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Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1^. 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 patient1/ Cf. the closely cor- related RV. I, 191, 16. a. The Pet. Lexs. and Zimmer, p>. 82, translate kan/a by 4 long-eared.' But has the porcupine long ears ? I have preferred to think of his pricks (.yalali) 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, 37, 10. Stanza 10. Kaui\ 29, 13: ' With the tenth (stariza) the patient is given water to sip from a gourd.5 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- tiiva in the next stanza, seem to be a cure for poison. This and the next stanza are wholly problematic. Stanza 11. Kaui*. 29/, 14 : ' With the eleventh stanza he ties (a gourd) to the navel of the patient.5 For tastiivam some MSS., according to Bohtlingks lexicon, read tasnivam. 1 Cf. Kaur. 10, 16, and the Grz'hya-sutras, where the prick with three stripes figures frequently ; see Stenzler's index, s. v. trye/zi. V, 14. COMMENTARY. 429 V, 14. Commentary to page 77. The hymn is one of the kr/tyapratihara#ani, a series of hymns which counteract spells, given in the list at Kaur. 39, 7. See the introductions to IV, 17; V, 31 ; VIII, 5; X, 1, &c. The plant which figures prominently (sts. 1, 2, 4, 9) is not specified. It may be the apamarga, as in IV, 17-19; cf. the Anukrama^i, vanaspatyam. The hymn has been translated by Zimmer, p. 396 ff. ; Grill2, 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 undertaken with the kr/tyaga^a at Kau.y. 39, 7-12 (cf. the introduction to IV, 17) this stanza is rubricated (Sutra 11), preceded by the words krztyaya*mitra£akshusha samikshan, which seems to be mantra, either entirely, or in part ; cf. Darila and Kcsava, 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.
2or in part ; cf. Darila and Kcsava, 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 avakram? by ' one who overcomes.' The comparison is as good, if not better. Zimmer, ' wie den Banden entfliehend eile zurlick &c.' — a forced construction of the accusative, bandham. Stanza 11. A doubtful stanza in changed metre (gayatri). It may have slipped in because of mrigam 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, 101, 3, and VII, 115, %. 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 th& oppression of Brahmans, and usurpation of their property1. Especially the cow of the Brahman, given to him as his sacrificial stipend (dakshmi ; cf. XII, 4), is sacred and inviolable. The point is accentuated by the practices connected with them. The two hymns are rubricated at Kaus\ 48, 13 fT. 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)2. 14. He recites them while the activity (of killing and cutting up the cow is being performed). 15. viirztati (Dar. uvadhye havi/£krzte*ty artha^). 16. (He recites the hymns) over the excrement within the entrails3. 17. And 1 This is the a^yeyata, 'freedom from oppression,' of the Brahman ; cf. Weber, Ind. Stud. X, 60 ff. 2 Darila and Ke^ava add to this the related hymn XII, 5 (mixed prose and verse).
3(He recites the hymns) over the excrement within the entrails3. 17. And 1 This is the a^yeyata, 'freedom from oppression,' of the Brahman ; cf. Weber, Ind. Stud. X, 60 ff. 2 Darila and Ke^ava add to this the related hymn XII, 5 (mixed prose and verse). 8 Excessively doubtful; Darila has the following as text and scholion: ka^ kriya anvaha, ubadhye, dveshyaz/z manasi (Cod. anasi) k/Ytva 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 1. 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). 2 J. When the sun has risen twice (after the twelve days, the enemy) is laid low.' Cf. especially AV. XII, 4 and 5, and Sat. Br. XI V, 6, 7, 4 = Bnh. Ar. Up. Ill, 7, 1. The Anukrama^i designates the two hymns as brahma- gavidevatye. Both hymns have been translated by Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, I2, 285 fif. ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 447 ff., 451 ff. (cf. also 154); Zimmer, 199 ff. ; Grill2, 41, 148 ff. ; 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;za.' 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 £ittat, lit. 'not as the result of thought ; ' cf. a^ittya, V, 17, 12, and malva^, V, 18, 7. Stanza 8. b. The Paippalada reads agnek priyatama tanM, and the Pet. Lex. suggests agne/i 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 1 Dar jmasane pakasthane ubadhyavat. 432 HYMNS OF THE ATHAfcVA-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, 3, 3. Stanza 7. Cf. RV. X, 85, 34. ni^khidam, lit. ' to throw out.' Pro- fessor Roth suggests ni-khfdam, ' to get down.' ni^khid is certainly for. Aey. and might be for nishkhid==ni-shkhid, re- minding us of the MSS. of the Tait. S.
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.
1^. 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 patient1/ Cf. the closely cor- related RV. I, 191, 16. a. The Pet. Lexs. and Zimmer, p>. 82, translate kan/a by 4 long-eared.' But has the porcupine long ears ? I have preferred to think of his pricks (.yalali) 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, 37, 10. Stanza 10. Kaui\ 29, 13: ' With the tenth (stariza) the patient is given water to sip from a gourd.5 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- tiiva in the next stanza, seem to be a cure for poison. This and the next stanza are wholly problematic. Stanza 11. Kaui*. 29/, 14 : ' With the eleventh stanza he ties (a gourd) to the navel of the patient.5 For tastiivam some MSS., according to Bohtlingks lexicon, read tasnivam. 1 Cf. Kaur. 10, 16, and the Grz'hya-sutras, where the prick with three stripes figures frequently ; see Stenzler's index, s. v. trye/zi. V, 14. COMMENTARY. 429 V, 14. Commentary to page 77. The hymn is one of the kr/tyapratihara#ani, a series of hymns which counteract spells, given in the list at Kaur. 39, 7. See the introductions to IV, 17; V, 31 ; VIII, 5; X, 1, &c. The plant which figures prominently (sts. 1, 2, 4, 9) is not specified. It may be the apamarga, as in IV, 17-19; cf. the Anukrama^i, vanaspatyam. The hymn has been translated by Zimmer, p. 396 ff. ; Grill2, 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 undertaken with the kr/tyaga^a at Kau.y. 39, 7-12 (cf. the introduction to IV, 17) this stanza is rubricated (Sutra 11), preceded by the words krztyaya*mitra£akshusha samikshan, which seems to be mantra, either entirely, or in part ; cf. Darila and Kcsava, 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.
2or in part ; cf. Darila and Kcsava, 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 avakram? by ' one who overcomes.' The comparison is as good, if not better. Zimmer, ' wie den Banden entfliehend eile zurlick &c.' — a forced construction of the accusative, bandham. Stanza 11. A doubtful stanza in changed metre (gayatri). It may have slipped in because of mrigam 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, 101, 3, and VII, 115, %. 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 th& oppression of Brahmans, and usurpation of their property1. Especially the cow of the Brahman, given to him as his sacrificial stipend (dakshmi ; cf. XII, 4), is sacred and inviolable. The point is accentuated by the practices connected with them. The two hymns are rubricated at Kaus\ 48, 13 fT. 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)2. 14. He recites them while the activity (of killing and cutting up the cow is being performed). 15. viirztati (Dar. uvadhye havi/£krzte*ty artha^). 16. (He recites the hymns) over the excrement within the entrails3. 17. And 1 This is the a^yeyata, 'freedom from oppression,' of the Brahman ; cf. Weber, Ind. Stud. X, 60 ff. 2 Darila and Ke^ava add to this the related hymn XII, 5 (mixed prose and verse).
3(He recites the hymns) over the excrement within the entrails3. 17. And 1 This is the a^yeyata, 'freedom from oppression,' of the Brahman ; cf. Weber, Ind. Stud. X, 60 ff. 2 Darila and Ke^ava add to this the related hymn XII, 5 (mixed prose and verse). 8 Excessively doubtful; Darila has the following as text and scholion: ka^ kriya anvaha, ubadhye, dveshyaz/z manasi (Cod. anasi) k/Ytva 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 1. 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). 2 J. When the sun has risen twice (after the twelve days, the enemy) is laid low.' Cf. especially AV. XII, 4 and 5, and Sat. Br. XI V, 6, 7, 4 = Bnh. Ar. Up. Ill, 7, 1. The Anukrama^i designates the two hymns as brahma- gavidevatye. Both hymns have been translated by Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, I2, 285 fif. ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 447 ff., 451 ff. (cf. also 154); Zimmer, 199 ff. ; Grill2, 41, 148 ff. ; 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;za.' 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 £ittat, lit. 'not as the result of thought ; ' cf. a^ittya, V, 17, 12, and malva^, V, 18, 7. Stanza 8. b. The Paippalada reads agnek priyatama tanM, and the Pet. Lex. suggests agne/i 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 1 Dar jmasane pakasthane ubadhyavat. 432 HYMNS OF THE ATHAfcVA-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, 3, 3. Stanza 7. Cf. RV. X, 85, 34. ni^khidam, lit. ' to throw out.' Pro- fessor Roth suggests ni-khfdam, ' to get down.' ni^khid is certainly for. Aey. and might be for nishkhid==ni-shkhid, re- minding us of the MSS. of the Tait. S.
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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