Hymns of the Atharva-Veda — SBE Vol. 42 (Clarendon Press, 1897) — second scan
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The translator’s English as printed. The original-language text is not held; names are romanised as the translator printed them.
exhaustively the chief concerns of Brahmanical existence and belief. Except for its metrical form it belongs to Brahma/za literature. See Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, vol. v, p. 396 ff., and Scherman, Philosophische Hymnen aus der Rig- und Atharva-veda-Sanzhita, p. 87 ff., where partial translations of the hymn are essayed.
Stanza 3. d. The translation of Pada d is mere guess-work. Since vra means ' throng,' dra would seem to mean the converse ; cf. the root dra, ' run : ' ' that which is assembled and that which is scattered,' i.e. 'that which is confined and that which is free,' or the like. Saya/za, vra^ varako varu/za^ dra// dravaka/^ amrztamaya^ soma/z. The difficulty is increased by the appearance of another mystic monosyllable, nyâk in st. 4 a. The Pet. Lex. suggests that all three are artificial abbreviations.
Stanza 4.
a. This Pada is again nearly hopeless. The vulgate reads drz^zha sthiro, and Whitney in the Index Verborum classifies drimhs. as an imperative. But an imperative is out of place in this hymn which is throughout descriptive. Shankar Pandit with the Padapa/^a and Saya^a reads drz^zhasthiro as a compound (Saya/za, drz>zhanena sthirikrzto loka/£). I have thought of drzd/mdrzmh£{k)} ' he who fastens thatXI, 9- COMMENTARY. 63 1 which is firm : ' it is a mere guess. Cf. bhumidrzV//ha, V,
28,14; XIX, 33, 2. Saya/za glosses nyâk by netara^,
' leaders,' but we should then at least expect nya/£ with the circumflex. I have preferred the singular ; cf. vra/? and drA/i in 3 d.
Stanza 5.
Information regarding the great variety of terms connected with the liturgy and the sacrifice in this and the following stanzas is to be obtained every time from the Pet. Lex. For this stanza, cf. Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 25. For the obscure expression tan mayi in Pada d, cf. sts. 12, 14, and snr mayi in st. 1.
Stanza 6.
The beginning of the mahanamni-verses is given by Saya^a, as follows : vida. maghavan vida, gatum anu jaMsisho disak (Ait. Ar. IV, 1). Cf. Proc. Berl. Acad. 1868, p. 244.
Stanza 11.
b. The expression ubhaya/£ saha has been rendered, not without grave misgivings, upon Saya^a's authority, ubhaya ity anena ^aturatradinaw dvigu/zitatva/zz vivakshitam.
Stanza 14.
Three earths and three heavens are mentioned frequently ; see Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, vol. v, p. 304 ff., and the note on IV, 20, 2. Nine are unique.
Stanza 19.
According to Saya^a the mantras called ^aturhotara/z are Tait. Ar. Ill, 1-5. Cf. the Pet. Lex. s. v.
Stanza 21. d. We have followed Saya/za, who reads sa7nsrita/i sritk/t.
xts, vol. v, p. 304 ff., and the note on IV, 20, 2. Nine are unique.
Stanza 19.
According to Saya^a the mantras called ^aturhotara/z are Tait. Ar. Ill, 1-5. Cf. the Pet. Lex. s. v.
Stanza 21. d. We have followed Saya/za, who reads sa7nsrita/i sritk/t. The error which extends to the PadapaMa seems to be due to the singulars ahita nihita hita at the end of the next stanza.
XI, 9. Commentary to page 123.
Arbudi and Nyarbudi, two divinities, friends of Indra (indramedinau, sts. 4 and i8)5 are implored to help in battle, and destroy the enemy. These two are associatedp. 632 in XI, 9, and especially XI, 10 with a third, Trisha;/zdhi, ' Three-joints/ who is evidently the personification of a three-jointed weapon (va^rewa tnsha;/zdhina in XI, 10, 3 and 27). Cf. the trisha/^dhi ishu, or the trikaWa" ishu, ' threejointed arrow,' in Ait. Br. I, 25, 5 ; III, ^, 5 ; Sat. Br. II, 1, 2, 9. Further, the employment of the two hymns (XI, 9 and 10) in the Kaurika renders it possible to assume that all three divinities are personifications of peculiar weapons, or machines employed in the rough warfare of the time. The warlike practices in question (Kcrava and Saya/za, ^ayakarmam) are described, Kau.r. 16, 21-26, as follows:
21. 'With the two hymns, XI, 9 and 10 (the king's chaplain, the purohita), exhorts (the warriors) in accordance with the indications (of the hymns). 22. For sacrifice he employs "speckled ghee1." 23. He next performs the practices which end with the act of handing over (the bow), and the practices of scattering (snares and traps in the way of the enemy 2). 24. Along with the scattered (snares, &c.) he places three-jointed weapons (trisha^dhini), weapons that have the form of bolts (va^rarupa^i), and weapons that have the form of arbudi 3. 25. A white-footed (cow) is anointed with the dregs of ghee and fastened with a rope of darbha-grass to the staff which serves the king to rest upon (?). 26. A second (white-footed cow) is driven (toward the enemy).' The last two Sutras bristle with e for cutting (^edaya), the va^rarupam are for breaking (bhedaya), the arbudirupa/zi are for bringing to fall (pataya). To these vague statements may be added the following, va^rarupam pa^urazrcgakapalakartn'ka shash/i/£atushkam arbuder eva rupaw yeshaw vartulani. And further ' all are made of brass, all are tied with ropes/ They would seem to be destructive instruments placed in the way of the enemies' attack. Saya^a explains trisa/^dhini (!) as lohamayani patram, ' brazen vessels.' Ke^ava offers nothing of consequence.
1 Cf. XI, 10, 19, ' Speckled ghee' is ghee mixed with sour milk. See the Pet. Lex. s. v. p/Yshadagya.
2 They are given in detail, respectively at Kauj. 14, 8-1 1 (cf. the introduction to VI, 97), and 14, 28-9.
3 Darila : The trishawdhini are for cutting (^edaya), the va^rarupam are for breaking (bhedaya), the arbudirupa/zi are for bringing to fall (pataya). To these vague statements may be added the following, va^rarupam pa^urazrcgakapalakartn'ka shash/i/£atushkam arbuder eva rupaw yeshaw vartulani.
p. 633
difficulties. Saya//a says ^itipadi;^ gam, ' a white-footed cow,' but Darila at Kauj. 14, 22 (cf. AV. Ill, 19) has meshim, ' a white-footed she-goat/ At AV. XI, io, 6 (see the note on the passage, and cf. also XI, 10, 20) a white-footed, four-footed arrow is spoken of ; this seems to indicate that the white-footed animal is let loose as a symbolic arrow, to find its way into the camp of the enemy (scape-goat ?) : in this way Sutra 26 obtains sense. Further, the word upasanga is obscure. We have translated tentatively and doubtfully according to Darila's indication, vLsrama/zarthordhvagadandak ; Ke^ava has simply ragno (Cod. rkg-ni) dandah ; Saya/m. xagnas /£ihnitaketuda;^e rahasyaz/2 badhniyat, ' he shall secretly tie (the cow) to the staff of the characteristic banner of the king.' The Pet. Lex. assumes for upasanga the meaning ' vicinity/ but the word ordinarily means ' quiver.' Is there a ' staff of the quiver ? '
We have no information in the Veda itself regarding Arbudi and Nyarbudi, aside from this and the next hymn. Say ana, says that they were serpents (see st. 5), the sons of that Serpent-^zshi Arbuda (Kadraveya, the son of Kadru), to whom tradition ascribes the composition of RV. X, 94 and 175; cf. Asv. Sr. V, 12, 9. 23 ; X, 7. Four words are concerned in the elucidation of this matter, arbuda (arbuda), and nyarbuda, arbudi and nyarbudi, and their manifold meanings do not bridge over to our subject with any degree of firmness. Only one point I would suggest : the forms with the prefix ni are in all probability the result of a verbal misconstruction. Arbuda in the Rig-veda is a demon-serpent whom Indra is bound to slay. At RV. II, 11, 20 we have ny arbuda;;^ vavrz'dhano asta/z, 'thou (Indra),having waxed mighty, didst prostrate Arbuda ; ' similarly VIII, 32, 3, ny arbudasya vish/apa//z varshma/2a//z brz'hatas tira, ' pierce the high resting-place of great Arbuda ; ' cf. also I, 51, 6; II, 14, 4.
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