Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book VII/Hymn 45 (46, 47)

45 (46, 47). To cure jealousy.

[1. Praskaṇva.—bhāiṣajyam. ānuṣṭubham.—2. Atharvan.—mantroktadevatyam; irṣyāpanayanam. ānuṣṭubham.]

These two verses, notwithstanding their close accordance in meter and subject, are treated by the Anukr. and by part of the mss., hence also by the comm.* and in SPP's text, as two separate hymns; and the double reckoning from this point on involves a plus of two. Both are found together in Pāipp. xx.; and the quoted Anukr. (see after hymn 51) counts thirteen and not fourteen hymns in the anuvāka. The first verse (hymn 46) is used by Kāuç. (36. 25), in a women's rite, with vi. 18 and vii. 74. 3, for removal of jealousy; the second (hymn 47), later in the same rite (36. 27), with paraçuphāṇṭa: that is, apparently, giving to drink water into which a heated ax has been dipped (taptaparaçunā kvāthitam udakam, comm.). *⌊Cf. p. 389.⌋

Translated: Weber, Ind. Stud. v. 250; Ludwig, p. 514; Grill, 29, 180; Henry, 16, 72; Griffith, i. 347; Bloomfield, 107, 547.

1. From a people belonging to all peoples, away from the river (síndhu) brought hither, from afar I think thee brought up, a remedy, namely, of jealousy.

Very probably (b) rather 'from the Indus' (síndhu). Ppp. reads -janīnaṁ viçam arukṣatīnām (= urukṣit-?); its second half-verse is corrupt. The comm. explains janāt by janapadāt and its epithet by viçvajanahitāt.

2 (47. 1). Of him as of a burning fire, of a conflagration burning separately, this jealousy of this man do thou appease, as fire with water.

Asya in a is here regarded as anticipatory of the etásya of c; it cannot be taken as adjective unless by emendation we give it an accent. Again (cf. 18. 1 above) all the mss. read, in d, unnā́, untā́, utnā́, or uttā́ instead of the correct udnā́, which the comm. has, and which is given, by emendation, in both printed texts. Ppp. has a very different text: tat saṁvegasya bheṣajaṁ tad asunāmaṁ gṛbhāhitam: and then, as second half-verse, our a, b, with yathā instead of pṛthak; in an added verse occurs the phrase udhnā ’gnim iva vāraye. ⌊"Do I appease," çamaye, would be more natural; cf. Ppp's vāraye.⌋