The hymn has been translated by Florenz, Bezzenber- gers Beitrage, XII, p. 279 ff.; Grill’, pp. 13, 161 ff.
1 anvipam: Pet. Lex.+am wasser gelegen’(?). The word means ‘ along the course,’ i.e. the water must not be drawn against the current. Cf. Maitr.S. 1V, 4, 1, and Kesava, anulomam. The opposite of anvipam is pratipam, ‘ against the current.’
* The supplied passages are indicated, it seems, by Kaus. 29, 8 ; see the note on V, 13, 5. Kausika is at times so terse as to render necessary the memorising of the entire Sfitra.
472 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
oat Ses ee ne eS eS SS eee
Stanza l.
d. For hvzddyota, see the note on I, 22, I.
VI, 25. COMMENTARY TO PAGE IQ.
Adalbert Kuhn, in Zeitschrift fiir vergleichende Sprach- forschung, XIII, 128 ff., treated the hymn under the head of ‘Seven and seventy-fold disease,’ comparing with it Ger- manic formulas directed against fever and other diseases ; these are often described as being of seventy-seven varieties. Florenz, Bezzenberger’s Beitrage, XII, 281 ff., suggests that some febrile disease, accompanied by eruptions, is in question. In Contributions, Second Series, Amer. Journ. Phil. XI, 327 ff., we assumed that the hymn with its ritual represent a charm against a disease, similar to the scrofu- lous swellings called apa#it (VI, 83; VII, 74, 1-2; 76, 1-2), and this is now fully corroborated by Kesava and Sayana who define the present charm asa cure for gavda- mala, ‘scrofula.’ Cf. also the interesting ‘Manskunder’ (many4/ and skandhyaZ in sts. 1, 3 of the hymn), defined as ‘tumours of the neck’ in the previously quoted passage of Wise, Hindu System of Medicine, p. 316. The Anu- kramavzi, mantroktamanyavinasanadevatyam.
The practices are stated at Kaus. 30, 14-16, as follows: 14. ‘While reciting the hymn, fifty-five leaves of the parasu? (plant or tree?) are kindled by means of pieces of wood. 15. (The sap of the leaves) which has boiled forth into a cup is smeared with a stick of wood (upon the sores). 16. (The sores are then smeared) with a (pul- verized) shell, and with the saliva of a dog, and subjected to the bites of leeches, gnats, and so forth (cf. Kesava’s
1 The word parastiparv4n is not altogether clear, Darila’s and Kesava's (gopasilikam?) glosses being corrupt. Kaus. 47, 25 presents the obviously parallel parasupalasa which Kesava glosses by parsuvr7kshapatram, and this we have adopted as the sense here. But Darila at 47, 25 has ku/Aaramukham, ‘the blade of an axe!’ Cf. the note on Kaus, 47, 25 in the introduction to Lyre,
Vi, 26. Commentary. 473
comment upon this Sitra at Kaus. 31, 16, and our remarks in the above-cited Contributions, pp. 325-6).
Stanzas 1-3.
d. The word vak4z in the refrain is translated by Kuhn as ‘swarms, by the Pet. Lexs. and Florenz as ‘buzzing.’ But the apafit are not insects (see VI, 83). and Sdyama’s vakaniya dosha designates the low water-mark of his hermeneutical capacity. As it seems impossible to retain the word, we may perhaps resort to the emendation paka&, remembering the well-known confusion in the MSS. of v and p’. The sense would then be ‘ may they (the tumours) | pass away like the’ puStules of the apafit.’ The implication would then be that the tumours in question are ‘hard and large’ (Wise, l.c., 316), and that the apa#it are more easily brought to the point of breaking open.
VI, 26. COMMENTARY TO PAGE 163.
The ritual treats this as a remedial charm, fit to remove all diseases (sarvarogabhaishagyam). The performances, Kaus. 30, 17. 18, are as follows: By night the hymn is recited, parched grains of corn are poured into a sieve, and then cast away. On the next day three bali-offerings are thrown into the water for Sahasraksha (‘the thousand-eyed divinity,’ cf. st. 3), and (three) puddings of rice are thrown and scattered upon the cross-roads?. The ceremony is symbolic for the most part: the sieve is always the tangi- ble expression of passing through and out (cf. Kaus. 26, 2 in the introduction to I, 12), and general dispersion is the salient motif. The hymn‘is also rubricated in the Santi- kalpa, chapter 15, in a rite directed against the goddess of
' Cf. upolava and upolapa, Kausika, Introduction,.p. xlviii.
2 Cf. the sentiment in st. 2 of the hymn: the cross-roads are the most convenient spot at which to part company. For the character of the cross-roads in general, see the note on p. 519 in the introduc- tion to VI, 111.
474 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
misfortune (nirvztizarma), and in the papmagava and the
takmandsanagaza of the Gazamala, Ath. Paris. 32, 7. 12
(cf. Kaus. 26, 1; 30,17, notes). It has been translated by
Florenz, Bezzenberger’s Beitrage, XII, 282. The Anu-
kramazi, papmadevatakam.
Stanza l.
b. The Pada is formulaic, being repeated at V, 22, 9 b.
b. For the epithet sahasraksha, see the note on IV, 20, 4. ‘ Thousand-eyed’ here refers to the power of infallibly spy- ing out victims; cf. especially the ‘thousand-eyed curse’ ar V 197 st.
VI, 27. COMMENTARY TO PAGE 166.
The pigeon as a bird of omen is well known in Teutonic mythology; cf. Gothic hraivadubé, literally ‘ carcass-dove, as the name of the turtle, and see Grimm, Deutsche Mytho- logie, p. 659 ff. The present hymn is the Atharvanic equivalent of RV. X, 165, 1-3, and the archaic locative Ashsri in 3 b (cf. Ath. Pratisikhya I, 74) seems to indicate a certain superiority of the Atharvan text, which is, how- ever, not borne out by 2b and 3c, whose Rig-vedic form is metrically preferable. Cf. Adbhuta-Brahmava 6 and 8 (Weber, Omina und Portenta, pp. 325, 330); Hultzsch, Prolegomena zu des Vasantaraga Sakuna, p. 7. At Kaus. 46, 7 this and the two following hymns are recited while the ‘great consecration’ (mahdsdanti) is being poured (cf. Kaus. g, 6, note). The Anukramazi defines the three hymns as yamyany uta nairrztani. The-present hymn has been treated by Florenz, Bezzenberger’s Beitrage, XII, p. 282 ff.
b. The RV., grzhéshu for grzhas nak. The Atharvan
reading almost looks as though anaga(Z) were understood
in the sense of ‘not arriving’ (an-4-gaZ). The accent of
Vi, 37. Commentary. 475
the stem is both anagds and anagas, and the Padapatha does not divide it, thus apparently indicating its own doubt as to the character of the word. Sdayavza, anaparddhakah.
VI, 29. COMMENTARY TO PAGE 166.
For the general character of this hymn and its treat-
ment in the ritual, see the introduction to VI, 27. It has
been treated by Florenz,- Bezzenberger’s Beitrage, XII,
p- 287 ff.
VI, 32. COMMENTARY TO PAGE 36.
The practice connected with this hymn at Kaus. 31, 3 consists in digging a ditch near the fire, filling it with hot water, and in sacrificing into it a rice-cake after circum- ambulating it thrice and muttering the hymn. The hot water near the fire is doubtless emblematic of the well- known properties of Agni as the most obvious enemy of spooks and uncanny hostile forces. Darila, pisikanasanam. The hymn figures also in the #atanagama, ‘list of hymns with which (demons, &c.) are chased away’ in the Gavamala, Ath. Paris 32, 3 (cf. Kaus. 8, 25, note). It has been trans~ lated by Florenz, Bezzenberger’s Beitrage, XII, 291 ff.
The second hemistich is repeated at VIII, 8,21. Sayaza
renders g#atdram by abhig#am svdminam, ‘experienced
master. Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 528, bottom, ‘der sie
kennt.’
VI, 37. COMMENTARY TO PAGE 93.
The hymn is rubricated at Kaus, 48, 23-26, in prac- tices designed to repel the sorcery-practices of enemies. A white lump (of earth)’ is given to a dog (cf. st. 3), an
? So Kesava and Sdyama, svetamrittika.
476 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
amulet of tarf#a! is put on, an oblation (of ingida-oil, Kaus. 47, 3) is poured, and fagots (of vadhaka-wood, Kaus. 47, 13; cf. AV. VIII, 8, 3) are laid on the fire. The practice is based upon symbolic realisations of suggestions contained in the hymn *.
Previous translations: Grill?, pp. 25, 161 ff.; Florenz,
Bezzenberger’s Beitrage, XII, 297. The Anukramavi,
kandramasam.
a. For the epithet ‘thousand-eyed,’ see the note on IV,
20, 4, and especially VI, 26, 3. Sayaza identifies it out-
right with Indra, indrak sapathad sapakriyayaz karta.
d. The sentiment of this Pada and of the first hemistich
of the next stanza are worked up anew in VII, 59. That
mantra is accompanied, Kaus. 47, 37, by an interesting
practice: wood from a tree struck by lightning is put on
the fire, to symbolise the destruction of the enemy by
lightning.
ec. pésh¢ram may mean ‘flesh’ rather than ‘bone,’ in
accordance with our note on IV, 12, 2. Sayawza reads
pesh¢am (pish¢amayam khadyam). For dvakshamam (Pada-
pazha, ava-kshamam) we have ventured a new interpreta-
tion, ‘down upon the ground, from ava and kshaman
‘ground: SAayawa, avadagdham; Pet. Lex., ‘abfindung’
(‘sop’); Grill, ‘brocken ;’ Florenz, ‘knochenrest ;’ Boht-
* According to Darila ‘an amulet consisting of a bone’ (? asthi- kamami; cf. pésh/ram in st. 3); according to Kesava and Sayama ‘an amulet of palasa-wood.’ Cf. the mantra in Kaus. 13, 12.
* Sayama thinks that st. 3 is referred to in Kaus. 47, 37 under the pratika, y6 nak sdpat. But the lightning is not mentioned in st. 3, but rather in st. 2. Hence the little hymn VII, 59 is doubt- less the one intended at Kaus. 447, 37: it consists of sentiments contained in VI, 37, 3 :and 2, and begins also with the words, yé nah sapat.
Vi, 38. Commentary. 477
lingk’s Lexicon, ‘lean ;’ Whitney in the Index Verborum
shelters the word under the root ksham with ava. Cf. XI,
10, 23.
VI, 38. COMMENTARY TO PAGE 116.
This and the next hymn are worked up in the course of the royal rites (ra4gakarmazi, Kaus. 14-17). The object . of both the hymn and the practices connected with it is to endow a king with varas, ‘lustre,’ and more particularly to transfer to him the vargas inherent in men, animals, and brilliant substances. The practice, Kaus. 13, 3-6, is as follows: While reciting VI, 38 and 39, hairs from the navel of a snataka!, a lion, a tiger, a goat, a ram, a bull, or a king, are pasted together with lac, covered with gold, and fastened on as an amulet. Also an amulet prepared from the splinter of ten kinds of (‘holy’) wood is put on (see the introduction to II, 9). While reciting the same two hymns, and in addition III, 16; VI, 69, and IX, 1, the seven vital organs? (of a lion or any of the other animals mentioned above), mixed with a mess of rice, are eaten. The relation of these performances to VI, 38 are obvious.
Both hymns are rubricated further in the course of the practices at the initiation of pupils to the study of the Vedas, Kaus. 139,15, and they hold membership in the:two varkasyagazas ef the Gazamala, Ath. Paris. 32, 10 and 27 (see Kaus. 12, 10 and 13, 1, notes). Cf. also Ath. Paris. 4, 13.387, 12
The two hymns have been translated by Ludwig, Der
Rigveda, III, 240; Florenz, Bezzenberger’s Beitrage, XII,
297 ff. The Anukramazi: ime bvzhaspatidevatye varsas-
kamak...rishir apasyat.
* A Brahmana who has performed the ceremony of ablution, required on finishing the period of his disciplehood (brahmafarya), before entering the second period of his life, that of a house- holder (grihastha). This embodies in practice the word brah-
mané in st, 38, 1 b. 4 Darila defines these as padamadhyani nabhihridayam mfirdha fa.
478 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
The relation of the two hemistichs of each stanza of the
hymn is anacoluthic. It seems best in translation to supply
some such expression as na astu from na étu in Pada d.
b. The rendering of brahmazé by ‘in the Brahmaza’ is
rendered certain by the word snataka in the Sitra above.
Florenz, erroneously, ‘im Brahman Agni.’
d. The mention of Indra in all sorts of royal charms is due to the most prominent characteristic of the god, namely strength. Indra is the heavenly ragan, par excellence. His © ever-shadowy mother also is personified. strength. ‘Indra is putrak savasak and savasah sinus& (RV. VIII, 92, 14; IV, 24, 1)... See: Perry, Journ, Amer, Or. Soc. XI) 1407s Contributions, Sixth Series, Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenlandischen Gesellschaft, XLVIII, 548.
Cf. the related passage from the varfasya-hymn, IX, 1, 18.
a,b. Ludwig renders dundubhav d4yatay4m ‘in der pauke,
der langezogen ténenden.’ This receives a certain support
from Sayava, atadyamanayam, but we prefer to compare
dyata as used of the tightened bowstring, e.g. XI, 2, 1.
For purushasya mayau, cf. XIX, 49, 4.
VI, 39. COMMENTARY TO PAGE II7.
For the employment of this hymn in the ritual, and pre-
vious translations, see the introduction to VI, 38. The
keynote of the present hymn is yasas (cf. VI, 58), that of
the preceding, varkas. The word ydsas seems to be
technically the name of the oblation which must have
accompanied the recital of the hymn; see sts. 1a and 2a.