Women in the Atharva-veda Samhita
by Pranab Jyoti Kalita | 2017 | 62,142 words
This page relates ‘Rites to Appease the Anger of a Husband or a Wife’ of the study on women in the Vedic society reflecting the Atharva-veda Samhita in English. These pages discusses the social aspects of women, education, customs of marriage, practices of polyandry and polygamy, descriptions of female deities and various rites and rituals. It is shown how women earned much praise in ancient Indian society. Included are Sanskrit text and references of the Atharvaveda and commentary by Sayana-Acharya.
3(a). Rites to Appease the Anger of a Husband or a Wife
[Full title: 3. Rites Related to Love and Jealousy, (a): Rites to Appease the Anger of a Husband or a Wife]
Besides the rites discussed above, certain rites, related to the personal life of a woman were also in vogue in the Atharvavedic society. As for instance, to appease the anger of the husband, a woman had to hold a stone in her hands staring at her angry husband.[1] Then, she had to throw the stone on the earth muttering the Atharvavedic verse, sakhāyāviva…, etc. (6.42.2),[2] and then, she had to spit on the stone with the recitation of the Atharvavedic verse, abhitiṣṭhāmi…, etc. (6.42.3).[3] Then, consecrating a bow with the three Atharvavedic verses, viz. avajyāmiva…, etc. (6.42.13), she had to bury it at the shadow of her husband.[4] The same process might be altered to appease an enraged wife also.[5]
To restore the mutual love between husband and wife, the head and ears of either of them who had violated the bond of love, were to be consecrated by reciting the Atharvavedic triplets, idaṃ yatpreṇyaḥ…, etc. (6.89.1-3).[6]
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
[3]:
tṛtīyayābhiniṣṭhīvati / Kauśika-sūtra, 36.30
[4]:
chāyāyāṃ sajyaṃ karoti / Kauśika-sūtra, 36.31 manyustasya chāyāyāṃ dhanurāgopayati / Dārila, Ibid.
[5]:
evaṃ puruṣaviṣaye striyā manyuvināśanārthaṃ uktaṃ karma kuryāt / Sāyaṇa in his Introduction to the commentary on Atharvaveda, 6.42
[6]:
Kauśika-sūtra, 36.10