Stanzas 22-24.
Kaus. 61, 31: ‘ With stanza 22 the pot is anointed. As the Sfaitra does not rubricate the next stanza (23), where the anointing is mentioned, by itself, we must understand
650 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
that stanza 23 is included in the quotation. ‘With stanza
24 he places fire about (the pot).’ In st. 22 d brahmawa
seems to be a gloss.
Kaus. 61, 34. 35: ‘With this stanza and XI, 1, 17 the
two purifying blades of darbha-grass are placed over the pot, and water is poured upon the grain.’
Stanzas 28, 29.
Cf. XI, 1, 18.19, and see the notes there for the practices that go with the stanzas.
Pada a may be addressed either to the fire, or some officiating person, perhaps the wife. In Pada b the sin- gular atmanam is peculiar: the word seems, either to have reached the extreme limit of pronominal usage, or, as we have translated, refers to the interior of each grain of corn, which is to be penetrated by the water. In Pada d the Paippalada has pradiso yathaimam, upon the basis of which we would propose pradiso yathes maz, ‘ according to these regulations. Or, perhaps, the Pada is to be rendered (with the same emendation): ‘measured was the grain as these regions of space (were measured). It is possible, too, to imagine pradiso as a verb, and read pradiso yathesmam in still closer accord with the Paippalada, ‘as thou didst order this (woman).’ The word pradiso is mentioned under pradis in Whitney’s Index Verborum for this passage.
Stanzas 31, 32.
Kaus. 61, 38-40. A barhis (seat of darbha-grass) is prepared for the porridge: with 31 a the sickle is handed over to him who shall cut the grass, with part of 31 b he cuts it, with 32 the grass is strewn. Cf. Kaus. 1, 24. 25; See Te
d. amanyuta (Padapa//a, dmanyutaZ) is to be regarded
either as a homophonous instrumental from the abstract
Xii, 3. Commentary. 651
amanyuta (better amanyuta), or a denominative participle
in ta (Whitney, Sk. Gr.2,§1175b). The latter is the more
probable construction. Possibly, however, we must read
amanyu ta, ‘without anger they,’ dmanyu being an adverb.
The word yés4m in Pada c seems indeed to demand taz in
Pada d.
e,d, The Paippalada has, tatra deva/ saha devair visantu, and dakshizato for rztubhir. Pada c stands sorely in need of correction: we propose tasmin devat# saha devir visantu. But for the metre tasmin deva/ saha devibhir visantu would be even simpler. Cf. in a general way VI, 59, 2, note. _
Kaus. 61, 43. A wooden platter is placed upon the barhis. In Pada c tvdsh¢ra is used consciously for tash/ra: the conceptions of the earthly carpenter, and the heavenly carpenter, Tvash¢ar—sukr7/t and rdpakr/t are his standing epithets—are blended into one. The difficult word in this stanza is vanaspate, which along with the statements in the first three Padas (agnish¢oma) seem to refer origin- ally to the yipa, the post to which the sacrificial animal is ed. eee. 2. sat. Br tlt, 64,1. .Lhére 3s no octa- sion here, as far as can be seen, for a yipa, and Kausika makes no mention of one. It looks very much as though a stanza concerned with the yiipa had been secondarily adapted. Similarly at Kaus. [5,11 our stanza figures in connection with a chariot, which is also secondary.
Kaus. 62,9. The porridge is put down to the west of the fire. The meaning of the ‘sixty autumns,’ as indeed the sense of the entire passage, is extremely obscure; cf. stanzas 41,42. The point of the stanza may again lie in the double meaning of pakva (cf. stanza 2): in sixty years, that is at the end of his life, the sacrificer shall reach heaven by the pakva, in the double sense of the porridge he has offered to the Brahmans, and the cooked ashes of the funeral-pyre.
652 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
Stanza 36.
Employed along with XI, 1, 21 at Kaus. 61, 41; see the
note on XI, 1, 21, and cf. Vait. Sa. 10,9. In the order of the
Sitra this stanza precedes stanza 34. Cf. XVIII, 3, 29.
Stanza 36.
Employed along with XI, 1, 24 at Kaus. 62, 1 ff; see the note on XI, 1, 24. The ladle is placed upon the altar, and in the sequel the porridge is dipped out, as indicated in the second hemistich of the present mantra (cf. Kaus. 62, 6. 7) Oe AIBOAr Ny ot Vay ye
Stanzas 37, 38.
Kaus. 61, 45.46. With stanza 37 the porridge is covered with ghee; with stanza 38 the porridge is addressed. Both acts in the Satra precede correctly and naturally the dip- ping out of the porridge, indicated in stanza 36. In stanza 38 the mighty eagle seems to be the sun which shines pon the porridge; cf. XIII, 2, 32. 33. Both devaz# and deva- tabhiz seem to refer to the Brahmavas: the acting priests shall give the porridge to the priests for whom the porridge is prepared asa fee. Cf. Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, I °, 262; Weber, Indische Studien, X, 35, and see Kaus. 6, 26 ff.
Stanza 39.
Kaus. 62, 11 ff.: ‘ With stanza 39 the act indicated in the stanza is performed (i e. both husband and wife place the porridge in one dish?). The wife takes hold of the hus- band. The subsequent performances are undertaken while husband and wife have hold of one another. In Pada a the second para which is rather superfluous may perhaps be emended to pate, corresponding to gaye in Pada b.
Stanza 40.
b. We read asmat for asmat to correspond with asy4/ in Pada a: man and wife are correlated.
Xii, 3. Commentary. 653
Kaus. 62,18: ‘ With stanzas 41 and 44 juices are poured
upon (the porridge).’ The fourth Pada which is identical
with 34 a (see its explanation there) seems out of place;
it may have crept in owing to 42a. In Pada b amr/tasya
nabhayaz may mean, ‘the navels of immortality.’
Kaus. 62, 10: ‘With this stanza the porridge is divided
into three sections. Cf. XI, 1, 6, and the corresponding
passage, Kaus. 61, 8-11. In Pada a ‘the treasure’ is the
porridge itself; cf. st. 34.
Stanza 43. |
Kaus. 62,14: ‘ With this stanza the fire is carried around
(the porridge).’ Cf. e.g. RV. VII, 15, 10; AV. VIII,
3, 26.
Stanza 45.
Employed along with XI, 1, 31 at Kaus. 62, 15.17; see
the note at XI,1,31. In Padad the rare singular angiraso
is to be changed to the adjective Angiraso, or, equally well,
to the vocative plural angiraso.
Stanza 46.
The three stanzas beginning here are quoted in the
course of another version of the brahmaudana practices
(Kaus. 67 and 68), in Sitra 68,27. The devataz in Pada a
are again, in all likelihood, the Brahmavas ; cf. st. 38.
Stanza 47.
b. The passage may perhaps be rendered, ‘and (so does)
my wife at my doing and instigation.’ The second hemi-
stich is evidently spoken by the priest in a sort of response
to the speech of the sacrificer in the first two Padas.
Stanza 48.
a. 4dharo is very doubtful: the Pet. Lex., ‘ riickhalt’ (?). Perhaps ‘support, or protection in guilt’ is nearer to the true sense. Perhaps, again, an emendation to adharmo, ‘lawlessness, would not lead too far afield.
654 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
Stanza 49.
Kaus. 62, 18. 19. A cow and utensils for milking are placed to the north of the fire, the cow is milked during the recitation of a certain hymn, and the milk poured upon the porridge. Pada a is short by two syllables: supply karma, or the like?
Stanzas 50, 51.
Kaus. 62, 22. 23: ‘ With stanza 50 (and XI, 1, 28) gold
is placed upon (the porridge); with stanza 51 a homespun
garment accompanied by gold is put down in front of it.’
These, of course, are additional gifts (piece de résistance).
Stanza 50.
Ordinary fire in wood, lightning in the (cloud-)waters, and the fire of the heavenly luminaries, are reflected in the gold, presented by him that cooks the porridge: in giving the gold he becomes luminous, illustrious. Cf. I, 9,2; XI,
¥, 20; Stanza 51.
Since all animals have skins, nay even the porridge has a self-made garment, it is fit that the Brahman should also have one. In Pada c kshatréza seems to mean ‘ covering,’ and it may stand for #Aatreza from fad, ‘ cover,’ though khatra ordinarily means ‘umbrella.’ Cf. the variants ahi- kshetra and ahikshatra for ahif/atra, ‘mushroom,’ i.e.
‘serpent’s umbrella.’ Stanza 52.
Kaus. 63, 1. 2: ‘ With this stanza they clothe themselves in the same garment. A second garment (which they put on) becomes a garment (that carries off) evil: that, accord- ing to some authorities, is given to a human being of the lowest character.’ Cf. Kaus. 18, 1. 4, where a black gar- ment (krzshvakailam), symbolic of misfortune, is put on, and afterwards dropped into the water, in order that the mis-
fortune may depart. Stanza 53.
Cf. the note on XI, 1, 28. For Padas c, d, cf. stanzas 19 a, b. The point of the stanza is not altogether clear: it
Xii, 3. Commentary. 655
seems as though the smoke rising from the porridge (the earth) symbolises a cloud, and thus procures rain.
Stanza 54.
At Kaus. 63, 8 ‘other chaff of grain (phalikarava in Sitra 7) is thrown (into the fire) while reciting this stanza.’
Previously, in Sttras 6 and 7, similar substances (tusha and kambiika) have been thrown into the fire, and cast aside with the left foot; see the note on XI,1, 29. The stanza is extremely obscure, and I have lost ‘confidence in the interpretation of it advanced in Contributions, Sixth Series, Zeitschr. d. Deutsch. Morgenl. Gesellsch. XLVIII, 576. Its purpose seems to be, rather, to cause the fire to blaze up anew, perhaps, in order to drive away demons. As the > sky can assume different colours, and, especially. in the morning, can drive away its blackness for the brightness of the dawn (Pada c), so the fire may be enlivened unto redness by sacrificing (chaff) into it. RV. X, 3, 1d is almost identical with our Padac. The Paippalada, suit- ably to the metre, reads atmany in Pada b, and rusantim in c; for 4pagait, see the passage in the Contributions, cited above.
Stanza 55 ff.
With the remaining stanzas the bestowal of the brah- maudana and the concomitant gifts takes place (Kaus. 63, 22). The series of formulas beginning here are closely related to the sarpahuti, AV. III, 27; Maitr. S. II, 13, 21; Tait. S. V, 5, 10, 1 ff.; cf. Weber, Indische Studien, XVII, 295 ff. For the names of the serpents, see the notes on VI, 56; VII, 56, and Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 94 ff. The expression gara mrityave in the third line of the for- mula reminds us of the bahuvrihi garamrztyu, XIX, 24, 8 ; 26,1; 30,1. This suggests here a tatpurusha garamriztyu, ‘death from old age ;’ the passage would then mean, ‘ may he lead us to death from old age.’ In stanza 59 the asso- ciation of Vishvu with the dhruva dis is remarkable: we should expect the fidhvd. For the association of Indra (not Yama) with the southern direction, see Weber, |. c., p. 296.
656 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
XII, 4. COMMENTARY TO PAGE 174.