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394
HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
(Kaus. 8, 16) into the water. Obviously the meaning of all these performances is purification, and the warding off of impure influences. Then follow in Satras 39, 8–12 a variety of rather complicated practices, too lengthy and obscure for exposition in this connection. They concern more narrowly some such hymn, belonging to the krityåpratiharanâni, as X, 1; see the introduction to that hymn. The fifth stanza of IV, 17 naturally figures in the duhsvapnanåsanagana, 'series of hymns calculated to drive away evil dreams,' of the Ganamåla ; see Kaus. 46,9, note.
The hymn has been translated by Zimmer, p. 66; Grilla, pp. 37, 130 ff. The Anukramanî, apâ mârgavanaspatidevatyam. Cf. also Ath. Paris. 18%, 4.
Stansa 2. a. Sayana with one MS. reads for sapathayávanîm the synonymous sapathayopanîm; cf. II, 7, 1.
b. The epithet punahsará does not somehow seem to me to be so clear as to the editors of the Pet. Lexs., Zimmer, and Grill. They render it by 'zurückgeschlagene blüthen habend.' This is based upon the statement at IV, 19, 7, 'thou didst grow backward, thou hast fruit which is turned backward' (cf. VII, 65, 1; Sat. Br. V, 2, 4, 20), and the epithets parakpushpî, pratyakpushpi, and pratyakpami in native lexical works. In RV. VII, 55, 3 punahsará is an epithet of the barking dog, 'running back and returning again (to the attack). The two other occurrences of the word, AV. VI, 129, 3; X, 1, 9, are not disposed of satisfactorily by the renderings of the Pet. Lexs. It seems to me that'attacking' or 'defending' is better, and that the word pratisara, 'defensive amulet?,' is closely related to it. Cf. Sat. Br. V, 2, 4, 20, and Seven Hymns, Amer. Journ. Phil. VII, 478 ff. Sâyana, similarly, punahpunah abhîkshnyena bahutaravyâdhinivrittaye sarati.
1 The pratisara turns the spell as a boomerang upon him who performs it. See AV. VIII, 5, 5, pratskih krilyâh pratisaraír agantu, and cf. the note on VIII, 5, 1.
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