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

Kauj. 47, 37 : it consists of sentiments contained in VI, 37, 3 and 2, and begins also with the words, yo na>& japat.

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lingk's Lexicon, 'lean;' Whitney in the Index Verborum shelters the word under the root ksham with ava. Cf. XI, 10, 23.

VI, 38. Commentary to page 116.

This and the next hymn are worked up in the course of the royal rites (ra^akarmam, Kaoy. 14-17). The object of both the hymn and the practices connected with it is to endow a king with var^as, ' lustre,' and more particularly to transfer to him the var^as inherent in men, animals, and brilliant substances. The practice, Kaar. 13, 3-6, is as follows : While reciting VI, 38 and 39, hairs from the navel of a snataka \ a lion, a tiger, a goat, a ram, a bull, or a king, are pasted together with lac, covered with gold, and fastened on as an amulet. Also an amulet prepared from the splinter of ten kinds of (' holy ') wood is put on (see the introduction to II, 9). While reciting the same two hymns, and in addition III, 16 ; VI, 69, and IX, 1, the seven vital organs 2 (of a lion or any of the other animals mentioned above), mixed with a mess of rice, are eaten. The relation of these performances to VI, 38 are obvious.

Both hymns are rubricated further in the course of the practices at the initiation of pupils to the study of the Vedas, Kaur. 139, 15, and they hold membership in the two var£asyaga/zas of the Ga/zamala, Ath. ParLy. 32, 10 and 27 (see Kaus. 12, 10 and 13, 1, notes). Cf. also Ath. Pam. 4, 1; 182, 12.

The two hymns have been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 240; Florenz, Bezzenberger's Beitrage, XII, 297 ff. The Anukrama^i : ime br/haspatidevatye var^askama^ . . . rzshir apa^yat.

1 A Brahmawa who has performed the ceremony of ablution, required on finishing the period of his disciplehood (brahma/fcarya), before entering the second period of his life, that of a householder (grz'hastha). This embodies in practice the word brahnia^e' in st. 38, 1 b.

2 Darila defines these as padamadhyani nabhih/Ydayaw murdha fa.

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Stanza 1.

The relation of the two hemistichs of each stanza of the hymn is anacoluthic. It seems best in translation to supply some such expression as na astu from na etu in Pada d.

b. The rendering of brahma;ze by ' in the Brahma/za ' is rendered certain by the word snataka in the Sutra above. Florenz, erroneously, ' im Brahman Agni.'

d. The mention of Indra in all sorts of royal charms is due to the most prominent characteristic of the god, namely strength.

ahma;ze by ' in the Brahma/za ' is rendered certain by the word snataka in the Sutra above. Florenz, erroneously, ' im Brahman Agni.'

d. The mention of Indra in all sorts of royal charms is due to the most prominent characteristic of the god, namely strength. Indra is the heavenly rag-an, par excellence. His ever-shadowy mother also is personified strength. Indra is putra^ ^avasa^ and javasa^ sunu^ (RV. VIII, 93, 14 ; IV, 24, 1). See Perry, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XI, 130 ff. ; Contributions, Sixth Series, Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenlandischen Gesellschaft, XLVIII, 548.

Stanza 2.

Cf. the related passage from the var^asya-hymn, IX, 1,
18.

Stanza 4.

a, b. Ludwig renders dundubhav ayatayam ' in der pauke, der langezogen tonenden.' This receives a certain support from Saya^a, ata<iyamanayam, but we prefer to compare ayata as used of the tightened bowstring, e.g. XI, 2, 1. For purushasya mayau, cf. XIX, 49, 4.

VI, 39. Commentary to page 117.

For the employment of this hymn in the ritual, and previous translations, see the introduction to VI, 38. The keynote of the present hymn is ya^as (cf. VI, 58), that of the preceding, var^as. The word ya^as seems to be technically the name of the oblation which must have accompanied the recital of the hymn ; see sts. 1 a and 2 a.

Stanza 1.

a. Ludwig, * als herrlichkeit gedeihe das havis (das ya.rohavis) ;' Florenz, 4zur ehr' gedeih das havis mir;' Saya/za,p. 479 ya^aso hetutvat. It seems difficult to construe yaras as a nominative, in co-ordination with havis, but cf. the bhutaw havis, VI, 78 1. We may, of course, either emend to ya.yoriavir, or take yiso as an instrumental ; cf. Lanman, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. X, 562. But, I believe, the construction as it stands is technical.

b. Saya/za has for subhrz'tam the rather more acceptable reading suvrztam (sush//zu vartamanam).

Stanza 2.

a. yarobhir seems to refer directly to the havis in st. 1 ; see the introduction. Saya/za, evasively, kirtibhi^.

VI, 42. Commentary to page 136.

According to the text of the mantra this is a charm to appease wrath in general. But the Kaiuika, 36, 28-31, deals with it in the course of the so-called c women's rites ' (strikarma^zi, 32, 27-36 end), and the commentators are agreed in regarding it as an instance of conflict between two persons of opposite sex. According to Kcsava and Saya?za the charm is practised by a woman against an angry man (her husband, or lover) ; Darila, on the other hand, more naturally ascribes the acts to a man trying to appease an angry woman.

onflict between two persons of opposite sex. According to Kcsava and Saya?za the charm is practised by a woman against an angry man (her husband, or lover) ; Darila, on the other hand, more naturally ascribes the acts to a man trying to appease an angry woman. These nicer specifications are therefore in all probability secondary. The practice is as follows : The person who desires to appease wrath takes up a stone while reciting st. 1. He places the stone upon the ground while reciting st. 2. He spits around the stone while reciting st. 3. Finally he lays an arrow on a bow while standing in the shadow (of the wrathful person). The last executes the sentiment of st. 1, with rather vague symbolism. The hymn is also recited, at Vait. Su. 1 2, 13, by

1 So also abhivarte'na havisha, RV. X, 174, 1. Ordinarily these
havis are accompanied by an adjective, e. g. sanzsravyanz havis, II,
26, 3; nairbadhyazrc havis, VI, 75, 1. Cf. also VI, 64, 2 ; VI, 87,
3, and Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 371 ff.

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one who is consecrated for the performance of the somasacrifice (dikshita), if he has been guilty of an outburst of wrath.

Previous translations by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 515 ;
Florenz, Bezzenberger's Beitrage, XII, 303 ff. ; Grill2, 29,
162. The Anukrama^i, mantroktamanyudevatyam.

Stanza 3.

The elaboration of this stanza in the Sutra above shows how vaguely punning the connection of the two channels of literature, mantra and sutra, may be at times : the words abhi tish/Mmi of the stanza seem to have suggested abhinish/^ivami in the Sutra. Cf, e.g. wSankh. Grth. where the mantra word akshan, ' they have eaten,' is employed as though it meant aksham, ' axle.' This is symbolism gone to seed, but we should err in supposing that the performers of the practices really misunderstood the mantras to that extent. It is the extreme outgrowth of the habit of consciously turning to immediate use, in any way at all, materials whose real value is something quite different, and whose true sense may have been well understood.

d. The Pada is formulaic; see I, 34, 2; III, 25, 5 ; VI,
9, 2 ; 43, 3. The entire second hemistich is repeated in
VI, 43> 3-

VI, 43. Commentary to page 137.

The magic power of darbha-grass (cf. XIX, 32) is here employed to appease wrath. According to Kao?. 36, 32, the grass is dug up (in the manner prescribed at Kaor. 33» 9 5 cf. Kejava), and fastened on as a talisman. The Kau^ika, in working up this hymn among the ' women's rites 5 (cf.