The connection of these stanzas with the body of the hymn is a loose one: Agni, not the earth, is their primary subject; cf. III, 21,1.2. See Kaus. 2,41; 120,53; 137,30; cf. also Ath. Paris. 48, 2.
[42] $ Sih =
642 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
d. Ludwig, ‘von svadha (opferspeise wol = 1/4) und speise. We with Pet. Lex. (feta (dover).
Stanzas 23-25.
They are frequently cited in the Atharvan ritual as the gandhapravadaz (sc. rzkah), ‘stanzas that mention gandha (fragrance).’ At Kaus. 13, 12 a king desirous of lustre is anointed with fragrant substances, the act being accom- panied by the recital of these stanzas. Similarly Kaus. 54, 5 (cf. also 24, 24, note); Vait. Sa. 10,5. The stanzas figure also in the second varkasyagawa of the Gazamalé, Ath. Paris. 32, 27 (Kaus. 12, 10, note), and are cited fre- quently in the Atharva-parisishdas, 4, 1. 3.4; 6,2; 17,2; 22,33; 44,1. Inst. 23, gandha and gandharvd(f) in allite- ration.
Cf. Vait. Sa. 2, 8.
Cf. Kaus. 24, 33; Ath. Paris. 43, 3. Possibly &a is to be added to Pada b.
Cf. Kaus, 3,8; 24,28; 90,15; 137,40; Ath. Paris. 39, 16.
See Kaus. 58, 7 (cf. 24, 24, note), and Vait. Sa. 12, 6, both in connection with purification of the body.
Repeated with variants at Maitr. S. IV, 14, 11 (233, 16). This and the next stanza are members of the svasty- ayanagava of the Gawzamdla, Ath. Paris. 32, 11 (Kaus. 25, 36, note).
See Kaus. 24, 33; Vait. Sad. 27, 7.
See Kaus. 24, 30. It is curious that this charming verse
finds only secondary employment; it-does not even figure among the du/svapnanasanani.
Xii; I.. Commentary, 643
a EIDE STRESS TSN a ge Stanza 35.
See Kaus. 46, 51; 137,12; Ath. Paris. 44,1. Cf. st. 61.
_ Stanza 36. See Kaus. 137, 9 (cf. 137, 4, note). Cf. Tait. S. V, 7, 2, 4.
Stanzas 38-40.
Cf. Kaus. 24, 37 (cf. 24, 24, note); Vait. Si. 10, 8; ie
22,1. Stanza 38 is counted by the Atharvawziya-paddhati
(Kaus. 19, 1, note) among the pushzika mantra“,
b. Cf. V, 20, 9, and the note.
see Kaus. 24, 38; 137, 24.
Stanza 44. Cf. Kaus. 24, 39; Ath. Paris. 10, 18, 2.
Stanza 46.
See Kaus. 50, 17; 139, 8; Vait. Sd. 29, 10; Ath. Paris. 19, 5. Cf. also the raudragava of the Gawzamala, Ath. Paris. 32,17 (Kaus. 50, 13, note). The root ginv in Pada c, as in st. 3c, seems to be intransitive, contrary to ordinary usage.
Stanza 47.
Cf. Kaus. 50,1; Ath. Paris. 19, 2. In Pada d pdnthanam
is a metrically superfluous gloss.
Stanza 49.
For this and the next stanza, cf. Vag. S. XXX, 8; Sat. Br. Alll, 2, 4, 2.4. For Pada a; see AV. XI, 2, 24, and note. In Pada c, ula is quotable in addition only at Vag. S. XXIV, 31; Maitr. S. III, 14, 2 (Mahidhara, ‘a kind of wild animal’)'. Ludwig, l.c., pp. 166, 548, regards it as an adjective, ‘howling. Ludwig, to rzkshika, ‘ barin (?).’
1 Cf, fila, Tait. S. V, 5, 12, 1, defined by the commentator in a
variety of ways, indicative of perplexity.
7. Ss
644 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
Stanza 51.
Pada b recurs at XI, 2,24b. Note the parenthesis in- volved in Padae. In the same Pada upavdm is a gloss,
disturbing the metre. Stanza 52.
See Kaus..24,.41 3 139,023:
Stanza 53. See Kaus. 10, 20, in the rite for acquiring wisdom.
Stanza 54.
See Kaus. 38, 30. While reciting this stanza one who wishes to be victorious in debate approaches the assembly- hall from the north-easterly direction (aparagita, ‘ the uncon- quered’ direction).
Stanza 58.
Seé Kaus. 24, 14; 38,29. Recited by one who desires
to please in the assembly: he addresses the assembly-hall
with the mantra, and looks at it. Pada b is obscure: cf.
Kesava to 38, 29, yak £akshusha pasyati tad vadan (Gammu
MS. idam) vighato na bhavati. Perhaps, ‘when I look,
then they delight in me.’
Stanza 59. See Kaus. 24, 31 (ef. 3, 4, note).
Stanza 60.
For the ‘mothers, cf. the introduction to VI, 111. The
earth herself is ‘mother,’ st. 63.
‘ Stanza 61.
See Kaus, 46, 52; 197,.13. 14.. .Cf. for*Pada a tne gi modya, Vag. S. XXIII, 9. 10. 45. 46; Sat. Br. XIII, 2, 6, 13; Maitr. 5. ITT, 12,19; -Tait.S, VII 4, 181. 2 eee III, 9, 5,5,and the commentators. For the second hemistich,
cf St.n25 Stanza 62.
See Kaus. 50, 10: a traveller starts on his journey.
Stanza 63. See Kaus. 24, 27; 58, 19, note; Vait. Sd. 27, 8.
Xi, 3. Commentary. 645
XII, 3. COMMENTARY TO PAGE 185.
This hymn treats of the brahmaudana, the preparation of the porridge for the Brahmans, more elaborately than XI, 1, with which it is worked up in Kaus. 60-63. See the intro- duction to XI, 1.
Stanzas 1-4,
The sacrificer, his wife, and children step upon a skin, and seat themselves around a vessel full of water. Kaus. 60, 31 ff. : ‘With stanza 1 (the priest) makes (the sacrificer) step upon the skin. 32. The wife (follows, or takes hold of the husband) as he is calling’. 33. With the third stanza? he calls for his children... 35. With stanza 4 they along with the children seat themselves around (a vessel containing water . which has been placed upon the skin, Sfatra 34).’
a. ihi is wanting in the Paippalada. The Pada is improved by throwing it out and reading pumaén trisyllabically.
édhas at the end of the third Pada may perhaps be regarded as an instrumental : ‘When Agni with his flame, &c. ;’ cf. Lanman, Noun-Inflection in the Veda, p. 562. The second hemistich seems to refer to widow-burning (cf. st. 17, and RV. X, 18,7). The word pakvat, rendered ‘ from the (cooked) porridge,’ seems to harbour something of a double entente: ‘from the cooked remains of the body, after it has been burned upon the funeral-pyre.’ The well-cooked porridge anticipates symbolically the successful conclusion of life, to be followed by a happy life hereafter. Cf. also stanzas 7-9, 11, &c.
* The translation of this Sfitra is by no means clear, and does not agree with Kesava’s treatment, tatra hvayasva iti padena patnim (Gammu MS. patni) 4hvayita.
2 Kesava, ‘with the third Pada:’ yavantév agre prathamam iti padena apatyani anvahvayita. But how can trétiyasyam mean with the third Pada?
646 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
We read givadhanya/ (accented) with some MSS. and RV. I, 80, 4. But the vocative is not impossible: ‘around this living (father), ye (children) that refresh the living.’ The children might be so called in the sense that they continue the life of the parents. In the fourth Pada vas ganitri either refers to two children, or the parents: ‘the mother (female) of the two parents.’ See also the next stanza. vam could be easily corrected to vo.
Stanzas 7-10.
Kaus. 61,1. 2: ‘While reciting stanza 7 the act indicated in the mantra is performed (i.e. they turn to the east). With the four mantras (7-10) they go around the water-vessel (turning towards each direction *).’
Cf. Kaushitaki-Upanishad I, 2, 3, where it is said that all those who depart from this world go to the moon (soma), the moon being the door of the world of light. Therefore shall man and wife turn to Soma’s region where the pious (sukv/taz) departed dwell. Cf. upon this point, Contributions, Third Series, Journ. Amer. Or. Soc. XV, 168, In Pada d the double meaning of pakva, alluded to in the note on st. 2, seems to gain special prominence: pakva is at once the cooked porridge, and the cooked ashes of the deceased couple.
a,b. Note the threefold play upon the word ud, in uttaram, uttaravat, and udifi.
e. The purusha (cosmic man) is the pankti; that is to say, like the metre pankti he consists of five constituent parts. Cf. Ait. Br. II, 14,7: ‘Man is composed of five parts, hair, skin, flesh, bones, and marrow.’ This statement about the purusha appears to be solely for the purpose of bridging
* Kesava, prakim-pradim iti fatasrzbhir r7gbhif pratidisam upa- tish/Zate mantroktam.
Xii, 3. Commentary. 647
over to the virdg who is identified in the next stanza with the fifth direction, the nadir (dhruvd).
Kaus. 61, 3: ‘ While reciting the stanza (the sacrificers) face reverently every direction. Apparently the nadir, as it were, embraces all the other directions. For dhruvd as a designation of the fifth direction, see III, 26,5; 27, 5, &c. Virag obviously has reference to the metre of that name; she is, too, the daughter of Purusha (cf. Pet. Lex. under virag 3), who is said to be the metre pankti in st. Io. A complicated chain of symbolism.
e,d. Aditi is called upon to protect the porridge, for she is the cooker of the porridge, by distinction: cf. the iegends in Maitr. S. II, 1,12; Tait. Br. III, 7, 11, 2, and the note on XI, I, 1.
Stanzas 12, 13.
According to Kaus. 61, 4 (cf. Kesava) the water-vessel is next, with stanza 12, taken from the skin and placed upon the ground, and the water contained in the vessel is used throughout the ceremony. The sacrificer and his wife doubtless come down from the skin ; hence (the earth) is called upon to embrace them, &c. In stanza 13 the water is implored to purify the sacrificial vessels from impure contact (as indicated by the Paribhasha-sitra, Kaus. 8, 14). For the connection of the non-Aryan dasi with the sacrifice, see Ludwig, Der Rigveda, p. 212.
Stanzas 14, 15.
At Kaus. 61, 18 the mortar and pestle, and the scrubbed winnowing basket, are placed upon the (afore-mentioned) skin, while stanza 14, along with Pada a of XI, 1, 9, is being recited. Cf. the note on XI, 1, 9 for the substitution of mortar and pestle in the place of the two press-stones. With stanza 15 the pestle is placed upright (in the mortar: Kaus. 61, 21, musalam uf#ffrayati). It is also rubricated in Ath. Paris. 10.
648 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
Stanzas 16, 17.
At Kaus. 61, 13. 14 the employment of stanzas 16 and 17 is prescribed, without adhering to their order in the Saahita : ‘With stanza 16 the sacrificer, his wife, and children (sapat- yau) touch the grain (which has previously been poured into a pot, Sitra 11). With the second hemistich of stanza 17 the sacrificer takes hold of his wife’s hand.’
Judging from the Kausika’s employment of the stanza the presence of real sacrificial cattle at this stage of the ceremony seems doubtful: the grain that goes to make the porridge seems to be likened to cattle; cf. stanzas 18,21. In Pada b the Paippalada reads medhasvan for gyotishman, in Pada c tam for tan; according to the Index Verborum most MSS. read tam for tan, but the present reading seems
preferable.
Stanzas which similarly promise the reunion of families in the next world are AV. VI, 120, 3; IX, 5, 27; XVIII, 3,23. The second hemistich seems to come from the mouth of the departed, who perhaps is conceived to desire that his wife shall follow him to the funeral-pyre; cf. st. 2. These statements are, however, hardly definite enough to permit us to connect them with the formalised later rite of Suttee.
This is rubricated along with XI, 1, 9b at Kaus. 61, 22: avahanti, ‘the pestle is beaten down (upon the grain).’ As it comes down it smites and drives off the hostile powers, but at the same time, as in the case of the axe which slays the sacrificial animal (cf. Contributions, Sixth Series, Zeitschr. d. Deutsch. Morgenl. Gesellsch. XLVIII, 556), the fiction is kept up that it does not really injure the grain. The statement strengthens the impression that the
grain is viewed in the light of sacrificial cattle, as in stanzas 16,29;
Xii, 3. Commentary. 649
For the employment of this stanza in the Sdtra, see the
notes on XI, 1,11,and g. The grain which is to form the
porridge is addressed, as though it were the cooked por-
ridge that spreads in the dish, and is enriched with ghee.
The second hemistich shows this to be anticipatory, for
the act of the stanza is the winnowing of the grain. Cf.
stanza 53. In Pada c varshavvzddham shows that the
basket is made of reeds, not of dead wood; cf. Zimmer,
Altindisches Leben, p. 238.
Stanzas 20, 21.
Kaus. 61, 26-28: ‘ With stanza 21 the wife as she removes (the husks) is addressed. With stanza 20 the husband and wife touch (the husks) after they have been removed. With part of stanza 20d (the grain) is again poured into the winnowing-basket.’ There is no mention of the preparation of soma which is suggested by aestin in stanza 20c: the word must therefore refer to some part of the ceremony which the Sitra ignores, unless the grain is figuratively called soma.
The meaning of the first hemistich is far from clear.
The Brahmava is either the priest (cf. XX, 2, 3), or some
holy text. Perhaps sdsmmita bréhmavena means ‘have
been measured out by the Brahmamya;’ cf. stanzas 28
and 33.
It seems again as though the animals here refer to the
grain, as in stanzas 16 and 18: the grain is varied in colour ;
the porridge when cooked is solid in colour. In Padac
the Padapatha reads tam, but we have taken ta#= tan.