Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1ma-veda whose origin is discussed below (p. lxv) likewise belongs to the sphere of the Atharvan ritual. Outside of the Atharvan there is to be noted only a single, but indubitable occurrence, Sankh. Grih. I, 16, 3. 1 Cf. Weber, Verzeichniss, II, 46. 2 E. g. Tait. S. I, 1, 7, 2 ; Maitr. S. I, 1, 8 ; \%. S. 1, 18 ; Tait. Br. 1, 1, 4, 8 ; III, 2, 7,6; -Sat. Br. I, 2, 1, 13 ; Katy. Sr. II, 4, 38 ; Apast. ^r. 1, 12, 3 ; 23, 6 ; Yaska's Nigh.V, 5 ; Nir. XI, 18. The juxtaposition of bhrz'gu and atharvan is decidedly rarer in this class of texts (e.g. Apast. St. IV, 12, 10); that of bhrzgu and angiras continues in the Mahabharata, and later ; see Pet. Lex. s. v. (col. 364, top). 3 Cf. similarly Dadhya/z>£ Atharva^a, Tait. S. V, 1, 4, 4, with Dadhya/1/£ Angirasa, Fank. Br. XII, 8, 6. 4 A statement like that of the late Aulika Upanishad 10, that the Bhrigu are foremost among the Atharvans (atharva^o bhrzguttama^), if it is taken seriously at all, reflects rather the result than the cause of the substitution of the name bhrigu for atharvan. XXVlll HYMNS OF THE ATIIARVA-VEDA. Even in the Atharvan Upanishads the term is wanting1. The earliest occurrences of the word, aside from 5ankh. Grzh., are Vait. Su. i, j; Gop. Br. I, z, 16. The word is common in the Pamish/as. We may note finally the terms pa;££akalpa and pa#/£a- kalpin. They do not refer directly to the Sawhitas of the AV., but are both bahuvrihi-compounds designating 'one who practises with the five kalpas of the AV.,' i.e. Atharvan priests. Thus the words were first explained by the author, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XI, 378 ; Kaurika, Introduction, p. lvii. Cf. also Magoun, The Asuri-kalpa, Amer. Journ. Phil. X, 169. They are very late : they do not occur in the Sutras or Brahma/za of the AV., nor, as far as is known, in the literature proper of that Veda. They appear as the titles of scribes of Atharvan texts, see Kau^ika, Introduc- tion, p. ix ; Weber, Verzeichniss der Sanskrit und Prakrit Handschriften, II, 96. But they are sufficiently attested outside of the Atharvan, in the expression, pa/z^akalpam atharva/zam, Mahabh. XII, 342, 99 = 13258, and in the Mahabhashya (Ind. Stud. XIII, 455). II. The position of the Atharva-veda in Hindu Literature in general. In addressing oneself to the task of characterising the estimate which the Hindus placed upon the Atharvan Statement texts an<3 practices, it is especially needful to of the take a broad, if possible a universal view, of pro em.
2ature in general. In addressing oneself to the task of characterising the estimate which the Hindus placed upon the Atharvan Statement texts an<3 practices, it is especially needful to of the take a broad, if possible a universal view, of pro em. ^e statements of the Vedic and mediaeval texts bearing upon the question. The Atharvan is 1 The word occurs in certain doubtful variants of the text of the MuWaka Up. ; see Ind. Stud. I, 301, note. In Ram I, 65, 22 brahmaveda is contrasted with kshatraveda, just as at Mahabh. VII, 23, 39 = 988 brahma veda with dhanurveda. In such cases the word brahma is not to be referred pregnantly to the fourth Veda, but to Brahmanic religion in general represented by the first caste, the science of war being in the hands of the second, or warrior-caste. Cf. below, p. xlii. The word brahmavid, Mahabh. Ill, 2625 (Nala 14, 18, brahmarshi), however, seems to mean ' skilled in sorcery,' and may contain an allusion to the AV. INTRODUCTION. XXiX a sacred text in more than one respect : aside from the materials which it shares with the Rig- and Ya^ur- vedas, many of its hymns and practices are benevolent (bhesha^a) and are in general well regarded, though even these, as we shall see, do not altogether escape the blight of contempt. Many hymns of the A V. are theosophic in character : on whatsoever ground they found shelter in the Atharvan collections they cannot have been otherwise than highly esteemed. The class of charms designed to establish harmony in family and village life and reconciliation of enemies (the so-called saramanasyani, p. 134 ff.), and the royal ceremonies (ra^akarma/zi), are obviously auspicious in their nature. Even the sorceries of the Atharvan neces- sarily show a double face : they are useful to oneself, harmful to others. According as they are employed objectively and aggressively, they are a valuable and forceful instrument for the benefit and aggrandisement of him that employs them ; according as one suffers from them subjectively and passively, they are dreadful and contemptible. This con- flict of emotions lasts throughout the history of the recorded Hindu thought ; the colour of the Atharvan remains change- able to the end, and is so described in the final orthodox and stereotyped view that it is used * to appease, to bless, and to curse V The fact, however, is that there must have arisen in the long run a strong wave of popular aversion against the Veda, whose most salient teaching is sorcery.
3in the final orthodox and stereotyped view that it is used * to appease, to bless, and to curse V The fact, however, is that there must have arisen in the long run a strong wave of popular aversion against the Veda, whose most salient teaching is sorcery. This appears from the discussions of the Hindus themselves as to the orthodoxy of that Veda2; from the conscious efforts of the later Atharvan writings to vindicate its char- acter and value ; from the allegorical presentation of the Atharvan as ' a lean black man, sharp, irascible, and amorous 3 ; ' and many occasional statements of the Vedic and classical texts. The history of the relation of the Atharvan to the remaining Hindu literature is, however, 1 jantikapaush/ikabhiHradipratipadaka, Madhusudanasarasvati (Ind. Stud. I, 16); Kerava to Kaiu. 1,1; Deva to Katy. Sr. XV, 7, 11, and elsewhere. 2 According to Burnell, Va/w^abrahma«a of the Samaveda, p. xxi, the most influential scholars of Southern India still deny the genuineness of the Atharvan. 8 Ra^endralalamitra in the Introduction to the Gopatha-brahmawa, p. 4. XXX HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. still unwritten, and the following pages aim to supply the necessary data. In the hymn to the Purusha, the primaeval cosmic man (RV. X, 90, 9), the three Vedic categories, rikzh samani ... ya^-u^, are mentioned ; a fourth term, the AV. in Manda/^si, is generic, embodying the metrical the Rig- canons, or the metrical compositions as a whole, but the opportunity to mention the Atharvan is neglected1. The names atharvan, angiras, and bhrzgu, which occur frequently elsewhere in the RV., designate mythic personages, intimately connected with the production of the fire, and the soma-sacrifice ; nowhere do they seem to refer to any kind of literary composition. Even the expression brahmam, used in connection with atharvan, RV. I, 80, 16, can claim no special interest, be- cause, as will appear later (p. lxvi), the word brahma is never used as a specific designation of Atharvan charms. No great importance is to be attached to this silence ; the praises to the gods in connection with the great soma- sacrifices, with their prevailing mythical colouring, darkened very often by priestly mysticism, offer but scant occasion for the mention of sorcery, or the plainer practices of every- day life. Yet sorcery and house-practices there were in India at all times 2.
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.
1ma-veda whose origin is discussed below (p. lxv) likewise belongs to the sphere of the Atharvan ritual. Outside of the Atharvan there is to be noted only a single, but indubitable occurrence, Sankh. Grih. I, 16, 3. 1 Cf. Weber, Verzeichniss, II, 46. 2 E. g. Tait. S. I, 1, 7, 2 ; Maitr. S. I, 1, 8 ; \%. S. 1, 18 ; Tait. Br. 1, 1, 4, 8 ; III, 2, 7,6; -Sat. Br. I, 2, 1, 13 ; Katy. Sr. II, 4, 38 ; Apast. ^r. 1, 12, 3 ; 23, 6 ; Yaska's Nigh.V, 5 ; Nir. XI, 18. The juxtaposition of bhrz'gu and atharvan is decidedly rarer in this class of texts (e.g. Apast. St. IV, 12, 10); that of bhrzgu and angiras continues in the Mahabharata, and later ; see Pet. Lex. s. v. (col. 364, top). 3 Cf. similarly Dadhya/z>£ Atharva^a, Tait. S. V, 1, 4, 4, with Dadhya/1/£ Angirasa, Fank. Br. XII, 8, 6. 4 A statement like that of the late Aulika Upanishad 10, that the Bhrigu are foremost among the Atharvans (atharva^o bhrzguttama^), if it is taken seriously at all, reflects rather the result than the cause of the substitution of the name bhrigu for atharvan. XXVlll HYMNS OF THE ATIIARVA-VEDA. Even in the Atharvan Upanishads the term is wanting1. The earliest occurrences of the word, aside from 5ankh. Grzh., are Vait. Su. i, j; Gop. Br. I, z, 16. The word is common in the Pamish/as. We may note finally the terms pa;££akalpa and pa#/£a- kalpin. They do not refer directly to the Sawhitas of the AV., but are both bahuvrihi-compounds designating 'one who practises with the five kalpas of the AV.,' i.e. Atharvan priests. Thus the words were first explained by the author, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XI, 378 ; Kaurika, Introduction, p. lvii. Cf. also Magoun, The Asuri-kalpa, Amer. Journ. Phil. X, 169. They are very late : they do not occur in the Sutras or Brahma/za of the AV., nor, as far as is known, in the literature proper of that Veda. They appear as the titles of scribes of Atharvan texts, see Kau^ika, Introduc- tion, p. ix ; Weber, Verzeichniss der Sanskrit und Prakrit Handschriften, II, 96. But they are sufficiently attested outside of the Atharvan, in the expression, pa/z^akalpam atharva/zam, Mahabh. XII, 342, 99 = 13258, and in the Mahabhashya (Ind. Stud. XIII, 455). II. The position of the Atharva-veda in Hindu Literature in general. In addressing oneself to the task of characterising the estimate which the Hindus placed upon the Atharvan Statement texts an<3 practices, it is especially needful to of the take a broad, if possible a universal view, of pro em.
2ature in general. In addressing oneself to the task of characterising the estimate which the Hindus placed upon the Atharvan Statement texts an<3 practices, it is especially needful to of the take a broad, if possible a universal view, of pro em. ^e statements of the Vedic and mediaeval texts bearing upon the question. The Atharvan is 1 The word occurs in certain doubtful variants of the text of the MuWaka Up. ; see Ind. Stud. I, 301, note. In Ram I, 65, 22 brahmaveda is contrasted with kshatraveda, just as at Mahabh. VII, 23, 39 = 988 brahma veda with dhanurveda. In such cases the word brahma is not to be referred pregnantly to the fourth Veda, but to Brahmanic religion in general represented by the first caste, the science of war being in the hands of the second, or warrior-caste. Cf. below, p. xlii. The word brahmavid, Mahabh. Ill, 2625 (Nala 14, 18, brahmarshi), however, seems to mean ' skilled in sorcery,' and may contain an allusion to the AV. INTRODUCTION. XXiX a sacred text in more than one respect : aside from the materials which it shares with the Rig- and Ya^ur- vedas, many of its hymns and practices are benevolent (bhesha^a) and are in general well regarded, though even these, as we shall see, do not altogether escape the blight of contempt. Many hymns of the A V. are theosophic in character : on whatsoever ground they found shelter in the Atharvan collections they cannot have been otherwise than highly esteemed. The class of charms designed to establish harmony in family and village life and reconciliation of enemies (the so-called saramanasyani, p. 134 ff.), and the royal ceremonies (ra^akarma/zi), are obviously auspicious in their nature. Even the sorceries of the Atharvan neces- sarily show a double face : they are useful to oneself, harmful to others. According as they are employed objectively and aggressively, they are a valuable and forceful instrument for the benefit and aggrandisement of him that employs them ; according as one suffers from them subjectively and passively, they are dreadful and contemptible. This con- flict of emotions lasts throughout the history of the recorded Hindu thought ; the colour of the Atharvan remains change- able to the end, and is so described in the final orthodox and stereotyped view that it is used * to appease, to bless, and to curse V The fact, however, is that there must have arisen in the long run a strong wave of popular aversion against the Veda, whose most salient teaching is sorcery.
3in the final orthodox and stereotyped view that it is used * to appease, to bless, and to curse V The fact, however, is that there must have arisen in the long run a strong wave of popular aversion against the Veda, whose most salient teaching is sorcery. This appears from the discussions of the Hindus themselves as to the orthodoxy of that Veda2; from the conscious efforts of the later Atharvan writings to vindicate its char- acter and value ; from the allegorical presentation of the Atharvan as ' a lean black man, sharp, irascible, and amorous 3 ; ' and many occasional statements of the Vedic and classical texts. The history of the relation of the Atharvan to the remaining Hindu literature is, however, 1 jantikapaush/ikabhiHradipratipadaka, Madhusudanasarasvati (Ind. Stud. I, 16); Kerava to Kaiu. 1,1; Deva to Katy. Sr. XV, 7, 11, and elsewhere. 2 According to Burnell, Va/w^abrahma«a of the Samaveda, p. xxi, the most influential scholars of Southern India still deny the genuineness of the Atharvan. 8 Ra^endralalamitra in the Introduction to the Gopatha-brahmawa, p. 4. XXX HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. still unwritten, and the following pages aim to supply the necessary data. In the hymn to the Purusha, the primaeval cosmic man (RV. X, 90, 9), the three Vedic categories, rikzh samani ... ya^-u^, are mentioned ; a fourth term, the AV. in Manda/^si, is generic, embodying the metrical the Rig- canons, or the metrical compositions as a whole, but the opportunity to mention the Atharvan is neglected1. The names atharvan, angiras, and bhrzgu, which occur frequently elsewhere in the RV., designate mythic personages, intimately connected with the production of the fire, and the soma-sacrifice ; nowhere do they seem to refer to any kind of literary composition. Even the expression brahmam, used in connection with atharvan, RV. I, 80, 16, can claim no special interest, be- cause, as will appear later (p. lxvi), the word brahma is never used as a specific designation of Atharvan charms. No great importance is to be attached to this silence ; the praises to the gods in connection with the great soma- sacrifices, with their prevailing mythical colouring, darkened very often by priestly mysticism, offer but scant occasion for the mention of sorcery, or the plainer practices of every- day life. Yet sorcery and house-practices there were in India at all times 2.
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.
No commentary for this page.