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VII, 83. COMMENTARY.
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recited, more secondarily, while an offering is made from an animal devoted to Varuna (cf. Sû. 2): the offering is part of a performance for obviating the evil consequences of the obscuration of the constellation, the seven Rishis' (ursus major), by a comet. Cf. also Vait. SQ. 10, 22; Nakshatrakalpa 14; Ath. Paris. 13, 3. The hymn is a mixtum compositum ; st. 2 seems to belong originally to a different sphere (see the note), and its bearing here is not at all clear. The hymn has been rendered by Henry, Le livre VII de l'Atharva-véda, pp. 35, 104.
Stansa 2. See Vâg. S. VI, 22 ; Kâty. Sr. VI, 10, 5; Tait. S. I, 3, 11, 1; Tait. Br. II, 6, 6,2 ; Maitr. S. III, II, 10 ; Åsv. Sr. III, 6, 24; Sankh. Sr. VIII, 12, 11. The vulgate's eniendation of dhấmno-dhâmno to dấmno-damno, as suitable as it is to the sense, is not supported by any of the parallel passages. Mahîdhara at Våg. S. VI, 22 has much the same thing in mind, when he says, yasmad-yasmàt tvadiyapasasanianvitât sthânât? All the parallel texts read sápâmahe for ūkimá, and in some iti is wanting after aghnya. Pada c seems to contain the expression of an oath, or curse, which is regarded as sinful. According as iti after aghnyâ is read or omitted, it contains two oaths, or one oath. The passage savours of the notion that it is impious to take in vain the holy name of Varuna, or his waters. Sâyana, he âpah he aghnyâh iti he varuna iti yad Okima yak khâpavâkyam avokâma, yak khåpavákyavakanena pâpam argitam tasmad api muñkesti sambandhah ... ato devatânâmadheyakirtanarūpasapathakaranaganitapâpâd asmân mokaya. Cf. also the glosses to Våg. S. and Tait. Br.
Stanga 3. The stanza is repeated at RV. I, 24, 5; AV. XVIII, 4, 69; Maitr. S. I, 2, 18, &c. (see the index to the Maitr. S.). Cf. also Vait. Sg. 28, 17; Ath. Paris. 17, 2.
Sâyana here, sarvasmad rogasthånât.
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