Sutra 14 seems to belong to the end of Sutra 13. ''■ For the cross-roads, see the note in the introduction to VJ, 1 1 1. VII, 12. COMMENTARY. 54'' o VII, II. Commentary to page 142. The hymn is rubricated together with I, 13 at Kaui-. 38, 8 in a somewhat obscure practice which concerns rather I, 13 than the present. It is employed once more at the upakarma, the initiation to the study of the Veda, Kau^-. 139, 8. Cf. also 5antikalpa 15. Previous translations by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 463 ; Grill', pp. 66, 178 ; Henry, Le livre VII de I'Atharva-veda, pp. 5, 54. The Anukra- ma.m, sarasvatam. VII, 12. Commentary to page 138. For the general aspects of the subject of this hymn, see Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 253 ff. ; Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, 172 ff. Kcj-ava prefaces his exposition of the short performance connected with this hymn at Kauj-. 3N, 27. 28 as follows, atha sabha^ayakarma/^y uX'yante, sabhastam- bhanaw karma ^ayakarma tada sabhasadadharmadhikara- //adi^ayate, ' here are told the performances which procure victory in the assembly ; it is a rite which lends stability to the assembly, procures victory, then promotes the judicial acts, and so forth, of those who sit in the assembly.' The practices are as follows : 38, 27. ' While reciting AV. VII, 12, the performer eats (a milk-porridge ; cf. Kau^-. 7, 6). 28. He takes hold of the pillars of the assembly-hall, and pays his respects to (the assembly-hall).' The hymn is translated in Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, V, 438 ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 253 ; Zimmer, 1. c, 173 ; Grill-, pp. 70, 178 ff. ; Henry, Le livre VII de I'Atharva- veda, pp.5, S5''> cf. also Hillebrandt, Vedachrestomathie, p. 44. The Anukrama/zi designates the entire hymn as sabhyam ; st. i as dvidevatyo^ta pitrya ; st. 2 as sabhya ; St. 3 as aindri ; st. 4 as mantroktadevatya. Stanza 1. The metre of Padas a, b, d is irregular (Anukr., bhurik- trish/ubh) ; a is catalectic, b hypercatalectic ; but we may 544 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. read duhitraii (cf. Amer. Journ. Phil. V, p. 27), Similarly d may be perfected by reading pitra//. d. For the appeal to the Fathers for help, cf. II, 12, 4. Stanza 2. a. For vidma of the vSaunakiya school the Paippalada reads veda vai, and Grill and Hillebrandt adopt this version for metrical reasons. But the metre is not really improved by the change. b. nan'sh/a, 'mirth' (cf. XI, 8, 24), refers to the social not the political side of the sabha, which, in addition to being the meeting of the council, is also the occasion and place for gaming (cf. AV. XII, 3, 46), and social intercourse (cf. RV. VI, 28, 6). The word, too, perhaps conveys a double entente, nar, ' man,' and stha, ' place,' or suggests a quasi-superlative, 'most favourable to men.' Thus the variant form narish///a, Va^. S. XXX, 6, presents the effect of this kind of folk-etymology upon the word. Saya;i!a (as if the word were a compound na-n'sh/a), ahiwsita parair anabhibhavya. VII, 13. Commentary to page 93. According to Kauj. 48, 35-36, the hymn is spoken against the enemies that are to be deprived of power, the second stanza while fixing one's regard upon them. Cf. also 5antikalpa 1^^. The hymn has been rendered by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 241 ; Grill-, pp. 23, 179; Henry, Le livre VII de I'Atharva-veda, pp. 5, ^6. The Anukrama/n, saumyam. Stanza 2. Cf. Ludwig, 1. c, p. 265. That the sun takes away the strength of those who are asleep while it rises or sets, is a notion abundantly elaborated in connection with all holy practices. Such persons are designated as suryabhyudita, and suryabhinimrukta (-mlukta, -mlupta), and they are ^ Quoted erroneously by Sayawa as Nakshatrakalpa. Vir, 35. COMMENTARY. 545 regarded as being guilty of one of the 'deadly' sins. See the writer in the Proceedings of the American Oriental Society, 1894 (Journal, vol. xvi, p. cxix), and cf. Maitr. S. IV, I, 9; Tait. Br. Ill, 2, 8, 11 ; Ait. Br. I, 3, 14; Gobh. Gr/h. Ill, 3, 34; Apast. Dh. II, 5, 12, 13. 14, and else- where. VII, ^s. Commentary to page 98. At Kaiu. '^6, 33-34 there is a composite charm for pre- venting a woman from begetting a son, or from begetting offspring at all. If it is intended that a certain woman shall not beget a male son the hymn VII, 34 is recited '^ ; if she shall not beget a child at all the hymn VII, ^') is recited : in either case the urine of a she-mule is rubbed with two stone disks, and put into the food or the cos- metics of the woman. And the person practising the charm looks at the parting in the hair of the woman. The charm is full of symbolism. The she-mule is sterile : 'She-mules do not propagate ' (Tait. S.VII, 1,1,3; ^'^^- -^''• IV, 9, I ; cf. Adbhuta-brahma;/a 7). The rubbing between two stones is symbolic castration. The eyes are fixed with evil intent upon the woman's parting in the hair (simanta) : this seems to be the obverse of the simantonnayana, the well-known ceremony during a woman's pregnancy, in- tended to ensure successful issue. Cf. also Ath. Parij. 7. The hymn has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rig- veda, III, 477 ; and by Henry, Le livre VII de I'Atharva- veda, pp. 13, 6j. Stanza 1. The stanza seems hardly in touch with the remaining two, or with the construction imparted to the whole by the Sutra. Ludwig omits it in his rendering of the hymn. Its sense, taken by itself, is that of a battle-song. Pada b is identical with VII, 34, i b. ^ ' O Agni, drive away the rivals of mine that are already born ; drive away, O Catavedas, those that are not yet born. Place under my feet those that fight against me. INIay we, exempt from guilt, live in thy freedom ! ' [42] N n 546 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Stanza 2. The rendering of the words hira/^ and dhamani// is necessarily vague: see the note on I, 17, 3, and cf. VI, 90, 2. Ludvvig, 'darme,' and 'adern.' Saya7/a, very pre- cisely, 'small veins,' and 'thick arteries.' That may be the correct philological interpretation of the words, but in that case the stanza must have been originally constructed as a charm to stop flow of blood from the body. VII, 36-37. Commentary to page 96. Both stanzas are recited at the ' rites of the fourth day ' (^aturthikarma), the performances immediately preceding the consummation of marriage. At Kaus. 79, 2 bride and bridegroom anoint one another while reciting VII, 36 ; at 79, 7 the bride^ envelops the bridegroom in her robe while reciting VII, 37. Previous renditions by Weber, Indische Studien, V, 248 ; Grill, pp. ^S, 179 ; Henry, Le livre VII de I'Atharva-veda, pp. 13, 67. The Anukrama;zi (VII, 36), mantroktakshi- devatyam ; (VII, 37), liiigoktadevatyam. Stanza 1. a, b. The sense is: ' May our eyes with their brightness, our face:! with their freshness, inspire us with love for one another ! ' Stanza 2. For manu^ata, cf. XIV, 2, 41. The second hemistich is nearly identical with VII, 38, 4 c, d. VII, 38. Commentary to rage 103. For the practices associated with this hymn, see the introduction to VI, 139. The charm is there undertaken by a woman, here by a man. It has been translated by ^ Not so the Paddhatis, vastrewa^X'/^adayati tau, i.e. the priest envelops the two. But this is contrary to the context of the stanza. VII, 45. COMMENTARY. 547 Weber, Indische Studien, V, 249 ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 515; Grill-, pp. 59, 179; Henry, Le livre VII de I'Atharva-veda, pp. 14, 6cS. The Anukrama;n, vanas- patyam. Stanza 1. b. For maw^pa.yyam, cf. IV, 20, i, and note. The abso- lutely literal translation of the word is ' the plant that sees me \' but the formation is so artificial that it may also mean ' the he-sees-me-plant,' i. e., in effect, the plant that draws his attention towards me. The epithet abhirorudam suggests that the plant may in reality be so strongly scented as to draw tears. Stanza 2. For legends of Indra's seduction by a female demon, see 5ahkh. Br. XXIII, 4 ; Kaf/i. S. XIII, 5 (Indische Studien, III, 479 ; V, 249, 453) ; cf. the note on I, 24, i. Stanza 4. The sense is : In this affair of our love my voice shall rule; thine shall rule in the assembly, where it is fitting that a man's voice shall be listened to. Padas c, d are nearly identical with VII, 37 c,d. Cf. Maitr. S IV, 7,4 (p- 97,l-i.5)- VII, 45. Commentary to page 107. For the practices connected with this hymn, see the introduction to VI, 18, It has been translated previously by Weber, Indische Studien, V, 250; Ludwig, Der Rig- veda, III, 514; Grill'-, pp. 29, 180; Henry, Le livre VII de I'Atharva-veda, pp. ]6, 72 ff. The Anukrama;/i, irshya- panaj^anam. Stanza 1. There is no allusion in the ritual to any precious sub- stances gotten from a distance. The description here ^ In this spirit Saya?/a, mam eva nari;« paj-yat mamai^va^nuku- 1am. But he offers also our rendering as an alternative, mam eva patye pradar^rayat. N n 2 548 HYMNS OF THE ATIIARVA-VEDA. given would suit either saindhavam, 'salt,' or guggulu, 'bdellium' (cf. XIX, 38, 2). Perhaps, however, it simply tries to magnify the cost and potency of some ordinary substance (Kau^-. 36, 25) by deriving it fictitiously from an unknown country far away. Stanza 2. Note the subtle symbolism of Kauj-. ;^6, 27 : the jealous man drinks water which has actually cooled the heated axe. VII, 50. Commentary to page 150. For the practices associated with this hymn, see the introduction to the first part of IV, 38. Stanzas t, 2, 5, 8, 9 seem to have been composed directly with reference to the situation^: st. 3 ( = RV. V, 60, i); st. 4 (=RV. I, 102, 4) ; and stanzas 6. 7 ( = RV. X, 42, 9. 10) are adapted secondarily to the purpose in hand ; see the notes below. Previous renderings by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 4,55; Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 285; Grill", pp. 71, 180; Henry, Le livre VII de I'Atharva-veda, pp. 18, 75 ff. Cf. also Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, V, 430. The Anukra- ma/n, aindram, composed by kitavabandhanakamo^hgiri/^ (cf. St. 1). Stanza 1. d. badhyasam is ambiguous. Saya;/a reads vadhyasam (hanishy^mi) ; the Anukrama;n, above, has in mind the root bandh, 'bind.' Of Western translators, Grill, ' fahn ' (fangen) ; the rest, ' slay.' Stanza 3. Adapted from a hymn to the Maruts, RV. V, 60, i ; Maitr. S. IV, 14, 11 ; Tait. Br. II, 7, 12. 4. Pada b con- tains the words vi /(^ayat kritam na/i, derived from the sphere of the gamester's speech. Note the word krita.m in the preceding stanza. ^ In the case of the second stanza this is not altogether certain : it savours of the Maruts. One may imagine Indra as tiie speaker. VII, 50- COMiMENTARY. 549 Stanza 4. Adapted from an Indra-hymn : cf. R\". I, 102, 4. The words vaya;// ^ayema . . . bhare-bhare render the stanza usable on the present occasion. Stanza 5. The words sa/z/Hkhitam and sawrudham are hopelessly obscure. I have rendered sawlikhitam as though it meant * scratched clean,' ' cleaned out.' The rendering of saw- rudham is purely etymological. Saya;/a, loke hi kitavd// asmin pade pratikitavam akshai'alakadibhi// sa;//rotsyami^ti arikan kui-vanti tatrai^va /^a sawrundhanti. tadr/ja/z prati- kitavos^tra sawbodhyate, he kitava sawlikhitaw padeshu samyag arikan likhitavantam api tvam a^aisham . . . saw- roddharam api tvam a^aisha;;/ ^a}'ami. yadva sawlikhi- ta;// samyag likhita;// /'ihnita;;/ padam abhilakshya tva/;/ ^''ayami, uta api kdi sawrudham . . . tadrzj'a;;/ sthanam abhi- lakshya tva;//^ayami. The Pet. Lexs. regard both words as obscure termini of the game. Ludwig, ' ich hab dir abgewonnen das zusammengekratzte, ich hab dir abge- wonnen das zusammengescharrte.' Grill. ' was du ein- streichst,' and, ' was du zurlickbehieltst.' Henry, ' (je t'ai) gratte de fond en comble (?), et j'ai gagne Tenjeu total (?).' Stanza 6. Adapted from an Indra-hymn, RV. X, 42, 9 = AV. XX, 89, 9 (cf. also RV. X, 43, 5), where the gamester and the game appear by way of comparison. In Pada c, devakamo is felt in our version to have the double sense ' loving play,' and ' loving the gods.' It may be questioned w^hether the same intention is present in the RV. Stanza 7. Adapted from RV. X, 42, 10, &c.=AV. XX, 17, 10, &c. Its juxtaposition in the RV. with the preceding stanza, and the occurrence of ^ayema, have brought it into the Atharvan compilation. 550 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. VII, 52. Commentary to page 136. This hymn is catalogued in the ga;/a or series called sawmanasyani in Kaiu. 1 2, 5, and is accompanied by the practices described at AV. Ill, 30. It is rubricated further at Kaui". 9, 2, in the series designated by the Ga;/amala, Ath. Parij-. 33, 26, as the great jantiga;/a. The first stanza of the hymn is found, with variants, Maitr. S. II, 2, 6 ; Tait. Br. II, 4, 4, 6. The hymn has been translated by Ludvvig. Dcr Rigveda, III, 428 (cf. also p. 344) ; Grill-, pp. 31, ilV/apavakyam avoMma, yak y^/;apavakyava/^anena papam ar^nta/// tasm^d api mu;//^e^ti sawbandha/^ . . . ato deva- tanamadheyakirtanarCipa^apathakarawa^anitapapad asman mo/'aya. Cf. also the glosses to Va^. S. and Tait. Br. Stanza 3. The stanza is repeated at RV. I, 24, 5 ; AV. XVIII, 4, 69 ; Maitr. S. I, 2, 18, &c. (see the index to the Maitr. S.). Cf. also Vait. Su. 28, 17 ; Ath. Va.ns. 17, 2. ^ Sayawa here, sarvasmad rogasthanat. 0 0 2 564 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Stanza 4. b. v^ru;/a' represents an awkward attempt to vary the diction : it might be designated as a rhetorical uha or vikara. The true completion of the expression requires madhyama. VII, 115. Commentary to page 168. The symbolic rites which attach themselves to this hymn are described in Kauj-. 18, 16-18, to wit: 16. 'Having fastened a hook to the left leg of a raven, and a rice-cake to the hook (the performing priest), while reciting AV. VII, 115, I, lets (the crow go) so that he does not return ^ 17. Having put on a blue garment, having covered that with a red one^ having wound about a white cloth (as a turban), while reciting the second stanza of the hymn, he sets down the turban by means of a hook, and with his left hand casts it, together with the hook, into the water. t8. While reciting the third stanza of the hymn (he throws) the covering ""^ (red) garment (into the water) ; while reciting the fourth stanza the (under, blue) garment.' Cf. also wSantikalpa 4 ; Ath. Parij-. 33, 3. The hymn, which is related to I, i 8, has been translated ^ Tliis part of the performance executes in practice the state- ment in RV. X, 95, 14 where Pururavas threatens to fly away with- out returning, throwing himself into the lap of Nirmi, the goddess of misfortune ; cf. nirr?tyabhimukho in Ke.vava's comment, and anavrztam iti prapatanavijesha/zam in Darila's, with the diction of the RV. stanza. The black bird is fit to shoulder the evil (attractio similium), as in AV. I, 22, i. 4; Kaus. 26, 18. ^ For the colours blue and red, cf. the introduction to VII, 116; the notes on IV, 17, 4 ; VIII, 8, 24; and Kau.r. 32, 17; 40, 4; 48, 40. Cf. also nilalohita in the Pet. Lex., and Winternitz, Das Altindische Hochzeitsriluell, pp. 6, 12, 23, 67. * I now propose to read tr/tiyayaX'/zannam, i. e. tmiyaya aX7/an- nam, instead of tn'tiyaya X'^^annam, in deference to aX'/ndya in Su. 1 7. Even then the translation ' covering garment' for aX7zannam is pro- blematic, and based upon our interpretation of Kejava's comment. It means naturally ' the covered (blue garment).' VII, Il6. COMMExXTARY. 565 by Muir. Original Sanskrit Texts, V, 348 ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 499 (cf. also 338); Grill-, pp. 41, 187 ff. ; Henry, Le livre VII de TAtharva-veda, pp. 45, 124. The Anukrania/^i, savitra;// ^atavedasam. Stanza 2. a. patayalijr is air. Aey. Ludwig, ' die zum fall bringende (Lakshmi); ' but note the short a in the first syllable: patayami in the RV. is the causative of pat, not patayami, which is a simple present. Stanza 3. Rubricated at Ath. Parij-. 7. a. The number loi is regularly inauspicious, occurring in connection with diseases, varieties of death, &c. ; cf. AV. 111,9,6; V, 18, 12; VIII, 2, 27; XI, 6, 16; XIX, 46, 5. VII, 116. Commentary to page 4. The chief interest of this charm against takman is its reference to the ancient Hindu custom of quenching fire — here its representative the fever — by a frog. I have else- where assembled from the V^edic writings a considerable number of passages which become intelligible in the light of this custom ; see my article entitled, ' On a Vedic group of charms for extinguishing fire by means of water-plants and a frog,' Contributions, Second Series, Amer.Journ. Phil. XI, 342 (24 of the reprint) ff.^ The role of the frog here is distinctly the same, and is especially significant for the identification of fire and fever which is indeed superficially obvious in all the hymns and practices connected with the takman. The quaint performance of the Kauj-ika-sutra, 32, 17, is as follows: namo ruraye^ti j-akunin ive^shika/4i,''i- ma//c/uka;// nilalohitabhyaz/z sutrabhy^w sakakshaw bad- dhva-, 'while reciting AV. VII, 116, he does as in the case ' See also the introduction to VI, io6. - Shankar Pandit's reproduction of this Siitra, in the introduction to the hymn in Sayawa's commentary, is decidedly free. 566 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. of the birds, i. e. he ties a frog that has stripes hke reeds (upon his body) by means of a blue and a red thread by the arm-pits (to a low couch upon which the patient is made to recline, and besprinkles him).' In order to under- stand this difficult Sutra we must follow the commentaries. Darila says, .yakunin ive karoti, mantroktan ^ adhastalpe haritasutre;/a savya^anghasu baddhve^ty adivat, ' He does as in the case of the birds, i. e., as in the performance indicated in Kau5. 26, iS with the words mantroktan adhas- talpe, &c.' The practice in question centres about AV. I, 22, a charm directed against jaundice. In the course of it the patient is seated upon a couch beneath which the yellow birds are tied with a yellow thread by their left legs; then the patient is washed off", and his jaundice is supposed to settle upon the yellow birds where, as it were, it is naturally at home; see the introduction to I, 22. In accordance with that performance, Darila continues to expand and explain the suggestion of the practice in Sutra 32, 18, which is connected with the present hymn : ishike^va rekha yasya sa ishika;7^i/^, ta;// nilasutre;/a^ lohitena kd. sutre;/a saha kakshabhy^/// baddhva jakunin iva karoti, 'he who has a line like a reed he is a reed-marked (frog) ; him he ties with a blue and a red thread by the arm-pits and treats as he does the birds.' See also Kei^ava on the passage, and cf. Kauj-. 40, 4 ; 48, 40. From all these statements it becomes clear that the fever (Darila, ^varabhaisha^yam) is washed from the patient down upon the frog, but apparently with this difference, that the birds — homoeopathically as it were — take up the jaundice because they are themselves yellow, while the frog, allopathically, quenches the fever (fire) of the patient, ^ The INISS. of Darila read mantroktan ; this appears in the edition as mantroktam, because I did not know at the time that the passage is a quotation of part of Kauj. 26, 18, which see. ^ Cod. somewhat indistinctly tatrilasutre;/a, obviously for tan nilasutrewa, and that again for taw (so. ma;/r/ukam) nilasutrewa, the ])lural tan being a corruption derived from the plural mantroktan in 26, 18. VII, I 1 6. COMMENTARY. 567 being himself cold and moist. I would also draw attention to RV. X, 166, 5, where in the course of a hostile charm occurs the expression, a vo murdhanam akramim, adhas- padan ma ud vadata ma/zfl^uka ivo^dakat, ' I have stepped upon your head ; from under my feet do ye speak up to me like frogs from the water ^.' A touch of this idea also is perhaps worked up symbolically in the present practice, and even more clearly in the related performance at Kauj-. 48, 40. The combination of the colours blue and red is associated everywhere with hostile witchcraft. In RV. X, 85, 28 = AV. XIV, I, 26 (cf. ^aiikh. G/ih. I, 12, 8 ; Apast. Gr/h. 1,5, 23) the bridal garment polluted during the consummation is spoken of as, nilalohita?/-? bhavati krztya^^saktir vy a^'y^ate, ' blue and black it is; the sorcery, the inherent (evil)"-, is driven out.' In AV. IV, 17, 4 (see our note on that stanza) a hostile charm is made in a blue-red vessel, and red and blue threads are spread out against enemies in AV. VIII, S, 24 (cf. Kaui-. 16, 20). This sinister employment of red and blue renders it unlikely that the use of the same colours in German wedding-practices is in any way to be connected with the Hindu conception; see Weber, Indische Studien, V, 308, note 4 ; Winternitz, Das altindische Hochzeitsrituell nach dem Apastambiya-Gr/hyasutra (Imperial Academy of Vienna, vol. xl), p. 67 ; Hillebrandt, Mitteilungen der Schlesischen Gesellschaft fUr Volkskunde (1894-95), I, 39 ff. Why, now, is blue and red fit for Hindu sorcery practices ? Is nilalohita night and day } On the other hand it seems difficult to dissociate from the present practice the Bohemian frog-charm which Groh- mann, 1. c, reports as a cure against fever : ' In Bohemia the practice is to cure chills and fever (kaltes fieber) by catching a green frog at the time of the morning dews on the day preceding that of St. George. This is sewn into a bag which is hung about the neck of the patient without his ^ Q^,. the Sutra 26, 20 in connection with the jaundice cure, vadata (so. i-akunin) upasthapayati, and Kei'ava's comment thereon. - For asakt], see Ludwig's excellent remark, Der Rigveda, vol. v. p. 398. 568 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. knowing its contents. Then the patient must pronounce the lord's prayer nine times on nine days before sunrise. On the ninth day he must go with prayer to the river, cast the bag into the water, and return home praying and without turning his face.' The hymn has been translated and expounded by Groh- mann, 1. c, pp. 3S6, 414; Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 381 ; and Victor Henry, Le livre VII de I'Atharva-veda, pp. 45, 124. The hymn is quoted also as one of the takman^- .fanagawa in the Ga//amala, Ath. Parij-. 32, 7 (Kaui". 26, ], note). Stanza 1. As the verse stands the first half is hopeless prose, and yet the second half is a good ^agati-pada. Henry, 1. c, p. 125, makes the exceedingly ingenious and plausible suggestion that the first half consisted originally also of two^agati-padas, and stood, namo riiraya /^yavanaya dh;7sh7zave, name luraya X'odanaya dhr/sh«ave. These were then by a species of haplology^ fused, so as to yield namo ruraya /yavanaya /?'6dan^ya dh;7sh;/ave. Still we would not go as far as Henry himself docs, and make this reconstruction the basis of a translation, especially as either the word /^yavanaya, or /odanaya (more probably the latter), might have entered the text as a gloss. The expulsion of either yields a good ^'■agati-pada, and the tradition may at any rate be respected as long as it does not interfere with good sense. a. For ruraya, see the note to V, 22, lo a, and cf. I, 25, 4 : for kodanaya, Shankar Pandit with Saya//a and some MSS. reads nodanaya. b. purvakamakr/tvane is obscure. The Pet. Lexs. trans- late it, ' alte wlinsche erflillend ; ' Grohmann and Zimmer, ' nach altem triebe thiitig.' Grohmann supposes that the ^ For haplology in Vedic Sanskrit, see the author in the Proceedings of the American Oriental Society for 1893 (Journa], vol. xvi, p. xxxiv). Vlir, I. COMMENTARY. 569 word refers to the periodicity of the attacks of fever. Henry thinks that the word is to be divided as a compound into purva-kamakrz'tvan rather than purvakama-kr/tvan, and accordingly translates, ' qui, des temps immemorial, agit a sa guise.' Saya;/a, purvesham abhilasha/^a/// kartitre /V/ettre, as if -krztvane were derived from root kr/t, ' cut.' The com- bination kama;// kar occurs RV. X, 61, 6, kama;// kr/;/vane pitari yuvatyam, ' when the father was satisfying his desire on the young daughter' (cf. stanza 7), and this, when strictly applied to the compound, might yield the result 'having formerly satisfied his (sexual) love,' i. e. ' the takman due to (excessive) sexual intercourse.' According to Suj^ruta sexual love (kama) is one of the causes of fever (cf. Groh- mann, p. 386, note). But we must not omit the comparison of the (itself doubtful) word purvakr/tvari, XII, 1. 14 c, which seems to mean ' anticipating (wishes) by deeds.' The present epithet may aim to conciliate the takman by extravagant praise of this sort. I have, however, adopted the rather non-committal rendering, ' he who in the past fulfilled desires.' This may refer to excesses, or to willingness. Stanza 2. For anyedyii/^ and ubhayadyuZ;, see the notes on I, i^, 4 a ; for avrata//, the note on VI, 20, i c. VIII, I. Commentary to page ^^. This is an almost impassioned prayer for long life : the heavenly powers, the vital principles, and the human being for whom the prayer is made are implored alike to co- operate in bringing about the result. In the ritual the hymn figures therefore as an ayushyam (sc. suktam), ' a hymn that bestows long life ; ' accordingly it holds mem- bership in the ayushyaga//a of the Ga/^amala, Ath. Parij-. 32, 4 (Kauj-. 54, II, note ; cf. also 139, 7). At Kaujr, 55, 17 it is employed in the course of the investiture of the young Brahman with the holy cord ; at Kau5. 58, 3. 11 in certain special ceremonies (br^hma;<;oktam, and r/shihasta//, Su. 4) 570 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. calculated to ensure longevity. Cf. also vSantikalpa 23^; Ath. Vans. 37, 2. The hymn has been rendered by Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, V, 443 ff. ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 495 fif. ; Henry, Les livres VIII et IX de I'Atharva-veda, pp. i, ^^ ff. Stanza 1. The obeisance to death is in the nature of indemnification for the loss of his victim. For Pada b, cf. AV. VII, 53, 2-6 ; for Pada d, RV. X, 66, 2. Stanza 2. The expression somo a7;isuman has a double meaning that cannot be reproduced in translation. Soma (the moon) with his rays, or soma (the plant) with its shoots. The former meaning is likely to have been uppermost in the mind of the writer who is here dealing with personified gods. Cf. Hillebrandt, Soma, p. 300, note 3. Stanza 6. M. Henry points out very properly that Padas a and c allude to the sun : as the sun ascends, so shall the young Brahman ascend to life, and mount the very chariot of the sun, in order to reach the zenith of his life. Sayawa suggests the senses and the body. In Pada d Sayawa has a^arvi// for £-ivvi/i in Shankar Pandit's MSS. (the same MSS. at XIV, I, 21 also read ^irvir for^i'vrir). The sense with this reading is quite as good as that in the text : ' then without decaying thou shalt hold converse, &c.' The passage is formulaic; cf AV. XIV, i, 21; RV. X, 85, 27. For vidatham, cf the note on V, 20, 12. Stanza 8. The word ehi at the end of Pada c is metrically super- fluous. Saya;/a seems to follow a redaction which does not exhibit it, since he neglects to comment upon it. ' Cited erroneously, as usual, by Sayawa as Nakshatrakalpa. Vlir, I. COMMENTARY. 57 1 Stanza 9. a. Saya;/a does not comment upon preshitau,but supplies (iti jesha//) the verb badhatam. The word is at any rate suspicious, being readily derivable from the language that belongs to the myth of the two dogs (cf. RV. X, 14, 11 b, 1 2 b). Henry, after stating the difficulty very clearly, changes it to pishatam, fairly similar in sound, but quotable only at AV. IV, 6, 7, and not very suitable in meaning. We have retained preshitau, and have supplied ' go after ' (anu /^ar, RV. X, 14, 12b) from sheer conservatism^, recognising, however, quite clearly that the original text is disfigured by reminiscences from the RV., and that some other word is very likely to have been thrown out by the glossarial preshitau. Stanza 10. Cf the abhayaga;/a of the Ga//amala, Ath. Parij-. 32, 12, excerpted in Kau^-. 16, ^ asthuladanto ma vindatu . . . bhaksayitum. VIII, 2. COMMENTARY. 573 numberless inaptitudes. Whitney, in the Index Verborum, doubtfully suggests the same correct derivation. VIII, 2. Commentary to rage ^j. This hymn, like the preceding, is a prolonged prayer designed to ensure long life (ayushyam), and, accordingly, it is employed in the ritual on all occasions that demand the use of VIII, i. But the last stanza (2H) adds a special feature to the present hymn which it does not share with the preceding. From this it appears that the life-bestowing element which the poet has in mind is (an amulet of) the putudru-tree \ and, accordingly, the h}'mn is employed independently, at Kauj-. 5(S, 14 ff., in the ceremony of giving a name to a child (namakara/^a): (the child is placed upon the lap of the mother) and an uninterrupted stream of water (avi/7annam ; cf a/^//idyamanam in st. i b) is turned upon it. Then an amulet derived from the putudru-tree is fastened upon it, and it is given drink. Individual stanzas of the hymn are employed in other ceremonies connected with the sacramental moments (sa/z/skara) in the child's life : they will be noted below. Cf. also 5antikalpa ] 7. 19. 23. The hymn has been translated by Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, V, 447 ff. ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 496 ff. ; Henry, Les livres VIII et IX de I'Atharva-veda, pp. 4, 39 ff. Stanza 1. a. Shankar Pandit's MSS., and Sa.ya.na., read j-nush/im for j-rush^im of the vulgate (cf. the note on III, 30, 7). Saya;/a glosses, .ynush/im prasnutim . . . upakramasva . . . yadva kumarasya haste avi/^/zinnam udakadhara/// ninayed (cf. Kauj-., above) . . . tasya .ynush/im. All this can only mean, insipidly, ' take hold of this heap of immortality ^ The Atharvanists gloss the word with devadaru (pinus deodora) ; so also the gloss at Apast. .S'r. Vll, 5, 6. The Aiharvamja- paddhali at Kauj. 58, 15, jala (vatica robusta). Cf. also putadru and pitudaru in the lexicons. 574 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. (amr/ta) ;' but our own rendering (of. VIII, i, 7. 8) is pro- blematic. The Pet. Lex. (s.v. ^rush/i), ' fasse vertrauen zum nichtsterben ;' Muir, 'this boon of immortah'ty ; ' Ludwig and Henry, ' this composition about immortahty.' None of these renderings do justice to the meaning of jTiish/i. Stanza 6. For the character of the epithets in this stanza, see the notes on VIII, 7, 6 ; XIX, 39, 2. Stanza 9. The second hemistich occurs in a different connection at Kauj-. 97, 6, in a practice destined to restore peace in a quarrelHng family. For Pada d, cf. RV. X, 18, 4. Stanza 11. b. For^'-araw mr/tyum I read ^aramr/tyum ; cf. II, 13, 2 ; 28, 2. 4- Stanza 12. This and the following stanza are again, employed in a general way in course of the practices at Kaus. 97, 3 ; cf. the note on st. 9. See also 5antikalpa 15. Stanza 14. Employed variously in the practices connected with childhood and youth : at the nir«aya//a, the ceremony of taking the child out of the house for the first time, Kauj. 58, 18 ; at the .^urt^akara/za, 'the making of the crest,' Kaus. 54, 17 ; cf. also the Paddhatis in the note on Kaui". 58, 17. For abhii'n'yau, cf. Bergaigne, Etudes sur le lexique du Rig-veda, p. loS ff. ; Pischel, Vedische Studien, I, ^^ fif. Saya;/a reads adhimyau (praptai-rike j-riprade stam). Stanza 16. Cf. Kauj-. 58, 17 ; Vait. Su. ic, 6 ; Ath. Parij. ^^, 4. Stanza 17. See Krus. ^^, 19 (godana) ; 55, 3 (upanayana) ; and also the Paddhatis at Kaus. 58, 17. Cf. AV. VI, 68. VIII, 5- COMMENTARY. 575 Stanza 18. Employed at the annapra^-ana, the ceremony at which the child is given solid food for the first time, Kauj'. 58, 19; cf. also ^8, 17, note. For balasa, see the note on V, 22, 1 1. Stanza 20. See Kauj-. 58, 20, and cf. 58, 17, note. Also Ath. Parij. 4, 4. For ima;« me, cf. AV. I, 10, 2d; VIII, 2, 20 d. Stanza 22. See Kauj-. ^H, 21, and cf. 58, 19, note. VIII, 5. Commentary to page 79. The hymn is addressed to an amulet made of the srak- tya-tree, defined by the commentators with great unanimity as the tilaka-tree (clerodendrum phlomoides). A briefer hymn, II, 11, is addressed to the same amulet. The appli- cation of both in the ritual is of the general sort, and does not cast light upon the special properties of the tree, that fitted it for such use. Some etymological allusion, or other, is likely to have been considered in its application, perhaps a punning derivation, more or less vague, from srakti, ' corner,' i. e. ' bristling.' Cf. for the sraktya-amulet in general. Seven Hymns of the Atharva-veda, Amer. Journ. Phil. VII, p. 477 ff. The hymn is rubricated at Kaujr. 19, 22 among the push/ikarma;/i, ' rites which beget prosperity ^,' along with a list of others devoted to amulets. Nothing is prescribed there except the orthodox tying on of the amulet in accordance with the general rule laid down in the Pari- bhasha-sutra 7, 19. At Kauj. 39, 7 it is treated along with a list designed to repel witchcraft : see the introduc- tion to IV, 17; cf. also Ke^ava at Kau^-. 47, 9. Stanzas ^ The Aih.irva;nya-paddhali at Kaux. 19, i mentions it in a long list of push/ika mantra/^. 576 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 18 and 19 are catalogued (Kaiu. 25, 36, note) in the sv^as- tyayanaga;/a ('stanzas productive of welfare') of the Gawa- mala, Ath. Parii-. 32, 11 ; st. 22 in the first of the two abhayaga;/a, ' stanzas that procure freedom from danger,' Ath. Parij-. 32, 12 ; see Kauj-. 16, (S, note. Cf. also vSanti- kalpa 19^; Ath. Parij-. 6, i. The hymn has been rendered by Henry, Les livres VIII et IX de TAtharv^a-veda, pp. i-|, 50 ff. Stanza 1. In the prose literature (e.g. Sat. Br. VII, 4, i, 33) pratl- sara is 'amulet.' Its literal meaning is 'going against, attacking,' and so it is ordinarily to be rendered. Saya/za, 'he that practises sorcery him it attacks.' In II, 11, 2 it is used synonymously with pratyabhi/'ara//a. Cf. also the note on IV, 17, 2. The Pet. Lex. and Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, explain the word in a different, it seems to me, erroneous way. Stanza 3. In Pada c, either ubhe or ime is metrically superfluous ; the former^ perhaps, is to be thrown out. Stanza 4. The term prativarta occurs only in this hymn (4 and 16). The Pet. Lex. renders it by ' in sich zuriicklaufend ; ' Zimmer, I.e., by 'cord;' Henry, 'knot.' Without doubt the word is closely synonymous with pratisara in the sense of ' assailing.' Saya?^a, pratimukhaw vartayaty anena. Stanza 9. P^or the connection of the name Aiigiras with unholy (angirasa = ^bhi/('arika) practices, see the notes on XI, 4, 16, and X, 1.6, and the introduction to this volume. For Pada f, cf. VIII, 7, 15, and note the strained alliteration between navatim and navya/;. So also X, i, 16. ' Cited erroneously by Sa^awa as Nakshatrakalpa. VIII, 5. COMMENTARY. 577 Stanza 11. The first three Padas are repeated at XIX, 39, 4. In Fada e, Sayawa has pratispai^inam (abhi/t'arata/^ prati- mukhaw badhakam, ' striking against the sorcerers '). The MSS. read antitam ; the vulgate and the Index Verborum anti tarn. Saya//a offers both alternatives, antitam atyan- tasa7//nihitam, athava tarn . . . dvesh/aram anti antike avidama. Perhaps antikam is to be substituted in the text for antitam. Saya;/a understands the passage as follows: 'Him (the enemy) that we did seek, we have found lurking near by,' But see Tait. S. V, 7, 3, i, where pratispaj-a surely means 'guarding;' cf. also AV. VII, Stanza 14. For Kaj-yapa, see the note on IV, 20, 7. In Pada d, Saya/^a reads sa;//5resha;/e and glosses ' in the battle which causes close contact (sawwleshawa) with one another.' Whether we accept this sensible emendation, or not, the meaning is clear. Stanza 15. Pada a may be improved into an anush/ubh by throwing out the first yas tva. The diksha// and the y2ign2.I1 here referred to are of course unholy (abhi/'arika) ; cf. X, i, 11, and Kej-ava at Kaiu. 47, 12. 14-16. Saya/za, dikshabhi/^ ya^;^iyair vagyamanadiniyamavijeshai/^ . . . ya^z/ai// hi;;/sa- sadhanai/^ j-yeneshvadibhir ^ yagai//. The two hemistichs are loosely correlated (anacoluthon) : we should expect ma for tva in Padas a, b. Stanza 17. Cf. Tait. S. V, 7, 3, I ; RV. X, 171, 4. Stanza 18. The first hemistich is repeated at XIX, 20. 4 a, b. ^ The .ryeneshu seems to be a witchcraft practice, otherwise unknown. The Angirasakalpa, if it ever turns up, is likely to furnish the necessary information, [42] P p 578 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Stanza 20. e, d. The passage is highly metaphorical. According to V-A?ik. Br. XIII, 9, 17, methi (methi') is the post to which cattle is fastened with a rope (ra^^u). The amulet with its cord (cf. II, 4, 5) seems to be likened to it: the tertium comparationis is the protective quality of each. As the cattle is secure when attached to the post, thus the pre- sence of the amulet affords security. Possibly the passage is derived secondarily from a different practice and a dif- ferent sphere of conceptions. Stanza 22. Cf. RV. X, 153, 2, almost identical with this stanza. VIII, 7. Commentary to page 41. This compilation of stanzas in diverse metres, in praise of the curative qualities of plants, is analogous to the so- called oshadhi-stuti, RV. X, 97 ; Maitr. S. II, 7, 13 ; Tait. S. IV, 2, 6; Va^. S. XII, 75-96. Its employment in the ritual is as a universal remedy (sarvabhaisha^yam). At Kauj-. 26, '^'7, it is rubricated along with five other hymns in a series (ga//a) which is styled ga;/akarmaga;/a (!) in the Ga//amala, Ath. Parij-. 32, 24. Its particular function is indicated at KauJ. 26, 40 : while it is being recited an amulet consisting of chips from ten kinds of (holy) wood, described at Kauj-. 27, 5 in connection with AV. II, 9 (cf. also Kauj-. 13. 5), is fastened upon the patient. See the introduction to II, 9. At Vait. Su. 30, 6, similarly, the hymn is employed while the curative sura (spirituous liquor) for the sautrama;/i-ceremony is being mixed with herbs. Cf. Contributions, Third Series, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XV, 153-154; Oldenberg, Nachrichten von der Konig- lichen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Gottingen, 1893, no. 9, p. 342 ff. ; Weber, Ra^asuya, p. 100 ff. The hymn has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 504 ff. ; Henry, Les livres VIII et IX de I'Atharva- veda, pp. 20, 58 ff. VIII, 7- COMMENTARY. 579 Stanza 2. e, d. Cf. Ill, 9, I and III. 23, 6 a, b, with which this hemi- stich coincides word for word. The ocean represents both the heavenly and terrestrial waters, from which the plants derive their nourishment and origin. Stanza 4. Cf. Zimmer, Altindisches Lebcn, p. ^'] . I agree with Professor Henry in assuming that no systematisation, however rudimentary, is intended : salient qualities are embalmed in epitheta ornantia. The same scholar's ren- dering of awi-umati//j ' pourvues de sue, pourvues de soma,' is strained. Stanza 6. For arundhati', see the introduction to IV, 13. The first hemistich also at VIII, 2, 6 : cf. VI, 59, 3 ; XIX, 39, 2. 3, and see the notes on the last-mentioned two stanzas. Professor Henry's explanation of nagha in nagharisham as = agha, 'evil,' will probably appear unnecessary in the light of these notes. The solitary form pushyam is sus- picious, since the MSS. confuse the syllables shya and shpa hopelessly ; cf. st. 27, and the note on V, 4, 4. Stanza 9. This is an especial appeal to aquatic plants, the avaka being the most characteristic representative of that class ; cf. Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 71; Contributions, Second Series, Amer. Journ. Phil. XI, 349 ff. Stanza 10. In Pada d, kr/tya- in the vulgate is a misprint for kWtya-. For balasa, see the note on V, 22, 11. Stanza 11. Rare herbs were doubtless bought, and brought from a distance. The word ' village ' is characteristic, as being P p 2 » 580 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. the proper scene of Atharvanic performances ; cf. IV, 36, 7 ; IX, 5, 19 ; XVIII, 2. 27 ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 28. Stanza 12. d. go-purogavam does not differ materially from expres- sions like gav-adi, and the like. The Pet. Lexicons, 'die Kuh zum Anfiihrer habend,' and Henry's, ' (la nourriture) a laquelle preside la vache,' are rather too literal and pregnant ; they miss, perhaps, the idiomatic force of the expression. Stanza 15. d. Cf. I, 8, I ; VI, 113, 2 ; VIII, 5, 9, The flowing water of the running stream shall carry them off. Stanza 16. For a, b, cf. I, 10, 4; VIII, 2, 27, and our note on the first of these passages. Agni Vaij-vanara seems to repre- sent here the funeral fire. It would be convenient to read (with Henry) the vocative oshadhayo for the nominative. Ludwig construes mumu/{^ana7/ as passive, ' losgegeben von Agni Vaij-v^nara.' But on what occasion does Agni confine the plants ? Stanza 17. Cf St. 24 ; VIII, 5, 9 ; XIX. 39, 5, and especially our note on XI, 4, 16. But it is questionable whether angi- rasi'// is to be taken here in its ritualistic sense = abhi,^a- rika, ' pertaining to witchcraft.' Stanza 23. Cf. I, 24, I ; II, 27, 2 ; V, 14, I, and the notes on the passages, for this and the following stanza. It is rather curious to find the serpents and their old time enemy the ichneumon (cf V^I, 139, 5) peacefully together, as dis- coverers of remedies. But the serpents here are mythic, not the poisonous individuals. Stanza 24. b. ragha/o is air. Aey. The Pet. Lex. suggests plausibly raghavo, 'swift.' The flight of the heavenly eagle who VIII, 7- COMMENTARY, 58 1 robs the Soma, results in the growth of the par;/a-tree ; cf. Ad. Kuhn, Die Herabkunft des Feuers (index s. v. par;/a). The eagle might therefore be said to be acquainted with the par//a-tree. But the passages cited in the preceding note show that the keen sight of certain birds of prey fits them, in the mind of the poet, for the task of finding the rare and secreted plants. Stanza 26. a, b. The human physicians in contrast from the divine doctors, Rudra, the Ajvins, Sarasvati, &c. Stanza 27. Cf. the Atharva//iya-paddhati and Da^a Karma/n in the note on Kauj-. ^fi, 5. a, b. Cf. RV. X, 97, c. ; Maitr. S. II, 7, 13 (93, 5) ; Tait. S. IV, 2, 6, 1 ; Va-. S. XII. 77- c. Ludwig renders sa;;/matara/^ by ' vereinte mutter ; ' Henry proposes to read sa;;^ matara/^, as previously in AV. XIII, 2, \'^ (see his Les Hymnes Rohitas, pp. 10 and 40), a very doubtful passage. The plants are called mothers, RV. X, 97, 4 ; Maitr. S. II, 7, 13 (93, 6) ; Tait. S. IV, 2, 6, 1 ; Va^. S. XII, 77, but the word sa;//matara (dual) stands unquestioned at Maitr. S. II, 5, 4 (52, 1). I think that the text is to be sustained by all means : the sense is excellent. The plants, as though calves sucking the same mother, shall each yield the same sap, that heals disease ; cf. RV. VII, 101, I, where duhre (as duhram here) is middle, not passive. Stanza 28. Cf. RV. X, 97, 16. I have translated pa;7/'a^alad, &c., by ' from a depth of five fathoms,' &c. This is not a little insipid. Perhaps, after all, Ludwig is correct : ' from him that wields five arrows,' &c. Cf. Sk. pa/2/^ai'ara, ' he who has five arrows,' as an epithet of Kama. — devakilbishat, ' sin against the gods,' or, perhaps, ' sin committed by the gods.' This is conceived as being passed off (wiped off) on men. See VI, iii, 3; the introduction to VI, 112 and 582 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 113; and Proc. Amer. Or. Soc, May, 1894 (Journ., vol. xvi, p. cxix ff.). Cf. especially Apast. Sr. XIII, 17, 9; Vank. Br. I, 6, 10. VIII, 8. Commentary to page 117. This battle-song deals especially with the obstacles that are placed in the way of an advancing enemy. Traps and nets are constructed to capture and destroy : see stanzas 5 ff. The Kau^ika, 16, 9-20, rubricates a number of the stanzas among the practices of the king (ra^akarma/n, chapters 14-17), to wit: 16, 9. 'With stanza i (or rather the entire hymn) the fire is churned. 10. With stanza 2 a rotten rope is put down (upon the fire-place). 11. The fire is churned with (two sticks, one of) aj'vattha-wood, (the other of) badhaka-wood ^. 12. With Padas c, d of stanza 2 the smoke of the fire is addressed. 13. With the same two Padas, beginning at the word agni, the fire (is addressed). 14. Upon this fire (which is removed) into the forest, sticks of wood that destroy enemies, namely, a.yvattha, badhaka, ta^adbhaiiga, ahva, khadira, and .^ara -, are placed. 15. The snares mentioned (in Kauj-. 14, 28 : they are prepared of bhariga, " hemp " [bha//^, " break ! "], and mu//^a, "reed ") are cast. 16. Hammers made out of aj-vattha-wood, and nets of hemp are placed. 17. (Also) staffs of badhaka-wood (badh, " oppress ! "). 18. With the exclamation, " Hail to these here" (st. 24 c), an offering is made for the friends (one's own army). 19. With the exclamation, " Perdition to those yonder " (ibid.), an offering is made, with the left hand, of ingi^a-butter '^ into fire built out of badhaka-wood. 20. To the north of the fire a ' The symbolism of these acts is clear : the stench of ihe old rope (Darila, ^irwara^^u) in ihe fire, and the etymological qualities of the two kinds of wood, delineated in st. 3, shall operate against the enemy, each in its own way. ^ For the real and symbolic meanings of these names, see the notes on sts. 3-5. " ihgirt'a is the typical substance that takes the place of ghee (%ya) in hostile practices. See the Paribhasha-sutra, Kauj-. 47, 3. VIII, 8. COMMENTARY. 583 branch of red aj-vattha is fixed (in the ground), enveloped with a blue and a red thread, and then removed to the south while stanza 24 d is being re:ited ^' The entire practice is redolent of fierce hostility: cf. in general the introduction (paribhasha) to the abhi/('arika (witchcraft) practices in Kauj-, 47, 1 ff. The hymn has been rendered by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 527 ff. ; Henry, Les livres VIII et IX de I'Atharva- veda, pp. 23, 61 ff. Cf. also Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, V, pp. 87, 405, note. Stanza 1. The root manth is employed in connection with Indra's feats only on the occasion of his churning the head of the demon NamuZ'i : the present statement is doubtless a reminiscence of that performance. See Contributions, Third Series, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XV, 156 ff. The Sutra, however, takes manth in its more common sense of churning a fire, and embodies it in a corresponding per- formance on the part of the ritualist : see the introduction above- Stanza 2. It may be reasonably doubted whether the ritual, which takes putira^^ii in its literal and etymological sense (Kau.y. 16, ic, above), has fathomed the meaning of the word. But it is a reasonable construction, and we are, for the present, driven to accept it. In the second hemistich ami'tri is metrically superfluous : it may readily have crept in as a gloss from st. i d. Stanza 3. The plants are chosen with reference to the punning etymologies that may be extracted from them. Even the juxtaposition of a^-vattha and sri/nhi is intentional. For ta^adbhahga, see Kaujika, Introduction, p. xliv. Its pro- blematic accentuation (Padapa///a, ta^adbhanga//) is prob- ^ For the blue and the red threads, see the note on the stanza. 584 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. ably to be changed to ta^adbhaiiga (cf. Kauj, 16, 14). Ety- mologically the word means ' breaking suddenly.' The plant vadhaka, badhaka (also vadhaka, badhaka) is defined by the commentators as girimala, girimalaka, krzmimalaka, karimalaka. itself of unknown meaning ; see Kaiuika, Introduction, p. xliv, and Pet. Lex., s. v. badhaka 2. Stanza 4. a. The Pet Lex., s. v. parusha 2) a, endorsed by Henry, renders ' may the reed turn them into reeds,' i. e. make them fragile as reeds. This is rendered very doubtful, because parusha does not elsewhere mean ' reed,' and because Darila at Kauj. 16, 14 renders ^hva by palaj-a. Ludwig, having at the time no access to the Sutra, renders ' diser rauhen feinde schlachtruf mach er heiser,' which seems to us intrinsically and grammatically impossible. If any one should be sceptical about ahva in the list of fire- woods, Kauj-. 16, 14, the passage would then have to be rendered ' may (our) disjointed cry render the enemies disjointed,'' or something similar. The Pada is hypermetric, but Henry's suggestion that parushahva// in the sense of ' parusha (reed) by name ' is a gloss, deprives the passage of its subject, and its best point. Stanza 5. d. Geldner, Vedische Studien, I, 140, renders apavapat by ' hat gefischt.' This is excellent sense, as far as the present passage is concerned, but conflicts with the natural etymology and the clearest instances of the occurrence of the word: AV. XIX, 36, 4 (Saya//a, apavapatu na.yayatu) ; Tait. S. Ill, 3, 7, 3. Stanza 7. The second hemistich is hypermetric. Professor Henry proposes to eliminate .yatam ^ and dasyunam, leaving per- fect metre. Unfortunately such corrections suggest them- ' The word does not appear in the quotation of the stanza^ Muir, I.e., p. 87. VllI, 8. COMMENTARY. 585 selves so frequently as to render one another nugatory. An uneasy sense is left that we all know how to make better verse-lines than those that have somehow got to be in vogue among the Atharvan writers ; carried out to its full consequences this would eliminate one of the more marked peculiarities that render the Atharvan what it is. Doubtless the present translator has at times fallen into the same error. Stanza 11. Cf. XI, 2, 19, where the matyam is also Rhava's weapon. Ludwig, here, 'entschluss (satyam?)' but at XI, 2, 19 (P- 550) ' erfindung.' Stanza 12. For the Sadhyas, see Weber, Indische Studien, IX, 6 ff. ; Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, P, 10, note. Stanzas 14, 15. The first hemistich of st. 14 is repeated at XI, 9, 24 ; see the note there. With it goes J 5 a, b, as the second hemistich of XI, 9, 24. The phrases are formulaic, being worked over into prose form at Kauj-. 73, 5. In 15 b the puwya^ana// are the sukri'ta/^, ' pious deceased,' who enjoy themselves with Yama and the Fathers. Cf. Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XVI, 27. Stanza 16. d. The meaning of kii/am is not altogether certain. The Pet, Lexs., Ludwig, and Henry, ' horn ; ' this is unlikely because of Kaui-. 16, 16 : horns of a^-vattha-wood would be very strange. Geldner, Vedische Studien, I, 139, ren- ders it by trap, which is tempting on account of the seem- ing parallelism of the two halves of the stanza. This is the rendering I had in mind in the treatment of the expression ajvatthani ku/ani in Kauj-. 16, 16. Darila says unintel- ligibly, ku/a;/^ khadanam, and my comparison of the word khad^ (according to Darila at Kauj-. 38, 7 = svabhava^a/^ garta//, 'a natural cavity') was undertaken in the belief that the word meant something like ' pitfall.' But now 586 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. I prefer to rely upon the expression, tasya na ku/ena praghnanti in 5at. Br. Ill, 8, i, 15 (cf. also Ait. Br. VI, 24, 12), rather than the general parallelism. Cf. Contri- butions, Sixth Series, Zeitschr. d. Deustch. Morgenl. Ge- sellsch. XLVIII, 546 {{. Stanza 17. c. The Pet. Lexs. take p?7smhahu/i as an independent noun, ' a certain mythical being.' But fanciful colours are attributed with great predilection to Rudra and all his forms (see the introduction to XI, 2). Cf. the epithet 'gold-armed' in the ^atarudriya, Va^. S. XVI, 17, and in general Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, IV^, p. 322 fif. I have taken the word with .farva (nominative with voca- tive) : cf. RV. IV, 50, 10. 0 Stanza 18. a. For osham of the edition the MSS. present asham. In the Index Verborum, p. 383, 1. i, the word is still further corrected to osham, ' quickly.' This leaves the genitive mrz'tyor without governing word, and we have supplied ' fetter,' according to well-known parallels (mr/tyor paj-am ?). One may also think of osham in the sense of ' fire, agony ' (of death). c. Our translation of akshu is little more than a guess. It seems hard to acquiesce in Geldner's proposition (endorsed by Henry), Vedische Studien, I, 136, that akshu means ' pole' (cf. sts. 5, 12), as long as this involves a 'thousand- eyed pole' in AV. IX, 3, 8 (see the note there). However salient a pole may be in the construction of a house, the epithet sahasraksha is decidedly far-fetched. Further, we should expect the reverse order in the compound (^alakshu), since the poles are accessory in their role of supporters of the net ^. Non liquet. Stanza 21. The second hemistich recurs at VI, 32, 3 (see the note there); cf. Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 181. Perhaps ^ The word is not mentioned in Goldstiickers Sanskrit Lexicon. IX, I. COMMENTARY. 58/ Ludwig's simple rendering of ^;7ataram, ' der sie kennt,' is preferable. Stanza 22. The remainder of the hymn is prose in the style of the Br^hma//as. The stanza is rubricated along with a number of others at Kauj-. 15, 11 : the king and his charioteer are made to step upon the war-chariot, preparatory to battle. The renderings are necessarily problematic, owing to want of knowledge of the real properties of the chariot (cf. Zimmer, p. 2ji): the pakshasi which are compared with heaven and earth are themselves equal to rodasi, ' the two hemispheres,' an allusion doubtless intentional. For pari- rathyam I have followed Nilaka7///m's gloss to parirathya, Mahabh.VIII, 14H7, a very reasonable rendering. Ludwig, ' wagenrand.' Stanza 24. Cf. Kauj. 16, 18-20 in the introduction above. From the time of RV. X, 85, 28 onwards ' blue and red ' are magic colours. At Va^. S. XVI, 47 ; Maitr. S. II, 9, 9 ; Tait. S. IV, 5, 10, I, they are the colours of Rudra. Cf. AV. IV, 17, 4; the introduction to VII, 116; Kaux. 32, 17; 40,4; 48, 40 ; 83, 4. See also the passages quoted by Winternitz, Das Altindische Hochzeitsrituell, p. 67, and especially Baudhayana's (I, 8) implied explanation of the two colours as representations of night and day, which prob- ably forms the true basis of the conception. IX, 1. Commentary to page 229. The drink called madhu, ' honey,' is associated from earliest times with the cult of the A.rvins \ and a more specific conception endows them with a honey-lash (ma- dhumati ka^a or madhukaj-a), which instils sweetness, food, and strength into the sacrifice and into men. The allu- ' See Hillebrandt, Soma und verwandte Gotler, p. 239 ff. Cf. also the madhubrahma;/am (madhuka/;<'/a. madhuvid}-a), imparted to the Ajvins by Dadhya;7/- : ^at. Br. IV, 1,5, 18 ; XIV, 1,1,18 flf. ; 5, 5, 17 ff. ; Ind. Stud. I, 290; Sacred Books, XII, p. xxxiv. 588 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. sions of the Rig-veda and the 5"rauta-Iiterature to this honey-lash are of the incidental sort ; neither the texts nor the commentaries elucidate the point in any way. The Atharvan, however, devotes to it an independent effort ^ and that too in the cosmogonic-theosophic style of mock profundity, which allows the writer to attribute to the honey-whip creative and sustaining power, and places men in the attitude of deeply speculative reverence towards it. The apotheosis of the honey-lash resembles therefore that of the i\kk/i\s\\t3., AV. XI, 7 (cf. the introduction there), or the manipulation in the Brahma;/as of specific features of the sacrifice or sacrificial implements as divine beings. The mythic or realistic background of the honey-lash is not at all manifest. The Pet. Lex., under madhukaj-a, suggests some implement with which the honey was beaten at the sacrifice, but the very slender use of the honey in the ritual (cf. Hillebrandt, I.e., 241) fails to reveal either the act or the occasion. Henry, Les livres VIII et IX de I'Atharva-veda, p. 115, assumes 'an evident allegory of the lightning which whips the clouds and produces the rain.' This in itself very reasonable explanation is pro- blematic because the whip belongs to A^vins, and their connection with natural phenomena of this sort does not accord with their character in general. And yet, certain allusions in the first ten stanzas of this hymn (cf. especially stanzas 10 and 20) seem to lend support to a construction not very far removed from this. At RV. V, 83, 3 Par- ^'"anya sends his rain-messengers, as a charioteer who whips his horses with the lash. The patter and the streaming down of the rain (honey) may have suggested the compari- son with the lash". Bergaigne, La Religion Vedique, II, ^ Cf. R\\ IX, II, 2, where it is stated that the Atharvans mixed milk with honey. ^ Yaska's Nigha«/avas exhibit kaj-a among the words for voice (vak) ; cf. Nirukta IX, 19. Sayawa at RV. I, 157, 4 has rain distinctly in his mind, but rather in reference to the word madhu- matya (madhu, udakanama, Nigh. I, 12) than the word kaja. Oldenberg, Die Religion des Veda, p. 209, note, denies this con- IX, I. COMMENTARY. 589 433, has collected a sufficient number of passages in which the Aj'vins set the waters in motion, and cause the heavenly rivers to flow : madhukaja may therefore amount simply to ' the honey (the water) that lashes.' In the Atharvan ritual the hymn is known as the madhu- suktam, ' honey-hymn.' Under this designation it is em- ployed while mixing honey with milk in the course of the agnish/oma (Vait. Su. 16, 12). In the Kauj-ika and the sub- sidiary texts the hymn is simply a var/'asyam (sc. suktam), 'designed to bestow lustre' (cf, sts. 11-14, 16, 17); see Kaus. 10, 24 ; 12, ifj ; 13, 6, and the second var/^asyaga//a of the Ga/zam^la, Ath. PanV. 32, 27 (Kauj-. 12, 10, note). Stanza 4. d. The great embryo which is mentioned here, and which figures in the sequel, is apparently described in st. 21 as a part of the honey-lash ; in st. 5 the embryo is said to come from the honey- lash. The embryo suggests the lightning (fire\ which seems therefore to be viewed here as a child of the waters, represented by the honey-lash, coinciding thus with the conception of the apaw nap^t (cf. Oldenberg, I.e., pp. 99, 118 ff.). But the intolerable mysticism of sts. 5 ff. leaves everything in doubt. Stanza 6. In Pada b kalai-a/z may be thrown out as a gloss which disturbs the metre (^agati). Cf. with Peida c the statement of the use of the madhugraha, ' portion of honey,' which is given to the Rrahmans, Katy. Sr. XI, 4, 17. 18 ; see Hille- brandt, Soma, p. 242. Stanza 7. By a characteristic leap of fancy the fluid-yielding lash is now regarded as a milch-cow, and the rhetorical properties usually connected with her ecstatic praise are exploited. For Pada d, cf. XII, i, 45 ; RV. IV, 42, 10; VI, 48, 11 ; VIII, 69, 10. nection wiih the moisture of the clouds, and suggests tlie morning dew. 590 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Stanza 8. Cf. AV. IX, lo, 6 = RV. I, 164, 28, and AV. VIII, 9, 13. For the three gharmas (RV. VII, ;^^, 7), see the discussions of Geldner, Vedische Studien, II, 139 ; Henry, I.e., p. 68, I am disposed to think that there is here at least an allusion to the ritual gharma, either the hot milk, or the pot in which the hot milk is cooked ; cf. Va^. S. XXXVIII, 6 ff., and Haug, Vedische Rathselfragen, p. 40. Stanza 9. Cf. the interesting formula at La/y. .S"r. Ill, 5, 15, . . . pita upatish///anta apo ye ^akvara rzshabha ye svara^-as te arshantu te varshantu te kr/;/vantv isham i\vg2iiii rayaspo- sha;// tad videya. The words jakvara// and i-vara^as allude incidentally to the groups of saman-stanzas of that name. In Pada d apa/^ may possibly be accusative (Whitney, Sanskrit Grammar^, § 393 a), co-ordinated with ur^am. Stanza 10. b. Cf. Contributions, Sixth Series, Zeitschr. d. Deutsch. Morgenl. Gesellsch. XLVIII, s^^- Stanzas 11-13. Rubricated at Vait. Su. 21, 7, together with other formulas (VI, 47 and 48), designed for the three daily pressures of the soma. Cf. in general Bergaigae, Re- cherches sur I'histoire de la liturgie Vedique, Journal Asiatique, vol. xiii (1889) ; Contributions, Fifth Series, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XV, 3 ff. More secondary is the employment of the stanzas, Kauj. 139, 1.5, at the introduc- tion of the pupil to the study of the Vedas, which rests upon the occurrence of the word var/'as in the stanzas. Cf. the first vary^asyaga;/a in the Ga//amala, Ath. Parij-. 32, 10 (Kauj-. 13, I, note). Stanza 14. For va?;/.yishiya, read vawsishiya with Whitney, Index Verborum ; cf. Proc. Amer. Or. Soc, May, 1886 (Journ., vol. xiii, p. cxviii). IX, 2. COMMENTARY. 59 1 Stanza 15. Identical with RV. I, 23, 24 ; AV. VII, 89, 2 ; X, 5, 47. Stanza 18. Cf. XIV, 1, 35, and Hillebrandt, Soma, p. 251. In Vait. Su. 30, 13, the stanza figures at the sautrama;/i-rite, as is suggested by the presence of the word sura. Cf. Contri- butions, Third Series, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XV, 148 ff. ; Oldenberg, Nachrichten der Gottingischen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften, 1893, p. 342 ff. Stanza 19. Repeated almost identically at VI, 69, 2 ; cf. Hillebrandt, 1. c, p. 240. Stanza 20. c, d. In Pada b divi seems to stand secondarily for adhi in St. 10. At any rate tam in Pada c and sa in d seem to refer to bhumyam in b. Very differently Henry in his note. Stanza 21. This and the following sections are written in Brahma/za- prose. The present stanza seems to contain a mystic correlation of the parts of the lash with cosmic forces, all of which are obscure. For the embryo, cf. the note on st. 4. Here garbha, ' embryo/ seems to be a part of a real whip. IX, 2. Commentary to page 220. In the cosmogonic hymn, RV. X, 129, 4=AV. XIX, 52, I, desire (kama) is said to have been ' the first seed (product) of the mind,' which came from ' the one' after it had sprung into existence through creative fervour (tapas). In the philosophical hymns of the Atharvan, and in the • disquisitions of the Upanishads, this Kama, the creative desire (not sexual love, as in AV. Ill, 25), takes a place among the very numerous primeval cosmic forces, and appears as one form of the tentative monotheistic per- 592 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. sonifications of primeval force ; it then does not differ materially from ' the one ' (ekam), ' the being ' (sat), and the more vigorously personalised Brahma, Pra^apati, Vij-va- karman, Svaya7;/bhu, &c. The Greek mythology similarly connects Eros, the god of love, with the creation of the universe ; see Plato's Symposium 6. Of such hymns the Atharvan has two, XIX, 52, in addition to the present. Cf. Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, V, p. 403 ff. ; Scherman, Philosophische Hymnen, p. 76 fif. The personification of Kama as a supreme being suggests very quickly his power to protect those who worship him, and to destroy the enemies of the worshipper. The Atharvan naturally rings the changes upon these more ordinary divine qualities : the personal Kama is dealt with much in the same spirit as Agni, many of whose attributes are conferred upon him. For the relation of Kama to Agni, see Weber, Ind. Stud.V, 225 ff. In the ritual the entire hymn, as well as single stanzas of it, is degraded into ordinary witchcraft charms against enemies, without special signi- ficance: see Kauj-. 49, i ; 4H, 5 ; 24, 29, and cf. 46, 9, note ; Vait. Su. 24, 10^. The hymn has been translated in full by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 529 ; Henry, Les livres VIII et IX de I'Atharva-veda, pp. (S4, 118 ff. More or less frag- mentary translations are offered in the two works cited above ; cf. also Hillebrandt's Vedachrestomathie, p. 40 ff. Stanza 1. a, b. For the distinction between ghr/ta and aVya, see the G;7hyasa;//graha I, 106 (Zeitschr. d. Deutsch. Morgenl. Gesellsch. XXXV, p. s^^). Stanza 2. This and the following stanza are rubricated along with certain other mantras in the du//svapnancuanaga;/a, a series of stanzas designed to obviate the effect of evil dreams, in the Gawam^la, Ath. Parii-. 32^ 8. See Kau^-. 46, 9, note. ^ Quoted in the Aih. Parijish/as (e.g. lo) as kamasuklam. IX, 2. COMMENTARY. 593 b. Prof. Roth in the Pet. Lex., s. v. bhas, regards this passage as corrupt, and conjectures yasmad bibhatse ya/^ /^a na^bhinande, ' which I loathe and which I do not enjoy.' The motive of the correction, in addition to the poor metre, is the usual transitive use of abhi nand, ' take pleasure in,' and the like ; this does not seem to me to warrant so com- plete a transformation of the text. c. The Pada is hypermetric, and may be normalised by reading muuka. for muukaml. But the imperative first sing. act. without ni is not elsewhere known in the Atharvan. Stanza 3. b. asvagata occurs but one other time, AV. XII, 5, 40, asvagata parihwuta, a very obscure passage. The Pet. Lexs. translate ' heimatslosigkeit ; ' Ludwig, ' unfreiheit ' (cf. Der Rigveda, III, 284); Henry, 'dependance.' The adjective asvaga occurs in a closely parallel passage, XII, 5, 45, asvagam apra^asaw karoti ; I would compare svastha and asvastha, ' well ' and ' unwell ; ' svasthata and asvas- thata, ' well-being^ and 'diseasedness.' For avarti Va^. S. XXX, 1 2 has avar/ti, ' trouble ' (Ludwig, ' verarmung ') ; cf. perhaps Avestan hamvareti of opposite meaning, ' defence, courage.' Stanza 5. Yak Vira^ (cf. KMnd. Up. I, 13, 2) is the same Vak who is designated RV. VIII, 100, 11, 'as the milch-cow whom the gods begot;' cf. AV. VIII, 9, 2, and Oldenberg, Zeitschr. d. Deutsch. Morgenl. Gesellsch. XXXIX, 54 ff. In Pada d the metre is sensibly relieved by dropping pajavo (so also St. 1 6); nevertheless I should hesitate to correct, because the same RV. stanza states ' that multiform animals (pasAva/i) speak her (vak).' The argument may, of course, be turned the other way, by assuming that pajravo is due to a reminiscence from that very stanza. Stanza 9. a, b. For indragni', nominative for vocative, coupled with kama, vocative, cf. Delbriick, Altindische Syntax, p. 105. [4^] Q q 594 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. The dual number of the verb in the next Pada may be due to the dual number of indragni'. d. This seems to be the full form of the Pada which occurs previously (st. 4) in a defective form. Stanza 12. The same stanza with one variant occurs in a different connection at III, 6, 7. This, as well as the next stanza, seems to be interpolated. Stanza 13. It is impossible to reproduce the chain of puns in this clap-trap stanza ; yava-yavano, moreover, is somewhat ambiguous, as yavan may come either from yu, ' ward off' (so we, with Whitney in the Index Verborum), or ya, 'go' (so Ludwig). The Pet. Lexs. do not analyse the word, simply translating it ' abwehrend,' Cf. in a general way the hymns II, 7 ; VI, 91. Stanza 16. Pada a ends at trivarutham (read j-arma as three syllables) ; udbhu seems to be a gloss. Pada b is hypermetric, and may be relieved by casting out brahma and krz'tam (Henry). For Padas c, d, cf. st. 5 c, d, apparently the more original source of the passage. Stanza 19. At tssi Upanishad IV, the 'one' (ekam) is similarly lauded, nai^nad deva apnuvan purvam arshat (ari-at). Cf. Ath. Parij-. 48, 2. Stanza 22. Cf. Va-. S. XXIV, 25, 29 ; AV. II, 31, 2 ; VI, 50, 3. Stanza 23. Manyu is ' courage,' personified ; cf RV. X, 83, 84. Stanza 25. The purpose of the passage seems to be to ensure whole- some desires, fit and capable of realisation ; evil thoughts, IX, 3- COMMENTARY. 595 unfit for fulfilment, shall not trouble the suppliant. But dhiya/i may refer perhaps to the hostile prayers of the enemy, which shall not injure him that prays to Kama. IX, 3. Commentary to page 193. The character of this hymn is such that its proper object did not reveal itself clearly, until its application appeared plainly stated in the Kaui'ika. Zimmer, p. 153 (cf. the translation, p. 151 ff-)) supposes that the hymn is a charm to free one's house from imaginary witchcraft practices, which have been placed as fetters upon it (cf. stanzas 5, 6, 24). Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 464 ff., translates the hymn under the title, ' Removal of a house,' without stating the precise situation ; he comes very near the truth, yet misses the main point. GrilP, pp. 60, 188 ff., fails to find any reason for a removal, and construes the hymn (just as III, 12) as a dedicatory ceremony after the erection, and before occupation. And Henry, Les livres VI 1 1 et IX de 1' Atharva- veda, pp. 87, 121 ff., seems to underrate the significance of its employment in the Sutra. He suggests that the hymn alludes to the building of a house, but accentuates the successive removals of the ancillary frame, the scaffolding, as the house advances from stage to stage. The Kaujika treats the hymn in 66, 22-30, and Kej-ava epitomises the treatment very well by designating the ceremony as .yalasavam, i.e. the solemn bestowal upon a priest of a house as dakshiwa. See his comment on Kaujr. 64-66, especially page 365, lines 1, 2, and cf. also the intro- duction to XI, T. The Kau.yika's rather elaborate treatment is as follows : Su. 22. ' While reciting AV. IX, 3, that which is about to be given along with the house is (placed) within (the house) covered up. 23. It is recommended, moreover, that the objects mentioned in the hymn (be given as addi- tional gifts). 24. While reciting st. 18 the door is removed. 25. While reciting st. 22 they take up the water-vessel and the fire and enter the house. 26. That (water-vessel) is anointed with the dregs (of ghee) after they have arrived Qq2 59^ HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. %vithin (the house), while the (entire) hymn is being recited. 27. Having sprinkled the house (with water) from the anointed water-vessel, having recited the stanzas (of the hymn) over it. having addressed (the recipient), the giver, being made to speak (what?), presents (the house) ^. 28. (The recipient) while reciting st. 15 accepts it. 29. While reciting the first stanza he loosens the objects mentioned in the stanza-. 30. Addressing them with st. 24 he carries them off.' The Anukrama/n designates the hymn simph' as sala.- devatyam. For previous translations see above. Stanza 1. One may imagine that the upami't is a vertical post, the pratimit a slanting support to hold the house in position, the parimit a crossbeam connecting the vertical posts : but no certainty can be reached in words which are likely to be technically flavoured. Cf. Kauj. 66, 29, above. Stanza 2. Indra's double Br/liaspati here slays Vala, as in RV. X, 67 and 68 ; cf. also II, 23, 18 : II, 24. &c. Vala (Vr/tra) is often described as lying unloosened, undone, after Indra's attack ; hence the comparison. Stanza 3. c. The Pada may be rendered, more concisely, * as a skilful butcher the joints (of an animal).' Our rendering is based upon the conviction that the poet has in mind the ritual butcher. Cf. RV. I, 162, 18. 20, and Contributions, Sixth Series, Zeitschr. d. Deutsch. Morgenl. Gesellsch. XLVIII, ^^6. The point of the stanza is, of course, that the parts of the house shall not be damaged in the course of their transfer to the priest. ' Cf. Kaus. 63, 22, which also leaves some of the terms in this Sutra in the dark. ^ The buttresses, supports, and connecting beams. IX, 3- COMMENTARY. 597 Stanza 4. Again the terms are technical, and not at all clear. I have rendered paksha by ' side/ in deference to ulukapakshi (sc. .yala) in Pa//ini, IV, i, 55, and Mah^bhashya, IV, 29 b. Cf. AV. Ill, 7,3, /^atushpakshaw/^/^adl7/(Saya;/a,>^atushko//am), ' roof with four sides or facades ; ' see also st. 21 of our hymn. Zimmer and Grill, 'seitenpfosten ; ' Ludwig, ' zimmer ; ' Weber in his comment on III, 7, 3 (Ind. Stud. XVII, 210), ' vierbeschwingtes dach ; ' Henry, ' chambranles.' Stanza 5. c. For manasya patni, see our comment on III, 12, 5. Stanza 6. a, b. The difficult expression in this hemistich is raz/yaya (kam), which is a air. Aey. when accented with the svarita on the last syllable. Ordinarily the word is ra;/ya, one of whose meanings when used as a noun is ' pleasure, joy.' This meaning is at the base of our translation ' for comfort ;' but what are those ropes (j-ikyani) which are tied within for comfort? Non liquet. The Pet. Lexs. and Zimmer give it up. Ludwig translates etymologically, ' dass die theile in ihrer lage verharren,' and Grill follows the suggestion up by proposing the emendation rama;/aya, Henry, ' pour (te) maitriser ' (cf. his note). The real difficulty is with .rikyani, which is doubtless an obscure technical term. c, d. The second half of the stanza, as it stands, disturbs the run of the metre (Anukr., pathyapaiikti), and possibly needs correction. By dropping manasya patni and liddhi'ta the last Pada is restored as .yiva nas tanve bhava, in accord- ance with similar expressions in I, 12, 4 ; VIII, i, 5 ; 2, 16. Cf. St. 21 c, d, e, which is similarly irregular, and also contains the expression manasya patnim. Stanza 7. The various designations of the house represent a fairly complete summary of the huts and other sheltered places 59S HVMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. which are needed in the larger Vedic (jrauta) sacrifices ; see the Pet. Lex. under each, Zimmer, p. 154, and cf. especi- ally Va.^. S. XIX, 18 ; Tait. S. Ill, 2, 4, 3. 4. The divergent metre of the stanza (8 + 8 + 13: Anukramawi, parosh;/ih), and the interruption which it occasions in the account of the breaking up of the house, render it very suspicious. The bestowal of sacrificial epithets upon the house are obviously intended to enhance its value in the eyes of the recipient.. Stanza 8. Technical terms again render this stanza obscure. I imagine a covering of wicker-work, the openings in which suggest a thousand eyes, stretched across a beam and slant- ing down from it to both sides (vishuvati) in the manner of our roofs. The passage seems, perhaps, to harbour a com- parison of the roof with the head and the head-dress of a woman (cf. opaj-a and vishuvati, and see the note on VI, 138, 1). Professor Geldner, Vedische Studien, I, 136, renders the stanza : ' die in der mitte als diadem ausgespannte tausendaugige befestigte aufgesesetzte stange losen wir durch besprechung.' But what occasion is there for a pole with thousand eyes, i.e. countless holes ^ ? Ludvvig renders akshum opa^am by 'das locherige gcflecht;' Grill, 'das ausgespannte flechtennetz ; ' Zimmer, 1. c, and p. 265, ' das netz das uber den schopf (gespannt ist) ; ' Henry, 'le reseau tendu.' Stanza 10. a. He that bestows a house in this world gets it back again in heaven. Ludwig, ' in jener welt (soil) es ihm entgegen- kommen.' Kauj-ika's construction of the hymn renders the meaning very clear. Stanza 15. At this point the recipient of the house (cf Kauj. 66, 28, above) begins to see to it that the house shall produce for ' The employment at A V. VIII, 8, 18, of the root ban, 'slay,' with akshu^al&'bhyam does not prove akslm to mean ' pole, club : ' that which catches the enemy may be imagined to slay him ; cf. also St. 7. Sayawa at RV. I, 180, 5, divides a-kshu, ' not perishing.' IX, 3- COMMENTARY. 599 him all expected benefits, and he does not hesitate to ' take his mouth full.' The picture is a vivid one. c. Similar and yet difTerent is RV. X, 121,5, yo antari- kshe ra^aso vimana// ; cf. also RV. VI, % '] \ 69, 5 ; AV. IV, 25, 2. e. The Pada is de trop in form and sense (Anukr., trya- vas5,na paw^apada^tij-akvari). If it originally stood here at all, it is spoken by an agent of the recipient who receives the house for him (tasmai). Or tasmai is an ethical dative, ' in the interest of him (the donor).' Stanza 17. b. A bold and beautiful comparison this, between the house and night who gathers to her bosom all creatures. In the hymn to night, RV. X, 127, 5, we have : ' The throngs (of beings) have gone to rest, those who go on foot and fly by wing ; gone to rest have the preying eagles.' Cf. also AV. Ill, 12, 5. Grill applies the pruning-knife to this and the preceding Pada (11 + 12: Anukr., prastarapahkti), in order to exact two anush/ubh Padas, tr///air vasana ratri ^va Jala ^gannive^ani. This amounts to independent com- position, not very good at that, since it leaves the first Pada, a good trish/ubh, in bad shape. Stanza 20. a, b. With VI ^ayate and pra^ayatc, cf. vi^avati pra^avati in stanzas 13, 14. Stanza 21. Ludwig here, as \\\ st. 4, translates paksha by ' room : ' 'das zweizimmerig, vierzimmerig, &c. gebauet wird ; ' the Pet. Lex., Zimmer, and Grill, ' pfosten.' But see the note on St. 4, and cf. Kauj-. i,'^5, 9 (p. 2(S7, 1. 5), ash/asthu;/o da^yapaksha/^, showing that paksha and sthiV/a cannot both mean ' pillar, post.' The exact meaning of the word is after all not clear. Cf. Henry's note on the passage. c. For agni'r garbhe, see Contributions, Fifth Series, Journ, Amer. Or. Soc. XVI, pp. 15, 16. 600 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Stanza 22. The expressions ' turned towards ' imply friendly recep- tion on the part of the house, and eagerness on the part of the future possessor ; hence at Kslus. 66, 2.5 the house is entered along with water and fire. Cf III, 12, 8, and Kauj-. 43, 10. d. The waters and Agni are the door of the order, or the law of the universe, i. e. they are the primal elements. Hence Agni is styled frequently r/tasya prathama^a/^, r/tasya garbha/^ ; rztasya dhurshad ; see Grassmann's Lexi- con, under ritisya.. Stanza 23. Is identical with AV. Ill, 12, 9; see the note on the passage. Stanza 24. According to Kaui-. 66, 30 the house is actually carried off at this stage ; the stanza offers especial security that Kaui'ika construes the hymn aright. Cf with his construc- tion the rather forced interpretations of Grill, p. 192, and Henry, p. 128. IX, 8. Commentary to page 45. This is a charm against diseases in general (sarvabhai- sha^yam), without indication as to remedies, either in the form of drugs, or talismans. At Kaus. 32, 18. 19 the patient is taken hold of while the hymn is being recited. During the recital of the last two stanzas the sun is faced reverently. According to Sayawa at II, ^^ the hymn is a member of the a7//holihgaga;^a, 'a series designed to drive away distress ;' see the introduction to II, 33. The hymn has been translated by Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 378 ff. ; Henry, Les livres VIII et IX de lAtharva- veda, pp. 1C5, 141 ff. Stanza 1. For vilohita, see the note on XII, 4,4; for kar;^i seem to be fanciful names of plants, ' the piercer,' and ' dripping with ghee.' The latter is personified in many ways, as night (AV. XIX, 48, 6) ; Sarasvati (RV. V, 43, 11); cf. ghr/tapadi as an epithet of I^a(e.g. ^at. Br. I, 8, i, 26). Stanza 25. Rubricated at Ath. Parij-. "^o^^ 3. X, 6. Commentary to page 84. The chief interest of this rather banale production lies in the practice which it harbours. From st. 2 we gather that the hymn is addressed to an amulet prepared from the ploughshare. In st. 6 the amulet itself is spoken of as a ploughshare^, but in addition it is said to be 'strong khadira-wood ' (acacia catechu). From Darila at Kauj-. ' Cf. also the allusions to the ploughshare in sts. 12 and 33. X, 6. COMMENTARY. 609 ^^^, 4, vvc may gather that there was a part of the plough- share which was called ' the chin of the ploughshare ' (phala/^ibuka). This must have been made of wood, since of it might be made a vessel having the form of a soma-cup (Darila, ibidem). All doubt is dispelled by the same com- mentator's glosses on Ka.us. 19, 22. 23 (p. ^;^, notes 10 and 12 of our edition). Here it is stated with direct reference to St. 6 of the present hymn, that ' the chin ' of the plough was made of khadira-wood, and that an amulet fashioned out of khadira-wood in the likeness of the plough is the object extolled in the present hymn^ The khadira is a very hard wood (cf. Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 58) ; at 5at. Br. XIII, 4, 4, 9 it is said to be daru/^a, 'hard,' and is compared with the bones of the body. The chin of the ploughshare can scarcely be anything else than the point of the instrument, and we are thus brought face to face with the primitive wooden plough. The metal ploughshare seems to have been known as well, if pavira, AV. Ill, 17, 3 ; Va^. XII, 71 ; Tait. S. IV, 2, 5, 6 ; Maitr. S. II, 7, 12, has that meaning (cf. Zimmer, 1. c, p. 236). The appropriate- ness of the embodiment of ' the chin of the plough, made of khadira-wood,' into an amulet lies on the one hand in the character of the plough and the ploughshare as emblems of prosperity (cf. stanzas 12 ^ and ;^^) ; on the other, in the qualifications of the khadira, ' the wood that chews up (khad) the enemies' (cf. AV. VIII, 8, 3). The hymn is rubricated at Kauj-. 19, 22 ff. In Su. 22 the amulet is tied on in the manner described at Kaui-. 7, 19 (cf. the introduction to X, 3). In the obscure ne.xt Sutra (2^) the four amulets^ mentioned in Sutra 22 seem to be passed along the cords (with which they are fastened) ^ by means of a chip of gold (cf. hira//yasrag in st. 4) ; they are then bent, and put on each three times. In Su. 24 a fire is ^ Not so Kei-ava, khadirapalajamawim, ' an amulet from the leaves of the khadira-tree.' ^ Cf. the mantra in Kauj. 20, 5. ' Darila, ukiama;/ej >^atasra/z suvar«asragma«i^atutvaw2 nitva. * Cf. ^at. Br. XII, 3, 4, 2. [42] R r 6lO HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. built while reciting st. ;^^ ; in Su. 25 the amulet is taken out of the substances in which it has (again) been steeped while reciting st. 29 (cf. Su. 22), and (again) fastened while reciting st. 30. Cf. also Vait. Su. 10, 2. 3, and Ath. Parij-. 37, I, rubricating stanzas i and 3. St. 4 is rubricated at Ath Feins. 13, I ; st. ^5 at 22, 3 ; 46, 2. Stanza 6. The formula, yam abadhnad br/haspati//, which is repeated many times, indicates the presence of the purohita, the king's chaplain. As Br/haspati, the divine purohita, fastens the amulet upon the gods, so the king's chaplain serves the king. Stanza 34. A delicate oratio pro domo. The significant words are ya^//avardhana and jatadakshi/^a (ish/a and purta). The real meaning of the stanza is : 'as I, the priest, have by means of this amulet made thy sacrifice successful, thus do thou, the king, permit thyself to be inspired to reward me, the priest, by a gift of a hundred cows ! ' XI, 1. Commentary to page 179. The preparation of the brahmaudana, otherwise called savaya^wa (Saya;/a), or brahmaudanasava (odanasava in Sayawa's introduction to Tait. Br. II, 7, 7, page 772), is described at full length in Kauj". 60-63. ^^ consists of the solemn combination of a soma-sacrifice with the cooking of a porridge for the Brahman's dakshi;/a. Both the sacri- ficer and his wife (patni) participate in the ceremonious details of the performance. The ceremony works up quite completely the stanzas of XII, 3, in addition to the present hymn. Wherever the ritual is suggestive or explanatory, its gist will be given in connection with the stanzas in question. There are, however, many signs of a secondary and forced employment of the stanzas in the ritual, and the stanzas themselves exhibit occasionally secondary changes which arouse the suspicion that their form and their group- ing here are not altogether primary and original. XI, I. COMMENTARY. 6ll Stanza 1. At Tait. S. VI, 5, 6, I ; Tait. Br. I, i, 9, i, the preparatioa of the porridge is correlated with a legend that tells of Aditi and the birth of her sons. Cf. the note on XII, 3, 11. Aditi in our hymn symbolises the patni, the wife of the sacrificer (ya^amana). According to Kaus. 60, 19, the stanza is spoken while both of them are engaged in churn- ing the fire. The third Pada is defective : perhaps purve is to be inserted before bhutakr/ta//, if we consult VI, 133, 5; XII, 1,39. Stanza 2. According to Kau^-. 60, 23 this stanza is addressed to the smoke as it rises from the churning-sticks. The third Pada reads, adroghavita (Padapa///a, adrogha avita: some MSS. avha/i) viU^am aHV/a, which the Paippalada varies by read- ing, adrogha vita vatam matsa. Sayawa comments, adroha- kari;/aw su/'aritra//a;// ya^amananam avita rakshita vaJtam akkJia mathyamanagne/^ stutyartham anu/^yamanam rig- rupa;w v^/^am abhilakshya. The corresponding passage, RV. Ill, 29, 9, reads, asredhanta itana va^am akkha, and it, with the Paippalada, suggests the reading adrogha vita va^am akkha, or adrogha aveta, &c., the sense being the same in either case. This has been made the basis of our rendering : the 5aunakiya-text scarcely yields sense. Stanza 3. Kauj-. 60, 23 : The incipient fire is addressed with this stanza. P"or Pada d, cf. st. 1 1 d, and RV. IV, 50, 10 d. Stanza 4. Kauj. 60, 24 : The blazing fire is thus addressed. For Pada d, cf. I, 9, 2; XVIII, 3, 4 ; Va.^. S. XII, 6^. Stanza 5. The text of Pada a seems forced. The Paippalada with marked improvement, tredha bhago nihito gaiavcdah. Perhaps the words yah pura vo are imported from st. 15. R r 2 6l2 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. In Pada d the Paippalada reads imam, i.e. the sacrificer\ for imam, the patni, the wife ; cf. st. 4 d. See Kauj-. 61,8, from which it would appear that three heaps of rice, from which the brahmaudana is to be prepared, are addressed with this stanza. Stanza 6. Kaus. 6r, 9-11 : ' With the share of grain that has been divided off for the fathers he performs a jriddha. With the one that has been divided off for men he feeds the Brahmans. The share that belongs to the gods he pours into a jar, with closed fist, or open palm, or with the hollow of his two hands (a;7^ali); bending his right knee, turned to the north-east, or with his body inclined ; reciting stanza 6 (of this hymn).' Stanza 7. According to Kauj-. 61, 20, this stanza is recited while the rice is being poured into the mortar. Possibly the w^ords lid ub^a &c. are addressed to the mortar. The Paippalada has enam for enam ; cf. st. 5. A comparison with St. 6 b still further suggests enan, establishing a natural antithesis between niX^o ny ub^a in 6 b, and ud ub^ai'^nan (sc. sa^atan) in st. 7 b. Stanza 8. Kauj. 60, 30 : The sacrificial skin, its neck turned to the east, the hair turned upward (as usual in ritual perform- ances), is spread out while reciting this stanza. Stanza 9. Kauj-. 61, 18 rubricates Pada a of this stanza along with XII, 3, 14: 'the mortar and pestle, and the scrubbed winnowing-basket are placed upon the skin.' The Sutra seems to substitute mortar and pestle for the two press- stones. Pada b is rubricated at 61, 22, along with XII, 3, 18, avahanti. Pada d along with XII, 3, 19 at 61, 24, udu- * Or perhaps even more primarily, the porridge ; ' the share of the gods this (Agni) shall bring over to them.' Cf , however, the feminine enam in st. 7 b. XI, I. COAIMENTARY. 613 O hantim (sc. patnim anumantrayate). The construction of the second hemistich is not altogether clear. We have referred the action to the earth in st. 8. See also st. 11. Sayawa refers it to the patni (cf. Kaiu. 61, 24, above), and construes imam chiastically with pra^am, to wit : he patni avahananaw kurvati nibadhasva imam atmiya;;/ pra^a//^ hantu;;/ ye i-atrava// vartante tan ni ^ahi. This is obviously forced. The construction of imaw as imi'n (but Padapa///a, ima;;/ !), or its emendation to imam (sc. ya^amanam) would render Saya;/a's and Kaui-ika's (61, 24) view more natural. Cf. the notes on sts. 5 and 7 for similar suggestions. Stanza 10. Kauj-. 60, 19 : gr/ha/za gravd;/av ity ubhaya;// grzh;/ati. Saya;za, ardhar^^ena ulukhalamusalam avahananartha;/^ patni;/z grahayet^ Kau.y. 61, 15-17: 'With the second hemistich (the priest) addresses the sacrificer, saying, " Choose three gifts." (The sacrificer) chooses the first wish, saying : " May I by this rite become superior." The wife chooses the other two gifts.' Saya//a, trayo vara// ity ardhar/('ena nirvapananantara;// vara;// vr/z/antau (sc. anu- mantrayate). a. We have translated the doubtful an. Aey. sak/'/tau, for which the Paippalada has the equivalent sayu^au. Some MSS. used by Shankar Pandit have sukr/tau, an easier reading, suspicious on account of its facility. Stanza 11. Kau^. 61, 23 : 'While reciting the first hemistich of this stanza along with the second hemistich of XII, 3, 19 (the sacrificer) takes hold of the winnowing-basket.' Kauj. 61, 25 : ' With the second hemistich of this stanza and the first of XII, 3, 19 he addresses (the wife) as she winnows.' Aditi in the stanzas and the patni in the practice are regu- larly correlated ; cf. st. i. For Pada d, cf. 3 d. ^ Savawa obviously violates the sense of the stanza : patniw grahayet collides with grihawa . . . vira in Pada a. 6 14 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Stanza 12. Kau.v. 6i, 29: The winnowing is performed while this stanza is recited. a. Our translation of upaj-vase, ' while (the wind) blows,' i.e. ' in the draught,' is wholly conjectural. The Pet. Lexs. ' drohnend.' Sayaz/a, with many MSS., reads upa^-vase dhruvaye (for upajvase druvaye of the editions), and com- ments as follows : dhruvaye dhruvaya sthiraya satyaphalaya karma;/e he ta.7idu\a./i yushman upaj"vase upa samipe ^j-vasa- yami prabhutan karomi. Nothing usable may be derived from this manipulation of the stanza. For druvaye, see the note on V, 20, 2. Stanza 13. Kauj-. 60, 25: 'With stanza 13 he sends (the wife), guarded and ornamented, to fetch water.' Saya//a, udakam aharantiw patni;// sa;//preshayet. This act precedes in the ritual the winnowing, being one of the first features of the ceremonial. Stanza 14. Kauj-. 60, 26-28: 'With the first Pada he addresses (the wife) as she brings the water (Saya//a, prathamapadena aga.kk/ia.nt\7n patnim anumantrayate). With the second and third Padas he calls upon the wife (to rise). With the words, " take the water-vessel," she takes it.' But S^ya;/a refers the action in the fourth Pada to the sacrificer himself: a tva^gan ya£;ua./i iti p^daikadej-ena ^alakumbha- datri patni kartaraw preshayet, prati kumbhaw gr/bhaya iti ardhapadena patni ^^alakumbha;;^ grahayct kartaram. a. Sayawa regards the yoshi'ta/^ j-iimbhamana// not as ' pure waters,^ but as the women who bring them, j-obhana- lawkarayukta ima yoshita/^ udakahartrya// striya//. But cf. sts. 17, 27. b. Saya//a reads tava sawrabhasva, and the Paippalada tava/^ sawrabhasva. The Pada as it stands in the editions is not defective: yet tavasa;// saw rabhasva (haplographia) may have been the original reading. We have at any rate translated tavasam as an abstract. XI, I. COMMENTARY. 615 Stanza 15. Kau^. 60, 39 : ' (The sacrificer) puts (the vessel) down while reciting the first Pada.' Sayawa, prathamapadena ^alakumbha;// bhumau nidadhyat. Kauj-. 60, 34: 'With the remaining three Padas he places the water-vessel upon the skin.' Cf. also Kauj-. 61, ■^^. a. Our rendering of Pada a leaves some misgivings. A more natural translation of it is, ' the share of food that has of yore been set aside for you.' But this leaves it hanging in mid-air. Stanza 16. Kauj-. 61, 31 : The pot is placed upon the fire; cf. also Kaui-. 2, 7. Stanza 17. Kaui". 61, 34. 35: The purifying two blades of darbha- grass are placed over the pot, and water is poured in ; cf. also Kaui-. 2, 8. The Paippalada read in Pada c, dadat pra^a;« bahulam asun (pa.yun ?) me. Stanza 18. Kauj-. 61, 36 : With this stanza and XII, 3, 28 the grain is washed in water, and poured into the pot. Cf. also Kaui-. 2, 9. Stanza 19. Ksius. 61, 37: With this stanza and XII, 3, 29 the porridge is allowed to cook. d. For paktva in the vulgata, Shankar Pandit, following most of his MSS. and Saya;/a, reads pakta ; this we have translated. Cf. also the Index Verborum, s. v. paktr/. The corruption is due to st. 18 d. Note the alliteration. Stanzas 21, 22. Kauj-. 61, 41.42: With stanza 21 and XII, 3, ^S the porridge is taken off the fire. With st. 22 the pot is turned to the right. Stanza 23. Kau^. 61, 44 rubricates only the second hemistich, awsadhrim (some MSS. aw/sadrim) ity upadadhati. The 6l6 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. difficult word in the stanza is the ai:. Aey. which the vulgata presents in the form awsadhri'm. The MSS. present in addition the forms aw^saddhri'm, awsadrl'm, and aw/saddrim, Shankar Pandit chooses a/z/sadrTm ; Saya/^a a;/«adhrim, glossing as follows : a;;wan bhagan devamanushyapitr/sa;/^- bandhino dharayati^ti a/z/j-adhri ta;;/ . . . vedim. The only point that seems worth saving is the statement that the word refers to the vedi, not to the pot, as the Pet. Lexs. have it : ' vielleicht ein gcfass mit handhaben, henkeln auf beiden seiten.' d. daivanam (sc. brahma/^anam). Read perhaps deva- tanam, metri gratia; cf. st. 25, and III, 3, 2; VI, 13, i ; XII, 3, 38; Va^. S. XV,5o. Stanza 24. Kaus. 62, I : With st. 24 and XII, 3, 36 the performance indicated in the mantra is made, i.e. the sru/^ is placed upon the altar (Sayawa, sru/^aw vedyaw sadayet). a. The feminine hastam is an opportunist formation, made to suit the feminine sru;^am. Some MSS., the Paip- palada, and Saya;/a read hastam, a facile emendation which is, however, discredited by the universal reading dvitiyam. Stanza 25. Kauj-. 63, 3 : Four descendants of the i?zshis who know the Bhr/gu-Angiras texts (i. e. the Atharvan writings) are seated. Saya;/a, asane upavej-ayet. Cf. also Kaui-. 65, 13. b. Saya;/a, punar etan pra sida prapnuhi. This meaning of pra sad is not well authenticated : perhaps ' favour them ' is the true sense. Stanza 26. Not rubricated in the Kauj-ika, but Saya;^a, in the intro- duction, supplies the action, /datura arsheyan rt'tv'i^o ya^a- mana ahvayet. Not so, however, in the commentary upon the text, suhava ^obhanahvana patni arsheyan . . . puna./i- punar ahvayami. Whitney, in the Index Verborum, re- gards suhava as instrumental 'with efficient call,' at III, 26, 6 ; VII, 47, I ; 48, I, in addition to our passage. But if we XI, I. COMMENTARY. 617 compare AV. VII, 48, i with its parallel in RV. II. 32, 4, rakam ahaw suhavam (so RV. ; suhava, AV.) sush/utf huve, it seems hard to refrain from emending suhava in our stanza to suhava;;/ = suhavan. This we have done, sup- ported further by RV. VII, 44, 2 ; 82, 4; 93, i ; X, 141, 4. Stanza 27. Kauj-, 6^, 4 : The action indicated in the stanza is per- formed, Saya;;a, tesham riiVxgkvi hastaprakshalanartham udaka;;/ dadyat. The stanza is nearly identical with VI, 122, 5 ; cf. also St. 17, and X, 9, 27. Stanza 28. Kauj-. 62, 22: With stanza 28 and XII, 3, 50 he places gold upon the porridge (Saya;/a, odane hira;/ya;;; nida- dhyat). Kaujr, 63, 5 : With Pada b and XII, 3, ^'^ he sets it aside (? S^ya;;a, ishat karshayet). a. For the relation of light and gold, cf. I, 9, 2. b. For pakva;;; kshetrat, cf. v;7'ksha;;; pakvam, RV. Ill, 45, 4 ; pakva j-akha, RV. I, 8, 8. Stanza 29. Kauj. 6'^, 6. 7 : With Pada a the chaff is poured into the fire (Saya;/a, agnau tushan ^uhuyat). With Pada b the refuse is swept aside with the left foot. The precise differ- ence between tiisha and kambuka is not clear. Saya;;a glosses the former by, brahmaudanarthata;;<'Ailebhya// pri- thakk;7tan ; both Kauj-ika and Saya;;a render kambuka by phalikara;/a. These indications we have followed. The fire obtains the more valuable and nutritious part of the refuse ; Nir;'zti, the goddess of destruction, has the refuse pushed to her as a sop, uncannily, with the left foot. Stanza 30. Kauj'. 6^, 19. 20: Either with the entire hymn, or with the part of it that begins here, he first anoints the porridge with the dregs of ghee. Cf. especially st. 31. a. I have taken the words .framyata// &c. as genitives 6l8 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. singular, dependent upon viddhi. See Delbrlick, Altin- dische Syntax, p. 159. Saya;/a, as accusatives plural: diksharupa;;^ tapas tapyamanan, &c. Stanza 31. Kauj-. 62, 15-17 : With the first hemistich of our stanza and XII, 3, 45 he makes a cavity (for ghee) on the top of the porridge (Saya;/a, garta;// kuryat). The stanza is varied by substituting the word brahman for adhvaryo, if a priest other than the Adhvaryu is addressed. With the second hemistich of each of the two stanzas he floods the porridge with ghee. Stanza 32. For purishma// Saya;/a quotes to the point Tait. S. II, 6, 4, 3 : pra^a vai pa.sava./i purisham, pra^ayai^vai^naw paju- hhi/i purishavantaw karoti. Cf. sts. 26 a, b ; 25 d. XI, 2. Commentary to page 155. The hymn is addressed to Rudra (6"iva-Agni), under the large variety of names or embodiments (murti) customary with that divinity. These vary from seven to nine in number, most of which, namely Rudra, Bhava, 6i"arva, Paj'upati, Ugra (cf. also the word ue in st. 27, as reflecting the name tsana. ^), occur in the hymn either as full proper names, or as standing epithets. Connected lists of these names occur frequently, e. g. AV. XV, 5 ; Va^. S. XXXIX, 8. 9 ; Kaush. Br. VI, 2 ff.: Sat. Br. VI, i, 3, 10-17 ; 5ahkh. .S^r. IV, 18,5 ; Kaus. 51, 8 ; Par. Gr/h. Ill, 8, 6 ; A^v. GnTi. IV, 8, 19 ; Hir. Gr/h. II, 8, 6. 7 ; Markawrt'eya-pura/za, 52, 2 ff. : cf. Weber, Ind. Stud. II, 302; XVII, 130; Omina und Portenta (Royal Academy of Berlin, 1 858), p. 400 ff ; Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, IV ^, 343, 403 ff. The hymn is a prayer to Rudra, in his various aspects, ^ Sayawa cites the following versus memorialis : ^arvaw paju- pati;;/ ^o^graw rudra;;/ bhavam athe :>^ jvaram, mahadeva?« ^a bhimaw X'a. XI, 2. COMMENTARY. 619 for protection and mercy, and it is rubricated, accordingly, at Kauj-. 50, 13. 14 in the course of the performances of a merchant who starts out upon his business. See the in- troductions to the hymns III, 15; VI, 59 ; and 128. Further, in a performance undertaken by a traveller in a lonely place, at Kauj. 51, 7 ff., and again, when an ominous bird of prey holding flesh in its beak alights, Kauj-. 129, 3 (cf. stanzas 2, 24 of the hymn). See also Vait. Su. 29, 10. The hymn figures also in the raudraga//a of the Ga;/amala, Ath. Pari.?. 32, 17. It has been translated by Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, IV^, ^;^^ ff., and Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, p. 549 ff. ; cf. also Bergaigne et Henry, Manuel Vedique, p. 157 ff. Stanza 2. The metrical tradition of the stanza is corrupt : avishya- va./i at the end of the first hemistich seems to belong to Pada c, which ends at pa.rupate. Accordingly our transla- tion. Saya;/a, in Pada b, reads, pampering his etymology, aviklabebhya//, and glosses, viklaba adhr/sh/a// kataras tad- viparitebhya//, ' to those who are the reverse of viklaba (cowardly),' i.e. ' bold ; ' cf. the note on XI, 9, 9. Stanza 3. Saya;/a, ropaya// ropayitryo mohayitryas tanva//. Cf. V, 30, 16, and Rudra's relation to diseases in st. 22. The epithet ' thousand-eyed ' accentuates the relation between Rudra and Agni ; see the note on IV, 20, 4. Stanza 4. One is tempted to emend antarikshaya in Pada d to antarikshat, ' from the atmosphere reverence be to thee.' The change of the ablative to the dative may be due to St. 5 d, pratiKna}'a te nama//. Stanza 7. c. The MSS. read unanimously ardhakaghati'na, but there is no Ardhaka to slay. S^ya;/a, ' he whose habit it is to slay half of the (hostile) army,' an insipid pis-aller. 620 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. A demon by the name of Andhaka is in the epics a familiar victim of SivsL, who is styled andhakaghatin in Maha- bharata XII, 10356, and ^iva is the later representative of Rudra. The Paippalada reads adhvagaghatin, ' the slayer of the wayfarer.' This suits admirably, since the hymn is intended as a prayer for protection against the dangers of a journey ; cf. st. 4, and the practices (in the introduction). But its very suitableness lays it open to the suspicion of being an easy reading which shirks the difficulty involved in the less familiar ardhaka (andhaka). Stanza 11. For the last Pada, cf XI, 9, 7. 14; 10, 7, and our Con- tributions, Second Series, Amer. Journ. Phil. XI, 339 fif. The female mourners indicate, of course, the presence of death. Stanza 12. b. The MSS. read sahasraghnim, -ghnyam, and -ghni. The vulgate has adopted the impossible -ghnim ; Saya/za, -ghnyam ; and Shankar Pandit, -ghni. We have translated the latter, as a locative singular from -han, with haste, understood. Stanza 13. Cf. X, I, 26; Sat. Br. XIV, 4, 2, 18: padani' means * tracking the steps,' not 'leading the steps' (Pet. Lex.), as may be seen especially in the passage of the SclL Br., where vindate is the synonym of ni. Stanza 14. b. The text has /^arato, not /^aratho : change the con- struction accordingly to the third person. Stanzas 15, 17. St. 15 is formulaic: see, e.g. XI, 4, 7. St. 17 is rubri- cated in Ath. Parij-. ;^c^, 3. Stanza 18. In the epic literature, Kesin is a demon slain by Kr/shwa. In RV. I, 164, 44, three Kesin are mentioned: they are Agni, Surya, and Vayu ; further, RV. X, 136 is a hymn to XI, 2. COMMENTARY. 62 I Kej'in, the sun, typified as a solitary hermit (muni) ; see Contributions, Third Series, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XV, 167. Possibly the chariot of the sun is the object of Rudra's attack. The entire stanza may, however, be taken differently: 'The crushing chariot of the long-haired (kei-in, i. e. Rudra) . . . we approach first.' Saya;/a advocates the construction which we have put into the text. Stanza 24. Cf. XII, I, 49. 51. In Pada a, vane may be a metrically superfluous gloss suggested by ara;^ya7/. In P^da c, ya- ksham is not quite clear: 'thy spirit,' or 'thy reflection, image.' Saya//a adopts the hackneyed etymological ex- planation of the word, pu^yaj/i svarupam. Stanza 25. a, b. Saya;za, ' sli/isumara. is a kind of crocodile, a^agara a kind of serpent, pulikaya and the rest varieties of water animals.' The last word occurs in the form pulikaya at Maitr. S. Ill, 14, 3 (between matsya and nakra) ; in the corresponding passage, V%-. S. XXIV, 21, in the form kulipaya (Mahidhara, ^ala^a), and at Tait. S. V, 5, 13, i in the form kulikaya (commentary, bahupan matsyavij-esha//). For the interchange between gutturals and labials, see Contributions, Sixth Series, Zeitschr. d. Deutsch. Morgenl. Gesellsch. XLVIII, p. 557, note^. For the obscure ra^asa (Padapa/Z/a, ra^asa//) Saya;/a reads ra^asa (atmiyena te^asa). d. Many MSS. sarvan. Saya;^a with some MSS. reads sarvam for sarvan, the obviously correct form which we have in the vulgate. Stanza 26. Though Rudra here threatens men with poison, he is elsewhere reported as himself drinking it. So clearly in the Bhagavata-pur^;/a X, 31, and apparently also RV. X, ^ Add the following possible cases of the correlation of gutturals and labials : riph = rikh ; stupa=stuka ; and cf. kapu/^'X'/zala, 'back- hair' (cf. Lat. caput), with kakubh, kakudh. 62 2 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. ^3^, 7, if ^^'e take visha in its ordinary sense. The trans- lators here generally render it by ' water, fluid ' (cf. st. i of the same hymn). See Muir, I.e., IV-, pp. 50, 320. Stanza 27. e. The vulgata reads tasyai. This is corrected in the Index Verborum to tasmai. Some of Shankar Pandit's MSS. now exhibit this obviously correct reading, which is also the basis of Saya//a's comment. Stanza 28. c. Parallels to this interesting passage, together with a valuable discussion of the position of .fraddha, ' faith,' in the Veda, are presented in Lud wig's work, Der Rigveda, III, 263 ff. Stanza 29. b. The stanza is repeated, RV. I, 114, 7 ; Va^. S. XVI, 15; Tait. S. IV, 5, 10, 2; the second Pada appears there in the more desirable form, ma na ukshantam uta ma na ukshitam, 'do not cause injury to our growing and grown up (children).' The Atharvan reading seems to be due to a misunderstanding of the meaning of the root uksh, as being derived from vah, ' carry.' Saya«a, bharavahana- kshama/;/ madhyavayaskam, ' the middle-aged man capable of carrying burdens,' and vakshata// (!) krz'tavahanavya- paran. Ludwig, ' der uns faret . . . die uns faren werden.' Our own translation is a makeshift. Stanza 30. b. The Pet. Lexs. and Muir translate asa;//suktagile- bhya^ by ' devouring unchewed food.' We with Saya;/a and Ludwig. XI, 4. Commentary to page 218. In the Upanishads, pra;/a, ' breath,' is frequently identified with brahma and atman. See, e.g. Kaushitaki Up. II, i, 2 ; III, 2 ; IV, 20 ; Tait. Up. Ill, 3. Very frequently Agni and Surya take the place of these abstractions, e. g. Maitri XI, 4- COMMENTARY. 62 J Up. VI, I. 5. 9. 33 ; Prajna Up. I, 5- 7- ^'^ II> ^- Pra/^a is the personified breath of life, itself at the base of all existence (Ka/Z/a Up. VI, 2), and fits naturally into the system of monotheistic-pantheistic thought which from the earliest beginnings of Hindu literature runs in a parallel current with polytheism. A noteworthy feature of this hymn is the predication to Pra;/a of the qualities of a rain- god (Far^^anya). As such he quickens the life of plants and animals, and the account of this action of his is pursued with a great deal of detail and repetition. Equally remark- able is the outspoken identification of Pra//a in sts. 21 and 22 with the sun in the form of the ha;«sa. This is a round- about way of saying that pra;m (atman) is identical with brahma, brahma. See Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, V, 393 fif. ; Scherman, Philosophische Hymnen aus der Rig- und Atharva-veda-sa;;/hitd, p. 69 ff., each of whom offers a partial translation. In the ritual of the Atharvan the hymn figures as an ayushyam (sc. suktam), ' bestowing long life,' and therefore forms a part of the ayushyagawa in the Ga//amdl^, Ath. Parij-. 32, 4 (see Kaus. 54, 11, note). Cf. also Kaui-. 139, 7. At Kaui-. S5y 17 it is employed in the course of the investi- ture of the disciple with the holy cord; at Kaui-. 58, 3. 11 in certain special ceremonies (br^hmawoktam and r/shi- hasta//, Su. 4), calculated to ensure longevity. The last stanza of the hymn is in our opinion constructed with this purpose directly in view : see the note on the passage. Cf. also 5^ntikalpa 15, 19 ^ Stanza 2. The four component parts of a storm are wind, thunder, lightning, and rain ; see our Contributions, Sixth Series, Zeitschr. d. Deutsch. Morgenl. Gesellsch. XLVIII, 569-70, and cf. especially the vayu krandadish/i, 'the wind hastening along with clamour' (RV. X, 100, 2). We have therefore assumed that kranda is the wind, ' the roarer,' par excel- lence. See also st. 15. ^ Erroneously quoted by Saya«a as Nakshatrakalpa. 624 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Stanzas 5, 6. Cf. Praj-na Up. II, 10: 'When thou, O Pra;/a, sprinklest the rain, then are these creatures full of joy ; (they think) : " food shall we have according to wish." ' Pra;/a here, as elsewhere in this composition, approaches closely to the character of Par^anya ; see the hymn, RV. V, 83. For St. 5, cf. St. 17. Stanza 7, The verse is formulaic ; see, e.g. XI, 2, 15. Stanza 11. Saya;/a, ' by his going out he causes the death of all living beings.' P'or Pada b of this and the following stanza, cf. the similar sentiments assembled by Scherman, I. c, PP- 35, 59- Stanza 13. The epithet ana(fvan, *ox,' suggests AV. IV, 11, where supreme divine power is attributed to an ox. See Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, V, 399, and Jacob's Concordance, s. V. ana^uh. Stanza 16. In the ritualistic literature the terms atharva;/a and aiigi- rasa are differentiated, so that the former means 'holy,' being the equivalent of janta, while the latter means ' per- taining to sorcery,' being the equivalent of abhi/^arika. Cf. Kauj-. 47, 2. 12; Vait. Su. 5, 10; Gopatha-Br. I, 2, 18; Rig-vidhana IV, 6, 4. See Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XI, 387 fif. ; Amer. Journ. Phil. XI, p. 332, note ; and the introduction to the present work. Especially in the passages quoted from theVaitana-sutra and theGopatha-Brahma//a this distinction is expressed clearly, and there seems to be no good reason to doubt that the writer here has it in mind. For aiigirasi'// (sc. oshadhi'//), see also AV. VIII, 5, 9 ; 7, 17. 24. Cf. also XIX, 39, 5. Stanza 21. Saya;/a explains ha;;/sa, alternately, as either the sun, or breath. The latter, if it withdraws from man, produces XI, 4- COMMENTARY. 625 death, and consequently annuls all distinctions of time. There can be no doubt that the former is the correct inter- pretation. The stanza contains a blend of two personifica- tions of the sun. As ha;/^sa the sun figures at AV. X, 8, 17; XIII, 3, 14; Tait. Ar. II, 15, 8; Tait. Br. Ill, 10, 9, II ; cf. the words hawsa and paramaha///sa in Jacob's Concordance to the principal Upanishads. The second conception of the sun underlies Pada a ; it is that of the a^a ekapad, or ekapada, for which see Roth, Yaska's Nirukta, Erlauterungen, p. i6^- Bergaigne, La Religion Vedique, III, p. 20 ff. ; Henry, Les Hymnes Rohitas, p. 25. We would refer any one that doubts that a^'-a ekapad is the sun to Tait. Br. Ill, 1, 2, 8, ' A^''a Ekapad has risen in the east, delighting all beings. At his urging (prasavam) all the gods go,' &c. Stanza 22. Saya;/a again suggests that the human body, with breath as the dominating force, is the subject of the stanza. The human body, consisting of skin, blood, and six other elements, is eight-wheeled, and held in position by one felloe, breath. Doubtless, the sun is again presented mys- tically. At AV. X, 8, 7 (cf. Muir, I.e., I, 9 ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 395) the stanza occurs with the variant eka- /^'akram for ash/a'/takram. In this form it is obviously a continuation of st. 21 : we are at a loss to explain the mystic thought which underlies the change of eka to ash/a ; cf. ash/a'/^akra in AV. X, 2, 31. The stanza posits a theo- sophic riddle (brahmodya ; cf. Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XV, 172 ff.) ; the second hemistich recurs in a different connec- tion at AV. X, 8, 13. Stanzas 24-26. The last three stanzas impart to the hymn the character of a conjuration, in accordance with its employment in the Kaujika. See the introduction. In the last stanza apaw garbha is 'fire' (cf. RV. I, 164, 52; Tait. S. IV, 2, 3, 3), either the fire in the body, or, perhaps more probably, the fire of which the Brahman disciple takes care. See Saiikh. [42] s s 62 6 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Grzh. II, lo ; Asw Gn'h. I, 20, ic-21 ; Par. Grzh. II, 4, i ff- ; Gobh. Grih. II, 10, 46. XI, 5. Commentary to page 214. This hymn has been subjected to the treatment of a number of prominent scholars : see Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, V, 399 ff. ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, 111,452 ff. ; Scher- man, Philosophische Hymnen aus der Rig- und Athar- va-veda-Sawhita, p. 84 ff. ; cf. also Bergaigne et Henry, Manuel Vedique, p. 161 ff. Neither of these scholars seems to us to state quite correctly the origin of this peculiar type of speculation. In our Contributions, Third Series, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XV, 167 ff., we have endeavoured to show that RV. X, 136 contains the glorification of the sun as a muni, a solitary ascetic : the present hymn may be under- stood best from a similar starting-point. The sun, who con- tributes elsewhere many of his quahties to the speculations regarding the primeval principle of the universe, is here for the nonce imagined as a Brahma/^'arin, a Brahmanical disciple, engaged in the practice of his holy vows ; next, by an easy transition, all the functions and powers of the Brahma/('arin are made the basis of a momentary cosmo- gonic and philosophical account of the origin and existence of the universe. This allegory is carried out with all the feeble consistency that characterises Hindu speculations of this sort, and the more gladly so, as it offers a good oppor- tunity for the apotheosis of Brahmanism, and the Brahmanic caste. The purely physical qualities of the sun peep out in a variety of stanzas, especially i, 5, 6, 11, 23, and 26. Cf. the manipulation of the first stanza at Gop. Br. I, 2, i. Stanza 3. Saya/za fitly quotes Apastamba's Dharmasutra, I, 1,1, 15-17. Cf. also Gautama I, 8; Vish/ai XXX, 44-45; Vasish///a II, ^^-^ ; Manu II, 146-8. See also Kaui-. ^5} 18, note; .Sat. Br. XI, 5, 4, 12. Stanza 4. It is not easy to differentiate the synon}'ms p/vV/ati and XI, 5- COMMENTARY. 627 piparti at the end of the two hemistichs. Saya;/a, przwati purayati . . . piparti piirayati palayati va, Ludvvig and Scherman render piparti by ' fordern.' Stanza 6. c. This Pada is peculiarly sugo-estive of the sun : cf. RV. X, 136, 5, In the preceding Pada the apparently trivial dirgha-ymaj-ru//, 'with long beard,' probably refers to the rays of the sun. Stanza 7. For the identification of the brahma, or some kindred primeval principle, with Indra, cf. AV. X, 7, 29 fif. See also stanza 16. Stanza 11. The two Agnis are explained by Saya;/a, correctly, we believe, as the fire of the sun and the terrestrial fire, eko ^gni/i anudyatsuryatmako vartate, apara/^ parthivo^gni// pr/thivya upari vartate. And further : ' The combined rays of this (terrestrial) fire and the sun, exceedingly strong in their fusion, expand upon heaven and earth.' Stanza 12. Saya/za regards Varu//a (cf. stanzas 14, 15) as the subject of the first hemistich, abhikrandan . . . megheshu stanita;// gar^ita;;/ kurvan syatlhgR/i (! Shankar Pandit; the MSS. have J•ya;/^tiga//) .yyetavar/za;// ^alapur;/a;/^ prapta// eva;«- bhuto varuwa//. There is no reason for thus separating the two hemistichs. Saya;/a is squeamish about endowing a BrahmaHrin with a br/ha^- kMpa/i ; but he enacts here the rdle of Pra^apati, and the predication of a penis is as natural as that of the more commonplace semen (retas). Stanza 13. d. Ludwig, ' ihr a^ya ist der mensch, regen und wasser.' We have translated with Saya;/a. Cf. RV. X, 5 1 , 8, ghrzta;;^ ka^pam piirushaw Z'au^shadhinam, which carries the note of a vague relationship with our passage, but does not remove the obscurity. S s 2 628 HVMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Stanza 24. For brahma bhra^at (again the sun), cf. Kaiu. 97, 8 (p. 253). XI, 6. Commentary to page 160. The hymn is rubricated, Kauj-. 9, 2. 4, in the two so-called j'antiga/zas (cf. Ath. Parij-. 32, 36. 27). These are lists of purificatory hymns and stanzas, employed especially at the preparation of the i-antyudaka, ' holy water ' (Kauj. 9, 8 ff.). According to the Ga;mmala, Ath. Parij-. 32, 32 the hymn, with the exception of stanzas 7, 9, 22, and 23, which strike a different key, is a member of the awholihgagawa, a list of stanzas characterised by the presence of the word a7;^has, ' misfortune, calamity ; ' cf. Ka.us. 32, 27. The chief interest of the hymn lies in the clear and fairly complete presenta- tion of the pantheon of the time. This is very much on the plane of the Ya^us-texts and the Brahmawas. Stanza 9. For the group of divinities addressed in this stanza, see the introduction to XI, 2. Stanza 14. For the use of the word bhesha^ani as an equivalent of ' holy ' Atharvan charms, cf .S"ankh. Sr. XVI, 2, 9 ; Ai-v. Sr. X, 7, 3 ; Tank. Br. XII, 9, lo. See the introduction to the present volume. Stanza 15. Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 72, assumes that saha is the designation of a plant, and this view may be supported from the Hindu lexicographers. In the Index Verborum the word figures under the stem sahas. Our rendering implies the adjective saha, ' mighty.' is Stanza 17. The entire stanza and certain turns of its expression are formulaic; see III, 7, 9. 10, and cf. the Pet. Lex. under artava. XI, 7- COMMENTARY. 629 Stanzas 19, 20. The two are identical, except that sarvan and sarvabhi/^ are substituted in 20, for vi'j'van and visvahhl/i in 19. Cf. Kauj. 56, 13; 74,3. Stanza 23. The little story (akhyayika) here alluded to is not, to our knowledge, illumined by the rest of the literature. Matali is mentioned once more, RV. X, 14, 3, in a totally different connection, Cf. Kauj-. 58, 25, and Kau^ika, Index D, under the stanza. XI, 7. Commentary to page 226. The Vedic writings are extremely shifty in assigning to a first cause the creation and maintenance of the universe, in the course of their cosmogonic speculations. There are purely philosophical abstractions like sat (being) and asat (non-being) tad (that), eka (the only) ; cosmic forces like brahma, kala (time), kama (love), pra;/a (breath) ; and per- sonal creators like Pra^'-apati, Purusha, Vi^-vakarman, Hira- wyagarbha, and Paramesh/^in. But further, in the course of the speculations of the Brahmaz/as, universal or special cosmogonic power is attributed to all sorts of trivial circum- stances, even down to the special features and implements of the sacrifice. The priestly power (cf. XI, 5), and the priestly activity, are made to stand for the cosmic force with which they aim to establish relations. Sa}'a;/a is quite right, therefore, in correlating the present hymn with such a statement as is made in Tait. Br. I, i, 9, i (cf. also Mait. S. II, I, 12), where divinities are born of the leavings of the brahmaudana (see XI, i ; XII, 3) which had been eaten by Aditi. The hymn is nothing but a momentary symbolic transfer of the divine, or pantheistic attributes to a certain ritualistic feature made prominent for the time being. The writer knows that he is simply transferring his most fulsome cosmogonic conceptions in order to accen- tuate a to him important ritualistic act, the consumption of the leavings of the sacrifice. The veil is thin ; everything 6;0 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. 'O that is said here fits the brahma, or some other embodi- ment, and Saya;/a boldly establishes the equation ukk/nshfa. = brahma. Accordingly, too, in at least two stanzas (15, 16) the U/^/(V/ish/a is personified as the masculine u/^Mish/as, quite in the manner of the relation of the neuter brahma to the masculine brahman. We may note, however, that the road for this drastic transfer is opened in a measure by the philosophical position of the word anna, ' food.' This is a prominent link in the chain that unites man to the universe. See, e.g. Tait. Up. Ill, 3, and the stately array of passages in Jacob's Concordance to the principal Upani- shads, s.v. The interest of the hymn lies rather in the attempt which it makes to exploit exhaustively the chief concerns of Brahmanical existence and belief. Except for its metrical form it belongs to Brahmawa literature. See Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, vol. v, p. 396 ff., and Scherman, Philosophische Hymnen aus der Rig- und Atharva-veda-Sa;;/hita, p. 87 ff., where partial translations of the hymn are essayed. Stanza 3. d. The translation of Pada d is mere guess-work. Since vra means ' throng,' dra would seem to mean the converse ; cf. the root dra, ' run : ' ' that which is assembled and that which is scattered,' i.e. 'that which is confined and that which is free,' or the like. Saya//a, vra// varako varuwa// draZ; dravakaZr amrz'tamaya// soma//. The difficulty is in- creased by the appearance of another mystic monosyllable, nyA/i in st. 4 a. The Pet. Lex. suggests that all three are artificial abbreviations. Stanaa 4. a. This Pada is again nearly hopeless. The vulgate reads drmha sthiro, and Whitney in the Index Verborum classifies drmha as an imperative. But an imperative is out of place in this hymn which is throughout descriptive. Shankar Pandit with the Padapa///a and Saya;/a reads drmhasthiro as a compound (Saya;/a, drmhanena sthirikr/to \oka/i). I have thought of d?'id/ia.dri//i\vd[/i), ' he who fastens that XI, 9- COMMENTARY. 63 1 which is firm:' it is a mere guess. Cf. bhumid;7>//ha, V, 28,14; XIX, 33, 2. Saya;/a glosses nya/^ by netara//, ' leaders,' but we should then at least expect wykh with the circumflex. I have preferred the singular ; cf. vra/^ and dra// in 3 d. Stanza 5. Information regarding the great variety of terms con- nected with the liturgy and the sacrifice in this and the following stanzas is to be obtained every time from the Pet. Lex. For this stanza, cf. Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 25. For the obscure expression tan mayi in Pada d, cf. sts. 12, 14, and svir mayi in st. i. Stanza 6. The beginning of the mahanamni-verses is given by Saya//a, as follows : vida maghavan vida gatum anu .ya;//sisho diW^ (Ait. Ar. IV, i). Cf. Proc. Bed. Acad. 1868, p. 244. Stanza 11. b. The expression ubhaya/^ saha has been rendered, not without grave misgivings, upon Saya;^a"s authority, ubhaya ity anena /^aturatradinaw dvigu/zitatvaw vivakshitam. Stanza 14. Three earths and three heavens are mentioned frequently; see Muir. Original Sanskrit Texts, vol. v, p. 304 ff., and the note on IV, 20, 2. Nine are unique. Stanza 19. According to Saya/za the mantras called Z^aturhotara/' are Tait. Ar. Ill, 1-5. Cf. the Pet. Lex. s.v. Stanza 21. d. We have followed Saya/^a, who reads s^insntkh snWi. The error which extends to the Padapa///a seems to be due to the singulars ahita ni'hita hita at the end of the next stanza. XI, 9. Commentary to page 123, Arbudi and Nyarbudi, two divinities, friends of Indra (I'ndramedinau, sts. 4 and 18), are implored to help in battle, and destroy the enemy. These two are associated 3o-i. Stanza 1. Saya;/a, ' Make manifest to the enemy our equipments for battle, so that fear shall arise in their minds,' For udaran Sayawa proposes either ' demons in the air,' udgatan antariksha/^aran raksha/^pi^-a/'adin, or ' fiery portents,' surya- raj'miprabhava ulkadaya dntarikshya utpata/^. For ami- trebhya// Ludwig proposes a different construction, ' make all that visible with the enemy,' i. e. may their weapons and plans not remain hidden from us ! Stanza 2. b. For the construction of this Pada (repeated in st. 26 c), cf. Delbriick, Altindische Syntax, p. 106. c. d. The Padapa//^a reads sa?;/d;7sh/a and gupta, neuters plural in agreement with mitra/n. Sayawa comments upon samdrish/a/i and gupta/i, supplying ' warriors ' with it : this does not change the sense. Ludwig, ' erblickt soil euer verborgenes werden, so vile unsere freunde sind, o Arbudi.' For the eliptic vocative singular, arbude, cf. stanzas 3 and 1 1. Stanza 5. d. The word bhogebhi//, ' with (thy) curves,' would seem to indicate that Arbudi is primarily a serpent ; cf. RV. VI, 75^ ^4 ; Tait. S. II, j, 4, 5. 6 ; V, 4, j, 4. But it may also refer to some snare-like machine, similar to a serpent. Sayawa, sarpajarirai/; parivesh/aya. Stanza 7. For women as mourners over the dead, and their con- ventional practices, see our essay on the subject, Contribu- tions, Second Series, Amer. Journ. Phil. XI, ^^6 ff. Our XI, 9- COMMENTARY. 635 explanation of k/vdhukaiv/i', ' with short (mutilated) ears,' is very doubtful, and on p. 340 of the essay just quoted I have asked whether the entire stanza does not perchance refer to demons of the battle-field. I do not place great confidence in Saya;/a's naively ingenious explanation of kr/dhukar//i' by ' short-eared, because all ear-ornaments have been removed.' Ludwig is reheved by making a proper name of the word. Stanza 8. a. The Pada is problematic : our translation implies that the women, bereft of their relatives who have fallen in battle, sit in a bent attitude longing for their lost kin. It would be possible to imagine another situation : with bent back the women who miss their relatives seek them on the battle-field, where Arbudi has pierced them. Sayawa offers nothing usable. Ludwig's translation is not clear, ' die abreisst den riickenwirbel, wahrend sie im geist den sohn sucht,' &c. Stanza 9. Saya;/a presents futile etxnnologies for aliklava^ and ^ashkamada. PAda d, ami'treshu samiksha}'an is cut of construction, and superfluous : samikshayan is in reality the nominative singular masculine of the participle (as in St. 6 b). The expression has assumed the character of a refrain (cf. stanzas 11 and 25), and is similar to the equally formulaic ami'trebhyo dn'se kuru, in stanzas 1, 15, 22, and 24. Stanza 12. c. Saya/m reads urugrahai/^ (uru7/a;/z grahawai/^), and bahuvaiikai// (b^huna vakrabandhanai//), i. e. ' with thy thighs and arms.' The parallelism is noteworthy, and uru- may be the correct reading. Conversely, of course, Sayawa may have accentuated an incidental parallelism. ' aliklaba/z vijish/aklaibyayukta viklaba/i tadviparita aliklaba/^, ' viklabas are creatures affl'cted by extraordinary impotence;' the converse of that are aliklabas (!); cf. the note on XI, 2, 2. 6%6 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Stanza 14. Cf. the essay quoted in the note on stanza 7 (especially p. 340, note). For pa/aurav of the vulgata, Shankar Pandit, following Saya//a and some MSS., has substituted pa/urav. Saya;/a on Pada b, ura/^ vaksha/^sthala?;/ pa/urau tatpra- de.yau {ko.) aghnana//. Here, doubtless, belongs too pa/ura in Tait. S. V, 7, 21, 3 ; 22, i, a designation of a part of the body, described by the commentator as ' ribs in the back.' The translation of the a-n. Key. agharim/i in Pada c is that of the Pet. Lex., and purely etymological. Sayawa, ' distressed by the grief due to the loss of their husbands ' (aghena . . . arta//). Stanza 15. a, b. All the matter pertaining to the female demons is extremely problematic. Saya;/a takes sva.nva.ti/i literally, ' accompanied by the dog Sarameya as a playmate.' He explains rupaka// as ' ghostly armies which by the force of magic are perceptible in outline merely ' (mayava^yat keva- \a.7/i rupamatrewa upalabhyamana// senarupaka/^). The word rupaka suggests the root rup, ' injure ;' cf. XI, 2, 3. c, d. Saya;/a garbles his text, and comments as follows, patre anta/^ madhye rerihatiw puna/^-punar lihati;// durnihi- taishi//i;« dush/anikshiptam i/:k/ia.nth/i va.sk/n (!) gam. Stanza 16. a. Our rendering of khart'ure reflects simply our own and Saya;/a's perplexity, durabhuta;« khaw/ khaduram (!) aka.ye durade^e. Stanza 22. Much in this is obscure and bizarre. Sayawa does not help much, except that he agrees with the Pet. Lexs. in' reading -vasina/i for -vasi'na/^ in Pada d ; see bastavaj-ina/^ for bastavasi'na/^ in YlII, 6, 12, and cf. V, 20, 2 b. Accord- ingly our rendering. The entire stanza seems to depict a blend of a human and demoniac army (' das wilde heer '), altogether fit to strike terror into the heart of the enemy. XI, lO. COMMENTARY. 637 Stanza 23. Saya;/a: ' Trishawdhi is a certain god who routs armies, or designates a weapon, a club which has three joints ; ' cf. our remarks in the introduction to the hymn. The natural- istic basis of the quasi-divinity is (Rudra's) lightning. Stanza 24. Even the trees and other vegetation, as well as animate beings, may exercise their powers to the destruction of the enemy, as is stated unambiguously in the closely parallel stanzas VIII, H, 14. 15, where the arrangement of the first two hemistichs is a different one. Cf also Kaui". ']'^, 5. Stanza 25. For the loosely construed refrain at the end of this verse, see the note on stanza 9. XI, 10. Commentary to page 126. The hymn continues the subject of XI, 9, but the appeals for help to Arbudi and Nyarbudi are subordinated ; Tri- sha/wdhi is here the prominent figure : his momentous powers are engaged for the destruction of the enemy. For the employment of the hymn in the Atharvanic practices and the meaning of Trishawdhi, see the introduction to the preceding hymn, and the note on XI, 9, 23. It has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 531 ff. Stanza 1. For ketu, see the passages and the literature quoted by the Pet. Lex. s. v. 7) ; Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, P, p. 32, note 51. Both Sayawa and Ludwig render the word here, as in stanzas 2 and 7, by ' flag," Stanza 2. a, b. The vulgata, depending upon the Padapa ///:a, con- strues vedara^yam as a compound, it is difficult to say in what sense. We have taken ijaw veda in the sense of a quasi periphrastic perfect (cf Whitney, Sanskrit Gram- 638 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. mar^, § 1070, c). Similarly Skyana., isam veda ijitavyatvena ^anatu (!). The word tn'shawdhe is metrically superfluous and grammatically unassimilable : it has been omitted in our translation. At best it must be emended to tri'sha;//dhir. The construction of Pada b is problematic ; perhaps it is to be put with what follows, ' may the evil brood, &c., together with the red portents, &c.' The aru;/a7^ ketava/^ are personified as evil forces in this hymn ; see the matter referred to in stanza i. Stanza 6. The sense of the first hemistich is extremely obscure. According to DariJa to Ka.us. 16, 25, and Saya;^a on our passage, the j-itipadi' is a cow. But this fails to accord directly with the verbs asyati, Kauj-. 16, 26, and sa;;/ patatu in stanza 20 of our hymn : they point to some missile, an arrow, or the like, and accordingly we have j-aravya in the present stanza. But what is a ' white-footed, four-footed arrow ? ' We can merely refer back to the solution proposed in the introduction to XI, 9 : apparently a white-footed cow is chased as a symbolic arrow into the camp of the enemy, Cf Kauj-. 14, 22 where likewise a jitipadi (Darila, meshi) is let go (avasrz^ati, ordinarily employed with arrows). The latter Sutra evidently relates to AV. Ill, 19, 8, 'fly forth, O arrow, after thou hast been hurled.' Saya/za reads in our stanza saw patatu for sa;// dyatu (diyatu, ' fly ' ?), and evades the difficult ' four-footed arrow ' by paraphrasing j'aravya as an adjective agreeing with gau//, to wit, j-aravya savuna;// ba//ana;// samuha// . . . j-arasawhati- rupa bhutva (gau//) sa?;/ patatu j-atrun sa;;/prapnotu. This resembles our own tentative explanation. Stanza 7. Cf the notes on XI, 9, 7. 14. Possibly female demons, or spectres rather than mourners are referred to. Saya;/a refers dhum^kshi and k;7dhukar;/i to the army of the enemy ; this he supposes to be blinded by magic smoke, and bewildered by the noise of battle (alpa.yrotra paAaha- dhvanina hatajrava/zasamarthya). Xir, I. COMMENTARY. 639 Stanza 17. Identical with A V. V, 8, 6. See the diverse translations of the passage in Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, pp. 439 and Stanza 10. c. The speckled ghee (ghee mixed with sour milk) is embodied in the practices of the Kauj-ika, 16, 22 ; see the introduction to XI, 9. Stanza 20. Cf. the discussion of j-itipadi' in the note on stanza 6. Stanza 22. Saya;/a explains igmdiW as ' vehicle,' rathadi yanam, which simplifies the sense. In Pada d he reads, desirably, abhihi- ta//, ' bound,' for abhi'hata/^, ' slain.' Stanza 25. c. kaka^akr/ta is d-jr. key. The Pet. Lexs., etwa ' zerfetzt ;' Ludwig, ' zerstaubt ; ' Saya«a, kutsita^anana vilola^anana va k;'/ta. Stanza 26. a. Read marma-viddham. Supar;zair is out of construc- tion, and it seems natural to read supar//a(//). But the Pada as it stands is hypermetric, and the expulsion of the word leaves a good trish/ubh, ending at adantu. Then, to be sure, Pada b is short by two syllables. XII, I. Commentary to page 199. This hymn is one of the most attractive and characteristic of the Atharvan, rising at times to poetic conception of no mean merit, and comparatively free from the stock artificialities of the Vedic poets. The relation of the real, visible earth to man, animals, and plants preponderates over the remoter mythological and mystic conceptions. The hymn and its individual stanzas are employed in the ritual freely and in a considerable variety of aspects. Its chief use is at the agrahaya//i-ceremonies, the concluding ceremonies of the rites devoted to serpents, undertaken on 640 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. the full-moon day of the month Margajrirsha (Kaiu. 24, 34 ff.^). The so-called drz^f/^ikarma/n -, ' rites for rendering houses, villages, &c., firm, or well-established ' (Kauj-. 38, 13 ff.), are also associated with this hymn, which on that occasion goes by the name of bhaumam (sc. suktam). At "Kaus. 98, 3 the hymn is employed in the course of the expiatory practices on the occasion of an earthquake. A considerable number of stanzas are worked up at the bhusa/z/skara, the preparation of the ground for the fire-altar (vedi) in Kauj-. 137. The Ga/zamala^ Ath. Parij-. 33, 5 (see Kauj-. 8, 33, note), counts it as one of the vastoshpatiyani (sc. suktani), ' hymns addressed to the genius of the home- stead ; ' the Atharvawiya-paddhati at Kaui-. 19, i, enlists it among ' the stanzas that secure prosperity ' (push/ika mantra//). Cf. also Vait. Su. I3, 6 ; Ath. Parij'. 10 ; 41, i. The uses of single stanzas, or groups of stanzas, will be stated in the notes on the same, below. The hymn has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 544 ff. Stanza 2. Cf. Kaui-. 137, 16. This and the preceding stanzas recur Maitr. S.IV,I4, II. The reading badhyato inst. 3 a is scarcely tenable, though supported by some MSS. and Ka.us. 137, 16. Many MSS. read madhyato, 'from the midst (of men).' The Maitr. S. has asa;//badha ya madhyato manavebhya//. As regards pravata/z in 3 b. Prof. Pischel, Vedische Studien, 11, 63 ff. (cf Weber, Ind. Stud. IV, 407), seems to us well justified in claiming that pravat many times means ' river,' (root pru) ; nevertheless we must assume another pravat (pra-vat) in the sense assumed above, formed like ud-vat, ni-vat, &c. Cf. especially RV. VIII, 6, 34, &c. (Pischel, I.e., p. 67). 1 Cf. A.fv. Grih. II, 3 ; Paras. Gnh. Ill, 2 ; 6'afikh. Grih. IV, 17. 18; Gobh. Gnh. Ill, 9; Khad. Gnh. Ill, 3, 6 ff . ; Apast. Gr/h. VII, 19, 3 ff. ; 8 ff ; Hir. Gnh. II, 17. " The reading of the word is not quite secure ; see the critical note, Kauj. 38, 12, and cf. Kejava. XII, I. COMMENTARY. 64 1 Stanza 4. Cf. Kaus. 137, 17 ; Maitr. S. IV, 14, 11 (233, 15. 16). The Pet. Lex., vols. i. 269; v. looi (s. v. anya), explains anya in Pada c as ' inexhaustibleness.' So also Ludwig. But the ordinary meaning of anya suffices as a pis-aller. Does the end of the word veil svapatya, ' ownership ? ' Stanzas 5-7. Cf. Maitr. S. IV, 14, 11 (233, 14 ; 234, i ; 233, 12), in part with important variants. Stanza 6 is rubricated at Kaus. i;^'/, 28. For the expression bhumi;;^ pr/thivi'm, cf Avestan zam perethvim, Yasna X, 4. Doubtless pr/thivi' is still (or anew) felt as an adjective. Stanza 8. For parallel statements, cf the passages assembled by Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, IV, 24 (note 58). Cf. also Ludwig, 1. c, p. 320. Stanza 11. This and the next stanza are members of the svasty- ayanaga;/a of the Gawamala, Ath. Parij-. 32, 11 (Kaiu. 25, 36, note). Cf. also Ath. Parij-. 10; i8\ i. Stanza 13. Cf Vait. Su. 15, 8 ; Ath. Parij-. 10. For parigr/h/Mnti, cf. the parigr/hya (sc. vedi), Kauj-. 17, 2, and, in addition to the passages cited in the Pet. Lex. (under pari grah 3), Tait. S. 11, 2, 10, 5 ; Maitr. S. I, 6, 3 (89, 14); Apast. 5r. IV, 5, 4. Stanza 14. c. For purvakr/tvari, cf the note on purvakamakr/tvane, VII, 116, lb. Stanzas 19-21. The connection of these stanzas with the body of the hymn is a loose one : Agni, not the earth, is their primary subject; cf III, 21, i. 2. See Kau.s-. 2, 41 ; 120,5; 137,30; cf also Ath. Parij-. 48, 2. [42] T t 642 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Stanza 22. d. Ludvvig, 'von svadha (opferspeise wol =^ I/a) und speise.' We with Pet. Lex. (peia (woucrt). Stanzas 23-25. They are frequently cited in the Atharvan ritual as the gandhapravada// (sc. rika^h), ' stanzas that mention gandha (fragrance).' At Kauj'. 13, 12 a king desirous of lustre is anointed with fragrant substances, the act being accom- panied by the recital of these stanzas. Similarly Kauj. 54, 5 (cf. also 24, 24, note) ; Vait. Su. 10, 5. The stanzas figure also in the second var,^asyaga;;a of the Gawamala, Ath. Parij'. 32, 27 (Kau^. 12, 10, note), and are cited fre- quently in the Atharva-parij-ish/as, q, i. 3. 4 ; 6, 2 ; 17, 2 ; 22, 3 ; 44, I. In St. 23, gandha and gandharva(/^) in allite- ration. Stanza 27. Cf. Vait. Su. 2, 8. Stanza 28. Cf. Kauj-. 24, 2,3 ; Ath. Parij-. 43, 3. Possibly ka. is to be added to Pada b. Stanza 29. Cf. Kauj-. 3, 8 ; 24, 28 ; 90, 15 ; 137, 40; Ath. Parij-. 39, 16. Stanza 30. See Kaui". 58, 7 (cf. 24, 24, note), and Vait. Su. 12, 6, both in connection with purification of the body. Stanza 31. Repeated with variants at Maitr. S. IV, 14, 11 (23?, 16). This and the next stanza are members of the svasty- ayanagawa of the Ga/^amala, Ath. Parij. 32, 11 (Kauj. 25, 36, note). Stanza 33. See Kauj. 24, '^'^ ; Vait. Su. 27, 7. Stanza 34. See Kaui-. 24, 30. It is curious that this charming verse finds only secondary employment ; it does not even figure among the du//svapnanajanani. XII, I. COMMENTARY. 64 •> Stanza 35. See Kaui-. 46, 51 ; 137, 12 ; Ath. Paii^. 44, 1. Cf. st. 6j. Stanza 36. See Kaui-. 137, 9 (cf. 137, 4, note). Cf. Tait. S. V, 7, 2, 4. Stanzas 38-40. Cf. Ka.us. 24, 37 (cf. 24, 24, note) ; Vait. Su. 10, 8 ; 15,4; 22, I. Stanza $H is counted by the Atharva;/iya-paddhati (Kauj". 19, I, note) among the push/ika mantra//. Stanza 41. b. Cf. V, 20, 9, and the note. Stanza 42. See Kaiu. 24, 38 ; 137, 24. Stanza 44. Cf. Kaiii-. 24, 39 ; Ath. Parij". 10, 18, 2. Stanza 46. See Kaus. 50, 17 ; 139, 8; Vait. Su. 29, 10 ; Ath. Pariy. 19, 5. Cf. also the raudraga/^a of the Ga;/amala, Ath. Pari.y. 32, 17 (Kauj-. 50, 13, note). The root^itiv in Pada c, as in St. 3 c, seems to be intransitive, contrary to ordinary usage. Stanza 47. Cf. Kaus. 50, I ; Ath. Parij-. 19, 2. In Pada d panthanam is a metrically superfluous gloss. Stanza 49. For this and the next stanza, cf. Va^-. S. XXX, 8 ; Sat. Br. XIII, 2, 4, 2. 4. For Pada a, see AV. XI, 2, 24, and note. In PAda c, uLi is quotable in addition only at Vai,'-. S. XXIV, 31 ; Maitr. S. Ill, 14, 2 (Mahidhara, 'a kind of wild animal') ^ Ludwig, I.e., pp. 166, 548, regards it as an adjective, ' howling.' Ludwig, to r/kshi'ka, ' barin (?).' ^ Cf. ula, Tait. S. V, 5, 12, i, defined by the commentator in a variety of ways, indicative of perplexity. T t 2 644 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Stanza 51. Pada b recurs at XI, 3, 24 b. Note the parenthesis 111- vohed in Pada e. In the same Pada upavam is a gloss, disturbing the metre. Stanza 52. See Kauj. 24, 41 ; 137, 23. Stanza 53. See Kaui-. 10, 20, in the rite for acquiring wisdom. Stanza 54. See Kaus. 3H, 30. While reciting this stanza one who wishes to be victorious in debate approaches the assembly- hall from the north-easterly direction (apara^ita, ' the uncon- quered' direction). Stanza 58. See Kau.y. 24, 14; 38, 29. Recited by one who desires to please in the assembly : he addresses the assembly-hall with the mantra, and looks at it. Pada b is obscure : cf. Ke^ava to 38, 29, yak /^akshusha pa^yati tad vadan (6^ammu MS. idawj vigh^to na bhavati. Perhaps, 'when I look, then they delight in me.' Stanza 59. See Kaus. 24, 31 (cf. 3, 4, note). Stanza 60. For the 'mothers,' cf. the introduction to VI, iii. The earth herself is ' mother,' st. 6;^. Stanza 61. See Kau^. 46, 52 ; 137, 13. 14. Cf. for Pada a the brah- modya, Va^. S. XXIII, 9. 10. 45. 46 ; ^at. Br. XIII, 2, 6, 13; Maitr.'s. Ill, 12,19; Tait.S. VII, 4,18, 1.2; Tait. Br. 111,9,5, 5, and the commentators. For the second hemistich, cf. St. ^s. Stanza 62. See Kaus. 50, 10 : a traveller starts on his journey. Stanza 63. See Kaus. 24, 27; 58, 19, note; Vait. Su. 27, 8. XII, 3- COMMENTARY. 645 XII, 3. Commentary to page 185. This hymn treats of the brahmaudana, the preparation of the porridge for the Brahmans, more elaborately than XI, i, with which it is worked up in Kau^. 60-63. See the intro- duction to XI, I. Stanzas 1-4, The sacrificer, his wife, and children step upon a skin, and seat themselves around a vessel full of water. Kauj-. 60, 31 ff. : ' With stanza i (the priest) makes (the sacrificer) step upon the skin. 33. The wife (follows, or takes hold of the husband) as he is calling \ ^^. With the third stanza- he calls for his children . . . ^^. With stanza 4 they along with the children seat themselves around (a vessel containing water which has been placed upon the skin, Sutra 34).' Stanza 1. a. ihi is wanting in the Paippalada. The Pada is improved by throwing it out and reading puman trisyllabically. Stanza 2. edhas at the end of the third Pada may perhaps be regarded as an instrumental : ' When Agni with his flame, &c. ; ' cf. Lanman, Noun-Inflection in the Veda, p. 562. The second hemistich seems to refer to widow-burning (cf. st. i 7 c, and RV. X, 18, 7). The word pakvat, rendered ' from the (cooked) porridge,' seems to harbour something of a double entente : ' from the cooked remains of the body, after it has been burned upon the funeral-pyre.' The well -cooked porridge anticipates symbolically the successful conclusion of life, to be followed by a happy life hereafter. Cf. also stanzas 7-9, 11, &c. ' The translation of this Sutra is by no means clear, and does not agree with Ke^-ava's treatment, tatra hvayasva iti padena patniw ((rammu IMS. patni) ahvayita. ^ Ke^ava, ' with the third Pada : ' yavantav agre prathamam iti padena apatyani anvahvayita. But how can t/7iiyasyam mean with the third Pada .? 646 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Stanza 4. We read ^ivadhanya/^ (accented) with some MSS. and RV. I, ^'] the porridge is covered with ghee ; with stanza 38 the porridge is addressed. Both acts in the Sutra precede correctly and naturally the dip- ping out of the porridge, indicated in stanza 36. In stanza 38 the mighty eagle seems to be the sun which shines upon the porridge; cf. XIII, 2, 32. ■^'^. Both deva// and deva- tabhi/^ seem to refer to the Brahma;/as : the acting priests shall give the porridge to the priests for whom the porridge is prepared as a fee. Cf. Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, I -, 262 ; Weber, Indische Studien, X, 35, and see Kauj. 6, 26 ff. Stanza 39. Kauj-. 62, II ff. : ' With stanza 39 the act indicated in the stanza is performed (i e. both husband and wife place the porridge in one dish ?}. The wife takes hold of the hus- band. The subsequent performances are undertaken while husband and wife have hold of one another.' In Pada a the second para/^ which is rather superfluous may perhaps be emended to pate, corresponding to^aye in Pada b. Stanza 40. b. We read asmat for asmat to correspond with asya/^ in Pada a : man and wife are correlated. XII, 3- COMMENTARY. 653 Stanza 41. KaujT. 63, iS : ' With stanzas 41 and 44 juices are poured upon (the porridge).' The fourth Pada which is identical with 34 a (see its explanation there) seems out of place ; it may have crept in owing to 42 a. In Pada b amr/tasya nabhaya/^ may mean, ' the navels of immortality.' Stanza 42. Kauj. 61, 10 : * With this stanza the porridge is divided into three sections.' Cf. XI, t, 6, and the corresponding passage, Kauj-. 61, 8-1 1. In Pada a ' the treasure' is the porridge itself; cf st. 34. Stanza 43. Kauj-. 62, 14 : ' With this stanza the fire is carried around (the porridge).' Cf., e.g., RV. VII, 15, 10; AV. VIII, 3. 26. Stanza 45. Employed along with XI, i, 31 at Kaus. 62, 15. 17 ; see the note at XI, i, 31. In Pada d the rare singular angiraso is to be changed to the adjective angiraso, or, equally well, to the vocative plural angiraso. Stanza 46. The three stanzas beginning here are quoted in the course of another version of the brahmaudana practices (Kaui-. 67 and 68), in Sutra 68, 27. The devata// in P^da a are again, in all likelihood, the Brahma/zas ; cf. st. 38. Stanza 47. b. The passage may perhaps be rendered, ' and (so does) my wife at my doing and instigation.' The second hemi- stich is evidently spoken by the priest in a sort of response to the speech of the sacrificer in the first two Padas. Stanza 48. a. adharo is very doubtful : the Pet. Lex., ' riickhalt ' (?). Perhaps ' support, or protection in guilt ' is nearer to the true sense. Perhaps, again, an emendation to adharmo, ' lawlessness,' would not lead too far afield. 654 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEUA. Stanza 49. Kaui". 62, 18. 19. A cow and utensils for milking are placed to the north of the fire, the cow is milked during the recitation of a certain hymn, and the milk poured upon the porridge. Pada a is short by two syllables : supply karma, or the like ? Stanzas 50, 51. Kauj-. 62, 22. 23: ' With stanza 50 (and XI, i, 28) gold is placed upon (the porridge); with stanza 51 a homespun garment accompanied by gold is put down in front of it.' These, of course, are additional gifts (piece de resistance). Stanza 50. Ordinary fire in wood, lightning in the (cloud-)vvaters, and the fire of the heavenly luminaries, are reflected in the gold, presented by him that cooks the porridge : in giving the gold he becomes luminous, illustrious. Cf. I, 9, 2 ; XI, 1,38. Stanza 51. Since all animals have skins, nay even the porridge has a self-made garment, it is fit that the Brahman should also have one. In Pada c kshatrewa seems to mean ' covering,' and it may stand for /iV^atre;/a from ZV/ad, ' cover,' though >^//atra ordinarily means ' umbrella.' Cf. the variants ahi- kshetra and ahikshatra for ahi/t/^atra, ' mushroom,' i, e. ' serpent's umbrella.' Stanza 52. Kaus. 63, I. 2 : ' With this stanza they clothe themselves in the same garment. A second garment (which they put on) becomes a garment (that carries off) evil : that, accord- ing to some authorities, is given to a human being of the lowest character.' Cf. Ka.us. ii<, i. 4, where a black gar- ment (kr/shwa/tailam), symbolic of misfortune, is put on, and afterwards dropped into the water, in order that the mis- fortune may depart. Stanza 53. Cf the note on XI, i, 28. For Padas c, d, cf stanzas 19 a, b. The point of the stanza is not altogether clear : it XII, 3- COMMENTARY. 655 seems as though the smoke rising fiom the porridge (the earth) symboHses a cloud, and thus procures rain. Stanza 54, At Kau^. 63, 8 ' other chaff of grain (phalikara;/a in Sutra 7) is thrown (into the fire) while reciting this stanza.' Previously, in Sutras 6 and 7, similar substances (tusha and kambuka) have been thrown into the fire, and cast aside with the left foot; see the note on XI, i, 29. The stanza is exti'emely obscure, and I have lost confidence in th2 interpretation of it advanced in Contributions, Sixth Series, Zeitschr. d. Deutsch. Morgenl. Gesellsch. XLVIII, 576. Its purpose seems to be, rather, to cause the fire to blaze up anew, perhaps, in order to drive away demons. As the sky can assume different colours, and, especially in the mornings can drive away its blackness for the brightness of the dawn (Pida c), so the fire may be enlivened unto redness by sacrificing (chaff) into it. RV. X, 3, i d is almost identical with our Pada c. The Paippalada, suit- ably to the metre, reads atmany in Pada b, and rui-antim in c ; for apac^ait, see the passage in the Contributions, cited above. Stanza 55 ff. With the remaining stanzas the bestowal of the brah- maudana and the concomitant gifts takes place (Kauj-. 6^, 23). The series of formulas beginning here are closely related to the sarpahuti, AV. Ill, 27 ; Maitr. S. II, 13, 21 ; Tait. S. V, ';, 10, I ff. ; cf. Weber, Indische Studien, XVII, 295 ff. For the names of the serpents, see the notes on VI, 56 ; VII, ^6, and Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 94 ff. The expression ^ara mr/tyave in the third line of the for- mula reminds us of the bahuvrihi ^aramrz'tyu, XIX, 24, 8 ; 26, I ; 30, I. This suggests here a tatpurusha^aram;7tyu, ' death from old age ; ' the passage would then mean, ' may he lead us to death from old age.' In stanza 59 the asso- ciation of Vish/m with the dhruva dis is remarkable : we should expect the urdhva. For the association of Indra (not Yama) with the southern direction, see Weber, 1. c, p. 296. 656 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. XII, 4. Commentary to page 174. The hymn is an elaborate plea of the Brahmans for one of the numerous sources of income which they managed to devise. Especially all sorts of ominous occurrences are set down as occasions for expiatory performances (praya^Z'itti), at which the performing Brahman comes in for his dakshi//a (see the thirteenth book of the Kauj-ika), and every kind of irregularity in the birth of a domestic animal is amended by ceremonies in which the animal finally expiates its own existence by going over into the possession of the Brahman. See, for instance, AV. Ill, 28, and Kaui-. 1 09-1 1 1 . A cow which after a certain time (see st. 16) is discovered to be sterile (va^a) is viewed in this light : she belongs to the Brahmans, and the present hymn recounts in picturesque language, accompanied by fierce threats, the urgency of pass- ing her on to the Brahmans whom nothing hurts. Similarly in Tait. S. II, i, 2, 2, a sterile sheep is said to be 'cattle for the gods ' (i. e. in effect, for the Brahma;/as) ; cf. also Tait. Br. I, 2, 5, 2, and see in general Weber, Ind. Stud. X, 61 ff. In Ka.us. 44 and 45 the ceremonies for slaughtering a va.ya are described; it seems according to 45, 17 that they are wound up by giving the animal away. The present hymn is rubricated in Kaui-. 66, 20 along with X, 10 ; nothing is stated except that she is bestowed upon the Brahmans, after having been solemnly sprinkled while the hymns are recited. Cf. in general Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 272, and the same scholar's translation of the hymn, ibid. 448 ff. The metre of this composition is regular anu- sh/ubh ; this, together with the style and contents, betrays the late character of the hymn. Stanza 1. The parenthetic expression, ' and they have noted her,' is admonitory : the Brahmans do not fail to know that a sterile cow exists ; they are sure to claim their own ! Ludwig suggests abhatsata or abhantsata for abhutsata, ' and those who have bound her,' but there is no relative pronoun, and the sense resulting is strained. XII, 4- COMMENTARY. 657 Stanza 3. a For ku/a, cf. Geldner, Vedische Studien, I, 138. asya seems to refer to gava/i, understood from the context. b. ka/am ardati is difficult : ka/am is unquestionably a Prakritic form for kartam, AV. IV, 12, 7 (cf. similarly keva/e, RV. VI, 54, 7). For ardati one would expect some word for ' fall,' or ' push/ but the word means ' burst, go to pieces.' Perhaps ka/am is the subject, ' the deep ground bursts' (cf. RV. IV, 17, 2 ; AV. XIX, 9, H, descriptive of earthquakes), but this does not quite do justice to ka/am. d. The Paippalada has for diyate the preferable reading ^iyate, ' his property is wrung (from him).' For the inter- change of the sound-groups di and ^^i (dy and ^y), see the writer in Amer. Journ. Phil. VII, 482. Stanza 4. a. vilohita, designation of some disease, also IX, 8, i ; perhaps, ' flow of blood from the nose.' Henry, Les livres VIII et IX de I'Atharva-veda, pp. 105, 142, 'decomposition du sang.' Both translations are purely etymological, but we may note that the word occurs in connection with other ailments of the head at IX, 8, i. Cf. also lohita VI, 127, i, note. c, d. The passage is not quite clear, sawvidyam, cU. Aey., may mean ' possession.' Ludwig. ' name.' At any rate there seems to be an attempt to etymologise upon, or explain, vaj-a as a derivative from the root va^-, ' control : ' the character of the va-ra, quasi ' controller,' is such that she cannot be deceived (duradabhna). We should expect u-^yate for u^yase: the Paippalada also reads uX-yase. The Pet. Lexs. translate duradabhna (also st. rg), by ' getting the better of gates,' i.e. ' not to be confined.' This is ingeniously improbable, and contrary to the more usual rendering of the perfect passive participle. The prefixes dur- and a- represent a double negative for emphasis ; the word is a stronger version of du-fT^abha. Stanza 4 may be suspected of having stood originally [42] u u 658 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. after 5, because its second hemistich seems to summarise the statements made in the remaining three hemistichs of the two stanzas, Stanza 5. b. vikh'ndu, air. Aey., perhaps ' catarrh ; ' cf. vikleda (root khd), ' moisture.' d. Ludvvig emends ya to yan, but the feminine is un- objectionable (supply, dhenu//', or the Hke). Stanza 6. For the custom of marking cattle, see Zimmer, Altin- disches Leben^ p. 234. The sense of a sku is not quite certain. For vSat. Br. I, 2, i, 5. 8, BohtHngk's Lexicon renders it ' durch stochern zerkleinern ; ' Eggeling, Sacred Books, XII, 33, 'pull towards oneself;' Pet. Lex., 'divide off.' For a vrzskate, see the next note. Stanza 12. c d. If we compare a vriskanti in st. 28, and Sat. Br. XII, 1, 3, 22, it seems possible that the passive a vriskyate must be substituted in one or another case (stanzas 6, 12, 26, 34) for a vrtskate ; cf. the parallel roots skynt and skui, and the note on VI, 136, 3. The Pet. Lex. s. v. suggests the same correction for a number of passages in other texts. The dative manyave. in that case, involves zeugma : here the middle of the same verb, in the sense of ' infringe upon,' is certainly required, as is shown by st. 51. Stanza 16. For N^rada in this and several of the following stanzas, see the note on V, 19, 9. Stanza 18. The sense is as follows : Though he did not perceive her udder, because a young and sterile cow is deficient in this mark of prospective maternity, yet when he gives her away, she becomes a fruitful source of blessings. XII, 4- COMMENTARY. 659 Stanza 22. d. The cow belongs not even to every ordinary Brahma;/a, but only to him that knows all her mystic properties ; cf. the numberless occurrences in the Brahmawas of the expres- sions, ya eva?;/ veda, &c., and ya eva;;^ vidvan, &c. Stanza 23. The divinities that belong to the earth are in all pro- bability the Brahmawas themselves; cf. the note on XII, 3, 38. The stanza betrays sharp competition between the Brahma;/as. Stanza 24. e, d. Ludwig proposes to read either vidvan for vidyan, or narada for narada//. Neither seems necessary : vidyat is the optative of narration, a moderated form of categorical statement. A better way to ease the construction is to read sa ha for saha in Pad a d. Stanza 27. The statement is significant : it seems as though stanzas of a more antique and floating character respecting the va^-a existed prior to the Atharvan redaction. For vaj-et read, of course, vaset with the Index Verborum ; cf the note on III, 4, 7. Stanzas 29, 30. d. Ludwig suggests ^ighawsasi, and this is correct as far as the change of the third person to the second person is concerned. The attraction of the proper third person in St. 30 has operated. But I have furthermore changed both stems to ^iga;;/sa- from the root gam : the sense is much simplified. In st. 30 d read yak/lyaya. with the Index Ver- borum. Stanza 31. Cf. the interesting parallel stanza vSat. Br. Ill, 4, 2, 7. It may be questioned whether the real gods are supposed to mediate between the vasa. and the Brahmans, or whether deva and brahman are used synonymously. Cf. the notes on St. 23 and st. 40. U u 2 66o HYMNS OF THE ATHARVa-VEDA, Stanza 32. a, b. The call svadha is the ordinary and typical exclama- tion in connection with formulas addressed to the Fathers, in distinction from svaha. the call to the gods. The con- struction of the hemistich involves a zeugma. If we compare expressions like a suryaya v risky diiQ, Tait. Br. II, I, 2, lo; a vriskyanikrw aditaye dureva/^, RV. X, 87, 18, it would seem as though the datives pitr/bhyo and devatabhya// are to be construed with na a wriskydito. {vriskaXo), derived from the sense of Pada 4 ; cf. also st. 38 d. See in general the note on st. 12. Stanza 38. BrzTiaspati is the divine representative of the Brahmans : he undertakes to collect the debt incurred by the un- righteous owner of the vaj-a from his descendants by causing the priests to dun them for the debt. Stanza 41. For viliptyam (MSS. also viliptim) the Paippalada has vilaptim (for vilapatim ?). Neither form seems to suggest anything usable. Perhaps viluptf, ' miscarrying,' a deriva- tive of vilupta, ' destroyed,' in the neuter ' dead offspring ' is the true reading, of which the extant forms are perplexed popular etymologies (vilipti', 'soiled;' vilapati, 'whining'). Only it does not appear clear why vilupti should have been misunderstood ; hence the suggestion is very problematic. Stanza 42. c. The Paippalada reads tan for tarn: 'And Narada replied to them ' — a more facile reading. Stanzas 43-47. There seems to be considerable disorder in the arrange- ment of these stanzas. We should naturally expect 47 immediately after 43. This may have been displaced by 44 : the concordance of kasya(//) in 43, and vilipt}'a7/ in 44 XIII, r. COMMENTARY. 66 1 (cf. vilipti' ya in the otherwise identical st. 46) renders stanza 44 suspicious. The original order, throwing out 44, may have been 43, 47, 46, 45. XIII, I. Commentary to page 207. The thirteenth book of the Atharvan consists of four hymns devoted to the worship of a divinity called Rohita, and his female Rohiwi. There can be no doubt that ' the red ' sun and his accompanying female, who in the course of the literature is designated as Ushas, Surya, Surya Savitri, or Dyu \ are primarily in the mind of the poet, Rohita accordingly is identified with Agni (stanzas i, 1 1. 12), Surya (stanzas i, 32. 45 ; 2, i) and other manifestations of the sun -. But there is also another equally obvious side to the composition : it represents an allegorical exaltation of a king (ra^^a) and his queen (mahishi). The heavenly Rohita and his female are called upon to protect and exalt the king and queen ; the names of the divinities, rohita and rohi/n, are felt by the Atharvan poet to furnish especially good ground for calling upon them to undertake this pro- tection, since they afford an inexhaustible mine for puns with words that mean ^ rise, ascend' (cf. st. 4 a), In the royal ceremonies (ra^akarma/n) the king frequently ascends (a ruh, or a kram), a throne, or skin, or horse ; the act, of course, symbolises every time the moral ascendency of the potentate. Cf. Vait. Su. ;^6, 7 ; Kaui". 17, 3. 9. 13. 22 ; Ait. Br. VIII, 6, 12 ; and the r%asLiya at Va^. S. X, i ff., ^ Cf. Contributions, Third Series, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XV, 186. - The word ' identified ' is perhaps too strong. The composition of this book is by no means a unit ; it is indeed at times very difficult to see upon what ground the various stanzas have been compiled evidently with the main purpose of glorifying Rohita. But at any rate the compiler finds it especially natural to adapt stanzas in praise of other sun-divinities, and to glide over into the diction familiar to them. At Ka.us. 24, 42 rohita is explained directly as the sun (aditya). Anotlier relation of Rohita is Agni with two red steeds (rohitabhyam), La/y. Sv. I, 4, 2 fiF. 662 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEUA. where the verb a ruh occurs with especial frequency. In general the relationship of many stanzas of the present hymn with those in vogue at the ra^asuya, the ceremonies at the consecration of a king, is very close ; they have been collected and discussed in our remarks on the Rohita-book ; see the article cited below. In the Tait. Br. II, 5, 2, 1-3 a considerable number of the stanzas at the beginning of this hymn recur with variants which betray the fact that the Taittiriya-version is older and better than that of the Atharvan ^. The com- mentator (p. 600) explains the rohita as the horse employed at the aj-vamedha, the horse-sacrifice, and we may regard it as possible that certain stanzas in this compilation were originally composed for this purpose (cf. the note on St. 22). The hymns of book XIII are designated at AV. XIX, 23, 23 2, and Kauj. 99, 4 as rohitani (sc. suktani). Neither the Kau.yika, nor the Vaitana, each of which rubricates individual stanzas, contributes anything of consequence towards the elucidation of the hymn -''. In Ath. Parij-. 13, 2 (Hirawyagarbhavidhi) the first two hymns of the book are employed. This is distinctly a royal rite, intended to ward off all evil (sarvapapanodana). Stanzas i, 12 ; 2, ^6. 37 are employed in another ra^akarma, called the Ghrz'tavekshawam, Ath. Parij. 8, i. Nowhere is there anything calculated to define these hymns more narrowly. The present hymn has been rendered by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, 111,536 ff. ; cf. also Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, V, 39.5 ff. The entire Rohita-book has been translated and expounded by Henry, Les Hymnes Rohitas (Paris, 1891); cf. Contributions, Fourth Series, Amer. Journ. Phil. XII, ' AV. XIII, I, I in Tait. Br. II, 5, 2, i ; AV. 3 in Tait. 3; AV. 4 in Tait. i ; AV. 5 in Tait. i ; AV. 6 in Tait. 3 ; AV. 7 in Tait. 3 ; AV. 8 in Tait. 2 ; AV. 10 in Tait. 2. ^ Cf. Indische Studien, IV, 433. ^ At Kauj. 99, 4 the rohita-hjmns are addressed to the sun during an eclipse. XIII, I. COMMENTARY. 663 429 ff. ; Regnaud, Le Rig- Veda et les Origines de la Mytho- logie Indo-Europeennc, p. 315 ff. Stanza 1. In Pada d the Tait. Br. reads na/^ for tva ; the latter seems due to secondary adaptation. The stanza in its Atharvan form clearly bespeaks protection for a king from Rohita. Its first hemistich is addressed, very secondarily, at Kauj-. 49, i^akra ; Shankar Pandit adheres to the MS. reading. Saya;/a comments upon /(-akraMiu vahati (sapta /'/tun anu anukrame/^a . . . dharayati). The seven wheels occur again at RV. I, 164, 3. 12, where Saya/^a refers them to the seven modes of subdividing the year. But the scholiast to the present passage, again, as in st. i, has in mind the seven seasons (sapta rz'tun), i. e., the six seasons and the intercalary month. A wagon with seven wheels occurs also at RV. II, 40, 3, where it is employed by Soma and Pushan to carry the gods. Cf. also the Br/haddevat^, IV, 32. b. Saya«a comments upon a.mritam tanv aksha/^, to wit : 684 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. asya aksha// tanu sa/z/tataw sukshmam amrztam amara/za- dharmakam avinaj-vara;;/ tattvam. c. The MSS. have aw^at, a;;/^at (ench"tic), and anyat. Shankar Pandit relying upon Saya;/a adopts augat, which the latter renders by a;z^an , . , vyaktikurvan. I do not see how we can well escape Roth and Whitney's emenda- tion to arvan in the light of pratyah in the next stanza, and in that case it seems desirable to supply vahati, 'carries,' from Pada a. But we may render also, ' he turns towards all these beings.' Muir, ' he is at present all these worlds ;' Grill. ' er fahrt herbei mit jenen wesen alien ; ' Ludwig, ' er (fahrt) herwarts alle disc welten ; ' Scherman, ' er (fahrt) herwarts kommend alle diese wesen.' d. All translators, except Scherman, render iyate as a verb of motion (Saya/za, v: gatau) ^ ; Scherman, ' Kala wird als der erste gott angefleht.' Cf Tait. Br. Ill, 12, 9, I, 7'igbhi/i purvah/ze divi deva lyate (schol. gajtk/iati), ya^urvede tish//zati madhye ahna/z, samavedena^stamaye mahiyate. Read seyate with crasis. Stanza 3. a. Ludwig explains the full jar as the sun : Saya/za, better, as the year with its days and nights, months and seasons. The Pada is an irregular ^agati (read purua/i as three syllables). b. The MSS. of the vuIgate, santa/z, which is emended to santam. Shankar Pandit gives santa/z (accent !) as the reading of both Sawhita and Padapa//za ; Saya;/a translates it by ' good men,' satpurusha//. The emendation can be avoided : ' him we see being in many places ' c. Ludwig, ' er (fiihrt) hinweg alle dise welten ; ' Scher- man, ' er (Kala) [fahrt] zuriickgewandt alle diese Wesen.' The Pada is antithetical to st. 2 c, and indicates decay and death as over against life and growth. Cf. Mait. Up. VI, 14 (end), 'From Time all beings flow, from Time they grow, and into Time they set.' Possibly we may render, ' he turns away from all these beings.' So also Ludwig here, but in the almost idenucal i assage, XIX, 54, 6, 'wird angefleht.' It seems impossible to decide. \IX, 53. COMMENTARY. 685 Stanza 4. a. b. In both Padas the caesura is after ev^i, the pas- sage before the caesura being defective ; the first Pada is a ^agati. Grill, p. 195, by way of amending the metre, goes far in the direction of composing the Padas anew. Ludwig reads san for siin in both Padas, and his suggestion is supported by one of Shankar Pandit's MSS. of the Pada- pa///a. He translates : ' er allein ist, und als solcher hat er die welten gebracht, er allein ist, und als solcher kam er um alle welten herum.' c. The caesura again after the first three syllables. Stanza 5. The metre is irregular, especially in the first Pada : the Anukrama/zi, nivrz't {x\\kri\.) purastadbnhati. Read pr/thvi'r in Pada b, and possibly di'va^anayat in Pada a. b. The ' three earths ' are meant ; see IV, 20, 2, and our note on the same. Saya;^a, sarvapra/zyadharabhuta// pr/thivi/^ ; he also quotes RV. I, 108, 9. c. The MSS., both Sa?/zhita and PadapaV/a. kale ha. I follow Roth and Whitney in reading kalena. d. The MSS. unanimously, havi's tish///ate, which is emended by the same editors to ha vi tishZ/^ate. In this they were forestalled by Saya/^a, vi tish///ate vij-eshe;^a ai^ritaw vartate. Grill, ' auf grund des Kala steht es fest,' a translation that seems less probable than ours. Stanza 6. a. The MSS. have bhuti'm which Roth and Whitney have changed to bhu'mim. Saya;/a also comments upon bhutim, but he approaches closely to the value of bhumim, bhavanava^^agat. We with the vulgate. Stanza 7. In Tait. Ar. IX, 3-6 = Tait. Up. Ill, 3 ff. the funda- mental principles pra/m, manas, vi^T/ana (similar to nama in this stanza), and ananda are described ; cf. especially the expression, anandad dhy eva khalv imani bhutani 6S6 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. ^ayante with the second half of our stanza. See also AV. XI, 4, 4 ff., and Scherman, 1. c, p. /i. For the posi- tion of nama in philosophical cosmogony, cf. also Tait. Ar. 111,12,7. Stanza 8. For discussions of tapas and brahma, see Scherman, 1, c., p. 2 (note on RV. X, 129, 3), and Grill, p. 196, both con- taining references to previous efforts in behalf of these words. Saya;/a well translates tapas by, ^agatsar^ana- vishaya;// paryalo/^anam. In explanation of^yesh///am he has, hirawyagarhhakhya;;/ tattvam. His translation for brahma is mechanical : sarigo veda//, ' the Veda and its Angas.' For Pada d, cf. our notion of ' Father Time.' Stanza 9. d. Paramesh///in is one of the numerous designations of the supreme being, almost monotheistic in character, which serves to form a transition stage from the earlier poly- theism to the pantheism of the Upanishads. Essentially the same idea is incorporated above in the term ^yesh///a, which Sayawa fitly explains as hira;/yagarbha, ' golden embryo,' another embodiment of the same idea. Simi- larly vij-vakarman, ' fabricator of the universe,' svayambhu, ' self-existing;' cf. the next stanza, and AV. X, 7, 17. Stanza 10. d. Kaj-yapa is a divine being identical or parallel with Pra^apati. This style of literature is likely ever to have in mind the pun of the Tait. Ar. I, 8, 8, kasyapa/i pajyako bhavati, ' Kaj-yapa is a seer,' and this leads to the suspicion that the name is merely a personification of the sun ; cf. our note on AV. IV, 20, 7. The epithet 'self-existing' must not be taken too literally : svayambhu is one of the many names of the supreme being (see the preceding note), and as such is mentioned along with the others. IMuir, ]. c, p. 408, note, suggests in the light of this passage the unlikely theory that, ' this word must therefore be regarded as not necessarily meaning anything more than one who XIX, 54- COMMENTARY. 687 comes into existence in an extraordinary and supernatural manner.' XIX, 54. Commentary to page 225. The hymn has been rendered by Muir. Original Sanskrit Texts, V. 408 ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III. 191 ; Scherman, Philosophische Hymnen, pp. 80,82. Cf. also the introduc- tion to XIX, 5;^. Stanza 1. See the Ka//^a-Upanishad IV, 9 : ' Both whence the sun rises, and where he sets — on him all the gods are placed ; no one whatsoever goes beyond that. This truly is that.' Cf. also AV. X, 8, 16 ; 5at. Br. XIV, 4, 3, 34 = B;7l-i. Ar. Up. I, 5, 23 ; and Tait. Ar. VIII, 8. Stanza 2. The MS. tradition reports this stanza as consisting of three (gayatri) P^das. But a better division of the re- mainder of the hymn results if we add two Padas of the third stanza (making a pahkti), fuse the remaining two Padas of stanza 3 with the first two of stanza 4, and the remaining two of stanza 4 with the first two of stanza 5. This leaves the last two (trish/ubh) Padas of stanza 5 to make up one (our fifth) stanza, along with the two (trish/ubh) Padas printed in Roth and Whitney's edition as the sixth stanza^ — an arrangement in form and sense manifestly superior to the traditional one. Saya//a makes this arrange- ment and deserves credit for it. d, e ( = 3 a, b in the MSS.). The MSS. have kalo ha bhuta?// bhavya;;? ka. putro a^anayat pura/i (one of Shankar Pandit's Pada-MSS. piira). Roth and Whitney emend, kale ha bhuta;;/ bhavya//^ ka. mantro a^anayat pura. We adopt this text with the exception of mantro, for which we have retained the original putro. Sayana reads and ^ Not so in Shankar Pandit's MSS. of the text, where the arrangement is that of the vulgata, except that the last two trish/ubh Padas are added to stanza 5, making it to consist of six Padas. 688 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. comments, kalenai^^va pitra prerake//a putra/^ pra^apati/^ bhutam, &c. Stanza 3. Made up of st. 3 c, d and 4 a, b in the MSS. With it cf. Tait. Br. Ill, 12, 9, i and AV. XIX, 6, I3 = RV. X, 90, 9=:VcV- S. XXXI, 7 = Tait. Ar. Ill, 12, 4. c ( = 4 a in the MSS.). The MSS. read kalo y?.guim sam airayan ; one MS. of the Padapa///a corrects airayan to airayat, as also Saya;/a, who reads and comments, sam- airayat udapadayat. Shankar Pandit adopts this reading, and it is at the base of our translation. Roth and Whitney, on the other hand, restore kale ysigiikin sam airayan, which is the text translated by all our predecessors. Stanza 4. Made up of 4 c, d and 5 a, b of the MSS. c ( = 5 a of the MSS.). Sayawa reads devo for divo, which leaves kale to depend upon adhi tish//^ata//, to wit : arigira nama deva// . . . so^yam atharva atharvavedasrash/a devai- k2. kale sva^anake adhi tish//^ati. Shankar Pandit adopts Sa}'a7/a's text. Stanza 5. Made up of 5 c, d and 6 of the vulgata. b. vidh;7ti/^ is translated by Saya;;a futilely, lokadharakan. Muir's ' ordinances ' is untenable in the light of the remain- ing occurrences of the word (cf. Pet. Lex.); Ludvvig, ' die reinen vidh;7ti (zwischenraume, weltgegenden).' Scherman cites /^Mnd. Up. VIII, 4, i and AV. IV, '3,^, i in support of the rendering ' zwischenraume.' Perhaps ' boundary- line' comes nearest to the sense of the original. d. For iyate, cf. the note on XIX, 54, 2 d. XX, 127. Commentary to page 197. The Vedic hymns furnish the germs of a not inconsider- able part of the themes of the later epic narratives, notably in the Mahabharata and the Pura;/as. Especially the danastutis, 'gift-praises,' either independent hymns, or XX. 12 7- COMMENTARY. 689 Stanzas at the end of hymns, lauding the generosity of kings or sacrificers to the officiating Brahmans, appear as preHminary stages in the development of epic narratives in praise of warlike kings and heroes. Closely allied with these are the so-called gatha narai-awsya// \ ' stanzas which sing the praises of men,' j-lokas which occur in the Brahma;/a-texts, dealing with this theme in exorbitant terms. The Brahmanical authorities agree in assigning the so-called kuntapa-hymns, XX, 127-136, to this kind of literature, and the opening stanza of XX, 127 leaves no room for doubting their correctness. The Ait. Br. VI. 32 ff. - works up the material of the kuntapa-hymns at the sattras, the ' soma-sessions,' or prolonged soma-sacrifices, at which seventeen priests perform their functions. See Roth, Uber den Atharva-veda (Tubingen, 1^56), p. 6 ff. ; Max Miiller, History of Sanskrit Literature, p. 493 ; Haug's translation of the Ait. Br., p. 430 ff., and Weber, Episches im vedischen Ritual, Proceedings of the Royal Prussian Academy, July 23, 1891, XXXVIII, p. 770 ff. (p. 4 ff. of the reprint). AV. XX, ]27 consists of four pieces, dealing with dif- ferent themes ; the ritual employs each of them distinc- tively under the names naraj^awsi, raibhi, parikshiti, and karavya. Two of these names, narai^awsi and raibhi, occur as early as RV. X, 85, 6 ; Tait. S. VII, 5, n, 3. Quite a number of the stanzas of kuntapa-hymns are quoted in the Brahma;/as, exhibiting essentially the same textual corruption as the Atharvan version. The 5ahkh. Sr. Xll, 14 ff. exhibits them in full : AV. XX, 127 = 6"arikh. Sv. XII, 14-17. ^ Sometimes gatha-^ (indragatha/^) and narajawsya/? are differen- tiated, being mentioned separately, Tait. S. VII, 5, 11, 2; Kaush. Br. XXX, 5; Ait. Br. VI, 32, 3. 25; ^at. Br. XI, 5, 6, 8 ; ksv. Gr/h. Ill, 3, I ft".; Ya^;7av. I, 45. The Br/haddevata, III, 154, states explicitly that the narajaw/si-verses are of the nature of danastutis. ^ Cf. also Kaush. Br. XXX, 5 ; ^ahkh. Sr. XII. 14 ; Asv. Sr. VIII, 3, 7 ff. ; Vait. Su. 32, 19 ff. ; Gop. Br. II, 6, 12 ff. [42] V y 690 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. A. The first three stanzas, known in the ritual (Ait. Br. VI, 32, 4 fif. ; Kaush. Br. XXX, 5 ; Gop. Br. II, 6, 12) as the nara-ra;;zsya/z (sc. rik^ih), contain a danastuti. Their appli- cation, especially in the Ait. Br., contributes nothing to their elucidation. At Tait. S. VII, 5, 11, 2 the commen- tator defines them as manushyavishayakhyanapara 7'ikdih, ' stanzas devoted to the narration of human affairs.' But naraj-a7;/sa can scarcely fail to allude in some manner to narajra;«sa (Agni) ; cf. the next two parts. Stanza 1. The Rui-amas are praised as liberal bestovvers of dakshi;za in RV. V, 30, 12-15 ; cf. also RV. VIII, 3, 12 ; 4, 2. See Zimmer, p. 129. The stanza is quoted Ai-v. 5r. VIII, 3, 10; 5ankh. Sr. XII, 14, 1. Stanza 2. Cf. 5ankh. Sr. XIT, 14, 2 ; RV. VIII, 5, 37 ; 6, 48 ; 4^, 22 ; and Pischel, Zeitschr. d. Deutsch. Morgenl. Gesellsch. XXXV, 712. The second hemistich is textually corrupt and obscure. The sense seems to be that the chariot pre- sented by Kaurama as part of the dakshi/za is so high that it seems to just dodge the heavens which in their turn flee from its contact. I read i'shama;/a(//) with the Pet. Lex., and Whitney in the Index. The MSS. have ishama;^a(/z) ; the edition ]'shama;za(//). The word upaspr/j-a/^ I have taken as an ablative from the abstract upaspr/.y, ' touch, contact.' The Pet. Lex. takes it as an adjective, ' the touching heavens as they recede.' The text of 5ankh. .Sr. XII, 14, 2 has^ihilate for^ihishate. B. The next three stanzas are known in the ritual as raibhya/r (sc. 7Hk3.h) ; see Ait. Br. VI, 32, 7 ff. ; Kaush. Br. XXX, 5; Gop. Br. II, 6, 12. At Tait. S. VII, 5, it, 2 the commentator explains them as referring to Rebha (Agni), rebhaZ; j'abdakr/d agni/; tadvishaya r/X'a/z ; Saya;/a at Ait. XX, 127. COMMENTARY. 69T Br. — where, as well as at Gop. Rr., the treatment of them suggests nothing — defines them more vaguely as rebha^a- bdopeta rika.h. Agni is unquestionably spoken of as rebha, e.g. RV. I, 127, 10; VI, 3, 6; 11, 3; it is therefore not easy to decide whether he, the divine chanter, is addressed here, or whether the poet, the human chanter, is urged to perform his function. I incline to the former view, having in mind especially the parallelism of st. 4 with RV. Ill, 6, 3. The text is very corrupt. Stanza 4. Cf. vSarikh. 5r. XII, 15, i, and RV. Ill, 6, 2, d'wAs k'\d agne mahina pr/thivya va/^yantam te vahnaya// sapta^ihva/;, ' by the greatness (Ludwig, 307, along the greatness) of heaven and earth may thy seven-tongued flames disport themselves, O Agni ! ' For kshuro bhun^or, cf. the interest- ing kshuro bhrz^an, Tait. S. IV, 3, 12, 3 (bhr/>van for bhuri^van, not in the lexicons), and Pischel in Vedische Studien, I, 240, 243. Stanza 5. Cf. 5ahkh. S\\ XII, 14, 4. I have translated rebhd'so of the MSS. ; the edition has the vocative rebhaso. The text of the second hemistich is very corrupt ; its emended form in the edition is at the base of our rendering. Stanza 6. Cf. 5ankh. Sv, XII, 14, 5, with important variants. C. The next four stanzas are known in the ritual as the parikshitya// (sc. rz/'a//) ; see 5ankh. Sr. XII, 17 ; Ait. Br. VI, 32, 10 ff. ; Kaush. Br. XXX, 5 ; Gop. Br. II, 6, 12. The Ait. Br, and Gop. Br. advance as one of two expositions the theory that Agni is parikshi't, ' since he lives about among the people, and the people live around him.' The text itself admits of no doubt : Agni Vai^-vanara, the typi- cal god of Brahmanical piety (6"at. Br. I, 4, i, 10-18), is a kindly ruler among men, and his presence secures the Y y 2 692 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. prosperity of the golden age. In the later legends Pari- kshit is propagated variously as a terrestrial king. Stanza 7. Cf. 5ankh. 5r. XII, 17, i. In Pada d we have trans- lated a srinotd. of the edition ; the MSS. read a sunota (cf. the Prakrit root su, ' hear '). Stanza 10. The first hemistich is problematic, the comparison of the overflow of the grain with the bursting forth of the light is bold, nay bizarre. The MSS. do not read sva/i, as does the edition with 5ahkh. Sr. XII, 17, 4. Perhaps sva/i is to be read instead of sva/^ (cf. Bloomfield and Spieker in the Proc. Amer. Or. Soc, May, ]886; Journ., vol. xiii, p. cxvii ff.) : ' On the morrow the ripe barley bursts forth from the opening of the ground,' i. e. grain planted to-day ripens on the morrow. The second hemistich occurs in a different connection at Vait. Su. 34, 9 ; here also the MSS. read edhati for edhate, as emended in the edition. D. The last four stanzas are designated in the ritual as karavya/^ (sc. rikd^Ji), ' referring, or pertaining to the poet ; ' see 5ahkh. Sr. XII, 15, 2-4 ; Ait. Br. VI, 30, 16 ff. ; Kaush, Br. XXX, 5; Gop. Br. II, 6, 12. The expositions contain nothing but a worthless pun with derivatives of the root kar, ' make.' The general sense of the stanzas is clear. Stanza 12 occurs with variants at Hir. Grih. I, 22, 9 ; Par. Grzh. I, 8, 10 ; Gobh. Gr/h. II, 4, 6 (pratika) ; SV. Mantra-br. I, 3, 13. Stanza 14. d. For the skilfully emended /-ano dadhishva, cf Geldner, Studien zum Avesta, p. 58 ff. ; Roth, Zeitschr. d. Deutsch. Morgenl. Gesellsch. XLVIII, no. I. INDEX OF SUBJECTS. Abhayagawa, a list of hymns that secure immunity from danger, pages 398, 486, 542, 571, 576, 663. abortion, and abortionist, 165, 521, 524, 527. adaptation of mantras, Ixiii, 297, 365, 372, 380, 484, 525 n, 541, 548-9, 563, 665. adhvaryu-priest, 184, 243 ; cf. rit\'\g. Adit), 50-1, 97, 166, 179, 181, 183, 186, 206, 212, 502, 610, 613, 629, 647. Aditya, 126-7, 192, 499, 661 n. Adityas (plural), 6, 12, 55, 57, 89, 116, 119, 135, 161, 163, 191, 230J 443-4- adr/sh/a, and drishta, designations of worms, 315, 351. A^a Ekapad, and Ekapada, 208, 625, 664. Agastya, a sage, 23-4, 33. Agni, I, 3, 12, 14, 18, 24, 32, 35-6, 40, 42-3, 47-9, 50, 52-3, 55-6, 5S, 60, 64-5, 75, 77-81, 85, 90, 94, 104-5,109-10,112-3, 116-7, 120-2, 126, 128, 134-5, 139, 141,146-9,151,154,160,163-6, 170, 173, 175, 179-80, 182, 184-5, 188, 190, 192, 194-5, 201, 205, 208-11, 221-2, 226, 231, 241,249, 254, 270-2, 308-9, 323, 325-6, 328, 342, 353, 359, 365? 373,402,408,422,443,447, 449, 454, 475,478,485, 498, 501, 518, 525, 528, 533, 545 n, 552, 554, 580, 592, 600, 612 n, 620, 622, 627, 641, 645, 661, 664, 690, 691 ; Agnis, two, 216; cf. Garhapatya, Gatavedas, and Vaijvanara. agnihotra-sacrifice, 84, 122, 145, 227. agnish^oma-sacrifice, 189, 226, 458, 589. agrahaya«i-ceremony, 365, 551, 639. Akuti, a goddess, 104, 535. algaWu, designation of worms, 22, 314-5. aligi, designation of a serpent, 28; cf. viligi. aliklava, designation of birds of prey, 124, 155. All gods (vijve deva/^), 6, 33, 39, 103, 105, 113, 116, 119, 184. alliteration, 273, 345, 388, 576, 642, 646, 663 ; cf. puns, and double meaning. awholingaga«a, designation of certain lists of mantras, 321, 509, 600, 628. amr/ta (ambrosia), 4, 6, 10, 26, 43, 53, 86, 135, 141, 147, 162, 185, 190, 229. Awsa, a divinity, 160. amulet of the antelope's skin and horn, 336; ofaralu, 339; of the ajvattha-tree, 334; of barley, 285, 507, 541, 546; of a brace- let, 96; of darbha-gras?, 480; defensive, 394, 576 ; of the hairs of a Brahman, 477 ; of the ^ahgi^a-tree, 281,669; of gold, 63, 668; of herbs, 42; of karira- grass, 452; of khadira-wood in the shape of a ploughshare, 84 fF., 608; of k/-/sh«ala-berries, 239; of licorice, 275, 276; of a lute-string, 561 ; to cause micturation, 236; of mud, 287 : of mud sewn up in the skin of a newly-slain animal, 553 ; of 694 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. mu«_§-a- grass, 234; oftheparwa- tree, 114, 332; of thepa^a-phmt, 305 ; of pearl, 62, 383 ; of the putudru-tree, 573 ; of the sadawpushpa-plant, 339; of salve, 381 ; of the skin of a bull pierced by a peg (?) 263; of the sraktya-tree, 79, 575 ; of a spear, 506 ; of tarMa, 476 ; of ten kinds of holy wood, 34, 291 ff., 477, 578; of a thread that is red, 67 ; of the vara«a- tree, 81, 402, 505, 605. Andhaka (Ardhaka), 155, 619. Ahgas, a people, 2, 446, 449. anger, charms against, 136 if., .479 ff- . Ahgiras and Ahgirasa, mythic per- sonages, XXX ff., 38, 4 3, 73, 80, 86, 89, 119, 127-8, 161, 163, 171, 191, 225, 280, 433, 484, 576, 673, 678; special meaning in contrast with Atharvan and Atharvawa, xviii ff., xxi ff., xxiii ff., xxxi, 219, 576, 580, 603, 624. Ahgirasa/.'jdesignationoftheAtharva- veda, xviii, xxxi ; cf. Atharvan- girasa/j, Bhr/gvahgirasa/^. annaprajana, ceremony at the first feeding of a child, 575. antelope, buck, 32 ; horn of, 15, 336 ; skin of, 132, 215, 336, 439. ants (and earth from an ant-hill, cure poison), 27, 234, 287, 511, 552 ff . ; produce water ('piss- ant '), 9, 278 ; devour scorpions, 30. Anumati, a female divinity, 98, 104, ^ 109, 1^43, 173, 304, 461, 535. Apawi napat, a divinity, 589. aphrodisiaca, 370. Apri-hymns, 228. Apsaras and Apsara, 32, 80, 104, r 19, 125-6, 149, t6o, 202, 205, 225, 229, 324, 370, 408 ff., 414, 425, 518, 520-1, 534-6 ; names of, 33, 409 ff., 534. Aptyas, three water-divinities, 521 ff. Apva, divinity of evacuation from fright, 122, 325-7, 601 ; cf. 5akawbhara. Araru, a divinity, 167, 485. Arati, demon of avarice and grudge, 15, 57, 82, 109, 172 ff., 187, 261, 423. Araya and Arayi, male and female demons, 66, 69, 70, 162, 205. Arbudi, name of a battle-divinity, 123 ff., 631 ff. ; cf. Nyarbudi. Ardhaka (Andhaka), 155, 619. arka and arka-songs, 112, 226. arrow, of love, 102, 358; parts of, 432 ; poisoned, as a homoeopa- thic cure for poison ; ' white- footed, four-footed,' 127, 129; -wounds, charm against, 120. arteries, 11, 22, 259. Arya, 68, 72, 402. Aryaman, 20, 94-5, 99, 109, 143, . ^ 160, 243, 323, 333, 491. Aj3. and Ajapati, divinities, 486. Asita, a sage, 31, 107, 255. assembly and assembly-hall, 136, 138, 191-2, 206; charm to obtain influence in, 134 ff., 138, 543 ; spell in, 76. assignation, charm at, 105, 371. astrologers and fortune-tellers, 1. Asura (sing.), in, 241, 380 (Indra); Asuri (fem.), 16, 103 (Siren), 268 ff. ; Asuras (plural), 9, 11, 21, 27, 62, 67, 71, 79, 80, 82-3, 85-6, 127-8, 137, 199, 215, 222-3, 268, 279, 341, 398, 500, 516, 572. Ajvins, 48, 52,85, 95, 100-1, 1 12-13, 142, 160, 200, 229 ff,, 310, 312, 329, 389, 486, 503, 512, 581, 587-9. Atharvan and Atharvawa, mythic sages, XXX ff., 148, 225, 588 n, 688 ; Atharvans (plural), 33, 86, 161; special meaning in contrast with Aiigiras and Angirasa xviii ff., xxiii ff., xxxi, 219, 603, 624; derivatives from the stem atharvan, xxiv ; schools, relation of to one another, Ixi ; teachers, xlii, Iviii. Atharvahgirasa/.', designation of the AV., xvii, XXX, xxxii, xlvii, 433 ; cf. Ahgirasa/?, Bh;-/gvahgirasa/^. Atharva-veda, names of and their meanings, xvii ; position of in Hindu literature, xxviii ; in the RV., XXX ff. ; in the ^Saunakiya- sawhita, xxxi ff. ; in the jruti in general, xxxiii ; in the Tait. S., xxxvi ; in the ^at. Br., xxxvi ; in the Tait. Br., xxxvii ; in the Upanishads, xl ff. ; in the Gr/'hya- INDEX OF SUBJECTS. 695 sutras, xliii fF. ; in the law-books, xlv ff. ; in tlie Mahfibh., 11 ff. ; in classical literature in general, liv ff. ; in Gaina and Bauddha- texts, Ivi ; in its own ritual literature, Ivii ; relation of to the trayi vidya, xxxi, xxxv, Ivi ff. ; jraiita-practices in, Ixx. Atri, a sage, 23-4, 294, 319. Atrin, devouring demon, 37, 62, 64-5. attractio similiuni, 241, 249, 270, 443, 468, 542, 561, 564; cf. homoeopathy. auksiia, a salve, 276, 324, 410; cf. the next. Aukshagandhi, name of an Apsaras, .33, 324, 410- avarice against priests condemned, 423. Balhikas, a people, 2, 446, 449. bali-offerings, 367, 473, 491. balsam, 94. barber, 57, barley, 13, 40, 43, 57, 87, no, 162. 204, 219, 232, 540; as an amulet, 285; with water as a universal remedy, 507. battle-charms (sawgramikawi), xliii n, xliv, 117 ff., 233, 262, 404, 510, 545, 582 ; addressed to Arbudi and Nyarbudi, 631 ff. ; to Trishawdhi, 637 ; -fire 325 ; -machines, 632-4. bdellium (guggulu), 94, 303,322,324, 409, 548; healing properties ot, 40, 675 ; cf. Guggulu. beans, no, 536 n; inflammatory, 534; 'bean-loves,' 534. beasts of prey, 155-7, 161. Bhaga, a god, 33, 53, 94-5, loi, i35, 140, 160, 173,204, 312-13, 324, 495-_ Bharadva^a, a sage, 89, 295 ft., 319; -pravraska, 'cleaver of Bharadva^a,' designation of a staff used in witchcraft, 295. Bharatasvamin, a scholar, 340. Bharati, a female divinity, 512. Bhava, a god, 56, 75, 118-9, 155 ff., 175, 402, 406, 585, 604, 618. Bheda, a royal sacrificer, 179. bhcsha^ani, designation ot the au- spicious parts of the Atharva- veda, xviii, xxi, xxxi ft'., 628. Bhiiha^ Atharvana in contrast with Ghora Angirasa, xxi. Bhr/gu, a mythic personage, xxx ft"., xxxii, xxxiv, 171, 433. Bh/7gvahgirasa^, designation of the Atharva-veda, xxvi, 433,616; cf. Angirasa/.; and Atharvahgirasa/^, bhusawskara, a ceremony, 640. birds of prey, 124-9,155, 157, 205; nests, fire made of, 458; t)mi- nous and defiling, 82, 166 ft"., 186. Bishkala, 99, 245. 'biting rope' (strpent), 147, 368. 'black food,' 536. blood, charms against the flow of, 22, 45, 174,234, 257, 385, 483, 531- blue and red (threads), magic colours, 69, 120, 348, 395, 564, 566-7, 583, 587. boar (finds plants), 43, 77, 137. 306. bodily characteristics, auspicious and evil, 109, 168, 260, 564. bracelet, as an amulet to secure conception, 96, 501-2. brahma, spiritual exaltation (neut.), 87, 199, 202, 208, 211, 215-7, 220, 224-6, 623, 627-30, 686. brahma-graha and brahma-rakshasa, designations of demons, 290-1. Brahma/^arin (Brahmanic disciple), deified and glorified, 214, 626. Brahman, the god, 94, 127, 592. Brahma«a, cosmic, 25. Brahma«aspati, a divinity : see Br/- haspati. brahma?;oktam (ceremony), 569, 623. Brahman-priests, designated as gods, 529, 616, 652, 659; asthieves(?), 372 ; prayers in the interest of, 169 ff. ; invective against op- pressors of, 169 ft"., 430 ff., 522 ; inviolableness of their cows, 169 ff., 430 ft". ; as fourth priests in the Vedic sacrifices, Iviii, Ixii, Ixv, Ixviii. brahmaudana (Brahman's porridge), preparation of, 179 ft"., 185 ff., 528, 610, 645 ff., 653. Brahma-veda, designation of the Atharva-veda, xxvii, xliii n, lix, Ixii ff. brahmodya, Vedic charades, Ix, Ixiv, 398, 625, 644, 667-8. brandy (sura), 84, 231, 362, 493, 534, 578, 591; cf. hquir. 696 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. breath of life, deified, 218 ff., 622 if., 629 ; cf. Pra»za. bridal couple, love charms spoken by, 96, 546 ; cf. wedding. Br/'haspati (Brahma«aspati), a god, xxiii, 29, 32, 44, 47, 49, 50, 52, 635 65, 79, 85 if., I TO, 119, 126-8, 135, 140, 143, 160, 163, 178, 193, 211, 213, 485, 541, 552, 554, 596, 610, 660. Bnhatsaman, a Brahman, 171. broom-straw (?), 26. brotherless maidens, 22, 258. bull's skin, 379 tf. burial ground, practices at, 77, ^31, business, practices preparatory to, 148, 349 n, 352,490, 532, 619. Calamity, protection against, 158, 406 ; charm against, addressed to the Vedic pantheon, 160, 628 ; cf. misfortune, calf: see cows. calumny, charm against, 481. castration, 406, 545. cattle, charms for their prosperity, 142 ff., 303, 351, 412 ff., 490; charm to restore strayed, 150, 496; marking of, 174, 658; naming of, 317; sacrifice ot, 2z6, 228; worms in, 317; cf, cows. cave of animals, 322. chariot, divine, 120; -builder, 144 ; cf. wagon. child-birth, ceremonies at (^ata- karma), 293. chiromancy (samudrika), 260, cleft ground, scene of witchcraft, 288 n, conception, charm to secure it, 96, 501, consecration : see king ; for the soma-sacrifice, 498. ' consecration, great : ' see maha- janti. constellation, lucky, no; unlucky, 109, 517; charm for a child bora under an unlucky, 109, 517; male, 356; fading away of (symbolic fading of disease), 16. Names of : asha^M/6, 412 ; ^yesh//jaghni, 109; mula and mulabarhawT, 288, 517-8, 525; viir/tau, 13, 15, no, 288, 517-8; saptars'aya^, 52, 161, 179 ff., 390, 563. cosmogonic hymns, 199 ff. couch, symbolic of possession, 327. cows, charm to secure their return, 150, 414 ; of the Brahmans inviolable, 169 ff., 430 ff. ; kick- ing of sinful, 214; s!ain by Rudra (ijanahata), 253; and calves attached to each other, 108, 144, 190, 493 ; with a calf of the same colour, 240, 303, 356, 367 ; cf. cattle. creators, ten, 226. creeper, symbol of a loving woman, 100. cross-roads, 292, 448, 473, 519, 542; cf. fork of the road. curses, charms to obviate them, 91, 93, 285, 556. Daksha, 444. Danavas, 85. dancing sprites, 33, 149, 410, 413. danger, protection from, 155 ff., 160, 618 ff. dasi, non-Aryan servant-woman: see slave-girl. Dasyus, 67, 83, 86, 203, 222. death, from hunger and thirst, 69 ; messengers of(cf. dogs of YamaJ, 118; of a teacher, expiation of, 528 ; personified as a teacher, 216; tracks of effaced, 436. debate, charm to secure success in, 137, 275, 304 ff., 644. debts, discharge of, 528. defilement by black birds, 167, 555. demons, charms to drive them away, I ff., 33-9, 64 ff., 66, 290, 298, 339, 407-8, 669 ff. ; female, varieties of, 636, 638. Desh^ri, a goddess that guides, 219. desires, charms for their fulfilment : see wishes. Dhatar, a god, 20, 54, Si, 86, 94-5, 126, 160, 324, 387, 389, dice, 88, 116, 144, 149-51, 169, 391, 470, 493 ; ill-luck at, 69 ; cf, gambling, diksha, consecration for sacrifice, 227. directions, and regions of space, 14, 39, 86, 161, 203, 223, 225, 38c, 647, 650, 655; enumerated, 188, INDEX OF SUBJECTS. 697 192, 196; four, 120, 156, 199, 206, 216, 222, 367; five, 113, 162 ; six, 68, 207, 222 ; inter- mediate, i;o, 212, 223 ; distant regions, 304 ; distances, three, 92 ; of heaven and earth, 99 ; north-eastern direction (apara- ^itaj, 305, 379, 644. disaffected people, loyalty of re- stored, 240. discord : see strife. diseases, charms against, i fP. Enu- meration of: abscess ( vidradha ), 4o> 47. 53 1 ,602; a^;7atayakshma, 'unknown disease,' 40, 342,531; ague, 448; akshata (tumour), 488, 562 ; ala§-i, 602 ; apa/^it (scrofula), 17 ff., 472 ff., 503, 558-9; arish/a, 513; ajanka, 280, 637 ; asrava (excessive dis- charges), 483 ; balasa, 2, 8, 39, 40, 42, 46, 57, 61, 280, 383, 442, 450, 463, 531, 575, 601, 674; blood, How of, 40, 531, 657 ; ' breaking disease,' 38 ; of children, 341, 343 ; colic, 11, 283, 506 ; constipation, 10, 233, 235 ; consumption, 49, 247, 415, 442 n, 450, 463 ; convulsions, 37, 55, 283, 467; cough, 2, 7, 8, 247-8, 442, 513; deformity, 72; demons of disease, 33-9, 339; diarrhoea, 46, 233, 325, 327, 445, 483, 601 ; discharges, excessive, 8 tf"., 277, 481, 672; dropsy, 11 ft"., 42, 89, 241, 450, 471, 509, 530, 562; ear-aclie, 40, 44-5 ; epilepsy, 264, 513; ot the eye, 5, 12, 24, 30, 40, 47, 415, 454, 464^ fever (tak- man ; cf. takmanajana), of all sorts, I if., 39, 46, 60, 157, 218, 233, 2:46, 270, 273 ff., 280, 415, 441-2, 445, 451, 468, 470, 569, 676, 681 ; fractures (cf. wounds), 19, 3^4 ; g'lhinta (swelling), 17, 505; ^ambha, 280, 283, 467, 572; 5-ayanya (tumour), 17, 560-1 ; gout (in heels and toes), 12 ; grahi (fit, seizure) : see the woid ; head-ache (jirshakti), 5, 7, 45-6, 248, 252, 415, 442, 657; heart-disease, 7, 12, 40, 264, 471 ; hemiplegia, 500 n ; hereditary disease (kshetriya), 13 ff-, 47, 67, 286 ff., 293, 302, 336; inflammation, 531 ; jaun- dice, 7, 8, 46, 61, 263, 442, 445, 471, 566; leprosy (kilasa), 16, 266,415,441,450; mania: see the word; of nails, 521; neu- ralgia, 40, 45-7, 506 ; paman (eruption), 2, 442, 450; para- lysis, 13, 500; pr/sh/yamaya, 280 ; ra^ayakshma, ' king's evil ' (syphilis ?), 342, 415, 561 ; rheu- matism, 282, 506; sawskandha (disease- or demon', 38, 280, 283, 672; scrofula and scrofu- lous sores (cf. apai^it), 17 ff., 472, 488 ff., 503 ff., 558-9; spasm, 2; St. Vitus dance, 513; transmission of, 47, 309 ; of tei-th, 24, 72, 454, 521 ; tu- mours, 17, 19; udyuga, 450; vatikara, vat'ikr/ta (inflation, winds), 10, 22, 246, 483, 516, 602; venereal disease, 341 ; vi- klindu, 174, 658 ; vilohita, 600, 657; vijara, vijarika, 280, 284, 673; visarpaka (visalpaka), 531, 601 ; vishkhanda (cf. saw- skandha), 37-9, 61, 65, 67, 257, 280, 282, 339, 382, 672 ; worms in all parts of the body, 22-24, 313 ff. ; worms in children, 23, 452; wounds (cf. fractures), 20-1, 419, 516; yakshma, 247, 291, 337, 416,463,468,505,507. dogs, 106 (watch-dog?); as beasts of prey, 129 ; heavenly (sun and moon), 13, 500; bitch, four- eyed, 68; of Rudra, 158; of Yama (messengers, four-eyed), 54, 59, 60, 167, 318, 404, 422, 500, 571. double meaning, 238, 250, 254, 259, 306, 313, 346, 381, 386, 544, 549, 645, 664; cf. alliteration and puns. dreams, evil, 12, 61, 69, 82, 167, 221, 394, 483 ff-, 592,605,642. dridbika.nna.fi\, a ceremony, 640. driveling woman, 109. Druh, demon of deceit, 14-5. drum (hymns to), 117, 130 ff., 204, 436 ff. ; spell in, 77. Dvita, a water-god, 521-2. 'dwelling, mistress ot,' 140, 194-5, 346 ; cf. house. Dyu, a sky-god, 50 ; female of SQrya, 661, 665. 698 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Eagle, 16, 77, 132, 137, 146, 190, 306 ; finds healing plants, 306, 375 ; heavenly (lightning), 68, 241, 40t, 581. ears of cattle, pierced, 174, 658. earth, mother of plants, 235; god- dess, 180, 199 ff., 639 if.; lump of (curative), 234, 287, 475, 552; from a bee-hive, 427; from a mole-hill, 427; -quake, 640; earths, three in number, 30, 68, 400,471,631,686; earths, nine in number, 228, 631. eclipse of moon, 533 ; of sun, 294, 662 n. effigy, human, in witchcraft, 72, 359, 534. Ekata, a water god, 521-2. elephant, 76, 116, 144, 195 (female), 202. enema, 236. enemies, charms against, 89, 92-3, 325, 334, 484, 544, 557- eunuch, 108, 1 30, 538. evil, charms against, 163, 509; eye, 61, 91, 285-6, 474 (cf. papma- ga«a) ; deposited in a garment, 654 ; qualities, personified as divinities, 423 ; thoughts, elimi- nation of, 594. Ci'. sin. Fathers, 10, 54, 59, 60, 73, 87, 119, 126, 138, 161-2, 166, 17C-1, 175, 180, 183-4, 186, 196, 223, 229, 254, 38^, 456, 544, 585, 603-4, 612, 660. fire, charm for security against, 147, 514; battle-fire (senagni), 325; in a battle-charm, 121; digestive (g:it bdragm), 242 ; forest-fire, 107, 443, 468 ; funeral-fire, 77. fish and fishermen, 154. five peoples (races), 92, 201, 204. fork of the road, 163 ; cf. cross-roads. fortune, charm to procure it, 253. frog (symbol of water and coolness), 4, 348, 350, 514-5, 565- funeral practices in sorcery and imprecations, 254, 297, 435 ; funeral-fire, spell in, 77 ; funeral- cow (anustara«i), 253. Gamadagni, a sage, 23-4, 31, 319. Gambling, gamester, and gambling- place, 76, 88, 144, 149-50, i9r, 391, 412, 544, 548; cf. dice. Garni, a goddess, 323. Gandhari, a people, 2, 446. Gandharvas, 31, 33-4, 43, 80, 119, 125—6, 160, 202, 205, 210, 214, 225, 229, 254, 323, 370, 408 ft'., 413, 520-1, 534, 536 ; namesof, 534; Gandharvi, 520-1. Garhapatya (Agni), 165, 167. Garuo'a and Garutmant, 25, 268 ft'., 306, 401 ; cf. eagle. Gatavedas (Agni), 18, 54, 57, 64-5, 83, 88, 98, 106, iio, 116, 121, 149, 168,^ 180, 183, 208, 541, 545^ nj (Aditya), 127. gatha iiarajawsya^, a class of man- tras, 689, G_aya, a sage, 107, 255. gayatri, a metre, 1 1 2, 208 ; in relation to Agni, 664. gharma, 119; three gharmas, 230, 590., Ghora Ahgirasa in contrast with Bhisha^ Atharvawa, xxi. gifts, prayer at the receipt of, 196 ; praise of him that b.stows them (danastuti), 197, 688 ; three, 181, 613. glory, prayer for, 117,478; cf. lustre. goat-footed woman, 109. godana-ceremony, 307, 574, 665. gods, ageless, 365 ; sinful : see sin ; sleepless, 200. gold, 94, 116, 183, 192, 196, 264, 322, 348, 384, 477, 617, 654, 668 ff. ; as an amulet, 63. golden age, 198, 692. golden ship (soma, the moon?), 4, 6, 415, 680. Gotama, a sage, 319. gourd used in charm against ser- pents, 428. Grahi (fit, seizure), a female demon, 15, 34, 49, 57, 165, 187, 525- grain, charm to produce increase of, 141, 499; expiatory offering of, 528. gramaya^in, -ya§-aka, and pugaya- ^wiya, an inferior kind of priest, xl n, li, 580. greed and worldliness, expiation of, 494- Guggulu,anApsaras, 33; ct. bdellium. Hair, charms to promote the growth of, 30 ff., 470, 536. INDEX OF SUBJECTS. 699 hawsa, a bird (the sun), 28, 462. haplology, 398. happy kingdom, 198, 692. haridrava, yellow wagtail, 8, 266. harmony, agreement, peace, charms to secure them (sawmanasyani), xxix, xliv n, 134 ff., 492, 494-5, 508, 550 ; between cow and calt, 493. havis (technical), 479, 492, 496 n, 498, 500. health, charms to secure it, 44-5, 49 ff. heat, fever cured by (attraction), 270. heavens, three, 68, 400, 416, 631; nine, 228, 631 ; cf. oceans, nine, hell (nethermost darkness), 177, 191, 21 1, 221-3, ^42, 301. hemp (fastens amuietsj, 37, 162, 281, 284, 582. herald, 131. hermit, personification of the sun, 403. Himavant-mountains (Himalaya), 4-6, 12, 61, 415, 679. Hirawyagarbha, the supreme god, 629, 686. holiness and beneficence, female personifications of, 602. holy work thwarted, 89 ; ' holy water,' 379, 393, 504, 540. homoeopathy, 264, 443, 481, 506, 566 ; cf. attractio similium. honey, mixture of, for guests, 84 ; symbol of agreeableness, 277 (cf. licorice, and sugar-cane) ; honey-lash of the Ajvins, hymn to, 229, 587. hook, to rake in wealth with, 503. horse, charm to endow it with swiftness, 145, 507; of Pedu, 152 ff., 605, 607 (cf. Pedu, and Paidva-ceremony ) ; sacrifice of, 662, 666 ; of Yama, 21, 422. hostile powers, charm for exposing hidden, 398. house, prayers and practices at the building of, 140, 343, 494 ; parts of, 140, 193 ff., 243, 343, 497) 596-8; purification of the entrance of, 298 ; presented as a gift to Brahmans, 193, 595, 598; removal of, 193, 595; varieties of, 597. Hrwiu, designation of fever, 3, 273. human sacrifice, ransomed, 360. hundred and one, 50, 162, 168, 170, 307, 43 5, 565; t-f- ninety-nine. husband, charms to obtain one (pativedanani), 94-5, 217, 322, 491. hymns of the Atharva-veda, arrange- ment of, 247. Ichneumon (and serpent), 43, 103, 540, 580 ; cf. porcupine. Ida., a goddess, 512. Ikshvaku, a king, 6, 679-80. Indra, 18, 22, 24, 32-4, 38-9, 48-9, 51, 53-5, 58, 63-6, 71, 75, 77-81, 85, 89-92, 95, 103, 105-6, 108, 112-17, 119-23, 125-33, 136-40, 143, 145-6, 148-9, 151-3, 160, 162-3, 169-70, 173, 179, 183, 188, 192-3, 195-6, 198, 200-1, 203-4, 207, 210, 213-15, 217, 221-3, 226, 231, 241, 256-7, 268, 280, 294, 311, 315, 324, 328-9, 331, 342, 349- 50, 353, 367, 370, 380, 402, 433, 440, 454, 476, 478, 500, 503, 522, 547-9, 551, 554, 583, 596, 627, 633, 655, 663; Indra Brahmawaspati, 163 ; seduced by an Asuri, 103, 268, 547 ; his mother, 116, 478. Cf. Magha- van, and 6'akra. indramaha and -mahotsava, a festival, 353, 405, 510. ^ ^ Indrawi, 105, 354, 536; indrawya arsham, and indrawy-upanishad, 354- ihgid'a,and ingifl'a-oil,used in sorcery, 334, 476, 496, 582. insects, in the field, 142, 485; poison- ous, 29. intercalary month and year, 682-3. inundation, charm to prevent it, 349 "• investiture witli the holy cord (upanayana), 240, 364, 381, 383, 551,569,574,623. Ijana, a god, 253 n, 618. ish/a-purtam, 297. Jackal, 306. jealousy, charms against, 18, 106 ff., 467, 547, 559- 'jewels ' of the king's court, 333. 700 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Kab,wa (demon?), 67, 339-40. kairata, designation of a serpent, 28, 427; cf. Kirata-maiden. Kala (time) personified, 224 ff.. 620 681,687. kalaka/l^a, three (heavenly phenome- non), 13, 500. Kama, love personified, 102, 175 220 ff., 311,359,591, 629,682; myth of, 555. kanaknaka, designation of poison, 154, 608. ^anda, a demon, 66, 301, kanda-poison, 154, 608. ifandra, and A'andramas (moon-god), 10, 17, 85, 120, 128, 161. kankaparvan (scorpion), 29, 553. Ka«va, demon of disease, 36, 302 ; name of a sage, 23-4, 33, 71, . 315, 318-9, 397. karavya/j, designation of certain stanzas, 689 ff. karki, designation of a white calf, 150, 413-4. karjapha (a demon ?), 67, 339. kasar;?ila (kasar«ira), designation of a serpent and serpent-r/shi, 152, 607, Ka^yapa, a sage, 33, 45, 80, 107, 225, 255, 322, 577, 686; eye of (the sun), 68, 403 ; Ka^yapas (plur.), 210. /Jaturthi-karma, a wedding-practice, 276, 546. Kaurama, a tribe, 197. Kesaraprabandha, a woman, 170, 432. Kejin, a divinity, 157, 620. kilala, a sweet drink, 206. Kimidin, a kind of demon, 64, 68, 205, 238, 403. king, practices pertaining to the, li, III fi"., 404, 477 (cf. sovereign power); consecration of(ra^a- sfiya). III, 226, 239, 333, 346, 378, 405, 66 r, 663 ; election of, 113, 330; restoration of an exiled, 112, 327, 330; marriage of, 498 ; charm to ensure him superiority, 115, 404; compared \\ ith Indra, 112; with a leopard, 112; with a lion and tiger, 115; and purohita, mutual rites be- tween, Ixi, 379. kinswoman, curse of, 14. Kirata-maiden, 153 ; cf. kairata. /^itrakarm.a, a ceremony, 666. kma^, designation of a bird, 352. Kr/Vanu, a heavenly archer, 401. kshatram, represents the Atharvan and its practices (.?), xxv. Kshetrapati, a divinity, 486. >^u^akara«a, a ceremony, 309, 574. Kumara, a god, 326 ; cf. Skanda. kuntapa-hymn, 197, 688. Kuru, a country, 198. Lakshmi, 261, 565. LalamT (woman with spot on the forehead), 109, 261-2. lash (whip), parts of, 231 fl:"., 591. lead, in sorcery, 65, 256 ff., 299. legends, 268 ff., 270 ft;, 535, 537, 604, 629, 679. leopard, 112. licking the young, sign of affection, lOI. licorice (imparts attractiveness, and persuasiveness), 99, 10 1, 275-6, 311, 415, 552; cf. honey, and sugar-cane, lightning, 193; charm to protect grain from, 142, 543 ; cause of fever, &c., 7, 246; cures fever (attraction), 271; as 'honey- lash,' 588. lion, 112, 115-6, 130, 132, 205, 3S0, 477- liquor, 141, 144; cf. brandy, and kilala. locust, 142. longevity, charms and prayers to secure it, 49 ff., 52, 55-6, 58, 60, 114, 239 n, 306, 309, 321, 342, 418, 455, 551-2, 569 ff., 573, 623, 668. lost property, charm to find it, 159, 542. lotus, lotus-root, 147, 236. love-charms, 99 ft'., 103 ft;, 274, 311, 358, 415, 459, 512, 534 ff., 539. lustre and strength, charms to secure them, 116, 477, 6^2. ]\Iadhubrahma«a, 587 n. madhugraha, 589. madhusukta, 589. INIagadha, a country and tribe, 2, 446, 449- Maghavan (Indra), 94, 121, 151, 324. INDEX OF SUBJECTS. / or magic identification of two persons, 310. INIagundi, daughters ot (demons), 66, 301. INIahadeva (Rudra), 133. m;ih;inamni-verscs, 226, 631. mahajanti,' great consecration,' 393, 446, 448, 474, 602, 669, Mahav/vsha, a tribe, i, 2. maiden, mythical first husbands of, -» 9 T male child, rite for begetting one (puwsavana), 97, 356, 460. mania, charms to secure it, 32, 417, 518. Manmatha, god of love, 311. INIanu, 67, 96, 679. IManyu, wrath personified, 223, 594. Rlari/J'i, an Apsaras, 414. Maika, a demon, 301. marks of the body, good and evil : see bodily characteristics, married couple, blessing for, 96, 546. marrows, eight, 90. Maruts, 48, 53,90, 104,112-3,121-2, 126, 132, 135, 140, 146, 151, 183-4, 188, 207, 230, 266, 328, 548, 663. Matali, 162, 629. INIatarijvan, 53, 205, 216, 219. matrAiamani and matz-igaHa, desig- nation of certain mantras, 399, 518-9 ; cf. mothers. Matsya, a sage, 6, 681. messengers of death, two, 167; cf. dogs, metal-worker, 114. metres, 112, 186, 208-9, 227, 345, 664. micturation towards the sun, sinful, 214, 668. miscarriage, charms to prevent it, 97-8, 298, 302. misfortune, removal of, 364 ; cf. calamity. Mitra, 10, 37, 39, 50-1, 91, 102, 105, 109, 113, 116, 122, 126, 153, i6c, 172, 175, 195, 210-1, 216, 331, 349, 436, 557- mixed grain, spell in, 76. mole, 142 ; mole-hill, earth from, 427. mosquitoes, buzzing of, 36. ' mothers,' divinities, 644 ; cf. ma- tr/namani. mourners, female, 55, X24-5, 127, 156, 634, 638. m/vgarasuktani, designation of cer- tain hymns, 252, 298. MWtyu, death personified, 133. IMug-avant, a tribe, r, 2, 446, 448. mule, symbolic of sterility, 120, 545. Mu%avant, a mountain, 278. mustard against ophthalmia, 464. Nabhasaspati, a god, 142, 499. nadi, 'river,' etymology of, 349. nakedness of man, 192. Na>^iketas, 424. Naladi, name of an Apsaras, 33. name-giving (namakarawa), cere- mony of, 573. Namu/^i, a demon, liv, 256-7, 5S3. Narada, a sage, 172, 175 IF., 435, 658, 660. naraja;«sT, designation of certain stanzas, 689 ff". Nardabuda, 634 ; cf. Nyarbudi. Narshada, a patronymic, 397 ; cf. N/7shad. new-moon, night of, fit for sorcery, 256, 408. new-moon and full-moon sacrifices, 559- Night, personified, 20. ninety-nine, 172, 433 ; cf. hundred and one. nir?zayana-ceremony, 574. NirWti, demon of destruction and misfortune, 14 ff., 36, 49, 52-3, 57, 82, 90, 92, 166 ff., 173, 183, 187, 423, 474, 556-7, 564, 617. Nissala, a female demon (?), 66, 300. nivid-formulas, 228. Nr/'shad, a sage, 71 ; cf. Narshada. Nyarbudi, a battle-god, 1 2 3 fl'., 6 3 1 ff. ; cf. Nardabuda, and Arbudi. Oceans, nine, 228 ; cf. heavens, nine, ominous birds, charms against, 166, 474 ff., 619; ominous sneezing, 82. oracles, 243, 295, 303, 323, 491. ordeals, with fire, 294 ff. ox (ana^an), apotheosized, 624. Paidva-practice, 357, 460, 605 ff. ; cf. Pedu, and horse of Pedu. 702 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. panaceas, 40-1, 252, 302, 321, 406, 473. 507, 509, 530, 578, 600. pa«/^akalpa, and -kalpin, a priest who practices Atharvan sorcery, xxviii, liii. pafikti, a metre, 186, 209, 212. pantheon,Vedic, addressed in prayer, 160, 628. panther, 116. papmagawa, a certain list of mantras, 474- Paramesh/Z'in, the supreme god, 80, 84, 208-10, 215, 225, 629, 665, 686. Par^anya, a rain-god, 8, 10, 43, 52, 116, 153, 161, 200, 204, 233-6, 588,^623-4. parigrihya, designation of a lire-altar (vedi), 379, 641. Parikshit, a king (Agni), 197 ff., 691 ff. parikshiti, designation of certain stanzas, 689 tf. parrots, 8, 144, 264 n. parturition, charm to make it easy, 99, 242. Parushwi, a river, 29, 462. Pajupati, a form of Rudra, 155 ff., 161, 618. Pathya Svasti, a divinity that pro- tects travel, 331 ; cf. roads, pea-hen (devours serpents), 30, 555. pearl and its shell as an amulet, 62, 383 ff. pebbles, 250. Pedu, a king, 152 ff., 605, 607; cf. horse, and Paidva-ceremony. physician, social position of, xxxix, xlviii, 1, liv ; divine, 389, 454. pigeon, bird of omen, 474. Pila, name of an Apsaras, 33. pi?zJadana, a ceremony, 259. Pija/^as, a class of demcms, 34-7, 57-8, 65, 68, 187, 190, 205, 281-2, 290, 302, 339, 407-9, 475 ; Pija>^i, the female, 301. plants and trees, in general, as heal- ing agents, 41 ff., 44, 578 ; used in sorcery, xix ; against a rival woman, 107; to deprive of vi- rility, 108 ; arouses love, 102-3 ; five kingdoms of, 162 ; names of their fathers and mothers, 419,421. Names and epithets: abayu (mustard ?), 30, 465 ; adhyaw/ii, 356 ; a^ajrmgi (me- shairmgl), 33, 408; ahva, 118; 582,^584; ala, ^30, 236,^ 358; alaka,536; alasala, 30; amula(?), 457 ; apamarga, 69 ff., 305 n, 393 ff-, 429, 487, 556; ara/aki (a^ajrmgi), 33; arka-tree, 250; arundhati, 19-21, 40-1, 144, 289, 305 n, 385, 419, 490-1, 579, 676-7 ; asuri-tree, 267 ; ajvattha-tree, 4, 6, 21, 33, 43, 91, 97, 117, 334 ff-, 415-6, 460, 496, 505, 582 ff., 585; avaka- reed, 33-4, 42, 349, 410, 462, 5^5, 579 ; bamboo fstaff of), 248, 256-7; bawaparwi, 355; banyan -tree (nyagrodha), 21, 33, 147, 367; barley: see the word ; beans : see the word ; camphor, 236 n ; curcuma, yellow (haridra), 374 ; darbha- grass, 43, 137, 152-3, 162, 241, 286, 317, 480, 519, 606, 615 ; dark plant, cures leprosy, 16, 267, 270 ; dhava-tree, 21 ; 'displacer' (vaibadha), epithet of the ajvattha-tree, 91-2, 335; dividhuvaka (reed), 348; durva-plant (millet), 147, 258, 515; 'even-colour,' epithet of a plant to cure leprosy, 16 ; ^angirt'a-tree, 37-9, 280 ff., 403, 443, 670 ff. ; ^ayanti, 420; gh;-/ta>^i (?), 154, 608 ; ^ivala, 5, 41, 56, 491, 677 ; ^ivanta, 5, 678 ; ^ivanti, 41, 56, 420, 536 n; ^ivi, 536 ; gourd, 428 ; haridra : see curcuma ; haritaki, ' gall- nut,' 236 n; induka = pramanda, 236 n ; kadvindu (reed .'), 496 ; ka>^amaii (?), 536 n; kampila and kampila, 240, 292, 406 ; karira (reed), 452 ; kaja (reed), 348 ; kera-tree, 250 ; khadira- tree, 21, 84, 91, 118, 334 ff., 367, 505, 582, 608 ; khalva and khalvahga, ' lentils,' 314-5 ; ^i- pudru-tree,40, 5 3off. ; kr/muka- tree, 374 ; kr/sh«ala- berries, 239 ; kudi-plant, 172, 358 ; kudrUi-tree (gu^Ti/^i), 487 ; ku- sh/Z^a-plant, ' costus speciosus,' 4ff., loi, 311, 358, 414-5; 436, 441 ff., 448, 451, 676; laksha, * lac/ 19-21, 385, 387, 419 ; madavati, an epithet, 26, 30, 374-5, 465 ; mawpajya, an epi- INDEX OF SUBJECTS. / 03 thet, 399 ; millet : see durva ; mu%a-grass, 9, 234-5, 242, 248, 278, 519, 523 ; mustard, 464; naghaniara and nagharisha, epithets of the kush/Zni-plant, 5. 41, 56, 677 ; nara/(M {?j, 457 ; iiika/a (?), 470 ; nilagalasala, 30; nirdahanti, xix; nitatni, 31, 346, 536 ; nyastika (?), 539 ; palaja- tree, 295, 299, 356, 530, 584; paraju (tree, or plant?), 295, 472 ; parivyadha-plant, 369 ; par«a-tree, 331 ff., 581 ; pa/a- plant, 137, 305, 354; pavika = ula, 236 n; pepper, 21, 516; plaksha-treo, 21 ; pramanda, -36, 253 n, 410; pr/jnipar«i, 36, 302 ; putika, 236 ; putudru- tree, 58, 573; reeds (vetasa), various sorts of, 308, 348, 464 ; rice : see the word ; rohawi, 19, 385-6 ; sadawpushpa, 67, 399 ; sahadevi, 490 ; jaivala, a water- plant, 245 ; jaka-tree, 464 ; jami, a creeper, 97, 409, 460 ; jahkhapushpi, 539 n ; jara- puhkha, 355 ; sesame : see the word; jigru-tree, 250, 453; sila-^i, 20-1, 385, 419 if.; si- la;7_§-ala, 30, 420, 465-6 ; jiwj- apa, 299 ; soma, the plant, 6, 43-4 ; sraktya-tree, 79, 575 ; suryavalli, 539 n ; suvar/(alS, 539; jyama (jama), a black plant, 270; ta^adbhahga-tree, 118, 505, 582 ff. ; tar/^/Aa = palaja, 476; taudi (plant?), 154, 608; tilaka-tree, 575 ; trisawdhya, 399) 5 39 ^ \ udumbara-tree, 299 ; u^/'/'Ushma-plant, 369 ; ula, 205, 236 ; ujira, 436, 453 ; utpala (?), 497 ; vadhaka-tree, 118, 476, 505, 582, 584 ; vara«a- tree, 39, 81, 505; vibhidaka- tree (vibhitaka), 470, 505 ; vi- bhindant, and vibhindati, 71 ; vidari, 356; vihalha, 30, 465; viriwa, 561 ; vishawaka (?), 10, 482 ff. plough and ploughshare, 84, 287 ff., 356, 608-9. poison, charms against, 25 ff., 27 ff., 42, 154) 373 ff-, 511- porcupine, hostile to serpents, 28, 428 ; cf. ichneumon, porridge (gruel), 26, 30 ; for the Brahmans, preparation of, 1 79 ff., 185 ff., 610 ff., 645 ff. ; porridge- man, 240 n. portentous occurrences, 262. post, sacrificial, 201, 203, 213. Pra^^apati, 31, 55, 84, 97-8, 126, 138, 149, 161, 179, 194, 204, 206, 215-9, 224-8, 230-2, 461, 592, 627, 629, 686. Pra^etas (Ahgirasa), a divine per- sonification, 163, 484. Pramandani, an Apsaras, 33, 410; cf. pramanda, under plants. Pra«a : see breath of life. PratUina (Angirasa), a divine per- sonification, xxiv. 73, 603. pratyahgirasa, ' counter-witchcraft,' xix, xxiv ; cf. ahgiras. precedence of younger brother, expiation of, 164, 521. pndaku, a kind of serpent, 553. pz-ishataka, mixture of ghee and milk, 385. P/zjni, a goddess, 43, 132, 207. Prithivi (earth), personified, 8, 50. prosperity, charms to procure it, 140 ff, 332. protection from sorcery and hostility, prayer for, 575.^ pugaya^/7iya : see gramaya^in. puns, 95, 97, 116-8, 146, 153, 194, 205-6, 216, 218, 221, 225, 232, 243-4, 247 n, 249, 251-2, 266 n, 267, 280, 285, 287-8, 298, 322, 326, 336-7, 348 if., 361, 370, 385, 393, 403, 408, 426 n, 427, 434, 446, 448, 480-1, 497, 505, 507, 518, 527, 551, 561 n, 575, 582-3, 594, 603, 609, 657, 661, 670, 673, 692 ; cf. alliteration, and double meaning, purawa, ancient legends, 228. purification of the body, 642. purikaya (with variants), a water- animal, 157, 621. puro^asyaga«a, designation of certain mantras, 477, 589-90, 642. Varu«a, a god, i, 3, ic-2, 14, 27, 30-1, 37, 40, 42, 44, 48, 50-1, 63,65, 86, 88, 91,102, 105, 109, 112-4, 116, 122, 133, 135, 146, 152-3, 160, 172, 175, 188, 193, 195,210-1, 216,221,241-2,273, 290, 329-31, 334, 349, 370, 390 ff., 402, 436, 443, 484-5, 535-6, 557, 563, 627; Varuwas (plural), 113 ; Varu«ani, his female, 167, 485. vaja : see sterile cow. Vasava (Indra), 95; cf. Vasu. vasha/-call, 84, 99, 128, 209, 243, Vasish//ja, a sage, 372 ; relation of to the Atharva-veda, Iv ff., Ixv. Vastoshpati, genius of homestead, 135, 343 ff-, 494-5, 640. Vasu, a class of deities, 55, 89, 116, 119, 121, 135, 161, 230; cf. Vasava. Vata, god of wind, 85 ff., 89, 153, 161, 219 ; cf. Vayii. Vayasa, a sage, 6, 681. Vayu, personification of the wind, 51, 54, 128, 140, 142, 304, 402, 499, 620, 669 ; ct. Vata. Veda, practices preparatory to the study of, xliv, 233, 477, 487,^ 510, 543, 590, 606 ; relation of the three Vedas to the Athar- van, xxxi ff., xxxv ff., li ff., Iv ff., Z Z 2 7o8 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Ixi ; Vedic literary categories, XXXV ff. vedi, fire-altar, 200 ; cf. parigr/hya. veins, 22, 259. vermin in the field, exorcism of, 142, 485; cf. worms, vigriva, a demon, 70. viligi, designation of a serpent, 28 ; cf. aligi. village, the scene of Atharvan per- formances : see gramaya^in. Virag-, a female divinity, 80, 120, 186, 211, 215-6, 219, 221, 593, 647, 667. virility, charm to increase it, 31, 369 ; charm to deprive a man of it, 108, 537. vijapha (a demon?), 67, 339. Vish«u, a god, 80, 89, 160, 193, 200, 221, 251, 342, 655. vijikha, a demon, 70. Vijvakarman, the supreme god, 206, 20.9, 592, 629, 686. Vijvarupa, son of Tvash/ar, 318, 522. Vijvavasu, a demon, 319. Vitahavya, a people, 31 ; cf. Vaita- havya. Vivasvant, a god, 57, 160, 366. vomiting as a cure for poison, 374. vr/shakapi-Brahmans, 532 n. Vr/'tra, a cloud-demon, 18, 40, 62-3, 79, 81, 91-2, 95, 121, 126, 129, 158, 203, 310, 349, 370, 382, 384, 596 ; his eye becomes mount Trikakud, 382. Wagon, parts of, 587 ; cf. chariot. washerman, 188. waters (divine), 14-5, 161; water, healing, 40-1, 48 ; produced by ants, 27; as a remedy against jealousy, 107; for the conse- cration of a king, 1 1 1 ; -animals, varieties of, 157, 621; -plants, 514, 579; -skin, 107; -sprites, 409. weather-prophet, propitiation of, 159, 532. wedding, charms used at, 502, 546 ; ceremony at the consummation, 276, 546 ; of a royal personage, 498. weeds, charm to remove them, 465. wheel, parts of, 493. white-footed arrow, 633, 638; cow or she-goat, ibid, wife, charm to obtain one, 95, 502 ff. ; of the sacrificer, 180 ff., 185 ff., 610 ff., 645 fF. ; wives of the gods, 162, 167. wild beasts, charm against, 147, 366, will o' the wisp, 411. wishes, charm for obtaining one's, xlvii, 605 ; three wishes, 181, 613. wolf and calves, 174; wolves and sheep, 132, 151. woman, of the waters, 62 1 ; truant, charm to bring her back, 106, 496 ; women with evil bodily characteristics, 109, 260 ; fond of the kush/^a-plant, 6, 680 ; sleeping women, described, 105 ; charms pertaining to women (strikarmawi), 94 ff., 275, 311, 371,479-80. womb, performances for steadying it, 284, 467. worms of all sorts, in human beings and animals, 22-4, 223, 314 ff., 351. Ya^us, 161, 204, 225-6, 229. Yakshas, a kind of divinities, 161. Yama, god of death, 37, 44, 52, 54, 57> 59, 60, 90, 107, no, 118, 161, 167, 177, 185-6, 192, 195, 318, 361, 404, 416, 422, 456, 500, 585, 655; horse of, 21; cf. dogs of Yama. Yamuna, a river, 62. yatu, yatuvid, and yatudhana : see sorcerers and sorceries. yellow birds and objects for the cure of jaundice, 264. younger brother's precedence over an older, expiation of, 164, 523. II. INDEX OF HYMNS IN THE ORDER OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. I, n, III, PAGES TAGES PAGES 2 8, 233 III, 4 . • 113, 330 V, ,4 . 77, 429 •> • 10, 235 5 • "4, 331 i8 . 169, 430 7 • 64, 237 6 . • 91, 334 79 . 171, 433 8 . • 65, 239 7 . • 15, 336 20 130, 436 9 • . 116, 239 9 . ■ 67, 339 21 131, 439 10 II, 241 1 1 49, 341 22 I, 441 1 1 • 99, 242 12 140, 343 23 . 23, 452 12 7, 246 13 • m6, 348 30 . 59, 455 14 . 107, 252 14 . 143, 351 31 . . 76, 456 i6 . 65, 256 15 • 148, 352 VI, 2 . . 66, 458 17 . 22, 257 18 . 107, 354 8 . 100, 459 i8 . 109, 260 23 • 97, 356 9 • loi, 459 19 • 120, 262 25 . 102, 35« II • 97, 460 22 7, 263 28 . 145, 359 12 28, 461 23 . 16, 266 30 . 134, 361 14 . . 8,463 24 . 16, 268 31 • 51, 364 16 . 30, 464 25 . 3, 270 IV, 3 . 147, 366 17 . . 98, 467 3-1 • 99, 274 4 • 31, 369 18 . . 106, 467 3 • 9, 277 5 . 105, 371 20 . . 3,468 4 • 37, 280 6 . 25, 373 21 30, 470 7 • . 91, 285 7 • 26, 376 24 . 12, 471 8 , . 13,286 8 . III, 378 25 . . 19, 472 9 • 34, 290 9 • ■ 61,381 26 . 163, 473 lO 14, 292 ro 62, 383 27 - 166, 474 12 89, 294 12 19, 384 29 . 166, 475 14 . . 66, 298 16 . 88, 389 32 , . 36, 475 25 . 36, 302 17 • 69, 393 37 . 93, 475 26 . 142, 303 18 . 70, 396 38 . . 116, 477 27 . T37, 304 19 . 71, 397 39 • " 117, 478 28 . 50, 306 20 68, 398 42 . 136, 479 29 . 47, 308 22 115, 404 43 • 137, 480 3° • 100, 31 1 28 . 158, 406 44 • 10, 481 31 . • 22, 313 36 . 35, 407 45 • 163, 48; 32 . 23, 317 37 • 33, 408 46 . 167, 485 33 • 44, 321 38 . 149, 412 50 • 142, 485 36 . 94, 322 V, 4 . 4, 414 56 . 151, 487 I 121, 325 5 20, 419 57 • 19,488 2 121, 327 7 • 172, 423 59 • 144, 490 112, 327 13 . Z z 27, 425 3 60 . 95, 49t yio HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. PAGES PAGES PAGES VI, 64 . . 136, 492 VI, 127 • 40, 530 VIII, 2 • 55,573 70 • • 144, 493 128 . 160, 532 5 • 79, 575 71 ■ • 196, 494 130 • 104, 534 7 • 41, 578 73 • • 135, 494 131 • 104, 535 8 • 117, 582 74 • • 135, 495 132 . 104, 535 IX, I • 229, 587 75 • 92, 495 136 . 31, 536 2 • 220, 591 77 . . 106, 496 137 • 31, 537 3 • 193, 595 78 . . 96, 498 138 . 108, 537 8 . 45, 600 79 • 141, 499 139 . 102, 539 X, I , 72, 602 80 • 13, 500 140 . no, 540 3 . 81, 605 8r . 96, 501 142 • 141, 541 4 . 152, 605 82 . • 95, 502 VII, 9 . 159, 542 6 . 84, 608 83 . • 17, 503 II • 142, 543 XI, I . 179, 610 85 . • 39, 505 12 • 138, 543 2 . 155, 618 90 . . II, 506 13 • 93, 544 4 . 218, 622 91 . • 40, 507 35 • 98, 545 5 . 214, 626 92 . • 145, 507 36 • 96, 546 6 . 160, 628 94 . . 138, 508 37 • 96, 546 7 . 226, 629 96 . • 44, 509 38 • 103, 546 9 • 123, 631 97 . . 122, 510 45 • 107, 547 10 . 126, 637 99 • . 123, 510 50 • 150, 548 XII, I . 199, 639 100 • 27,511 52 • 136, 550 3 . 185, 645 102 . loi, 512 53 • 52,551 4 . 174, 656 105 . • 8, 513 56 . 29, 552 XIII, I . 207, 661 106 • 147, 514 64 . 167, 555 XIX, 26 . 63, 668 109 . 21,516 65 • 72, 556 34 . 38, 669 lio . . 109, 517 70 • 90, 557 35 . 39, 674 Ill • 52,518 74 . 18, 557 38 . 40, 675 112 . 164, 521 76 . 17, 559 39 . 5,676 113 . . 165, 527 83 . 12, 562 53 . 224, 681 114 . . 164, 528 115 . 168, 564 54 . 225, 687 "5 . • 164, 529 116 • 4, 565 XX, 127 . 197, 688 120 . ^65, 529 VIII, I • 53, 569 ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS. Page 2, stanza 7 : For the Mu^avants as the type of a distant people, see 5at. Br. II, 6, 2, 17. P. 5, stanza 2 : read ' na-gha-mara ' ycr ' na-gha-mara.' P. 6, stanza 10 : insert the 'words ' that burns the head ' after ' takman.' P. 16, hymns I, 23 and 24 : for symbolic removal of leprosy by the sacrifice of a white cow, see Katy. Sx. XV, 3, 37. P. 20, stanza 6 : read ' felloe ''for ' feloe.' P. 28, stanzas 10, 11 : cf. Weber, Proceedings of the Berlin Academy, 1896, pp. 681 if., 873 ff. P. 37, line 8 : read ' did 'for ' do.' P. 44, bottom: read ' II, 33 '/or ' II, 32.' P. 49, title : read ' ayushyawi 'for ' ayushyani.' P. 64, title : read ' abhiX'arikawi 'for ' abhiMrikani.' P. 70, stanza i : read ' Light 'for ' Night.' P. 84, in the title of X, 6 : read ' of an amulet 'for ' of amulet.' P. 100, line 10 : insert the words ' woman, shalt love,' after ' thou.' P. 136, hymns VI, 42 and 43 : cf. 5at, Br. XI, 6, i, 13. P. 173, line 2 : read ' dost 'for ' didst.' P. 178, stanza 44 : insert ' O Br/haspati ' after ' vilipti,' P. 190, line 6 : read ' stirring-stick 'for ' stirring stick.' P. 238, stanza 2 : cf. Baudh. Dh. II, 8, 15, 4; Vishwu-smWti LXXIII, 1 1. P. 239, in the second line of the introduction to I, 9 : read 'consecra- tion 'for ' coronation.' P. 253, note: ' nishpramanda-dantadhavana ' may mean 'tooth-wash without the fragrant substance pramanda.' A symbolic interpreta- tion of nishpramanda, 'bereft of delight,' seems to be implied with double meaning. P. 307, stanza i : cf. Sujruta I, 22, 10. P. 531, stanza 1 : /or vidradha cf. RV. IV, 32, 23 (Ludwig's commentary, vol. v, p. 93 j ; AV. IX, 8, 20 ; Roth, Nirukta, Erljiuterungen, p. 42 ft". TRANSLITERATION OF ORIENTAL ALPHABETS. 71 CO O < < H "•y H n CAl t< < Q w w w H ItH 0 h Q Cn < 0 m C/2 t"* k/* a 0 < 0 PQ Cl, J w < < u <: CO :2; w 1— < >— 1 3i r-i 0 fc fe 0 0 Z 0 1— < H < ci; w H 1— 1 J r/2 2; < ai n o '^ '^ n. D D :\) '0 •o ^ ^ *ioJ 09 n 2: c ^v c - - \J0JU - - UoJU ^ L)OJ U oJ i/; a X w Z •< z o ui z o u ^ 2 ^-^ • . . • as ' s . 5 » 01^ • ■£, • -o, S 3 ft -2 83 5jj H 2 i • . »4 ^ ^ . . • • G — c • OD . N '" . ^ ^ • e , , '^ ^ » • • • • a V *■ • • • • n; q . r r -"i.-T^ • .D D *- ;^ • •^ • • • ■ • •"* 1 ^> • • • D : 0 o . -o D— ) : b : .-> ^ : 1 • 'D. i '■'h-^ 0 : 0 o • -o D-0 :3 :3 -i,-^ • 5 • •-> t« »- ^ *^ ■.p■ u • •■ ^ ■^ •-rrs *9 *^ • • ""-a • , U < t A z ^ o en wi • • • • • ■ • • • 2 U >. . . . • *i -g . -C =§ • c — . »; • ^a • • *" ta« • • • • • ■ • • • • • • • • . . • •■••• • • • • • • • • • * • • • ' CO ai • « • • • • • » • • • 2 3 • • • • , • « * • • • • • • CM (- . O i ?; 8 o - 1 i c 0) 2 iJ • • 33 ^ "in to tn on CO « • ^ -H 0 — lU aj .; 1 li 2 1 i u " c n cd cS Cj CD o ; .2 =« .2 P ^ * 3 > J ^— j> *• *-^ S ^ eg '^ ~ vs « «s i -" ^1 r r 55 ^ "5 - 5 " • 00 c ■> O ^ (M CO rt< »0 tC t^ 00 a: O .—4 CJ CO ti to tc t~- •—1 1- ■H CJ (N (M (M N (M CM CM ^^ c^i CO CO 00 CO CO CO CO CO FOR THE SACRED BOOKS OF THE EAST. *- T - n _9 ^ -A ^ ■^ z- -> -> ■^ ^/ fO to |V h5 15 ^^ O D- p- c- -r CI CI ri n ]^- ^ -D 1 -7 p- t^ rr s ^ g S" a ^ • — rt 05 CO o CO M< c3 CO t^ Tf !M c3 'V7 on o > ^ CO 00 Cl o ^ (M CO -f. lO to t^ 00 OS ■v rri o o lO «2 1.- 40 »o O U3 to 7i6 TKANSLITERATION OF ORIENTAL ALPHABETS. 1> U • • • • ._ . . , -.3 — -1 ••••1 P**- ••••^J-:, ;•..».. ^—.^ Arabic. • • • : : ' ^ ' ^' : : : :H''i> : i-b : : : Jo^^ : Persian. : : » ^ |v y. : : : :. -^i, : :ii) : : : :;]^ . '> • c S .td.S:i •<> "-^ 'O* • • ••* . ^ ^ . ..... . .... . N .... ,^2/ • • • -3 : : :? 5 -1 ^ : • • • - -^^"^ • • :^^^ • . : : ! ^5. ! : . ? ' * • P ^ lM^*ft^ |£? Is?* r t??* I" IP • tv .tv '. '. *. ^ -^g: ► « H tu a. < < z o en u ••••••• • •••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••a • ••••••••••••••••••• U * • *3*£ S*S^* • 'Se u o )cu 30 c3 a c i. -*■ q 2 Laryngo-palatalis 3 „ labialis 4 Gutturalis brevis /i Inncrn • C .2 e: > h ^ s m c3 Ph ) to t>- 8 Dentalis brevia 9 „ longa 0 Lingualis brevis 1 „ longa 2 Labialis brevis 1 4 Gutturo-palatalis brevia . . . 5 „ longa . . . 1 6 Diphthongus gutturo-palatalis 9 Gutturo-labialis brevia .... JO „ longa .... }I Diphthongus gutturo-labialis 03 «^ 0 •1 CO •^ ir 4 1— 5 cr . . • • 1 • S3 .*^ o (n " 1 3 O ; 3 1 O: Sacred Books of the East TRANSLATED BY VARIOUS ORIENTAL SCHOLARS AND EDITED BY F. MAX MULLER. %* T/iis Scries is published with the sanction and co-operation of the Secretary of State for India in Council. KEFOST presented to the ACADEMIE DES I2TSCSIPTIOK-S, May 11, 18S3, by M. EEKESS EEK^AK". ' M. Renan presente trois nouveaiix une seconde, dont Tinteret historique et volumes de la grande collection des religieux ne seia pas moindie. M. Max " Livies sacres de I'Orient" (Sacred Mliller a su se procurer la collaboration Books of the East\ que dirige a Oxford, des savans les plus eminens d'Europe et avec une si vaste erudition et une critique d'Asie. L'Universite d'Oxfoid, que cette si sure, le savant associe de I'Academie grande ]>ublication honore au plus haut des Inscriptions, M. Max Midler. ... La degre, doit tenir a conlinuer dans les ])lus premiere serie de ce beau recueil, com- larges proportions line oeuvre aussi philo- posee de 24 volumes, est presque achevee. sophiquement con^ue que savamment M. Max Aliiller se propose d'en publier extcutee.' EXTRACT from the QUARTSSX.Y REVIEW. ' We rejoice to notice that a second great edition of the Rig- Veda, can corn- series of these translations has been an- pare in importance or in usefulness with nounced and has actually begun to appear. this English translation of the Sacred The stones, at least, out of which a stately Books of the East, which has been devised edifice may hereafter arise, are here being by his foresight, successfully brought so brought together. Prof. Max Miiller has far by his persuasive and organising deserved well of scientific history. Not power, and will, we trust, by the assist- a few minds owe to his enticing words ance of the distinguished scholars he has their first attraction to this branch of gathered round him, be carried in due study. But no work of his, not even the time to a happy completion.' Professor E. HASDY, Inaugural Lecture in the University of Freiburg', \B3*7. 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