# Atharva-Veda Samhita

Volumes VII and VIII of the Harvard Oriental Series.
* Volume 1 front matter
* Volume 2 front matter
* Atharva-Veda Samhita
** Book I
** Book II
** Book III
** Book IV
** Book V
** Book VI
** Book VII
** Book VIII
** Book IX
** Book X
** Book XI
** Book XII
** Book XIII
** Book XIV
** Book XV
** Book XVI
** Book XVII
** Book XVIII
** Book XIX
** Book XX
CONTENTS
| | PAGE |
| Plates, one in each volume of this work |
| Portrait of Whitney, facing page | xliii |
| Facsimile of Kashmirian text, birch-bark leaf 187 a, just before page | 471 |
| Prefatory and biographical and related matter | xvii–lxi |
| Paragraphs in lieu of a preface by Whitney | xvii–xxi |
| Announcement of this work | xvii |
| Statement of its plan and scope and design | xviii |
| The purpose and limitations and method of the translation | xix |
| Editor's preface | xxiii–xlii |
| Whitney's labors on the Atharva-Veda | xxiii |
| The edition of the text or the "First volume" | xxiii |
| Relation of this work to the "First volume" | xxiv |
| And to this Series | xxiv |
| External form of this work | xxiv |
| Its general scope as determined by previous promise and fulfilment | xxv |
| Of the critical notes in particular | xxvi |
| Scope of the work as transcending previous promise | xxvii |
| Evolution of the style of the work | xxvii |
| Partial rewriting and revision by Whitney | xxvii |
| Picking up the broken threads | xxviii |
| Relation of the editor's work to that of the author | xxviii |
| Parts for which the author is not responsible | xxviii |
| The General Introduction, Part I.: by the editor | xxix |
| The same, Part II.: elaborated in part from the author's material | xxix |
| The editor's special introductions to the eighteen books, ii.–xix. | xxx |
| The special introductions to the hymns: additions by the editor | xxx |
| His bibliography of previous translations and discussions: contained in The paragraphs beginning with the word "Translated" | xxx |
| Added special introductions to the hymns of book xviii. etc. | xxxi |
| Other editorial additions at the beginning and end of hymns | xxxii |
| Other additions of considerable extent | xxxii |
| The seven tables appended to the latter volume of this work | xxxii |
| Unmarked minor additions and other minor changes | xxxiii |
| The marked minor additions and other minor changes | xxxiv |
| The revision of the author's manuscript. Verification | xxxiv |
| Accentuation of Sanskrit words | xxxv |
| Cross-references | xxxv |
| Orthography of Anglicized proper names | xxxv |
| Editorial short-comings and the chances of error | xxxv ​ |
| The biographical and related matter | xxxvi |
| General significance of Whitney's work | xxxvii |
| Need of a systematic commentary on the Rig-Veda | xxxvii |
| The Century Dictionary of the English Language | xxxviii |
| Acknowledgments | xxxviii |
| Human personality and the progress of science | xl |
| The same in English verse and in Sanskrit verse | xli–xlii |
| Biographical and related matter | xliii–lxi |
| Brief sketch of Whitney's life: by the editor | xliii |
| Estimate of Whitney's character and services: by the editor | xlvii |
| Select list of Whitney's writings: by Whitney | lvi |
| General Introduction, Part I.: by the editor | lxiii—cvii |
| General Premises | lxiii–lxiv |
| Scope of this Part of the Introduction | lxiii |
| Scope of the reports of the variant readings | lxiii |
| The term "manuscripts" often used loosely for "authorities" | lxiv |
| Which authorities are both manuscripts and oral reciters | lxiv |
| Difficulty of verifying statements as to authorities | lxiv |
| 1. Readings of European manuscripts of the Vulgate recension | lxiv–lxv |
| Reports include mss. collated, some before, and some after publication | lxiv |
| Interpretation of the records of the Collation-Book | lxv |
| 2. Readings of Indian manuscripts of the Vulgate | lxvi |
| By "Indian mss." are meant those used by S. P. Pandit | lxvi |
| His reports not exhaustive | lxvi |
| 3. Readings of Indian oral reciters of the Vulgate | lxvi–lxvii |
| By "Indian oral reciters" are meant those employed by S. P. Pandit | lxvi |
| Errors of the eye checked by oral reciters | lxvi |
| 4. Readings of the Hindu commentator | lxvii–lxviii |
| The critical value and the range of his variant readings | lxvii |
| Excursus: Was he identical with Sāyaṇa of the Rig-Veda? | lxviii |
| 5. Readings of the Pada-pāṭha | lxix–lxx |
| Reported in Index Verborum, and since published in full | lxix |
| Illustrations of its deficiencies | lxix |
| In verb-compounds and various other combinations | lxix–lxx |
| 6. The Prātiçākhya and its commentary | lxx–lxxi |
| Character of Whitney's editions of the Prātiçākhyas | lxx |
| Their bearing upon the orthography and criticism of the text | lxx |
| Utilization of the Atharvan Prātiçākhya for the present work | lxxi |
| 7. The Anukramaṇīs: "Old" and "Major" | lxxi–lxxiv |
| More than one Anukramaṇī extant | lxxi |
| The Pañcapaṭalikā or "Old Anukr." or "Quoted Anukr." | lxxi |
| Manuscripts thereof | lxxii |
| The Bṛhatsarvānukramaṇī or "Major Anukr." | lxxii |
| Manuscripts thereof | lxxii |
| Text-critical value of the Anukramaṇīs | lxxiii |
| The author of the Major Anukr. as a critic of meters | lxxiii |
| His statements as to the seers of the hymns (quasi-authorship) | lxxiv ​ |
| 8. The Kāuçika-Sūtra and the Vāitāna-Sūtra | lxxiv–lxxix |
| The work of Garbe and Bloomfield and Caland | lxxiv |
| Bearing of Sūtras upon criticism of structure and text of Saṁhitā | lxxv |
| Grouping of mantra-material in Sūtra and in Saṁhitā compared | lxxv |
| Many difficulties of the Kāuçika yet unsolved | lxxvi |
| Value of the Sūtras for the exegesis of the Saṁhitā | lxxvii |
| Kāuçika no good warrant for dogmatism in the exegesis of Saṁhitā | lxxvii |
| Integer vitae as a Christian funeral-hymn | lxxviii |
| Secondary adaptation of mantras to incongruous ritual uses | lxxviii |
| 9. Readings of the Kashmirian or Pāippalāda recension | lxxix–lxxxix |
| Its general relations to the Vulgate or Çāunakan recension | lxxix |
| The unique birch-bark manuscript thereof (perhaps about A.D. 1519) | lxxx |
| Roth's Kashmirian nāgarī transcript (Nov. 1874) | lxxxi |
| Arrival (1876) of the birch-bark original at Tübingen | lxxxi |
| Roth's Collation (June, 1884) of the Pāippalāda text | lxxxi |
| Roth's autograph nāgarī transcript (Dec. 1884) | lxxxii |
| The facsimile of the birch-bark original (1901) | lxxxii |
| Roth's Collation not exhaustive | lxxxiii |
| Faults of the birch-bark manuscript | lxxxiii |
| Collation not controlled by constant reference to the birch-bark ms. | lxxxiv |
| Such reference would have ruined the birch-bark ms. | lxxxiv |
| Care taken in the use of Roth's Collation. Word-division | lxxxv |
| Kashmirian readings not controlled directly from the facsimile | lxxxv |
| Provisional means for such control: the Concordance (pages 1018–1023) | lxxxv |
| Excursus: The requirements for an edition of the Pāippalāda: | lxxxvi |
| 1. A rigorously precise transliteration | lxxxvii |
| 2. Marginal references to the Vulgate parallels | lxxxvii |
| 3. Index of Vulgate verses thus noted on the margin | lxxxvii |
| 4. Accessory material: conjectures, notes, translations. | lxxxviii |
| 10. Readings of the parallel texts | lxxxix–xci |
| The texts whose readings are reported | lxxxix |
| The method of reporting aims at the utmost accuracy | lxxxix |
| Completeness of the reports far from absolute | xc |
| Reports presented in well-digested form | xc |
| 11. Whitney's Commentary: further discussion of its critical elements | xci–xciii |
| Comprehensiveness of its array of parallels | xci |
| Criticism of specific readings | xci |
| Illustrations of classes of text-errors | xcii |
| Auditory errors. Surd and sonant. Twin consonants | xcii |
| Visual errors. Haplography | xciii |
| Metrical faults. Hypermetric glosses, and so forth | xciii |
| Blend-readings | xciii |
| 12. Whitney's Translation and the interpretative elements of the Commentary | xciv–xcix |
| The translation: general principles governing the method thereof | xciv |
| The translation not primarily an interpretation, but a literal version | xciv |
| A literal version as against a literary one | xciv |
| Interpretative elements: captions of the hymns | xcv ​ |
| Interpretations by Whitney | xcv |
| Exegetical notes contributed by Roth | xcvi |
| The translation has for its underlying text that of the Berlin edition | xcvi |
| This is the fact even in cases of corrigible corruptions | xcvi |
| Cases of departure from the text of the Berlin edition | xcvii |
| Whitney's growing skepticism and correspondingly rigid literalness | xcvii |
| Poetic elevation and humor | xcviii |
| 13. Abbreviations and signs explained | xcix–cvi |
| General scope of the list: it includes not only | xcix |
| The downright or most arbitrary abbreviations, but also | xcix |
| The abbreviated designations of books and articles | xcix |
| Explanation of arbitrary signs: | |
| Parentheses; square brackets | c |
| Ell-brackets (⌊ ⌋); hand (☞) | c |
| Small circle; Italic colon; Clarendon letters, a, b, c, etc. | c |
| Alphabetic list of abbreviations | c |
| 14. Tabular view of translations and native comment | cvi–cvii |
| Previous translations.—Native comment | cvi |
| Chronologic sequence of previous translations and discussions | cvii |
| General Intoduction, Part II.: partly from Whitney's material | cix—clxi |
| General Premises | cix |
| Contents of this Part | cix |
| Authorship of this Part | cix |
| 1. Description of the manuscripts used by Whitney | cix–cxvi |
| The brief designations of his manuscripts (sigla codicum) | cix |
| Synoptic table of the manuscripts used by him | cx |
| Table of the Berlin manuscripts of the Atharva-Veda | cx |
| Whitney's critical description of his manuscripts: | |
| Manuscripts used before publication of the text (B. P. M. W. E. I. H.; Bp. Bp.$^2$) | cxi |
| Manuscripts collated after publication of the text (O. R. T. K.; Op. D. Kp.) | cxiv |
| 2. The stanza çaṁ no devīr abhiṣṭaye as opening stanza | cxvi–cxvii |
| As initial stanza of the text in the Kashmirian recension | cxvi |
| As initial stanza of the Vulgate text | cxvi |
| 3. Whitney's Collation-Book and his collations | cxvii–cxix |
| Description of the two volumes that form the Collation-Book | cxvii |
| Whitney's fundamental transcript of the text | cxvii |
| Collations made before publication of the text | cxviii |
| The Berlin collations | cxviii |
| The Paris and Oxford and London collations | cxviii |
| Collations made after publication (made in 1875 or later) | cxviii |
| Haug, Roth, Tanjore, Deccan, and Bikaner mss. | cxviii |
| Other contents of the Collation-Book | cxviii |
| 4. Repeated verses in the manuscripts | cxix–cxx |
| Abbreviated by pratīka with addition of ity ekā etc. | cxix |
| List of repeated verses or verse-groups | cxix |
| Further details concerning the pratīka and the addition | cxix ​ |
| 5. Refrains and the like in the manuscripts | cxx–cxxi |
| Written out in full only in first and last verse of a sequence | cxx |
| Treated by the Anukramaṇī as if unabbreviated | cxx |
| Usage of the editions in respect of such abbreviated passages | cxxi |
| 6. Marks of accentuation in the manuscripts | cxxi–cxxiii |
| Berlin edition uses the Rig-Veda method of marking accents | cxxi |
| Dots for lines as accent-marks | cxxi |
| Marks for the independent svarita | cxxii |
| Horizontal stroke for svarita | cxxii |
| Udātta marked by vertical stroke above, as in Māitrāyaṇī | cxxii |
| Accent-marks in the Bombay edition | cxxii |
| Use of a circle as avagraha-sign | cxxii |
| 7. Orthographic method pursued in the Berlin edition | cxxiii–cxxvi |
| Founded on the usage of the mss., but controlled by the Prātiçakhyā | cxxiii |
| That treatise an authority only to a certain point | cxxiii |
| Its failure to discriminate between rules of wholly different value | cxxiii |
| Items of conformity to the Prātiçakhyā and of departure therefrom | cxxiv |
| Transition-sounds: as in tān-t-sarvān | cxxiv |
| Final -n before ç- and j-: as in paçyañ janmāni | cxxiv |
| Final -n before c-: as in yāṅç ca | cxxiv |
| Final -n before t-: as in tāṅs te | cxxiv |
| Final -t before ç-: as in asmac charavaḥ | cxxv |
| Abbreviation of consonant groups: as in pan̄kti | cxxv |
| Final -m and -n before l-: as in kaṅ lokam | cxxv |
| Visarga before st- and the like: as in ripu stenaḥ | cxxvi |
| The kampa-figures 1 and 3 | cxxvi |
| The method of marking the accent | cxxvi |
| 8. Metrical form of the Atharvan Saṁhitā | cxxvi–cxxvii |
| Predominance of anuṣṭubh stanzas | cxxvi |
| Extreme irregularity of the metrical form | cxxvii |
| Apparent wantonness in the alteration of Rig-Veda material | cxxvii |
| To emend this irregularity into regularity is not licit | cxxvii |
| 9. Divisions of the text | cxxvii–cxl |
| Summary of the various divisions | cxxvii |
| The first and second and third "grand divisions" | cxxvii |
| 1. The (unimportant) division into prapāṭhakas or 'lectures' | cxxviii |
| Their number and distribution and extent | cxxviii |
| Their relation to the anuvāka-divisions | cxxviii |
| 2. The (fundamental) division into kāṇḍas or 'books' | cxxix |
| 3. The division into anuvākas or 'recitations' | cxxix |
| Their number, and distribution over books and grand divisions | cxxix |
| Their relation to the hymn-divisions in books xiii.–xviii. | cxxx |
| 4. The division into sūktas or 'hymns' | cxxxi |
| The hymn-divisions not everywhere of equal value | cxxxi |
| 5. The division into ṛcas or 'verses' | cxxxi |
| 6. Subdivisions of verses: avasānas, pādas, and so forth | cxxxii ​ |
| Numeration of successive verses in the mss. | cxxxii |
| Groupings of successive verses into units requiring special mention: | cxxxii |
| Decad-sūktas or 'decad-hymns' | cxxxii |
| Artha-sūktas or 'sense-hymns' | cxxxiii |
| Paryāya-sūktas or 'period-hymns' | cxxxiii |
| Differences of the Berlin and Bombay numerations in books vii. and xix. | cxxxiv |
| Differences of hymn-numeration in the paryāya-books | cxxxiv |
| Whitney's criticism of the numbering of the Bombay edition | cxxxvi |
| Suggestion of a preferable method of numbering and citing | cxxxvi |
| Differences of verse-numeration | cxxxvii |
| Summations of hymns and verses at end of divisions | cxxxviii |
| The summations quoted from the Pañcapaṭalikā | cxxxviii |
| Indication of extent of divisions by reference to an assumed norm | cxxxviii |
| Tables of verse-norms assumed by the Pañcapaṭalikā | cxxxix |
| The three "grand divisions" are recognized by the Pañcapaṭalikā | cxxxix |
| 10. Extent and structure of the Atharva-Veda Saṁhitā | cxl–clxi |
| Limits of the original collection | cxl |
| Books xix. and xx. are later additions | cxli |
| The two broadest principles of arrangement of books i.–xviii.: | cxlii |
| 1. Miscellaneity or unity of subject and 2. length of hymn | cxlii |
| The three grand divisions (I., II., III.) as based on those principles | cxlii |
| The order of the three grand divisions | cxlii |
| Principles of arrangement of books within the grand division: | cxlii |
| 1. Normal length of the hymns for each of the several books | cxliii |
| 2. The amount of text in each book. Table | cxliii |
| Arrangement of the hymns within any given book | cxliii |
| Distribution of hymns according to length in divisions I. and II. and III. | cxlvi |
| Tables (1 and 2 and 3) for those divisions (see pages cxliv–cxlv) | cxlvi |
| Grouping of hymns of book xix. according to length | cxlvi |
| Table (number 4) for book xix. | cxlvii |
| Summary of the four tables. Table number 5. | cxlvii |
| Extent of AV. Saṁhitā about one half of that of RV. | cxlvii |
| First grand division (books i.–vii.): short hymns of miscellaneous subjects | cxlvii |
| Evidence of fact as to the existence of the verse-norms | cxlviii |
| Express testimony of both Anukramaṇīs as to the verse-norms | cxlviii |
| One verse is the norm for book vii. | cxlix |
| Arrangement of books within the division: | |
| 1. With reference to the normal length of the hymns | cxlix |
| Excursus: on hymn xix. 23, Homage to parts of the Atharva-Veda | cl |
| Exceptional character of book vii. | cli |
| Book vii. a book of after-gleanings supplementing books i.–vi. | clii |
| 2. Arrangement of books with reference to amount of text | clii |
| Résumé of conclusions as to the arrangement of books i.–vii. | clii |
| Departures from the norms by excess | cliii |
| Critical significance of those departures | cliii |
| Illustrative examples of critical reduction to the norm | cliii |
| Arrangement of the hymns within any given book of this division | cliv ​ |
| Second grand division (books viii.–xii.): long hymns of miscellaneous subjects | clv |
| Their hieratic character: mingled prose passages | clv |
| Table of verse-totals for the hymns of division II. | clvi |
| General make-up of the material of this division | clvi |
| Order of books within the division: negative or insignificant conclusions | clvii |
| Order of hymns within any given book of this division | clvii |
| Possible reference to this division in hymn xix. 23 | clvii |
| Third grand division (books xiii.–xviii.): books showing unity of subject | clviii |
| Division III. represented in Pāippalāda by a single book, book xviii. | clix |
| Names of the books of this division as given by hymn xix. 23 | clix |
| Order of books within the division | clix |
| Table of verse-totals for the hymns of division III. | clix |
| Order of hymns within any given book of this division | clx |
| The hymn-divisions of books xiii.–xviii. and their value | clx |
| Cross-references to explanation of abbreviations and so forth | clxii |
| To explanation of abbreviations (pages xcix–cvi) | clxii |
| To explanation of abbreviated titles (pages xcix–cvi) | clxii |
| To explanation of arbitrary signs (page c) | clxii |
| To key to the designations of the manuscripts (pages cix–cx) | clxii |
| To synoptic tables of the manuscripts (pages cx–cxi) | clxii |
| To descriptions of the manuscripts (pages cxi–cxvi) | clxii |
| To table of titles of hymns (volume VIII., pages 1024–1037) | clxii |
| The Atharva-Veda Saṁhitā: Translation and Notes . . . | 1–1009 |
| 1. First Grand Division.—Books I.–VII. | 1–470 |
| Seven books of short hymns of miscellaneous subjects | |
| [For table of the titles of the 433 hymns, see p. 1024] | |
| [Volume VII. ends here with book vii.] ||
| [Volume VIII. begins here with book viii.] ||
| 2. Second Grand Division.—Books VIII.–XII. | 471–707 |
| Five books of long hymns of miscellaneous subjects | |
| [For table of the titles of the 45 hymns, see p. 1034] | |
| 3. Third Grand Division.—Books XIII.–XVIII. | 708–894 |
| Six books of long hymns, the books showing unity of subject | |
| [For table of the titles of the 15 hymns, see p. 1035] | |
| Book xiii.: hymns to the Ruddy Sun or Rohita (seer: Brahman) | 708–737 |
| Book xiv.: wedding verses (seer: Sāvitrī Sūryā) | 738–768 |
| Book xv.: the Vrātya (seer:—) | 769–791 |
| Book xvi.: Paritta (seer: Prajāpati?) | 792–804 |
| Book xvii.: prayer to the Sun as Indra and as Vishṇu (seer: Brahman) | 805–812 |
| Book xviii.: funeral verses (seer: Atharvan) | 813–894 |
| 4. Supplement.—Book XIX. | 895–1009 |
| After-gleanings, chiefly from the traditional sources of division I. | |
| [For table of the titles of the 72 hymns, see p. 1036] | |
| Pāippalāda excerpts concerning book xx. | 1009 ​ |
| Indexes and other auxiliary matter | 1011–1046 |
| 1. The non-metrical passages of the Atharvan Saṁhita | 1011 |
| Tabular list | 1011 |
| 2. Hymns ignored by the Kāuçika-Sūtra | 1011–1012 |
| Tabular list | 1012 |
| 3. The two methods of citing the Kāuçika-Sūtra | 1012 |
| Tabular concordance | 1012 |
| 4. The discrepant hymn-numbers of the Berlin and Bombay editions | 1013 |
| Tabular concordance | 1013 |
| 5. Pāippalāda passages corresponding to passages of the Vulgate | 1013–1023 |
| Primary use of the table, its genesis and character | 1013 |
| Incidental uses of the table | 1013 |
| Vulgate grand division III. and Pāippalāda book xviii. | 1014 |
| Conspectus of the contents of Pāippalāda book xviii. | 1015 |
| Explanation of the table | 1016 |
| Manner of using the table | 1017 |
| Tabular concordance | 1017–1023 |
| 6. Whitney's English captions to his hymn-translations | 1024–1037 |
| They form an important element in his interpretation of this Veda | 1024 |
| In tabular form, they give a useful conspectus of its subject-matter | 1024 |
| Table of hymn-titles of Division I., books i.—vii. | 1024–1032 |
| [Stop-gap: the division of this work into two separately bound volumes] | 1033 |
| Table of hymn-titles of Division II., books viii—xii. | 1034 |
| Table of hymn-titles of Division III., books xiii—xviii. | 1035 |
| Table of hymn-titles of the Supplement, book xix. | 1036–1037 |
| 7. The names of the seers of the hymns | 1038–1041 |
| Whitney's exploitation of the Major Anukramaṇī | 1038 |
| Doubtful points | 1038 |
| Entire books of division III. ascribed each to a single seer | 1038 |
| Value of these ascriptions of quasi-authorship | 1038 |
| Prominence of Atharvan and Brahman as seers | 1039 |
| Hymns of Atharvan and hymns of Aṅgiras: possible contrast | 1039 |
| Consistency in the ascriptions | 1039 |
| Palpably fabricated ascriptions | 1040 |
| Alphabetical index of seer-names and of passages ascribed to them | 1040–1041 |
| 8. Brief index of names and things and words and places | 1042–1044 |
| An elaborate index uncalled for here | 1042 |
| Alphabetical list of names and things | 1042 |
| Alphabetical list of Sanskrit words | 1044 |
| List of AV. passages | 1044 |
| 9. Additions and corrections | 1044–1046 |
| Omissions and errors not easy to rectify in the electrotype plates | 1045 |
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.
The longest-living author of this work died in 1941, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 82 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
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