1. List of Hymns pertaining to Women

After having a discussion on the contents of the Atharvaveda Saṃhitā in the previous chapter, as the proposed study is chiefly connected with women, hence, in the present chapter, the strīkarmāṇi hymns of the Atharvaveda are going to be discussed. For this, it is at first necessary to enlist the hymns which may be enumerated under this division. Bloomfield has enumerated thirty-three hymns which pertain to women. A list of these hymns has been prepared with the help of Bloomfield’s list keeping his sequence unchanged.

It has already been mentioned that the contents of the Atharvaveda have been divided into manifold ways on the basis of their ritualistic application and therefore, the references of their ritualistic application which occur in the Kauśikasūtra, the Gṛhya manual of the Atharvaveda, have been given in this list.

Serial No.	Hymns of the Atharvaveda	No. of total mantras	Ref. in the Kauśikasūtra	Seer	Metre	Deity	Application
1	2.36	8	34.13, 14,16; 75.7	Pativedana	1,Bhurij Anuṣṭup; 2,5-7, Anuṣṭup; 3-4, Triṣṭup; 8, Nicṛtpurauṣṇik	Agni, Soma, Dhātā, Bhaga	For obtaining a husband
2	6.60	3	34.22	Atharvan	Anuṣṭup	Aryaman	For obtaining a husband
3	6.82	3	36.10, 11	Bhaga	Anuṣṭup	Indra	For obtaining a wife
4	6.78	3	70.10, 14	Atharvan	Anuṣṭup	Candramas, Tvaṣṭā	For matrimonial happiness
5	7.36	1	79.2	Atharvan	Anuṣṭup	Akṣi	Marriage Ceremony
6	7.37	1	79.7	Atharvan	Anuṣṭup	Liṅgokta	Marriage Ceremony
7	6.81	3	35.11, 26	Tvaṣṭā	Anuṣṭup	Mantrokta	For successful pregnancy
8	3.23	6	35.3	Brahman	Anuṣṭup; 5,Upariṣṭāt Bhurik Bṛhatī; 6,Skandho- grīvī Bṛhatī	Candramas, Yoni	For obtaining a son
9	6.11	3	35.8; 19.14; 35.15	Prajāpati	Anuṣṭup	Reta	For obtaining a son
10	7.35	3	36.33	Atharvan	Anuṣṭup; 1,3, Triṣṭup	Jātavedas	For the sterilisation of a rival woman
11	6.17	4	35.15	Atharvan	Anuṣṭup	Garbhadṛ-haṇa	Against abortion
12	1.11	6	33.1	Atharvan	1,Paṅkti; 2,Anuṣṭup; 3, Catuṣpadā Uṣṇikgarbhā Kakummatī Anuṣṭup; 4-6, Pathyāpaṅkti	Pūṣa	For easy parturition
13	1.34	5	38.17; 76.8; 79.10	Atharvan	Anuṣṭup	Vanaspati	To secure the love of a woman
14	2.30	5	35.21	Prajāpati	Anuṣṭup; 1, Pathyāpaṅkti; 3, Bhurij Anuṣṭup	Aśvins	To secure the love of a woman
15	6.8	3	35.21; 53.17	Jamadagni	Pathyāpaṅkti	Kāmātmā	To secure the love of a woman
16	6.9	3	35.21	Jamadagni	Anuṣṭup	Kāmātmā	To secure the love of a woman
17	6.102	3	35.21; 19.1	Jamadagni	Anuṣṭup	Aśvins	To secure the love of a woman
18	3.25	6	35.22; 23	Brahman	Anuṣṭup	Candramas, Yoni	To arouse the passionate love of a woman
19	6.139	5	36.12	Atharvan	1,Tryavasānā Ṣaṭpadā Virāḍ Jagatī; 2-5, Anuṣṭup	Vanaspati	To arouse the passionate love of a woman
20	7.38	5	36.12	Atharvan	Anuṣṭup; 3, Catuṣpadā Uṣṇik	Vanaspati	Against cowife
21	6.130	4	36.13, 14	Atharvāṅg -iras	Anuṣṭup; 1, Virāṭ Purastād Bṛhatī	Smara	To arouse the passionate love of a woman
22	6.131	3	36.13, 14	Atharvāṅg -iras	Anuṣṭup	Smara	To arouse the passionate love of a woman
23	6.132	5	36.13, 14	Atharvāṅg -iras	1, Tripadā Anuṣṭup; 2-4, Tripadā Virāṭ Mahābṛhatī; 3, Bhurij Anuṣṭup; 5,Tripadā Mahābṛhatī	Smara	To arouse the passionate love of a woman
24	4.5	7	36.1	Brahman	Anuṣṭup; 2, Bhurij Anuṣṭup; 7, Purastāt Jyoti Triṣṭup	Svāpanam	To put to sleep
25	6.77	3	36.5	Kabandha	Anuṣṭup	Jātavedas	To cause to return of a truant woman
26	6.18	3	36.25, 26	Atharvan	Anuṣṭup	Īrṣyāvināś-ana	To allay jealousy
27	7.45	1	36.25, 27	Atharvan	Anuṣṭup	Mantrokta	To remove jealousy
28	1.14	4	36.15, 16	Bhṛgvaṅg- iras	1,Kakummatī Anuṣṭup; 2,4, Anuṣṭup; 3, Catuṣpāt Virāṭ Anuṣṭup	Varuṇa	Imprecation of spinsterhood on a woman
29	3.18	6	36.19, 21	Atharvan	Anuṣṭup; 4, Anuṣṭupgarbhā catuṣpād Uṣṇik; 6, Uṣṇikgarbhāpa-thyāpaṅkti	Vanaspati	Against a rival wife: with a plan
30	6.138	5	48.32	Atharvan	Anuṣṭup; 3, Pathyāpaṅkti	Vanaspati	For depriving a man of his virility
31	1.18	4	42.19	Draviṇodas	1, Upariṣṭād Virāṭ Bṛhatī; 2,Nicṛt Jagatī; 3, Virāṭ Āstārapaṅkti Triṣṭup; 4, Anuṣṭup		To remove evil characteristics from a woman
32	6.110	3	46.25	Atharvan	Triṣṭup; 1,Paṅkti	Agni	For a son born at an unlucky star
33	6.140	3	46.43	Atharvan	1,Urobṛhatī; 2,Upariṣṭāt Jyotiṣmatī Triṣṭup; 3,Āstārapaṅkti	Brahmaṇa -spati	Expiation for the irregular appearance of the first pair of teeth of a child

Three more hymns, which are not enumerated by Bloomfield have been found as pertaining to women. A list of these hymns has been furnished below.

Serial No.	Hymns of the Atharva -veda	No. of total mantras	Ref. in the Kauśikasūtra	Seer	Metre	Deity	Application
1	5.25	13	35.5	Brahman	Anuṣṭup; 13, Virāṭ Purastād Bṛhatī	Yonigarbha	For male conception
2	6.89	3	36.10- 11	Atharvan	Anuṣṭup	Mantrokta	To win love
3	8.6	26	8.24; 35.20	Mātṛnāman	Anuṣṭup; 2, Purastād Bṛhatī; 10,Jagatī; 11,12,14, 16, Pathyā-paṅkti; 15, Śakvarī; 17, Tathā Jagatī	Mantrokta	To guard a woman from demons

These hymns, pertaining to woman deal with various aspects of their lives. Before going to the detailed discussion on the contents of these hymns, it is to be cleared that the ritualistic applications of these hymns have been furnished in another chapter and whatever is going to be discussed here, in this chapter, are the contents of these hymns.