Page:Atharva-Veda samhita volume 2.djvu/359

1. ⌊Funeral verses.⌋

[Atharvan.—ekaṣaṣṭi. yamadevatyam mantroktabahudevatyaṁ ca (41-43. sarasvatīdevatyās; 40. rāudrī; 44-46. mantroktapitṛdevatyās; 51, 52. pitrye). trāiṣṭubham: 8, 15. ārṣī pan̄kti; 14, 49, 50. bhurij; 18-20, 21-23. jagatī; 37, 38. paroṣṇih; 56, 57, 61. anuṣṭubh; 59. purābṛhatī.]

⌊Only one verse (46) is found in Pāipp., and that in book ii. Only four sūtras of the Vāit. cite verses from this hymn, and those verses are 44-46, 51, and 55. In the Kāuç., as already noted by Whitney, p. 814, nearly all the verses from 1. 40 to the end of the book have their uses in the ritual. That Parts I. and II. and III. of the hymn as divided below are utterly impertinent to the proper subject of the book and therefore without ritual application, is a fact on which Weber, Sb. 1895, p. 819, has already animadverted.⌋

⌊A clear synoptic statement of the provenience of the different groups of verses, or of the single verses, that enter into the composition of this hymn appears so desirable for the critical study thereof, that I subjoin the following:

Part I., verses 1-16.—This is the hymn of Yama and Yamī, RV. x. 10, of 14 vss., but covering 16 in our text by reason of the strange insertion of RV. i. 84. 16 between the RV. vss. 5 and 6 (our 5 and 7) and the expansion of the RV. vs. 12 to two (our 13 and 14).—See Weber, Sb. 1895, p. 819.

Part II., verses 17-26.—This is the Agni-hymn, RV. x. 11, of 9 vss. The order of the last two is inverted, and to the whole part is prefixed a vs. (our 17) not found in other texts.—See Weber, Sb. 1895, p. 828.

Part III., verses 27-36.—This is the Agni-hymn, RV. x. 12, of 9 vss., with the order of vss. 3 and 4 inverted and with its last vs., 9, which we had above as our vs. 25, not repeated. To the whole is prefixed (as our 27, 28) a repetition of the Agni-vss., AV. vii. 82. 4, 5: perhaps vs. 5 (our 28: of which all four pādas begin with práti) is put here as a parallel to our 29 (on account of its pratyán̄); in that case, vs. 4 (our 27) might be regarded as a mere variation of vs. 5, with ánu four times for práti, etc.—See Weber, Sb. 1895, p. 830.

Part IV., verses 37, 38.—To Indra, RV. viii. 24. 1, 2. See Weber, l.c., p. 819 n.

Part V., verse 39.—Corresponds to RV. x. 31. 9.

Part VI., verse 40.—Here begin the vss. used in the ritual.—To Rudra, RV. ii. 33. 11.

Part VII., verses 41-43.—To Sarasvatī with the Fathers, RV. x. 17. 7-9.

Part VIII., verses 44-46.—To the Fathers, RV. x. 15. 1, 3, 2.

Part IX., verse 47.—To the Fathers, RV. x. 14. 3.

Part X., verse 48.—To Soma, RV. vi. 47. 1.

Part XI., verses 49, 50.—To Yama, RV. x. 14. 1, 2.

Part XII., verses 51, 52.—To the Fathers, RV. x. 15. 4, 6.

Part XIII., verse 53.—Tvaṣṭā duhitre etc., RV. x. 17. 1.

Part XIV. a, verse 54.—To the dead man, RV. x. 14. 7.

Part XIV. b, verse 55.—Averruncatio, RV. x. 14. 9.

Part XV., verses 56, 57.—Fire-kindling, RV. x. 16. 12 and variation.

Part XVI., verses 58-60.—To Yama and the Fathers, RV. x. 14. 6, 5, 4.

Part XVII., verse 61.—To the Fathers (?), SV. i. 92.⌋

⌊It thus appears that every verse of our hymn has its correspondent in the RV. save four (or five, if one wishes to count vs. 57): to wit, vs. 17, which is not found to my knowledge in any other text; vss. 27, 28, repeated from AV. vii. (see above); and vs. 61, found in SV.⌋