Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1Kau^. 28, 2, in the introduction to IV, 6 (p. 374), and Kauj. 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. 1) symbolises the rapid removal of the disease. The skin of the antelope is used for an amulet at Kauy. 16, 3, the horn at Sat. Br. Ill, 2, 2, 20; Apast. Sr. X, 9, 17; Santikalpa 17, and 19. We must not forget, of course, that visha/za, '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. 1, 2. In general there are many points of contact between Kaarika'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. ; Grill2, pp. 8, 105 ff. The Anukrama/zi has, sap- tarkam yakshmanlranadevatam uta bahudevatyam, anush- Aibham, bhrzgvangira adyabhis tisrzbhir hari^am astaut, paraya (st. 4) tarake, paraya (st. 5)*pa^, parabhyam (sts. 6, 7) yakshmanaianam. 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/zaya vishu/£inam are in punning alliteration with one another and with vi shyati, ' loosen ' (understood ; cf. visha/ze 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 Sat. 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, 1. [42] z 338 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. c. Two of Shankar Pandit's MSS. have gulphitam for gushphitam ; they are supported by Saya^a (gulphitam 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.
2ndit's MSS. have gulphitam for gushphitam ; they are supported by Saya^a (gulphitam 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, £atushko^am Madiv 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, 1 ; 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 k su in general. Saya/^a, strikriyama/2&ya asute^, asuyate cisi^yate ity asutir dravibhutam annam. b, d. Note the alliteration between vyana^e and naj-ayami. Stanza 7. d. I have, very hesitatingly, construed apa . . . ukAatxi transitively, in accordance with the usual force of the ex- Ill, 9. COMMENTARY. 339 pression, and the close parallelism with II, 8, 2 c, d (cf. also VI, 83, 1), where kshetriyam is an accusative dependent upon apa . . . ukkaXu. For the subject of the verb cf. sa in st. 1. Perhaps apavase in Padas a, b is also to be taken transitively, c 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 vishkandha and kabava stand out most clearly. For vishkandha see our discussion in the introduction, and in the note on the first stanza of II, 4.
3most perplexing in the AV., is directed against a variety of bodily disorders, or demon- iacal forces, among which vishkandha and kabava stand out most clearly. For vishkandha see our discussion in the introduction, and in the note on the first stanza of II, 4. The Kaorika rubricates the hymn at 43, 1, 2, where Darila describes the performance as a pLra/£ana.ranam, Kcrava (and Saya/za in his introduction) as a vighna^amanam, to wit : 43, 1. 'While reciting III, g, 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 1. 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^i designates it as dyavciprz- thiviyam uta vauvadevam. Stanza 1. a. The Pet. Lexs. and Weber see in kar^apha and vls- apha (both air. Aey.) the designations of certain demons or diseases (Weber, * des Abmagernden, Durchdringenden '). Saya^a operates on the same line by means of character- istic etymologies, kar^aphasya (kara^aphasya) krzVa-s-aphasya 1 The commentators prescribe that the staff shall be anointed with the dregs of ghee and then be polished off, as in Kaar. 23, 11. The same treatment is also prescribed for the weapon. Z 2 340 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. va .svapadasya vyaghrade^, vLsaphasya vigata^aphasya spardhamanapurushakalasarpade^ vispashza.yaphasya va kruragomahishade/z. But the statement that beneficent heaven and earth are father and mother of demons is startling l ; 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, Kau^. 43, 1 (see above), is not otherwise indi- cated in the hymn. I do not venture to decide. Stanza 2. a. Saya/za with some MSS., both Saz/zhita and Padapa/^a, and the Paippalada read a.rleshma/za/z for afresh ma/za/z. Our translation is purely conjectural. Saya/za depends upon the practices of the Sutra : ' They (the people) carried the aralu-talisman, the staff, &c, being aj-leshma^a^, i. e. unaffected (a^lish/a/fc) by troubles, &c. ; ' or, ' the gods, being free from phlegmatic diseases (^leshmopalakshitatridosha- dushita^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/za, quoting in support RV.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1Kau^. 28, 2, in the introduction to IV, 6 (p. 374), and Kauj. 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. 1) symbolises the rapid removal of the disease. The skin of the antelope is used for an amulet at Kauy. 16, 3, the horn at Sat. Br. Ill, 2, 2, 20; Apast. Sr. X, 9, 17; Santikalpa 17, and 19. We must not forget, of course, that visha/za, '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. 1, 2. In general there are many points of contact between Kaarika'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. ; Grill2, pp. 8, 105 ff. The Anukrama/zi has, sap- tarkam yakshmanlranadevatam uta bahudevatyam, anush- Aibham, bhrzgvangira adyabhis tisrzbhir hari^am astaut, paraya (st. 4) tarake, paraya (st. 5)*pa^, parabhyam (sts. 6, 7) yakshmanaianam. 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/zaya vishu/£inam are in punning alliteration with one another and with vi shyati, ' loosen ' (understood ; cf. visha/ze 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 Sat. 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, 1. [42] z 338 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. c. Two of Shankar Pandit's MSS. have gulphitam for gushphitam ; they are supported by Saya^a (gulphitam 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.
2ndit's MSS. have gulphitam for gushphitam ; they are supported by Saya^a (gulphitam 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, £atushko^am Madiv 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, 1 ; 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 k su in general. Saya/^a, strikriyama/2&ya asute^, asuyate cisi^yate ity asutir dravibhutam annam. b, d. Note the alliteration between vyana^e and naj-ayami. Stanza 7. d. I have, very hesitatingly, construed apa . . . ukAatxi transitively, in accordance with the usual force of the ex- Ill, 9. COMMENTARY. 339 pression, and the close parallelism with II, 8, 2 c, d (cf. also VI, 83, 1), where kshetriyam is an accusative dependent upon apa . . . ukkaXu. For the subject of the verb cf. sa in st. 1. Perhaps apavase in Padas a, b is also to be taken transitively, c 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 vishkandha and kabava stand out most clearly. For vishkandha see our discussion in the introduction, and in the note on the first stanza of II, 4.
3most perplexing in the AV., is directed against a variety of bodily disorders, or demon- iacal forces, among which vishkandha and kabava stand out most clearly. For vishkandha see our discussion in the introduction, and in the note on the first stanza of II, 4. The Kaorika rubricates the hymn at 43, 1, 2, where Darila describes the performance as a pLra/£ana.ranam, Kcrava (and Saya/za in his introduction) as a vighna^amanam, to wit : 43, 1. 'While reciting III, g, 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 1. 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^i designates it as dyavciprz- thiviyam uta vauvadevam. Stanza 1. a. The Pet. Lexs. and Weber see in kar^apha and vls- apha (both air. Aey.) the designations of certain demons or diseases (Weber, * des Abmagernden, Durchdringenden '). Saya^a operates on the same line by means of character- istic etymologies, kar^aphasya (kara^aphasya) krzVa-s-aphasya 1 The commentators prescribe that the staff shall be anointed with the dregs of ghee and then be polished off, as in Kaar. 23, 11. The same treatment is also prescribed for the weapon. Z 2 340 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. va .svapadasya vyaghrade^, vLsaphasya vigata^aphasya spardhamanapurushakalasarpade^ vispashza.yaphasya va kruragomahishade/z. But the statement that beneficent heaven and earth are father and mother of demons is startling l ; 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, Kau^. 43, 1 (see above), is not otherwise indi- cated in the hymn. I do not venture to decide. Stanza 2. a. Saya/za with some MSS., both Saz/zhita and Padapa/^a, and the Paippalada read a.rleshma/za/z for afresh ma/za/z. Our translation is purely conjectural. Saya/za depends upon the practices of the Sutra : ' They (the people) carried the aralu-talisman, the staff, &c, being aj-leshma^a^, i. e. unaffected (a^lish/a/fc) by troubles, &c. ; ' or, ' the gods, being free from phlegmatic diseases (^leshmopalakshitatridosha- dushita^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/za, quoting in support RV.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
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