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

s turned 3, then (the performance) is a success/

The hymn occurs also in the Paippalada ; it has been translated by Weber, Ind. Stud. XIII, p. 26 ff. ; Ludwig,

1 Cf. the introduction to VI, 39.

2 Sayana, vatsalalamuritam. Cf. Khad. Grih. Ill, i, 47. 48.

3 Cheap magic. The milk is sure to turn ! Is vikr/te to be emended to avikrz'te ?

p. 304

Der Rigveda, III, 371 ; Grill2, pp. 64, 92 ff. Cf. also Bergaigne et Henry, Manuel Vedique, p. 138. The Anukramam designates it as pa^avyam, the author being Savitar.

Stanza 1.

b. Vayu, the wind, the husband of the distant regions (II, 10, 4), who goes in every direction, is naturally regarded as the companion of the cattle, when away from home — a truly poetic conception ! Cf. Tait. Br. Ill, 2, 1,4.

c. rupadh^yani is taken by the Pet. Lex. as a copulative compound, ' form and colour/ But the analogous bhagadheya and namadheya do not favour such a construction. Perhaps 'formation' is the safest rendering of the word. Cf. e.g. Tait. S. I, 5, 9, 1 ; Tait. Br. Ill, 8, 11, 2.

Stanza 2.

c, d. Sinivali, the goddess of the new-moon, and Anumati, the goddess of the full- moon, as representatives of the bright part of the month, are fit to illumine the way home. They also preside over the act of procreation ; cf. Zimmer, p. 352. Saya/za, unsupported by MS. authority, comments upon anugate instead of anumate.

Stanza 4.

c. ' Poured together,' i. e. ' united, or accumulated.' The translation is stiffer than the original, where sa.ni sinkami and sawsiktcL^ play upon one another.

Stanza 5.

For the change of verb-form, cf. the note on II, 29, 5.

II, 27. Commentary to page 137.

The history of the interpretation of this hymn is told by the translator in Seven Hymns of the Atharva-veda, Amer. Journ. Phil. VII, 479 ff. It is of interest, because it marks very clearly the value and continuity of the Hindup. 305 tradition. It had been regarded previously by all interpreters as a charm against robbers of provisions, until the obviously correct conception of Dârila in his comment on Kauy. 38, 18 ff. was presented. The translation of this passage, along with the bracketed commentary, is as follows : 38, 18. * While reciting AV. II, 27 (one approaches) the person against whom the debate is directed (from the north-east, while chewing) the root of the pa/a-plant \ 19. He addresses (with the charm his opponent). 20. He ties on (the pa/a-root as a talisman). 21, He wears (upon his head) a wreath of seven leaves (of the pa/&).' Cf.

the debate is directed (from the north-east, while chewing) the root of the pa/a-plant \ 19. He addresses (with the charm his opponent). 20. He ties on (the pa/a-root as a talisman). 21, He wears (upon his head) a wreath of seven leaves (of the pa/&).' Cf. also Sântikalpa 17 and 19 2. Previous translations of the hymn : Weber, Ind. Stud. XIII, 190 ff. ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 461 ; Grill2, pp. 23, 93 ff. The Anukrama^i designates the hymn as vanaspatyam.

Stanza 1.

The Anukrama/zi defines the purpose of this stanza correctly by arinirq^astvam aprarthayat, * he desired absence of strength in the enemy.'

a. Sdya^a, incorrectly, takes pra^ as a noun of agency, prash/ara^ vadinam 3 ; see, however, Kau^. 38, 24, pra^am akhyasyan (Dctr. pratipra^nam akhyasyan ; cf. Vait. Su. 37, 2 ; 38, 6). Neither this word nor pratipnlr and pratipra.rita (Kaui\ 38, 18 ; Darila, prativadin) have any connection with root a^, ' eat,' but are derivatives from the root praj", ' ask.'

c. The construction of 1pr2isa.n1 pratiprlro ^ahi is not quite certain. Saya^a takes both as accusatives, 'thep. 306 debater and the counter-debaters strike/ We regard prdtiprâso as gen. sing, dependent upon praVam (cf. st. 7 a), in which case one should like to emend arasan in Pada d to arasam (cf. Ludwig). If not, pratiprlr is to be regarded as a collective, ' the opposition.5 Possibly both are accusatives, ' overcome the debate and the debaters.'

1 The pa/a is, according to Saya^a at st. 4, identical with the later pa/M (clypea hernandifolia) ; cf. Kau^. 37, 1 ; itYgvidhana IV, 12, 1 (MSS. pa/M). See Ind. Stud. XVII, 266 (the passage quoted from Apastamba is to be found Apast. Grzh. Ill, 9, 5). The word pa/a is doubtless, like other words for plants (apamarga, arundhatf), etymologically suggestive ; cf. the root pa/, ' tear/ — For the words supplied by Darila, cf. Kaur. 38, 17.

2 Erroneously quoted by Sayawa as Nakshatrakalpa.

8 But in st. 7 he falls into line with pratikulapra^narupaw vakyam. [42] X

d. arasan, with double entente, i without sap or moisture (in their throats)/ and ' without force.5 Saya/za, ^ushkaka^/Mn.

Stanza 2.

a, b. The same hemistich occurs at V, 14, 1 ; cf. I, 24, 1. Saya?za, supanza^ . . . vainateya/z, i. e. Garutmant, Gariu/a. But there is no myth in all this : the eye of the eagle, and the. nosing boar find the secret seat of the plant.

Stanza 3.

Saya^a, in the teeth of the Padapa/^a, comments both
here and in the next stanza on taritave instead of staritave.
The Sa/^hita may be construed either way.

all this : the eye of the eagle, and the. nosing boar find the secret seat of the plant.

Stanza 3.

Saya^a, in the teeth of the Padapa/^a, comments both
here and in the next stanza on taritave instead of staritave.
The Sa/^hita may be construed either way.

Stanza 5.

a. sakshe (Sa^hita and Padapazv^a), probably for sakshye (5at. Br. I, 3, 3, 13) ; cf. our note on IV, 20, 7.

b. Saya;za glosses salavr/kan by ara;zya.s-vâna/z, in accordance with many other scholia, assembled by Weber, 1. c, p. 191. Doubtless jackals, as devourers of corpses, are meant.

Stanza 6.

For ^alashabhesha^a, see Contributions, Fourth Series,
Amer. Journ. Phil. XII, 425 ff., and cf. especially AV. VI,

44,3-

Stanza 7.

d. Saya^a, with some MSS., reads pnbam for pra.n (pra^am prashzaraw vadina//z mam uttaram . . . kuru).

II, 38. Commentary to page 50.
The hymn is counted in the Ga/zamala, Ath. Parii*. 33, 4,
as one of a list i calculated to bestow long life ; ' see
Kau.9. 54, 1 1 note. It is worked up more especially in the

p. 307

godana, the ceremony of shearing the first whiskers of a youth. Father and mother, while reciting the hymn, hand the boy over thrice to one another and feed him with dumplings, prepared with ghee (Ka.us. 54, 13. 14). Cf. vSankh. Grth. I, 28, 15, and Asv. Grzh. I, 4, 4, where the related stanzas RV. IX, 66, 19-21 are rubricated, and, in general, Maitr. S. II, 3, 4; Tait. S. II, 3, 10, 3 ; Tait. Ar. II, 5. The Anukrama/zi designates it as^arimayurdevatam, * devoted to the divinity which bestows life unto old age ; ' cf. Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 341. Previous translations by Weber, Ind. Stud. XIII, 192 ff. ; Grill2, pp. 48, 94 flf.

Stanza 1.

b. The favourite formulary number for all possible varieties of death is one hundred and one : AV. I, 30, 3 ; III, 1 1, 5. 7 ; VIII, 2, 27; XI, 6, 16. The Pada is hypermetric, and may be relieved by throwing out imam or anye.

d. The play of words in mitra ena^ mitriyat cannot be reproduced in English ; cf. RV. IV, 55, 5.

Stanza 2.

a. madct is not analysed by the Padapa/^a, being reproduced by most MSS. as xisfLdkh, by some as ri4da (dual, agreeing both with Mitra and Varu;za ? cf. Va£\ S. XXXIII, 72). Saya^a takes it as nom. sg., hi;/zsakanam atta, and the scholiasts generally, beginning with Yaska, Nirukta VI, 14, though they differ in their etymological analysis, arrive at similar interpretations. Aufrecht, in Bohtlingk's Lexicon, VI, 305, and Grill, p. 95, take it to mean 'very distinguished,' the latter scholar comparing it with €piKvhr\s.