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.
b. The favourite formulary number for all possible varie- ties 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.
a. madct is not analysed by the Padapa/^a, being repro- duced 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 distin- guished,' the latter scholar comparing it with €piKvhr\s. One would fain look for das, ' giving,' in the last part of the word. At Maitr. S. I, 10, 2 (p. 140, 1. io) = Tait. S. I, 8, 3, 1, the expression mariito ya^avahasa^ occurs as the version of mariito madasa^ in Va^*. S. Ill, 44 ; this may be noted for future reference. I have surrendered the version of the native etymologists in favour of Aufrecht and Grill, though the latter has failed to convince me with his fascinating etymological combination.
308 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
c, d. The relation of this hemistich to the preceding is obscure ; it seems to have been introduced secondarily and loosely. Agni purifies life (RV. IX, 66, 19): so far he fits in with the preceding. But Agni also knows all the races of the gods (RV. IV, 2, 18 = AV. XVIII, 3, 23) : this, the major part of the hemistich, belongs to a different sphere of conceptions ; see the author in Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XVI, 16 ff. Pada d is obviously formulary, being repeated liter- ally in a different connection at IV, 1, 3. For vayunani, see Pischel, Vedische Studien, I, 295 ff. ; Ludwig, Uber Methode bei Interpretation des Rigveda, pp. 31 ff. Saya^a, here as elsewhere, in accordance with Yaska, Nir. V, 14, &c, pra^Tzanamai * tat, iha tu samarthyat pra^Tzatavyani vidvan, &c.
b. The edition of Roth and Whitney has ^anitva^, which
is the Paippalada reading. Most MSS. used by Shankar
Pandit read ^anitra/z ; so also Saya/za, gdLmtvkk ^anish-
yama/za/£. But ^anitra is not quotable as an adjective :
I accept the more recondite reading ^anitva^.
The last stanza occurs in Tait. S. II, 3, 10, 3 ; Maitr. S. II, 3, 4 ; Tait. Ar. II, 5, 1 (the last two with variants).
II, 29. Commentary to page 47.
The tenor of the hymn is vague, and it exhibits strong traces of patch-work, being compiled from a variety of sources. In the ritual it is applied chiefly as a remedial charm against a disease in which thirst plays a prominent r61e (trzsh/zagrz'hita ; cf. st. 4). It is described at Kau^. 27, 9-13, as follows: 9. 'While reciting II, 29 (the per- former) at sunrise seats (the patient and a healthy person) back to back. 10. Having seated upon branches the patient with his face to the east, and the healthy person with his face to the west, having churned a stirred drink in a cup made of vetasa-reed by means of two (vetasa-reeds, used as) stirrers, upon the head of the person afflicted with thirst, he
It, 29. Commentary. 309
presents it to the person not suffering from thirst. 11. (Thus) to him he transfers the thirst. 12. (To the patient) he gives water (freshly) drawn to drink l. 13. While re- citing the second half of st. 6 he does as there stated (i.e. he covers them with one and the same garment, and lets them drink of the stirred drink).' The performance implies the transference (vaguely suggesting the modern trans- fusion) of the disease upon some friend or menial. Cf. Kaiya^a to Pacini V, 2, 92, as cited by Weber, Ind. Stud. XIII, 159 note. In the Teutonic folk-practices, transfer- ence of disease takes place without knowledge of the healthy; cf. Wuttke, Der deutsche Volksaberglaube, § 492 ff. The nature of the disease which harasses the patient with thirst is not stated ; it is, of course, likely to have been febrile in character.
The hymn figures also at Kaui\ 54, 18 in the £u^akara#a. the ceremony of tonsure. This in its character as a life- giving hymn (ayushya; cf. sts. 1, 2). The third stanza, a familiar Ya^us-formula, is quoted at Vait. Sfi. 22, 16. Previous translations: Weber, Ind. Stud. XIII, 194 ff . ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 493.
The special quality of Agni as a bestower of life is
alluded to very frequently, e. g. II, 13, 1 ; 28, 1 ; cf. the
parallels cited in the introduction to the latter hymn.
Pada d is repeated elsewhere, e.g. I, 10, 2d.
The stanza, quoted at Vait. Su. 22, 16, is repeated with variants in Maitr. S. IV, 12, 3 ; K&th. S. V, 2 ; Tait. S. Ill, 2, 8, 5 ; Katy. 5r. X. 5, 3. The second hemistich also in Ka/^. S. XXXII, 2. In all these the difficult duals dhattam and sa^etasau are replaced by the singulars dadhatu and savar/kasam (Ka//z. suvar^asam), and all these texts under- stand asir to be the nominative of the stem a.nr, ' milk added to soma;' see especially Vait. Su. and Katy. 5r., 1. c. (a^iram
1 Cf. stanzas 5 and 6 of the hymn.
3IO HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA,
in the text of the Sutra). This construction fails here, and we have, as also Saya^a (alternatively), and the former interpreters, taken asik from stem ajis, ' prayer./ The dual dhattam in Pada b seems to refer proleptically to dyav&- przthivi in st. 4, as Saya^a assumes without hesitation. The entire stanza is adapted secondarily ; we must in such cases follow the adaptation sympathetically, not the original sense which is entirely out of keeping with the situation.
c. ^*ayam in the MSS. (Sa^hita and Padapa/^a) seems to
stand for gayan (the other versions s&mgiyan). Saya?/a
takes gkyam as the noun, * victory and lands obtaining/ &c.
This, too, is possible.
d. For anyan sapatnan, cf. Nala, I, 13, 14; III, 2, and
expressions like ttoXlt&v kcu t&v aKKoav £eWz;, very common
in Greek; see the author in Amer. Journ. Phil. VII, 101.
The transition from the praying modal form in Padas
a, b to the prophetic aorist in c, d, is a common one in the
Atharvan, e. g. II, 26, 5.
c, d. Cf. the Sutra in the introduction above. It seems difficult to conceive this hemistich in any other connection than that indicated by the Sutra. There it fits admirably. The patient and the healthy person clothed in the same garment assume a magically deceptive identity, like that of the A^vins 19 so that the disease passes from one to the other. And yet this may not be a sautra mantra, but an adaptation of materials, originally composed in a different connection for a different purpose I Saya^a, here as else- where, follows the Sutra through thick and thin.
a. Saya^a says that Indra was struck by the demons, Wz'tra, &c, but does not refer to any particular narrative.
1 The Ajvins, moreover, are the heavenly physicians, presumably conceived as being themselves free from disease. Thus both persons engaged in the practice are symbolically made healthy.
It, 30. Commentary. 3ii
Cf. RV. I, 32, 12. 14 ; Tait S. VI, 5, 5, 2. Weber suggests that the mention of Indra's injury indicates that the patient's thirst is due to fever consequent upon wounds.
II, 30. Commentary to page ioo.
The practices in the Kaujika (part of the strikarmam, 32, 28-36, 40) are stated at 35, 21. They seize upon and embody with rather delicate symbolism the comparisons and metaphors which naturally appear in such poems. The performances are, however, not built up upon this hymn alone, but upon three others, VI, 8, 9, and 102, as follows : c While reciting the four hymns just mentioned, he places between two chips, taken respectively from a tree and a creeper which embraces it, an arrow *, sthakara-powder 2, salve, kush/^a (costus speciosus), sweet-wood, and a stalk of grass which has been torn by the wind ; he mixes them with melted butter and anoints (the woman he loves)3.' Cf. the following stanzas of the hymns : VI, 8, 1 ; II, 30, 3 ; VI, 102, 3; II, 30, 1; and VI, 102, 2. The paraphernalia and emotions of love are concretely embodied in a mixture, and drastically transferred upon the woman.
Previous translations: Weber, Ind. Stud. V, 218; XIII,
197 ff. ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 517; Grill2, pp. 52,
97 ff. The Anukrama^i, kaminimano*bhimukhikara/za-
kama^.
b. The use of the root manth suggests the later man- matha, ' god of love/
1 This represents, of course, Kama's, the love-god's, arrow. Cf. Weber, Ind. Stud.V, 225; XVII, 290.
2 No less than four forms of this word occur, sthakara, sthagara, tagara (-rr), and takari. It is a fragrant powder; see, e. g Tait. Br. II, 3, 10, 1-3; Gobh. Grih. IV, 2, 29.
3 So Sayawa, striyd ahgarh anulimpet. Differently Ke^ava, ahgaffz samalabhet ru/£yartham, i. e. { he anoints himself so as to make himself attractive.'
312 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
d, e. The two Padas are formulary; see I, 34, 5 ; VI, 8,
a, b. Weber, Ludwig, and Grill regard kamina as dual, ' the loving pair.' I have adopted this, and not followed Saya^a in construing it as instrumental singular. The sense would then be, ' if ye shall unite her with (me), her lover.' The two A^vins, who woo Surya for Soma (RV. X, 85, 8. 9. 14. 15), play here the part of gods of love ; cf. AV. XIV, 1, 35. $6; 2, 5. 6; VI, 102, 1. The anacolu- thon between the two hemistichs is reproduced in the translation.
c. bhagaso, * fortunes, good fortunes,' possibly with a
double entente (bhaga = vulva) ; cf. st. 5. The Pada,
moreover, suggests secondary adaptation ; vam seems to
refer primarily to the A^vins, ' your fortunes (i. e. the good
fortune bestowed by you) have arrived.'
The sense seems to be that the time of the birds' amorous chirping, when they call to one another to mate, is the proper time for the lover's call to his mistress. Weber, Ind. Stud. V, 219, and Ludwig suggest, however, that the cry of the birds is regarded as a good omen. Saya/za, vaktum i^avo bhavanti. In speaking of the arrow-point and the shaft, the poet has in mind the arrow as the wreapon of the god of love ; see III, 25, 1. 2 ; Ind. Stud. V, 225 ; XVII, 290 ; Zeitschr. d. Deutsch. Morgenl. Gesellsch. XIV, 40, 269.
a, b. The entire mental condition of the maiden, and
perhaps also her utterances, shall be altered : the passage
is formulary. Saya/za, 'by this the conflict between her
speech and her thought is removed.'
c. Saya^a on visvarupa/zam, ' having limbs full of fault- lessness, and not previously enjoyed (in sexual love).' But the word may mean simply ' of all sorts.'
Ii, 31- Commentary. 313
d. bhaga here seems to be used in a double meaning
(' fortune,' and ' vulva ') ; it is to be noted that Saya^a does
not paraphrase the word. Cf. XX, 136, 5. The Anukra-
ma^fj dampati paraspara^ manograha^am akurutam.
II, 31. Commentary to page 22.