20-24 septembrie 2009 - Biblioteca Metropolitana Bucuresti

From myth to ritual. The horse of Pedu and the remedy... 475another myth related to the horse of Pedu. In the context of the AV, themyth of the horse of Pedu is further extended where the horse of Pedu isinvoked so that it should kill the serpents and also remove the poison ofthe snake. The Kauśika-sūtra, a major ritual text of the Atharvaveda in theŚaunaka recension prescribes the remedy as under (KauśS 32.20-22):20. With (the hymn) indrasya prathamaḥ (AVŚ 10.4) (are repeatedthe rites) which have already been mentioned (in the sūtras 28. 1-4,beginning) with takṣakāya '(homage) to Takṣaka'.21. (With the same hymn), having crushed paidva, (the priest), with thethumb of his right (hand), puts (that) in the right nostril (of the patientbitten by a snake).22. If afraid of serpents, (the priest), (with the hymn), hides (paidva) inthe hem of (one of the garments of the sacrificer).The remedy for removing the effects of snake's poison consists inrubbing the crushed Paidva into the nostril of the patient. This remedy, arudimentary form of the nasya practice of later Indian medicine, has alsobeen prescribed by the KauśS (35.8-10) in the rite for ensuring the birthof a male child (puṃsavana; cf. Śāṇkhāyana Gṛhya Sūtra 1.20.5). Fromthese sūtras, it appears that the remedy for removing the effects of poisonhas already been prescribed at KauśS 28.1-4 and that the same is to berepeated as the remedy for removing snake's poison. In addition to that, theauthor of the KauśS prescribes a special remedy with the use of paidva, theindication of which is clearly found in the hymn concerned.Now it is obvious that the horse of Pedu, Paidva, is not meant here, asit is impossible to employ the mythical horse in the ritual. It is thereforesubstituted by something else. In this context, BLOOMFIELD remarks:"The substitution of something inconvenient to attain, or altogetherunattainable, of an article easily at hand I have found once before in theAtharvan ceremonial. For the Paidva which at ṚV i.116.6; ix.88.4; AVx.4, means 'the horse of Pedu which slays serpents' there is substituted atKauśS 32.21-22; 35.4 by an insect, hostile to serpents, it may be supposed;this is manipulated instead of the legendary horse". Now, it is not clearfrom the sūtras what really meant by paidva in the context of the remedyfor removing snake's poison. All what can be understood is on the basis ofthe commentators of the KauśS, namely, Dārila and Keśava. Both of themassume some sort of insect to be employed in the rite. Dārila thinks thatthe insect is of the form of a tortoise and is to be kept in a box (paidvaḥkañjuṣāyām (emended to mañjūṣāyām) adhaḥ kacchapākāraḥ, DārilaBhāṣā, p. 100). Keśava gives some description of paidva. According to