१५५

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सायण-भाष्यम्

’ अरायि ’ इति पञ्चर्चं चतुर्थं सूक्तं भरद्वाजपुत्रस्य शिरिम्बिठस्यार्षमानुष्टुभम् । जपहोमादिभिरिदं सूक्तमश्रीनाशकरम् । तत्राद्योपान्त्ययोस्तादृशोऽर्थ एव देवता । द्वितीयातृतीये ब्राह्मणस्पत्ये । पञ्चमी वैश्वदेवी । अनुक्रम्यते हि-’ अरायि शिरिम्बिठो भारद्वाजोऽलक्ष्मीघ्नं द्वितीयातृतीये ब्राह्मणस्पत्ये अन्त्या वैश्वदेवी ’ इति । गतो विनियोगः ।।

Jamison Brereton

155 (981)
Spell to Remove Misfortune (1, 4), Brahmaṇaspati (2–3), All Gods (5) [Against a Witch]
Śirimbiṭha Bhāradvāja
5 verses: anuṣṭubh
A type of female demon known as the Sadān(u)vā is the target of this Atharvan type hymn; the Sadānvā is found only here in the R̥gveda, but is well represented in the Atharvaveda (AVŚ II.14, AVP II.4, V.1 and 9, VI.8.1, etc.; see further dis cussion and references in Zehnder 1999, Lubotsky 2002, Griffiths 2009 ad locc.). The Sadānvās are monumentally ugly (vs. 1) and seem to pose a threat especially to unborn children (vs. 2) and, in the Atharvaveda passages, to the household and livestock in general. In this hymn they are also sexually menacing and sexually repulsive (vs. 4).
In the first three verses the Sadānvā is attacked and sent away in good Atharvan fashion, but the hymn takes another rhetorical turn starting in verse 4, which announces the defeat of Indra’s rivals in the high style of a victory paean, to the apparent accompaniment of the Sadānvās beating their breasts in stylized mourn ing. And in verse 5 the defeat of the hostile forces has been effected not by an Atharvan-like charm, as in the earlier parts of the hymn, but by ritual activity on the sacrificial ground and by the creation of “fame” among the gods—both features that are associated with the more solemn R̥gvedic priestly and martial ethic. This shift in diction and attitude is striking, and it may have been felt necessary (or at least desir able) to “R̥gvedify” the charm when it was incorporated into the R̥gveda collection.

01 अरायि काणे - अनुष्टुप्

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अरा॑यि॒ काणे॒ विक॑टे गि॒रिं ग॑च्छ सदान्वे ।
शि॒रिम्बि॑ठस्य॒ सत्व॑भि॒स्तेभि॑ष्ट्वा चातयामसि ॥

02 चत्तो इतश्चत्तामुतः - अनुष्टुप्

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च॒त्तो इ॒तश्च॒त्तामुतः॒ सर्वा॑ भ्रू॒णान्या॒रुषी॑ ।
अ॒रा॒य्यं॑ ब्रह्मणस्पते॒ तीक्ष्ण॑शृण्गोदृ॒षन्नि॑हि ॥

03 अदो यद्दारु - अनुष्टुप्

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अ॒दो यद्दारु॒ प्लव॑ते॒ सिन्धोः॑ पा॒रे अ॑पूरु॒षम् ।
तदा र॑भस्व दुर्हणो॒ तेन॑ गच्छ परस्त॒रम् ॥

04 यद्ध प्राचीरजगन्तोरो - अनुष्टुप्

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यद्ध॒ प्राची॒रज॑ग॒न्तोरो॑ मण्डूरधाणिकीः ।
ह॒ता इन्द्र॑स्य॒ शत्र॑वः॒ सर्वे॑ बुद्बु॒दया॑शवः ॥

05 परीमे गामनेषत - अनुष्टुप्

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परी॒मे गाम॑नेषत॒ पर्य॒ग्निम॑हृषत ।
दे॒वेष्व॑क्रत॒ श्रवः॒ क इ॒माँ आ द॑धर्षति ॥