Women in the Atharva-veda Samhita

by Pranab Jyoti Kalita | 2017 | 62,142 words

This page relates ‘Charm to Subjugate a Wicked Woman’ 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(d). Charm to Subjugate a Wicked Woman

[Full title: 3. Rites Related to Love and Jealousy, (d): Charm to Subjugate a Wicked Woman]

In order to subjugate a wicked woman, seeds of Māṣa, i.e. bean were consecrated after reciting the hymn, rathajitām…, etc. (6.130), ni śīrṣato…, etc. (6.131), and yaṃ devā…, etc. (6.132),[1] and then, were scattered over the places where the woman walks about,[2] over her bed, inside the house or in the sleeping cell.[3]

In the same rite, an effigy of that woman was pierced through the heart with an arrow of Darbha grass after reciting the hymns, cited above.[4]

But, according to Keśava,[5] the effigy of the husband was pierced in the same way instead of the woman.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

rathajitāmiti māṣasmarānnivapati / Ibid., 36.13 rathajitāmiti trīṇi / Dārila, Ibid. duṣṭāstrīvaśīkaraṇamucyate rathajitāmiti sūktaistribhirmāṣānabhimantrya striyāḥ krameṣu vapati / Keśava on Kauśika-sūtra, 36.13

[2]:

striyāḥ saṃcaraṇasthaleṣu prakṣipet / Sāyaṇa in his Introduction to the commentary on Atharvaveda, 6.130-132

[3]:

khaṭvāsthāne vā gṛhe śayanadeśe vā / Keśava on Kauśika-sūtra, 36.13

[4]:

Vide, Sāyaṇa in his Introduction to the commentary on Atharvaveda, 6.130-132

[5]:

eṣu patipratikṛtiṃ kṛtvā … hṛdaye bidhyati / Keśava on Kauśika-sūtra, 36.14

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