Page:Atharva-Veda samhita volume 2.djvu/458

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xix. 9-
BOOK XIX. THE ATHARVA-VEDA-SAṀHITĀ.
914
as does one of SPP's; the latter, however, adopts valgā́s, against meter and sense, and against the comm. The pada-mss. all have ulkā́ in c, an evident blunder for -kā́ḥ, which SPP. this time ventures to read by emendation: it is extremely difficult to understand his selection of the cases where he is willing to emend. The metrical definition of the verse (really 12 + 11: 11 + 11 = 45) by the Anukr. is as bad as possible.


10. Weal for us be the planets belonging to the moon, and weal the sun (ādityá) with Rāhu; weal for us smoke-bannered death, weal the Rudras of keen brightness.

The translation follows in b the text of the comm. ādityaç ca rāhuṇā, as is read also by SPP., who follows the comm. and three or four authorities. Most of the mss. have -tyaḥ çarāhuṇā (p. also çarāhuṇā), but two or three çaṁ rāhuṇā. Those that accent -rāhuṇā or rāhuṇā at all accent it on the final, -huṇā́, and this accent SPP. has not dared to change, although it is against all rule and practice. In connection with dhūmaketu the comm. quotes Kāuç. 127. 1, where the word is used; it seems to me extremely unlikely that it signifies a comet; ⌊does it not refer rather to the smoke that rises from the pyre?⌋.


11. Weal [for us be] the Rudras, weal the Vasus, weal the Ādityas, weal the fires; weal for us the divine great seers, weal the gods, weal Bṛihaspati.

In c, SPP. reads maharṣáyas, against most of his authorities (although he gives saptaṛṣáyas in the two following verses). Some of the mss. leave devās in c unaccented; and two of SPP's treat the word in the same manner in d. Our emendation in d to devī́s is probably toe venturesome, although it seems strange to have 'the gods' mentioned as a body in connection with the mention of so many of them separately.


12. The bráhman, Prajāpati, Dhātar, the worlds, the Vedas, the seven seers, the fires—by them happy progress (svastyáyana) is made for me: let Indra grant (yam) me refuge; let Brahmán grant me refuge; let all the gods grant me refuge; let the gods all grant me refuge.

The Anukr., the comm., and a better connection are here followed, by adding to this verse the two pādas which in our edition are printed as 13 a, b, in accordance with the numbering of our mss. (8 + 10: 8 + 8 + 8: 10 + 10 = 62, two syllables short of a full aṣṭi); SPP. makes the same division. Some of SPP's mss. read in b devā́s instead of vedā́s: the accent vedā́s seems to be modeled on devā́s, for 'the Vedas' should be védās, and the word ought doubtless to be so emended; ⌊O.D. actually have védās, and the comm. says the four Vedas are intended⌋. We should expect at the beginning brahmā́. ⌊With c, cf. 16. 1 b.⌋


13. Whatsoever things that are appeased in the world the seven seers know, be they all weal for me; let weal be mine, let fearlessness be mine.

Many of the mss. accent in b lóke and saptárṣayo. ⌊In d asty is a misprint for astv.⌋


14. [Be] earth appeasement, atmosphere appeasement, sky appeasement, waters appeasement, herbs appeasement, forest trees appeasement; [be] all the gods appeasement for me, the gods all appeasement for me,