Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c3.s16.113

v1.c3.s16.113

Jambha occurs twice in the Atharvaveda as the name of a disease or a demon of disease. In one passage¹ it is said to be cured by the Jaṅgiḍa plant; in the other² it is described as saṃhanuḥ, ‘bringing the jaws together.’ Weber³ argued from the Kauśika Sūtra⁴ that it was a child’s ailment, especially ‘teething.’ Bloomfield⁵ considers it to mean ‘convulsions,’ while Caland⁶ thinks it denotes ‘tetanus.’ Whitney⁷ decides for ‘lockjaw’ or ‘convulsions.’