Volume 1 - Sanskrit Web

I has
vi 62- BOOK VI. THE ATHARVA-VEDA-SAMHITA. 328
The first half-verse is nearly identical with xii. 2. 28 a, b. Durga to Nir. vi. 12 (Calcutta
ed'n, iii. 187) quotes vdifvadevim silnrtdm a rabhadhvatn, showing that sunrta
is meant here also, as in vs. 2. Ppp. reads in a vai^vdnaryaih, combines varcasd "rabh-;
for b our 2 b, covahimng yasyd "^ds;\ and begins c with ide 'ha sadh-.
63. For some one's release from perdition (nirrti).
\Druhvana (.?).
— caturrcam. 7tdirrtam: 4. dgneyl. jdgatam : i. atijagatlgarhhd ; 4. anustiibh.^
Found also (excepting vs. 3) in Paipp. xix., the fourth verse not in company with
the others. For other correspondences, see under the verses. Used by Kau9. (46.19)
in an expiatory rite for incontinence, fastening on a rope of darbha; and in rites for
welfare (52. 3), with vi. 84 and 1 21, to accompany acts of release ; vs. 4, further (46. 22),
in an expiatory rite for a spontaneously kindled fire. Vait. has the vss. i, 2, and 4
singly in the agnicayana (28.27, 26; 29.8), with the laying of bricks consecrated to
nirrti etc.
Translated : Ludwig, p. 433 ; Griffith, i. 279.
1. The tie that the divine Nirrti (perdition) bound upon thy neck,
[and] that was unreleasable, that do I
untie for thee, in order to long life
{dyics), splendor, strength ; do thou, quickened (pra-su), eat uninjurious (.')
food.
Ppp. reads in b avicrtyam, omits vdrcase, which is
metrically redundant and probably
intruded, in c, and has, for d, anamivam pitutn addhi prasfiiah, thus getting rid
of the extremely obscure adomaddm (made more obscure by the occurrence of adomadhd
in viii. 2. 18).
The comm. takes ado/iiadam as two independent words, and renders
it ' producing pleasure for a prolonged time.' The translation given is that of the Petersburg
Lexicons. A corresponding verse is found in VS. (xii. 65), TS. (iv. 2. 53), and
MS. ii. 7. 12. VS. and MS. have, in a, h,ydm . . .papain; VS. ends b with avicrtydm,
TS.MS. with avicartydm (all omitting ^(^^). In c, for tdt te, VS.MS. have tdth te, and
TS. iddm te tdt; VS.TS. end it with ayiiso nd mddhydt, MS. with -so mi mddhye.
For d, TS.MS. have dthd jlvdh pitum addhi prdmuktah, VS. dthdi 'tdm pitiim addhi
prdsutah. The verse has no yo^a/f character.
2. Homage be to thee, O Nirrti, thou of keen keenness ; unfasten the
Yama verily giveth thee back to me; to that Yama,
bond-fetters of iron.
to death, be homage.
The " thee " of the second half-verse is doubtless the person on whose behalf the spell
is uttered. The first half-verse is found combined with our 3 C, d into one verse in VS.
(xii. 63) and TS.MS. (as above). They all read su for astu in a, and for tiginatejas
TS. has viqvarupe (Ppp. has vi^vavdre') ;
their b is ayasmdyatii vt crtd bandhdtn
etdm. Ppp. has -ydn pra mumugdhi paqdn for b, and, for c, d, our 3 c, d. The whole
verse is nearly repeated below, as 84.3.
Only the last pada \%jagati.
3. Thou wast bound here to an iron post {driipadd), bridled with
deaths that are a thousand. Do thou, in concord with Yama, with the
Fathers, make this man ascend to the highest firmament.
We have the same change of address here as in the preceding verse, and it proves
that the make-up of the material as given by the Yajus texts is more original and correct.