Book: The Asuri Kalpa A Witchcraft Practice Of The Atharva Veda by Herbert William Magoun
The ritual literature of the Atharva-Veda, like that of the other Vedas, has attached to itself certain parifistas, or supplements. Of these, the thirty-fifth, according to the best accessible MS, is the Asurl-Kalpa, an abhicara, or Witchcraft Practice, Containing rites to be used in connection with the asurl-plant. The question as to what this plant was will be discussed below. The use of the word kalpa for such a text is explained by a passage in the Atharvanlya-Paddhati, which states, on the authority of Uparvarsa,' that in addition to the five AV. kalpas—Kau9ika, Vaitana, Naksatra, ^anti, and Angirasa — which are called ' inspired,' there are certain other kalpas which are to be considered as smrti ' handed down by tradition.'Three MSS have been consulted in preparing this paper. Two of them are copies ofjhe parifistas of the AV. ; the third is a commentary to the Asuri-Kalpa. All three are loans to Dr. Bloomfield from the British Government in India, Just here I may say that I am greatly indebted to Dr. Bloomfield for the use of these MSS, for the encouragement and assistance which he has given me, and for his kindness in looking over my work. (Herbert William Magoun)
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