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

2. 3, and more generally I, 23 and 24.

1 Saya//a, darbhusha.

2 This can hardly be the fourth stanza of the present hymn, which belongs to a totally different sphere. Kcrava fuses VII, 74, 1. 2 with VII, 76, 1. 2, and thus obtains a hymn of four stanzas. As extraordinary as this seems it may yet be true, and we may note that VII, 76, 1. 2 are also endowed with independent individuality, being separated in the ritual from the remainder of the hymn. See the introduction to VII, 76. But the matter is rendered uncertain on account of Kauj. 31, 16, where we have apaâta a susrasa iti, i.e. the pratikas of VI, 83, and VII, 76, rubricated together. Ke^ava's hypothesis may be based upon a confusion of the two pratikas apaâta^ (VI, 83), and apa/£itam (VII, 74). Saya//a in his introduction to VII, 76 makes this very blunder, reading, apaâtam a susrasa^ for Kaimka's (31, 16) apaâta a susrasa^.

3 For the rendering of this Sutra, see Kaur. 27, 29 in the introduction to III, 7.

p. 559

B.

Stanza 3 is rubricated at Kaus. 36, 25 along with VI, 18 and VII, 45; see the introduction to VI, 18 for the practices against jealousy.

C.

Stanza 4 is rubricated at Kaus. 1, 34; Vait. 1, 13. He who enters upon the performance of the new-moon and full-moon sacrifices recites the stanza while placing fagots upon the fire. Cf. also Ath. Pari.?. 10.

VII, 76. Commentary to page 17.

The hymn is tripartite, the first two parts being closely related in subject matter. The third part (st. 6) appears in this connection for reasons — perhaps diaskeuastic — altogether obscure. The entire hymn has been rendered by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 500 ; Henry, Le livre VII de l'Atharva-veda, pp. 30, 97 ff.

A.

For the history of the interpretation of the apa£it-hymns, see the introduction to VI, 83 (cf. also VI, 25 and VII, 74). The practices connected with the first part of the hymn are described at Kaiu. 3r, 16-17, where it is rubricated along with VI, 83 : see the introduction to that hymn. Saya//a blunderingly quotes the pratika at Kslus. 31, 16 as apa^itam (!for apa^ita: VII, 74 for VI, 83); see the note to the introduction to VII, 74, p. 558.

Stanza 1.

a. Our purely verbal translation savours of mere verbiage. In Contributions, Second Series, Amer. Journ. Phil. XI, 324, we suggested, with a view to both metre and sense, a susraso susrastara/*, ' they fall off more easily than the easily falling one ' (i.e. they fall off most easily) 1. Professor

1 Ludwig, * leichter sturzend als das leicht sturzende.'

p. 560

ith a view to both metre and sense, a susraso susrastara/*, ' they fall off more easily than the easily falling one ' (i.e. they fall off most easily) 1. Professor

1 Ludwig, * leichter sturzend als das leicht sturzende.'

p. 560

Henry, 1. c, p. 97, very justly points out that this leaves a in the air, and himself suggests, very ingeniously, a susraso *sisraso, ' thou hast made fall those who fall easily.' This makes good sense, and fills out the metre. Yet I am not convinced : the first person asisrasam, or the third, asisrasat, rather than the second person, asisrasat, would be in accordance with the ordinary tone of such incantations, and, after all, the parallelism of each of the remaining three Padas seems to demand an ablative dependent upon a comparative. Sayana reads asusrasa^, and glosses, susrasa/^ atyariham sravantya/^ sarvada puyadisrava/2a.rila/£ . . . asusrasa^ & samantad nirava^esha;^ srava;za.rila bhavantu. The Paippalada, namannasa;^ svayaz/zsrasann asatibhyo vasattara ! For the sense in general, cf. Bhagavadgita I, 30, gandi^va. srawsate hastat.

c. The word sehu is quotable in addition only Ka^. S. XXXIV, 12 (sehiu- ka pliha ka), where it obviously designates some part of the body. The Pet. Lexs., ' a certain dry substance ; ' Ludwig, ' rosin.' Professor Henry makes the Pada over into arasad arasatara, but I cannot believe that our lectio difficillima is at fault. The Hindus must have associated dryness with this organ. Saya/za, seho/i sdhur nama viprakir/zavayava^ atyantam ni^saras tuladirupa/z, apparently, ' a substance whose parts are scattered exceedingly dry, having the form of cotton-wool, or the like.'

Stanza 2.

c. vi^aman, 'a part of the body.' Saya;za, ' genital organs : ' vueshe/za ^ayate apatyam atre^ti vi^ama guhyapradcra/z l. The Pet. Lexs., ' members of the body which are in pairs : ' this seems to be the meaning at Sat Br. Ill, 6, 2, 1. Ludwig, 'ankle.'

B.

For the nature of the disease ^ayanya, and the general character of this charm, see Contributions, Second Series,

1 Saya/za at RV. VII, 50, 2, (vi^aman parushi), vividhag-anman i parushi.

VII, ?6. COMMENTARY. 56 1

Amer. Journ. Phil. XI, 320 ff. Ke^ava and Saya^a define the disease as ra^ayakshma, identifying it with the ^ayenya in the story told at Tait. S. II, 3, 5, 1-3. The practice associated with this part of the hymn at Kau.y.

i.

VII, ?6. COMMENTARY. 56 1

Amer. Journ. Phil. XI, 320 ff. Ke^ava and Saya^a define the disease as ra^ayakshma, identifying it with the ^ayenya in the story told at Tait. S. II, 3, 5, 1-3. The practice associated with this part of the hymn at Kau.y. 32, 11 is very obscure ; it seems to consist in tying on the patient an amulet consisting of the string of a lute ; in tying on with (this) string some other part of a lute (?) ; and tying on three fragments of the viri/za-plant (andropogon muricatus) that have fallen down of themselves 1. I am tempted to regard the ^ayanya as syphilis, etymologically either congenital disease (root ^an), or venereal disease (^aya, ' woman ') 2 : in that case the musical instruments may refer to the nautchgirls, and the disease is cured homoeopathically (attractio si milium) and symbolically by the realisation of their presence by means of the amulets. Cf. in addition to the renderings mentioned above, Kuhn in Zeitschrift fur vergleichende Sprachforschung, XIII, 155, and Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 377.

Stanza 3.

Cf. Contributions, Second Series, 1. c, XI, 328 ff. ; Fourth Series, I.e., XII, 438 ff. ; Johansson, Indogermanische P^orschungen, II, 22 ; Zeitschrift fur vergleichende Sprachforschung, XXXII, 435 ff. Saya^a explains talidya as follows, talid iti antikanama, antike bhava^ talidyam . . . asthisamipagata^ mawsam. For nir astam (Padapa/V£a, nik astam), which we correct to nir astham 3, Saya^a reads nirha^ tarn (nirharatu). Shankar Pandit accepts this read-

1 Sayawa condenses the performance as follows, vi^atantrikhandam vadyakha/^a/rc jahkhakha;/d/a;^ va sa^patya abhimantrya badhniyat.

2 Cf. Henry, 1. c, p. 98. viri/za seems to allude to manhood.

8 Instances of the stem astha-, in addition to those quoted in Amer. Journ. Phil. XII, 438, are, sa te masthat, for sa te ma sthat in Maitr. S. I, 1, 2 (von Schroeder's edition). The expression means ' he shall not hurl at thee/ The same expression at Tait. Br. Ill, 2, 2, 8, and Apast. Sr. I, 4, 14. At Tait. Br. the formula is pronounced ahi/Tzsayai, ' in order to be exempt from injury.' This favours the connection of astha- with the root as, * throw.' [42] O Op. 562 ing because Saya//a ' has doubtless preserved the genuine reading/ We can see nothing in this but an unusuallyclever emendation, which, however, leaves in tam an awkward remnant.

Stanza 4.

For the conception of the flight of disease to and from the
body, cf. RV. X, 97, 13 ; AV. VI, 83, 1. 2, and Amer. Journ.
Phil. XI, 322-3.