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

para^inamulan. Neither Kcrava, nor Saya^a comments upon the word.

5 The aim of these performances is clear : the serpents are to be excluded by magic lines, and purifying substances and plants.

p. 488

the Vedas. Cf. also Vait Su. 29, 10; Ath. Parly. 19, 5.
It has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 50a ;
Grill2, pp. 5, 162 ff.

Stanza 1.

The second hemistich recurs at X, 4, 8 (cf. also IV, 3, 7) without the formula namo deva^an^bhya^. This may therefore have been borrowed from the end of st. 2. The divine folks are the serpents themselves, cf. XI, 9, 2. 5. 26 ; io, 5, and the sarpadeva^ana^, Va£\ S. XXX. 8. See also Sat. Br. VII, 4, 1, 28.

Stanza 2.

For different designations of serpents, see Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, pp. 94 ff. For asita (Saya/za, krzsh;zavar;za) and tira.sv£irag"i (Saya/za, tiryag avasthital . . . valayo yasya), see III, 37, 12 ; VII, 56, 1 ; X, 4, 5 ff. ; XII, 3, 55 ff, and the note to the last-mentioned passage. See also the note on V, 13, 5, and TS. V, 5, io, 1. 2. The Hindu commentators explain sva^a als ' self-born/ Saya/za, svayam eva ^■ayate kara/zantaranairapekshye/za utpadyate ; cf. the gloss, Tait. S. V, 5, 14, 1. The Pet. Lex., 'vivipara,' or ' the embracer.' Weber at Tait. S., 1. c, also derives it from sva^*, ' enfold/

Stanza 3.

Cf. A. Kuhn, Zeitschrift fiir vergleichende Sprachforschung, XIII, 60.

The third Pada may refer, to the forked tongue of the serpent (Saya/za, sarpasya hi dve ^ihve). But perhaps, more likely, it is a strong way of saying, ' I shut up thy tongue/ continuing under the impetus of the first hemistich. Cf. Pada d.

VI, 57. Commentary to page 19.

The practices of the Kaimka, 31, 11-15, contribute not a little towards the elucidation of this medicinal charm. In the hymn the disease is merely designated as the arrow of Rudra, but in the Sutra it is called akshata ; the remedy is akshatavra/zabhaisha^yam (Kcrava), and Saya/za explainsp. 489 it as a ' wound without opening ' (mukharahitavra/za l) ; cf. also Dârila at Kaur. 32, 11. 13. In Contributions, Second Series, Amer. Journ. Phil. XI, 321 ff., we have shown that the disease in question is a tumour or a boil, and in Contributions, Fourth Series, ib. XII, 425 ff., we have assumed on the basis of the ritual that the remedy designated in the hymn (st. 2) as ^alasha, the particular remedy of Rudra, is identical with mutra, ' urine/ of the Sutra 2.

a tumour or a boil, and in Contributions, Fourth Series, ib. XII, 425 ff., we have assumed on the basis of the ritual that the remedy designated in the hymn (st. 2) as ^alasha, the particular remedy of Rudra, is identical with mutra, ' urine/ of the Sutra 2. The practice consists in moistening the tumour with the foam of (cow's) urine, throwing the urine itself upon it; next, washing it off, then, smearing it with scourings from the teeth, and with the pollen from bunches of grass. The disease is probably much the same as the ga^amâla, ' scrofula ; ' cf. AV. VI, 83 ; VII, 74 ; VII, 76, 4, and the introductions to these hymns.

The third stanza is rubricated in the list of purificatory mantras, Kauj. 9, 2 (cf. the brihakkMntlgana. of the Ga/zamala, Ath. Pam. 32, 26), and in a similar list, Kaus.

41, 14.

Stanza 1.

e, d. The arrow here described is Rudra's arrow that inflicts disease. Fittingly, Rudra's own remedy the ^alasha is employed as a cure. The very rare word ^alashabhesha^a occurs also in the Nilarudra-Upanishad 3, esha ety aviraha rudro ^-alashabhesha^-a^ (see Jacob's Concordance).

Stanza 2.

For ^alasha Saya^a reads four times ^alasha ; cf. our
discussion of the forms of the wrord in Contributions,
Fourth Series, 1. c, 425.

Stanza 3. c, d. Cf. RV. VIII, 20, 26 ; X, 59, 8-10. The last Pada

1 Ke^ava, yasya ga«^/adush/asya rudhira/ft na vahati.

2 Professor Windisch, in a review of the above-mentioned essay (Literarisches Centralblatt, 1892, No. 51, col. 1836), refers to a treatise of E. Wilhelm, ' On the use of beefs urine ' (Bombay, 1889). This is not at hand, but see Wise, Hindu System of Medicine, p. 117.

p. 490

is formulaic ; see AV. XVIII, 5, 23, and note the variant, RV. X, 59, 8-10.

VI, 59. Commentary to page 144.

This hymn, obviously a cattle-charm, is employed, along with a great variety of other mantras, rather indifferently, at Kau^. 50, 13. The practice is that of a merchant who starts out upon his business: in Kaor. 50, 13 he offers1 a variety of substances with the list of hymns in question. Cf. the introductions to III, 15 ; VI, 128, and XI, 2. It is rubricated further in the list of purificatory mantras, Kau.r. 9, 2 (cf. the brzhakk/iântlgana, of the Gazzamala, Ath. Pan>. 32, 26), and in a similar list, Kaus. 41, 14 ; it has been rendered by Grill 2, pp. 6$, 163. For the character of the plant arundhat?, see the introduction to IV, 12,

Stanza 1.

y mantras, Kau.r. 9, 2 (cf. the brzhakk/iântlgana, of the Gazzamala, Ath. Pan>. 32, 26), and in a similar list, Kaus. 41, 14 ; it has been rendered by Grill 2, pp. 6$, 163. For the character of the plant arundhat?, see the introduction to IV, 12,

Stanza 1.

Saya^a defines arundhatl as sahadevi, a common name for plants, but the interpretation is not to be trusted because he reads sahadevi for saha devir in st. 2 b. Cf. the introduction to IV, 12. In Pâda c, Grill emends vayase unnecessarily to avayase, ' was nicht erstarkt ist/ Saya/za, quite correctly, ' at the age beyond five years when weaned from the mother.' Cf. the quotations in the Pet. Lex. under 3. vayas 2) ; the passage, ekahayanaprabhrzty apa^ahayanebhyo vaya/^si, quoted from Apastamba at Tait. Br. Ill, 12, 5, 9, is referred to by Saya^a also.

Stanza 2.

b. For saha devir we read saha devafr ; cf. the reading kala^ir for kala^air in the note on III, 12, 7, and, more generally, the note on XII, 3, 32 c. Grill, similarly, the

1 The word upadadhita there and elsewhere is a technical term, 1 lay upon/ Ke^ava, at the end of Kau^. 6 (see p. 309, middle, of the edition), defines it as the act of offering one of thirteen offerings (haviwshi), very varied in character ; cf. the word upadhana in the Paribhasha-sutra 8, 17.

VI, 6o. COMMENTARY. 49 1

compound sahadevi (cf. XII, 4, 23) ; Saya^a, sahadevyakhya arundhati abhilashitaphalasya avarayitrt oshadhi^ (avarayitri= arundhati).

Stanza 3.

b. ^Ivala as epithet of arundhati' occurs also, VIII, 7, 6. See the note there, and at XIX, 39, 3.

VI, 60. Commentary to page 95.

The prescription for the use of this hymn at Kaus. 34, 22-24 is to pour an oblation (of ghee) for Aryaman (in the morning) before the crows risevand to place bali-offerings within the corners of the house. (The wooer is, then, sure to come) from the direction from which (the crows) come flying. The charm is, therefore, an oracle (pativedanam 2) ; it is not employed in the marriage-ritual, Kam\ 75, where the actual arrival of the bridegroom is described, unless, indeed, it is implied in the word pativedanam (75, 6). But the Paddhatis refer to Kaus. 34, 13, a rite performed in connection with AV. II, 363 rather than to our performance.

The hymn fyas been translated by Weber, Indische Studies V, 236 ff. ; Grill2, pp. 56, 164; Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 306.

Stanza 1.

a, b. Aryaman is the typical wooer or bridegroom ; cf.
AV. XIV, 1, 34 ( = RV. X, 85 33). 39 ; a, 5 (=RV. X, 40,
12).