#ATHARVA VEDA CHANTS HOW TO#

Instead, вЂњmagic is the main and essential subject matter of the вЂќ (Karambelkar 91). The contents of the Atharva Veda give scholars some idea about the Indo-Aryan culture-both its practices, and its belief system.Дespite all the cultural information that the Atharva Veda gives, describing Indo-Aryan lifestyle is not its main focus. Incantations in the Atharva Veda were used as a means to defend against different diseases incurred amongst the Indo-Aryan citizens. Through reference to the Atharva Veda, it can be concluded that citizens of that time believed that disease was вЂњcaused by supernatural powers, particularly demonsвЂќ (Karambelkar 77). In addition, the incantations of the Atharva Veda reveal something about how the medical practices of the Indo-Aryan culture were performed. Verses in the Atharva Veda also describe other aspects of ancient culture-weaving, metal smiths, and chariot builders (Karambelkar 61). The Atharva Veda contains incantations that protect cows and their calves, along with charms that are performed to protect the sowing and harvesting of crops (Karambelkar 58-59). Karambelkar reasons that agriculture and raising livestock were probably the main professions of people of that time (58). The role of the Atharva Veda was very important in the Indo-Aryan culture. There are also sorceries in the Atharva Veda, but these are used to benefit oneself and to harm others, and are therefore considered as auspicious (Bloomfield xxix). Its hymns can be categorized into different types-those to obtain long life, those to acquire desired good wishes from deities for households, those to ward off misfortune, and those to excuse errors, to name a few (Joshi ix).

#ATHARVA VEDA CHANTS HOW TO#

Instructions on how to act auspiciously is a main theme throughout the Atharva Veda. The third grand division contains books that are characterized by вЂњunity of subjectвЂќ (Whitney clviii), meaning that the remaining six books of the Atharva Veda have been kept together, and вЂњconstitute a whole by itselfвЂќ (Whitney clviii). These hymns provide instructions on how to perform priestly duties in an auspicious way (Whitney clv). The second grand division consists of longer hymns than the first division (Whitney clv). This division of the Atharva Veda is regarded the most important section of the text out of all the divisions, its hymns are the most widely read (Whitney cxlviii). The first grand division contains short hymns, which consist largely of charms and curses (Whitney cxlvii). Since the last two books of the Atharva Veda were added at a later date, they are not included in the three grand divisions. There are three major divisions of the Atharva Veda-the first grand division (books 1-7), the second grand division (books 8-12), and the third grand division (books 13-18). The Atharva VedaвЂ™s twenty books incorporate seven hundred thirty-one hymns, which are then subdivided into six thousand verses (Winternitz 120). The structure of the Atharva Veda, its directions on how to act auspiciously, and its influence in Hinduism are important to discuss when examining the Atharva Veda. However, despite the Atharva VedaвЂ™s uniqueness, it still has a vital place in the Vedic canon. This differs greatly from the sacrificial themes of the three other Vedas (Karambelkar xiii). The Atharva Veda focuses on вЂњspells, charms and incantationsвЂќ, which promise to вЂњfulfill all worldly desires of human mindвЂќ (Karambelkar xi). Although the Atharva Veda is considered Vedic literature, it is fairly different from the other texts within the Vedic canon. It has twenty books in total its primary purpose is to provide directions on how to act auspiciously within the Hindu tradition (Bloomfield xxix). Prayer to the kushtha-plant to destroy takman (fever).The Atharva Veda is the fourth of four Vedic hymn collections that are revered by Hindus. Since the order is not that of the original I have inserted a five digit number in wavy brackets in front of each hymn, where the first two digits are the book and the remaining three digits are the hymn number. [Scanned at [Editors Note: this, the 42nd volume of the the Sacred Books of the East, is an anthology of representative texts from the Arthrva-veda, the fourth Veda. Atharva-Veda Sacred-texts Hinduism Atharva-Veda IndexД®XTRACTS FROM THE RITUAL BOOKS AND THE COMMENTARIES

Atharva veda chants