Essay name: Atharvaveda ancillary literature (Study)
Author:
B. R. Modak
Affiliation: Savitribai Phule Pune University / Department of Sanskrit and Prakrit Languages
The essay studies the ancillary literature of the Atharva-Veda with special reference to the Parisistas. It does so by understanding the socio-cultural and philosophical aspects of ancient Indian life. The Atharvaveda addresses encompasses all practical aspects of life from health and prosperity to rituals and sorcery.
Chapter 1 - Ancillary Literature of the Atharvaveda (other than the Parisistas)
177 (of 255)
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at many places. At I.10.3 the SK makes use of a mantra:
amso r膩j膩... which is taken from Kaus. 71.1. At II.15.5 it
uses the mantras, AV VIII.1.12-13 and VI.67.84, which are
used for getting freed from Nir峁泃i by Kaus at 97.8 and 52.3.
At I.14.9 it employs the ceremony prescribed by Kaus 1.36;
58.5. At II.12.6 it agrees with Kaus. 68.40; 140.21 in
prescribing the offering of food to the Brahma峁嘺s (under the
Krttikas). Sometimes the hymns are similarly employed in
the Kaus. and the SK that is to say either in the
worship of the same god (Kaus. 127.9 and the Pr盲j盲paty盲
santi; Kaus. 59.19 and the B盲rhaspatya santi) or to obtain a
similar object in the kamyani karmani (Kaus 59.1 and
Vaisvadevi; 59.15 and Agneyi; 59.5 and the Aindri santi).
It is also found that most of the mantras used by the SK
in connection with the fastening of the amulets of prescrib-
ed substances are identical with those mentioned in the
,38
Kaus At II.19.1 (end), the SK correctly mentions the herb
sahasrakanda (AV II.7.2) whereas the Kaus. (26.35) merely
states mantroktam
.39
The ceremony employed at II.22 is, as
has been noted, an elaboration of Kaus. 51.14-16 which latter
is employed in connection with the protection of a house.
The SK shows its acquaintance with the Vait. also.
Thus it borrows from the Vait. at II.14.2 the mantras for
(38) At Kaus. 28.9 the same substance, namely, samic眉rna,
is used but not as an amulet.
(39) The commentators, however, mention yavamani. See
Bloomfield, SBE 42, p. 285; Bolling, op. cit. p. 87.
