1483326Atharva-Veda Samhita — Book VIIWilliam Dwight Whitney

Book VII.

⌊The seventh book is made up mostly of hymns of one verse or of two verses. No other one of the books i.-xviii. contains such hymns. Book vii. is thus distinguished from all the others of the three grand divisions (to wit, books i.-vii., books viii.-xii., and books xiii.-xviii.) of the Atharvan collection, and constitutes the close of the first of those divisions. If we consider the facts set forth in the paragraphs introductory to the foregoing books (see pages 1, 37, 84, 142, 220, 281, and especially 142), it appears that this division is made up of those seven books in which the number—normal or prevalent—of verses to a hymn runs from one to eight. Or, in tabular form, division one consists of

Books vii. vi. i. ii. iii. iv. v., having for
Verse-norm: 1 or 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 respectively

In the Berlin edition, the book contains one hundred and eighteen hymns: of these, fifty-six are of 1 verse each, and twenty-six are of 2 verses each; while of the remaining thirty-six

There are in this book 10 11 3 4 3 1 1 hymns,
Containing respectively 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 11 verses.

The 11-versed hymn is 73; the 9-versed is 50; the 8-versed are 26, 56, 97; the 7-versed are 53, 60, 109; the 6-versed are 20, 76, 81, 82. The whole book has been translated by Victor Henry, Le livre VII de l'Atharva-Véda traduit et commenté, Paris, 1892.⌋

⌊As the Major Anukramaṇī speak.s of book vi. as the tṛca-sūkta-kāṇḍa, tṛca-prakṛti, so it speaks of book vii. as the eka-rca-sūkta-kāṇḍa. Presumably, therefore, we are to regard the 1-versed hymn as the "norm" of the book, although the 2-versed hymn is undeniably "prevalent."⌋ ⌊See p. cxlix.⌋

⌊The book is divided into ten anuvāka-groups. These, with the number of hymns in each group and the number of verses in each group, are here given:

Anuvāka: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Hymns: 13 9 16 13 8 14 8 9 12 16
Verses: 28 22 31 30 25 42 31 24 21 32
The Old Anukramaṇī seems to take 20 verses as the norm of the anuvāka. The Paris codex, P., in this book numbers the verses through each anuvāka without separating the hymns. The commentator divides the anuvākas into hymns (from two to four in each anuvāka), which "hymns," however, are nothing more than mechanical decads of verses with an overplus or shortage in the last "decad" when the total is not a multiple of ten: thus, anuvāka 1 has three hymns, of 10 + 10 + 8 = 28 verses; 2 has two hymns, of 10 + 13 = 23 verses; 3 has three hymns, of 9 + 10 + 11 = 30 verses; 4 has three hymns, of 10 + 10 + 10 = 30 verses; and so on. His anuvāka endings coincide throughout with those of the Berlin edition, save that vii. 23 is reckoned by him (and P.) to anuvāka 2 instead of 3, thus making for 2 and 3 his verse-totals 23 and 30 instead of 22 and 31 (as the Old Anukramaṇī gives them) and spoiling the count of his first "decad" in 3. (Note that vii. 23 is a galita-verse.) His "decad"-divisions cut in two our hymns 26, 45, 54, 68, 72, 76, 79, 97, and 109.⌋ ⌊It should here be mentioned that the Bombay edition, following the Major Anukramaṇī, counts hymns 6, 45, 68, 72, and 76 each as two hymns. From vii. 6. 3 to the end of the book, accordingly, Whitney gives a double numeration of the hymns: first the numeration of the Berlin edition, and then, in parenthesis, the numeration of the Bombay edition. As against the former, the latter involves a plus of one from vii. 6. 3 to vii. 45. i; a plus of two from vii. 45. 2 to vii. 68. 2; a plus of three from vii. 68. 3 to vii. 72. 2; a plus of four from vii. 72. 3 to vii. 76. 4; and a plus of five from vii. 76. 5 to the end. Finally it may be noted that vii. 54. 2 is reckoned (forwards) to vii. 55, but that this does not affect the hymn-numbers save for the verse concerned.⌋ ⌊Respecting book vii. in general, see pages cli, clii.⌋


Hymn-
number
Page

VII. Book the seventh

1 Mystic 389
2 Of Atharvan 390
3 Mystic 390
4 To the wind-god with his steeds 391
5 Mystic: on the offering or sacrifice 391
6 Praise of Aditi 392
7 Praise of the Ādityas 394
8 For some one's success 394
9 Praise and prayer to Pūshan 395
10 To Sarasvatī 395
11 Against injury to the grain by lightning 396
12 For success in the assembly 396
13 Against one's foes 397
14 Prayer and praise to Savitar 398
15 Prayer to Savitar 399
16 Prayer to Savitar (or Brihaspati) 399
17 Prayer to Dhatar for blessings 399
18 For rain, etc. 400
19 For progeny, etc. 401
20 Praise and prayer to Anumati 402
21 In praise of the sun 403
22 To the sun (?) 403
23 Against ill conditions and beings 404
24 To various gods 404
25 Praise to Vishṇu and Varuṇa 404
26 Praise and prayer to Vishṇu 405
27 Prayer and praise to Iḍā 407
28 Of the instruments of offering 407
29 To Agni and Vishṇu 408
30 For successful anointing 409
31 To Indra: for aid 409
32 Homage to Soma (?) 409
33 For blessings: to various gods 410
34 To Agni: against enemies 410
35 Against a rival (woman) 411
36 Husband and wife to one another 411
37 The wife to the husband 412
38 To win and fix a man's love: with a plant 412
39 In praise of Sarasvant (?) 414
40 Prayer and praise to Sarasvant 414
41 To the heavenly falcon (the sun) 415
42 To Soma and Rudra 415
43 Of speech (?) 416
44 Extolling Indra and Vishṇu 416
45 To cure jealousy 416
46 To Sinīvālī (goddess of the new moon) 417
47 To Kuhū (goddess of the new moon) 418
48 To Rākā (goddess of the full moon) 418
49 To the spouses of the gods 419
50 For success with dice 419
51 For protection by Brihaspati and Indra 421
52 For harmony 422
53 For some one's health and long life 423
54 Extolling verse and chant 424
55 To Indra (?) 425
56 Against poison of snakes and insects 425
57 Prayer to Sarasvatī etc. 427
58 Invitation to Indra and Varuṇa 427
59 Against cursers 428
60 To the home: on returning or leaving 428
61 For success of penance 430
62 To Agni: against enemies 430
63 To Agni: for aid 431
64 Against evil influence of a black bird 431
65 To the plant apāmārgá: for cleansing 432
66 For recovery of sacred knowledge (brā́hmaṇa) 432
67 For recovery of sense, etc. 433
68 Praise and prayer to Sarasvatī 433
69 Prayer for good fortune 434
70 Against an enemy's sacrifice 434
71 To Agni: for protection 435
72 With an oblation to Indra 436
73 With a heated offering to the Açvins 437
74 Against apacíts: against jealousy: to Agni 439
75 Praise and prayer to the kine 440
76 Against apacíts and jāyā́nya: etc. 441
77 To the Maruts 443
78 To Agni: in favor of some one 444
79 To Amāvāsyā (night or goddess of new moon) 444
80 To the night or goddess of full moon (pāurṇamāsī́) 445
81 To the sun and moon 446
82 Praise and prayer to Agni 448
83 For release from Varuṇa's fetters 449
84 To Agni: and to Indra 451
85 Invocation of Tārkshya 452
86 Invocation of Indra 452
87 Homage to Rudra 452
88 Against poison 453
89 To Agni and the waters 453
90 To destroy some one's virile power 454
91 To Indra: for aid 455
92 To Indra: for aid 456
93 For Indra's aid 456
94 For Indra's help to unanimity 456
95 A spell against some one 457
96 For quiet kidneys (?) 457
97 Accompanying an offering 458
98 With an oblation to Indra 460
99 When bestrewing the védi 460
100 Against bad dreams 461
101 As to food enjoyed in a dream 461
102 Accompanying self-relief 461
103 For betterment 462
104 Concerning Atharvan's cow 462
105 An exhortation to holy life 462
106 Deprecation for offenses 463
107 To relieve a stinging pain 463
108 Against enemies: to Agni 463
109 ⌊For success with the dice⌋ 464
110 To Indra and Agni: for help 466
111 To a soma-vessel 467
112 For release from guilt and distress 467
113 Against a (woman) rival: with a plant 467
114 Against enemies 468
115 Against ill luck 468
116 Against intermittent fever 469
117 Invitation to Indra 470
118 When arming a warrior 470