Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book XV/Paryaya 2

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2356606Atharva-Veda SamhitaBook XV, Paryaya 2William Dwight Whitney

2. Paryāya the second.

[dvyūnā triṅçat. a of 1-4, 1 f, 4 f. sāmny anuṣṭubh; b of 1, 2, 4 sāmnī triṣṭubh; 1 c. 2-p. ārṣī pan̄kti; d of 1, 3, 4. 2-p. brāhmī gāyatrī; e of 1-4. 2-p. ārcī jagatī; 2 f. samnī pank̄ti; 3 f. āsurī gāyatrī; g of 1-4. padapan̄kti; h of 1-4. 3-p. prājāpatyā triṣṭubh; 2 b. 1-p. uṣṇih; 2 c. 2-p. ārṣī bhurik triṣṭubh; 2 d. ārṣī parānuṣṭubh; 3 c. 2-p. virāḍ ārṣī pan̄kti; 4 c. nicṛd ārṣī pan̄kti.]

The Anukr. professes to count 28 divisions in this paryāya; but its metrical definitions are of 32 divisions, 8 in each; in the translation they are marked by introduced letters. ⌊The reckoning is explained above, at page 772, ¶ 3.⌋

Translated: Aufrecht, Ind. Stud. i. 130; Griffith, ii. 186.


1. a. ⌊1.⌋ He arose; he moved out (vi-cal) toward the eastern quarter; b. ⌊2.⌋ after him moved out both the bṛhát and the rathaṁtará and the Ādityas and all the gods; c. ⌊3.⌋ against both the bṛhát and the rathaṁtará and the Ādityas and all the gods doth he offend (ā-vraçc) who revileth a thus-knowing Vrātya; d. ⌊4.⌋ of both the bṛhát and the rathaṁtará and of the Ādityas and of all the gods doth he become the dear abode (dhā́man) [who knoweth thus]. Of him in the eastern quarter e. ⌊5.⌋ faith is the harlot, Mitra the māgadhá (bard?), discernment the garment, day the turban, night the hair, yellow the two pravartás, kalmalí the jewel (maṇí), f. ⌊6.⌋ both what is and what is to be the two footmen (pariṣkandá), mind the rough vehicle (vipathá), g. ⌊7.⌋ Mātariçvan and Pavamāna (the 'cleansing' wind) the two drawers (-vāhá) of the rough vehicle, the wind the charioteer, the whirlwind the goad, h. ⌊8.⌋ both fame and glory the two forerunners: to him cometh fame, cometh glory, who knoweth thus.

The natural division of the matter of this and the following verses is in the latter half strangely violated by the tradition. Division d should most certainly have at its end yá eváṁ véda, as is shown by the requirements of the sense and by the occurrence of these words in the same connection in 6. 1-9, 8. 3, and 9. 3; but the phrase is wanting in all the mss.; we have introduced it in our text, and the translation gives it (in brackets). Then the mss. most senselessly reckon to d the words which really introduce e-h, or the second half of the verse; i.e., they set no avasāna before tásya, but have one after diçí; and the Anukr. follows the same method; it is corrected in our text ⌊although the division by letters in the translation follows the mss.⌋; the analogy of the verses of hymns 4 and 5 is a sufficient justification for so doing. In the second half, the only natural division is after puraḥsarāú; very strangely, however, the mss. and Anukr. set no avasāna here, but one, altogether out of place, after pratodás, and two that are uncalled for after maṇís and vipathám respectively; of these two we have retained only that after maṇís (as it denoted a certain change of subject), while we have shifted forward to its proper place the one after pratodás. The metrical definitions of the Anukr. are evidently applicable, with the usual degree of exactness, to the divisions as made by the mss.

The translation follows the mss. in reading in e mitró (but all save Bs.s.m.D.R. accent mítro) māgadhó. ⌊Correct the Berlin ed. from mántro to mitró.⌋ The Pet. Lex. conjectures pravarta to signify a rounded ornament. ⌊As for turban, goad, etc., see p. 770, ¶ 2.⌋ ⌊Ppp. has sa prācīṁ diçam anuvyacalat; the remainder of the book is wanting.⌋


2. a. ⌊9.⌋ He arose; he moved out toward the southern quarter; b. ⌊10.⌋ after him moved out both the yajñāyajñíya and the vāmadevyá and the sacrifice and the sacrificer and the cattle; c. ⌊11.⌋ against both the yajñāyajñíya and the vāmadevyá and the sacrifice and the sacrificer and the cattle doth he offend who revileth a thus-knowing Vrātya; d. ⌊12.⌋ of both the yajñāyajñíya and the vāmadevyá and the sacrifice and the sacrificer and the cattle doth he become the dear abode [who knoweth thus]. Of him in the southern quarter e. ⌊13.⌋ dawn is the harlot, the mántra the māgadhá, discernment the garment, day the turban, night the hair, yellow the two pravartás, kalmalí the jewel, f. ⌊14.⌋ both new moon and full moon the two footmen, mind the etc. etc.

All the mss. have in e mántro; ⌊so also SPP.: correct the Berlin ed.⌋; in our text it and the mitró of 1 e have been made to change places, for the sake of better adaptation to the surroundings. Why 2 d (44 syllables) should be called by the Anukr. an ārṣī parānuṣṭubh is obscure; perhaps triṣṭubh is to be added (or implied from the next preceding definition). ⌊For paçavas, perhaps 'victims' would suit the connection better than 'cattle,' here and below.⌋


3. a. ⌊15.⌋ He arose; he moved out toward the western quarter; b. ⌊16.⌋ after him moved out both the vāirūpá and the vāirājá and the waters and king Varuṇa; c. ⌊17.⌋ against both the vāirūpá and the vāirājá and the waters and king Varuṇa doth he offend who revileth a thus-knowing Vrātya; d. ⌊18.⌋ of both the vāirūpá and the vāirājá and the waters and king Varuṇa doth he become the dear abode [who knoweth thus]. Of him in the western quarter e. ⌊19.⌋ cheer is the harlot, laughter the māgadhá, discernment the garment, day the turban, night the hair, yellow the two pravartás, kalmalí the jewel, f. ⌊20.⌋ both day and night the two footmen, mind the etc. etc.

All our earlier mss. accent irā́ in e, and our edition followed them, but some of the later ones (O.D.R.s.m.K.) have correctly írā, and the text should be emended accordingly. ⌊SPP., p. 322, maintains that the mss. showing írā are influenced by the RV. accentuation of the word, and holds that irā́ is the true AV. reading.⌋ Some mss. (Bs.R.s.m.D.) accent hasás.


4. a. ⌊21.⌋ He arose; he moved out toward the northern quarter; b. ⌊22.⌋ after him moved out both the çyāitá and the nāudhasá and the seven seers and king Soma; c. ⌊23.⌋ against both the çyāitá and the nāudhasá and the seven seers and king Soma doth he offend who revileth a thus-knowing Vrātya; d. ⌊24.⌋ of both the çyāitá and the nāudhasá and the seven seers and king Soma doth he become the dear abode [who knoweth thus]. Of him in the northern quarter e. ⌊25.⌋ lightning is the harlot, thunder the māgadhá, discernment the garment, day the turban, night the hair, yellow the two pravartás, kalmalí the jewel, f. ⌊26.⌋ both what is heard and what is heard abroad the two footmen, mind the ⌊rough vehicle, g. 27. Mātariçvan and Pavamāna the two drawers of the rough vehicle, the wind the charioteer, the whirlwind the goad, h. 28. both fame and glory the two forerunners: to him cometh fame, cometh glory, who knoweth thus.⌋

The majority of our mss. read çāitá in b, c, d; çyāitá is given by I.O.D.R.K. In b, I.O.K. have saptaṛṣ-; in c, d they agree with the rest in saptarṣ-. ⌊The çyāita and nāudhasa mentioned together at KBU. i. 5.⌋