Page:Atharva-Veda samhita.djvu/390

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Book V.

⌊The fifth book is made up of thirty-one hymns, divided into six anuvāka-groups, with five hymns in each group save the fourth, which has six hymns. The Old Anukramaṇī appears to take 60 verses as the norm of an anuvāka. The number of verses in each hymn ranges from 8 to 18. The Major Anukramaṇī assumes 8 verses as the normal length of a hymn of this book (see p. 142); but there are only two such hymns ("hymns" 9 and 10, both prose!). In fact,

There are in this book, 2 4 2 6 5 3 3 3 2 1 hymns,
Containing respectively 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 17 18 verses.

The entire book has been translated by Weber, Indische Studien, vol. xviii. (1898), pages 154-288. This is the first book to which the native commentary is missing.⌋


1. Mystic.

[Bṛhaddiva Atharvan.—navakam. vāruṇam. trāiṣṭubham: 5. (?) parābṛhatī triṣṭubh; 7. virāj; 9. 3-av. 6-p. atyaṣṭi.]

Found also in Pāipp. vi. Much and variously used by Kāuç., but in situations that have nothing to do with the meaning of the hymn, and cast no light upon its difficulties: thus, it is employed with the following hymn in a battle-rite (15. 1), for victory; and the two hymns together again in a ceremony (22. 1) for welfare, while hymns 1 to 3 (and v. 1. 3 separately) are reckoned ⌊19. 1, note⌋ to the puṣṭika mantras; vs. 1 alone (with vi. 17 and another) appears in a ceremony (35. 12) against abortion; vss. 2-9, in one (35. 13 ff.) for the benefit of a person seized by jambha; vs. 3 is further applied in a charm (21. 12) for good-fortune in regard to clothing, vs. 4, in a women's rite (34. 20) for winning a husband; vs. 5 (with iii. 30, vi. 64, etc.) in a rite (12. 5) for harmony; vs. 6, in the nuptial ceremonies (76. 21), on marking seven lines to the north of the fire, and again (79. 1), with an offering at the beginning of the fourth-day observances; vs. 7, in a remedial rite (28. 12) for one in misery (amati), giving him a portion, and again, in the ceremony against false accusation (46. 1), with vii. 43; vs. 8 in a rite for prosperity (21. 15), on occasion of the division of an inheritance; and vs. 9, later (21. 17) in the last-mentioned ceremony.

The hymn is intentionally and most successfully obscure, and the translation given is in great part mechanical, not professing any real understanding of the sense. It is very probable that the text is considerably corrupted; and one cannot avoid the impression also that the lines are more or less disconnected, and artificially combined.

Translated: Ludwig, p. 394; Griffith, i. 187; Weber, xviii. 157.


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