Hymns of the Atharva-Veda — SBE Vol. 42 (Clarendon Press, 1897) — second scan

rastat, and construes sa//zkhyata as the nom. of the stem sa//zkhyatar (prama^ayita).

d. The Pada is exceedingly difficult, ni minoti has the sanction of all MSS., and is apparently the reading of the Paippalada also. The gamester throws down (ni vapati, Kaiu. 41, 13) his dice, and it is implied here, of course, that it is done successfully, that the player obtains the stakes (krz'tam, see Pet. Lex., s. v. krz'ta 3 c), because Varu/za cannot be otherwise than successful. As the player plants down these (successful dice) thus does Varu/za establish these laws (tani, sc. vratani?). Saya/za, who did not primarily influence our conclusion, in part approaches the same interpretation, tani papinam .rikshakarmam tattatpap. 392panusare?za ni minoti ni kshipati . . . yatha kitava/£ akshan atmano ^ayartha^ nikshipati. The Pet. Lex. (V, 764 ; VII, 409) emends, to nf Minoti and vi Minoti without real gain, tempting as the emendation is in the light of RV. X, 43, 9 = AV. VII, 50, 6, and AV. IV, 38, 3. Grill suggests nf minoti (or minati) in the sense of ' reducing, causing to vanish the strength of men' (cf. Sayazza), but neither expression will bear such an interpretation (nf minati does not occur). The translators offer the greatest variety of versions, without, as a rule, adhering closely to the text.

Stanza 6.

Sayazza reads visitM and rushanta/'z (so also the Paippalada). For sinantu of the vulgate the MSS. have Minantu, £^inattu, and sinantu (Sayazza, ^/zinattu ^/zindantu).

Stanza 7.

a. varuzza is metrically superfluous, an obvious gloss.

c. The MSS. read sramsayitva. and .sraz/zsayitva. Sayazza, correctly, sraz/zsayitva (^"alodararogezza srasta^z krztva).

d. Sayazza, followed by Shankar Pandit, reads abandha/i for abandhra/z. The Pet. Lex. s. v. 2 kart, ' like a leaking tub wound about with rags ' (to stop the leakage). Sayazza, ase/z ko^a iva parikz-ztyamana/z (krz'ti /^edane), ' like the broken sheath of a sword.'

Stanza 8.

Literally, ' with Varuzza who is fastened lengthwise, &c.' The word varuzza/z could be well spared from all three Padas, if it were not for the metrical symmetry with the next stanza. Or it might be changed to the vocative varuzza. For samamyo and vyamyo, cf. AV. XVIII, 4, 70 : the words are clear. Ludwig and Sayazza erroneously connect them with amaya, ' disease.' vidcsya is naturally derived from vidcra, ' foreign country ; ' in that case sa/zzdcsya is an artificially formed opposite ' native, indigenous.7 So Sayazza. Both words are a?r. key. An alternate possibility

IV, 17- COMMENTARY.

with amaya, ' disease.' vidcsya is naturally derived from vidcra, ' foreign country ; ' in that case sa/zzdcsya is an artificially formed opposite ' native, indigenous.7 So Sayazza. Both words are a?r. key. An alternate possibilityp. 393 is to render sa^de^ya, ' subject to command ; ' then videsyk is ' exempt from command/ Or, again, each may be translated independently : sa///de.rya, ' subject to command ;' vide^ya, ' foreign : ' their juxtaposition in a magic formula may be of the punning order. For sa;^de^ya, cf. our note on II, 8, 5 b. The divine and the human (noose of) Varu/za refers either to divine and human disease (so, apparently, Saya^a), or to diseases instigated by gods and men. The formula grovels in the lowest bathos of hocus-pocus.

IV, 17. Commentary to page 69.

This and the two following hymns are addressed to the apamarga-plant (achyranthes aspera) 1. It is employed to ward off all kinds of evil and witchcraft, and its qualifications in that direction are guaranteed to the Atharvanic Hindu by its real or supposed etymology. The name is hardly ever mentioned without bringing in its trail the verb apa mar^-, ' to wipe out.' The pun assumes the most lively reality: diseases, enemies, demons, and sins are wiped out by its influence. See Zimmer, p. 66 ff. ; our Contributions, Third Series, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XV, 161 ; Weber, Ra^asuya, p. 18. Cf. also vSat. Br. XIII, 8, 4, 4.

The three hymns figure at Kau^. 39, 7 in a list which is almost identical with the kr/tyapratihara^ani (sc. suktani), or the kr/tyaga//a, a series of hymns designed to counteract sorcery, in the Ga/zamala, Ath. Pam. 32, 2.

The Kaorika, 39, 7-12, prescribes in connection with these hymns a lengthy procedure, which begins with ' the pouring of the great consecration ' (maha^antim avapate). Cf. Kaiu. 39, 27 ; 43> 5 ; 44, 6 ; 46, 7 5 Sahkh. Grih. V, 11, 2. The maha^anti consists in pouring together ' holy water' (^antyudakam) during the recitation of the four ga/^as of hymns, described in Kauj*. 8, 23-9, 6. The 'holy water' itself is prepared at Kaur. 9, 8 ff. with elaborate ceremonies, the chief of which is the placing of 'holy plants '

1 Saya^a regularly glosses the word by sahadevi.

p. 394

(Kauj. 8, 1 6) into the water. Obviously the meaning of all these performances is purification, and the warding off of impure influences. Then follow in Sutras 39, 8—1 rz a variety of rather complicated practices, too lengthy and obscure for exposition in this connection.

1 6) into the water. Obviously the meaning of all these performances is purification, and the warding off of impure influences. Then follow in Sutras 39, 8—1 rz a variety of rather complicated practices, too lengthy and obscure for exposition in this connection. They concern more narrowly some such hymn, belonging to the krztyapratihara/zani, as X, 1 ; see the introduction to that hymn. The fifth stanza of IV, 17 naturally figures in the du^svapnancUanaga/za, ' series of hymns calculated to drive away evil dreams/ of the Ga/zamala ; see Kaui*. 46, 9, note.

The hymn has been translated by Zimmer, p. 66; Grill2, pp. 37, 130 ff. The Anukrama^i, apamargavanaspatidevatyam. Cf. also Ath. Pari.?. 182, 4.

Stanza 2.

a. Saya^a with one MS. reads for .rapathayavanim the synonymous ^apathayopanim ; cf. II, 7, 1.

b. The epithet puna/zsara does not somehow seem to me to be so clear as to the editors of the Pet. Lexs., Zimmer, and Grill. They render it by ' zuruckgeschlagene bliithen habend.' This is based upon the statement at IV, 19, 7, ' thou didst grow backward, thou hast fruit which is turned backward' (cf. VII, 65, 1 ; Sat. Br. V, 2, 4, 20), and the epithets parakpushpi, pratyakpushpi, and pratyakparni in native lexical works. In RV. VII, 55, 3 puna^sara is an epithet of the barking dog, ' running back and returning again (to the attack)/ The two other occurrences of the word, AV. VI, 129, 3; X, 1, 9, are not disposed of satisfactorily by the renderings of the Pet. Lexs. It seems to me that 'attacking' or 'defending' is better, and that the word pratisara, 'defensive amulet1/ is closely related to it. Cf. Sat. Br. V, 2, 4, 20, and Seven Hymns, Amer. Journ. Phil. VII, 478 ff. Saya/?a, similarly, puna/£puna/z abhiksh/^yena bahutaravyadhiniw/ttaye sarati.

1 The pratisara turns the spell as a boomerang upon him who performs it. See AV. VIII, 5, 5, prati£i£ krilyâh pratisarafr a^-antu, and cf. the note on VIII, 5, 1.

p. 395

Stanza 3.

Identical with I, 28, 3. The Pet. Lexs., Zimmer, and Grill regard muram = mulam, * root (of an injurious plant)/ Saya/za, mur^apradam. Padas c, d perhaps rather, ' she who has taken in hand the (magic substances) created to rob strength . . .'

Stanza 4.

Cf. V, 31, 1, and the note on Kau^. 39, 31. The unburned vessel seems to symbolise the fragility, destructibility (5at. Br. XII, 1, 3, 23) of the person upon whom enchantments are practised. At Sat. Br. XIV, 9, 4, 11 = Brzh. Ar. VI, 4, 12 it figures in a sorcery practice against a wife's paramour.