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HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
identical with, or variants of those contained in the Atharvasamhitâ. But even the Grihya-rites, popular, nay vulgar, as they must have been in their untrammelled beginnings, were, so to speak, Rishified, and passed through in due time a process of school-treatment which estranged them as far as possible from the specifically Atharvanic connections, and assimilated them, as far as possible, to the Rigveda, Sâma-veda, and Yagur-veda, as the case may be. Thus the battle-charm, Åsv. III, 12, instead of drawing upon the very abundant mantras of this kind, contained in the AV. (see p. 117 ff.), is decked out with the scattering material of this sort that may be extracted from the RV. (see the notes to Stenzler's and Oldenberg's translations). In general the preference for mantras of the particular school is nearly if not quite as great as in the Srautasůtras. The anticipation of a marked degree of literary relationship with the Atharvan is not materialised. The Grihya-sútras of the Sama-veda (Gobhila and Khâdira), and Åpastamba', do not seem to mention the Atharvan at all; Asvaldyana (III, 3, 1-3), on the occasion of the svâdhyâya, the daily recitation of the Veda, recommends the Atharvan, but the mention of this text is that which we have found to be the normal one in the Srauta-literature, i.e. preceded by rik, yaguh, and sâman; followed by brâhmana, kalpa, gâthâ, nârâsamsî, itihâsa, and purana ? Similarly Hiranyakesin (II, 19, 6), in connection with a long list of deities, mentions in order rigveda, yagurveda, sâmaveda, and itihâsapurâna; in Sankhayana I, 24, 8 the Atharvan is even omitted in a similar list, which catalogues
A past. VII, 18 (cf. p. I ff.); the sânimanasyâni, charms to secure harmony,' Pâr. III, 7; A past. III, 9, 4 ff.; VIII, 23, 6. 7; Hir. I, 13, 19 ff. (cf. p. 134 ff.), &c. See in general the list of miscellancous Grihya-rites in Oldenberg's index to the Gribya-sâtras, Sacred Books, vol. xxx, p. 306 ff.
"This Sūtra mentions neither rik, sâman, nor atharvan, a probably unconscious preoccupation with the yaguh that must not be construed as intentional chauvinism against the other Vedas. The mantra-materials quoted and employed do not differ in their general physiognomy from those of the other Sätras, but they are always referred to as yaguh.
? The passage contains in slightly different arrangement the list of Vedic texts presented by the Tait. Ar. II, 9 and 10, above; cf. also Sat. Br. XI, 5, 7, 5.6.
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