Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1Grohmann supposes that the 1 For haplology in Vedic Sanskrit, see the author in the Proceedings of the American Oriental Society for 1893 (Journal, vol. xvi, p. xxxiv). VIII, I. COMMENTARY. 569 word refers to the periodicity of the attacks of fever. Henry- thinks that the word is to be divided as a compound into purva-kamakr/tvan rather than purvakama-krztvan, and accordingly translates, ' qui, des temps immemorial, agit a sa guise.' Saya//a, piirvesham abhilasha/za//z kartitre Mettre, as if -krztvane were derived from root krzt, ' cut/ The com- bination kama/// kar occurs E.V. X, 61, 6, kamaw krzV/vane pitari yuvatyam, 'when the father was satisfying his desire on the young daughter' (cf. stanza 7), and this, when strictly applied to the compound, might yield the result ' having formerly satisfied his (sexual) love/ i. e. ' the takman due to (excessive) sexual intercourse., According to Sumita sexual love (kama) is one of the causes of fever (cf. Groh- mann, p. 386, note). But we must not omit the comparison of the (itself doubtful) word purvakrz'tvari, XII, 1, 14 c, which seems to mean ' anticipating (wishes) by deeds/ The present epithet may aim to conciliate the takman by extravagant praise of this sort. I have, however, adopted the rather non-committal rendering, ' he who in the past fulfilled desires.' This may refer to excesses, or to willingness. Stanza 2. For anyedyii^ and ubhayadyM, see the notes on I, 25, 4 a ; for avrata//, the note on VI, 20, 1 c. VIII, 1. Commentary to page 53. This is an almost impassioned prayer for long life : the heavenly powers, the vital principles, and the human being for whom the prayer is made are implored alike to co- operate in bringing about the result. In the ritual the hymn figures therefore as an ayushyam (sc. suktam), ' a hymn that bestows long life ; ' accordingly it holds mem- bership in the ayushyaga;/a of the Ga/zamala, Ath. Pari^. 32, 4 (Kaus\ 54, ii, note ; cf. also 139, 7). At Kau^. 55, 17 it is employed in the course of the investiture of the young Brahman with the holy cord ; at Kans. 58, 3. 11 in certain special ceremonies (brahma/zoktam, and rz*shihasta/£, Su. 4) 570 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-YEDA. calculated to ensure longevity. Cf. also 5antikalpa 23 *; Ath. Pari*. 37, 2. The hymn has been rendered by Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, V, 443 ff. ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 495 ff. ; Henry, Les Jivres VIII et IX de l'Atharva-veda, pp. 1, 35 ff. Stanza 1. The obeisance to death is in the nature of indemnification for the loss of his victim. For Pada b, cf. AV.
2ir, Original Sanskrit Texts, V, 443 ff. ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 495 ff. ; Henry, Les Jivres VIII et IX de l'Atharva-veda, pp. 1, 35 ff. Stanza 1. The obeisance to death is in the nature of indemnification for the loss of his victim. For Pada b, cf. AV. VII, 53, 2-6 ; for Pada d, RV. X, 66, 2. Stanza 2. The expression somo a;;wuman has a double meaning that cannot be reproduced in translation. Soma (the moon) with his rays, or soma (the plant) with its shoots. The former meaning is likely to have been uppermost in the mind of the writer who is here dealing with personified gods. Cf. Hillebrandt, Soma, p. 300, note 3. Stanza 6. M. Henry points out very properly that Padas a and c allude to the sun : as the sun ascends, so shall the young Brahman ascend to life, and mount the very chariot of the sun, in order to reach the zenith of his life. Saya/*a suggests the senses and the body. In Pada d Saya/za has a^irvi/z for ^-frviA in Shankar Pandit's MSS. (the same MSS. at XIV, 1,21 also read ^frvir for ^-fvrir). The sense with this reading is quite as good as that in the text : ' then without decaying thou shalt hold converse, &c.' The passage is formulaic; cf. AV. XIV, 1, 21 ; RV. X, 85, 27. For vidatham, cf. the note on V, 20, 12. Stanza 8. The word ehi at the end of Pada c is metrically super- fluous. Saya/za seems to follow a redaction which does not exhibit it, since he neglects to comment upon it. 1 Cited erroneously, as usual, by Sayarca as Nakshatrakalpa. VIII, I. COMMENTARY. 57 1 Stanza 9. a. Saya/za does not comment upon preshitau, but supplies (iti sesha/i) the verb badhatam. The word is at any rate suspicious, being readily derivable from the language that belongs to the myth of the two dogs (cf. RV. X, 14, 11 b, 1 2 b). Henry, after stating the difficulty very clearly, changes it to pishatam, fairly similar in sound, but quotable only at AV. IV, 6, 7, and not very suitable in meaning. We have retained preshitau, and have supplied * go after ' (anu £ar, RV. X, 14, 12 b) from sheer conservatism1, recognising, however, quite clearly that the original text is disfigured by reminiscences from the RV., and that some other word is very likely to have been thrown out by the glossarial preshitau. Stanza 10. Cf. the abhayaga/za of the Ga/zamala, Ath. Pari.?. 32, 12, excerpted in Kaui*. 16, 8, note. Stanza 11. Frequently rubricated in the Ath. Parmsh/as : 13, 1 ; i,5; 17,1; 1 8 2, 1. 13. The fires in the waters are the lightning in the clouds; cf. RV. VIII, 43, 9, and the parallel versions. Stanza 13.
3Ath. Pari.?. 32, 12, excerpted in Kaui*. 16, 8, note. Stanza 11. Frequently rubricated in the Ath. Parmsh/as : 13, 1 ; i,5; 17,1; 1 8 2, 1. 13. The fires in the waters are the lightning in the clouds; cf. RV. VIII, 43, 9, and the parallel versions. Stanza 13. The adjectives and participles are momentarily per- sonified in the manner of Roman divinities like Fabulinus, Edusa, Potina, and the like. Bodha and Pratibodha, Asva- pna and G&grivi are said to be i^zshis at AV. V, 30, 10, and Saya/za here speaks of all six personifications as Rishis. Stanza 15^ Bohtlingk's lexicon, Whitney in the Index Verborum, and Saya;/a (glossing the word by sa;//modaya) propose sa;;/- mude for samiide. As natural as this correction seems, it is nevertheless not unavoidable : samud in the sense of 1 The Paippalada has the same word, preshitau. 572 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. ' conversation ' makes excellent sense in the light of st. 6d and VIII, 2, 3 d. The word in either form is air. Aey. Stanza 16. a. Saya;/a renders ^ambha/k sa/zzhanur by ' the Asura Cambria with shut teeth1,' and it may be that nothing more specific than some such folk-lore notion is contained in the word. See, however, our full discussion of the word at AV. II, 4, 1. Ludwig, ' der zahn mit den kiefern.' b. The rendering of the expression ma^ihva (PadapaMa, ^ihva a) barhi/2 is mere guess-work. It would seem as though the words at any rate depicted some evil influence, parallel with ^-ambha and tamas in Pada a. Saya/za, barhir iva ayamavistaropetcl uhyamana ^*ihva raksha^prabhr/te/z sa;/z- bandhini, ' the tongue of the Rakshas, or the like, spread wide as the sacrificial straw/ Ludwig suggests, ^ihva abarhi>£, ' nicht (soil) die zunge an sich reissen.' Henry, ' the tongue (of the fire) shall not gain hold of the barhis (but only of the libation) ' — an unexpected ritual statement, unlikely in this connection, aside from the difficulty of sup- plying a fitting verb with the preposition a. The verb that is required is vidat (Pada a). Our rendering is based upon a compound ^ihva-abarhi/z : see the root J. barh with a. Non liquet. Stanza 19. For Pada b, cf. VIII, 2, 4 ; for c, d, Contributions, Second Series, Amer. Journ. Phil. XI, 336 ff. Stanza 20. The stanza recurs with variants at RV. X, 161, 5, and AV. XX, 96, 10. Stanza 21. Saya/^a glosses vy avat with vyaukMzt, thus obviously deriving the word from the root vas, ' shine.' An extra- ordinary instance of grammatical insight in the midst of 1 He offers also alternately, sa;^hatahanur ^ambha/^ asthuladanto ma vindatu . . . bhaksayitum.
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.
1Grohmann supposes that the 1 For haplology in Vedic Sanskrit, see the author in the Proceedings of the American Oriental Society for 1893 (Journal, vol. xvi, p. xxxiv). VIII, I. COMMENTARY. 569 word refers to the periodicity of the attacks of fever. Henry- thinks that the word is to be divided as a compound into purva-kamakr/tvan rather than purvakama-krztvan, and accordingly translates, ' qui, des temps immemorial, agit a sa guise.' Saya//a, piirvesham abhilasha/za//z kartitre Mettre, as if -krztvane were derived from root krzt, ' cut/ The com- bination kama/// kar occurs E.V. X, 61, 6, kamaw krzV/vane pitari yuvatyam, 'when the father was satisfying his desire on the young daughter' (cf. stanza 7), and this, when strictly applied to the compound, might yield the result ' having formerly satisfied his (sexual) love/ i. e. ' the takman due to (excessive) sexual intercourse., According to Sumita sexual love (kama) is one of the causes of fever (cf. Groh- mann, p. 386, note). But we must not omit the comparison of the (itself doubtful) word purvakrz'tvari, XII, 1, 14 c, which seems to mean ' anticipating (wishes) by deeds/ The present epithet may aim to conciliate the takman by extravagant praise of this sort. I have, however, adopted the rather non-committal rendering, ' he who in the past fulfilled desires.' This may refer to excesses, or to willingness. Stanza 2. For anyedyii^ and ubhayadyM, see the notes on I, 25, 4 a ; for avrata//, the note on VI, 20, 1 c. VIII, 1. Commentary to page 53. This is an almost impassioned prayer for long life : the heavenly powers, the vital principles, and the human being for whom the prayer is made are implored alike to co- operate in bringing about the result. In the ritual the hymn figures therefore as an ayushyam (sc. suktam), ' a hymn that bestows long life ; ' accordingly it holds mem- bership in the ayushyaga;/a of the Ga/zamala, Ath. Pari^. 32, 4 (Kaus\ 54, ii, note ; cf. also 139, 7). At Kau^. 55, 17 it is employed in the course of the investiture of the young Brahman with the holy cord ; at Kans. 58, 3. 11 in certain special ceremonies (brahma/zoktam, and rz*shihasta/£, Su. 4) 570 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-YEDA. calculated to ensure longevity. Cf. also 5antikalpa 23 *; Ath. Pari*. 37, 2. The hymn has been rendered by Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, V, 443 ff. ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 495 ff. ; Henry, Les Jivres VIII et IX de l'Atharva-veda, pp. 1, 35 ff. Stanza 1. The obeisance to death is in the nature of indemnification for the loss of his victim. For Pada b, cf. AV.
2ir, Original Sanskrit Texts, V, 443 ff. ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 495 ff. ; Henry, Les Jivres VIII et IX de l'Atharva-veda, pp. 1, 35 ff. Stanza 1. The obeisance to death is in the nature of indemnification for the loss of his victim. For Pada b, cf. AV. VII, 53, 2-6 ; for Pada d, RV. X, 66, 2. Stanza 2. The expression somo a;;wuman has a double meaning that cannot be reproduced in translation. Soma (the moon) with his rays, or soma (the plant) with its shoots. The former meaning is likely to have been uppermost in the mind of the writer who is here dealing with personified gods. Cf. Hillebrandt, Soma, p. 300, note 3. Stanza 6. M. Henry points out very properly that Padas a and c allude to the sun : as the sun ascends, so shall the young Brahman ascend to life, and mount the very chariot of the sun, in order to reach the zenith of his life. Saya/*a suggests the senses and the body. In Pada d Saya/za has a^irvi/z for ^-frviA in Shankar Pandit's MSS. (the same MSS. at XIV, 1,21 also read ^frvir for ^-fvrir). The sense with this reading is quite as good as that in the text : ' then without decaying thou shalt hold converse, &c.' The passage is formulaic; cf. AV. XIV, 1, 21 ; RV. X, 85, 27. For vidatham, cf. the note on V, 20, 12. Stanza 8. The word ehi at the end of Pada c is metrically super- fluous. Saya/za seems to follow a redaction which does not exhibit it, since he neglects to comment upon it. 1 Cited erroneously, as usual, by Sayarca as Nakshatrakalpa. VIII, I. COMMENTARY. 57 1 Stanza 9. a. Saya/za does not comment upon preshitau, but supplies (iti sesha/i) the verb badhatam. The word is at any rate suspicious, being readily derivable from the language that belongs to the myth of the two dogs (cf. RV. X, 14, 11 b, 1 2 b). Henry, after stating the difficulty very clearly, changes it to pishatam, fairly similar in sound, but quotable only at AV. IV, 6, 7, and not very suitable in meaning. We have retained preshitau, and have supplied * go after ' (anu £ar, RV. X, 14, 12 b) from sheer conservatism1, recognising, however, quite clearly that the original text is disfigured by reminiscences from the RV., and that some other word is very likely to have been thrown out by the glossarial preshitau. Stanza 10. Cf. the abhayaga/za of the Ga/zamala, Ath. Pari.?. 32, 12, excerpted in Kaui*. 16, 8, note. Stanza 11. Frequently rubricated in the Ath. Parmsh/as : 13, 1 ; i,5; 17,1; 1 8 2, 1. 13. The fires in the waters are the lightning in the clouds; cf. RV. VIII, 43, 9, and the parallel versions. Stanza 13.
3Ath. Pari.?. 32, 12, excerpted in Kaui*. 16, 8, note. Stanza 11. Frequently rubricated in the Ath. Parmsh/as : 13, 1 ; i,5; 17,1; 1 8 2, 1. 13. The fires in the waters are the lightning in the clouds; cf. RV. VIII, 43, 9, and the parallel versions. Stanza 13. The adjectives and participles are momentarily per- sonified in the manner of Roman divinities like Fabulinus, Edusa, Potina, and the like. Bodha and Pratibodha, Asva- pna and G&grivi are said to be i^zshis at AV. V, 30, 10, and Saya/za here speaks of all six personifications as Rishis. Stanza 15^ Bohtlingk's lexicon, Whitney in the Index Verborum, and Saya;/a (glossing the word by sa;//modaya) propose sa;;/- mude for samiide. As natural as this correction seems, it is nevertheless not unavoidable : samud in the sense of 1 The Paippalada has the same word, preshitau. 572 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. ' conversation ' makes excellent sense in the light of st. 6d and VIII, 2, 3 d. The word in either form is air. Aey. Stanza 16. a. Saya;/a renders ^ambha/k sa/zzhanur by ' the Asura Cambria with shut teeth1,' and it may be that nothing more specific than some such folk-lore notion is contained in the word. See, however, our full discussion of the word at AV. II, 4, 1. Ludwig, ' der zahn mit den kiefern.' b. The rendering of the expression ma^ihva (PadapaMa, ^ihva a) barhi/2 is mere guess-work. It would seem as though the words at any rate depicted some evil influence, parallel with ^-ambha and tamas in Pada a. Saya/za, barhir iva ayamavistaropetcl uhyamana ^*ihva raksha^prabhr/te/z sa;/z- bandhini, ' the tongue of the Rakshas, or the like, spread wide as the sacrificial straw/ Ludwig suggests, ^ihva abarhi>£, ' nicht (soil) die zunge an sich reissen.' Henry, ' the tongue (of the fire) shall not gain hold of the barhis (but only of the libation) ' — an unexpected ritual statement, unlikely in this connection, aside from the difficulty of sup- plying a fitting verb with the preposition a. The verb that is required is vidat (Pada a). Our rendering is based upon a compound ^ihva-abarhi/z : see the root J. barh with a. Non liquet. Stanza 19. For Pada b, cf. VIII, 2, 4 ; for c, d, Contributions, Second Series, Amer. Journ. Phil. XI, 336 ff. Stanza 20. The stanza recurs with variants at RV. X, 161, 5, and AV. XX, 96, 10. Stanza 21. Saya/^a glosses vy avat with vyaukMzt, thus obviously deriving the word from the root vas, ' shine.' An extra- ordinary instance of grammatical insight in the midst of 1 He offers also alternately, sa;^hatahanur ^ambha/^ asthuladanto ma vindatu . . . bhaksayitum.
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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