Page:Atharva-Veda samhita.djvu/108

c Explanation of arbitrary signs.—The following signs (and letters) are used in the body of this work more or less arbitrarily.

Parentheses are used in the translation to enclose the Sanskrit original of any given English word (see above, p. xx), such indications being often most acceptable to the professional student. For numerous instances, see xii. 1, where the added bhū́mi or pṛthivī́ (both are added in vs. 7) shows which of these words is meant by the English earth. They are also used to enclose an indication of the gender (m. f. n.) or number (du. pl.) of a Vedic word whose gender or number cannot otherwise be shown by the version.

Square brackets are employed to enclose some of the words inserted in the translation for which there is no express equivalent in the original.

Ell-brackets, or square brackets minus the upper horizontal stroke (thus: ⌊ ⌋) were devised by the editor to mark as portions of this work for which Whitney is not responsible such additions or changes as were made by the editor (cf. p. xxviii, end). These types were devised partly because the usual parentheses and brackets were already employed for other purposes, and partly because they readily suggest the letter ell, the initial of the editor's name.

Hand.—In order to avoid the expense of alterations in the electroplates, all considerable additions and corrections have been put together on pages 1045-46, and reference is made to them in the proper places by means of a hand pointing to the page concerned (thus, at p. 327, line 11: ☞ See p. 1045).

The small circle (thus: ॰) represents the avagraha or division-mark of the pada-texts. This use of the circle is common in the mss. (as explained at p. cxxii) and has been followed in the Index Verborum (see p. 4).

The Italic colon (:) is employed as equivalent of the vertical stroke used in nāgarī to separate individual words or padas. Both circle and colon are used in the note to vi. 131. 3. I regard both the circle and the colon as extremely ill adapted for the uses here explained.

The letters a, b, c, d, e, f, etc., when set, as here, in Clarendon type, are intended to designate the successive pādas of a Vedic stanza or verse.

Alphabetic list of abbreviations.—The downright abbreviations and the abbreviated designations of books and articles follow here, all in a single alphabetically arranged list.