Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1daivyena to manasa- daivyena^ manasa adaivyena, and our translation presup- poses this text. At RV. II, 23, 12 we have, adevena manasa yo risha/zyati . . . ^-fgha/zzsati, ' he who attacks in a spirit displeasing to the gods . . . (and) desires to murder/ Prof. Henry's rendering, 'ne point lutter contre l'esprit divin,' though possible grammatically, imposes upon manas 1 Shankar Pandit, with Saya^a and many MSS., reads yushmahi for yutsmahi. Saya^a, ma viyukta bhuma. Another variant yukh- mahi is nothing but a misspelling of yutsmahi ; cf. Kaujika, Intro- duction, p. lxi, and variant forms like kaputsala and kapu^ala (Bohtlingk's Lexicon). VII, 53- COMMENTARY. 55 1 the meaning of ' law, decree/ and the like, and has an un-Vedic flavour according to my judgment. c, d. Literally, * may the noises not arise when there is frequent (continuous) slaughter1,' &c. It is not at all clear what the day of Indra has to do with the cessation of carnage. Is it that Indra by fighting his battle removes all need of fighting enemies ? Or, is the day of Indra simply the battle-day? The latter seems more natural. The word ahani seems to harbour one of the inevitable puns, suggesting ' non-slaying,' i. e. perhaps 'the end of any need of fighting on the part of men.' See also Prof. Henry's careful discussion of the passage. VII, S3- Commentary to page 52. The hymn belongs to the class of ayushyazzi, ' hymns designed to prolong life ; ' cf. the ayushyagazza, Ath. Pan\s\ 32, 4, at Kaui\ 54, 11, note, and the Anukramam, ayu- shyam uta barhaspatyam lrvanam. The ayushya-hymns are very uniform in character ; the present one exhibits especially noteworthy points of contact with VIII, 1. Kauj\ 55, 17 prescribes its employment, along with many more of a similar character, at the ceremony of investiture (upana- yana)2. The seventh stanza, familiar in the Sazzzhitas and the ritual, is employed at Kaus. 24, 32 on rising from sleep during the agrahayazzi, the spring-festival at the full-moon of the month agrahayazza, or marga^irsha. At Vait. Su. 24, 4 it is spoken in stepping out of the bath (symbolic application : as the sun rises from the celestial sea ; cf. XI, 5, 26). Cf. also Kaui*. 55, 15, note ; 58, 18, note, and Ath. ParLr. 43, 1. The hymn has been translated by Muir, Original San- 1 Sayazza reads vinihrute, and glosses, kau/ilye nimitte ghosha/z vaimanasyanibandhana/z jabda/z . . . utthita ma bhuvan, yadva bahula.?abdena tamo vivakshyate . . . vireshe/za stainyadikau/ilya- nimitte bahule tamasi . . . ghosha/z ma bhuvan. 2 Cf.
2Original San- 1 Sayazza reads vinihrute, and glosses, kau/ilye nimitte ghosha/z vaimanasyanibandhana/z jabda/z . . . utthita ma bhuvan, yadva bahula.?abdena tamo vivakshyate . . . vireshe/za stainyadikau/ilya- nimitte bahule tamasi . . . ghosha/z ma bhuvan. 2 Cf. also *5antikalpa 17, 18, which is quoted by Sayazza erroneously as Nakshatrakalpa. 552 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. skrit Texts, V, 443; Grill2, pp. 15, 183 ff. ; Henry, Le livre VII de l'Atharva-veda, pp. 20, 80 ff. Cf. also Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 341. Stanza 1. Repeated with variants at Y&g. S. XXVII, 9 ; Maitr. S. II, 12, 5; Tait S. IV, 1, 7, 4 ; Tait. Ar. X, 48 (Andhra- version). Br/haspati and Agni are here one and the same divinity; see VI, 140, 1, and Bergaigne, La Religion Vedique, I, 300 ; III, 84. 174. Agni figures prominently in the ayushya-hymns. See II, 28, 2 ; III, 11,4; 31, 1. 6; VIII, 1, 11. Stanza 3. Cf. VIII, 1, 1. 3. Pada b is a £*agati in the midst of trishAibh Padas, as frequently elsewhere. Read taav. The Anukramaz/i, bhung*. Stanza 4. a, b. The Paippalada reads, ma tva pra//o hasid yas tve pravish/o ma*pano*vahaya para gat. For Pada b, cf. Maitr. S. I, 6, 1 (p. 86, 1. 1) : Tait. S. V, 7, 9, 1. Pada a is a trish/ubh ; b a catalectic anushAibh. The Anukrama/zi, ush/zikgarbha*rshi pankti^. Problematic attempts at cor- rection are made by Grill and Henry. Stanza 7. Cf. RV. I, 150, 10, &c. See the index to v. Schroeder's edition of the Maitr. S., and the introduction to the present hymn. VII, 56. Commentary to page 29. A series of shallow therapeutical practices are prescribed by Kaui*. 32, 5-7, to wit : 5. * While reciting the hymn (the patient is given to eat the sweetwood) mentioned in the mantra1. 6. Natural mud, and mud from an ant-hill are 1 Cf. st. 2. Thus Kcrava, ^yesh/^imadhu=yash/imadhu (cf. the introduction to I, 34, and Kau^. 38, 17). Darila, madhudvapa, * earth from a bee-hive ' (cf. Kaur. 29, 10 in the note on V, 13, 7). VII, 5^- COMMENTARY. 553 pulverised, (sewed up in the skin of a living animal [freshly- slain] and fastened as an amulet upon the patient)1. 7. He is given to drink (yellow curcuma in ghee) V Stanza 5 is rubricated, along with sundry mantras against serpents and other disturbing forces, at Kau^. 139, 8, in the course of practices, preparatory to the study of the Vedas. The hymn has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 502; Grill2, pp. 5, 183 ff.; Henry, Le livre VII de TAtharva-veda, pp. 21, 82 ff. The Anukrama/n, man- t rok tavrz jvHkad evatakam . Stanza 1.
3ourse of practices, preparatory to the study of the Vedas. The hymn has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 502; Grill2, pp. 5, 183 ff.; Henry, Le livre VII de TAtharva-veda, pp. 21, 82 ff. The Anukrama/n, man- t rok tavrz jvHkad evatakam . Stanza 1. For tiraj^ira^i and asita, see the note on VI, 56, 2 ; for prz'daku3 (cf. irapbaXis, 7r6pba\i$, and irapbos), see Zimmer, p. 94. Grill's sturdy attempt to determine the specific character of the prz'daku yields no acceptable result. The meaning of kankaparvan, ' Scorpion ' (? Saya/za, damsaka.- vueshat), can merely be conjectured. Kcrava and the Anukrama/zi describe the entire charm as a cure for the bite of scorpions, vrz^ikabhaisha^yam. The Paippalada has angaparva/zo. See kankata, satinakahkata, and pra- kankata, RV. I, 191, 1. 7. Stanza 2. Cf. I, 34, 1 ; VIII, 7, 12 ; RV. I, 191, 10. 13. madhu//, air. Aey., is apparently made for the occasion (type vadhu), to ensure completer assonance with the preceding madhu ; the ordinary madhvi' would be less agreeable. But the Atharvan presents quite a list of such feminines ; see Lanman, Noun-Inflection, pp. 402, 406. 1 Cf. Kaiu. 26, 43, in the introduction to II, 8. Ants especially are a famous antidote against poison ; see the introduction to VI, 100, and cf. st. 7. 2 Thus according to Darila who refers to Kaus\ 28, 4 (see the introduction to IV, 6, also a charm against serpents). 3 Sayawa, pardayati kutsitazrc jabdayati. 554 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Stanza 3. a. For yato dash/am, cf. the formulaic yato dash/a//, Kauy. 28, 7 ; 32, 5 (see the note on V, 13, 4). The expres- sion triprdidsLmsin suggests asutr/p, RV. X, 14, 12, &c. ; Ludwig, ' bitter-zanig.' Stanza 4. Ludwig suggests krinotl for knV/oshi, but this sort of anacoluthon is common in the Atharvan. The appeal to Brzhaspati is natural as soon as we substitute Brahma;zas- pati, and remember that brahma is the ordinary Athar- vanic word for ' hymn.' Or, again, Brzhaspati, as the companion and double of Indra and Agni, represents their constant hostility towards all vicious forces. Saya/m refers the stanza to the victim of the serpent : the contortions of his body and face are supposed to be described in the first hemistich, the cure in the second. Very plausible, but we are cautioned by such an expression as vritram viparvam, RV. I, 187, 1, which is favourable to the construction of viparur as an epithet of the serpent. Stanza 5. In the Paippalada these stanzas are wanting ; they have the character of a production somewhat independent of the preceding stanzas.
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.
1daivyena to manasa- daivyena^ manasa adaivyena, and our translation presup- poses this text. At RV. II, 23, 12 we have, adevena manasa yo risha/zyati . . . ^-fgha/zzsati, ' he who attacks in a spirit displeasing to the gods . . . (and) desires to murder/ Prof. Henry's rendering, 'ne point lutter contre l'esprit divin,' though possible grammatically, imposes upon manas 1 Shankar Pandit, with Saya^a and many MSS., reads yushmahi for yutsmahi. Saya^a, ma viyukta bhuma. Another variant yukh- mahi is nothing but a misspelling of yutsmahi ; cf. Kaujika, Intro- duction, p. lxi, and variant forms like kaputsala and kapu^ala (Bohtlingk's Lexicon). VII, 53- COMMENTARY. 55 1 the meaning of ' law, decree/ and the like, and has an un-Vedic flavour according to my judgment. c, d. Literally, * may the noises not arise when there is frequent (continuous) slaughter1,' &c. It is not at all clear what the day of Indra has to do with the cessation of carnage. Is it that Indra by fighting his battle removes all need of fighting enemies ? Or, is the day of Indra simply the battle-day? The latter seems more natural. The word ahani seems to harbour one of the inevitable puns, suggesting ' non-slaying,' i. e. perhaps 'the end of any need of fighting on the part of men.' See also Prof. Henry's careful discussion of the passage. VII, S3- Commentary to page 52. The hymn belongs to the class of ayushyazzi, ' hymns designed to prolong life ; ' cf. the ayushyagazza, Ath. Pan\s\ 32, 4, at Kaui\ 54, 11, note, and the Anukramam, ayu- shyam uta barhaspatyam lrvanam. The ayushya-hymns are very uniform in character ; the present one exhibits especially noteworthy points of contact with VIII, 1. Kauj\ 55, 17 prescribes its employment, along with many more of a similar character, at the ceremony of investiture (upana- yana)2. The seventh stanza, familiar in the Sazzzhitas and the ritual, is employed at Kaus. 24, 32 on rising from sleep during the agrahayazzi, the spring-festival at the full-moon of the month agrahayazza, or marga^irsha. At Vait. Su. 24, 4 it is spoken in stepping out of the bath (symbolic application : as the sun rises from the celestial sea ; cf. XI, 5, 26). Cf. also Kaui*. 55, 15, note ; 58, 18, note, and Ath. ParLr. 43, 1. The hymn has been translated by Muir, Original San- 1 Sayazza reads vinihrute, and glosses, kau/ilye nimitte ghosha/z vaimanasyanibandhana/z jabda/z . . . utthita ma bhuvan, yadva bahula.?abdena tamo vivakshyate . . . vireshe/za stainyadikau/ilya- nimitte bahule tamasi . . . ghosha/z ma bhuvan. 2 Cf.
2Original San- 1 Sayazza reads vinihrute, and glosses, kau/ilye nimitte ghosha/z vaimanasyanibandhana/z jabda/z . . . utthita ma bhuvan, yadva bahula.?abdena tamo vivakshyate . . . vireshe/za stainyadikau/ilya- nimitte bahule tamasi . . . ghosha/z ma bhuvan. 2 Cf. also *5antikalpa 17, 18, which is quoted by Sayazza erroneously as Nakshatrakalpa. 552 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. skrit Texts, V, 443; Grill2, pp. 15, 183 ff. ; Henry, Le livre VII de l'Atharva-veda, pp. 20, 80 ff. Cf. also Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 341. Stanza 1. Repeated with variants at Y&g. S. XXVII, 9 ; Maitr. S. II, 12, 5; Tait S. IV, 1, 7, 4 ; Tait. Ar. X, 48 (Andhra- version). Br/haspati and Agni are here one and the same divinity; see VI, 140, 1, and Bergaigne, La Religion Vedique, I, 300 ; III, 84. 174. Agni figures prominently in the ayushya-hymns. See II, 28, 2 ; III, 11,4; 31, 1. 6; VIII, 1, 11. Stanza 3. Cf. VIII, 1, 1. 3. Pada b is a £*agati in the midst of trishAibh Padas, as frequently elsewhere. Read taav. The Anukramaz/i, bhung*. Stanza 4. a, b. The Paippalada reads, ma tva pra//o hasid yas tve pravish/o ma*pano*vahaya para gat. For Pada b, cf. Maitr. S. I, 6, 1 (p. 86, 1. 1) : Tait. S. V, 7, 9, 1. Pada a is a trish/ubh ; b a catalectic anushAibh. The Anukrama/zi, ush/zikgarbha*rshi pankti^. Problematic attempts at cor- rection are made by Grill and Henry. Stanza 7. Cf. RV. I, 150, 10, &c. See the index to v. Schroeder's edition of the Maitr. S., and the introduction to the present hymn. VII, 56. Commentary to page 29. A series of shallow therapeutical practices are prescribed by Kaui*. 32, 5-7, to wit : 5. * While reciting the hymn (the patient is given to eat the sweetwood) mentioned in the mantra1. 6. Natural mud, and mud from an ant-hill are 1 Cf. st. 2. Thus Kcrava, ^yesh/^imadhu=yash/imadhu (cf. the introduction to I, 34, and Kau^. 38, 17). Darila, madhudvapa, * earth from a bee-hive ' (cf. Kaur. 29, 10 in the note on V, 13, 7). VII, 5^- COMMENTARY. 553 pulverised, (sewed up in the skin of a living animal [freshly- slain] and fastened as an amulet upon the patient)1. 7. He is given to drink (yellow curcuma in ghee) V Stanza 5 is rubricated, along with sundry mantras against serpents and other disturbing forces, at Kau^. 139, 8, in the course of practices, preparatory to the study of the Vedas. The hymn has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 502; Grill2, pp. 5, 183 ff.; Henry, Le livre VII de TAtharva-veda, pp. 21, 82 ff. The Anukrama/n, man- t rok tavrz jvHkad evatakam . Stanza 1.
3ourse of practices, preparatory to the study of the Vedas. The hymn has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 502; Grill2, pp. 5, 183 ff.; Henry, Le livre VII de TAtharva-veda, pp. 21, 82 ff. The Anukrama/n, man- t rok tavrz jvHkad evatakam . Stanza 1. For tiraj^ira^i and asita, see the note on VI, 56, 2 ; for prz'daku3 (cf. irapbaXis, 7r6pba\i$, and irapbos), see Zimmer, p. 94. Grill's sturdy attempt to determine the specific character of the prz'daku yields no acceptable result. The meaning of kankaparvan, ' Scorpion ' (? Saya/za, damsaka.- vueshat), can merely be conjectured. Kcrava and the Anukrama/zi describe the entire charm as a cure for the bite of scorpions, vrz^ikabhaisha^yam. The Paippalada has angaparva/zo. See kankata, satinakahkata, and pra- kankata, RV. I, 191, 1. 7. Stanza 2. Cf. I, 34, 1 ; VIII, 7, 12 ; RV. I, 191, 10. 13. madhu//, air. Aey., is apparently made for the occasion (type vadhu), to ensure completer assonance with the preceding madhu ; the ordinary madhvi' would be less agreeable. But the Atharvan presents quite a list of such feminines ; see Lanman, Noun-Inflection, pp. 402, 406. 1 Cf. Kaiu. 26, 43, in the introduction to II, 8. Ants especially are a famous antidote against poison ; see the introduction to VI, 100, and cf. st. 7. 2 Thus according to Darila who refers to Kaus\ 28, 4 (see the introduction to IV, 6, also a charm against serpents). 3 Sayawa, pardayati kutsitazrc jabdayati. 554 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. Stanza 3. a. For yato dash/am, cf. the formulaic yato dash/a//, Kauy. 28, 7 ; 32, 5 (see the note on V, 13, 4). The expres- sion triprdidsLmsin suggests asutr/p, RV. X, 14, 12, &c. ; Ludwig, ' bitter-zanig.' Stanza 4. Ludwig suggests krinotl for knV/oshi, but this sort of anacoluthon is common in the Atharvan. The appeal to Brzhaspati is natural as soon as we substitute Brahma;zas- pati, and remember that brahma is the ordinary Athar- vanic word for ' hymn.' Or, again, Brzhaspati, as the companion and double of Indra and Agni, represents their constant hostility towards all vicious forces. Saya/m refers the stanza to the victim of the serpent : the contortions of his body and face are supposed to be described in the first hemistich, the cure in the second. Very plausible, but we are cautioned by such an expression as vritram viparvam, RV. I, 187, 1, which is favourable to the construction of viparur as an epithet of the serpent. Stanza 5. In the Paippalada these stanzas are wanting ; they have the character of a production somewhat independent of the preceding stanzas.
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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