Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1m1, in general very corrupt ; its omission (with the exception of hymns 26, 34, 35, 38, 39, 53, and 54) does not detract much from the general impression left by the body of the collec- tion. The seventeenth book consists of a single hymn of inferior interest. Again, books XV and XVI, the former entirely Brahmanical prose 2, the latter almost entirely so, are of doubtful quality and chronology. Finally, books XIV and XVIII contain respectively the wedding and funeral stanzas of the Atharvan, and are largely coincident with corresponding mantras of the tenth book of the Rig-veda : they are, granted their intrinsic interest, not specifically Atharvanic 3. Of the rest of the Atharvan (books I-XIII) there is presented here about one half, naturally that half which seemed to the translator the most interesting and characteristic. Since not a little of the collection rises scarcely above the level of mere verbiage, the process of exclusion has not called for any great degree of abstemiousness. These successive acts of exclusion have made it possible to present a fairly complete history of each of the hymns translated. The employment of the hymns in the Athar- vanic practices is in closer touch with the original purpose of the composition or compilation of the hymns than is true in the case of the other collections of Vedic hymns. Many times, though by no means at all times, the practices connected with a given hymn present the key to the correct interpretation of the hymn itself. In any case it is instruc- tive to see what the Atharvan priests did with the hymns of their own school, even if we must judge their performances to be secondary. I do not consider any translation of the AV. at this time as final. The most difficult problem, hardly as yet ripe for final solution, is the original function of many mantras, 1 See Kaimka, Introduction, p. xl ff. 2 Translated by Professor Aufrecht, Indische Studien, I, 130, 140. 3 The fourteenth book has been rendered by Professor Weber, Indische Studien, V, p. 195 ff.; the eighteenth book by the same scholar in the Pro- ceedings of the Royal Prussian Academy, 1895, p. 815 ff. ; 1896, p. 253 ff. INTRODUCTION. lxxiii after they have been stripped of certain adaptive modifica- tions, imparted to them to meet the immediate purpose of the Atharvavedin. Not infrequently a stanza has to be rendered in some measure of harmony with its connection, when, in fact, a more original meaning, not at all applicable to its present environment, is but scantily covered up by the secondary modifications of the text.
2avedin. Not infrequently a stanza has to be rendered in some measure of harmony with its connection, when, in fact, a more original meaning, not at all applicable to its present environment, is but scantily covered up by the secondary modifications of the text. This garbled tradition of the ancient texts partakes of the character of popular etymology in the course of the transmission of words. New meaning is read into the mantras, and any little stubbornness on their part is met with modifications of their wording. The critic encounters here a very difficult situation : searching investigation of the remaining Vedic collections is necessary before a bridge can be built from the more original meaning to the meaning implied and required by the situation in a given Atharvan hymn. Need- less to say the only correct and useful way to translate a mantra in the Atharvan, is to reproduce it with the bent which it has received in the Atharvan. The other Vedic collections are by no means free from the same taint. The entire Vedic tradition, the Rig-veda not excepted, presents rather the conclusion than the beginning of a long period of literary activity. Conventionality of subject-matter, style, form (metre), &c, betray themselves at every step : the ' earliest ' books of the RV. are not exempt from the same processes of secondary grouping and adaptation of their mantras, though these are less frequent and less obvious than is the case in the Atharva-veda. Obligations to previous translators : Weber, Muir, Ludwig, Zimmer, Grill 1, Henry, &c, are acknowledged in the intro- duction to each hymn. I regret that the work was in the hands of the printer prior to the appearance of Professor Henry's excellent version of books X-XII 2. The late lamented Professor Whitney kindly furnished me with the 1 Grill's work, entitled, Hundert Lieder des Atharva-veda, second edition (1888), is cited as * Grill V My own six series of Contributions to the Interpre- tation of the Veda, are cited for the sake of brevity as ' Contributions/ 2 Les livres X, XI, et XII de 1' Atharva-veda. Paris, 1896. lxxiv HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. advance sheets of the late Shankar Pandurang Pandit's scholarly edition of the AV. with Saya/za's commentary, as also with many of the readings of the Cashmir text (the so-called Paippalada-^akha) of the AV. Neither the Paippalada nor Saya/za sensibly relieves the task of its difficulty and responsibility. MAURICE BLOOMFIELD. Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore: April, 1896. HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. i.
3alled Paippalada-^akha) of the AV. Neither the Paippalada nor Saya/za sensibly relieves the task of its difficulty and responsibility. MAURICE BLOOMFIELD. Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore: April, 1896. HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. i. CHARMS TO CURE DISEASES AND POSSESSION BY DEMONS OF DISEASE (BHAISHAGYANI). V, 22. Charm against takman (fever) and related diseases. i. May Agni drive the takman away from here, may Soma, the press-stone, and Varima, of tried skill ; may the altar, the straw (upon the altar), and the brightly-flaming fagots (drive him away) ! Away to naught shall go the hateful powers ! 2. Thou that makest all men sallow, inflaming them like a searing fire, even now, O takman, thou shalt become void of strength : do thou now go away down, aye, into the depths ! 3. The takman that is spotted, covered with spots, like reddish sediment, him thou, (O plant) of unremitting potency, drive away down below ! 4. Having made obeisance to the takman, I cast him down below : let him, the champion of .Sakaw- bhara, return again to the Mahavrzshas ! 5. His home is with the Mu^avants, his home [42] B HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. with the Mah&vrzshas. From the moment of thy birth thou art indigenous with the Balhikas. 6. O takman, vyala, vi gada, vydnga, hold off (thy missile) far! Seek the gadabout slave-girl, strike her with thy bolt ! 7. O takman, go to the Mu^avants, or to the Balhikas farther away ! Seek the lecherous .Sftdra- female : her, O takman, give a good shaking-up ! 8. Go away to the Mahavrzshas and the Mufa- vants, thy kinsfolk, and consume them ! Those (regions) do we bespeak for the takman, or these regions here other (than ours). 9. (If) in other regions thou dost not abide, mayest thou that art powerful take pity on us ! Takman, now, has become eager : he will go to the Balhikas. 10. When thou, being cold, and then again de- liriously hot, accompanied by cough, didst cause the (sufferer) to shake, then, O takman, thy missiles were terrible : from these surely exempt us ! 11. By no means ally thyself with balasa, cough and spasm ! From there do thou not return hither again : that, O takman, do I ask of thee ! 12. O takman, along with thy brother balasa, along with thy sister cough, along with thy cousin pclman, go to yonder foreign folk ! 13.
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.
1m1, in general very corrupt ; its omission (with the exception of hymns 26, 34, 35, 38, 39, 53, and 54) does not detract much from the general impression left by the body of the collec- tion. The seventeenth book consists of a single hymn of inferior interest. Again, books XV and XVI, the former entirely Brahmanical prose 2, the latter almost entirely so, are of doubtful quality and chronology. Finally, books XIV and XVIII contain respectively the wedding and funeral stanzas of the Atharvan, and are largely coincident with corresponding mantras of the tenth book of the Rig-veda : they are, granted their intrinsic interest, not specifically Atharvanic 3. Of the rest of the Atharvan (books I-XIII) there is presented here about one half, naturally that half which seemed to the translator the most interesting and characteristic. Since not a little of the collection rises scarcely above the level of mere verbiage, the process of exclusion has not called for any great degree of abstemiousness. These successive acts of exclusion have made it possible to present a fairly complete history of each of the hymns translated. The employment of the hymns in the Athar- vanic practices is in closer touch with the original purpose of the composition or compilation of the hymns than is true in the case of the other collections of Vedic hymns. Many times, though by no means at all times, the practices connected with a given hymn present the key to the correct interpretation of the hymn itself. In any case it is instruc- tive to see what the Atharvan priests did with the hymns of their own school, even if we must judge their performances to be secondary. I do not consider any translation of the AV. at this time as final. The most difficult problem, hardly as yet ripe for final solution, is the original function of many mantras, 1 See Kaimka, Introduction, p. xl ff. 2 Translated by Professor Aufrecht, Indische Studien, I, 130, 140. 3 The fourteenth book has been rendered by Professor Weber, Indische Studien, V, p. 195 ff.; the eighteenth book by the same scholar in the Pro- ceedings of the Royal Prussian Academy, 1895, p. 815 ff. ; 1896, p. 253 ff. INTRODUCTION. lxxiii after they have been stripped of certain adaptive modifica- tions, imparted to them to meet the immediate purpose of the Atharvavedin. Not infrequently a stanza has to be rendered in some measure of harmony with its connection, when, in fact, a more original meaning, not at all applicable to its present environment, is but scantily covered up by the secondary modifications of the text.
2avedin. Not infrequently a stanza has to be rendered in some measure of harmony with its connection, when, in fact, a more original meaning, not at all applicable to its present environment, is but scantily covered up by the secondary modifications of the text. This garbled tradition of the ancient texts partakes of the character of popular etymology in the course of the transmission of words. New meaning is read into the mantras, and any little stubbornness on their part is met with modifications of their wording. The critic encounters here a very difficult situation : searching investigation of the remaining Vedic collections is necessary before a bridge can be built from the more original meaning to the meaning implied and required by the situation in a given Atharvan hymn. Need- less to say the only correct and useful way to translate a mantra in the Atharvan, is to reproduce it with the bent which it has received in the Atharvan. The other Vedic collections are by no means free from the same taint. The entire Vedic tradition, the Rig-veda not excepted, presents rather the conclusion than the beginning of a long period of literary activity. Conventionality of subject-matter, style, form (metre), &c, betray themselves at every step : the ' earliest ' books of the RV. are not exempt from the same processes of secondary grouping and adaptation of their mantras, though these are less frequent and less obvious than is the case in the Atharva-veda. Obligations to previous translators : Weber, Muir, Ludwig, Zimmer, Grill 1, Henry, &c, are acknowledged in the intro- duction to each hymn. I regret that the work was in the hands of the printer prior to the appearance of Professor Henry's excellent version of books X-XII 2. The late lamented Professor Whitney kindly furnished me with the 1 Grill's work, entitled, Hundert Lieder des Atharva-veda, second edition (1888), is cited as * Grill V My own six series of Contributions to the Interpre- tation of the Veda, are cited for the sake of brevity as ' Contributions/ 2 Les livres X, XI, et XII de 1' Atharva-veda. Paris, 1896. lxxiv HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. advance sheets of the late Shankar Pandurang Pandit's scholarly edition of the AV. with Saya/za's commentary, as also with many of the readings of the Cashmir text (the so-called Paippalada-^akha) of the AV. Neither the Paippalada nor Saya/za sensibly relieves the task of its difficulty and responsibility. MAURICE BLOOMFIELD. Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore: April, 1896. HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. i.
3alled Paippalada-^akha) of the AV. Neither the Paippalada nor Saya/za sensibly relieves the task of its difficulty and responsibility. MAURICE BLOOMFIELD. Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore: April, 1896. HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. i. CHARMS TO CURE DISEASES AND POSSESSION BY DEMONS OF DISEASE (BHAISHAGYANI). V, 22. Charm against takman (fever) and related diseases. i. May Agni drive the takman away from here, may Soma, the press-stone, and Varima, of tried skill ; may the altar, the straw (upon the altar), and the brightly-flaming fagots (drive him away) ! Away to naught shall go the hateful powers ! 2. Thou that makest all men sallow, inflaming them like a searing fire, even now, O takman, thou shalt become void of strength : do thou now go away down, aye, into the depths ! 3. The takman that is spotted, covered with spots, like reddish sediment, him thou, (O plant) of unremitting potency, drive away down below ! 4. Having made obeisance to the takman, I cast him down below : let him, the champion of .Sakaw- bhara, return again to the Mahavrzshas ! 5. His home is with the Mu^avants, his home [42] B HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. with the Mah&vrzshas. From the moment of thy birth thou art indigenous with the Balhikas. 6. O takman, vyala, vi gada, vydnga, hold off (thy missile) far! Seek the gadabout slave-girl, strike her with thy bolt ! 7. O takman, go to the Mu^avants, or to the Balhikas farther away ! Seek the lecherous .Sftdra- female : her, O takman, give a good shaking-up ! 8. Go away to the Mahavrzshas and the Mufa- vants, thy kinsfolk, and consume them ! Those (regions) do we bespeak for the takman, or these regions here other (than ours). 9. (If) in other regions thou dost not abide, mayest thou that art powerful take pity on us ! Takman, now, has become eager : he will go to the Balhikas. 10. When thou, being cold, and then again de- liriously hot, accompanied by cough, didst cause the (sufferer) to shake, then, O takman, thy missiles were terrible : from these surely exempt us ! 11. By no means ally thyself with balasa, cough and spasm ! From there do thou not return hither again : that, O takman, do I ask of thee ! 12. O takman, along with thy brother balasa, along with thy sister cough, along with thy cousin pclman, go to yonder foreign folk ! 13.
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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