The first three Padas are repeated at XIX, 39, 4. In Pada e, Sayavza has pratispasinam (abhikaratah prati- mukhas badhakam, ‘striking against the sorcerers’). The MSS. read antitam ; the vulgate and the Index Verborum antitam. Sayawa offers both alternatives, antitam atyan-- tasamnihitam, athava tam... dveshfdram anti antike avidama. Perhaps antikam is to be substituted in the text for antitam. Sdyaza understands the passage as follows: ‘Him (the enemy) that we did seek, we have found lurking near by.’ . But see Tait. S. V, 7, 3, 1, where pratispasa surely means ‘guarding;’ cf. also AV. VII, 38. I.
For Kasyapa, see the note on IV, 20, 7. In Pada d,
Sayavza reads samsreshaze and glosses ‘in the battle which
causes close contact (samsleshavza) with one another.’
Whether we accept this sensible emendation, or not, the
meaning is clear. Stanza 15. —
Pada a may be improved into an anush¢ubh by throwing out the first yas tva. The diksh&s and the yag#ah here referred to are of course unholy (4bhifdrika); cf. X, 1, 11, and Kesava at Kaus. 47, 12. 14-16. Sayama, dikshabhiz yagviyair vagyamanddiniyamaviseshaiz .. . yag#aih hissa- sadhanaiZ syeneshvadibhir! yAgaizZ. The two hemistichs are loosely correlated (anacoluthon): we should expect ma
for tva in Padas a, b.
cea &..V,-7,;3,,b¢ RV. .X, 171.4.
The first hemistich is repeated at XIX, 20, 4 a, b.
1 The syeneshu seems to be a witchcraft practice, otherwise unknown, The Angirasakalpa, if it ever turns up, is likely to furnish the necessary information.
(42) Pp
578 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
ce, d. The passage is highly metapnorical. According to Pazk. Br. XIII, 9,17, methi (methi’) is the post to which cattle is fastened with a rope (raggu). The amulet with its cord (cf. II, 4, 5) seems to be likened to it: the tertium comparationis is the protective quality of each. As the cattle is secure when attached to the post, thus the pre- sence of the amulet affords security. Possibly the passage is derived secondarily from a different practice and a dif- ferent sphere of conceptions.
Cf. RV. X, 152, 2, almost identical with this stanza.
VIII, 7. COMMENTARY TO PAGE 4I.
This compilation of stanzas in diverse metres, in praise of the curative qualities of plants, is analogous to the so- called oshadhi-stuti, RV. X, 97; Maitr. S. II, 7, 13; Tait. S. IV, 2,6; Vag. S. XII, 75-96. Its employment in the ritual is as a universal remedy (sarvabhaishagyam). At Kaus. 26, 33 it is rubricated along with five other hymns in a series (gaa) which is styled gazakarmagamza (!) in the Gavzamala, Ath. Paris. 32, 24. Its particular function is indicated at Kaus. 26, 40: while it is being recited an amulet consisting of chips from ten kinds of (holy) wood, described at Kaus. 27, 5 in connection with AV. II, 9 (cf. also Kaus. 13, 5), is fastened upon the patient. See the introduction to II, 9. At Vait. Si. 30, 6, similarly, the hymn is employed while the curative sura (spirituous liquor) for the sautramami-ceremony is being mixed with herbs. Cf. Contributions, Third Series, Journ. Amer. Or. — Soc. XV, 153-154; Oldenberg, Nachrichten von der K6nig- lichen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Gottingen, 1893, no. 9, p. 342 ff.; Weber, Ragastiya, p too ff.
The hymn has been translated by Ludwig, Der Rigveda,
ITI, 504 ff.; Henry, Les livres VIII et IX de 1’Atharva-
véda, pp. 20, 58 ff.
Viii, 7. Commentary, 579
e,d. Cf. III, 9, 1 and III, 23, 6a, b, with which this hemi- stich coincides word for word. The ocean represents both the heavenly and terrestrial waters, from which the plants derive their nourishment and origin.
Cf. Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 57. I agree with
Professor Henry in assuming that no systematisation,
however rudimentary, is intended: salient qualities are
embalmed in epitheta ornantia. The same scholar’s ren-
dering of amzsumati, ‘ pourvues de suc, pourvues de séma,
is strained.
For arundhati, see the introduction to IV, 12. The first hemistich also at VIII, 2, 6: cf. VI, 59, 3; XIX, 39, 2. 3, and see the notes on the last-mentioned two stanzas. Professor Henry’s explanation of nagha in nagharishdm as=agha, ‘evil, will probably appear unnecessary in the light of these notes. The solitary form pushy4m is sus- picious, since the MSS. confuse the syllables shya and shpa hopelessly ; cf. st. 27, and the note on V, 4, 4.
This is an especial appeal to aquatic plants, the avaka
being the most characteristic representative of that class ;
cf. Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 71; Contributions,
Second Series, Amer. Journ. Phil. XI, 349 ff.
In Pada d, krztya- in the vulgate is a misprint for krvityad-. For baldsa, see the note on V, 22, II.
Rare herbs were doubtless bought, and brought from
a distance. The word ‘village’ is characteristic, as being
Pp2
580 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
the proper scene of Atharvanic performances; cf. IV,, 36, 7; IX, 5,19; XVIII, 2,27; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 28.
d. gé-purogavam does not differ materially from expres- sions like gav-Adi, and the like. The Pet. Lexicons, ‘die Kuh zum Anfiihrer habend,’ and Henry’s, ‘ (la nourriture) a laquelle préside la vache,’ are rather too literal and pregnant; they miss, perhaps, the idiomatic force of the
expression.
d. Cf. I, 8,1; VI, 113, 2; VIII, 5, 9. The flowing water of the running stream shall carry them off.
For a, b, cf. I, 10, 4; VIII, 2, 27, and our note on the
first of these passages. Agni Vaisvanara seems to repre-
sent here the funeral fire. It would be convenient to read
(with Henry) the vocative oshadhayo for the nominative.
Ludwig construes mumufanaz% as passive, ‘losgegeben von
Agni Vaisvanara.’ But on what occasion does Agni confine
the plants ?
Cf. st. 24; VIII, 5, 9; XIX, 39, 5, and especially our
note on XI, 4, 16. But it is questionable whether Angi-
rasiZ is to be taken here in its ritualistic sense =Abhifa-
rika, ‘ pertaining to witchcraft.’
Cf. I, 24,1; II, 27,2; V,14, 1, and the notes on the passages, for this and the following stanza. It is rather curious to find the serpents and their old time enemy the ichneumon (cf. VI, 139, 5) peacefully together, as dis- coverers of remedies. But the serpents here are mythic, not the poisonous individuals.
b. raghd/o is Gz. Xey. The Pet. Lex. suggests plausibly raghavo, ‘swift.’ The flight of the heavenly eagle who
Viii, 7. Commentary. 551
robs the Soma, results in the growth of the parza-tree; cf. Ad. Kuhn, Die Herabkunft des Feuers (index s. v. parva). The eagle might therefore be said to be acquainted with the parzva-tree. But the passages cited in the preceding note show that the keen sight of certain birds of prey fits them, in the mind of the poet, for the task of finding the rare and secreted plants.
a,b. The human physicians in contrast from the divine doctors, Rudra, the Asvins, Sarasvati, &c.
Cf. the Atharvaziya-paddhati and Dasa Karmavi in the note on Kaus. 36, 5. :
Se hatcitk yy x,.97,195 Maite. 6.11) 7313 (93,5) Tait S. Dy 6 o 18: Veen.Ss XA. 77.
e. Ludwig renders saszmatdrak by ‘vereinte miitter ;’ Henry proposes to read saz matara, as previously in AV. XIII, 2, 13 (see his Les Hymnes Rohitas, pp. 10 and 40), a very doubtful passage. The plants are called mothers, RV. X,97; 4; Maitr. SwII, 7, 13 (93, 6); Tait. 'S. IV, 2; 6, 1; Vag. S. XII, 77, but the word saszmatara (dual) stands unquestioned at Maitr. S. II, 5, 4 (52, 1). I think that the text is to be sustained by all means: the sense is excellent. The plants, as though calves sucking the same mother, shall each yield the same sap, that heals disease; cf. RV. VII, 101, 1, where duhre (as duhram here) is middle, not passive.
Cf. RV. X, 97, 16. I have translated paztkasalad, &c., by ‘from a depth of five fathoms,’ &c. This is not a little insipid. Perhaps, after all, Ludwig is correct: ‘from him that wields five arrows, &c. Cf. Sk. pa#kasara, ‘he who has five arrows, as an epithet of Kama.—devakilbishat, *sin against the gods, or, perhaps, ‘sin committed by the gods. This is conceived as being passed off (wiped off) on men. See VI, 111, 3; the introduction to VI, 112 and
532 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
On
113; and Proc. Amer. Or. Soc., May, 1894 (Journ., vol.
xvi, p..cxix ff)... Ash oe Apast. Sr. XIII, 17, 93
Paak. Br. I, 6, 10.
VIII, 8. COMMENTARY TO PAGE 117.
This battle-song deals especially with the obstacles that are placed in the way of an advancing enemy. Traps and nets are constructed to capture and destroy: see stanzas 5 ff. The Kausika, 16, 9-20, rubricates a number of the stanzas among the practices of the king (ragakarmami, chapters 14-17), to wit: 16, 9. ‘With stanza 1 (or rather the entire hymn) the fire is churned. 10. With stanza 2 a rotten rope is put down (upon the fire-place). 11. The fire is churned with (two sticks, one of) asvattha-wood, (the other of) badhaka-wood'. 12. With Padas c, d of stanza 2 the smoke of the fire is addressed. 13. With the same two Pddas, beginning at the word agni, the fire (is addressed). 14. Upon this fire (which is removed) into the forest, sticks of wood that destroy enemies, namely, asvattha, badhaka, tagadbhanga, 4hva, khadira, and sara ?, are placed. 15. The snares mentioned (in Kaus. 14, 28: they are prepared of bhangé, “hemp” [bhazig, “ break! ”’], and mufga, “reed”’) are cast. 16. Hammers made out of asvattha-wood, and nets of hemp are placed. 17. (Also) staffs of badhaka-wood (badh, “oppress!”). 18. With the exclamation, “ Hail to these here” (st. 24 c), an offering is made for the friends (one’s own army). 19. With the exclamation, “ Perdition to those yonder ” (ibid.), an offering is made, with the left hand, of ingida-butter * into fire built out of badhaka-wood. 20. To the north of the fire a
‘ The symbolism of these acts is clear: the stench of the old rope (Darila, girvaraggu) in the fire, and the etymological qualities of the two kinds of wood, delineated in st. 3, shall operate against the enemy, each in its own way.
* For the real and symbolic meanings of these names, see the
notes on sts. 3-5.
* ingida is the typical substance that takes the place of ghee
(agya) in hostile practices. See the Paribhasha-sitra, Kaus. 47, 3.
vill, 8. COMMENTARY. 583
branch of red asvattha is fixed (in the ground), enveloped with a blue and a red thread, and then removed to the south while stanza 24 d is being rezited?.’ The entire practice is redolent of fierce hostility: cf: in general the introduction (paribhasha) to the abhikdrika (witchcraft) practices in Kaus. 47, 1 ff.
The hymn has been rendered by Ludwig, Der Rigveda,
III, 527 ff.; Henry, Les livres VIII et IX de l’Atharva-
véda, pp. 23. 61 ff. Cf. also Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts,
V, pp. 87, 405, note.
The root manth is employed in connection with Indra’s feats only on the occasion of his churning the head of the demon Namuéi: the present statement is doubtless a reminiscence of that performance. See Contributions, Third Series, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XV, 156 ff. The Satra, however, takes manth in its more common sense of churning a fire, and embodies it in a corresponding per- formance on the part of the ritualist: see the introduction above.
It may be reasonably doubted whether the ritual, which takes pitiraggu in its literal and etymological sense (Kaus. 16, 1c, above), has fathomed the meaning of the word. But it is a reasonable construction, and we are, for the present, driven to accept it. In the second hemistich amitra is metrically superfluous: it may readily have crept in as a gloss from st. 1 d.
The plants are chosen with reference to the punning etymologies that may be extracted from them. Even the juxtaposition of asvattha and svzvihi is intentional. For tagadbhanga, see Kausika, Introduction, p. xliv. Its pro- blematic accentuation (Padapatha, tagadbhangaz) is prob-
' For the blue and the red threads, see the note on the stanza.
584 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
ably to be changed to tagadbhanga (cf. Kaus. 16,14). Ety- mologically the word means ‘ breaking suddenly.’ The plant vadhaka, badhaka (also vadhaka, badhaka) is defined by the commentators as girimala, girimalaka, kyzmimalaka, karimalaka, itself of unknown meaning; see Kausika, Introduction, p. xliv, and Pet. Lex., s. v. badhaka 2.