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

ibition of the dharma-texts above, p. I)1. Women are said at XIII, 39, 6 = 2237 fT. (cf. Bohtlingk's Indische Spriiche 2, 6407) to be skilled in the sorceries of the evil demons Namu^i, vSambara, and Kumbhinasi. Magic or sorcery is in general regarded as good. Thus krz'tya is regarded as the divinity of witchcraft (abhi^aradevata) by the commentator on VII, 92, 54 = 3314, and krztya, abhi- £ara, and maya are in general allowable, but yet it is possible in the view of the Epic to bewitch right to make it wrong, to be a dharmabhi^arin, XII, 140, 42 = 5288, or to use foul mây&, VII, 30, 15 = 1316 fT. (see above, p. xxix, and cf. Hopkins, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XIII, 312 fT.).

In the Ramaya/za the Vedas in general are mentioned very frequently ; special Vedic names appear to be rare, the Sama-veda (samaga/2) being mentioned at IV, 27, 10, the Taittiriya (a^aryas taittiriya^am) at II, 32, 7 (cf. Ind. Stud. I, 297). The Atharvan (mantrlr /£a*tharva;za^) occurs at II, 26, 21.

In the proverb-literature the Atharvan is scarcely mentioned (cf. Mahabh. V, 37, 58 = 1391 in Bohtlingk's Indische Spriiche2, 4216), but the mantras of the Athar-

The AV .in t . , _ , the later van are in the minds of the poets, though in^eneral ^^ usuaMy sPea-k of mantras in general without specification. Thus a comparison of proverbs 1497-8 with 4216 seems to call up the atmosphere of the Atharvan practices in their mention of aushadhani and mantram ; still more clearly rogaviyogamantramahima at 2538 refers to the bhesha^ani of the AV., and sakyam varayitum . . . vyadhir bhesha^asa^grahau ks. vividhamantraprayogair visham, proverb 6348, both to the

1 The sentiment has become proverbial ; see Skrhg. Paddh., niti 76 b
(Bohtlingk's Indische Spriiche"2, 5260).

INTRODUCTION. lv

bhesha^&ni and the charms against poison (see p. 25 ff.). The knowledge of sorcery, dreaded in women (see the prohibitions in the dharma, p. 1 above), is alluded to in proverbial form at 526o = Mahabh. Ill, 233, 13=14660; and 6407 = Mahabh. XIII, 39, 6 = 2237.

In the Daj-akumara-^arita the Atharvan is employed twice, once in an obvious sorcery practice, atharva/zikena vidhina (chapter ill, p. 108, 13), where priests perform sacrifices preliminary to transforming a person from one shape to another. Another time (chapter ii, p. 94) a marriage is celebrated with Atharvanic ceremonies (atharva^ena vidhina). Cf. Weber, Ind. Stud. I, 297; Ind. Streifen, 1,328.

In the Kiratar^uniya X, 10 (cf. Weber, Ind. Stud. I, 289 ;
Muir, Orig. Sanskrit Texts I2, p.

another. Another time (chapter ii, p. 94) a marriage is celebrated with Atharvanic ceremonies (atharva^ena vidhina). Cf. Weber, Ind. Stud. I, 297; Ind. Streifen, 1,328.

In the Kiratar^uniya X, 10 (cf. Weber, Ind. Stud. I, 289 ; Muir, Orig. Sanskrit Texts I2, p. 395) there is a passage which shows that the potency of the Atharvan had not then waned : anupama^amadiptitagariyan krztapadapanktir atharva^ena veda^, ' he ( Ar^*una), being through unparalleled composure and fervour exceedingly powerful, as the Veda arranged by Atharvan V

The Pura/zas always speak of the fourfold Veda 2, and present the Atharvan in the advanced position of the ritualistic literature of the AV. itself; cf. below, p. lvii ff. The Vish/zu-pura//a, p. 276, assigns the four Vedas to the four priests of the ^rauta-ritual, the AV. to the Brahman. Similarly at Prasthana-bheda, p. 16, 1. 10, there is the statement, paurohityanz ^antipaushrikani ra^zzam atharvavedena karayed brahmatva;^ ka. ; cf. Max Muller, Ancient Sanskrit Literature, p. 476. The Bhagavata-pura^a I, 4, 19. 20 speaks of the fourfold Veda designed for the execulvi HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.

1 Mallinâtha comments upon the passage, and cites an agama, to wit : jama^ jantir abhyudayakara/e diptita, ugrata abhi^arakaw^e atharva^a vasishMena krz'ta ra/£ita padanaw panktir anupurvo yasya sa vedas ^aturthaveda^, atharvawas tu mantroddharo vasish/^ena krz'ta ity agama/$. The passage has a twofold interest : it reflects the ancient Atharvanic (abhyudaya) and Angirasic (abhi- Hra) components of the Veda, and it ascribes its redaction to Vasish^a ; cf. above, p. xviii, and below, p. lxv.

2 Cf. Colebrooke, Miscellaneous Essays, vol. i, p. 10. See, e.g. Vish;mpura^a I, 5 (Wilson's translation, vol. i, p. 85), where the Atharvan is said to be the northern mouth of Brahman.

tion of the sacrifice (ya^asa/^tatyai vedam eka/^ £aturvidham), mentioning them by name in the sequel. At VI, 6, 19 figures the atharvangirasa veda. Also, the Matsyapura/za, as quoted by Saya/za in the introduction to the AV., p. 6, orders that the purohita shall compass the Mantras and the Brahma/za of the AV. ; and the Marka/^eya-pura/za claims that the king consecrated with the Mantras of the AV. enjoys the earth and the ocean ; see Saya/m, ibid.

In the Gainist Siddhanta, fifth anga (bhagavati), I, 441 ;

II, 246-7 ; upanga, I, 76 ; X, $ the scope of Vedic or

Brahmanical literature is stated as riuveda, the £aina ^a^-uveda, samaveda, ahavva;zaveda (athavand Bauddha Va/za-), itihasapa^/£ama/^ . . . ; see Weber, writings.

nga (bhagavati), I, 441 ;

II, 246-7 ; upanga, I, 76 ; X, $ the scope of Vedic or

Brahmanical literature is stated as riuveda, the £aina ^a^-uveda, samaveda, ahavva;zaveda (athavand Bauddha Va/za-), itihasapa^/£ama/^ . . . ; see Weber, writings. /y x ' '

Verzeichniss der Sanskrit- und Prakrit-Handschriften, II, 423-4; and Ind. Stud. XVI, pp. 238, 304, 379, 423, 474 \ According to Weber, ibid., p. 237, the Siddhanta is to be placed between the second and fifth centuries of our era. This mode of describing the Vedic literature we found above to prevail from the time of the vSat. Br. to the Mahabharata. In the Sutrakrz'tahga-sutra II, 27 (see Jacobi's translation, Sacred Books, vol. xlv, p. 366) the incantations of the Atharvan (atharvam) are naturally spoken of in condemnatory language.

As specimens of the view of the Buddhist writings we may quote the A#//akavagga 14, 13 of the Sutta-nipata (Fausboll's translation, Sacred Books, vol. x, part ii, p. 176), where the practice of the Athabba^a-veda is forbidden. To the condemnation of practices essentially Atharvanic in character is devoted the Maha Sila^, in the second chapter of the Tevigg-a-sutta ; see Rhys Davids' translation in the Sacred Books, vol. xi, pp. 196-200, similarly the Vinaya, Kullavagga V, 32, 2, ibid., vol. xx, p. 152.

1 Cf. also Kalpa-sutra, in Jacobi's translation, Sacred Books, vol. xxii, p. 221.

INTRODUCTION. lvil

III. The Atharva-veda in the view of its
Ritualistic Literature.

It is but natural to expect, and the expectation nowhere meets with disappointment, that the Atharvan texts in general should allude with predilection, and

The normal . r . . i • i r estimate of m terms of praise, to their own kind ot comtheAV. in its positions, to the mythical sages who are own literature. r J ° their reputed authors, and to the priests devoted to the practices that went hand in hand with the recitation of the Atharvans and Angiras. We found above, (pp. xxxii, xlii), a sufficiently marked tendency on the part of the Sawhita itself and the Atharvan Upanishads to do this ; there was occasion to note, too, that this tendency was followed out naturally and with moderation. Certainly there is no indication in these texts of any systematic attempt to make battle against the ancient threefold Veda, or to enter into polemics against the priests devoted to their respective duties while reciting or chanting its mantras. Similarly the ritual texts of the AV.