Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1here, rz'bhii may be either appel- lative, or refer to the mythic JZibhu. Stanza 10. a. The image of things floating down a river is employed with great predilection to indicate loss of power, harmless- ness : e.g. I, 8, 1 ; VI, 113, 2 ; X, 4, 3. Stanza 11. The gift of an outsider to the Fathers must either have been regarded as a defilement, or as an attempt to alienate their affection and protecting care. In Pada b the sacrifice is the hostile sacrifice as in VIII, 5, 15; the name of the 604 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. enemy is frequently called out in hostile formulas and prayers, e.g. IV, 16, 9; Kauj. 47, 10. 22. For the difficult word sa^dcryat, here and in the next stanza, see the notes on II, 8, 5 band IV, 16, 8. Stanza 12. For the conception of the sins of the gods, see the notes on VI, 111,3; II3i TJ anc* Proc. Amer. Or. Soc, March, 1894 (Journal, vol. xvi), p. cxix ff. Ludwig's rendering, 1 sin against the gods, and against the Fathers,' is perfectly admissible, but the other seems to us more pregnant and probable. Stanza 15. d. kuru/ini, translated by ' crowned with a crest,' is in truth a air. key. of unknown value. The Pet. Lexs. suggest its equivalence with kiri/in, ' ornamented with a diadem/ Cf. also kurira and kuririn, the latter in the closely related hymn, V, 31, 2. Hema^andra also reports a word kuru/in, ' horse,' and Ludwig, apparently on this basis, translates 1 mit rossen.' The head of the bogey may have been orna- mented in some fanciful way with a crest. But the point is altogether problematic. Cf. also tiri/in, VIII, 6, 7. Stanza 18. With the first hemistich cf. the little legend at Maitr. S. Ill, 8, 8 (106, 11); Tait. S. VI, 2, 11, 1 ; Sat. Br. Ill, 5, 4, 2. Stanza 22. The ' lords of the beings ' allude to Rudra, who is called bhutapati ; cf. Bhava and 5arva in the concatenating next stanza, and see the introduction to XI, 2. Stanza 26. b. Cf. the perfect parallel, Manu VIII, 44, yatha nayati asrz'kpatair mrzgasya mr/gayu^ padam, * as the hunter tracks the (wounded) animal by its drops of blood.' Stanza 27. A metaphorical description of the fate of him that prac- tises witchcraft. The counter-charm (kr/tyapratihara/za) is X, 4- COMMENTARY. 605 sure to prevail in the end. For pratyadaya read pratya- dhaya with the Pet. Lex. and Roth, Zeitschr. d. Deutsch. MorgenL Gesellsch. XLVIII, 681. X, 3. Commentary to page 8i. At Kaus. 19, 22 there is a performance which is supposed to result in the fulfilment of every desire (Ke^ava, sarva- kama).
2aya read pratya- dhaya with the Pet. Lex. and Roth, Zeitschr. d. Deutsch. MorgenL Gesellsch. XLVIII, 681. X, 3. Commentary to page 8i. At Kaus. 19, 22 there is a performance which is supposed to result in the fulfilment of every desire (Ke^ava, sarva- kama). It consists simply in reciting one of four hymns in praise of certain amulets, while fastening the amulet extolled in the hymn, after having steeped it for certain three nights in a mixture of sour milk and honey (in accordance with the ParibhasM-sutra, Kauy. 7, 19). For the character of the amulet derived from the vara^a-tree, as treated by the Atharvan poet, cf. the introduction to VI, 85. The third stanza naturally figures in the du^svapnamLyanaga^a, a list of hymns designed to remove the effect of evil dreams, in the Ga^amala, Ath. ParLr. 32, 8 (Kauy. 46, 9, note). Cf. also Santikalpa 17 and 19. The hymn has been translated by Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 60 ff. Stanza 3. b. For the epithet, ' thousand-eyed,' cf. the note on IV, 20,4. X, 4. Commentary to page 152. The central feature of this charm against serpents is the frequent allusion to the white horse of Pedu (Paidva) : from earliest times onwards, this is said to be a slayer of serpents. For its mythic origin, see Bergaigne, La Religion Vedique, II, 451-2, 498, who identifies it plausibly with the steed of the sun. In the practices of the Atharvan, Kau^. 32, 20 ff. \ some insect is substituted for the unattainable mythical horse2. The hymn is employed at Kslus. 32, 20-25, as follows : 20. ' While reciting X, 4 the (person bitten) per- 1 Cf. also Kaur. 35, 4. 8, and the introductions to VI, 11 and 17. 2 Cf. Contributions, Third Series, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XV, 1 58 ; Kaujika, Introduction, p. xliv ff. 606 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. forms the rite to Takshaka (described at Kau^. 28, 1 ; see the introduction to IV, 6). 21. Having ground up the paidva1, he puts it with his right thumb up the nose in his right nostril. 22. If afraid of serpents he hides (the paidva) away in the seam of his garment. 23. While st. 25 of the hymn is being recited (the patient suffering from a snake- bite) is rubbed from (his head) to the tips of his feet. 24. Having heated the bitten spot while reciting the last stanza of the hymn, he throws (the torch with which the heating is done) upon the serpent. 25. (In the absence of the serpent he hurls it upon the spot) where he was bitten/ The hymn is also cited, along with other mantras against serpents, at Kau.r.
3e last stanza of the hymn, he throws (the torch with which the heating is done) upon the serpent. 25. (In the absence of the serpent he hurls it upon the spot) where he was bitten/ The hymn is also cited, along with other mantras against serpents, at Kau.r. 139, 8, in the course of practices pre- paratory to the study of the Veda. It has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 520 ff. Stanza 1. c, d. apama (the Padapa/^a in perplexity, apa-ma) seems untenable, unless we admit an irregular change of final as to a before r ; cf. Joh. Schmidt, Die Pluralbildungen der Indogermanischen Neutra, p. 124 ff. We emend to apamo. arad and arishat (! with some MSS.) are prophetic aorists : lit. ■ it has hit a post and come to grief/ Stanza 2. a. The general sense of this passage seems fairly clear, but it is full of obscure details, and the metre so much dis- turbed as to cast suspicion upon the text. The Pet. Lexs. identify taru^akam with tarimaka in darbhataru/zaka, 'a young shoot of darbha-grass ; ' it seems therefore best to place taru/^akam in apposition with darbha^. But it is not quite clear what kind of grass is meant, nor what it is meant to do. According to Ait. Br. VII, 33, 1 ; Sat. Br. Ill, 1, 2, 7, &c. ; Asv. Grih. IV, 6, 11, the darbha-shoots are employed in the ritual ; possibly its purificatory power is 1 The paidva is some kind of insect. Most cleariy Ke^ava at Kauj. 32, 22, paidva/rc hiraT/yavarrcasadwa^ ki/a^ &trito va sa paidva ity u^yate. X, 4- COMMENTARY. 607 engaged against the serpents, as a flame which burns them. Or, perhaps the young darbha-grass in which the serpent lurks (cf. st. 13 d) is invoked against the serpent. b. The horse of Pedu is meant, it seems : even its tail burns the serpents. For the unintelligible parushasya we are tempted to substitute arushasya, relying upon the oft emphasised whiteness (jveta) of Pedu's horse (RV. I, 116, 6 ; 118,9; IX9; IO; x> 39> 10). Stanza 3. c. Cf. st. 20, and I, 8, 1 ; VI, 14, 3 ; 113, 2 ; X, 1. 10 ; RV. X, 155, 3: things that float away on the water are harmless and powerless. d. The vulgata reads var, enclitic ; Whitney in the Index Verborum, var. But many MSS., both here and in the next stanza, have var. According to Pischel, Vedische Studien, II, 74 ff., this is the true reading: injunctive of the s-aorist, second person singular (avarsham, avar, avar) from root var, 'ward off, hinder, obstruct.' The sense would be, 'ward off the fierce poison of the serpent (so that it be) devoid of strength.' But in the next stanza var would need to be construed as
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.
1here, rz'bhii may be either appel- lative, or refer to the mythic JZibhu. Stanza 10. a. The image of things floating down a river is employed with great predilection to indicate loss of power, harmless- ness : e.g. I, 8, 1 ; VI, 113, 2 ; X, 4, 3. Stanza 11. The gift of an outsider to the Fathers must either have been regarded as a defilement, or as an attempt to alienate their affection and protecting care. In Pada b the sacrifice is the hostile sacrifice as in VIII, 5, 15; the name of the 604 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. enemy is frequently called out in hostile formulas and prayers, e.g. IV, 16, 9; Kauj. 47, 10. 22. For the difficult word sa^dcryat, here and in the next stanza, see the notes on II, 8, 5 band IV, 16, 8. Stanza 12. For the conception of the sins of the gods, see the notes on VI, 111,3; II3i TJ anc* Proc. Amer. Or. Soc, March, 1894 (Journal, vol. xvi), p. cxix ff. Ludwig's rendering, 1 sin against the gods, and against the Fathers,' is perfectly admissible, but the other seems to us more pregnant and probable. Stanza 15. d. kuru/ini, translated by ' crowned with a crest,' is in truth a air. key. of unknown value. The Pet. Lexs. suggest its equivalence with kiri/in, ' ornamented with a diadem/ Cf. also kurira and kuririn, the latter in the closely related hymn, V, 31, 2. Hema^andra also reports a word kuru/in, ' horse,' and Ludwig, apparently on this basis, translates 1 mit rossen.' The head of the bogey may have been orna- mented in some fanciful way with a crest. But the point is altogether problematic. Cf. also tiri/in, VIII, 6, 7. Stanza 18. With the first hemistich cf. the little legend at Maitr. S. Ill, 8, 8 (106, 11); Tait. S. VI, 2, 11, 1 ; Sat. Br. Ill, 5, 4, 2. Stanza 22. The ' lords of the beings ' allude to Rudra, who is called bhutapati ; cf. Bhava and 5arva in the concatenating next stanza, and see the introduction to XI, 2. Stanza 26. b. Cf. the perfect parallel, Manu VIII, 44, yatha nayati asrz'kpatair mrzgasya mr/gayu^ padam, * as the hunter tracks the (wounded) animal by its drops of blood.' Stanza 27. A metaphorical description of the fate of him that prac- tises witchcraft. The counter-charm (kr/tyapratihara/za) is X, 4- COMMENTARY. 605 sure to prevail in the end. For pratyadaya read pratya- dhaya with the Pet. Lex. and Roth, Zeitschr. d. Deutsch. MorgenL Gesellsch. XLVIII, 681. X, 3. Commentary to page 8i. At Kaus. 19, 22 there is a performance which is supposed to result in the fulfilment of every desire (Ke^ava, sarva- kama).
2aya read pratya- dhaya with the Pet. Lex. and Roth, Zeitschr. d. Deutsch. MorgenL Gesellsch. XLVIII, 681. X, 3. Commentary to page 8i. At Kaus. 19, 22 there is a performance which is supposed to result in the fulfilment of every desire (Ke^ava, sarva- kama). It consists simply in reciting one of four hymns in praise of certain amulets, while fastening the amulet extolled in the hymn, after having steeped it for certain three nights in a mixture of sour milk and honey (in accordance with the ParibhasM-sutra, Kauy. 7, 19). For the character of the amulet derived from the vara^a-tree, as treated by the Atharvan poet, cf. the introduction to VI, 85. The third stanza naturally figures in the du^svapnamLyanaga^a, a list of hymns designed to remove the effect of evil dreams, in the Ga^amala, Ath. ParLr. 32, 8 (Kauy. 46, 9, note). Cf. also Santikalpa 17 and 19. The hymn has been translated by Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 60 ff. Stanza 3. b. For the epithet, ' thousand-eyed,' cf. the note on IV, 20,4. X, 4. Commentary to page 152. The central feature of this charm against serpents is the frequent allusion to the white horse of Pedu (Paidva) : from earliest times onwards, this is said to be a slayer of serpents. For its mythic origin, see Bergaigne, La Religion Vedique, II, 451-2, 498, who identifies it plausibly with the steed of the sun. In the practices of the Atharvan, Kau^. 32, 20 ff. \ some insect is substituted for the unattainable mythical horse2. The hymn is employed at Kslus. 32, 20-25, as follows : 20. ' While reciting X, 4 the (person bitten) per- 1 Cf. also Kaur. 35, 4. 8, and the introductions to VI, 11 and 17. 2 Cf. Contributions, Third Series, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XV, 1 58 ; Kaujika, Introduction, p. xliv ff. 606 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. forms the rite to Takshaka (described at Kau^. 28, 1 ; see the introduction to IV, 6). 21. Having ground up the paidva1, he puts it with his right thumb up the nose in his right nostril. 22. If afraid of serpents he hides (the paidva) away in the seam of his garment. 23. While st. 25 of the hymn is being recited (the patient suffering from a snake- bite) is rubbed from (his head) to the tips of his feet. 24. Having heated the bitten spot while reciting the last stanza of the hymn, he throws (the torch with which the heating is done) upon the serpent. 25. (In the absence of the serpent he hurls it upon the spot) where he was bitten/ The hymn is also cited, along with other mantras against serpents, at Kau.r.
3e last stanza of the hymn, he throws (the torch with which the heating is done) upon the serpent. 25. (In the absence of the serpent he hurls it upon the spot) where he was bitten/ The hymn is also cited, along with other mantras against serpents, at Kau.r. 139, 8, in the course of practices pre- paratory to the study of the Veda. It has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 520 ff. Stanza 1. c, d. apama (the Padapa/^a in perplexity, apa-ma) seems untenable, unless we admit an irregular change of final as to a before r ; cf. Joh. Schmidt, Die Pluralbildungen der Indogermanischen Neutra, p. 124 ff. We emend to apamo. arad and arishat (! with some MSS.) are prophetic aorists : lit. ■ it has hit a post and come to grief/ Stanza 2. a. The general sense of this passage seems fairly clear, but it is full of obscure details, and the metre so much dis- turbed as to cast suspicion upon the text. The Pet. Lexs. identify taru^akam with tarimaka in darbhataru/zaka, 'a young shoot of darbha-grass ; ' it seems therefore best to place taru/^akam in apposition with darbha^. But it is not quite clear what kind of grass is meant, nor what it is meant to do. According to Ait. Br. VII, 33, 1 ; Sat. Br. Ill, 1, 2, 7, &c. ; Asv. Grih. IV, 6, 11, the darbha-shoots are employed in the ritual ; possibly its purificatory power is 1 The paidva is some kind of insect. Most cleariy Ke^ava at Kauj. 32, 22, paidva/rc hiraT/yavarrcasadwa^ ki/a^ &trito va sa paidva ity u^yate. X, 4- COMMENTARY. 607 engaged against the serpents, as a flame which burns them. Or, perhaps the young darbha-grass in which the serpent lurks (cf. st. 13 d) is invoked against the serpent. b. The horse of Pedu is meant, it seems : even its tail burns the serpents. For the unintelligible parushasya we are tempted to substitute arushasya, relying upon the oft emphasised whiteness (jveta) of Pedu's horse (RV. I, 116, 6 ; 118,9; IX9; IO; x> 39> 10). Stanza 3. c. Cf. st. 20, and I, 8, 1 ; VI, 14, 3 ; 113, 2 ; X, 1. 10 ; RV. X, 155, 3: things that float away on the water are harmless and powerless. d. The vulgata reads var, enclitic ; Whitney in the Index Verborum, var. But many MSS., both here and in the next stanza, have var. According to Pischel, Vedische Studien, II, 74 ff., this is the true reading: injunctive of the s-aorist, second person singular (avarsham, avar, avar) from root var, 'ward off, hinder, obstruct.' The sense would be, 'ward off the fierce poison of the serpent (so that it be) devoid of strength.' But in the next stanza var would need to be construed as
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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