Literally, ‘with Varuva who is fastened lengthwise, &c.’ The word varuvzahk could be well spared from all three ‘Padas, if it were not for the metrical symmetry with the mext stanza. Or it might be changed to the vocative varuza. For samamyo and vyamyo, cf. AV. XVIII, 4, 70: the words are clear. Ludwig and Sayaza erroneously connect them with Amaya, ‘disease.’ videsya is naturally derived from videsa, ‘foreign country ;’ in that case saz- desya is an artificially formed opposite ‘native, indigenous.’ So Sayaza. Both words are dz. dey. An alternate possibility
Iv, 17. Commentary. 393
is to render samdesya, ‘ subject to command ;’ then videsya is ‘exempt from command.’ Or, again, each may be translated independently: sazzdesya, ‘subject to command ;’ videsya, ‘foreign:’ their juxtaposition in a magic formula may be of the punning order. For sasdesya, cf. our note on II,8,5b. The divine and the human (noose of) Varuza refers either to divine and human disease (so, apparently, Sayava), or to diseases instigated by gods and men. The formula grovels in the lowest bathos of hocus-pocus.
IV, 17. COMMENTARY TO PAGE 69.
This and the two following hymns are addressed to the apamarga-plant (achyranthes aspera)’. It is employed to ward off all kinds of evil and witchcraft, and its qualifica- tions in that direction are guaranteed to the Atharvanic Hindu by its real or supposed etymology. The name is hardly ever mentioned without bringing in its trail the verb apa marg, ‘to wipe out.’ The pun assumes the most lively reality: diseases, enemies, demons, and sins are wiped out by its influence. See Zimmer, p. 66 ff.; our Contribu- tions, Third Series, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XV, 161; Weber, Ragastiya, p. 18. Cf. also Sat. Br. XIII, 8, 4, 4.
The three hymns figure at Kaus. 39, 7 in a list which is almost identical with the krztyapratiharamani (sc. sdktani), or the krztyagavza, a series of hymns designed to counteract sorcery, in the Gavamala, Ath. Paris. 32, 2.
The Kausika, 39, 7-12, prescribes in connection with these hymns a lengthy procedure, which begins with ‘the pouring of the great consecration’ (mahdsantim dvapate). Cf. Kaus. 39, 27; 43,5; 44,6; 46,7; Sankh. Gvzh. V, 11, 2. The mahdasdnti consists in pouring together ‘holy water’ (sdntyudakam) during the recitation of the four ganas of hymns, described in Kaus. 8, 23-9, 6. The ‘holy water’ itself is prepared at Kaus. 9, 8 ff. with elaborate ceremonies, the chief of which is the placing of ‘holy plants °
? Sayama regularly glosses the word by sahadevi.
394 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
(Kaus. 8, 16) into the water. Obviously the meaning of all these performances is purification, and the warding off of impure influences. Then follow in Satras 39, 8-12 a variety of rather complicated practices, too lengthy and obscure for exposition in this connection. They concern more narrowly some such hymn, belonging to the krztyaprati- haravdni, as X,1; see the introduction tothat hymn. The fifth stanza of IV, 17 naturally figures in the du/svapna- ndsanagama, ‘series of hymns calculated to drive away evil dreams, of the Gazamal4; see Kaus. 46, 9, note.
The hymn has been translated by Zimmer, p. 66; Grill’,
pp. 37, 130 ff. The Anukramavzi, apamargavanaspatideva-
tyam. Cf. also Ath. Paris. 18%, 4.
a. Sdyava with one MS. reads for sapathaydvanim the synonymous sapathaydpanim ; cf. II, 7, 1.
b. The epithet punadsard does not somehow seem to me to be so clear as to the editors of the Pet. Lexs., Zimmer, and Grill. They render it by ‘zuriickgeschlagene bliithen habend.’ This is based upon the statement at IV, 19, 7, ‘thou didst grow backward, thou hast fruit which is turned backward’ (cf. VII, 65,1; Sat. Br. V, 2, 4, 20), and the epithets parakpushpi, pratyakpushpi, and pratyakparni in native lexical works. In RV. VII, 55, 3 punadsara is an epithet of the barking dog, ‘running back and returning again (to the attack).’ The two other occurrences of the word, AV. VI, 129, 3; X, 1, 9, are not disposed of satis- factorily by the renderings of the Pet. Lexs. It seems to me that ‘attacking’ or ‘defending’ is better, and that the word pratisara, ‘defensive amulet?,’ is closely related to it. Cf. Sat. Br. V, 2, 4, 20, and Seven Hymns, Amer. Journ. Phil. VII, 478 ff. Sadyaza, similarly, punaZpunaX dabhi- kshzyena bahutaravyadhinivrzttaye sarati.
* ‘The pratisara turns the spell as a boomerang upon him who performs it. See AV. VIII, 5, 5, prati#iz krityah pratisarafr agantu, and cf. the note on VIII, 5, 1.
Iv, 17. Commentary. 395
Identical with I, 28, 3. The Pet. Lexs., Zimmer, and
Grill regard mfiram = milam, ‘ root (of an injurious plant),’
Sayaza, mirkdapradam. Padas c,d perhaps rather, ‘she
who has taken in hand the (magic substances) created to
rob strength...’
Cf. V, 31, 1, and the note on Kaus. 39, 31. The unburned vessel seems to symbolise the fragility, destructibility (Sat. Br. XII, 1, 3, 23) of the person upon whom enchantments are practised. At Sat. Br. XIV, 9, 4, 11 = Brzh. Ar. VI, 4, 12 it figures in a sorcery practice against a wife’s para-_ mour. The compound nilalohita is also connected with sorcery from the first. It occurs in RV. X, 85, 28 = AV. XIV, 1, 26 = Apast. Mantrabr. I, 6, 8 (Apast. Grzh. IT, 5, 23)=Baudh. Grzh. I, 8; AV. VIII, 8, 24. The Atharvan ritual, Kaus. 16, 20 (rubricating AV. VIII, 8, 24d); 32,17; 40, 4; 48, 40; 83, 4, leaves little room for doubt that in its view a dark blue and a red thread are here intended. This is also the tradition of Apast. Grzh. II, 5, 23, and similarly Sankh. Grzh. I, 12, 8 prescribes, in connection with RV. X, 85, 28, a red and black cord upon which amulets are fastened. Only Baudh. I, 8 treats the compound as a symbolic representation of night and day; see Winternitz, Das Altindische Hochzeitsrituell, pp. 6, 12, 67. It is, of course, possible to conclude that this is the true source of the symbolism: day and night rendered concrete by these two colours. Sdyavza seems to have lost his grip upon Atharvan tradition when he says to our passage, ‘the fire which is black from the rise of smoke and red from its flame. Zimmer and Grill both co-ordinate nilalohite with Amé patre, ‘an das ungebrannte’ and ‘am rotgebrannten, obviously against the spirit of the Atharvan tradition. Cf. also the introduction to VII, 116, and Tait. S. IV, 5, 10, 1.
c. Raw meat is eaten by demons, and therefore realises symbolically their presence ; see V, 29,6; VIII, 6, 23.
396 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
Identical with VII, 23. I have translated abhvam by ‘gruesomeness, because it has occurred to me at various times that it, as well as 4bhu (cf. RV. X, 129, 3), is related to ndbhas, ‘fog, cloud,’ being in the current terms of comparative grammar = nbhyo-, and fbhu from root nebh. For this and the following two stanzas, cf. RV. V, 36, 3; Vil, 1- Toff.
b. The clever emendation of the Pet. Lex. anapatyatam, for anapadyatam, as is the reading of the MSS. of the vulgate, is now authenticated by quite a number of Shankar Pandit’s MSS., and Sayaza (apatyarahityam); cf. the words apra- gasta and apragastva.
IV, 18. COMMENTARY TO PAGE 70.
For the treatment of this hymn in the ritualistic texts,
see the introduction to IV, 17. The hymn has been trans-
lated by Grill’, pp. 25, 131 ff.
The Atharvanist loves to point to cosmic correspond- ences and harmonies as the foundation of his own righteous undertakings. This harmony furnishes the satyam, the unfailing basis (cf. rztam) for his own operations against the powers of evil. Professor Roth, as quoted by Grill, refers gyOdtikz to the light! of the moon (cf. gyotsna), thus establishing a closer parallelism between Padas a and b. I doubt whether the text will bear this strain. SAayava literally, ‘the light of thee (the apamarga-plant);’ cf. IV, 19, 3. The night is frequently viewed as illumined, starry (RV. X, 12757 AV. XIX, 47, 1; 49, 6.8).
b. krétvariz either ‘enchantments’ or ‘ witches.’
In our view the solution of the difficulty here lies in the assumption of a change of gender from yas in Pada b (the
' Correct ‘ Night’ at the beginning of the stanza to ‘ Light.’
Iv, 19. Commentary. 397
male sorcerer) to tasyam (the witch) in Pada c. The entire second hemistich describes the punishment of sorcerers, for which cf. V, 23, 13. If we were to change tasyam dag- dhay4m to tdsmin dagdhé the sense would be obvious. Cf. V, 14, 6, yadi str? yadi va puman kritydm kakdra pap- mane. Grill emends amdé to Amayém (sc. sthalyam) with a result somewhat as follows: ‘He who practises sorcery in an unburned vessel and then puts it upon the fire to bake, his magic vessel cracks as though hit by great stones.’ Sayaza deprives himself of possible helpfulness by reading dugdhay4m for dagdhayam (pratikareva riktikrztayam ... krityayam, ‘upon his sorcery rendered impotent by the counter-charm’). , Stanza 4. —
b. The vulgate’s vigrivasm khapaya (Padapatha, vigrivan
sapaya) is at the base of our rendering. Shankar Pandit’s
MSS. seem to read unanimously kayaya (sayaya), ‘lay.’
Sayawa, kshdyaya (kshayam prapaya). Cf. RV. VII,
104, 24.
The first three Padas are identical with the first three of
Vy 3g le
IV, 19. COMMENTARY TO PAGE 71.
For the employment of this hymn in the ritualistic texts, see the introduction to IV, 17. It has been translated by Grill’, pp. 34, 132 ff. Cf. Zimmer, pp. 66-67.
The sense of the first hemistich seems to be that the plant in its dual réle of destroyer of enemies and protector of friends depletes and increases families or clans. Sdyava erroneously derives -krit from root kart, ‘cut,’ to wit, satra- nam kartakak...gamayah sahaga/ satravak tesham api kartayita asi. For Pada d, cf. VI, 14, 3c.
The words kduvena narshadéna (RV. X, 31, 11) seem to be a gloss upon brahmavéna; cf. 1V, 37,1; VI, 52, 3, &c.
398 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
Og a a a SAyana regards the dz. Aey. paryukta as = pariyukta (vini- yuktassi); cf. our remarks on haplology, Proc. Amer. Or. Soc., April, 1893 (Journ., vol. xvi, p. xxxiv ff), But part yug is not quotable elsewhere. The stanza figures in one of the abhayagavza of the Gavzamala ; see Kaus. 16, 8, note.
The order of the statement here is really to be reversed:
when thou, O plant, wast begotten as apamarga (‘ wiping
out’), then the gods drove out the Asuras with thee.
For ‘thy father’s name,’ cf. the note on V, 5,1. For
pratyak, see pratydn and pratifinaphalas in st. 7, and the
note on IV, 17, 2.
A cosmogonic brahmodya, pressed into the service of incantation! Cf. Contributions, Third Series, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XV, 172 ff. We have presented a purely philological translation of the stanza without attempting to bend it to the situation any further than is warranted by the wording. Grill takes asat in the sense of ‘wrong, and similarly Sayava, asatkalpam krityaripam. But a glance at the word in Jacob’s Concordance to the principal Upani- shads reveals the subjective character of the proceeding. The asat is simply ‘chaos,’ manipulated as one of the primary cosmic forces: the sat, tad, satyam, or rztam would apparently have done just as well. For kartaram in the sense of ‘ evil-doer,’ cf. V, 14, 11.
IV, 20. COMMENTARY TO PAGE 68.
The hymn is addressed to a magic plant which is sup- posed to impart the power to expose hidden demons, wizards, and their hostile practices. The attributes of the plant are not stated in the hymn with sufficient clearness to enable us to point out its place in the redundant Indian