Book XVIII of the Atharva Veda, which contains the prayers pertaining to the death ritual and to ancestor-worship, should be included among this class of hymns. The funeral songs of Book X of the Rig Veda recur here literally, though they are increased by many additions. Also Book XX, which was added quite late, and the hymns of which, with few exceptions, are all borrowed from the Rig Veda, is related to the Soma-sacrifice. The only new hymns in this book are the very curious "Kantapa hymns," contained in Atharva Veda XX, 127-136. They, too form part of the sacrificial ritual as liturgies, while in content they coincide partly with the Danastutis of the Rig Veda, praising the liberality of certain princes. They are partly in the form of riddles and their solutions, though there are also some which are actually obscene songs and coarse jokes. At certain sacrifices, which lasted for many days, hymns of this kind constituted the prescribed conversation of the priests. These therefore are the songs and charms of sacrificial purposes contained in the Atharva Veda, similar and mostly lifted from the hymns of the Rig Veda. This article is a stub. You can enrich by adding more information to it. Send your Write Up to content@indianetzone.com |