Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book X/Hymn 1
1. Against witchcraft and its practisers.
Found also in Pāipp. xvi. The hymn (vs. 1) is quoted in Kāuç. 39. 7, with several others, in a ceremony against witchcraft, and several of its verses or parts of verses elsewhere. The Vāit. uses only one half-verse (21 c, d).
Translated: Ludwig, p. 520; Henry, i, 39; Griffith, ii. 1; Bloomfield, 72, 602.
1. She whom the adepts {cikitsú) prepare, all-formed, hand-made, like a bride at a wedding—let her go far off; we push her away.
'She,' because kṛtyā 'witchcraft' is feminine. The name, mahābṛhatī, given to the verse, is improperly applied, ⌊if we understand it as defined by RV. Prāt. xvi. 48: here is meant rather that defined as of three jāgata pādas (12 + 12: 11) at Ind. Stud. viii. 243⌋.
2. Having a head, having a nose, having ears, put together, all-formed, by the witchcraft-maker—let her go far off; we push her away.
The addition of a ca at the end of a would rectify the meter, and justify the Anukr. The pada-reading çīrṣaṇ॰vátī is by Prāt. iv. 99, and the word is quoted there in the comment as an example. Ppp. puts the adjectives in the accus., and reads, instead of our c: pratyak pra hiṇmasi yaç cakāra tum ṛcchatu: cf. vs. 5 c and v. 14. 11 c.
3. Çūdra-made, king-made, woman-made, made by Brahmans (brahmán), like a wife expelled (nuttá) by her husband, let her go to her maker, as connection.
Either 'as her' or 'as his connection'; Ppp. decides for the former, reading bandhum ⌊for our bándhu⌋. ⌊W's alternative seems to be: bándhum must be in apposition with kartā́ram; but bándhv (p. bándhu) must be a neuter (as at v. 13. 7) and so in apposition with the subject-nominative, kṛtyā́ understood.⌋
4. With this herb have I spoiled all witchcrafts—what one they have made in the field, what in the kine, or what in thy men.
This is a repetition of iv. 18. 5, above. The Anukr. here, as there, takes no notice of the defective last pāda.
5. Let evil be to the evil-doer, a curse to the curser; backward we send [her] forth back, that she may slay the witchcraft-maker.
Ppp. reads for a kṛtyās santu kṛtyākṛte, and, for c, d pratyak pratipravartaya yaç cakāra turn ṛcchatu. To read in our c hiṇmasi (as Ppp. in vs. 2 c) would rectify the meter, of whose irregularity the Anukr. takes no notice. The pada-reading prati॰prahiṇmaḥ is by Prāt. iv. 95; the word is quoted there in the comment as example.
6. Opposed [is] the Ān̄girasa, our appointed (puróhita) overseer; do thou, having turned the witchcrafts in the opposite direction, slay yonder witchcraft-makers.
Ppp. is corrupt, mixing up our verses 6 and 7. It combines pratīcīnā ”n̄gi- in 6 a.
7. He who said to thee "go forth," against the current, up-stream, him, O witchcraft, do thou return against; seek not us who are innocent.
Of this verse is legible in Ppp. udāyyam in b; as for our mss., they cannot be relied upon in the least to distinguish pya and yya, but the majority rather favor udāyyàm, while P. reads -āryyàm, D. -ājyàm (?), W. -āhyam. Neither word has been found anywhere else, but doubtless udāpyàm is the true form.
8. He who put together thy joints, as an ṛbhú [those] of a chariot with skill (dhī́), unto him go thou; there is thy going; this person is unknown to thee.
All the saṁhitā-mss. read -va rbhur in b.
9. They who, having made, took hold of thee, cunning sorcerers—this is a healthful (çambhú) spoiler of witchcraft, counteracting, reverting; therewith do we bathe thee.
The address changes, as often elsewhere, from the witchcraft to the bewitched person. Ppp. reads, in c, vidma for çambhu, and, in d, pratisaram. Our text ought to read in c çambhv ìdám, although all the mss. happen to agree here in lengthening the i.
10. In that we have come upon the ill-portioned one (fem.), bathed forth, whose young (-vatsá) is dead—let all ill (pāpá) go away from me; let property come unto (upa-sthā) me.
The pada-mss. have in b upa॰eyimá, and combination to upeyimá falls under the rule Prāt. iii. 38, although the ā contained in eyimá (= ā-īmiyá) does not appear ⌊as ā⌋ in the pada-text. ⌊Ppp. ends a corruptly with pṛṣṇipathāṁ.⌋
11. In that they have taken (grah) the name of thee giving to the Fathers, or at the sacrifice—let these plants free thee from all ill that is designed (? saṁdeçyà).
It might be also (in a, b) 'those giving to the Fathers have taken the name of thee' (Ludwig, 'thy Fathers'). Saṁdeçyà is very obscure. The first half-verse is wholly corrupt in Ppp.
12. From sin against the gods, against the Fathers, from name-taking, that is designed, that is devised against [any one], let the plants free thee by their energy (vīryà), with spell (bráhman), with verses, with milk of the seers.
'Milk' (páyas) in the last pāda looks like a corrupt reading, but Ppp. appears to have the same; Bp.E. accent payasā́. ⌊As for the combinations of -ā ṛ-, see note to Prāt. iii. 46.⌋ Several mss. (Bp.O.p.m.R.T.K.) read pitryā̀t in a. The verse, which ought to be called an anuṣṭubgarbhā triṣṭubh (11 + 8: 11 + 11 = 41), is very foolishly described by the Anukr. as a pan̄kti, because it contains nearly (and can easily be reduced to precisely) 40 syllables.
13. As the wind sets in motion the dust from the earth and the cloud (abhrá) from the atmosphere, so from me may everything of evil nature go away, pushed by the spell (bráhman).
14. Step away, making much noise, like an unfastened she-ass; attain thy makers, pushed hence by an energetic spell.
Some of the mss. (O.p.m.K.) read kartrén in c, as in other such cases.
15. Saying "this is the road, O witchcraft," we conduct thee; thee that wast sent forth against [us] we send forth back again; by that [road] go against [them], breaking, like a draft-cow with a cart, all-formed, wearing a wreath (? kurūṭín).
The last word is found only here, and has to be rendered conjecturally (with the Pet. Lexx.). All the saṁhitā-mss. ⌊or rather, most of them: see also note to Prāt. iii. 35⌋ combine kṛtyé ’ti ⌊and thus indeed the meter requires us to pronounce⌋; but our edition restores the more correct reading ⌊kṛtya íti⌋, since the Prāt. does not countenance the irregularity; we should expect to find it with vandane ’va (in ii. 56). Ppp. reads at the beginning ayaṁ panthā ’pinayāmi tvā kṛtye prahitāṁ prati etc.; in c ⌊or rather c-d⌋, tuñjaty anasvinī ’va. In the Anukr. it seems as if catuṣpadā. must be a misreading for pañcapadā (11 + 11: 8 + 8 + 8 = 46): but compare vs. 19.
16. Offward is light for thee, hitherward is no road for thee; make thy goings elsewhere than [toward] us; go thou by a distant [road] beyond ninety difficult navigable streams; do not wound thyself; go away.
One would like to emend kṣaṇiṣṭhās in d, perhaps to kṣamiṣṭhās 'be patient' i.e. 'linger'; Ppp. has instead ghāniṣṭhās, which unfortunately gives no help. Ppp. also combines nāvyā ’ti in c; and the description of the Anukr. appears to sanction it.
17. As the wind the trees, do thou crush (mṛ) down, cause to fall; do not leave of them cow, horse, man; turning back, O witchcraft, from here to thy makers, awaken them unto childlessness.
Here, in c, even a majority of the mss. (W.I.O.D.T.K.) read kartrén. Ppp. combines at the beginning vāte ’va, as the meter demands, and as the Anukr. assumes; úchiṣāi ’ṣām is doubtless also the real reading in b.
18. What [witchcraft] they buried for thee in the barhís, what in the cemetery, [what] witchcraft or secret spell (valagá) in the field, or practised against thee in the householders' fire—they, being wiser, [against thee] who art simple, innocent.
Ppp. helps both meter and sense by inserting cakrus before barhiṣi in a; it also arranges kṛtyāṁ kṣetre in b, combines dhīratarā ’nāg- at the end, and adds, to complete the verse, tam ⌊so Roth's Collation! for tām?⌋ ito nāçayāmasi. The Anukr. notices neither the deficiency in a nor the redundancy in d.
19. We have found out (anu-vid) the hostile sneaking magic (? kártra) that was applied, perceived (? anu-budh), buried: let that go whence it was brought; there let it roll about like a horse; let it slay the progeny of the witchcraft -maker.
Ppp. reads in c āgatam for ābhṛtam, and combines in d açve ’va, as called for by the meter. The Anukr. is as bad in its treatment of this verse as of 15.
20. There are knives of good metal in our house; we know thy joints, O witchcraft, how many they are; just stand up; go away from here; unknown one, what seekest thou here?
That is, 'thou who art no acquaintance of ours.' The Anukr. is much more scrupulous than usual in calling the verse (12 + 11: 8 + 8 = 39) virāj ⌊scanning a perhaps as 11⌋. Ppp. begins with svayasā. The third pāda is quoted in Kāuç. 39. 19.
21. Thy neck-bones (grīvā́), O witchcraft, and thy (two) feet I will cut up; run thou out; let Indra-and-Agni defend us, they who are of progeny rich in progeny.
Prajā́vatī at the end looks like a corruption of prajā́patī, which Ppp. reads ⌊R's collation has prajapatī⌋. Ppp. also has in c enāṁ vṛçcatā. But Kāuç., which quotes the last half-verse in full in 5. 2, reads prajāvatī. The same half-verse appears also by pratīka in Vāit. 8. 6 (unless Vāit. takes it rather from Kāuç.).
22. King Soma [is] our over-ruler and favorer (mṛḍitṛ́); let the lords of being favor us.
The verse properly contains 22 syllables (11 + 11), and should therefore be called a sāmnī triṣṭubh. Ppp. reads in b ṛtasya naṣ.
23. Let Bhava-and-Çarva hurl (as) at the evil-doer, the witchcraft-maker, the ill-doer, the missile of the gods, the lightning.
Ppp. reads in a pāpakṛtvane ⌊which is metrically much better⌋. The definition of the verse by the Anukr. is very stupid; it is plainly two triṣṭubh pādas, with an intruded word of three syllables (either duṣkṛ́te or vidyútam; either could be spared). The mss. insert a cesura-mark after kṛtyākṛ́te.
24. If thou camest [as] biped, as quadruped, put together by the witchcraft-maker, all-formed, do thou, becoming octoped, go away again from here, O misfortune!
The verse has the same structure as 20. The pada-text here and in vs. 28 reads ā॰iyátha.
25. Anointed, smeared, well-adorned, bearing all difficulty, go thou away; recognize (jñā), O witchcraft, thy maker, as a daughter her own father.
The definition of this verse appears to be omitted in the Anukr., as we can hardly be meant to take it for an anuṣṭubh. The first pāda is capable of being crowded together into 8 syllables, or expanded into 12 (either procedure being about equally strained), making the verse either an urobṛhatī or a prastārapan̄kti. It is quoted in Kāuç. 39. 18.
26. Go away, O witchcraft; stand not; lead, as it were, the track of one pierced; it is a deer, thou a deer-hunter; it is unable to put thee down.
'Lead,' in b, appears to be used in the sense of 'follow'; the 'track' is doubtless that of the maker: ⌊cf. note to xi. 2. 13⌋. The pada-text divides mṛga॰yúḥ: cf. Prāt. iii. 18.
27. Also the after one (ápara) slays with an arrow, fitting it (?), the one shooting (-āsin) in front; also of the front one, smiting down, the after one smites down in return.
This obscure and probably corrupt verse gets no help from Ppp., which merely reads uto for uta in c. The Pet. Lex. suggests emendation of -dā́ya to -dhā́ya in b, and the translation implies the change.
28. Hear thou, verily, these words of mine; then go whence thou camest, to meet him who made thee.
Ppp. reads at the end punaḥ for prati.
29. The slaying of an innocent person is indeed fearful, O witchcraft; slay thou not our cow, horse, man; wheresoever thou art set down, from there we make thee stand up; become thou lighter than a leaf.
The pada-text has in d út: sthāp-; the example of the omitted s is quoted under Prāt. ii. 18. The verse (10+ 10: 8 + 8 + 8 = 44) is very badly defined by the Anukr. Ppp. reads in a -hatyam and bhīmam.
30. If ye are covered (ā-vṛ) with darkness, like those who are girt (abhi-dhā) with a net—having torn up (sam-lup) all witchcrafts from here, we send them forth again to the maker.
The pada-txt strangely reads ā́॰vṛtā in a, instead of -tāḥ.
31. The progeny of the witchcraft-maker, of him of secret spells, of him that devises against [others], O witchcraft, do thou kill; do not leave [them alive]; slay yonder witchcraft-makers.
Ppp. uses the singular in d.
32. As the sun is freed out of darkness, [and] quits the night and the ensigns of the dawn, so do I quit all evil-natured magic made by the witchcraft-maker, as an elephant the difficult haze (? rájas).
Ppp. puts tamasas before mucyate in a, reads ketum at end of b, and omits d altogether. The verse (12 + 11: 8 + 8 + 11 = 50) lacks two syllables of being a full atijagatī (52). The pratīka (yathā sūrya) is quoted in Kāuç. 39. 26; but the comm. regards vii. 13. 1, and not this, as the verse intended.
⌊The quoted Anukr. says dve (i.e. 2 above the norm of 30).⌋