Bhattacharya 1968 discusses the character of the Orissa manuscripts and outlines his ideas regarding the history of this old Vedic school. The field of Atharva Veda studies came alive again in the 1950s, when Durgamohan Bhattacharya announced the discovery of several palm-leaf manuscripts of the Paippalāda Saṃhitā from Orissa. The first result was the piecemeal publication of an edition of the text based on the Kashmir manuscript (see Barret 1905, Barret 1936, and Barret 1940, all cited under Editions and Translations of the Paippalāda Saṃhitā). The excitement generated by the discovery and subsequent publication of the Kashmiri birch-bark manuscript of the Paippalāda Saṃhitā by Bloomfield and Richard Garbe (see Bloomfield and Garbe 1901, cited under Paippalāda Saṃhitā) provided another short-lived burst of scholarly interest in the Atharva Veda. If the study of the Atharva Veda consisting primarily of the study of the Śaunaka tradition has seen little advance, the study of the Paippalāda tradition has crawled along at an even slower pace. Following William Dwight Whitney’s and Maurice Bloomfield’s efforts, interest in Atharva Veda studies diminished.
#Atharva veda spells series
Bloomfield’s series of “Contributions to the Interpretation of the Veda” (see Atharva Veda Exegetical Studies) contain numerous exegetical studies focusing on the Atharva Veda. Bloomfield 1899 provides the most comprehensive treatment of the Atharva Veda tradition, its texts, content, and place in the Vedic tradition. The study of the Atharva Veda gained prominence with Roth and Whitney 1856 and Whitney 1905 (both cited under Editions and Translations of the Atharva Veda ), monumental translations and studies of the Atharva Veda (Śaunaka) Saṃhitā. There have been few studies dedicated exclusively to the Atharva Veda and its traditions. It is certainly the case that among the Vedas the Atharva Veda has attracted the least attention over the last two hundred years of Indological study, primarily due to its minor role in Vedic sacrifices. Even in the Atharva Vedic texts this sequence is followed, and Atharvan texts are normally mentioned last on the list. When Atharvan material is referenced in post–Rig Vedic texts, it is generally mentioned after the other three Vedas (RV, SV, YV, and AV). Indeed, atharvāṅgirasas, the oldest name used to refer to Atharvan material, is absent from the Rig Veda. The Rig Veda makes no reference to Atharvan mantric material. Some of its content reflects an earlier tradition of Indo-European sorcery material, since many of the charms reflect a character shared by similar traditions of Indo-European-speaking peoples. Although not primarily concerned with śrauta rituals, it contains material connected to royal ceremonies, including the rohita hymns, which identify the king with the victorious sun, and hymns found exclusively in the Paippalāda Saṃhitā (PS) about a royal consecration ceremony with a sava (unction) ceremony. It contains spells for healing various illnesses, spells for removal of demons, love spells, and speculative hymns about particular forces of the cosmos, such as ucchiṣṭa (sacrificial remnant), odana (porridge), brahmacārin (the Vedic student), and the śataudana cow (the cow with one hundred odanas), as well as material relevant to gṛhya (domestic) rituals, such as marriage, initiation, and death. The Atharva Veda stands apart from the other three Vedas, because it does not treat śrauta (sacred) rituals as its main topic but represents in part the popular side of Vedic culture and religion. The Atharva Veda (or Atharvaveda, AV), the fourth Vedic collection and the second oldest Indian text, is distinguished from the trayī vidyā (threefold wisdom) contained in the Rig Veda (RV), Yajur Veda (YV), and Sama Veda (SV) primarily in terms of content.
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