Page:Atharva-Veda samhita.djvu/130

cxxii large part of E. (from near the end of vi. 27 to the end of xix.) and also in large parts of H.

Marks for the independent svarita.—It was perhaps in connection with the use of the dots that the peculiar ways of marking the independent svarita arose. The simplest way, used only in parts of the mss., is by a line below, somewhat convexed downwards. Or, again, we find just such a line, but run up into and more or less through the akṣara, either below or through the middle. ⌊From this method was probably developed the method of⌋ starting with a horizontal bit below and carrying it completely through the akṣara upwards and with some slant to the right and ending with a bit of horizontal above. ⌊Cf. SPP's Critical Notice, p. 9.⌋ This fully elaborated form is very unusual, and found only in three or four mss. (in part of Bp.2a = Ch. 117, in D. and L., and occasionally in Kp.); ⌊its shape is approximately that of the "long ʃ": cf. SPP's text of ii. 14 and my note to iii. 11. 2⌋.

Horizontal stroke for svarita.—A frequent method is the use of the anudāttatara line below, just as in the RV., but coupled with the denotation of the enclitic svarita by a horizontal stroke across the body of the syllable, and of the independent svarita by one of the signs just noted. But even the independent svarita is sometimes denoted by the same sign as the enclitic svarita, to wit, by a dot or a horizontal line in the syllable itself. The last method (independent svarita by horizontal) is seen in the old ms. of book xx., Bp.c dated A.D. 1477, and in B′.

The udātta marked by vertical stroke above, as in the Māitrāyaṇī.—It is a feature peculiar to E. among our AV. mss. that, from the beginning of book vi. on, it marks the udātta syllable by a perpendicular stroke above,* while the enclitic svarita, as in other mss., has the horizontal stroke in the akṣara; but just before the end of vi. 27, both these strokes are changed to dots, as is also the anndāttatara-stroke.; while in xx. the accentuator goes back to strokes again for all three. *⌊Note that in SPP's mss. A. and E. the udātta is marked by a red ink dot over the proper syllable.⌋

Accent-marks in the Bombay edition.—SPP., in his edition, adopts the RV. method, with the sole exception that he uses the fully elaborated peculiar ʃ-sign, given by the small minority of the mss.,* for the independent svarita. No ms., I believe, of those used by us, makes this combination of methods; and it may safely be claimed that our procedure is truer to the mss., and on that as well as on other accounts, the preferable one. *⌊See, for example, his Critical Notice, p. 14, description of Cp.⌋

Use of a circle as avagraha-sign.—As a matter of kindred character, we may mention that for the sign of avagraha or division of a vocable into its component parts, a small circle is used in all our pada-texts, even