Chapter 2a - The nature of the Parisistas (of the Atharvaveda)

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twig, or wear the twig on his person (35.2.1-10).
To cure sickness and fevers of all kinds, offerings of
parched grain, anointed with curds, should be made eight
thousand times to the accompaniment of the formula aghoraya
namah svähä (36.9.7). In order to multiply one's stock of
corn fourfold, one should get a beautiful image made of un-
broken rice and place it on the heap of corn-Sandal and aloe
should be burnt before the image and an offering of trimadhura
should be made. In order to check a disease, one should make
offerings of sesame, durva and trimadhura with the formula
suvarnacudaya namah svähä (36.9.13). Rice-grains should be
scattered (over the sick person). To obtain cows, one should
live on alms for a day and offer the sticks of Udumbara
anointed thrice (with clarified butter) to the accompaniment
of the formula hähähihi namah svaha (36.9.14). To obtain
gold, offerings should be made of the roots and twigs of
45 Bilva
one pradega in length on the evenings of astami and
caturdagi of the dark half of the month. For obtaining
abundant rain, one should live on alms, mutter the spell
mahävaktraya pingalanet raya namah svähä (36.9.16) three lakhs
of times, and perform an ahoratrika homa in which fire-sticks
of Vetasa are offered into the fire of Arka. To become
45.
It is interesting to note that according to the Sri-
sukta (RV Khila 11.6), the Bilva tree belongs to Sri,
the goddess of wealth:
adityavarne tapaso 'dhi jāto
vanaspatis tava vrkso 'tha bilvah.