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

16, 3 (see the note there) ; Soma grows upon the mountains (Veda and Avesta). The sense is : Even if the exiled king is separated by mountain and sea from his people, let him quickly, untrammelled by such restraints, as an eagle, come to them.

Stanza 4.

a. The accent of havyam is suspicious : we should expect havyam. It is either to be emended, or indicates that the Pada has been adapted from a different sphere. The eagle brings the soma from a distance to be offered to Indra. For such adaptations, cf. e. g. the hymn I, 2.

1 For the sautramam in general, see Weber, Indische Studien, X.
349, and especially the same author's recent treatise, ' Uber die
Konigsweihe (ra^asuya)/ in the Transactions of the Royal Academy
at Berlin, 1893, p. 91 if.

p. 330

Stanza 6.

d. We have rendered ava gamaya, * render accepted/ because the word does not mean elsewhere ' bring down ' (Weber). Our authority is Darila on Kam\ 16 , 27, avagamana = anuraga, 'affection ;' see the introduction to I, 9. Saya^a, ima^ ra^*anam asmin rashfre bodhaya (similarly Ludwig).

Ill, 4. Commentary to page 113.

The Sutra treats this hymn along with the preceding as a charm for the restoration of a king ; see the introduction to III, 3. Support for such a construction may be derived from st. 5. This, however, is not borne out by the text of the stanzas themselves. These are more general in character, and seem to indicate as their theme the election of a chief. See Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 250; Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 162 ff. Note especially st. 2, and the play upon the word varu^a (as if from root var, ' choose ') in sts. 5, 6. The hymn has been translated by Ludwig, III, 252; Zimmer, p. 164; Weber, Indische Studien, XVII, 190 ff. ; cf. also Bergaigne et Henry, Manuel Vedique, p. 141 ff. The Anukrama/zi, aindram.

Stanza 1.

The first hemistich is hypermetric, and Weber, Zimmer, and Bergaigne- Henry each differ in their attempts at restoration. We are not at all certain that this need is urgent : Pdda a is a good ^agati-line, ending at ud ihi ; for Pada b see Oldenberg, Die Hymnen des Rigveda, pp. 66, 6j. If the pruning-knife must be used patir in b is most easily spared, and a most natural interpolation.

a. gan is vox media, either injunctive, or perfect-aorist. The latter in its sense of prophetic aorist is in the Atharvan stylistically very close to the injunctive : often things desired are stated as having been already accomplished. See e. g. I, 23, 4.

Ill, 5. COMMENTARY. 33 1

Stanza 2.

e, or perfect-aorist. The latter in its sense of prophetic aorist is in the Atharvan stylistically very close to the injunctive : often things desired are stated as having been already accomplished. See e. g. I, 23, 4.

Ill, 5. COMMENTARY. 33 1

Stanza 2.

Recurs with marked variants at Tait. S. Ill, 3, 9, 2 ;
Maitr. S. II, 5, 10.

Stanzas 5, 6.

The expression ayâm ra^ varu/za^ in st. 5 a is too pointed to signify merely ' that king Varu/za : ' varu/za is used here with false etymological intent as ' chooser ; ' the word plays upon the sense of ahvat, and vrz/zatam in st. 2. Similarly varu7zaL£ in the next stanza means (Indra), with the remaining gods (Varu;za, Mitra, &c), all choosing the king, and again, with double entente : ' Come on, O king, thou hast come to an agreement with the leaders of thy people who are the electors' (cf. Ill, 5, 7). All this is thoroughly Atharvanesque.

Stanza 7.

Cf. Vait. Su. 13, 2, where this stanza is employed in connection with a personified Pathya Svasti, the wife of Pushan (ib. 15, 3), 'the prosperous path,' as an embodiment of success and well-being. Cf. also ib. 24, 8 ; 3J, 20, and the Pet. Lex. under pathya 3. In Pada d most MSS., both of the Sa^hita and Padapa//za, read va^a, ' rule ; ' some MSS., Saya/za, and the Western authorities, vasa, 'dwell.' Cf. AV. XII, 4, 27. For the interchange of s and s, see the present writer in the Proc. Amer. Or. Soc, May, 1886 (Journ., vol. xiii, p. cxvii ff.). Cf. also the note on V, 19, 5.

Ill, 5. Commentary to page 114.

The par/za-tree figures in many sacerdotal performances, being identical with the pala^a (butea frondosa). Its branches and especially its wood are employed directly, and in the form of utensils, at most sacrifices (cf. Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 59) ; its sanctity is accentuated by myths which derive the plant directly from heaven, and that, too, in connection with the descent of the soma (cf. st. 4). A divine archer, who guards the soma, shoots atp. 332 the eagle that robs the soma ; the eagle looses a feather (par/za), which alights upon the earth and becomes the par;za-tree. See RV. IV, 26 and 27, and the extensive legendary material attaching thereunto, and cf. Adalbert Kuhn, Die Herabkunft des Feuers und des Gottertranks, pp. 148, 192 ; Contributions, Fifth Series, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc.

p. 24

No very specific instructions are recorded in the ritual regarding the manipulation of the hymn. At Kau^.

nto, and cf. Adalbert Kuhn,
Die Herabkunft des Feuers und des Gottertranks, pp. 148,
192 ; Contributions, Fifth Series, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc.

p. 24

No very specific instructions are recorded in the ritual regarding the manipulation of the hymn. At Kau^. 19, 22, in the course of the so-called push/ikarma;zi, ' practices designed to engender prosperity' (Kaui*. 18, 19-24, 46), we have the mere statement that this and other hymns, dealing with amulets, are recited, while the amulet in question (mantrokta), after it has been steeped in sour milk and honey for three days (Kaui\ 7, 19), is fastened on the person desiring its protecting influence 1. Accordingly, the Atharva/ziya-paddhati (Kauj. 19, 1 note) mentions it in a long list of pushrika mantrap. Cf. also .Santikalpa 17, and 19 2. The Anukrama/zi describes it as saumyam (cf. st. 4) . . . (etena) par/^ama/zim uktarshir (i.e. Atharvan) astaut. Translated by Weber, Indische Studien,

XVII, 194 ff.

Stanza 1.

d. For aprayavan of the vulgata, read aprayavam (gerund) with the Index Verborum ; cf. XIX, 55, 1, and Va£\ S.

XI, 75.

Stanza 4.

For the relation of the par/za to soma, see the introduction above.

In Pada c Weber emends priyasam to bhriyasam, and Saya/^a hovered on the edge of the same correction, priyasam bhriyasam dharayeyam. It is, however, not certain, for in Lazy. 5r. Ill, 2, 10 (also Drahyaya/za) we have manas tanushu piprata^, parallel to manas tanushu bibhrata/z, RV.

1 Saya/za, te^obalayurdhanadipush/aye.

2 Cited erroneously by Saya/za as Nakshatrakalpa.

p. 333

X, 57, 6 ; Va£\ III, 56 ; KauJ\ 89, 1 ; Tait. Br. II, 4, 2, 7. Nay, we have the passage with piprata^ in another place in the Tait. Br. (Ill, 7, 14, 3) itself, and it would seem, therefore, that piprata^ (Pet. Lex. * erhalten') has a meaning closely analogous to that of bibhrata^.

Stanza 5.
Both Weber and Saya^a cite in illustration of the meaning
'friend' for aryaman the passage Tait. S. II, 3,4, 1, 'he,
verily, who gives, is a friend (aryaman).' Weber renders
Pâda d, ' iiber die gunst des freundes selbst/ a rendering
which rather forces the meaning and position of uta.

Stanzas 6, 7.

The two stanzas prove conclusively that the hymn belongs to the sphere of practices connected with the consecration of a king, and the firm establishment of his royalty. The four classes of persons whose aid is regarded as desirable for the king belong to the so-called ratna, 'jewels,' of the court, i. e. they are honoured and indispensable members of his household.