Madhuvidya

Author(s): S D Laddu, T N Dharmadhikari, Madhvi Kolhatkar, Pratibha Pingle
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 381

Sanskrit badhu
201
agnidhro 'bhigṛhṇāti / avabāḍho 'ghasamsa' iti tṛtiye avabāḍhā yātudhana iti caturthe (2.2.2) 'Der Agnidhra bedeckt das Hingestreute (rather 'dug down, buried') beim zweiten Hinstreuen (rather "pressing, burying') mit der Formel: „Nach unten gedrängt ist das Raksas", beim dritten mit: "Nach unten gedrängt ist der Böswillige", beim vierten mit: „Nach unten gedrängt sind die Zauberer" (Caland).
Still in another ritual regarding the preparation of the puroḍāśa, when the husk is separated from the rice taken out for this purpose, the officiating priest puts the husk on the potsherd and pushes it below the black antelope skin. He then presses it down with the mantra 'the evil. spirit is dug down, buried' (puroḍāśakapālam tuṣaiḥ pūrayitvā 'rakṣasām bhago 'si'ti... adhastat kṛṣṇājinasyopavapati / nānvikṣate 'avabāḍham rakṣa' ity avabadhate/ Hiranya. 1. 5. 17).
The ritual acts described above should leave no doubt about the meaning of avabadha 'dug down, pressed down, buried'. This follows from the fact that the mantra containing this word accompanies the action. of digging and pressing down the charm etc. into the ground.
In the RV. 1. 106. 6 (= AV. Paipp. 4. 28. 6) we get nibäḍha which has the same meaning as ávabadha: indram kútso vrtrahánam śácipátim kāté níbalha rşir ahvad utáye /,,Indra, den Vṛtratöter, den Herrn der Kraft, hat der Rşi Kutsa, als er in die Grube hinabgestossen 30 war, zu Hilfe gerufen" Geldner). Pressed down' or even buried' would be better than just hinabgestossen".
10
Badhá without any prefix occurs only once in the Rgveda 1. 181. 7. There it appears to have been used as a substantive, meaning 'dug out
Also Hiranyakeši, with minor variations, 1.6.21. Caland (on Ap. Sr. S. 2.2.2) remarks that these three formulas are not found anywhere else except in the Ap. and the Hiranya. Śr. S. But they are given by the Varaha Sr. S. 1.3.1.42 (with sphyenotkaram apidhatte for abhigrināti).
• Commentator: hastenävastabhyoptatuṇadebam badhate. Ap. Śr. S. mentions only the placing of the husk below the antelope skin (1.20.9), but does not give the following mantra for pressing it down.
10 nibāḍha occurs in the general sense of 'overpowering, oppressing' in the Jaim. Br. (Auswahl by W. Caland, pp. 196-197): sa ha Khandikaḥ Kesinam abhibabhūva / sa ha Kei Khandikena nibddha Uccaiḥéravasam Kauvayeyaṁ jagama „Khandika nun überwältigte den Kesin. Kesin, von, Khandika bedrängt, begab sich zu Uechaiḥáravasa, dem Sohn des Kuvaya". According to P W, additions to Vol. 7 (p. 1779) we get sambalha in the Taitt. Ar. 1.17 which, as mentioned in PW, means sambaddha, dṛdha according to the commentator. I have not been able to find this word in the reference given. The Vaidikapadanukramakosa of Hoshiarpur also does not give it. Keith, Ait. Ar. p. 189, n. 10), apparently following PW, simply says, "It occurs in the Taittiriya Aranyaka but does not give exact reference. The reference in PW is obviously mistaken and seems to be intended for sambalhatama which occurs in the Ait. Ar. 1.4.1. However, the commentator's explanation referred to by PW remains a moot point.
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