a. gamisanisa is equivalent to^amya^ ^apatha^ in II, 7, 2; the word recurs at AV. IX, 4, 15, and Tait. Br. II, 5, 6, 3 (where it is glossed by alasyaprakhyapakat). Sayawa, bandhavo ^amaya^, apraptabhilashitana/^ teshaw ^a^sanat akro^a^anitat papat.
The sense of this and the following two stanzas is interrupted by the refrain ; Pada 3 b is in catenary con- struction with Pada 4 a. The other version of the hymn (Tait. Br.) does not exhibit the refrain, and the connection of the passages appears undisturbed.
a. Saya^a reads vayodha^ for vayo dha£, glossing it by vayasa//z pakshma/zz dhata dharayita.
294 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
The stanza alludes to the well-known legend which makes the demon Svarbhanu smite with darkness (eclipse) the sun, who is then freed by Indra and Atri ; see RV. V, 40, 5-9 ; Tait. S. II, 1, 2, 1 ; Ka//z. S. XII, 13 ; Sat. Br. V, 3, 2, 2 ; Fank. Br. IV, 5, 1 ; XIV, 11,14; XXIII, 16, % ; vSankh. Br. XXIV, 3. 4. The moralising cause of the sun's mishap, his enas (sin), is not expressed distinctly anywhere, nor is it to be taken au grand s^rieux. By comparison it is treated as a disease, and, like disease or misfortune in general, ascribed to some moral delinquency, requiring expiation (praya^itti) ; cf. st. 1.
II, 12. Commentary to page 89.
The essays on the interpretation of this hymn form an interesting chapter in the history of Vedic study, and we have devoted to the subject an article in the second series of our Contributions, Amer. Journ. Phil. XI, 330 ff., entitled 'On the so-called fire-ordeal hymn, AV. II, J 2.' The hymn was first interpreted in the sense of a fire-ordeal by Emil Schlagintweit, in an address before the Royal Bavarian Academy in 1866, entitled ' Die Gottesurtheile der Indier ;' this interpretation was adhered to by Weber, Ind. Stud. XIII, 164 ff . ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, 111,445; Zimmer, p. 183 ff . ; cf. also Kaegi, 'Alter und Herkunft des germanischen Gottesurtheils,' Festschrift zur Begrus- sung der XXXIX. Versammlung deutscher Philologen und Schulmanner in Zurich (1887), p. 51 \ The interpretation which is presented here is founded upon our above-men- tioned article, where Kau^ika's significant employment of the hymn was first brought forward ; in essential agree-
1 See also Stenzler, * Die Indischen Gottesurtheile/ Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenlandischen Gesellschaft, IX, 661-82.
Ii, 12. Commentary. 295
merit with it is the translation and exposition in Grill2, pp. 47, 85 ff.
The hymn is employed in the sixth book of the Kaurika which professes to deal with abhLfcara, 'witchcraft.' At 47, 12 it is designated as the bharadva^apravraska, 'the hewer, or cleaver of Bharadva^a ' (the reputed author ; cf. II, 12, 2) : ' With the cleaver of Bharadva^a one cuts a staff for practices pertaining to witchcraft/ A staff so procured is then employed variously in Kau^. 47, 14. 16. 18; 48, 22. The direct ritual application of the hymn is indicated in Kaor. 47, 25-29, to wit : 25. ' While reciting the hymn II, 1 2, one cuts the foot-print of an enemy, as he runs in a southerly1 direction with a leaf from a para su- tree 2. 26. He cuts three (lines) along (the length of the foot- print of the running enemy), and three (lines) across (the same). 27. aksh/zaya sa^/sthapya3. 28. He ties dust derived from the cut foot-print into a leaf of the pala^a-tree (butea frondosa), and throws it into a frying-pan. 29. If the dust crackles (in the pan) then (the enemy) has been overthrown/ The Sutra then proceeds to prescribe still more elaborate and potent charms for the purpose of down- ing the enemy. Of any connection with the fire-ordeal the tradition makes no mention. There are points of contact between our hymn and RV. VI, 52 ; VII, 104. The Anu- kramam describes the hymn as nanadevatyam, composed by Bharadva^a.
d. Schlagintwreit, ' may these be burned here, if I am
burned.' So also Weber, Ludwig, and Zimmer. Grill
correctly, ' die sollen gluhen jetzt, wenn ich ergliihe.' Cf.
1 South is the region of Yama and the departed, i.e. of death.
2 Or, with the blade of an axe. At any rate symbolically. The commentators differ as to the meaning of parampalasena ; see Kaurika, Introd. p. li, bottom. Sayawa, as usual, follows Ke^ava. See also the note on Kaus. 30, 14 in the introduction to VI, 25.
8 The text of this Sutra is not altogether secure, its meaning and the scholia are obscure.
296 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
RV X, 34, 10; 95, 17 ; AV. XIX, 56, 5. Saya?2a, mayi abhi^arake tapyamane dikshaniyamena upavasadina kluya- mane sati tapyanta^ sa^tapta bhavantu. That is, heaven and earth shall participate in the consecration (diksha) of the performer for the sorcery-practices against his enemy. The appeal to heaven and earth in Pada a, and the mis- interpreted fourth Pada, are really the sole cause of the hypothesis of a fire-ordeal. An appeal to heaven and earth is in occidental minds associated inseparably with asseverations of innocence. A similar construction of it for India is apparently unwarranted.
b. For Bharadva^a, see IV, 39, 5; XVIII, 3, 16; XIX, 48, 6 ; and Ludwig, Der Rigveda, pp. 128 ff.
d. Schlagintweit, 'der diesen (unsern) geist beschadigt (i. e. schwur bezweifelt).' Weber, 'wer diesen meinen sinn beschadigt, i. e. meinen schwur antastet, mein wort bezwei- felt/ Ludwig, * der diesen meinen sinn anklagt (verlaum- det).' All these renderings are founded upon the theory of the fire-ordeal. Saya;?a, purva^ sanmargapravrztta^z mana^ manasaw hinasti. There is no lack of evidence that religious performances were at times the object of enmity and the butt of abuse ; cf. stanza 6 ; RV. VI, 56, and Ludwig, Der Rigveda, IV, 219 ff.
a. The first Pada is defective, but occurs in the same
form in the Paippalada. It may be corrected by reading
somapavan, somapayin, somapa tvam, or the like. But
Atharvan metres are so generally capable of improvement,
that we are in danger of singing our own, rather than
Atharvan hymns, when we apply ourselves to the task of
improving them.
a. Professor Weber, I.e., pp. 167-8, has assembled some interesting statements in reference to the connection of the
It, 12. Commentary. 297
number 80 with the fire-ritual. Saya//a attaches a certain
significance to the number three, which he connects with
the tri&as of the Sama-sawhitas. The number is solemn
and formulary.
e. A clear instance of a Vedic parenthesis ; cf. Aufrecht, Festgruss an Otto von Bohtlingk, pp. 2 ff. For ish/a- purtam, see Windisch, ib., pp. 115 ff. Cf. also RV. X, 14, 8; AV. Ill, 12, 8.
d. Schlagintweit supplies ' firebrand ' in the last Pada, and translates, ' nehme ich jenen (feuerbrand) an mich mit gottlicher inbrunst.' Weber, in still more direct adherence to the hypothesis of a fire-ordeal, supplies with amiim 'gitihendes beil,' and translates, 'mit gottlicher gluth nehme ich diesen an mich.' Ludwig, 'jenen (den verlaumder) erfasse ich mit der gottlichen glut.' Zimmer, 'halte ich jenen (? feuerbrand, ?axt) mit gottlichem griff.' Saya;za properly refers amiim to the enemy, and takes haras in the sense of krodha (haras etymologically = Oipos ; cf. II, 2, 2).
a. didhitham for didhiyatham. Saya/za, adipte bhavatam.
Recurs with variants at RV. VI, 52, 2 ; the connection there is less pregnant.
e. Saya/za differently, tapu//zshi tapakani te^a^si ayu-
dhani va vrz^anani var^akani badhakani santu, i. e. ' may
our zealous deeds or weapons be destructive to him.'
Perhaps this is simpler.
This and the following stanza seem to be adapted from the funeral ritual (see Amer. Journ. Phil. VII, 476 ; XI, 335, 336 ff). Such as they are they occur also in the same connection in the Paippalada ; cf. RV. X, 14, 13 ; 16, 2. Stanzas of this character lend themselves naturally to
298 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
imprecation and incantation. Here the poet takes the offensive against the thwarting enemy.
a. For sapta pra;/an, cf. Tait. Br. I, 2, 3, 3. Shankar Pandit, on the basis of a considerable number of his MSS. (both Sawhita and Padapa//£a), reads manya^ for ma^a//. So also Saya/za, manya^ dhamanya^ ka^^agata naaftvi- sesh&k. The MSS. frequently write y for g, especially in connection with nasals (anaymi and yunaymi for ana^mi and yunaymi) ; cf. Maitr. S. I, 3, 3$ (p. 42, note 4), and Ind. Stud. IV, 271 note. On general textual and exege- tical grounds the reading ma^a^ is preferable.
Schlagintweit translates Padas c, d, ' (entweder) soil das feuer in deinen leib einkehren, (oder) deine rede gehe zu leben.' The sense he imagines to be : 'If the word of the accuser is true, then he shall remain unharmed ; if not he shall be injured by fire/ Essentially in the same spirit are Weber's, Zimmer's, and Kaegrs renderings. Cf. RV. X, 15, 14-
II, 14. Commentary to page 66.
It is regretable that this textually and exegetically difficult hymn is illumined but very little by its abundant employment in the practices of the Atharvavedins. In its more general aspects it figures as one of the Mtanani (sc. suktani), ' hymns designed to chase away (demons and diseases)/ at Kau.s\ 8, 25 ; next, it occurs in another cycle (ga/za) of hymns of a somewhat problematic character, called mrzgarasuktani or mrzgaram, 'purificatory hymns' (?), at Kaar. 9, 1 (cf. 27, 34). In this sense it is employed twice, Kauj. 72, 4 ; 82, 14, to purify the entrance to a house, nissalam iti ^alanive^anaw sa^/prokshya. If we could only trust that punning juxtaposition of -salam and jala-, it would remove one of the chief cruxes in its interpretation !
As regards its narrower application, it is associated dis- tinctly with difficulty in bearing offspring: at Kaiu. 34, 3-1 1 it is employed in a charm for preventing miscarriage ;
Ii, 14- Commentary. 299
at 44, 1 1 ff. it forms part of an elaborate practice to obviate sterility in cattle. The first of these practices is as follows : 34, 3. ' While reciting II, 14 (the practitioner) pours dregs of ghee into water (in tubs standing) in three huts which have doors to the east and doors to the west (cf. Kau^. 24, 3), in behalf of the woman afflicted with miscarriage, she being dressed in a black garment. 4. Additional (dregs of ghee he pours) upon lead x placed into (the leaf of) a pala^a- tree (butea frondosa). 5. Placing (the woman) over the lead he washes her (with the above-mentioned water). 6. Having deposited the black garment (where she has been washed) she goes. 7. The Brahman kindles the hut. 8. The same performances take place in the two easterly (huts) 2 in connection with materials brought on separately (for each hut). 9. He performs the practices with the branches, mentioned (above, Su. 1: he pours consecrated water over her head as she is seated upon branches of s'wz- japa [dalbergia sisu ; cf. Kau^. 8,, 16] by the side of a body of water). 10. Having put down to the west of the fire two reeds upon a stalk (? kande ishike), over the two doors (of the huts) 3, he causes firewood derived from an udum- bara-tree (ficus glomerata) to be put on the fire. 11. To the woman as she comes home last (of those returning ?), cakes of rice, and ornaments of pramanda (cf. Kau^ika, Introduction, p. Hi), anointed with the dregs of ghee, are given (cf. Kaus. 32, 29 ; 34, 1).'
At Kauy. 44, 1 ff. there is an elaborate practice of the expiatory kind (praya^itta), in which a sterile cow is sacri- ficed to remove the blemish of sterility from the house. After the cow has been slain, '(the priest) while reciting II, 14 carries a firebrand (around her) thrice from right to left without moving (the firebrand) around himself (Su. 44, 21). Later on 'he stops her breath' while reciting II,
1 Cf. AV. I, 16, and the practices connected with it.
2 The practices up to this point therefore have taken place in that one of the three huts furthest to the west.
3 Extremely problematic; cf. dhayine, Kaurika, Introduction, p. li, and the scholiasts,
300 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
14, 5 (Su. 44, 15). All this is too general in character, and fails to cast light on the real difficulties of the hymn. Cf. also Ath. Paru. 17, 2. The Anukramam classifies it as .ral&gnidevatyam uta mantroktadevatyam. For previous translations, see Weber, Ind. Stud. XIII, 175 ff . ; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 522 ; Grill2, pp. 1, 89 ff.