An ‘Ordeal-Related Phenomenon’ in the Śaunakīya recension of the Atharvavedasaṃhitā (AVŚ 2.12)?
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This article re-examines the long-standing debate over whether a hymn from the Śaunakīya recension of the Atharvavedasaṃhitā, i.e., AVŚ 2.12, contains a reference to a fire ordeal. While some early scholars interpreted the hymn through the lens of later Dharmaśāstra literature, others have argued that such readings are anachronistic. Building on the distinction between the classical Hindu ordeal (divya) and earlier “ordeal-related phenomena,” this study reassesses AVŚ 2.12 through close philological analysis and Vedic parallels and comparanda. By integrating the Paippalāda parallel, Atharvavedic internal evidence, the Kauśikasūtra ritual framing, and other later Vedic and Dharmaśāstra sources, the article argues that neither a fire ordeal nor an “ordeal-related phenomenon” can be identified in the hymn. Instead, AVŚ 2.12 is best understood within the Atharvavedic domain of counter-sorcery, where fire functions as a revelatory and destructive agent against magical opponents.
Source: University Library Heidelberg
Author: Giudice, Alessandro
Language: English
Topic: Indian and Buddhist Studies
Subfield: Religious studies
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7140637246
FWCI:
Cites:
Cited by:
Related to: