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

. . 149, 412 B. Prayer to secure the return of calves that have strayed to a distance . . 150, 413 vii, 50. Prayer for success at dice . . .150, 548 vi, 56. Exorcism of serpents from the premises . 151, 487 x, 4. Charm against serpents, invoking the horse of Pedu that slays serpents .... 152,605 xi, 2. Prayer to Bhava and *Sarva for protection from dangers . . . . . . 155, 618 iv, 28. Prayer to Bhava and *Sarva for protection from dangers 158, 406 vii, 9. Charm for finding lost property. . . 159, 542 vi, 128. Propitiation of the weather-prophet . . 160, 532 xi, 6. Prayer for deliverance from calamity, addressed to the entire pantheon . . . 160, 628

VIII. Charms in expiation of sin and defilement.

vi, 45. Prayer against mental delinquency . .163, 483 vi, 26. Charm to avert evil 163, 473 vi,. 114. Expiatory formula for imperfections in the sacrifice 164, 528 vi, 115. Expiatory formulas for sins . . . 164,529 vi, 112. Expiation for the precedence of a younger brother over an older 164,521 vi, 113. Expiation for certain heinous crimes . 165, 527

CONTENTS. XV

vi, 120. Prayer for heaven after remission of sins . 165, 529 vi, 27. Charm against pigeons regarded as ominous birds 166, 474 vi, 29. Charm against ominous pigeons and owls . 166, 475 vii, 64. Expiation when one is defiled by a black bird of omen 167, 555 vi, 46. Exorcism of evil dreams . . . .167, 485 vii, 115. Charm for the removal of evil characteristics, and the acquisition of auspicious ones . 168, 564

IX. Prayers and imprecations in the interest of the

Brahmans.

v, 18. Imprecation against the oppressors of Brahmans v, 19. Imprecation against the oppressors of Brahmans ........

v, 7. Prayer to appease Arati, the demon of grudge and avarice xii, 4. The necessity of giving away sterile cows to the Brahmans xi, 1. The preparation of the brahmaudana, the porridge given as a fee to the Brahmans xii, 3. The preparation of the brahmaudana, the porridge given as a fee to the Brahmans ix, 3. Removal of a house that has been presented to a priest as sacrificial reward vi, 71. Brahmanical prayer at the receipt of gifts .

xx, 1 2 7. A kuntdpa-hymn

X. Cosmogonic and theosophic hymns.

xii, 1. Hymn to goddess Earth ....

xiii, 1. Prayer for sovereign power addressed to the god Rohita and his female Rohiwi xi, 5. Glorification of the sun, or the primeval principle, as a Brahman disciple xi, 4.

dpa-hymn

X. Cosmogonic and theosophic hymns.

xii, 1. Hymn to goddess Earth ....

xiii, 1. Prayer for sovereign power addressed to the god Rohita and his female Rohiwi xi, 5. Glorification of the sun, or the primeval principle, as a Brahman disciple xi, 4. Prawa, life or breath, personified as the supreme spirit ix, 2. Prayer to Kama (love), personified as a primordial power

169,

43o

171,

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172,

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174,

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185, 645 x93>

p. 595

196,

p. 494

197,

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207,

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214,

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218,

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220,

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XVI CONTENTS.

BOOK PAGES

xix, 53. Prayer to Kala (time), personified as a primordial principle xix, 54. Prayer to Kala (time), personified as a primordial principle xi, 7. Apotheosis of the u^Msh/a, the leavings of the sacrifice ......

ix, 1 . Hymn to the honey-lash of the Asvins

Indexes : —

I. Index of Subjects

II. Index of Hymns in the order of the Atharva-veda

Additions and Corrections

224,

p. 681

225,

p. 687

226,

p. 629

229,

p. 587

p. 693

p. 709

p. 711

Transliteration of Oriental Alphabets adopted for the

Translations of the Sacred Books of the East . 713

INTRODUCTION.

I. The names of the Atharva-veda and

THEIR MEANINGS.

The fourth Veda is known in Hindu literature by an

The com- unusually large number of appellations. Of pound stem these the dvandva plural atharvangirasa^ is old, atharvangiras. occurring Ay X ^ 2Q . jt jg the name found at the head of the Atharvan MSS. themselves. The appearance of this name in a given text has not unfrequently been made the basis — partly or entirely — for estimating the relative chronology of that text. But this criterion can claim only negative value, since the designation occurs in a text as late as the Aujanasa-smrzti, III, 44 *• It is found in a great variety of texts of the Vedic literature, as may be seen in the subsequent account of the attitude of Hindu literature towards the fourth Veda (p. xxviii ff.), but at no period does it positively exclude other designations.

The locative singular of this same compound occurs in a passage not altogether textually certain, Mahabh. Ill, 305, 20 = 17066, where the Bombay edition has atharvangirasi jrutam, but the Calcutta, atharva^irasi mitam. The locative singular (apparently neuter) of the stem atharvangirasa occurs rarely, Ya^av. I, 312 (kujalam atharvangirase). A specimen of a derivative adjective from the compound may be seen at Manu XI, 33, atharvangirasi/z sruttA; cf. Mahabh. VIII, 40, 33 = 1848, krztyam atharvângirasim.

1* [42]

1 See Glvananda's Dharmajastrasawgraha, vol. i, p. 514.

XV111 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.

a derivative adjective from the compound may be seen at Manu XI, 33, atharvangirasi/z sruttA; cf. Mahabh. VIII, 40, 33 = 1848, krztyam atharvângirasim.

1* [42]

1 See Glvananda's Dharmajastrasawgraha, vol. i, p. 514.

XV111 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.

The name atharvan, with a great variety of derivatives, is employed growingly as the designation of

Meaning of , *.* t& , . . , . ,,..

each of the the Veda; the name angiras by itself is so terms atharvan rare as to arrest attention when it is met.

and angiras.

At TS. VII, 5, ii, 2 = Kanaka Ajvamedhagrantha, V, 2, occurs the formula angirobhya^ svaha, preceded by rtgbhyak, &c. svaha : it is, as far as is known, the solitary occurrence of this designation of the Atharvaveda in a Vedic text1. Quite frequently, however, the members of the compound atharvangirasa^ are separated so that each is mentioned by itself, but always in more or less close conjunction with one another. This shows that the compound is not a congealed formula, but that the texts are conscious of the fact that each has a distinct individuality, and a right to separate existence. In other words, the AV. actually consists of atharvan and angiras matter, and the question arises what elements in the makeup of this Veda these terms refer to. The answer, I believe, may now be given with a considerable degree of certainty : the term atharvan refers to the auspicious practices of the Veda, the bhesha^-ani (AV. XI, 6, 14), those parts of the Veda which are recognised by the Atharvan ritual and the orthodox Brahmanical writings, as santa., ' holy,5 and paush/ika, ' conferring prosperity ; ' the term angiras refers to the hostile sorcery practices of the Veda, the yatu (Sat. Br. X, 5, 2, 20), or abhiHra2, which is terrible (ghora).

In an article entitled, ' On the position of the Vaitanasutra in the literature of the Atharva-veda/ Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XI, 387 ff, I pointed out that the above-mentioned distinction is clearly made at Vait. Su. 5, 10, where two lists of plants are differentiated, one as atharva^ya^, the other as angirasya/*. The same distinction is maintained at Gop. Br. I, 2, 18. The former refers to the list of plants

1 In texts not Vedic the term angirasa/fc occurs occasionally as an abbreviated form of atharvangirasa^. Thus in the first superscription of the AV. Pratijakhya, the 6aunakiya Aaturadhyayika, and in Pacini V, 2, 37. Cf. also Gop. Br. I, 1, 8.

2 For the distinction between janta and abhUarika see Kslus. 3, 19, and note 5 on p. 1 1 of our edition.