c. vimiiv&o hi santi is difficult to translate ; literally, ' they are loosenings,' i.e. the fetters are subject in their very nature to the charm instituted to loosen them. Grill, in his note, paraphrases prettily, but not quite in accordance with the situation, ' denn sie sind Stricke der Ausspannung.' Ludwig, rather vaguely, 'denn es sind die befreier da (oder : denn es ist regen gekommen).' Possibly vimu^o is genitive singular, and the expression is to be rendered ' for they belong to release/ i.e. are subject to release* The poet sacrifices rigorous logic to the pun which is secured by introducing vimu^o after vi mu>£antam. The word vlmuko, moreover, foreshadows the statement about Pushan in Pada d, since he is designated in RV. I, 42, 1 ; VI, 55, 1 as vimuko napat, ' the son of release,' i.e. ' the releaser' par excellence (cf. sahaso napat, and the like), and in RV. VIII, as vimo^ana, £ the liberator.'
d. The Pada is very characteristic in that it assigns quite definitely the conceptions at the base of the hymn to the cycle of ideas which are worked up in the legends reported
Vi, 113- Commentary. 527
in the introduction. Pushan is asked to wipe off (mrzkshva, from root mar£*, the technical verb in those legends) the sin upon the abortionist (bhru^ahan), his sin being greatest : ' beyond him that has committed an abortion the sin does not pass ;' see Maitr. S. IV, 1, 9, and the corresponding passages of the Kanaka and Kapish/^ala Sawhitas, as quoted by Prof. Delbruck, 1. a, pp. 579 (201) ff. Cf. also VI, 113, ad.
VI, 113. Commentary to page 165.
For the conceptions at the base of this hymn, see the introduction to VI, 112. The statements here are more general than in the preceding, but the sins consequent upon the precedence of the younger brother are especially in the mind of the poet, at least if we trust the tradition of the ritual ; cf. the discussion of this point, above.
b. It is not absolutely necessary to emend ena;/z to enan (i.e. enad) with the Pet. Lex., s. v., trita b), and Grill2, p. 171, since the masculine enam may refer to papmanam, abstracted from papman in 2 a. Read mam^^e, and cf. Kuhnau, Die Trishtubh-Jagati-Familie, pp. 69-71, and Oldenberg, Die Hymnen des Rig-veda, p. 477.
c, d. Read tua graahir, in order to obtain a ^-agati-pada in the midst of a trish/ubh stanza, and cf. Oldenberg, 1. c, p. 115 ff. Note the pun between ana^e and nlrayantu ; cf. Ill, 7, 6. Both Padas are repeated in st. 3.
For the first hemistich, cf. Tait. Br. II, 2, 9, 2.
c. Cf. I, 8, 1; VI, 14, 3; X> *> 105 4, 20; RV. X,
d. The identity of Padad with VI, 112, 3 d elicits certain text-critical remarks from Dr. Grill, which are, to say the least, premature. The repetition of the P&da does not suffice for the basis of textual manipulations, and the
528 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
appearance of Pushan, in addition to Agni, upon the scene is sufficiently accounted for by the suggestion of the root vi mu£ ; cf. our note on VI, 112, 3 c.
a. The expression, ' deposited in twelve places is that which has been wiped off TWta,' contains a distinct refer- ence in round number to the list of delinquencies, stated variously as being from nine to eleven, through which Trita's sin passes as it is transferred among men, from one sin to another ; see the introduction above. Saya/za makes out the count by counting the gods as one, the three Aptyas as three, and eight human sinners : he who is caught asleep by the rising sun, and seven others.
b. Read manushyaenasani in accordance with the divi- sion of the Padapa^a, or manushiyainasani.
c. d. Identical with 1 c, d.
VI, 114. Commentary to page 164.
In accordance with the general character of its contents this hymn is employed, in connection with one or more of those following, on a considerable number of occasions. At Kau^. 46, 30-32 the entire anuvaka beginning with our hymn is employed in expiatory rite at the death of one's teacher ; at 46, 33-35 in connection with an expiatory offering from one's store of grain and provisions ; at 46, 36-40 in connection with the discharge of one's debts on the death of the creditor1. Still more secondary is the use of these hymns at Kau^. 60, 7; 6jy 19 (here only VI, 114, 115, 117), in connection with the sava or brahmaudana, the solemn presentation of the priest's rewards; and at Vait. Su. 22, 15; 23, 12 ; 30, 22 ; Santikalpa 17, 18 ; Ath. Pam. 22,4 ; 39, 11. Similar formulas to those contained
1 So according to Darila : Kesava and Saya/za with better reason perhaps restrict the recitation to VI, n 7- 11 9, three hymns that deal with debt {rink) explicitly.
Vi, 120. Commentary. 529
in this and the next hymn occur in RV. X, 37, 12 ; Maitr. S. Ill, 11, 10; IV, 14, 7; V3&. S. XX, 14-20; Tait. Br. II, 4, 4, 8 ; 6, 6, 1; Tait. Ar. II, 3, I; 7,3.
The hymn has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda,
III, 443 ; Grill2, pp. 45, 172. The Anukrama/n, vaLwa-
devam.
For the designation of the Brahmans as gods, see the note on XII, 3, 38.
a. medasvata (sc. pa^una) ; cf. Tait. S. VI, 3, 11, 5- The point is felt by Saya;za who supplies pa^una. Not so Darila at Kau^. 46, 30, note, medasvata sru^a^ya/z/^uhoti. According to this construction it would be proper to emend to medasvatya.
VI, 115. Commentary to page 164.
In general the employment of this hymn coincides with that of the preceding, as far as the Kaurika and Vaitana- sutra are concerned ; see the introduction there. The additional employment in Vait. Su. 8, 7, and (of st. 3) in 30, 23 is without special significance. See also Ath. Pari.?. 39, 11. For parallel passages in other texts, see the intro- duction to the preceding hymn. Previous translations by Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 443 ; Grill2, pp. 46, 172 ff. ; cf. also Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 182. The Anukra-
ma/zi, vauvadevam.
Saya/za, on the strength of Tait. Br. Ill, 8, 18,5, suggests
that bhutam and bhavyam may refer to this and the next
world. Cf. VI, 12, 2 ; XI, 4, 20, and II, 28, 3.
VI, 120. Commentary to page 165.
The employment of this hymn in the ritual takes place on the same occasions as VI, 1 14 ; see the introduction to that hymn, and cf. Darila's corrupt gloss on Kauj. 46, 30
[42] m m
530 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
(note 5). Previous translations by Ludwig, Der Rigveda,
111,442; Grill2, pp. 72, 173; cf. Muir, Original Sanskrit
Texts, V, pp. 299, 41, 306. The Anukramaz/i, mantrokta-
devatyam.
Cf. Maitr. S. I, 10, 3; IV, 14, 17 ; Tait. S. I, 8, 5, 3 ; Tait. Br. Ill, 7, 12, 4; Tait. Ar. II, 6, 8.
b. The Paippalada has trata for bhrata, hardly an im- provement in the light of the connection.
The first hemistich recurs at III, 25, 8 a, b ; cf. Muir, 1. c, I2, 385, note.
VI, 127. Commentary to page 40.
The hymn is rubricated at Kauj. 26, 33 along with five others (II, 7 ; 25 ; VI, 85 ; 109 ; VIII, 7) in a series which the Ga/^amala, Ath. Pam. 32, 24, designates as ga^/akarma- gazza. In the sequel the Kaiuika prescribes its employment twice : at 26, 34 it is recited while the patient is being anointed (with the powder obtained by pulverizing a chip of) pallsa-wood of the width of four fingers 1 ; at 26, 39 it is employed while dregs of ghee are being poured upon the head of one afflicted with dropsy. Darila regards both treatments as cures for dropsy; Kejava and Saya//a con- struct them more broadly as universal remedies 2. It would seem as though the chip of palls-a-wood (butea frondosa) is intended to reflect the £ipudru in st. 2 of the hymn. A previous translation by Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 386.
1 Saya/za, ^aturangulaw pala^a^akalaw pish/va abhimantrya vyadhitajarira/ft limpet.
2 Saya/za, ^alodaravisarpadisarvarogabhaisha^yartham.
Vi, 12 7. Commentary. 53 1
Stanza 1,
For vidradha, see Grohmann, Indische Studien, IX, 397 ; Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 386 ; and Wise, Hindu System of Medicine, pp. % 10, 284, 388, 362. Saya/za, vidara/za.rilasya vra/^avueshasya. For balasa, see the note on V, 22, 11. Not at all clear is lohita: it is either 'flow of blood,' or ' inflammation/ S.aya;/a suggests both (visar- pakavLreshasya nama, yad va . . . rudhirasravatmakasya rogasya). Cf. vilohitam IX, 8, 1 ; XII, 4, 4. Shankar Pandit and Saya/za read visalpakasya l ; cf. their readings at XIX, 44, % (in the note on IX, 8, 2). Finally, the sense of pLritam, ordinarily ' flesh,' is by no means clear in this connection : we have taken it in the attenuated meaning 'piece, bit, speck.' The Pet. Lex. suggests that it is for *pishitam = pish^am, but that would be equally problematic in any such sense as is demanded by the connection. Saya7*a; literally, nidanabhuta//z dush/a//z maMsam, i.e. (with a change of construction : accusative for genitive), 'the plant shall not leave the diseased flesh which is the root of the afore- mentioned diseases.' Very unlikely.
The mushkaii are likely to be bag-like swellings. Accord- ing to Grohmann, 1. c, p. 399, Smruta designates certain swellings on the neck as mushkavat, ' similar to testicles.' Cf. also VI, 14, 4. In Pada d .ripudrur of the vulgata is faulty: the MSS. and Shankar Pandit read /^ipudrur ; Saya^a, ^ipadrur (etatsa^^o drumavuesha/*). The word occurs nowhere else ; cf. the introduction.
The last two Padas may be an afterthought. For
d,gndXwn yakshma;/z the compound a^/zatayakshma occurs
III, 11, i = RV. X, 161, 1. Cf. Zimmer, 1. c, p. 377, who tries
1 Saya«a, vividhaw sarpati naflftmukhena ^arirasya antarvyapnoti *ti visarpaka^.
m m 2
532 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
to define it — though by its very terms it is undefinable — as the name of a certain disease.
VI, 128. Commentary to page 160.
The present hymn, and the custom which it harbours, have been treated by the writer in 'Seven Hymns of the Atharva-veda/ Amer. Journ. Phil. VII, 484 ff. According to the indications of the ritual the hymn is in praise of .yakadhuma, which, as a possessive compound, means ' he of the dung-smoke/ i. e. ' he that prophesies from the smoke of cow-dung/ The ^akadhuma predicts the weather for a person about to start on a journey ; see below. As weather-prophet he very naturally comes, like our ' Old Probabilities,' or ' weather-clerk,' to be regarded at the same time as controlling the weather for good or bad — in short, as a weather-maker. Control of the weather, as a delegated power, comes most naturally from the stars : hence these are said, in st. 1, to have made him their king.
In the Paribhasha-sutra, Kau^. 8, 17, we have the clear statement that the j-akadhuma is an old Brahman. Ac- cording to the Dasa Karma/n, and the Atharvamya-pad- dhati, at Kslus. 76, 19, one (or four) .rakadhumas recite at a certain stage of the wedding-practices the surya-hymn (RV. X, 85) \ In Kaiu. 50, 15. 16, in the course of the practices of a merchant about to start on an expedition, the merchant, while reciting this hymn, places lumps of dung (i-akrztpi//^an) upon the joints of a Brahman friend, and asks the j-akadhuma : ' What sort of a day shall we have to-day ? ' He answers : ' A fair day, a very auspicious one V
1 suryapa/yfem kurvanti. The sense of this expression is not altogether certain. It may mean simply, ' they read the sun/ i. e. for indications of weather. Ke^ava in the same place has vrz'sha- kapibr&hma^a^ surya;/z pa/^anti, a most curious statement. Does vr/shakapibrahmawa mean l sun-Brahmaraa, astrologer/ and does suryam refer to the v/Vshakapi-hymn, RV. X, 86?
2 Saya«a, sighram kartukama^ . . . brahmaraasya sa^zdhishu gomayapi/zdan nidhaya agnitvena sazrckalpya abhimantrya sutrokt- aprakarewa pra-maprativa/eane kuryat.
Vi, I 2 8. Commentary. 533
Once more the hymn is prescribed, Kaiu-. ico, 3, in a pra- yasfcitti for an eclipse of the moon, probably on account of the prayer in the third stanza ; cf. also iantikalpa i5- For st. 3, see Kau.r. 138, 8.
The hymn, with the addition of sundry other stanzas, is
repeated in an appendix to the Nakshatrakalpa, and has
been presented in our afore-mentioned article, p. 485 ff. ;
cf. Weber's translation of it in his Omina und Portenta,
p. 353. The vulgata form of the hymn has been rendered
by Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 353 ; cf. also Ludwig,
Der Rigveda, III, 187.