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

the introduction to the preceding hymn, and the note on XI, 9, 23. It has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 531 fif.

Stanza 1.

For ketii, see the passages and the literature quoted by the Pet. Lex. s. v. 7) ; Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, I2, p. 32, note 51. Both Saya/za and Ludwig render the word here, as in stanzas 2 and 7, by ' flag/

Stanza 2.

a, b. The vulgata, depending upon the Padapa//za, construes vedara^yam as a compound, it is difficult to say in what sense. We have taken isam veda in the sense of a quasi periphrastic perfect (cf. Whitney, Sanskrit Gramp. 638mar2, § 1070, c). Similarly Sayana, isam veda hritavyatvena ^•anatu (!). The word trishawdhe is metrically superfluous and grammatically unassimilable : it has been omitted in our translation. At best it must be emended to trishawdhir. The construction of Pada b is problematic ; perhaps it is to be put with what follows, ' may the evil brood, &c, together with the red portents, &c.' The arunak ketava^ are personified as evil forces in this hymn ; see the matter referred to in stanza 1.

Stanza 6. The sense of the first hemistich is extremely obscure. According to Darila to Kau^. 16, 25, and Sayana on our passage, the .yitipadi' is a cow. But this fails to accord directly with the verbs asyati, Kau^. 16, 26, and sam patatu in stanza 20 of our hymn : they point to some missile, an arrow, or the like, and accordingly we have ^aravya in the present stanza. But what is a ' white-footed, four-footed arrow ? ' We can merely refer back to the solution proposed in the introduction to XI, 9 : apparently a white-footed cow is chased as a symbolic arrow into the camp of the enemy. Cf. Kau^. 34, %i where likewise a .ritipadi (Darila, meshi) is let go (avasr^ati, ordinarily employed with arrows). The latter Sutra evidently relates to AV. Ill, 19, 8, 'fly forth, O arrow, after thou hast been hurled/ Sayana reads in our stanza saw patatu for saw dyatu (diyatu, ' fly ' ?), and evades the difficult ' four-footed arrow ' by paraphrasing jaravya as an adjective agreeing with gaxxk, to wit, .yaravya saxxmam bananam samuha^ . . . jarasawhatirupa bhutva (gau^) sam patatu .ratrun sawprapnotu. This resembles our own tentative explanation.

Stanza 7.

Cf. the notes on XI, 9, 7. 14. Possibly female demons, or spectres rather than mourners are referred to. Sayana refers dhumaksh? and krzdhukar/zi to the army of the enemy ; this he supposes to be blinded by magic smoke, and bewildered by the noise of battle (alpaiTOtra pa/ahadhvanina hata^rava^asamarthya).

le demons, or spectres rather than mourners are referred to. Sayana refers dhumaksh? and krzdhukar/zi to the army of the enemy ; this he supposes to be blinded by magic smoke, and bewildered by the noise of battle (alpaiTOtra pa/ahadhvanina hata^rava^asamarthya).

p. 639

Stanza 17.

Identical with AV. V, 8, 6. See the diverse translations of the passage in Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, pp. 439 and

53*.

Stanza 19.

c. The speckled ghee (ghee mixed with sour milk) is embodied in the practices of the Kaiurika, 16, 22 ; see the introduction to XI, 9.

Stanza 20.

Cf. the discussion of .ritipadi' in the note on stanza 6.

Stanza 22.

Saya/za explains a^man as ' vehicle/ rathadi yanam, which simplifies the sense. In Pada d he reads, desirably, abhihita/z, ' bound/ for abhfhata^, ' slain/

Stanza 25.

c. kaka^-akrz'ta is an. Aey. The Pet. Lexs., etwa * zerfetzt ; ' Ludwig, ' zerstaubt ; ' Saya/^a, kutsita^anana vilola^anana va krz'ta.

Stanza 26.

a. Read marma-viddham. Supar/zai'r is out of construction, and it seems natural to read supar/?a(/£). But the Pada as it stands is hypermetric, and the expulsion of the word leaves a good trish/ubh, ending at adantu. Then, to be sure, Pada b is short by two syllables.

XII, 1. Commentary to page 199.

This hymn is one of the most attractive and characteristic of the Atharvan, rising at times to poetic conception of no mean merit, and comparatively free from the stock artificialities of the Vedic poets. The relation of the real, visible earth to man, animals, and plants preponderates over the remoter mythological and mystic conceptions. The hymn and its individual stanzas are employed in the ritual freely and in a considerable variety of aspects. Its chief use is at the agrahaya;^i-ceremonies, the concluding ceremonies of the rites devoted to serpents, undertaken on

64O HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.

the full-moon day of the month Margaiirsha (Kaiu. 24, 24 ff.1). The so-called drid/iikarmam 2, ' rites for rendering houses, villages, &c., firm, or well-established ' (Kaui". 38, 12 ff.), are also associated with this hymn, which on that occasion goes by the name of bhaumam (sc. suktam). At Kaui\ 98, 3 the hymn is employed in the course of the expiatory practices on the occasion of an earthquake. A considerable number of stanzas are worked up at the bhusa/zzskara, the preparation of the ground for the fire-altar (vedi) in Kaiu. 137. The Ga/zamala, Ath. Pam. 32, 5 (see Kaui\ 8, 23, note), counts it as one of the vastoshpatiyani (sc.

on of an earthquake. A considerable number of stanzas are worked up at the bhusa/zzskara, the preparation of the ground for the fire-altar (vedi) in Kaiu. 137. The Ga/zamala, Ath. Pam. 32, 5 (see Kaui\ 8, 23, note), counts it as one of the vastoshpatiyani (sc. suktani), ' hymns addressed to the genius of the homestead;' the AtharvaTziya-paddhati at Kaiu. 19, i, enlists it among ' the stanzas that secure prosperity ' (push/ika mantra/z). Cf. also Vait. Su. 12, 6 ; Ath. Park. 10 ; 41, 1. The uses of single stanzas, or groups of stanzas, will be stated in the notes on the same, below.

The hymn has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, in, 544 ff.

Stanza 2.

Cf. Kau.y. 137, 16. This and the preceding stanzas recur
Maitr. S. I V, 14, 1 1 . The reading badhyato in st. 2 a is scarcely
tenable, though supported by some MSS. and Ka.us. 137, 16.
Many MSS. read madhyato, ' from the midst (of men).'
The Maitr. S. has asa//zbadha ya madhyato manavebhya/£.
As regards pravata^ in 2 b, Prof. Pischel, Vedische Studien,
II, 63 ff. (cf. Weber, Ind. Stud. IV, 407), seems to us well
justified in claiming that pravat many times means ' river,'
(root pru) ; nevertheless we must assume another pravat
(pra-vat) in the sense assumed above, formed like ud-vat,
ni-vat, &c. Cf. especially RV. VIII, 6, 34, &c. (Pischel,
1. c, p. 67).

1 Cf. Asv. Grili. II, 3 ; Paras. Grih. Ill, 2 ; .Sankh. Grih. IV,
17. 18; Gobh. Grih. Ill, 9; Khad. Grih. Ill, 3, 6 ff.; Apast.
Grih. VII, 19, 3 ff. ; 8 ff. ; Hir. Gnh. II, 17.

2 The reading of the word is not quite secure ; see the critical note, Kauy. 38, 12, and cf. Ke-rava.

XII, I. COMMENTARY. 64 1

Stanza 4.

Cf. Kaiw. 137, 17 ; Maitr. S. IV, 14, 11 (233, 15. 16).
The Pet. Lex., vols. 1. 269; v. 1001 (s. v. anya), explains
anya in Pada c as ' inexhaustibleness.' So also Ludwig.
But the ordinary meaning of anya suffices as a pis-aller.
Does the end of the word veil svapatya, ' ownership ? '

Stanzas 5-7.

Cf. Maitr. S. IV, 14, 11 (233, 14 ; ^34, 1 ; 233, 12), in part with important variants. Stanza 6 is rubricated at Kauj". 137, 28. For the expression bhumlm przthivim, cf. Avestan zam perethvim, Yasna X, 4. Doubtless pr/thivf is still (or anew) felt as an adjective.

Stanza 8.

For parallel statements, cf. the passages assembled by Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, IV, 24 (note 58). Cf. also Ludwig, 1. c, p. 320.

Stanza 11.

This and the next stanza are members of the svastyayanaga/za of the Ga/zamala, Ath. Park. 32, 11 (Kauj. 25, 36, note). Cf. also Ath. ParLr. 10 ; 181, 1.

Stanza 13.

Cf. Vait. Su. 15, 8 ; Ath.