Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1wounds. II, 30. Commentary to page ioo. The practices in the Kaujika (part of the strikarmam, 32, 28-36, 40) are stated at 35, 21. They seize upon and embody with rather delicate symbolism the comparisons and metaphors which naturally appear in such poems. The performances are, however, not built up upon this hymn alone, but upon three others, VI, 8, 9, and 102, as follows : c While reciting the four hymns just mentioned, he places between two chips, taken respectively from a tree and a creeper which embraces it, an arrow *, sthakara-powder 2, salve, kush/^a (costus speciosus), sweet-wood, and a stalk of grass which has been torn by the wind ; he mixes them with melted butter and anoints (the woman he loves)3.' Cf. the following stanzas of the hymns : VI, 8, 1 ; II, 30, 3 ; VI, 102, 3; II, 30, 1; and VI, 102, 2. The paraphernalia and emotions of love are concretely embodied in a mixture, and drastically transferred upon the woman. Previous translations: Weber, Ind. Stud. V, 218; XIII, 197 ff. ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 517; Grill2, pp. 52, 97 ff. The Anukrama^i, kaminimano*bhimukhikara/za- kama^. Stanza 1. b. The use of the root manth suggests the later man- matha, ' god of love/ 1 This represents, of course, Kama's, the love-god's, arrow. Cf. Weber, Ind. Stud.V, 225; XVII, 290. 2 No less than four forms of this word occur, sthakara, sthagara, tagara (-rr), and takari. It is a fragrant powder; see, e. g Tait. Br. II, 3, 10, 1-3; Gobh. Grih. IV, 2, 29. 3 So Sayawa, striyd ahgarh anulimpet. Differently Ke^ava, ahgaffz samalabhet ru/£yartham, i. e. { he anoints himself so as to make himself attractive.' 312 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. d, e. The two Padas are formulary; see I, 34, 5 ; VI, 8, Stanza 2. a, b. Weber, Ludwig, and Grill regard kamina as dual, ' the loving pair.' I have adopted this, and not followed Saya^a in construing it as instrumental singular. The sense would then be, ' if ye shall unite her with (me), her lover.' The two A^vins, who woo Surya for Soma (RV. X, 85, 8. 9. 14. 15), play here the part of gods of love ; cf. AV. XIV, 1, 35. $6; 2, 5. 6; VI, 102, 1. The anacolu- thon between the two hemistichs is reproduced in the translation. c. bhagaso, * fortunes, good fortunes,' possibly with a double entente (bhaga = vulva) ; cf. st. 5. The Pada, moreover, suggests secondary adaptation ; vam seems to refer primarily to the A^vins, ' your fortunes (i. e. the good fortune bestowed by you) have arrived.' Stanza 3.
2fortunes, good fortunes,' possibly with a double entente (bhaga = vulva) ; cf. st. 5. The Pada, moreover, suggests secondary adaptation ; vam seems to refer primarily to the A^vins, ' your fortunes (i. e. the good fortune bestowed by you) have arrived.' Stanza 3. The sense seems to be that the time of the birds' amorous chirping, when they call to one another to mate, is the proper time for the lover's call to his mistress. Weber, Ind. Stud. V, 219, and Ludwig suggest, however, that the cry of the birds is regarded as a good omen. Saya/za, vaktum i^avo bhavanti. In speaking of the arrow-point and the shaft, the poet has in mind the arrow as the wreapon of the god of love ; see III, 25, 1. 2 ; Ind. Stud. V, 225 ; XVII, 290 ; Zeitschr. d. Deutsch. Morgenl. Gesellsch. XIV, 40, 269. Stanza 4. a, b. The entire mental condition of the maiden, and perhaps also her utterances, shall be altered : the passage is formulary. Saya/za, 'by this the conflict between her speech and her thought is removed.' c. Saya^a on visvarupa/zam, ' having limbs full of fault- lessness, and not previously enjoyed (in sexual love).' But the word may mean simply ' of all sorts.' II, 31- COMMENTARY. 313 Stanza 5. d. bhaga here seems to be used in a double meaning (' fortune,' and ' vulva ') ; it is to be noted that Saya^a does not paraphrase the word. Cf. XX, 136, 5. The Anukra- ma^fj dampati paraspara^ manograha^am akurutam. II, 31. Commentary to page 22. The Atharvan contains three charms against worms, II, 31 and 32 ; V, 23 \ The first of these seems to be of the general sort ; the second is directed against worms in cattle; the third is intended to cure worms in children. We must not, in my opinion, suppose that the assumption of the presence of worms was preceded by acute diagnosis. Professor A. Kuhn, in his admirable treatise on the con- nection between Teutonic and Vedic medicinal charms (Zeitschrift fiir vergleichende Sprachforschung, XIII, pp. 49 ff. ; 113 ff.), has shown that the greatest variety of diseases are regarded in the naive view of folk-medicine as due to the presence of worms (see pp. 135 ff.) ; doubtless similar conceptions are at the base of the Hindu formulas. This accounts for 'worms in the head' (II, 31, 4); 'the variegated worm, the four-eyed ' (II, 32, 2), and the like. Cf. also Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, pp. 98, 393 ; Wise, Hindu System of Medicine, pp. 307, 348 ff. ; and Mann- hardt, Der Baumkultus der Germanen, pp. 12 ff.
3r 'worms in the head' (II, 31, 4); 'the variegated worm, the four-eyed ' (II, 32, 2), and the like. Cf. also Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, pp. 98, 393 ; Wise, Hindu System of Medicine, pp. 307, 348 ff. ; and Mann- hardt, Der Baumkultus der Germanen, pp. 12 ff. Less certain is the same scholar's view that the similarity of the conceptions in this matter points back to proethnic charms, since the equal endowment of the two peoples (Hindus and Germans) may of itself suffice to account for the parallel results. But I must say that the more modern scepticism 1 Cf. elsewhere, Tait. Ar. IV, 36; Apast. St. XV, 19, 5; Gobh. Gr/h. IV, 9, 19 ; Mantrabrahmawa of the Sama-veda II, 7 ; also Maitr. S. Ill, 14, 11; Tait. S. V, 5. 11, 1 ; Va^. S. XXIV, 30; and the correlated hymn, RV. I, 191. 314 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VFDA. which stoutly denies the possibility of such productions in Indo-European times is at the present time more dogmatic than is at all warranted by the evidence. It is likely a priori that some of these folk-notions had crystallised in prehistoric times ; if there was an Indo-European people — some will deny even that — there was also a crude Indo- European folk-lore. Cf. also the introduction to IV, 12. Kaurika implicates this hymn in a rather elaborate and difficult practice, 27, 14-20, as follows : 14. ' While reciting AV. II, 31 he makes an oblation of black lentils1, the kind of worms called algandu 2 and hanana, (all) mixed with ghee. 15. The young (of worms: Darila, krimino balan3) he winds about from right to left upon a black-spotted arrow (Dar., kalmashavar/ze ^are), and then smashes (the arrows)* 16. He roasts (the worms in the fire). 17. He then lays on (the worms with the arrow as firewood in the fire : Dar., tan balan sa.ra.ran). 18. With his left hand, his face turned to the south, he throws up dust and scatters it (over the patient, Ke.ra.va). 19. He (the patient) grinds up (the dust). 20. He then lays (ordinary) firewood on the fire.' The unsavoury practice, introduced by Ke.ra.va with the words arushi-udaraga/z^ulaka-bhaisha^yany u/kyante 4, comports well with the fierce imprecation : the acts symbolise the destruction of the imaginary worms in the patient, and contain various allusions to the wording of the hymn. The hymn has been translated by Kuhn, I.e. 137 ; Weber, Indische Studien, XIII, 199 ff. ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 323 ; Grill2, pp. 6, 98. The Anukrama^i describes the divinity to which the hymn is addressed as mahidevatyam 1 The word khalvahga, thus translated, is not altogether clear.
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.
1wounds. II, 30. Commentary to page ioo. The practices in the Kaujika (part of the strikarmam, 32, 28-36, 40) are stated at 35, 21. They seize upon and embody with rather delicate symbolism the comparisons and metaphors which naturally appear in such poems. The performances are, however, not built up upon this hymn alone, but upon three others, VI, 8, 9, and 102, as follows : c While reciting the four hymns just mentioned, he places between two chips, taken respectively from a tree and a creeper which embraces it, an arrow *, sthakara-powder 2, salve, kush/^a (costus speciosus), sweet-wood, and a stalk of grass which has been torn by the wind ; he mixes them with melted butter and anoints (the woman he loves)3.' Cf. the following stanzas of the hymns : VI, 8, 1 ; II, 30, 3 ; VI, 102, 3; II, 30, 1; and VI, 102, 2. The paraphernalia and emotions of love are concretely embodied in a mixture, and drastically transferred upon the woman. Previous translations: Weber, Ind. Stud. V, 218; XIII, 197 ff. ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 517; Grill2, pp. 52, 97 ff. The Anukrama^i, kaminimano*bhimukhikara/za- kama^. Stanza 1. b. The use of the root manth suggests the later man- matha, ' god of love/ 1 This represents, of course, Kama's, the love-god's, arrow. Cf. Weber, Ind. Stud.V, 225; XVII, 290. 2 No less than four forms of this word occur, sthakara, sthagara, tagara (-rr), and takari. It is a fragrant powder; see, e. g Tait. Br. II, 3, 10, 1-3; Gobh. Grih. IV, 2, 29. 3 So Sayawa, striyd ahgarh anulimpet. Differently Ke^ava, ahgaffz samalabhet ru/£yartham, i. e. { he anoints himself so as to make himself attractive.' 312 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. d, e. The two Padas are formulary; see I, 34, 5 ; VI, 8, Stanza 2. a, b. Weber, Ludwig, and Grill regard kamina as dual, ' the loving pair.' I have adopted this, and not followed Saya^a in construing it as instrumental singular. The sense would then be, ' if ye shall unite her with (me), her lover.' The two A^vins, who woo Surya for Soma (RV. X, 85, 8. 9. 14. 15), play here the part of gods of love ; cf. AV. XIV, 1, 35. $6; 2, 5. 6; VI, 102, 1. The anacolu- thon between the two hemistichs is reproduced in the translation. c. bhagaso, * fortunes, good fortunes,' possibly with a double entente (bhaga = vulva) ; cf. st. 5. The Pada, moreover, suggests secondary adaptation ; vam seems to refer primarily to the A^vins, ' your fortunes (i. e. the good fortune bestowed by you) have arrived.' Stanza 3.
2fortunes, good fortunes,' possibly with a double entente (bhaga = vulva) ; cf. st. 5. The Pada, moreover, suggests secondary adaptation ; vam seems to refer primarily to the A^vins, ' your fortunes (i. e. the good fortune bestowed by you) have arrived.' Stanza 3. The sense seems to be that the time of the birds' amorous chirping, when they call to one another to mate, is the proper time for the lover's call to his mistress. Weber, Ind. Stud. V, 219, and Ludwig suggest, however, that the cry of the birds is regarded as a good omen. Saya/za, vaktum i^avo bhavanti. In speaking of the arrow-point and the shaft, the poet has in mind the arrow as the wreapon of the god of love ; see III, 25, 1. 2 ; Ind. Stud. V, 225 ; XVII, 290 ; Zeitschr. d. Deutsch. Morgenl. Gesellsch. XIV, 40, 269. Stanza 4. a, b. The entire mental condition of the maiden, and perhaps also her utterances, shall be altered : the passage is formulary. Saya/za, 'by this the conflict between her speech and her thought is removed.' c. Saya^a on visvarupa/zam, ' having limbs full of fault- lessness, and not previously enjoyed (in sexual love).' But the word may mean simply ' of all sorts.' II, 31- COMMENTARY. 313 Stanza 5. d. bhaga here seems to be used in a double meaning (' fortune,' and ' vulva ') ; it is to be noted that Saya^a does not paraphrase the word. Cf. XX, 136, 5. The Anukra- ma^fj dampati paraspara^ manograha^am akurutam. II, 31. Commentary to page 22. The Atharvan contains three charms against worms, II, 31 and 32 ; V, 23 \ The first of these seems to be of the general sort ; the second is directed against worms in cattle; the third is intended to cure worms in children. We must not, in my opinion, suppose that the assumption of the presence of worms was preceded by acute diagnosis. Professor A. Kuhn, in his admirable treatise on the con- nection between Teutonic and Vedic medicinal charms (Zeitschrift fiir vergleichende Sprachforschung, XIII, pp. 49 ff. ; 113 ff.), has shown that the greatest variety of diseases are regarded in the naive view of folk-medicine as due to the presence of worms (see pp. 135 ff.) ; doubtless similar conceptions are at the base of the Hindu formulas. This accounts for 'worms in the head' (II, 31, 4); 'the variegated worm, the four-eyed ' (II, 32, 2), and the like. Cf. also Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, pp. 98, 393 ; Wise, Hindu System of Medicine, pp. 307, 348 ff. ; and Mann- hardt, Der Baumkultus der Germanen, pp. 12 ff.
3r 'worms in the head' (II, 31, 4); 'the variegated worm, the four-eyed ' (II, 32, 2), and the like. Cf. also Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, pp. 98, 393 ; Wise, Hindu System of Medicine, pp. 307, 348 ff. ; and Mann- hardt, Der Baumkultus der Germanen, pp. 12 ff. Less certain is the same scholar's view that the similarity of the conceptions in this matter points back to proethnic charms, since the equal endowment of the two peoples (Hindus and Germans) may of itself suffice to account for the parallel results. But I must say that the more modern scepticism 1 Cf. elsewhere, Tait. Ar. IV, 36; Apast. St. XV, 19, 5; Gobh. Gr/h. IV, 9, 19 ; Mantrabrahmawa of the Sama-veda II, 7 ; also Maitr. S. Ill, 14, 11; Tait. S. V, 5. 11, 1 ; Va^. S. XXIV, 30; and the correlated hymn, RV. I, 191. 314 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VFDA. which stoutly denies the possibility of such productions in Indo-European times is at the present time more dogmatic than is at all warranted by the evidence. It is likely a priori that some of these folk-notions had crystallised in prehistoric times ; if there was an Indo-European people — some will deny even that — there was also a crude Indo- European folk-lore. Cf. also the introduction to IV, 12. Kaurika implicates this hymn in a rather elaborate and difficult practice, 27, 14-20, as follows : 14. ' While reciting AV. II, 31 he makes an oblation of black lentils1, the kind of worms called algandu 2 and hanana, (all) mixed with ghee. 15. The young (of worms: Darila, krimino balan3) he winds about from right to left upon a black-spotted arrow (Dar., kalmashavar/ze ^are), and then smashes (the arrows)* 16. He roasts (the worms in the fire). 17. He then lays on (the worms with the arrow as firewood in the fire : Dar., tan balan sa.ra.ran). 18. With his left hand, his face turned to the south, he throws up dust and scatters it (over the patient, Ke.ra.va). 19. He (the patient) grinds up (the dust). 20. He then lays (ordinary) firewood on the fire.' The unsavoury practice, introduced by Ke.ra.va with the words arushi-udaraga/z^ulaka-bhaisha^yany u/kyante 4, comports well with the fierce imprecation : the acts symbolise the destruction of the imaginary worms in the patient, and contain various allusions to the wording of the hymn. The hymn has been translated by Kuhn, I.e. 137 ; Weber, Indische Studien, XIII, 199 ff. ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 323 ; Grill2, pp. 6, 98. The Anukrama^i describes the divinity to which the hymn is addressed as mahidevatyam 1 The word khalvahga, thus translated, is not altogether clear.
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.