Page:Atharva-Veda samhita.djvu/578

meant the bunch of sacred grass so called, used in the ceremonies of offering (darbhamuṣṭi, comm.). The ṇ of drughaṇas (p. dru॰ghanaḥ) is prescribed by Prāt. iii. 76. The comm. explains it by lavitrādiḥ, because drur drumo hanyate ‘nena. Half of SPP's authorities accent páraçus the first time, and of ours all but one ( D. ), and we accordingly adopted that reading in our text, as it seemed very unlikely that it would be so distinguished from paraçús in the same pāda without reason—and the reason in fact seems to be that it stands for párçus (TS.) ⌊which pronunciation the meter decidedly favors—for the suastí at the end of b must scan as 3 syllables⌋. SPP. accents paraçús both times. The comm. apparently understands páraçus, as he explains it as parçuḥ pārçvavan̄kris ⌊tṛṇādicchedanī⌋, but the second paraçús by vṛkṣacchedanasādhana. He takes away the strange inconsistency in the use of svasti by reading (like TS.) svastiḥ at end of b. ⌋Discussions of drughaṇa: Geldner, Ved. Stud. ii. 3; von Bradke, ZDMG. xlvi. 462; Bloomfield, ib. xlviii. 546; Franke, WZKM. viii. 342.⌋ ⌊In b, Ppp. reads paraçur vediṣ paraçu nas svasti, and, in d, havir idaṁ for yajñam imaṁ.⌋

29 (30). To Agni and Vishṇu.

[Medhātithi (?).—dvyṛcam. mantroktadāivatam. trāiṣṭubham.]

Found also in Pāipp. xx. (in inverse order of verses); and, as connected passage, further in TS. (i. 8. 22¹) and ÇÇS. (ii. 4. 3). Used by Kāuç. (32. 3), with hymns 42, 46, 78, 112, in a remedial rite for various diseases, with binding of grass on the joints; and also (59. 19) with 17 etc.: see 17. In Vāit. (8. 1), it accompanies an offering to Agni and Vishnu at the beginning of the parvan ceremony. ⌊Whitney seems to doubt whether the Anukr. does not mean to ascribe this hymn (and 27, 28) to Bhṛgvan̄giras.⌋

Translated: Ludwig, p. 374; Henry, 12, 65; Griffith, i. 341.

1. O Agni-and-Vishnu, great [is] that greatness of yours; ye drink of the ghee that is called secret, assuming seven treasures in each house; may your tongue move on to meet the ghee.

TS. has, in b, the imperative vītám, and ÇÇS. pātam, and both gúhyāni, which makes of nā́ma an accus. pl.; at the end, TS. has caraṇyet, and ÇÇS. -ṇyat; and both dádhānā at end of c: ÇÇS. further exchanges 1 c and 2 c, and has upa for prati at beginning of d. MS. mixes up the material of the two verses still more, putting our 1 b, c after our 2 a in iv. 10. 1, and our 2 b, c after our 1 a in iv. 11. 2 (in iv. 10. 1 it reads gúhyāni and dádhānā, like the other two texts, the pāthás, like ours); in d (iv. 11. 2), it has ánu (the text wrongly nú) instead of práti, and at the end -ṇyat. KB. (vii. 2) has two pādas resembling d (one with upa and one with prati at the beginning, and both ending with caraṇyat). With b compare further RV. iv. 58. 1 c, and with c RV. v. 1. 5 ⌊c and vi. 74. 1 c⌋. Ppp. exchanges the place of 1 b and 2 b, and reads in the former (like ÇÇS.) pātam and guhyāni see my addition to note to vs. 2⌋.

2. O Agni-and-Vishṇu, great [is] your dear domain (dhā́man); ye partake of (vī) the ghee, enjoying secret things, increasing by good praise in each house; may your tongue move up to meet the ghee.

For the exchanges of pādas in the other texts, see under the preceding verse; for this verse we have here further AÇS. (ii. 8. 3), without such exchange. In the material corresponding to our 2, all the other texts read juṣāṇā́ at end of b; at end of d, TS. has again -ṇyet, and all the others -ṇyat; TS.MS. have vāvṛdhāna at end of c, and TS.