Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1The digging is supposed to take place, symbolically, in the vital spot of the rival. 2 The OTT. Aey. tiri/m 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 literature a characteristic ornamentation of women ; its primary meaning may have been ' horn/ but this is by no means rendered certain by Tank. Br. XIII, 4, 3 (upon which Geldner relies), since it may be figurative in that sense. Stanzas 2, 3. The exact meaning of kunra (Saya//a, kcra^alam), kurirm (Saya/?a, kuriraA kesak tadvanta//z kuru), and kiimba (Saya//a, abhara7iam 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 nyastikd' be a proper noun. The hymn is rubricated, along with VI, T29 and VII, 38, at Kaus. 36, 12 : the person practising the charm digs up a suvar^ala-plant 1, with the ceremonies pertaining to the digging up of plants (cf. Kauj. ^, 9. J 6), fastens (its) white blossoms upon his head, and thus enters the village. Neither of the two other hymns (VI, 1 29 and VII, 38) defines the plant more specifically2: the exactitude of the Sutra does not inspire confidence. The hymn has been rendered by Weber, Indische Studien, V, 247 ; Ludwig,T)er Rigveda, III, 515. Stanza 1. For the formulaic numbers see the analogical parallels mentioned by A. Kuhn in Zeitschrift fiir vergleichende Sprachforschung, XIII, 135. The air. Aey. nyastika is 1 Darila, suvar^ald prasiddha trisawdhyasadrai (cf. the introduc- tion to IV, 20); Ke^ava has .rarikhapushpi and suryavela (cf. surya- valli) ; Saya^a, jahkhapushpika, ' andropogon aciculatus/ 2 Cf. however the epithet mawpa^ya, VII, 38, 1, with the descrip- tion in IV, 20, 1. This again points to the plant trisa^dhya. 54-0 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. obscure : Kuhn and Ludwig incline to its construction as a proper noun, and that may be correct. Saya/za, ('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.
2hat 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 = us, the weak form of va^, ' 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 times1. 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 jio. ' 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 Kcrava at Kauj*. 46, 43-46. The performance consists in scattering or offering (rice, barley, or sesame : cf. Kauj. 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 ' (Kaiu. 9, 8 ff.) to eat ; finally, in making the parents eat of the same dish. The hymn has been rendered by Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 321 ; Grill2, 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 - 3 Cf. Vzg. 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, Kausika's being a later refinement. Stanza 1. For vyaghrau, cf. the note on VI, no, 3 ; for the com- bination Brahma/zaspati (Brzhaspati) Catavedas (Agni), the note on VII, 53, 1. VI, 142. Commentary to page 141. At Kaui*. 24, 1, 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. 19, 27, while an amulet of barley is being fastened on a person to ensure him prosperity (cf. Kaur. 28, 20 in the introduction to VI, 91). The hymn is one of the class designated by the Atharva/nya-paddhati (at Kau^.
3ith earth). Stanza 3 is recited at Kaus. 19, 27, while an amulet of barley is being fastened on a person to ensure him prosperity (cf. Kaur. 28, 20 in the introduction to VI, 91). The hymn is one of the class designated by the Atharva/nya-paddhati (at Kau^. 19, n) as push/ika man- tra/£, c stanzas that ensure prosperity.' The hymn has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 463 ; Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 237 ; Grill2, pp. 66, 177 ff. Cf. also Bergaigne et Henry, Manuel Vedique, p. 156. The Anukrama/zi, yavyam. Stanza 1. c. Ludwig, and, independently, Aufrecht in Kuhn's Zeit- schrift, XXVII, 218, read primhi, ' fill,' for mrinihi Saya/za, vrimhi, which he also explains, l with a change of a letter,' as primhi puraya. Sensible suggestions these, but they do not prove that the .Saunakiya-poet did not make use of the bold yet natural figure of speech involved in mrinihi (' full unto bursting/ ' zum bersten voll '). Cf. the note on 111,1,2. 1 Cf. RV. VIII, 78, I0. 542 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Stanza 3. a. Saya//a, upasada^ upasattara/z (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 Kavu. 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 off1. 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 condition2. The second stanza is enlisted in the first abhayaga;/a, a series designed to secure immunity from danger, in the Ga/zamala, Ath. Paru. 32, 1% (cf. Kam\ 16, 8). See also Vait. Su. 8, 13. Stanza 1 is repeated in RV. X, 17, 6 = Tait. Br. II, 8, 5, 3 ; st. 4 in RV. VI, 54, 9-Va^. S. XXXIV, 4i=Tait. Br. H, 5, 5, 5. Previously rendered by Henry, Le livre VII de l'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 wert's en sine kloye ha.
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.
1The digging is supposed to take place, symbolically, in the vital spot of the rival. 2 The OTT. Aey. tiri/m 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 literature a characteristic ornamentation of women ; its primary meaning may have been ' horn/ but this is by no means rendered certain by Tank. Br. XIII, 4, 3 (upon which Geldner relies), since it may be figurative in that sense. Stanzas 2, 3. The exact meaning of kunra (Saya//a, kcra^alam), kurirm (Saya/?a, kuriraA kesak tadvanta//z kuru), and kiimba (Saya//a, abhara7iam 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 nyastikd' be a proper noun. The hymn is rubricated, along with VI, T29 and VII, 38, at Kaus. 36, 12 : the person practising the charm digs up a suvar^ala-plant 1, with the ceremonies pertaining to the digging up of plants (cf. Kauj. ^, 9. J 6), fastens (its) white blossoms upon his head, and thus enters the village. Neither of the two other hymns (VI, 1 29 and VII, 38) defines the plant more specifically2: the exactitude of the Sutra does not inspire confidence. The hymn has been rendered by Weber, Indische Studien, V, 247 ; Ludwig,T)er Rigveda, III, 515. Stanza 1. For the formulaic numbers see the analogical parallels mentioned by A. Kuhn in Zeitschrift fiir vergleichende Sprachforschung, XIII, 135. The air. Aey. nyastika is 1 Darila, suvar^ald prasiddha trisawdhyasadrai (cf. the introduc- tion to IV, 20); Ke^ava has .rarikhapushpi and suryavela (cf. surya- valli) ; Saya^a, jahkhapushpika, ' andropogon aciculatus/ 2 Cf. however the epithet mawpa^ya, VII, 38, 1, with the descrip- tion in IV, 20, 1. This again points to the plant trisa^dhya. 54-0 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. obscure : Kuhn and Ludwig incline to its construction as a proper noun, and that may be correct. Saya/za, ('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.
2hat 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 = us, the weak form of va^, ' 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 times1. 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 jio. ' 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 Kcrava at Kauj*. 46, 43-46. The performance consists in scattering or offering (rice, barley, or sesame : cf. Kauj. 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 ' (Kaiu. 9, 8 ff.) to eat ; finally, in making the parents eat of the same dish. The hymn has been rendered by Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 321 ; Grill2, 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 - 3 Cf. Vzg. 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, Kausika's being a later refinement. Stanza 1. For vyaghrau, cf. the note on VI, no, 3 ; for the com- bination Brahma/zaspati (Brzhaspati) Catavedas (Agni), the note on VII, 53, 1. VI, 142. Commentary to page 141. At Kaui*. 24, 1, 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. 19, 27, while an amulet of barley is being fastened on a person to ensure him prosperity (cf. Kaur. 28, 20 in the introduction to VI, 91). The hymn is one of the class designated by the Atharva/nya-paddhati (at Kau^.
3ith earth). Stanza 3 is recited at Kaus. 19, 27, while an amulet of barley is being fastened on a person to ensure him prosperity (cf. Kaur. 28, 20 in the introduction to VI, 91). The hymn is one of the class designated by the Atharva/nya-paddhati (at Kau^. 19, n) as push/ika man- tra/£, c stanzas that ensure prosperity.' The hymn has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 463 ; Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 237 ; Grill2, pp. 66, 177 ff. Cf. also Bergaigne et Henry, Manuel Vedique, p. 156. The Anukrama/zi, yavyam. Stanza 1. c. Ludwig, and, independently, Aufrecht in Kuhn's Zeit- schrift, XXVII, 218, read primhi, ' fill,' for mrinihi Saya/za, vrimhi, which he also explains, l with a change of a letter,' as primhi puraya. Sensible suggestions these, but they do not prove that the .Saunakiya-poet did not make use of the bold yet natural figure of speech involved in mrinihi (' full unto bursting/ ' zum bersten voll '). Cf. the note on 111,1,2. 1 Cf. RV. VIII, 78, I0. 542 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Stanza 3. a. Saya//a, upasada^ upasattara/z (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 Kavu. 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 off1. 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 condition2. The second stanza is enlisted in the first abhayaga;/a, a series designed to secure immunity from danger, in the Ga/zamala, Ath. Paru. 32, 1% (cf. Kam\ 16, 8). See also Vait. Su. 8, 13. Stanza 1 is repeated in RV. X, 17, 6 = Tait. Br. II, 8, 5, 3 ; st. 4 in RV. VI, 54, 9-Va^. S. XXXIV, 4i=Tait. Br. H, 5, 5, 5. Previously rendered by Henry, Le livre VII de l'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 wert's en sine kloye ha.
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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