The exact connection between the various statements made in this stanza is not easy to find. Perhaps as fol- lows: Takman does not take pleasure in the other regions (near by), that is, he remains in the country of the person praying; therefore he seems to be implored not to damage him personally, but to seek out other victims. But (after all?) Takman has got himself ready and will go to the remotest region, that of the Balhikas, that being the final - outcome announced by the priest in charge of the exorcism. Ludwig translates anyakshetré ‘ in andrer leib ;’ neither his, nor Grill’s translation makes clear the sequence of thought.
b. The Pada is formulaic=VI, 26, 1 b.
e. The translations of prarthas, our own included, are practically guess-work. The Pet. Lexicons, ‘ ausriistung zur reise ;’ Ludwig, ‘ begirig nach der ferne ;’ Grill, in the same spirit, ‘schon riistet Takman sich zur reis;’ Hillebrandt, ‘bereitwillig.’ I have translated simply upon the basis of the denominative prarthayati, ‘desire, demand. The metre demands pra-arthas.
a. We have translated rard by ‘ deliriously hot.’ In the Atharvan it occurs only as a form of the takman (see st. 13, ae a5, 44 V1, 110, 1, and cf. Tait.S. 11,5, 2, 3), butin the Tavdya-Brahmava VII, 5, 10 it occurs as an epithet of Agni, and the scholiast is pretty nearly right in commenting, raira iti sabdayamano dahatisti riraZ. The word is indeed to be derived from the root ru, ‘ howl,’ and it expresses both the heat and delirium of the fever. Foragnir rdra/, cf. also the mantra in Kaus. 71, 6, addressed to Agni, ma no rurof%, &c. Sdyava at AV. I, 25, 4, sitanantarabhavine gvaraya.
b. For avepayaz, cf. the note on stanza 7d. Read kasd avepayah.
(42) Ce
450 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
Stanza ll.
b. We have not rendered baldsa by ‘consumption, with most of the authorities, on account of our distrust of the commentators: Mahidhara at Vag. S. XII, 97, kshaya- vyadhi ... balam asyati kshipati,and Sayava at AV. XIX, 34, 10, balasya asanakartaram balakshayakarakam. The explanations are of the etymologising sort, and the utter- ances of the texts as gathered by Zimmer, p. 385 ff., are not conclusive. The strongest evidence in favour of the identity or similarity of balasa and consumption is the parallel- ism of VI, 14, 1 with V, 30, 9, but even that is not conclu- sive. Further, the formal parallelism with kilasa, which means ‘some kind of eruption, or leprosy, points to a similar conclusion, ‘sore, or swelling, for bal4sa Such, indeed, was Grohmann’s view, Ind. Stud. IX, 396 ff. (cf. also Wise, Hindu System of Medicine, pp. 296 and 311), and we do not see that it is supported by a lesser array of intrinsic evidence. The question is still sub judice and is not likely to be settled until the medical Sdstras reveal their treatment of the disease more fully. We have there- fore not undertaken to translate the word for the present. Ludwig renders it by ‘dropsy, upon what authority, we fail to see.-—Note the masculine thematic form kasdm_ fol- lowing closely upon the fem. kasd in st. 10 b; we may, of course, resort to a correction of the accent (kasam). but see our note on I, 12, 3b. udyuga is dz. Aey., and might per- haps better have been left untranslated. We are permitting the word udyoga, ‘exertion, and Ludwig’s rendering of udyuga by ‘angestrengter husten’ to entice us. Grill retains the original, ‘mit Schwindsucht, Husten, Udyuga ;’ Zimmer, p. 384, ‘den Baldsa und den sich anschliessenden Kasa.’
ce. For paman, see Grohmann, |. c., p. 401 ff.; Zimmer, l. c., p. 388, and Wise, l.c., p. 261. The latter describes the disease in accordance with Karaka’s teachings as fol- lows: ‘Small tubercles in great numbers of a dark or
V, 22. Commentary. 451
purplish hue with a copious bloody discharge accompanied with burning and itching.’ In the AV. the word is dm. Aey. The schol. at Sat. Br. III, 2, 1, 31 renders pama by vikar- Rika, ‘scurf, eruption.’
a. Zimmer, |. c., 382, suggests upon rather slender evi- dence another explanation of tv/tiyaka, ‘he who produces death after the third paroxysm.’ SAayawa at AV. XIX, 309, 10 comments upon the traditional text sirshalokamm tritiya- kam (which Roth and Whitney have emended in their edition to sirshasokam tr/tiyakam), with the result, ‘ Thy head (O kush¢a-plant) is in the third heaven,’ thus omit- ting an opportunity to tell us what tr/tiyaka is. At I, 25,4, however, he has, tvztiyadivase A4gakkhate. Without doubt the takman trztiyaka is identical with evara tritiyaka, Su- sruta II, 404, 7; 405, 14, trztiyakas trztiye=hni (pravartate), i.e. the rhythmus tertianus. Wise, l.c., p. 232, says, rather obscurely, ‘When the fever returns at an interval of one day it is called Tritiyaka.’—vitrztiya is Ga, Aey. and not altogether clear. Grohmann, l.c., p. 388, regards this as equivalent to the tertiana duplicata, consisting of daily attacks which, however, correspond in every other day as regards the time of day in which they take place, or as regards their intensity. But vitrztiya translated philolo- gically means ‘ leaving aside the third day,’ and there is no evidence to connect it with the tertiana duplicata. Ac- cording to our construction the vitr7tiya would appear to be identical with the takman of whom it is said, yO... ubhayadyur abhyéti, I, 25, 4 (see the note there), and VII, 116, 2.
b. sadamdi is probably the equivalent of the sasmtata- gvara, or satata-gvara (Wise, |. c., 231),a kind of fever which continues without interruption for a longer period, seven, ten, or twelve days, is then followed by an interval, and again occurs and remains for several days, Sayama at AV. XIX, 39, 10 blunderingly refers sadamdi to the kush/ha- plant, and renders it by sada rogamam khamdayita, ‘the constant crusher of diseases.’ He has in mind no doubt
Gg2
452 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA. the root 3. da, ‘divide, and in this sense it may be an epithet of the takmdn, ‘always cutting.’ The Pet. Lex: suggests derivation from 2. da, ‘fiir immer fesselnd,’ which is no less apt an etymology than the preceding Zimmer's suggestion, 1. c. 383, note, is ingenious and. enticing. He would sce in the word an abbreviation of *sadam-dina, made like madhya-dina, and meaning there- fore ‘belonging to every day ;’ this etymology may per- haps now be supported by sadadi (adverb), ‘commonly,’ which occurs quite frequently in the Maitrayavi-samhita, I, 5, 12 (80, 18); I, 10, 9 (149, 15), &c.—sdrada here, along with graishma and varshika in the next Padas show that the takman raged at various seasons; it seems, however, to be associated most persistently with the autumn, at least if we may trust the adjective visvasarada’ in AV. IX, 8, 6; XIX, 34, 10. Wise, l. c., p. 233, remarks: ‘ The type of fever varies according to the season of the year.’
ce. Read ganam iva as three syllables, either ganeva (cf. Roth, Kuhn’s Zeitschrift, XXVI, 45 ff.), or ganaw va, with reference to the Prakritic form.—sevadhim, i.e. they shall hold on to the takman like a treasure, that he may not return.
V, 23. COMMENTARY TO PAGE 23.
The practice connected with this hymn at Kaus. 29, 20- 26 is an amplification of that described in Kaus. 27, 14-20 in conjunction with AV. II, 31, being supplemented by a distinct therapeutical treatment of the patient, as follows: 20. ‘ While reciting AV. V, 23 the practitioner uses the root of a (reed-grass called) karira *, performing the rite described in connection with the arrow (at Kaus. 27, 15) upon a cer-
" Sayama at AV. XIX, 34, 10 glosses the word with, sarvasya sarvada va visaramzakartaram !
* According to Kesava he ties it on as an amulet, but according to Kaus. 27, 14 he offers it as an oblation (guhoti).
V, 23. Commentary. 453
tain part of it’. 21. The dust (which forms part of the performance in 27, 18) he takes from the village (using it the same way as in Kaus. 27, 18. 19). 22. He places (the sick child) upon the lap of its mother to the west of the fire. and with the bottom of a pestle (heated in the fire, and) greased with butter, he warms the palate (of the child) by thrice pressing upon it. 23. He anoints it with (a mix- ture of the leaves? of a) horse-radish tree and butter. 24. He takes twenty-one (dried) usira-roots (andropogon muri- catus *), pronounces over them the hemistich V, 23, 13 c,d. and performs upon them the acts mentioned therein (i.e. he mashes the roots and burns their surfaces with fire, Kesava). 25. He presents the usira-roots (to the patient). 26. He pours water (upon the patient) along with the twenty-one (usira-roots).’ The practice is by no means clear in every detail, Sutra 20 being especially obscure.
The hymn has been translated by Kuhn, Zeitsch. f. vgl. Sprachforsch. XIII, 140 ff., and Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 501. Cf. also Bergaigne et Henry, Manuel Védique. p. 148.
Cf. VI, 94, 3. The meaning of the stem dta- (4 uta-) is not altogether certain; see Whitney, Roots, p. 11, under u, ‘proclaim.’ But I do not see how the meaning of the stem can be derived from the root va, ‘ weave,’ and the preposi- tion 4 (cf. the Pet. Lex. under 5. va), as Whitney suggests. Cf. Sayava in the note on VI, 94, 3. Heaven and earth are called upon in a general way to protect against enmity and trouble, cf. II, 12, 1, and especially VI, 3, 2. The
' That is, according to Darila and Kesava he winds the young of worms around a certain spot of the karfra-stalk (Dar. kariraika- desam), mashes the stalk, roasts the worms in the fire, and places the stalk upon the fire (correct Darila’s vratapatyadadhati simply to pratapaty adadhati).
* Cf, Darila at 38, 5, sigrupatrawi.
* The roots are dried (girma, garant): see Darila to the passage, and the Paribhasha-sfitra, Kaus. 8,17. Dérila to the latter passage describes them as an odorous substance (gandhadravyam).
454 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
goddess Sarasvati is invoked perhaps as the heavenly phy-
sician; Indra and Agni as driving away evil spirits. Cf.
also the Mantrabrahmaza of the Sama-veda, II, 7, 4,
krimim indrasya bahubhyam ava#kam pataydmi, and Indra’s
mill-stone, AV. ITI, 31, 1.
b. Indra as king of the gods, like the earthly king, is the guardian of treasures ; cf. IV, 22, 3, where the king is called dhanapatir dhananam.
a. A parallel to worms in the eye, in Teutonic folk- lore, is cited by Prof. Kuhn, l. c., p. 150. In the medical Sastras a disease of the eye is known under the name krz- migranthi, ‘sty ;’ this may be related to the disease which is here imagined rather fancifully.
ce. ‘The worm which gets to the middle of the teeth’ is similarly described in the later medicinal works as kvr7- midantaka, ‘ caries’ (Pet. Lex.), and dantada (krzmi), Wise, p. 349; cf. also the kyzmiddshitasz dantavarvam, by which the Azk-Pratisakhya XVII, 10 describes syava ; see Reg- nier’s edition, III, 189.
For the fanciful descriptions of forms, colours, and names in this and the following stanzas, see Kuhn, |. c., p. 147,and cf. the note-on II, 32, 2.
e. The formula babhrus #a babhrukarvas ka is repeated
in VI, 16, 3c: the hymn is described by the commentators
at Kaus. 30, 1 ff., as a charm against ophthalmia. It is
there also implicated in a fanciful list of personified
diseases.
d. For koka. cf. VIII, 6, 2, where SAyava glosses the word by dakravaka.
a,b. For the epithets sitikaksha and sitibahu, cf. Vag. S.
XXIV, 2.4.7; Tait.S. Vj 5, 20,136; 13) 1s Wean e
3, 3: 8,
V, 30. Commentary. 455
See the notes on II, 32, 1 and 2, and cf. especially AV. Wip sect] RVEL, 195, 9:
a, b. All designations are obscure. The Kath. S. has
a pendant yavdsha, perhaps a popular modification of
yévasha, in deference to yava, ‘barley !;’ kashkasha, egatka,
and sipavitnuka are Gz. Aey. A natural explanation for
egatka suggests itself, ‘ active, mobile.’
b. nadaniman, ‘roaring, or buzzing.” This, again, is az. \ey.
e. mashmashaé kvz recurs in the Kath. S. XVI, 7; the Maitr. S. II, 7, 7 (p. 84, 1. 3) has mrzsmvzsa (var. mvzsmrzsa) in its place; the Tait. S. IV, 1, 10, 3, and some of the MSS. of the Vag. S. XI, 80 (supported by the Pratisakhya, V, 37) read masmasA, an interesting onomatopoetic aggre- gation.
d. The Pada is repeated at II, 31, 1.
With the exception of the first Pada this stanza is iden- tical with II, 32, 2; so also the next three stanzas repeat, without change, II, 32, 3-5. See the notes there.
V, 30. COMMENTARY TO PAGE 59.
The present hymn is of essentially the same character as
VIII, 1 and 2, and its manipulation in the ritual texts,
Kaus. 58, 3. 11, and the ayushyagawa (Kaus. 54, 11, note),
coincides with both of these. See the introduction to
VIII, 1. Previous renderings by Muir, Original Sanskrit
Texts, V, 441 ff.; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 494 ff.