Atharva - Veda means 'the Veda of the Atharvan' or 'the knowledge of Magic Formulas'. Originally, however, the word meaning 'fire priest', dates back to the Indo-Iranian period. It is a collection of 731 hymns, which contain about 6,000 verses, in the recension which is best preserved. The great importance of the Atharva - Veda Samhita lies in the very fact that it is an invaluable source of knowledge of the real popular belief as yet uninfluenced by the priestly religion, of the faith in numberless spirits, imps, ghosts, and demons of every kind, and of the witchcraft, so eminently important to ethnology and for the history of religion.

This work includes in the first place, critical notes upon the text, giving the various readings of the manuscripts, and not alone of those collated by Whiney in Europe, but also of those of the apparatus used by S. P. Pandit in the great Bombay edition; second, the readings of Paippalada of Kashmere version, furnished by the late Professor Roth; further, notice of the corresponding passages in all the other Vedic texts, with report of the various readings; the data of the Hindu scholiast respecting authorship, divinity, and metre of each verse; also references to the ancillary literature, especially to the well-edited Kausika and Vaitana Sutras, with account of the ritualistic use therein made of the hymns or parts of hymns, so far as this appears to cast any light upon their meaning; also, extracts from the printed commentary; and finally, a simple literal translation with introduction and indices.

William Dwight Whitney (1827-1894) studied Sanskrit for three years in Germany, and gained wide reputation for his scholarship in this field. At Yale University, he became professor of Sanskrit in 1854, adding comparative philology in 1869. He became secretary to the American Oriental Society in 1857 and its president in 1884. He was editor-in-chief of the first edition of the respected Century Dictionary, published in 1889.

Whitney revised definitions for the 1864 edition of Webster’s American Dictionary, and in 1869 became a founder and first president of the American Philological Association. He wrote metrical translations of the Vedas, and numerous papers on the Vedas and linguistics, many of which were collected in the Oriental and Linguistic Studies Series (1872-74). He wrote several books on language, and grammar textbooks of English, French, German, and Sanskrit.

Whitney’s labors on the Atharva-Veda. – As early as March, 1851, at Berlin, during Whitney’s first semester as a student in Germany, his teacher Weber was so impressed by his scholarly ability as to suggest to him the plan of editing an important Vedic text. The impression produced upon Roth in Tubingen by Whitney during the following summer semester was in no wise different, and resulted in the plan for a joint editing began accordingly upon his return Berlin for his second winter semester. His fundamental autograph transcript of the Atharva-Veda Samhita is contained in his Collation-Book, and appears from the dates of that book to have been made in short interval between October, 1851, and March, 1852. The second summer in Tubingen (1852) was doubtless spent partly in studying the text thus copied, partly in planning with Roth the details of the method of editing, partly in helping to make the tool, so important for further progress, the index of Rig-Veda pratikas, and so on; the concordance of the four principle Samhitas, in which, to be sure, Whitney’s party was only “a secondary one,” was issued under the date November, 1852. During the winter of 1852-3 he copied the Praticakhya and its commentary contained in the Berlin codex (Weber, No. 361), as is stated in his edition, p. 334. As noted below (pp. xliv, I), the collation of the Paris and Oxford and London manuscripts of the Atharvan Samhita followed in the spring and early summer of 1853, just before his return (in August) to America. The copy of the text for the printer, made with exquisite neatness in nagari letter by Mr. Whitney’s hand, is still preserved.

The Edition of the text or “First volume.” - The first part of the work, containing book i.-xix of the appeared in Berlin with a provisional preface date February, 1855. The provisional preface announces that the text of book xx. will not be given in full, but only the Kuntapa-hymns, and, for the rest of it, merely reference to the Rig-Veda; and promises, as the principal contents of the second part, seven of the eight items of accessory material enumerated below.- This plan, however, was changed, and the second part appeared in fact as a thin Heft of about 70 pages, giving book xx. in full, and that only. To it was prefixed a half-sheet containing the definitive preface and a new title-page. The definitive preface is dated October, 1856, and adds an eight item, exegetical notes, to the promises of the provisional preface. The new title-page ahs the words “Erster Band. Text,” thus implicitly promising a second volume, in which, according to the definitive preface, the accessory material was to be published.

Relation of this work to the “First volume” and to this Series. – Of the implicit promise of that title-page, the present work is intended to complete the fulfillment. As most of the labor the first volume had fallen to Whitney, so most of the labor upon the projected “second was of have been done by Roth. In fact, however, it turned out that Roth’s very great services for the criticism and exegesis of this Veda took a different from, and are embodied on the on hand in his contributions to the St. Petersburg Lexicon, and consist on the other in his brilliant discovery of the Kashmirian recension of this Veda and his collations of the text thereof with that of the Vulgate. Nevertheless, as is clearly apparent (page xvii), Whitney thought and spoke of this work as a “Second volume of the Roth-Whitney edition of the Atharva-Veda,” and called it “our volume” in writing to Roth (cf. p. lxxxvi); and letters exchanged between the two friends in 1894 discuss the question whether the “Second volume” ought not to be published by the same house (F. Dummler’s) that issued the first in 1856. It would appear from Whitney’s last letter to Roth (written April 10, 1894, shortly before his death), that he had determined to have the work published in the Harvard Series, and Roth’s last letter to Whitney (dated April 23) expresses his great satisfaction at this arrangement. This plan had the cordial approval of my friend Henry Clarke Warren, and, while still in relatively fair healthy, he generously gave to the University the money to pay for the printing.

External from of this work. – It is on account of the relation just explained, and also in deference to Whitney’s express wishes, that the size of the printed page of this work and the size of the paper have been chosen to much those of the “First volume.” The pages have been numbered continuously from 1 to 1009, as if this work were indeed one volume; but, since it was expedient to separate the work into two halves in binding, I have done so and designated those halves as volumes seven and eight of the Harvard Oriental Series. The volume are substantially bound and properly lettered; the leaves are open at the front; and the top is cut without spoiling the margin. The purpose of the inexpensive gilt top is not for ornament, but rather to save the volumes from the injury by dirt and discoloration which is so common with ragged hand-cut tops. The work has been electrotyped, and will thus, it is hoped, be quite free from the blemished occasioned by the displacement of letters, the breaking off of accents, and the like.

PLATES, ONE IN EACH VOLUME OF THE WORK

Portrait of Whtney, facing page
Facsimile of Kashmirian text, birch-bark leaf a, just before page

PREFATORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL AND RELATED MATTER
Paragraphs in lieu of a preface by Whitney

Announcement of this work
Statement of its plan and scope and design
The purpose and limitations and method of the translation

Editor's Preface

Whiney's labors on the Atharva-Veda
The edition of the text or the "First Volume"
Relation of this work to the "First volume"
And to this Series
External form of this work
Its general scope as determined by previous promise and fulfilment

Of the critical notes in particular
Scope of the work as transcending previous promise
Evolution form of this work
Partial rewriting and revision by Whitney
Picking up the broken threads
Relation of the editor's work to that of the author

Parts for which the author is not responsible
The General Introduction, Part I.: by the editor
The same, Part II. : elaborated in part from the author's material
The editor's special introduction to the eighteen books,
The special introductions to the hymns: additions by the editor
His bibliography of previous translations and discussions: contained in
The paragraphs beginning with the word "Translated"
Added special introductions to the hymns of book etc.
Other editorial additions at the beginning and the end of hymns
Other additions of considerable extent
The seven tables appended to the later volume of this work
Unmarked minor additions and other minor changes
The marked minor additions and other minor changes

The revision of the author's additions and other minor changes
Accentuation of words
Cross-references
Orthography of Anglicized proper names
Editorial short-comings and the changes of error
The biographical and related matter
General significance of Whitney's work
Need of a systematic commentary on the Rig-Veda
The Century Dictionary of the English Language
Acknowledgments
Human personality and the progress of science
The same in English verse and in Sanskrit verse

Biographical and related matter

Brief sketch of whitney's life: by the editor
Estimate of Whitney's character and the services: by the editor
Select list of Whitney's writings: by Whitney

GENERAL INTRODUCTION, PART I. : BY THE EDITOR
General Premise

Scope of this Part of the Introduction
Scope of the reports of the variant readings
The term "manuscripts" often used loosely for "authorities"
Which authorities are both manuscripts and oral reciters.
Difficulty of verifying statements as to authorities

1. Readings of European manuscripts of the Vulgate recension
   Reports include mss. collated, some before, and some after publication. Interpretation of the records of the Collation-Book
2. Readings of Indian manuscripts of the Vulgate.
   By "Indian mss" are meant those used by S. P. Pandit
   His reports not exhaustive
3. Readings of Indian oral reciters of the Vulgate
   By "Indian oral reciters" are meant those employed by S. P. Pandit
   Errors of the eye checked by oral reciters
4. Readings of the Hindu commentator
   The critical value and the range of his variant readings
   Excursus: Was he identical with Sayana of the Rig-Veda?
5. Readings of the Pada-patha
   Reported in Index Verborum, and since published in full
   Illustrations of its deficiencies
   In verb-compounds and various other combinations
6. The Praticakhya and its commentary
   Character of Whitney's editions of the Praticakhyas
   Their bearing upon the orthography and criticism of the text
   Utilization of the Atharvan Praticakhya for the present work
7. The Anukramanis: "Old" and "Major"
   More than one Anukramani extant
   The Pancapatalika or "Old Anukr" or "Quoted Anukr"
   Manuscripts thereof
   The Brhatsarvanukramani or "Major Anukr."
   Manuscripts thereof
   Text-critical value of the Anukramanis
   The author of the Major Anukr. as a critic of meters
   His statements as to the seers of the hymns (quasi-authorship)
8. The Kaucika-Sutra and the Vaitana-Sutra
   The work of Garbe and Bloomfield and Caland
   Bearing of Sutras upon criticism of structure and text of Samhita
   Grouping of mantra-material in Sutra and in Samhita compared
   Many difficulties of the Kaucika yet unsolved.
   Value of the Sutras for the exegesis of the Samhita
   Kaucika no good warrant for dogmatism in the exegesis of Samhita
   Integer vitae as a Christian funeral-hymn
   Secondary adaptation of mantras to incongruous ritual uses
9. Readings of the Kashmirian or Paippalada recension
   Its general relations to the Vulgate or Caunakan recension
   The unique birch-bark manuscript thereof (perhaps about A.D. 1519)
   Roth's Kashmirian nagari transcript (Nov. 1874)
   Arrival (1876) of the birch-bark original at Tubingen
   Roth's collation (june 1884) of the Paippalada text
   The facsimile of the birch-bark original(1901)
   Roth's Collation not exhaustive
   Faults of the birch-bark manuscript
   Collation not controlled by constant reference to the birch-bark ms.
   Such reference would have ruined the birch-bark ms
   Care taken in the use of Roth's Collation. Word-division
   Kashmirian readings not controlled directly from the facsimile
   Provisional means for such control: the concordance
   Excursus: The requirements for an edition of the Paippalada:
   • 1. A rigorously precise transliteration
     2. Marginal references to the Vulgate parallels
     3. Index of Vulgate verses thus noted on the margin
     4. Accessory material: conjectures, notes, translations
10. Readings of the Parallel texts
    The texts whose readings are reported
    The method of reporting aims at the utmost accuracy
    Completeness of the reports far from absolute
    Reports presented in well-digested form
11. Whitney's Commentary: further discussions of its critical elements
    Comprehensiveness of its array of parallels
    Criticism of Specific readings
    Illustrations of classes of text-errors
    Auditory errors, Surd and sonant. Twin consonants
    Visual errors. Haplography
    Metrical faults. Hypermetric glosses, and so forth
    Blend-readings
12. Whitney's Translation and the interpretative elements of the Commentary
    The translation: general principles governing the method thereof
    The translation not primarily an interpretation, but a literal version
    A literal version as against a literary one
    Interpretative elements: captions of the hymns
    Interpretations by Whitney
    Exegetical notes contributed by Roth
    The translation has for its underlying text that of the berlin edition
    This is the fact even in cases of corrigible corruptions
    Cases of departure from the text of the Berlin edition
    Whitney's growing skepticism and correspondingly rigid literalness
    Poetic elevation and humor
13. Abbreviations and signs explained
    General scope of the list: it includes not only
    The downright or most arbitrary abbreviations, but also
    The abbreviated designations of books and articles
    Explanation of arbitrary signs:
    Parentheses; square brackets.
    Ell-brackets ; hand.
    Small circle; Italic colon; Clarendon letters a, b, c, etc.
    Alphabetic list of abbreviations
14. Tabular view of translations and native comment
    Previous translations -Native comment
    Chronologic sequence of previous translations and discussions

GENERAL INTRODUCTION, PART II: PARTLY FROM WHITNEY'S MATERIAL
General Premises

Contents of this Part
Authorship of this Part

1. Description of the manuscripts used by Whitney
   The brief designations of his manuscripts (sigla cadicum)
   Synoptic table of the manuscripts used by him
   Table of the Berlin manuscripts of the Atharva-Veda
   Whitney's critical description of his manuscripts:
   Manuscripts used before publication of the text (B. P. M. W. E. I. H., Bp. BP.2)
   Manuscripts collated after publication of the text (O. R. T. K.; Op. D. Kp.)
2. The Stanza cam no devir abhistaye as opening stanza
   As initial stanza of the text in the Kashmirian recension
   As initial stanza of the Vulgate text
3. Whitney's Collation-Book and his collations
   Description of the two volumes that form the Collation-Book
   Whitney's fundamental transcript of the text
   Collations made before publication of the text
   The Berlin collations
   The Paris and Oxford and London collations
   Collations made after publication (made in 1875 or later)
   Haug, Roth, Tanjore, Deccan, and Bikaner mss
   Other contents of the Collation-Book
4. Repeated versed in the manuscripts
   Abbreviated by pratika with addition of ity eka etc.
   List of repeated verses or verse-groups
   Further details concerning the pratika and the addition
5. Refrains and the like in the manuscripts
   Written out in full only in first and last verse of a sequence
   Treated by the Anukramani as if unabbreviated
   Usage of the edition in respect of such abbreviated passages
6. Marks of accentuation in the manuscripts
   Berlin edition uses the Rig-Veda method of making accents
   Dots for lines as accent-marks
   Marks for the independent svarita
   Horizontal stroke for svarita
   Udatta marked by vertical stroke above, as in Maitrayani
   Accent-marks in the Bombay edition
   Use of a circle as avagraha-sign
7. Orthographic method pursued in the Berlin edition
   Founded on the usage of the mss, but controlled by the Praticakhya
   That treatise an authority only to a certain point
   Its failure to discriminate between rules of wholly different value
   Items of conformity to the Praticakhya and of departure therefrom
   Transition-sounds: as in tan-t-sarvan
   Final -n before c- and j-: as in pacyan janmani
   Final -n before c-: as in yanc ca
   Final -n before t-: as in tans te
   Final -t before c-: as in asmac charavah
   Abbreviation of consonant groups: as in pankti
   Final -m and -n before l-: as in kan lokam
   Visarga before st- and the like: as in ripu stenah
   The Kampa-figures 1 and 3
   The method of marking the accent
8. Metrical form of the Atharvan Samhita
   Predominance of anustubh stanzas
   Extreme irregularity of the metrical form
   Apparent wantonness in the alteration of Rig-Veda material
   To emend this irregularity into regulatiy is not licit
9. Divisions of the text
   Summary of the various divisions
   The first and second and third "grand divisions"
   • 1. The (unimportant) division into prapathakas or 'lectures'
        Their number and distribution and extent
        Their relation to the anuvaka-division
     2. The (fundamental) division into kandas or 'books'
     3. The division into anuvakas or 'recitations'
        Their number, and distribution over books and grand divisions
        Their relation to the hymn-divisions in books
     4. The division into suktas or 'hymns'
        The hymn-division not everywhere of equal value
     5. The division into rcas or 'verses'
     6. Subdivision of verses: avasanas, padas, and so forth
   Numeration of successive verses in the mss
   Groupings of successive verses into units requiring special mention
   Decad-suktas or 'decad-hymns'
   Artha-suktas or 'sense-hymns'
   Paryaya-suktas or 'period-hymns'
   
   Differences of the Berlin and Bombay numerations in books vii and xix
   Differences of hymn-numeration in the paryaya-books
   Whitney's criticism of the numbering of the Bombay edition
   Suggestion of a preferable method of numbering and citing
   Differences of verse-numeration
   
   Summations of hymns and verses at end of division
   The summations quoted from the Pancapatalika
   Indication of extent of division by reference to an assumed norm
   Tables of verse-norms assumed by the Pancapatalika
   The three "grand divisions" are recognized by the pancapatalika
10. Extent and structure of the Atharva-Veda Samhita Limits of the original collection
    Books xix and xx are later additions
    The two broadest principles of arrangement of books
    1. Miscellaneity of unity of subject and 2. length of hymn
    The three grand divisions (I., II., III.) as based on those principles
    The order of the three grand divisions
    Principles of arrangement of books within the grand division: 1. Normal length of the hymn for each of the several books.
    2. The amount of text in each book. Table
    Arrangement of the hymns within any given book
    Distribution of hymns according to length in divisions I. and II. and III.
    Tables (1 and 2 and 3) for those divisions
    Grouping of hymns of book according to length
    Table (number 4) for book xix
    Summary of the four tables. Table number 5
    Extent of AV. Samhita about one half of that RV.
    
    First grand division: short hymns of miscellaneous subjects
    Evidence of fact as to the existence of the verse-norms
    Express testimony of both Anukramanis as to the verse-norms
    One verse is the norm for book vii
    Arrangement of books within the division:
    1. With reference to the normal length of the hymns
    Excursus: on hymn xix.23, Homage to parts of the Atharva-Veda
    Exceptional character of book
    Book vii. a book of after-gleanings supplementing books i.-vi.
    2. Arrangement of books with reference to amount of text
    Resume of conclusion as to the arrangement of books i.-vii.
    
    Departures from the norms by excess
    Critical significance of those departures
    Illustrative examples of critical reduction to the norm
    Arrangement of the hymns within any given book of this division
    
    Second grand division: long hymns of miscellaneous subjects
    Their hieratic character: mingled prose passages
    Table of verse-totals for the hymns of division II.
    General make-up of the material of this division
    Order of books within the division: negative or insignificant conclusion
    Order of hymns within any given book of this division
    Possible reference to this division in hymn
    
    Third grand division: books showing unity of subject
    Division III. represented in Paippalada by a single book, book xviii
    Names of the books of this division as given as given by hymn xix 23
    Order of books within the division
    Table of verse-totals for the hymns of division III.
    Order of hymns within any given book of this division
    Thy hymn-division of books xiii-xviii. and their value

Cross-references to explanation of abbreviations and so forth

To explanation of abbreviations
To explanation of abbreviated titles
To explanation of arbitrary signs
To key to the designations of the manuscripts
To synoptic tables of the manuscripts
To descriptions of the manuscripts
To table of titles of hymns

THE ATHARVA-VEDA SAMHITA: TRANSLATION AND NOTES

1. First Grand Division.
   Five books of short hymns of miscellaneous subjects
2. Second Grand Division.
   Five books of long hymns of miscellaneous subjects
3. Third Grand Division.Vishnu
   Six books of long hymns, the books showing unity of subject
   Book xiii: hymns to the Ruddy sun or Rohita (seer: Brahman)
   Book xiv: wedding verses (seer: Savitri Surya)
   Book xv: the Vratya (seer:-)
   Book xvi: Paritta (seer: Prajapati?)
   Book xvii: prayer to the sun as Indra and as (seer: Brahman)
   Book xviii: funeral verses (seer: Atharvan)
4. Supplement. - Book XIX.
   After-gleanings, chiefly from the traditional sources of division I.
   Paippalada excerpts concerning book xx.

INDEXES AND OTHER AUXILLARY MATTER

1. The non-matrical passages of the Atharvan Samhita
   Tabular list
2. Hymns ignored by the Kaucika-Sutra
   Tabular list
3. The two methods of citing the Kaucika-Sutra
   Tabular concordance
4. The discrepant hymn-numbers of the Berlin and Bombay editions
   Tabular concordance
5. Palippalada passages corresponding to passages of the Vulgate
   Primary use of the tabel, its genesis and character
   Incidental uses of the table
   Vulgate grand division III. and Palppalada book xviii
   Conspectus of the contents of Paippalada book xviii. Explanation of the table
   Manner of using the table
   Tabular concordance
6. Whitney's English captions to his hymn-translations
   They form an important element in his interpretation of this Veda
   In tabular form, they give a useful conspectus of its subject-manner
   Table of hymns-titles of Division II., books viii-xii
   Table of hymns-titles of Division III., books xiii-xviii.
   Table of hymns-titles of the Supplement, book xix
7. The names of the seers of the hymns
   Whitney's exploitation of the Major Anukramani
   Doubtful points
   Entire books of division III. ascribed each to a single seer
   Prominence of Atharvan and Brahman as seers
   Hymns of Atharvan and hymns of Augiras: possible contrast
   Consistency in the ascriptions
   Palpably fabricated ascriptions
   Alphabetical index of seer-names and of passages ascribed to them
8. Brief index of names and things and words and places
   An elaborate index uncalled for here
   Alphabetical list of names and things
   Alphabetical list of Sanskrit words
   List of AV. Passages
9. Additions and corrections
   Omissions and errors not easy to rectify in the electrotype plates