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

first Pada. This may be corrected so as to yield an anush/ubh, either by crasis of panthana asan, or by substituting the older form pantha(s). The former is the more conservative alternative, since the nominative plural panthas does not occur in the Atharvan.

d. niravahan wTith its two prepositions indicates vividly the two chief features of the myth : nir, ' forth (from heaven) ; ' a, ' to (the mountain upon which it grows).'

Stanza 6.

The stanza, both by its metre (gayatri), and subject matter, betrays its character as an interruption of the mythological history of the kushMa. It seems, too, in a measure, modelled after VI, 95, 3, with which it shares its last Pada. Nevertheless I would not go as far as Grill does, and print the stanza at the end of the hymn, because it may have been composed as a liturgical interruption of the mythological account. To say that it was inserted because of the assonance of a vaha in Pada b with niravahan in 5 d is begging the question, since this assonance may be part of the original endeavour. To be sure, the redactors of the Atharvan are quite capable of such betises, but they should not be charged with them except for good cause !

b. a vaha, 'restore,' literally/ bring hither.' The word is not otherwise quotable in this sense. Similar expressions, however, are employed to indicate the restoration of a disturbed mind ; here, perhaps, with reference to the delirious ravings of the fever-patient ; cf. punar da, AV. VI, in, 4, and perhaps a ga and ud ga, II, 9, 3. The sense

[42] e ep. 41 is fairly secure owing to its juxtaposition with nfsh kar (cf. st. 10, and II, 9, 5, &c).

Stanza 7.

b. Cf. AV. XIX, 39, 5. 8 for somasya sakha.

d. ^akshushe, ' to my eye/ not in the sense of the oculist, there being no implication of disease of the eye, as is the case in the expression upahatyam akshos in st. 10. The poet has in mind that eye with which ' to see the sun ' (suryam drise, drisaye suryaya, or svar drzs6) is the poetic prayer for life. This is quite clear. The eye here is that which finally does go to the sun, stiryani Mkshur gakk/iatu, RV. X, 16, 3; cf. with this and the preceding Pada the formula at the animal sacrifice, e.g. Ait. Br. II, 6, 13, ' may thy eye go to the sun ; may thy breath unite with the wind,'

Stanza 8.

c, d. namany uttamani : literally, * highest names ; ' cf. AV. XIX, 39, 2, where the names are stated with much fancy.

Stanza 9.

For the diction of this stanza, cf. AV. VI, 95, 3; XIX,
39, 3. 4; and V, 22, 2; XIX, 34, 10.

Stanza 10.

the wind,'

Stanza 8.

c, d. namany uttamani : literally, * highest names ; ' cf. AV. XIX, 39, 2, where the names are stated with much fancy.

Stanza 9.

For the diction of this stanza, cf. AV. VI, 95, 3; XIX,
39, 3. 4; and V, 22, 2; XIX, 34, 10.

Stanza 10.

The stanza is rubricated separately as a member of the takmana^anaga^a in the Ga^amala ; see Kaus. 26, 1, note. The Anukrama/zi designates it as ush/nggarbha, mkrit (nivrz't), because Pada b seems defective. By reading akshios tanuvo the defect is remedied : akshos here, as well as in part of the MSS. at XIX, 60, i, stands for akshyos with defective presentation of the sound-group kshy as ksh. See also IV, 20, 7, where all MSS. read £aturakshas for ^aturakshyas. The case is the same as appears in mekshami for mekshyami, AV. VII, 102, 1 ; sakshe for sakshye, II, 27, 5 ; vibhunkshama^a- for -kshyama»a-, Kau^. 23, 9 ; 38, 26, and more remotely like jama for jyama, AV. I, 24, 4, and jamaka for .syamaka, Kaoy.

p. 419

74, 16. Morphological deductions, such as Professor Hopkins, Amer. Journ. Phil. XIII, 21 ff., bases upon these defective writings, are therefore subject to the gravest suspicion. In general, Devanagari MSS. must be watched very closely for the loss of y, especially if preceded by two consonants; cf. especially the hopeless confusion between the words arghya and argha.

V, 5. Commentary to page %o.

The only mention of this hymn in the practices of the Kau^ika is the one implied in 28, 14, lakshâlingabhir (sc. rzgbhir) dugdhe pha/z/an payayati, where the commentators agree in presenting our hymn along with AV. IV, 12, as 'the stanzas characterised by the mention of the lakshaplant.' For the practices connected with the plant that goes by the names Arundhatf, Sila^i, Laksha (possibly also Roham), see the introduction to IV, 12, and the note on its first stanza.

The hymn has been translated by Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 67; Grill2, pp. 10, 143 ; the last two stanzas by Kuhn, Zeitschrift fur vergleichende Sprachforschung, XIII, p. 61. The Anukrama^t designates it as lakshikam, ' pertaining to the lâksha-plant.'

Stanza 1.

a. The Atharvan poets signalise with great predilection their knowledge of the power of any substance which they employ by stating that this knowledge extends to the father, mother, and other relatives of the substance. Or, again, they indicate their control over any disease, or hostile force, by assuming the same knowledge of their kindred. Of the latter class are the boasts made in V, 13, 7; VI, 61, 1, and VII, 74, 1.

father, mother, and other relatives of the substance. Or, again, they indicate their control over any disease, or hostile force, by assuming the same knowledge of their kindred. Of the latter class are the boasts made in V, 13, 7; VI, 61, 1, and VII, 74, 1. The former class concerns plants exclusively. Dyaus, the heaven, and Przthivi, the earth, are father and mother of plants, III, 23, 6; VIII, 7, 2, and perhaps also III, 9, 1. Fanciful names are given to the parents of plants : I, 34, 3, sarupa nama te mata sarupo nama te pita (cf. Kaiu. 26, 33, note) ; VI, 16, 1, vihalho nama

E e 2

p. 420

te pita madavati nama te mata (of the plant abayu, mustard) ; XIX, 39, 2, ^ivala nama te mata ^ivanto nama te pita (of the plant kiish/^a) ; V, 4, 9, uttamo nama te pita (of the same plant). The names of the ancestors in our stanza are peculiarly fanciful and heterogeneous.

c. sila^f, only in this hymn ; cf. silâz^ala (silânga. + ala), VI, 16, 4; Kaiu. 51, 16 1) 'a creeper or weed growing in grain-fields/ See Kaurika, Introduction, p. xlv, and cf. also our note on st. 9 c.

Stanza 2.

d. For nyânkant, cf. nya?X£anam, AV. IV, 36, 6, and RV. VIII, 27, 18, where Saya/^a explains the word by nitanb/z gamanam.

Stanza 3.

a. Cf. with this the designation of the plant in IV, 12, 1, roham (rohi;n), and the note there.

b. kanyala here and XIV, 2, 52 ; the suffix -la with disparaging function as in vrzshala.

c. ^ayanti occurs also as the proper designation of a plant, equal to the common ^fvanti : see the lexicons.

d. spara/zi calls to mind Lat. pro-sper and sp£s, but sphira and the root sphai (I. E. sphei) have a better claim upon these words.

Stanza 4.

b. harasS, is translated by Zimmer, ' durch einen schlag (griff) ; ' by Grill, ' mit gewalt.' This is a possible alternative. There are two haras in the Veda, one from the root har, 'take,' and the other from ghar. The latter is 6epos ; cf. Zeitschrift fiir vergleichende Sprachforschung, XXV, 80, 133 note, 168. Examples of the latter are AV. VIII, 3, 4 ff ; XVIII, 2, 36. 58 ; 3, 71 ; XIX, 65 and 66 ; and especially II, 19, 2 ; 20, 2 ; 21, 2 ; 22, 2 ; 23, 2, where the word occurs in the series tapas, haras, arMs, sokis, and teg-as.

1 The MSS. of the Kaurika read silangzla with palatal s. By changing sila^f to silaki we obtain the possible etymology ' she that creeps upon stones/

V, 5- COMMENTARY. 42 I

Stanza 7.

For the epithets of the plant in this and the preceding stanza, see the note on IV, 12, 1.

b.