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VI, 45. COMMENTARY.
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Stanza 1. The first hemistich is formulaic; see VI, 77, 1. Sayana, his general interpretation of the hymn notwithstanding, is not prevented from interpreting róga and asråva (st. 2) by rudhirasråva or raktasråva, 'flow of blood.' In the introduction to I, 2, he interprets åsråva more broadly as excessive discharge in general, diarrhoea, flow of urine, or of blood. The word vậtikritanásani (see the note on st. 3) tends to narrow down this more general construction in accordance with our caption, but we must beware of ascribing any too pointed diagnoses to these early physicians; it is quite possible that excessive discharges of all sorts were exorcised with this charm. For the use of the aorists, cf. Delbrück, Syntaktische Forschungen, II, 87.
Stanza 2.
Cf. II, 3, 2.
Stanga 3. A. For vishanaka, see the introduction. Possibly the word is identical with vishầnika, reported by the medical Sastras (cf. Wise, Hindu System of Medicine, p. 146), and the lexicographers, as the name of a plant.
e. Cf. Wise, 1.c., 250, báta byádhi (vâtavyâdhi), 'diseases produced by wind (in the body),' not wound,' as Zimmer has argued, Altindisches Leben, pp. 389 ff. Sayana divides våtîkritanasanî in two, vâti asråvasya rogasya soshayitrî ; kritanasani, kritam rogasya nidanabhatam dushkarma, tasya nåsayitrî. Cf. the note on VI, 109, 3, and the introduction to I, 12.
VI, 45. COMMENTARY TO PAGE 163. This hymn (along with the next) is directed against bad dreams, an application due, perhaps, in the first instance, to the chance expression, awake or asleep,' in st. 2. It may be the case, however, that evil thoughts were conceived as returning in the form of annoying dreams. The practice
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