When Agni, having entered the waters, burned, where the (gods) who uphold the order (of the universe) rendered homage (to Agni), there, they say, is thy origin on high: do thou feel for us, and spare us, O takman!

Description: Are the Vedas three or four in number? The Western scholars basing their arguments on the Purusasukta and the word abhicara meaning sorcery and charms have concluded that the Vedas are three and Atharvaveda does not belong to the main body as it deals with black magic. This conclusion is wrong; for, the Atharvaveda deals with all those evils that have plagued mankind from the dawn of creation and suggests remedies in the form of medicines and prayers. From the point of view usefulness, the Atharvaveda is the best for man, as it has prayers for his well-being. longevity, progeny and happy domestic life. Devi Chand's translation is based on Swami Dayanand's interpretation. He has also made use of the commentaries of eminent Indian and foreign Vedic scholars. He has spared no pains to bring home the message of the Atharvaveda to contemporary man. The notes, index and the introduction add to the value of this book. All those interested to find solutions to the myriad problems that affect them everyday shall find this book highly useful.

Hindu canonical text.

The Vedas are ancient books of hymns. There are four—the Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda—and they are the primary texts of Hinduism. They had an enormous influence also on Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. According to Hindus, the text of the Vedas is as old as the universe itself. Scholars have determined that the Rig Veda, the oldest of the four, was composed sometime between 1700 and 1100 B.C.E., codified about 600 B.C.E., and was finally committed to writing around 300 B.C.E. The Rig Veda, composed of ten books, or Mandalas, each of which is a collection of hymns (s?ktas), is one of these “great books,” but most people—even the well-educated—have never read it. It is very long and the previous translations are unsatisfactory. This book is an attempt to offer a succinct, accurate and readable translation.

In India both the Rgveda and the Atharvaveda represent the earliest age in the history of sacred literature. However the spirit of the Atharvaveda breathes of a prehistoric stage. Some of its charms, witchcrafts and exorcism go back to Indo-European period. Dr. A. Kuhn has proved how some of its spells for curing bodily ailments agree in purpose and content as well as to some extent even in form, with certain old German, Lettic and Russian charms. Every evil thing in nature, from a drought to a fever or bad qualities of the human heart, is personified and made the object of terror-stricken propitiation, or of attempt at circumvention through witchcraft, or the instrument of harm to others through the same compelling nature. Here as there, worship takes the form of conjuring, not prayer; its ministers are sorcerers, not priests. The synonyms of the Atharvaveda like Atharvangirasah, Bhrgavangirasah and Brahmaveda speak of the development and the status it has enjoyed from time to time. In domestic sacrifices the Atharvan influence has been indelible. A deep study of the Atharvaveda and other Vedic texts unfolds new dimensions to modern sciences namely Comparative Philology, Comparative Mythology, Comparative Religion and Comparative Literature. Though Vedic literature the practical teaching of the classical languages in Europe has undergone an important change. The intellectual debt of Europe to India has thus been immense. It may perhaps become greater still in these post-independence years. Its special features include: a comparative study of the Saunaka and the Paippalada schools; and pointed references to the latest but lesser known researches expressed in Sanskrit language in the sixteen volumes Vedic Padanukramakosa by Acarya Dr. Vishva Bandhu Shastri and his distinguishes colleagues. This will evoke response from enlightened scholars for our prospective publications on other works.