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The Atharvaveda is the third of the four canonical texts of Hinduism, the Vedas. By some, it is estimated to have been composed between 1400 and 1000 BC, the Yajurveda 'Samhita', or 'compilation', contains the liturgy needed to perform the...
mantras, the Rigvedic
KhilaniThe Khilani are a collection of 98 "apocryphal" hymns of the Rigveda, recorded in the , but not in the shakha. They are late additions to the text of the Rigveda, but still belong to the "Mantra" period of Vedic Sanskrit.-Literature:...
, and the
{{IASTThe Sama veda , is second of the four Vedas, the ancient core Hindu scriptures. Its earliest parts are believed to date from 1700 BC and it ranks next in sanctity and liturgical importance to the Rigveda...
.
The Atharvaveda is also the first Indic text to mention
ironIron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
(as {{IAST|śyāma ayas}}, literally "black metal"), so that scholarly consensus dates the bulk of the Atharvaveda hymns to the early Indian
Iron AgeThe Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
, corresponding to the
12th-Overview:The 12th century BC is the period from 1200 to 1101 BC. Although many human societies were literate in this period, most individual persons mentioned in this article ought to be considered legendary rather than historical...
to
10thThe 10th century BC started the first day of 1000 BC and ended the last day of 901 BC.- Overview :This period followed the Bronze Age collapse in the Near East, and the century saw the Early Iron Age take hold there. The Greek Dark Ages which had come about in 1200 BC continued. The Neo-Assyrian...
centuries BC, or the early Kuru kingdom.
Tradition suggests that {{IAST|Paippalāda}}, one of the early collators, and {{IAST|Vaidharbhī}}, one of the late contributors associated with the Atharvanic text, lived during the reign of prince Hiranyanabha of the
{{IASTThe Ikshvaku dynasty, in Puranic literature, was a mythical dynasty founded by Ikshvaku, grandson of Vivasvan or Surya and son of Vaivasvata Manu. This dynasty is also known as . The important personalities belonging to this royal house are Harishchandra, Dilīpa, Sagara, Raghu, Rama and Prasenajit...
.
Divisions and issues of note
- The Shaunakiya text is clearly divided into four parts: {{IAST| Kāṇḍas}} 1-7 deal with healing and general black and white magic that is to be applied in all situations of life, from the first tooth of a baby to regaining kingship. Kandas 8-12 constitute early speculation on the nature of the universe and of humans as well as on ritual and are thus predecessors of the Upanishads. They continue the speculative tradition of some Rigvedic poets. Kandas 13-18 deal with issues of a householder's life, such as marriage, death and female rivalry, as well as with the ambiguous Vratyas on the fringes of society and with the Rohita sun as an embodiment of royal power. Kanda 19 is an addition, and Kanda 20 is a very late addition containing Rigvedic hymns for the use of the Atharvanic Brahmanacchamsin priest as well as for the enigmatic Kuntapa ritual of the Kuru kingdom of Parikshit. The Paippalada text has a similar arrangement into four parts (Kandas 1-15, 16-17, 18, 19-20) with roughly the same contents.
- The popular Gopala Tapini Upanishad, among Nimbarka Sampradaya
The Nimbarka Sampradaya , also known as the Hamsa Sampradāya, Kumāra Sampradāya, ' and Sanakādi Sampradāya, is one of the four authorised Sampradāyas as according to the Padma , one of the eighteen main...
and Gaudiya VaishnavismGaudiya Vaishnavism is a Vaishnava religious movement founded by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in India in the 16th century. "Gaudiya" refers to the Gauḍa region with Vaishnavism meaning "the worship of Vishnu"...
, belongs to Paippalada Samhita.http://www.vedamu.org/vedas/AtharvanaVedam/Pippaladasakha/Pippaladasakha.asp
- Jain and Buddhist texts are considerably more hostile to the Atharvaveda (they call it {{IAST|Aggvāna}} or {{IAST|Ahavāna}} Veda) than they are to the other Hindu texts. {{Citation needed|date=August 2007}}
- The AV is the first Indic
Indic can refer to:* Indo-Aryan languages* Indic scripts* Related to the Indian Subcontinent* of or related to India ; see Indica...
{{dn|date=October 2011}} text dealing with medicineMedicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
. It identifies the causes of diseaseA disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...
as living causative agents such as the {{IAST|yatudhāna}}, the {{IAST|kimīdin}}, the {{IAST|krimi}} or {{IAST|kṛmi}} and the {{IAST|durṇāma}}. The {{IAST|Atharvans}} seek to kill them with a variety of incantations or plant-based drugs in order to counter the disease (see XIX.34.9). This approach to disease is quite different compared to the trihumoral theory of AyurvedaAyurveda or ayurvedic medicine is a system of traditional medicine native to India and a form of alternative medicine. In Sanskrit, words , meaning "longevity", and , meaning "knowledge" or "science". The earliest literature on Indian medical practice appeared during the Vedic period in India,...
. Remnants of the original {{IAST|Atharvanic}} thought did persist, as can be seen in {{IAST|Suśruta's}} medical treatise and in ({{IAST|Garuḍa Purāṇa, karma kāṃḍa}} - chapter: 164). Here, following the {{IAST|Atharvan}} theory, the {{IAST|Purāṇic}} text suggests germA microorganism or microbe is a microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters, or no cell at all...
s as a cause for leprosyLeprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...
. In the same chapter, {{IAST|Suśruta}} also expands on the role of helminths in disease. These two can be directly traced back to the Atharvaveda {{IAST|saṃhitā}}. The hymn AV I.23-24 describes the disease leprosy and recommends the {{IAST|rajani auṣadhi}} for its treatmentPharmacotherapy is the treatment of disease through the administration of drugs. As such, it is considered part of the larger category of therapy....
. From the description of the {{IAST|auṣadhi}} as a black, branching entity with dusky patches, it is very likely that it is a lichen with antibioticAn antibacterial is a compound or substance that kills or slows down the growth of bacteria.The term is often used synonymously with the term antibiotic; today, however, with increased knowledge of the causative agents of various infectious diseases, antibiotic has come to denote a broader range of...
properties. Thus the AV may be one of the earliest texts to record uses of the antibiotic agents.
- The Atharvaveda also informs about warfare. A variety of devices, such as an arrow with a duct for poison ({{IAST|apāskambha}}) and castor bean poison, poisoned net and hook traps, use of disease-spreading insects and smoke screens {{Citation needed|date=April 2008}} find a place in the Atharvaveda {{IAST|saṃhita}} (e.g., hymns IX.9 and IX.10, the {{IAST|trisaṃdi}} and {{IAST|nyārbudi hymns}}). These references to military practices and associated {{IAST
*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
rites were what gave the Atharvaveda its reputation. In the MahabharataThe Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
, there is a frequent comparison between weapons and the mantras of the heroes.
- Several regular and special ritual
A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers....
s of the Aryans {{IAST|ārya}} are a major concern of the Atharvaveda, just as in the three other Vedas. The major rituals covered by the AV are marriage in {{IAST|kāṃḍa}} - XIV and the funeral in {{IAST|kāṃḍa}} - XVIII. There are also hymns that are specific to rituals of the {{IAST|bhṛgu-aṅgirasas}}, {{IAST|vrātyas}} and {{IAST|kṣatriyas}}. One peculiar rite is the {{IAST|Viṣāsahi Vrata}}, performed with the mantras of the XVII {{IAST|kāṃḍa}} in a spell against female rivals. The {{IAST|Vrātya}} rituals were performed by individuals who took on a semi-nomadic way of living and were generally roaming about in neighboring tribal territories to gain wealth in cattle by putting pressure on householders {{IAST|grihastha}}. Finally, there are some rituals aimed at the destruction of the enemies ({{IAST|Abhicārika hymns}} and rites), particularly found in chapters 1-7. While these support traditional negative views on the AV, in content, they are mirrored by several other hymns from the Rig as well as the {{IAST|Yajuṣes}}. Moreover, {{IAST|Abhicārika}} rites were an integral part of Vedic culture, as is amply attested in the {{IAST|brāhmaṇa}} literature. Thus, the Atharvaveda is fully within the classic Vedic fold, though it was more specific to certain {{IAST|Brahmán}} clans of priests. The development of the {{IAST|Abhichārika}} rites to their more "modern" form is clearly seen in the {{IAST|vidhāna}} literature. The author of the {{IAST|ṛgvidhāna}} provides passing reference to the development of similar rites in the AV tradition (the references to the {{IAST|Āṅgirasa Krityās}}). These rites reached their culmination in the {{IAST|Kauśika}} Sutra and in some of the {{IAST|Pariśiṣṭas}} (appendices) of the {{IAST|Atharvan}} literature.
- Philosophical excursions are found in books 8-12. One of the most spectacular expressions of philosophical thought is seen in the hymn XII.I, the Hymn to goddess Earth or the {{IAST
For recent English translation of the Pṛthivī Sūkta hymn,check, In Praise of Mother Earth: The Pṛthivī Sūkta of the Atharva Veda Translated by O.P Dwivedi & Christopher Key Chapple, Los Angeles: Marymount Institute Press, 2011....
used in the {{IAST|Āgrayana rite}}. The foundations of {{IAST|Vaiṣeśika}} {{IAST|Darśana}} is expressed in the mantra XII.1.26 in which the atoms ({{IAST|Pāṃsu}}) are described forming the stone, the stones agglutinating to form the rocks and the rocks held together to form the earth. Early pantheistic thought is seen in the hymn X.7 that describes the common thread running through all manifest and non-manifest existence as the {{IAST|skaṃbha}}. This {{IAST|skaṃbha}} is described as what poured out of the {{IAST|Hiraṇyagarbha}} that was the precursor of the complex world in a very simple form (X.7.28). (Hiraṇyagarba = "The golden womb from which the Universe was formed.") This Skambha is Indra, and Indra is the Skambha which describes all existence. The hymn also describes a pantheistic nature of the Vedic gods (X.7.38): {{IAST|skaṃbha}} is the heat ({{IAST|tapaḥTapah is the administrative town of the district Batang Padang, Perak, Malaysia .The name "Tapah" is said to be originated from the name of a fresh water fish, "Ikan Tapah"...
}}) that spreads through the universe ({{IAST|Bhuvana}}) as waves of water; the units of this spreading entity are the gods even as branches of one tree. This theme is repeatedly presented in various interpretations in later Hindu philosophies.
Editions
The Shaunakiya text was edited by Rudolf Roth and
William Dwight WhitneyWilliam Dwight Whitney was an American linguist, philologist, and lexicographer who edited The Century Dictionary.-Life:William Dwight Whitney was born in Northampton, Massachusetts on February 9, 1827. His father was Josiah Dwight Whitney of the New England Dwight family...
(Berlin, 1856), Shankar Pandurang Pandit in the 1890s (Bombay) and by Vishva Bandhu (
HoshiarpurHoshiarpur is a city and a municipal council in Hoshiarpur district in the Indian state of Punjab. It was founded, according to tradition, during the early part of the fourth century. In 1809 it was occupied by the forces of Maharaja Karanvir Singh and was united into the greater state of Punjab....
, 1960–62). Translations into English were made by Ralph Griffith (2 vols., Benares 1897), D. Whitney (revised by Lanman, 2 vols, Cambridge, Mass. 1905), and M. Bloomfield (
SBEThe Sacred Books of the East is a monumental 50-volume set of English translations of Asian religious writings, edited by Max Müller and published by the Oxford University Press between 1879 and 1910...
Vol XLII); also see Bloomfield, "The Atharvaveda" in "Grundriss der Indoarischen Philologie", II (Strasburg, 1899).
The bulk of the {{IAST|Paippalāda}} text was edited by Leroy Carr Barret from 1905 to 1940 (book 6 by F. Edgerton, 1915) from a single
KashmirKashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
ian {{IAST manuscript (now in
TübingenTübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...
). This edition is outdated, since various other manuscripts were subsequently discovered in
OrissaOrissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
. Some manuscripts are in the Orissa State Museum, but many manuscripts are in private possession and are kept hidden by their owners.
In 1959 Durgamohan Bhattacharyya Professor at Sanskrit College, Calcutta could collect many manuscripts of the Paippalāda-Saṃhitā and its ancillary literature like the Āṅgirasakalpa after painstaking search over years in Orissa and South-West Bengal. Durgamohan Bhattacharyya’s discovery of a living tradition of the Paippalāda-Saṃhitā, unknown till then, was hailed in the Indological world as epoch making. Ludwig Alsdorf went so far as to say that it was the greatest event in Indology. Bhattacharyya died in 1965 living his edition of the text incomplete. This task was completed by Dipak Bhattacharya whose critical edition of the first 18 kāṇḍas published by the Asiatic Society, Calcutta came out in three volumes in 1997, 2008 and 2011.
Work till now done on the new manuscripts.
1. Books 1–4 were first edited by
Durgamohan Bhattacharyya and published by the Sanskrit College, Calcutta in 1964 and 1970 with a ‘precious store of material… being spread out before our eyes’ (Karl Hoffmann).
2. There was a provisional (unpublished) edition of books 6-9 and 20 by
Dipak Bhattacharya at Leiden in 1982.
The Asiatic Society edition by Dipak Bhattacharya (1997, 2008, 2011) comprises a revision of the part edited by Durgamohan Bhattacharyya (books 1-4) apart from original edition of the remaining part. The last two books (19-20), at present in press, are likely to come out by 2012.
Works done on the new edition
1. Book 2 was translated into
German by Thomas Zehnder (1999).
2. Book 5 into
English by Alexander Lubotsky (2002).
3. Books 6-7
by Arlo Griffiths (2009).
4. Books 13-14
by Carlos A. Lopez (2011).
They suggested many emendations. See Dipak Bhattacharya’s Introduction to the second and third volumes (AS, 2008, 2011) for an appraisal. A huge literature has come up on the Paippalāda-Saṃhitā in the last five decades, particularly since 1984.
Recitation style of the Atharvaveda
The current recitation style of this Veda mostly resembles the Rigvedic one.
The Shaunaka Shakha of the Atharvaveda is recited in western Saurastra, at Benares, Gokarna and, after a recent introduction from Benares, also in South India (Tirupati,
ChidambaramChidambaram is a fast growing industrial city in Eastern part of Tamil Nadu and the taluk headquarters of the Cuddalore district. It is located in 58 km from Pondicherry, 60 km from Karaikal, and 240 km south of Chennai by rail...
, etc.). The Gokarna version follows the northern style, which resembles the way the Maharashtrians recite the Rigveda Samhita. In Varanasi, which derives its style from
Gujarat, the way of recitation is little different. Similarly in South India, the Shaunaka Shaka is recited using the Rig Veda as a base, with minute variations in Kampa Svara.
The Paippalada Shakha of the Atharvaveda is recited in
OrissaOrissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
in samhita-patha, however not with typical Vedic svara
http://vedpradip.com/panditdetails.php?pid=713&linkid=3&vedid=4&shaka=9,
http://vedpradip.com/panditdetails.php?pid=715&linkid=3&vedid=4&shaka=9http://vedpradip.com/panditdetails.php?pid=143&linkid=3&vedid=4&shaka=9, and in south
JharkhandJharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...
districts by some migrants of Utkala Brahmins,
http://www.vedamu.org/E-commerce/products.asp?catId=13 while its Kashmir branch has been extinct for some centuries.