Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1p. 149. The Anukramam, takshakadaivatam (cf. Kaui". 28, 1 ; 29, 1, 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//zsa is awake at night ; cf. Zimmer, Altin- disches Leben, p. 90. Saya/za takes ha;;^sa in the sense of atman, soul (cf. brahman = paramahaz/zsa), ' as the entire body, but not the soul, is at rest/ Perhaps ha//zsa 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. Xey., literally 'that which has a mouth.' Saya/za, 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 asunvat. Stanza 3. c. Parush/zi is the name of a river : Zimmer, 1. c, p. 11. »Sipala 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 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 balasa, see our discussion in the note at V, 22, u, and cf. VI, 127. This particular charm is defined by Ke^ava (and Saya/za) as a ^leshma- bhaisha^yam, ' cure for phlegm,5 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 Kau^ika, 29, 30, are not helpful : the practice is purely symbolic.
2for phlegm,5 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 Kau^ika, 29, 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 (Darila, jantavr/ksha^akalena ; cf. Kam\ 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 ff. The Anukrama/zi, 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 Paippal&da has krmoml for kshi/zomi. The ret. Lex. suggests, most ingeniously, the reading nir . . . aksh;zomi for nir . . . kshmomi (cf. IV, 22, 1, and for the sense in general III, 9, 2). But perhaps the air. \ey.y mh kshi^omi, ' remove, destroy/ simply suggests the other verb by way of zeugma. Saya^a 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.5 Possibly this is the true solution. Cf. also VI, 127, 2- c, d. Cf. RV. VII, 59, 1 2. The Paippalada, mulam ulvalvo yatha. Stanza 3. b. Saya^a reads susukak, ' as a wild animal of that name (mmka) runs to a distance.' The word is not quotable. The Pet. Lexs., on the other hand, suggest that asuniga. 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, 1. On the other hand reeds grow profusely and quickly, VI, 137, 2. 3. Saya/za reads ita for l/a. 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 : 1.
3g. 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 : 1. ' While reciting the hymn (an amulet derived from the mustard-plant), anointed with the dregs of mustard-oil 1, 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)2. 4. (Then) four fruits of the .raka-tree (tectona grandis) are given (to 1 We would now read sarshapatailasa/wpatam in accordance with the comments of Darila, Ke^ava, and Sayaraa. The latter sarsha- patailena sazrcpatitam. 2 Sayawa, sarshapatailena bhr/sh/a#z sarshapapatra^akam £akshu- rogagrastaya praya£^et. VI, 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 raka-tree) are referred to in the hymn, but the identification is uncertain. The fourth stanza is rubricated at Kaar. 51, 15. 16 in a practice that seems to be calculated to remove weeds from a field (alabhesha^am) 2. 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 Anukramam, mantrokta- devatyam uta £&ndramasam. Stanza 1. Saya/za 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 £vaya/£ 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&ya;za glosses karambham again after the Sutra, sarshapatailamiirabhrzshfe;;/ tatpatra^akam (Kau^. 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, 1. Shankar Pandit reads vihahlo ; Saya^a, viha/zzlakhya/; kaskit pita. For madavati, cf. IV, 7, 4, and the note on vara/zavati, IV, 7, 1. c, d.
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.
1p. 149. The Anukramam, takshakadaivatam (cf. Kaui". 28, 1 ; 29, 1, 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//zsa is awake at night ; cf. Zimmer, Altin- disches Leben, p. 90. Saya/za takes ha;;^sa in the sense of atman, soul (cf. brahman = paramahaz/zsa), ' as the entire body, but not the soul, is at rest/ Perhaps ha//zsa 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. Xey., literally 'that which has a mouth.' Saya/za, 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 asunvat. Stanza 3. c. Parush/zi is the name of a river : Zimmer, 1. c, p. 11. »Sipala 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 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 balasa, see our discussion in the note at V, 22, u, and cf. VI, 127. This particular charm is defined by Ke^ava (and Saya/za) as a ^leshma- bhaisha^yam, ' cure for phlegm,5 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 Kau^ika, 29, 30, are not helpful : the practice is purely symbolic.
2for phlegm,5 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 Kau^ika, 29, 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 (Darila, jantavr/ksha^akalena ; cf. Kam\ 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 ff. The Anukrama/zi, 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 Paippal&da has krmoml for kshi/zomi. The ret. Lex. suggests, most ingeniously, the reading nir . . . aksh;zomi for nir . . . kshmomi (cf. IV, 22, 1, and for the sense in general III, 9, 2). But perhaps the air. \ey.y mh kshi^omi, ' remove, destroy/ simply suggests the other verb by way of zeugma. Saya^a 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.5 Possibly this is the true solution. Cf. also VI, 127, 2- c, d. Cf. RV. VII, 59, 1 2. The Paippalada, mulam ulvalvo yatha. Stanza 3. b. Saya^a reads susukak, ' as a wild animal of that name (mmka) runs to a distance.' The word is not quotable. The Pet. Lexs., on the other hand, suggest that asuniga. 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, 1. On the other hand reeds grow profusely and quickly, VI, 137, 2. 3. Saya/za reads ita for l/a. 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 : 1.
3g. 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 : 1. ' While reciting the hymn (an amulet derived from the mustard-plant), anointed with the dregs of mustard-oil 1, 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)2. 4. (Then) four fruits of the .raka-tree (tectona grandis) are given (to 1 We would now read sarshapatailasa/wpatam in accordance with the comments of Darila, Ke^ava, and Sayaraa. The latter sarsha- patailena sazrcpatitam. 2 Sayawa, sarshapatailena bhr/sh/a#z sarshapapatra^akam £akshu- rogagrastaya praya£^et. VI, 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 raka-tree) are referred to in the hymn, but the identification is uncertain. The fourth stanza is rubricated at Kaar. 51, 15. 16 in a practice that seems to be calculated to remove weeds from a field (alabhesha^am) 2. 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 Anukramam, mantrokta- devatyam uta £&ndramasam. Stanza 1. Saya/za 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 £vaya/£ 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&ya;za glosses karambham again after the Sutra, sarshapatailamiirabhrzshfe;;/ tatpatra^akam (Kau^. 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, 1. Shankar Pandit reads vihahlo ; Saya^a, viha/zzlakhya/; kaskit pita. For madavati, cf. IV, 7, 4, and the note on vara/zavati, IV, 7, 1. c, d.
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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