A History of Indian Literature v1.c8.s2.206

v1.c8.s2.206

But some of the marriage benedictions have more of the character of magic formulas. Among them we find charms against the evil eye and other pernicious magic, by means of which the bride could injure her future husband, as well as exorcisms by means of which demons, which lie in wait for the bride, are to be scared away. These magic formulas by no means stand alone, for there are, besides, about thirty magic songs in the Ṛgveda. Some of these are benedictions and formulas for the healing of various diseases, for the protection of the embryo, for warding off the effects of bad dreams and unfavourable omens, while others are incantations for the scaring away of witches, for the destruction of enemies and malevolent wizards, or magic formulas against poison and vermin, verses for the supplanting of a rival; we also find a blessing on the field, a charm for the prosperity of cattle, a battle charm, a charm for inducing sleep, and so on. Of this kind is also the very remarkable "Frog song," Ṛv. VII, 103. Here the frogs are compared with Brahmans. In the dry season they lie there like Brahmans who have taken the vow of silence. Then when the rain comes, they greet each other with merry croaking "as a son his father." And the one repeats the croaking of the other, as the pupils repeat the words of the teacher when studying the Veda in a Brahman school. They modulate their voices in many ways. As priests at the Soma-sacrifice sit singing around the filled tub, so the frogs celebrate the commencement of the rainy season with their song. At the end follows a prayer for wealth: