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330
HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
Stansa 6.
d. We have rendered áva gamaya, 'render accepted," because the word does not mean elsewhere 'bring down' (Weber). Our authority is Darila on Kaus. 16, 27, avagamana= anuraga, 'affection ;' see the introduction to I, 9. Såyana, imam rågânam asmin râshtre bodhaya (similarly Ludwig).
III, 4. COMMENTARY TO PAGE 113. The Satra treats this hymn along with the preceding as a charm for the restoration of a king ; see the introduction to III, 3. Support for such a construction may be derived from st. 5. This, however, is not borne out by the text of the stanzas themselves. These are more general in character, and seem to indicate as their theme the election of a chief. See Ludwig, Der Rigveda, III, 250; Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, p. 162 ff. Note especially st. 2, and the play upon the word váruna (as if from root var, choose') in sts. 5, 6. The hymn has been translated by Ludwig, III, 252; Zimmer, p 164; Weber, Indische Studien, XVII, 190 ff.; cf. also Bergaigne et Henry, Manuel Védique, p. 141 ff. The Anukramani, aindram.
Stansa 1. The first hemistich is hypermetric, and Weber, Zimmer, and Bergaigne-Henry each differ in their attempts at restoration. We are not at all certain that this need is urgent : Pada a is a good gagatî-line, ending at úd ihi; for Pada b see Oldenberg, Die Hymnen des Rigveda, pp. 66, 67. If the pruning-knife must be used pátir in b is most easily spared, and a most natural interpolation.
a. gan is vox media, either injunctive, or perfect-aorist. The latter in its sense of prophetic aorist is in the Atharvan stylistically very close to the injunctive : often things desired are stated as having been already accomplished. Sce e.g. 1, 23, 4.
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