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616
HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
difficult word in the stanza is the aπ. λey. which the vulgata presents in the form amsadhrîm. The MSS. present in addition the forms amsaddhrîm, amsadrîm, and amsaddrĭm. Shankar Pandit chooses amsadrïm; Sâyana amsadhrîm, glossing as follows: amsân bhâgân devamanushyapitrisambandhino dhârayatî- ti amsadhrî tâm . . . vedim. The only point that seems worth saving is the statement that the word refers to the vedi, not to the pot, as the Pet. Lexs. have it: 'vielleicht ein gefäss mit handhaben, henkeln auf beiden seiten.'
d. daivanâm (sc. brâhmanânâm). tânâm, metri gratia; cf. st. 25, and XII, 3, 38; Vâg. S. XV, 50.
Read perhaps deváIII, 3, 2; VI, 13, 1;
Stanza 24.
Kaus. 62, 1: With st. 24 and XII, 3, 36 the performance indicated in the mantra is made, i. e. the sruk is placed upon the altar (Sâyana, srukam vedyâm sâdayet).
a. The feminine hástâm is an opportunist formation, made to suit the feminine srúkam. Some MSS., the Paippalâda, and Sâyana read hástam, a facile emendation which is, however, discredited by the universal reading dvitiyâm.
Stanza 25.
Kaus. 63, 3: Four descendants of the Rishis who know the Bhrigu-Angiras texts (i. e. the Atharvan writings) are seated. Sâyana, âsane upavesayet. Cf. also Kaus. 65, 13.
b. Sâyana, punar etân pra sîda prâpnuhi. This meaning of pra sad is not well authenticated: perhaps 'favour them' is the true sense.
Stanza 26.
Not rubricated in the Kausika, but Sâyana, in the introduction, supplies the action, katura ârsheyân ritvigo yagamâna âhvayet. Not so, however, in the commentary upon the text, suhavâ sobhanâhvânâ patnî ârsheyân... punapunar âhvayâmi. Whitney, in the Index Verborum, regards suhává as instrumental 'with efficient call,' at III, 26, 6; VII, 47, 1; 48, 1, in addition to our passage. But if we
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