# Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book VIII/Hymn 6

6. To guard a pregnant woman from demons.
Found also in Pāipp. xvi., ⌊but with vs. 8 before 7, vs. 15 between 11 and 12, and vs. 24 between 13 and 14⌋.
⌊The hymn is reckoned by Kāuç. (8. 24), with ii. 2 (which see) and vi. 111, to the mātṛnāmāni. It is employed in the sīmanta rite (35. 20) in the eighth month of a woman's pregnancy with binding on an amulet "as specified in the text" (cf. vs. 20): ​Dār. and Keç. and comm. (p. 636$^1$, p. 648$^8$) say an amulet of white and yellow mustard; the Ath. Paddh. seems to prescribe a "talisman in the form of a doll made of red and yellow mustard plants" (?) and reaching from the woman's neck to her navel. In Dārila's note on the same passage (35. 20), vs. 18 is specially cited for the same rite. The hymn is not noticed by Vāit.⌋
1. The two spouse-finders which thy mother rubbed up for thee when born (fem.)—for them ⌊tátra⌋ let not the ill-named one be greedy, the aliṅça nor the vatsápa (calf-drinker or -protector?).
Weber (and Zimmer after him: p. 321) conjectures that the two 'winners of a husband ' are the breasts, and that the reference is to the ceremonious washing of the young child. The numerous names of evil beings in the hymn are in good part unknown elsewhere and untranslatable; of some of them tentative versions can be added in parenthesis. The comm. reads alīças in d, and explains it as ali + īça ⌊taking ali as diseases (or deities representing them) that fly about like bees⌋.
2. Palāla (straw) and anupalāla (after-straw), çárku, kóka (cuckoo), malimlucá (robber), palī́jaka, the entwiner (āçréṣa), the wrap-garmented, the bear-necked, the winking one.
Ppp. reads çulkam for çarkum in a; in b, malīmṛtaṁ palītakam; in c, açleṣam, and adds ⌊cf. vss. 5, 23⌋ at the end muṣkayor apa hanmasi 'we smite away in the pudenda,' which gives a construction to the accusatives of which our text is alone made up. The comm. gives in b palīcakam; he supplies nāçayāmi to govern the accusatives.
3. Approach (saṁ-vṛt) thou not; creep thou not on; creep not down between the thighs; I make for her a remedy, the bajá, expeller of the ill-named.
Ppp. reads javam instead of bajam in d. The comm. identifies baja with the white mustard (çvetasarṣapa) ⌊see introd.⌋.
4. Both the ill-named and the well-named—both seek approach (saṁvṛ́t); the niggards (arā́ya) we smite away; let the well-named seek what is woman's (strāíṇa).
Ppp. reads icchatām at end of b, and omits the second half-verse. The comm. explains strāiṇam as striyāḥ sambandhy an̄gaṁ strīsamūhaṁ vā; he takes -nāman from root nam. The ṇ of durṇāman is prescribed by Prāt. iii. 84.
5. The ásura that is black, hairy, tuft-born, also snouted (túṇḍika)—the niggards we smite away from her pudenda, from her buttocks (bhánsas).
Ppp. reads, in c, d, asyā bhaṅsaso muṣkayor apa ⌊cf. vss. 2, 23⌋.
6. The after-snuffling, fore-feeling, and the much-licking flesh-eater, the niggards, the dog-kiṣkins, hath the brown bajá made to disappear.
Ppp. reads, for c, rāyaç çukaṣkiṇaṁ; the comm. has ca kiṣkiṇas (for çvakiṣ-); and he explains kiṣkin to mean either 'uttering the sound kiṣ kiṣ,' or 'constantly injuring' (from the root kiṣk).
​7. He who lies with (ni-pad) thee in sleep, having become [like] a brother and like a father—them, eunuch-formed, tiara-decked (tirīṭín), let the bajá force (sah) from here.
Tirīṭin = 'womanish,' as wearing a distinctive woman's head-dress; the comm., however, paraphrases the word with antardhānenā ’ṭataḥ, as if from tiraḥ-aṭin! Ppp. puts the verse after vs. 8, and reads suptāṁ for svapne in a, and, in c, d, vajas taṁ...klībarūpaṁ kirīṭinam. ⌊Cf. RV. x. 162. 5-6 with our vss. 7-8.⌋
8. He who surprises (tsar) thee sleeping, who tries to harm thee waking—them the circling (pari-kram) sun hath made to vanish away like a shadow.
Both translators understand the second half-verse to mean 'them hath the baja made to vanish, as the sun the shadow,' and the comm. takes it in the same way; but, though that may be the virtual sense, it is not what the line actually says. Ppp. reads, in a, suptāṁ chinatti, with ca for tvā in b. The comm. has carati instead of tsarati in a. Nearly all our mss. (all save D.R.) read jā́gralim at end of b, but SPP. strangely reports no such variant from any of his authorities.
9. Whoever makes this woman one having a dead child (-vastá), or a miscarriage, him, O herb, do thou make disappear, lustful ⌊accusative⌋ for her, slippery.
The last pāda is very obscure and doubtful, and quite otherwise understood by the translators; the version given follows the Petersburg Lexicon. The comm. interprets kamalam by garbhadvāram, and añjivam by abhivyaktimad mlakṣaṇopetaṁ vā, and supplies to them kuru. Ppp. reads instead kamalavaṁ dyuvam; it also reverses the order of mṛtávatsām and ávatokām in a, b. Añjivám (p. añji॰vám) is quoted under Prāt. iv. 18 as an example of a word made with a taddhita-suffix beginning with v.
10. They who dance around the dwellings (çā́lā) in the evening, making donkey-noises—they that [are] kusū́las (granaries) and kukṣilás (paunchy), exalted (kakubhá), karúmas, srímas—these, O herb, with thy smell do thou make to disappear scattered.
One or two of our mss. (as of SPP's) read strímāḥ (I.) or sṛ́māḥ (W.) at end of d, or omit the visarga before it (M.s.m.W.O.). Ppp. reads, for c, d, kuçūlā yaç ca kukṣulā kakubhā svarasā (-ramā?) sumā; the comm., for the last two words, has kharumāḥ çrumāḥ; he interprets kusūlās as kusūlākṛtayas, kukṣilās as bṛhatkukṣayas, and kakubhās as arjunavṛkṣavad bhayaṁkarākṛtayas. ⌊Over "exalted" W. has interlined "humped?" As for sríma, cf. sṛ́ma in OB.⌋
11. The kukúndhas, the kukū́rabhas, that bear skins (kṛ́tti), pelts (? dūrçá), dancing on like impotent men, that make a noise in the forest—them we make disappear from here.
Ppp. reads kakundhāṣ karūrabhāṣ kṛtyāir duriçāni bibhrati: klīvāi ’va pr. ghoṣāṁ ye kurvate vane. The comm. has kṛkandhāḥ kukūravāḥ kṛtyāir dūṣyāni.
12. They who do not endure yonder sun, burning down from the sky, the niggards, buck-clothed, ill-smelling, red-mouthed, the mákakas, we make to disappear.
Ppp. reads in c rāyaṁ vastavāsino, and, in e, mṛṣakān for makakān. In bastavāsin, Weber understands -vāsin as 'smelling,' the Petersburg Lexicons (also Ludwig alternatively) as 'bleating' (for -vāçin); the comm. avicarinavasanān. ⌊For the verse-sequence in Ppp., see above.⌋
13. They who, putting their excessive self on the shoulder, carry [it], thrusters-forth of women's hips—O Indra, make the demons disappear.
The comm. has several different explanations of the first half-verse, the translators as many more; a literal rendering seems admissible enough. Ppp. reads for b ahiṁ mādhāya bibhrati.
14. They who go before a woman, bearing horns (pl.) in the hand, stayers in the oven, laughing out, who make light in the tuft—them we make to disappear from here.
All our mss., and nearly all those of SPP., read badhvàs in a, and our edition follows them. SPP. gives in his text vadhvàs, with the commentator. In c, he adopts āpākeṣṭhā́s, with a small minority of his mss., and directly against Prāt. ii. 94, which prescribes -sthā́s. One would like to emend to apāk- 'standing aloof.'
15. Of whom the front-feet are behind, the heels in front, the faces in front, who are threshing-floor-born, dung-smoke-born, who are úruṇḍas and maṭmaṭás, pot-testicled, ayāçús (impotent ?)—these from her, O Brahmaṇaspati, do thou make to disappear by attention (? pratībodhá).
Ppp. reads in c çākadh-, in d ye ca mayyajā, and in e combines -ṣkā ’yāç-. Some of our mss. (Bp.P.M.W.), as of SPP's, read múkhāḥ at end of 'b. The comm. has, for d, aruṇḍā ye ca muṭmuṭāḥ; he explains ayāçavas by ayo vāyur vāyuvad āçugāminaḥ.
16. With eyes cast about, not looking forward (? ápracan̄kaça), womenless be the eunuchs; make to fall down, O remedy, him who, not her husband, tries to approach this woman that has a husband.
The comm. reads in a pracan̄kaçās, and strangely explains it ⌊alternatively⌋ as = prakṣīṇorupradeçās; for paṇḍagās in b he has pannagās (pādena na gacchantaḥ); for pādaya in c, pātaya. Ppp. gives in e svapati.
17. The bristling, hermit-haired, grinding up, much handling one, hastening up, copper-colored, snouted (? tuṇḍéla) and çáluḍa, pierce thou forth with the foot, with the heel, as a kicking cow a pot.
Doubtless the concluding word should be spandanā́, as given by SPP., in accordance, as he claims, with all but two of his authorities. The mss. are always so careless and untrustworthy in their distinction of sp and sy that it must be the sense rather than their testimony that decides in any case which is the true reading. Ppp. appears to have syandanā. The combination upéṣantam (p. upa॰éṣantam: Ppp. upeçantam) is according to Prāt. iii. 52; the passage is quoted in the commentary to that rule: the comm. ⌊and his text⌋ read here upāiṣ-. The comm. also has çālaḍam (Ppp. çālūḍham) in d, and takes prá vidhya (Ppp. pravṛddhi) in e as pravídhya, gerund. Further, he has prāsyāt instead of pārṣṇyā, and, at the end, spandanāt. His verse-division is different from ours, as he reckons e, f to vs. 18. He explains marīmṛçam in b as = punaḥpunar mṛçantam. Ppp. has, for udumbalaṁ tuṇḍelam, adaraṁ sulatuṇḍenam.
​18. Whoever shall handle thy embryo, or shall make it born dead—let the brown one, with formidable bow, make him pierced to the heart.
The comm. explains prati mṛçāt by pīḍayet. The a of hṛdayāvídham, and its non-division in pada-text, are the subject of Prāt. iii. 3, iv. 68. ⌊Delete the accent mark under tu in d.⌋
19. They who suddenly make die those that are born, [who] lie by the bearing [women]—the Gandharvas, woman-seekers (?), let the brown one drive, as the wind a cloud.
Ppp. begins ye sto j-, and ends abhrāi vātāi ’va rājatu. The comm. explains amnojātān as = ardhotpannān. The Prāt., ii. 52, expressly prescribes that the final of amnáḥ is not ⌊convertible into⌋ r—which seems a plain acknowledgment that at a later period the word was treated as being amnár.
20. Let [her] maintain what is left (?); what is set, let not that fall down; let the two formidable remedies, to be borne in the under garment, defend thine embryo.
Parisṛṣṭam in a is very hard to deal with, both on account of the meaning and because combinations of root sṛj with pari are hardly met with; the Pet. Lexicon suggests emendation to -çriṣṭam; as both Ppp. and the comm. have -çiṣṭam, I have taken the liberty of so translating. The comm. paraphrases it by homādiviniyogāvaçiṣṭaṁ sarṣapadvayam ⌊see the introduction⌋ and makes it the object of dhārayatu. Ppp. also reads yujyatam for yad dhitam in b, and, at the end, nivabhāryayāu. ⌊Whitney queries for a: 'Let what is wreathed about (pari-sṛj) maintain.' This might refer to bandages swathed around, to support the abdomen. In b, hitám would refer to the embryo (cf. dhātā dadhātu etc.), and áva pādi to untimely delivery (cf. i. 11. 4-6).⌋
21. From the rim-nosed, the tan̄galvà, the shady (? chā́yaka) and naked, from the kimīdín, let the brown one protect thee about for progeny, for husband.
Or chāyaka may come from root chā, and so signify 'tearing' or the like; the comm. reads instead sāyakāt. Ppp. has at the beginning pavāinasa tan̄-.
22. From the two-mouthed, the four-eyed, the five-footed, the fingerless one, from the much twining twiner (vṛ́nta) that creeps forth upon [one], do thou protect [her] about.
All the pada-mss. most absurdly divide anam॰guréḥ at end of b; SPP. properly emends to anan̄guréḥ, but why "with Sāyaṇa" is not evident; Ppp. reads anan̄guleḥ; and further has, in c, vṛddhād adhi pra-. SPP. seems to regard the comm. as reading abhiprasarpataḥ.
23. They who eat raw meat, and who the flesh of men, the hairy ones [that] devour embryos—them we make to disappear from here.
Ppp. combines at the beginning yā ”mam, and has in place of our d ’rāyān ⌊combined keçavārāyan⌋ asyā bhaṅsaso muṣkayor apa hanmasi (as in its version of our 5 c, d—cf. 2). The pada-reading keça॰vā́ḥ is quoted in the commentary to Prāt. iv. 18.
​24. They that creep away from the sun, as a daughter-in-law away from her father-in-law—let both bajá and pin̄gá pierce in into their heart.
Pari in a, though compounded with the verb, has the value of a strengthener of the ablative sense of sū́ryāt, as ádhi in b of that of çváçurāt. ⌊Cf. Geldner, Ved. Stud. i. 270.⌋
25. Pin̄gá, defend thou [the child] in process of birth; let them not make the male female; let not the egg-eaters injure the embryos; drive thou the kimīdíns from here.
In b, lit'ly 'not make the man a woman.' Ppp. puts the mā after pumāṅsam.
26. Childlessness, still-birth, also crying, guilt (aghá), barrenness (? āvayá)—that do thou attach to [our] enemy (ápriya), as if having made a garland from a tree.
Ppp. reads, in a, b, mārtavatsam āmābhrogham agham ānayam. The comm. has, for agham āvayam, aghavāvayam, and paraphrases it with aghānām pāpānāṁ tatphalabhūtānāṁ duḥkhānāṁ vā ’sakṛd vayanam. It is curious that both ā-vayam and mārta-vatsam are quoted in the commentary to Prāt. iv. 18, as if their second member were 'a taddhita beginning with v.'—⌊Cf. MB. i. 1. 14; MP. i. 4. 11.⌋
⌊Here ends the third anuvāka, with 2 hymns and 48 verses. It is also the end of the sixth artha-sūkta, which begins with yāú te. The quoted Anukr. says yāu te.⌋
From this point on, the commentary is wanting until the beginning of book xi. 7.