Atharva Veda
Section -4
IV. CHARMS PERTAINING TO WOMEN
(STRiKARATkV1).
II, 36. Charm to obtain a husband.
1. May, O Agni, a suitor after our own heart
come to us, may he come to this maiden with our fortune! May she, agreeable to
suitors, charming at festivals, promptly obtain happiness through a husband!
2. Agreeable to Soma, agreeable to Brahma,
arranged by Aryaman, with the unfailing certainty of god Dhâtar, do I bestow
upon thee good fortune, the acquisition of a husband.
3. This woman shall obtain a hnsband, since
king Soma makes her lovely! May she, begetting sons, become a queen; may she,
going to her husband, shine in loveliness!
4. As this comfortable cave, O Maghavan
(Indra), furnishing a safe abode, hath become pleasing to animals, thus may
this woman be a favourite of fortune (Bhaga), beloved, not at odds with her
husband!
5. Do thou ascend the full, inexhaustible
ship of Bhaga (fortune); upon this bring, hither the suitor who shall be
agreeable (to thee)!
6. Bring hither by thy shouts, O lord of
wealth, the suitor, bend his mind towards her; turn thou the right side of
every agreeable suitor towards (her)!
7. This gold and bdellium, this balsam, and
Bhaga (fortune), too; these have prepared thee for husbands, that thou mayest obtain
the one that is agreeable.
8. Hither to thee Savitar shall lead the
husband that is agreeable! Do thou, O herb, bestow (him) upon her!
VI, 60. Charm for obtaining a husband.
1. This Aryaman (wooer) with loosened crest
of hair comes hither in front (of the procession), seeking a husband for this
spinster, and a wife for this wifeless man.
2. This maid, O Aryaman, has wearied of going
to the wedding-feasts of other women. Now shall, without fail, O Aryaman, other
women go to her wedding-feast!
3. Dhâtar (the creator) supports (didhhra)
this earth, Dhâtar supports the heavens, and the sun. May Dhatar furnish this
spinster with a husband after her own heart).
VI, 82. Charm for obtaining a wife.
1. I call the name of him that comes here,
that hath come here, and is arriving; I crave (the name) of Indra, Vritra’s
slayer, the Visava, of hundredfold strength.
2. The road by which the Asvins carried away
as a bride Sûryâ, Savitar’s daughter,’by that road,’ Bhaga (fortune) told me,
‘thou shalt bring here a wife’!
With thy wealth-procuring, great, golden hook, O Indra, husband of Sakî, procure a wife for me that desireth a wife!
With thy wealth-procuring, great, golden hook, O Indra, husband of Sakî, procure a wife for me that desireth a wife!
VI, 78. Blessing for a married couple.
1. Through this oblation, that causes
prosperity, may this man flourish anew; may he excel the wife that they have
brought to him with his sap!
2. May he excel in strength, excel in
royalty! May this couple be inexhaustible in wealth that bestows thousandfold
lustre!
3. Tvashtar begot (for thee) a wife, Tvashtar
for her begot thee as a husband. May Tvashtar bestow upon you two a thousand
lives, may he bestow upon you long life!
VII, 36. Love-charm spoken by a bridal couple.
1. The eyes of us two shine like honey, our
foreheads gleam like ointment. Place me within thy heart; may one mind be in common
to us both!
VII, 37. Charm pronounced by the bride over
the bridegroom.
1. I envelope thee in my garment that was
produced by Manu (the first man), that thou shalt be mine alone, shalt not even
discourse of other women!
VI, 81. A bracelet as an amulet to ensure conception.
1. A holder art thou, holdest both hands,
drivest off the Rakshas. An acquirer of offspring and wealth this bracelet hath
become!
2. O bracelet, open up the womb, that the
embryo be put (into it)! Do thou, O limit (-setting bracelet), furnish a son,
bring him here (A gamaya), thou that comest here (Agame)!
3. The bracelet that Aditi wore, when she
desired a son.Tvashtar shall fasten upon this woman, intending that she shall
beget a son.
III, 23. Charm for obtaining a son (pumsavanam).
1. That which has caused thee to miscarry do
we drive away from thee, that very thing do we deposit outside of thee, away in
a far place.
2. Into thy womb shall enter a male germ, as
an arrow into a quiver! May a man be born there, a son ten months old!
3. A male son do thou produce, and after him
a male shall be born! Thou shalt be the mother of sons, of those who are born,
and those whom thou shalt bear!
4. By the effective seed which bulls put
forth do thou obtain a son; be a fruitful milch-cow!
5. Pragâpati’s (the lord of creatures) work
do I perform for thee: may the germ enter into thy womb! Obtain thou, woman, a
son who shall bring prosperity to thee, and bring thou pi-osperity to him!
6. The plants whose father was the sky, whose
mother the earth, Whose root the (heavenly) ocean–may those divine herbs aid
thee in obtaining a son!
VI, 11. Charm for obtaining a son (pumsavanam).
1. The asvattha (ficus religiosa) has mounted
the samî (mimosa suma): then a male child was produced. That, forsooth, is the
way to obtain a son; that do we bring to (our) wives.
2. In the male, forsooth, seed doth grow,
that is poured into the female. That, forsooth, is the way to obtain a son;
that has been told by Pragâpati.
3. Pragâpati, Anumati, and Sinîvâlî have fashioned
him. May he (Pragâpati) elsewhere afford the birth of a female, but here he
shall bestow a man!
VII, 35. An incantation to make a woman sterile.
1. The other enemies conquer with might; beat
back, O Gâtavedas, those that are not yet born! Enrich this kingdom unto
happiness, may all the gods acclaim this man!
2. Of these hundred entrails of thine, as
well as of the thousand canals, of all these have I closed the openings with a
stone.
3. The upper part of the womb do I place
below, there shall come to thee neither offspring nor birth! I render thee
sterile and devoid of offspring; a stone do I make into a cover for thee.
VI, 17. Charm to prevent miscarriage.
1. As this great-earth conceives the germs of
the beings, thus shalt thy embryo be-beld fast, to produce a child after
pregnancy!
2. As this great earth holds these trees,
thus shall thy embryo be held fast, to produce a child after pregnancy!
3. As this great earth holds the mountains
and the peaks, thus shall thy embryo be held fast, to produce a child after
pregnancy!
4. As this great earth holds the animals
scattered far, thus shall thy embryo be held fast, to produce a child after
pregnancy!
I, 11. Charm for easy parturition.
1. Aryaman as active hotar-priest shall utter
for thee the vashat-call at this (soma-) pressing, O Pûshan! May (this) woman,
(herself) begotten in
the proper way, be delivered, may her joints relax, that she shall bring forth!
the proper way, be delivered, may her joints relax, that she shall bring forth!
2. Four directions has the heaven, and also
four the earth: (from these) the gods created the embryo. May they open her,
that she shall bring forth!
3. May Sûshan open: her womb do we cause to
gape. Do thou, O Sûshan, loosen the womb, do thou, O Bishkalâ, let go (the
ernbryo)!
4. Attached not at all to the flesh, nor to
the fat, not at all to the marrow, may the splotched, moist, placenta come down
to be eaten by a dog! May the placenta fall down!
5. I split open thy vagina, thy womb, thy
canals; I separate the mother and the son, the child along with the placenta.
May the placenta fall down!
6. As flies the wind, as flies the mind, as
fly the winged birds, so do thou, O embryo,. ten months old, fall along with
the placenta! May the placenta fall down!
I, 34. Charm with licorice, to secure the
love of a woman.
1. This plant is born of honey, with honey do
we dig for thee. Of honey thou art begotten, do thou make us full of honey!
2. At the tip of my tongue may I have honey,
at my tongue’s root the sweetness of honey! In my power alone shalt thou then
be, thou shalt come up to my wish!
3. Sweet as honey is my entrance, sweet as
honey my departure. With my voice do I speak sweet as honey, may I become like
honey!
4. I am sweeter than honey, fuller of
sweetness than licorice. Mayest thou, without fail, long for me alone, (as a
bee) for a branch full of honey!
5. I have surrounded thee with a clinging
sugarcane, to remove aversion, so that thou shalt not be averse to me!
II, 30. Charm to secure the love of a woman.
1. As the wind tears this grass from the
surface of the earth, thus do I tear thy soul, so that thou, woman, shalt love,
shalt not be averse to me!
2. If ye, O two Asvins, shall unite and bring
together the loving pair-united are the fortunes of,both of you (lovers),
united the thoughts, united the purposes!
3. When birds desire to chirp, lustily desire
to chirp, may my call go there, as an arrow-point upon the shaft!
4. What is within shall be without, what is
without shall be within! Take captive, O herb, the, soul of the maidens endowed
with every chai-m!
5. Longing for a husband this woman hath
come, I have come longing for a wife, As a loudly neighing horFe I have
attained to my good fortune!
VI, 8. Charm to secure the love of a woman.
1. As the creeper embraces the tree on all
sides, thus do thou embrace me, so that thou, woman, shalt love me, so that
thou shalt not be averse to me!
2. As the eagle when he flies forth presses
his wings against the earth, thus do I fasten down thy mind, so that thou,
woman, shalt love me, so that thou shalt not be averse to me.
3. As the sun day by day goes about this
heaven and earth, thus do I go about thy mind, so that thou, woman, shalt love
me, so that thou shalt not be: averse to me.
VI, 9. Charm to secure the love of a woman.
1. Hanker thou after my body, my feet, hanker
after my eyes, my thighs! The eyes of thee, as thou lustest after me, and thy
hair shall be parched with love?
2. I make thee cling to my arm, cling to my
heart, so that thou shalt be in my power, shalt come up to my wish!
3. The cows, the mothers of the ghee, who
lick their young, in whose heart love is planted, shall make yonder woman
bestow love upon:me!
VI, 102. Charm to secure the love of a woman.
1. As this draught animal, O ye Asvins, comes
on, and proceeds, thus may thy soul come on, and proceed to me!
2. 1 draw to myself thy mind, as the leading
stallion the female side-horse. As the stalk of grass torn by the wind, thus
shall thy mind fasten itself upon me!
3. A coaxing mixtLire of salve, of sweet
wood, of kushtha, and of spikenard, do I deftly pick out with the hands of Bhaga
(good fortune).
III, 25. Charm to arouse the passionate love of a woman.
1. May (love), the disquieter, disquiet thee;
do not hold out upon thy bed! With the terrible arrow of Kâma (love) do I
pierce thee in the heart.
2. The arrow, winged with longing, barbed
with love, whose shaft is undeviating desire, with that, well-aimed, Kâma shall
pierce thee in the heart!
3. With that well-aimed arrow of Kâma which
parches the spleen, whose plume flies forward, which burns up, do I pierce thee
in the heart.
4. Consumed by burning ardour, with parched
mouth, do thou (woman) come to me, pliant, (thy) pride laid aside, mine alone,
speaking sweetly and to me devoted!
5. I drive thee with a goad from thy mother
and thy father, so that thou shalt be in my power, shalt come up to my wish.
6. All her thoughts do ye, O Mitra and
Varuna, drive out of her! Then, having deprived her of her will,.put her into
my power alone!
VII, 139. Charm to arouse the passionate love of a woman.
1. Clinging to the ground thou didst grow, (O
plant), that producest bliss for me; a hundred branches extend from thee, three
and thirty grow down from thee: with this plant of a thousand leaves thy heart
do I parch.
2. Thy heart shall parch (with love) for me,
and thy mouth shall parch (with love for me)! Languish, moreover, with love for
me, with parched mouth pass thy days!
3. Thou that causest affection, kindlest
(love), brown, lovely (plant), draw (us) together; draw together yonder woman
and myself, our hearts make the same!
4. As the mouth of him that hath not drunk
dries tip, thus languish thou with love for me, with parched mouth pass thy
days!
5. As the Ichneumon tears the serpent, and
joins him together again, thus, O potent (plant), join together what hath been
torn by love!
VII, 38. Charm to secure the love of a man.
1. This potent herb do I dig out: it draws
toward me the eve, causes (love’s) tears. It brings back him who has gone to a
distance, rejoices him that approaches me.
2. By (the plant) with which the Âsurî
allured Indra away from the gods, by that do I subject thee, that I may be
well-beloved of thee!
3. Thy face is turned towards Soma (the
nioon), thy face is turned towards Sûrya (the sun), thy face is turned towards
all the gods: ‘t is tliee here that we do invoke.
4. My speech, not thine, (in this matter)
hath weight: in the assembly, forsooth, do thou speak! To me alone shalt thou
belong, shalt not even discourse of other women!
5. Whether thou art beyond the haunts of men,
or whether across the river, this very herb, as if a captive bound, shall
bring, thee back to me!
VI, 130. Charm to arouse the passionate love of a man.
1. This yearning love comes from the Apsaras,
the victorious, imbued with victory. Ye gods, send forth the yearning love: may
yonder man burn after me!
2. My wish is, he shall long for me, devoted
he shall long for me! Ye gods, send forth the yearning love: may yonder man
burn after me!
3. That yonder man shall long for me, (but) I
for him nevermore, ye gods, send forth the yearning love: may yonder man burn
after me!
4. Do ye, O Maruts, intoxicate him (With
love); do thou, O mid-air, intoxicate him; do thou, O Agni, intoxicate him! May
yonder man burn after me!
VI, 131. Charm to arouse the passionate love of a man.
1. From thy head unto thy feet do I implant
(love’s) longing into thee. Ye gods, send forth the yearning love: may yonder
man burn after me!
2. Favour this (plan), Anumati; fit it
tooether, Âkûti! Ye gods, send forth the yearning love may yonder man burn
after me!
3. If thou dost run three leagues away, (or
even) five leagues, the distance coursed by a horseman, from there thou shalt
again return, shalt be the father of our sons!
VI, 132. Charm to arouse the passionate
love of a man.
1. Love’s consuming longing, together with
yearning, which the gods have poured into the waters, that do I kindle for thee
by the law of Varuna!
2. Love’s consuming longing, together with
yearning, which the all-gods (visve devâh) have poured into the waters, that do
I kindle for thee by the law of Varuna!
3. Love’s consuming longing, together with
yearning, which Indrâni has poured into the waters, that do I kindle for thee
by the law of Varuna!
4. Love’s consuming longing, together with
yearning, which Indra and Agni have poured into the waters, that do I kindle
for thee by the law of Varuna!
5. Love’s consuming longing, together with
yearning, which Mitra and Varuna have poured into the waters, that do I kindle
for thee by the law of Varuna!
IV, 5. Charm at an assignation.
1. The bull with a thousand horns who rose
out of the sea, with the aid of him, the mighty one, do we put the folks to
sleep.
2. The wind blows not over the earth. No one
looks on. Do thou then, befriended of Indra, put all women and dogs to sleep!
3. The women that lie upon couches and upon
beds, and they that rest in litters, the women all that exhale sweet fragrance,
do we put to sleep.
4. Every moving thing I have held fast. Eye
and breath I have held fast. I have held fast all limbs in the deep gloom of
the night.
5. Of him that sits, and him that walks, of
him that stands and looks about, of these the eyes we do shut, just as these
premises (are shut).
6. The mother shall sleep, the father shall
sleep, the dog shall sleep, the lord of the house shall sleep! All her
relations shall sleep, and these people round about shall sleep!
7. O sleep, put thou to sleep all people with
the magic that induces sleep! Put the others to sleep until the sun rises; may
I be awake until the dawn appears, like Indra, unharmed, uninjured!
VI, 77. Charm to cause the return of a truant woman.
1. The heavens have stood, the earth has
stood, all creatures have stood. The mountains have stood upon their
foundation, the horses in the stable I have caused to stand.
2. Him that has control of departure, that has
control of coming home, return, and turning in, that shepherd do I also call.
3. O Gâtavedas (Agni), cause thou to turn
ill; a hundred way’s hither shall be thine, a thousand modes of return shall be
thine: with these do thou restore us again!
VI, 18. Charm to allay jealousy.
1. The first impulse of jealousy, moreover
the one that comes after the first, the fire, the heart-burning, that do wc
waft away from thee.
2. As the earth is dead in spirit, in spirit
more dead than the dead, and as the spirit of him that has died, thus shall the
spirit of the jealous (man) be dead!
3. Yon fluttering little spirit that has been
fixed into thy heart, from it the jealousy do I remove, as air from a
water-skin.
VII, 45. Charm to allay jealousy.
1. From folk belonging to all. kinds of
people, from the Sindhu (Indus) thou hast been
brought hither: from a distance, I ween, has been fetched the very remedy for
jealousy.
2. As if a fire is burning him, as if the
forest-fire burns in various directions, this jealousy of his do thou quench,
as a fire (is quenched) with water!
I, 14. A woman’s incantation against her rival.
1. I have taken unto myself her fortune and
her glory, as a wreath off a tree. Like a mountain with broad foundation may
she sit a long time with her parents!
2. This woman shall be subjected to thee as
thy wife, O king Yama; (till then) let her be fixed to the house of her mother,
or her brother, or her father!
3. This woman shall be the keeper of thy
house, O king (Yama), and her do we make over to thee! May she long sit with
her relatives, until (her hair) drops from her head!
4. With the incantation of Asita, of Kasyapa,
and of Gaya do I cover up thy fortune, as women cover (something) within a
chest.
III, 18. Charm of a woman against a rival or co-wife.
1. I dig up this plant, of herbs the most
potent, by whose power rival women are overcome, and husbands are obtained.
2. O thou (plant) with erect leaves, lovely,
do thou, urged on by the gods, full of might, drive away my rival, make my h
usband mine alone!
3. He did not, forsooth, call thy name, and
thou shalt not delight in this’ husband! To the very farthest distance do we
drive our rival.
4. Superior
am I, O superior (plant), superior, truly, to superior (women). Now shall my
rival be inferior to those that are inferior!
5. I am overpowering, and thou, (O plant),
art completely overpowering. Having both grown full of power, let us overpower
my rival!
6. About thee (my husband) I have placed the
overpowering (plant), upon thee placed the very overpowering one. May thy mind
run after me as a calf after the cow, as water along its course!
VI, 138. Charm for depriving a man of his virility.
1. As the best of the plants thou art
reputed, O herb: turn this man for me to-day into a eunuch that wears his hair
dressed!
2. Turn him into a eunuch that wears his hair
dressed, and into one that wears a hood! Then Indra with a pair of stones shall
break his testicles both!
3. O eunuch, into a eunuch thee I have
turned;O castrate, into a castrate thee I have turned; O weakling, into a
weakling thee I have turned! A hood upon his head, and a hair-net do we place.
4. The two canals, fashioned by the gods, in
which man’s power rests, in thy testicles . . . . . . . . . . . . I break them
with a club.
5. As women break reeds for a mattress with a
stone, thus do I break thy member
I, 18. Charm to remove evil bodily characteristics from a woman.
1. The (foul) mark, the lalâmî (with spot on
the forehead), the Arâti (grudging demon), do we drive out. Then the (signs)
that are auspicious (shall remain) with us; (yet) to beget offspring do we
bring the Arâti!
2. May Savitar drive out uncouthness from her
feet, may Varuna, Mitra, and Aryaman (drive it) out from her hands; may Anumati
kindly drive it out for us! For happiness the gods have created this woman.
3. The fierceness that is in thyself, in thy
body, or in thy look, all that do we strike away with our charm. May god
Savitar prosper thee!
4. The goat-footed, the bull-toothed, her who
scares the cattle, the snorting one, the vilîdhî (the driveling one), the
lalâmî (with spot on the forehead), these do we drive from us.
VI, 110. Expiatory charm for a child born under an unlucky star.
1. Of yore, (O Agni), thou wast worthy of
supplication at the sacrifice; thou wast the priest in olden times, and now
anew shalt sit (at our sacrifice)! Delight, O Agni, thy own body, and,
sacrificing, bring good fortune here to us!
2. Him that hath been born under the
(constellation) gyeshihaghnî (‘she that slays the oldest’), or under the vikritâu
(‘they that uproot’), save thou from being torn up by the root by Yama (death)!
May be (Agni) guide him across all misfortunes to long life, to a life of a
hundred autumns!
3. On a tiger (-like) day the hero was born;
born under a (good) constellation he becometh a mighty hero. Let him not slay,
when he grows up, his father, let him not injure the mother that hath begotten
him!
VI, 140. Expiation for the irregular appearance of the first pair of teeth.
1. Those two teeth, the tigers, that have broken
forth, eager to devour father and mother, do thou, O Brahmanaspati Gâtavedas,
render auspicious!
2. Do ye eat rice, eat barley, and eat, too,
beans, as well as sesamum! That, O teeth.. is the share deposited for your
enrichment. Do not injure father and mother!
3. Since ye have been invoked, O teeth, be ye
in unison kind and propitious! Elsewhere, O teeth, shall pass away the fierce
(qualities) of your body! Do not injure father and mother!
End of Section -4
Atharva Veda
Section -5
V. CHARMS PERTAINING TO ROYALTY
(RÂGAKARMÂNI).
IV, 8. Prayer at the consecration of a
king.
1. Himself prosperous (bhûto), he does put
strength into the beings (bhûteshu); he became the chief lord of the beings
(bhûtânâm). To his consecration death does come: may he, the king, favour this
kingdom!
2. Come forth hither-do not glance away-as a
mighty guardian, slayer of enemies! Step hither, thou who prosperest thy
friends: the gods shall bless thee!
3. As he did step hither all (men) did attend
him. Clothed in grace, he moves, shining by his own lustre. This is the great
name of the manly Asura; endowed with every form (quality) he entered upon
immortal (deeds).
4. Thyself a tiger, do thou upon this
tiger-skin stride (victorious) through the great regionst All the clans shall
wish for thee, and the heavenly waters, rich in sap!
5. The heavenly waters, rich in sap, flow
joyously, (and too) those in the sky and upon the earth: with the lustre of all
of these do I sprinkle thee.
6. They have sprinkled thee with their lustre.,
the heavenly waters rich in sap. May Savitar thus fashion thee, that thou shalt
prosper thy friends!
7. (The waters) thus embracing him, the
tiger, promote him, the lion, to great good fortune. Him, the leopard in the
midst of the waters, as though standing in the ocean, the beneficent (floods,
or the vigorous priests) cleanse thoroughly!
III, 3. Charm for the restoration of an exiled king.
1. (Agni) has shouted loud: may he here well
perform his work! Spread thyself out, O Agni, over the far-reaching hemispheres
of the world! The all-possessing Maruts shall engage thee: bring hither that
(king) who devoutly spends the offering!
2. However far he be, the red (steeds) shall
urge hither Indra, the seer, to friendship, since the gods, (chanting) for him
the gâyatri, the brihatî, and the arka (songs), infused courage into him with
the sautrâmanî-sacrifice!
3. From the waters king Varuna shall call
thee, Soma shall call thee from the mountains, Indra shall cite thee to these
clans! Turn into an eagle and fly to these clans!
4. An eagle shall bring hither from a
distance him that is fit to be called, (yet) wanders exiled in a strange land!
The Asvins shall prepare for thee a path, easy to travel! Do ye, his kinfolk,
gather close about him!
5. Thy opponents shall call thee; thy friends
have chosen. thee! Indra, Agni, and all the gods have kept prosperity with this
people.
6. The kinsman or the stranger that opposes
thy call, him, O Indra, drive away; then render this (king) accepted here!
III, 4. Prayer at the election of a king.
1. (Thy) kingdom hath come to thee: arise,
endowed with lustre! Go forth as the lord of the people, rule (shine) thou, a
universal ruler! All the regions of the compass shall call thee, O king;
attended and revered be thou here!
2. Thee the clans, thee these regions,
goddesses five, shall choose for empire! Root thyself upon the height, the
pinnacle of royalty: then do thou, mighty, distribute goods among us!
3. Thy kinsmen with calls shall come to thee;
agile Agni shall go with them as messenger! Thy wives, thy sons shall be
devoted to thee; being a mighty (ruler) thou shalt behold rich tribute!
4. The Asvins first, Mitra and Varuna both,
all the gods, and the Maruts, shall call thee! Then fix thy mind upon the
bestowal of wealth, then do thou, mighty, distribute wealth among us!
5. Hither hasten forth from the farthest
distance heaven and earth, both, shall be propitious to thee! Thus did this
king Varuna (as if, ‘the chooser’) decree that; he himself did call thee: ‘come
thou hither’!
6. O Indra, Indra, come thou to the tribes of
men, for thou hast agreed, concordant with the Varunas (as if,’the electors’),
He did call thee to thy own domain (thinking): ‘let him revere the gods, and
manage, too, the people’!
7. The rich divinities of the roads, of
manifold diverse forms, all coming together have given thee a broad domain.
They shall all concordantly call thee; rule here, a mighty, benevolent (king),
to up the tenth decade (of thy life)!
III, 5. Praise of an amulet derived from the parna-tree, designed to strengthen royal power.
1. Hither hath come this amulet of
parna-wood, with its might mightily crushing the enemy. (It is) the strength of
the gods, the sap of the waters: may it assiduously enliven me with energy!
2. The power to rule thou shalt hold fast in
me, O amulet of parna-wood; wealth (thou shalt hold fast) in me! May I, rooted
in the domain of royalty, become the chief!
3. Their very own amulet which the gods
deposited secretly in the tree, that the gods shall give us to wear, together
with life!
4. The parna has come hither as the mighty
strength of the soma, given by Indra, instructed by Varuna. May I, shining
brilliantly, wear it, unto long life, during a hundred autumns!
5. The amulet of parna-wood has ascended upon
me unto complete exemption from injury, that I may rise superior (even) to
friends and alliances!
6. The skilful builders of chariots, and the
ingenious workers of metal, the folk about me all, do thou, O parna, make my
aids!
7. The kings who (themselves) make kings, the
charioteers, and leaders of hosts, the folk about me all, do thou, O parna,
make my aids!
8. Thou art the body-protecting parna, a
‘liero, brother of me, the hero. Along with the brilliancy of the year do I
fasten thee on, O amulet!
IV, 22. Charm to secure the superiority of a king.
1. This warrior, O Indra, do thou strengthen
for me, do thou install this one as sole ruler (bull) of the Vis
(the people); emasculate all his enemies, subject them to him in (their)
contests!
2. To him apportion his share of villages,
horses, and cattle; deprive of his share the one that is his enemy! May this
king be the pinnacle of royalty; subject to him, O Indra, every enemy!
3. May this one be the treasure-lord of
riches, may this king be the tribal lord of the Vis
(the people)! Upon this one, O Indra, bestow great lustre, devoid of lustre
render his enemy!
4. For him shall ye, O heaven and earth, milk
ample good, as two milch-cows yielding warm milk! May this king be favoured of
Indra, favoured of cows, of plants, and cattle!
5. I unite with thee Indra who has supremacy,
through whom one conquers and is not (himself) conquered, who shall install
thee as sole ruler of the people, and as chief of the human kings.
6. Superior art thou, inferior are thy
rivals, and whatsoever adversaries are thine, O king! Sole ruler, befriended of
Indra, victorious, bring thou hither the supplies of those who act as thy
enemies!
7. Presenting the front of a lion do thou
devour all (their) people, presenting the front of a tiger do thou strike down
the enemies! Sole ruler, befriended of Indra, victorious, seize upon the
supplies of those who act as thy enemies!
I, 9. Prayer for earthly and heavenly success.
1. Upon this (person) the Vasus, Indra,
Pûshan, Varuna, Mitra, and Agni, shall bestow goods (vasu)! The Âdityas, and,
further, all the gods shall hold him in the higher light!
2. Light, ye gods, shall be at his bidding:
Sûrya (the sun), Agni (fire), or even gold! Inferior to us shall be our rivals!
Cause him to ascend to the highest heaven
3. With that most potent charm with which, O
Gâtavedas (Agni), thou didst bring to Indra the (soma-) drink, with that, O
Agni, do thou here strengthen this one; grant him supremacy over his kinsmen!
4. Their sacrifice and their glory, their
increase of wealth and their thoughtful plans, I have usurped, O Agni. Inferior
to us shall be our rivals! Cause him to ascend to the highest heaven!
VI, 38. Prayer for lustre and power.
1. The brilliancy that is in the lion, the
tiger, and the serpent; in Agni, the Brâhmana, and Surya (shall be ours)! May
the lovely goddess that bore Indra come to us, endowed with lustre!
2. (The brilliancy) that is in the elephant,
panther, and in gold; in the waters, cattle, and men (shall be ours)! May the
lovely goddess that bore Indra come to us, endowed with lustre!
3. (The brilliancy) that is in the chariot,
the dice, in the strenath of the bull; in the wind, Parganya, and in the fire
of Varuna (shall be ours)! May the lovely goddess that bore Indra come to us,
endowed with lustre!
4. (The brilliancy) that is in the man of
royal caste, in the stretched drum, in the strength of the horge, in the shout
of men (shall be ours)! May the lovely goddess that bore Indra come to us,
endowed with lustre!
VI, 39. Prayer for glory (yasas).
1. The oblation that yields glory, sped on by
Indra, of thousandfold strength, well offered, prepared with might, shall
prosper! Cause me, that offers the oblation, to continue long beholding
(light), and to rise to supremacy!
2. (That he may come) to us, let us honour
with obeisance glory-owning Indra, the glorious one with glory-yielding
(oblations)! Do thou (the oblation) grant us sovereignty sped on by Indra; may
we in thy favour be glorious!
3. Glorious was Indra born, glorious Agni,
glorious Soma. Glorious, of all beings the most glorious, am I.
VIII, 8. Battle-charm.
1. May Indra churn (the enemy), he, the
churner, Sakra (mighty), the hero, that pierces the forts, so that we shall
slay the armies of the enemies a thousandfold!
2. May the rotten rope, wafting itself
against yonder army, turn it into a stench. When the enemies see from afar our
smoke and fire, fear shall they lay into their hearts!
3. Tear asunder those (enemies), O asvattha
(ficus religiosa), devour (khâda) them, O! khadira (acacia catechu) in lively
style! Like the tâgadbhanga (ricinus communis) they shall be broken
(bhagyantâm), may the vadhaka (a certain kind of tree) slay them with his
weapons (vadhaih)!
4. May the knotty âhva-plant put knots upon
yonder (enemies), may the vadhaka slay them with his weapons! Bound up in (our)
great trap-net, they shall quickly be broken as an arrow-reed!
5. The atmosphere was the net, the great
regions (of space) the (supporting) poles of the net: with these Sakra (mighty
Indra) did surround and scatter the army of the Dasyus.
6. Great, forsooth, is the net of great
Sakra, who is rich in steeds: with it infold thou all the enemies, so that not
one of them shall be released!
7. Great is the net of thee, great Indra,
hero, that art equal to a thousand, and hast hundredfold might. With that (net)
Sakra slew a hundred, thousand, ten thousand, a hundred million foes, having
surrounded them with (his) army.
8. This great world was the net of great
Sakra: with this net of Indra I infold all those (enemies) yonder in darkness,
9. With great dejection, failure, and
irrefragable misfortune; with fatigue, lassitude, and confusion, do I surround
all those (enemies) yonder.
10. To death do I hand them over, with the
fetters of death they have been bound. To the evil messengers of death do I
lead them captive.
11. Guide ye those (foes), ye messengers of
death; ye messengers of Yama, infold them! Let more than thousands be slain;
may the club of Bhava crush them!
12. The Sâdhyas (blessed) go holding up with
might one support of the net, the Rudras another, the Vasus another, (Still)
another is upheld by the Âdityas.
13. All the gods shall go pressing from above
with might; the Angiras shall go on the middle (of the net), slaying the mighty
army!
14. The trees, and (growths) that are like
trees, the plants and the herbs as well; two-footed and four-footed creatures
do I impel, that they shall slay yonder army!
15. The Gandharvas and Apsaras, the serpents
and the gods, holy men and (deceased) Fathers, the visible and invisible
(beings), do I impel, that they shall slay yonder army!
16. Scattered here are the fetters of death;
when thou steppest upon them thou shalt not escape! May this hammer slay (the
men) of yonder army by the thousand!
17. The gharma (sacrificial hot drink) that
has been heated by the fire, this sacrifice (shall) slay thousands! Do ye,
Bhava and Sarva, whose arms are mottled, slay yonder army!
18. Into the (snare of) death they shall
fall, into hunger, exhaustion, slaughter, and fear! O Indra and Sarva, do ye
with trap and net slay yonder army!
19. Conquered, O foes, do ye flee away;
repelled by (our) charm, do ye run! Of yonder host, repulsed by Brihaspati, not
one shall be saved!
20. May their weapons fall from their
(hands), may they be unable to lay the arrow on (the bow)! And then (our)
arrows shall smite them, badly frightened, in their vital members!
21. Heaven and earth shall shriek at them,
and the atmosphere, along with the divine powers! Neither aider, nor support
did they find; smiting one another they shall go to death!
22. The four regions are the she-mules of the
god’s chariot, the purodâsas (sacrificial rice-cakes) the hoofs, the atmosphere
the seat (of the wagon). Heaven and earth are its two sides, the seasons the
reins, the intermediate regions the attendants, Vâk (speech) the road.
23. The year is the chariot, the full year is
the body of the chariot, Virâg, the pole, Agni the front part of the chariot.
Indra is the (combatant) standing on the left of the chariot, Kandramas (the moon)
the charioteer.
24. Do thou win here, do thou conquer here,
overcome, win, hail! These here shall conquer, those yonder be conquered! Hail
to these here, perdition to those yonder! Those yonder do I envelop in blue and
red!
I, 19. Battle-charm against arrow-wounds.
1. The piercing (arrows) shall not hit us,
nor shall the striking arrows hit us! Far away fron, us O Indra, to either
side, cause the arrow-shower to fall!
2. To either side of us the arrows shall
fall, those that have been shot and shall be shot! Ye divine and ye human
arrows, pierce ye mine enemies!
3. Be he our own, or be he strange, the
kinsman, or the foreianer, who bear enmity towards us, those enemies of mine
Rudra shall pierce with a shower of arrows!
4. Him that rivals us, or does not rival us,
him that curses us with hate, may all the gods injure my charm protects me from
within!
III, 1. Battle-charm for confusing the enemy.
1. Agni shall skilfully march against our
opponents, burning against their schemes and hostile plans; Gâtavedas shall
confuse the army of our opponents and deprive them (of the use) of their hands!
2. Ye Maruts are mighty in such matters:
advance ye, crush ye, conquer ye (the enerny)! These Vasus when implored did
crush (them). Agni, vily, as their vanauard shall skilfully attack!
3. O Maghavan, the hostile army which
contends against us–do ye, O Indra, Vritra’s slayer, and Agni, burn against
them!
4. Thy thunderbolt, O Indra, who hast been
driven forward swiftly by thy two bay steeds, shall advance, crushing the
enemies. Slay them that resist, pursue, or flee, deprive their schemes of
fulfilment!
5. O Indra, confuse the army of the enemy;
with the impact of the fire and the wind scatter them to either side!
6. Indra shall confuse the army, the Miaruts
shall slay it with might! Agni shall rob it of its sight; vanquished it shall
turn about!
III, 2. Battle-charm for confusing the enemy.
1. Agni, our skilful vanguard, shall attack,
burning, against their schemes and hostile plans! Gâtavedas shall bewilder the
plans of the enemy, and deprive them (of the use) of their hands!
2. This fire has confused the schemes that
are in your mind; it shall blow you from your home, blow you away from
everywhere!
3. O Indra, bewildering their schemes, come
hither with thy (own) plan: with the impact of the fire and the wind scatter
them to either side!
4. O ye plans of theirs, fly ye away; O ye
schemes, be ye confused! Moreover, what now is in their mind, do thou drive
that out of them!
5. Do thou, O (goddess) Apvi, confusing their
plans, go forth (to them), and seize their limbs! Attack them, burn with flames
into their hearts; strike the enemy with fits, (strike our) opponents with
darkness!
6. That army yonder o( the enemy, that comes
against us fighting with might, do ye, O Maruts, strike with planless darkness,
that one of them shall not know the other!
VI, 97. Battle-charm of a king upon the eve of battle.
1. Superior is the sacrifice, superior Agni,
superior Soma, superior Indra. To the end that I shall be superior to all hostile
armies do we thus, offering the agnihotra, reverently present this oblation!
2. Hail be, ye wise Mitra and Varuna: with
honey swell ye our kingdom here, (so that it shall) abound in offspring! Drive
far to a distance misfortune, strip off from us sin, even after it has been
committed!
3. With inspiration follow ye this strong
hero; cling close, ye friends, to Indra (the king), who conquers villages,
conquers cattle, has the thunderbolt in his arm, overcomes the host arrayed
(against him), crushing it with might!
VI, 99. Battle-charm of a king on the eve of battle.
1. I call -upon thee, O Indra, from afar,
upon thee for protection against tribulation. I call the strong avenger that
has many names, and is of unequalled birth.
2. Where the hostile weapon now rises against
us,threatening to slay, there do we place the two arms of Indra round about.
3. The two arms of Indra, the protector, do
we place round about us: let him protect us! O god Savitar, and king Soma,
render me of confident mind, that I may prosper!
XI, 9. Prayer to Arbudi and Nyarbudi for
help in battle.
1. The arms, the arrows, and the might of the
bows; the swords, the axes, the weapons, and the artful scheme that is in our
mind; all that, O Arbudi, do thou make the enemies see, and spectres also make
them see!
2. Arise, and arm yourselves; friends are ye,
O divine folk! May our friends be perceived and protected by you, O Arbudi (and
Nyarbudi)!
3. Arise (ye two), and take hold I With
fetters and shackles surround ye the armies of the enemy, O Arbudi (and
Nyarbudi)!
4. The god whose name is Arbudi, and the lord
Nyarbudi, by whom the atmosphere and this great earth has been infolded, with
these two companions of Indra do I pursue the conquered (king) with my army.
5. Arise, thou divine person, O Arbudi,
together with thy army! Crushing the army of tlie enemy, encompass them with
thy embraces!
6. Thou, Arbudi, makest appear the sevenfold
spectral brood. Do thou, when the oblation has been poured, rise up with all.
these, together with the army!
7. (The female mourner), beating herself,
with tear-stained face, with short (mutilated?) ears, with dishevelled hair,
shall lament, when a man has been slain, pierced by thee, O Arbudi!
8. She curves her spine while longing in her
heart for her son, her husband, and her kin, when (a man) has been pierced by
thee, O Arbudi!
9. The aliklavas and the gâshkamadas, the
vultures, the strong-winged hawks, the crows, and the birds (of prey) shall
obtain their fill! Let them make evident to the enemy, when (a man) has been
pierced by thee, O Arbudi!
10. Then, too, every wild beast, insect, and
worm shall obtain his fill on the human carcass, when (a man) has been pierced
by thee, O Arbudi!
11. Seize ye, and tear out in-breathing and
outbreathing, O Nyarbudi (and Arbudi): deep-sounding groans shall arise! Let
them make it evident to the enemy, when (a man) has been pierced by thee, O
Arbudi!
12. Scare them forth, let them tremble;
bewilder the enemies with fright! With thy broad embrace, with the clasp of thy
arms crush the enemies, O Nyarbudi!
13. May their arms, and the artful scheme
that is in their mind be confused! Not a thing shall remain of them, pierced by
thee, O Arbudi!
14. May (the mourning women) beating them
selves, run together, smiting their breasts and their thighs, not anointed,
with dishevelled hair, howling, when a man has been slain, has been pierced by
thee, O Arbudi!
15. The dog-like Apsaras, and also the
Rûpakâs (phantoms), the plucking sprite, that eacerly licks within the vessel,
and her that seeks out what has been carelessly hidden, all those do thou, O
Arbudi, make the enemies see, and spectres also make them see!
16. (And also make them see) her that strides
upon the mist, the mutilated one, who dwells with the mutilated; the vapoury spooks
that are hidden, and the Gandharvas and Apsaras, the serpents, and other brood,
and the Rakshas!
17. (And also) the spooks with fourfold
teeth, black teeth, testicles like a pot, bloody faces, who are inherently
frightful, and terrifying!
18. Frighten thou, O Arbudi, yonder lines of
the enemy; the conquering and the victorious (Arbudi and Nyarbudi), the two
comrades of Indra, shall conquer the enemies!
19. Dissolved, crushed, slain the enemy shall
lie, O Nyarbudi! May victorious sprites, with fiery tongues and smoky crests,
go with (our) army!
20. Of the enemies repulsed by this (army), O
Arbudi, Indra, the spouse of Saki, shall slay each picked man: not a single one
of those yonder shall escape!
21. May their hearts burst, may their life’s
breath escape upward! May dryness of the mouth overtake (our) enemies, but not
(our) allies!
22. Those who are bold and those who are
cowardly, those who turn (in flight) and those who are deaf (to
danger?), those who are (like) dark goats, and those, too, who bleat like goats, all those, do thou, O Arbudi, make the enemies see, and spectres also make them see!
danger?), those who are (like) dark goats, and those, too, who bleat like goats, all those, do thou, O Arbudi, make the enemies see, and spectres also make them see!
23. Arbudi and Trishamdhi shall pierce our
enemies, so that, O Indra, slayer of Vritra, spouse of Sakî, we may slay the
enemy by thousands!
24. The trees, and (growths) that are like
trees, the plants and the herbs as well, the Gandharvas and the Apsaras, the
serpents, gods, pious men, and (departed) Fathers, all those, O Arbudi, do thou
make the enemies see, and spectres also make them see!
25. The Maruts, god Âditya, Brahmanaspati did
rule over you; Indra, and Agni, Dhâtar, Mitra, and Pragâpati did rule over you;
the seers did rule over you. Let them make evident to the enemies when (a man)
has been pierced by thee, O Arbudi!
26. Ruling over all these, rise ye and arm
yourselves! Ye divine folk are (our) friends: win ye the battle, and disperse
to your various abodes!
XI, 10. Prayer to Trishamdhi for help in battle.
1. Arise and arm yourselves, ye nebulous
spectres together with fiery portents; ye serpents, other brood, and Rakshas,
run ye after the enemy!
2. He knows bow to rule your kingdom together
with the red portents (of the heavens). The evil brood that is in the air and
the heaven, and the human (powers) upon the earth, shall be obedient to the
plans of Trishamdhi!
3. The brazen-beaked (birds of prey), those
with beaks pointed as a needle, and those, too, with thorny beaks,
flesh-devouring, swift as the wind, shall fasten themselves upon the enemies,
together with the Trishamdhi-bolt (the bolt with three joints)!
4. Make away with, O Gâtavedas Âditya, many
carcasses! This army of Trishamdhi shall be devoted to my bidding!
5. Arise thou divine person, O Arbudi,
together with thy army! This tribute has been offered to you (Arbudi and
Trishamdhi), an offerinor pleasing to Trishamdhi.
6. This white-footed, four-footed arrow shall
fetter (?). Do thou, O magic spell, operate, together with the army of
Trishamdhi, against the enemies!
7. May (the mourning woman) with suffused
eyes hurry on, may she that hath short (mutilated?) ears shout when (a man) has
been overcome by the army of Trishamdhi! Red portents shall be (visible)!
8. May the winged birds that move in the air
and in the sky descend; beasts of prey and insects shall seize upon them; the
vultures that feed upon raw flesh shall hack into (their) carcasses!
9. By virtue of the compact which thou, O
Brihaspati, didst close with Indra and Brahman, by virtue of that agreement
with Indra, do I call hither all the gods: on this side conquer, not over
yonder!
10. Brihaspati, the descendant of Angiras,
and the seers, inspired by (our) song, did fix the three-jointed (Trishamdhi)
weapon upon the sky for the destruction of the Asuras.
11. Trishamdhi, by whom both yonder Âditya
(the sun) and Indra, are protected, the gods did destine for (our) might and
strencth.
12. All the worlds the gods did conquer
through this oblation, (and) by the bolt which Brihaspati, the descendant of
Angiras, did mould into a weapon for the destruction of the Asuras.
13. With the bolt which Brihaspati, the
descendant of Angiras, did, mould into a weapon for the destruction of the
Asuras do I, O Brihaspati, annihilate yonder army: I smite the enemies with
force.
14. All the gods that eat the oblation
offered with the call vashat are coming over. Receive this oblation graciously;
conquer on this side, not over yonder!
15. May all the gods come over: the oblation
is pleasing to Trishamdhi. Adhere to the great compact under which of yore the
Asuras were conquered!
16. Vâyu (the wind) shall bend the points of
the enemies’ bows, Indra shall break their arms, so that they shall be unable
to lay on their arrows, Âditya (the sun) shall send their missiles astray, and
Kandramas (the moon) shall bar the way of (the enemy) that has not (as yet)
started!
17. If they have come on as citadels of the
gods, if they have constituted an inspired charm as their armour, if they have
gathered courage through the protections for the body and the bulwarks which
they have made, render all that devoid of force!
18. Placing (our) purohita (chaplain),
together with the flesh-devourer (Agni) and death, in thy train, do thoti, O
Trishamdhi, go forth with thy army, conquer the enemies, advance!
19. O Trishamdhi, envelop thou the enemies in
darkness; may not a single one of those, driven forth by the speckled ghee, be
saved!
20. May the white-footed (arrow?) fly to
yonder lines of the enemy, may yonder armies of the enemies be to-day put to
confusion, O Nyarbudi!
21. The enemies have been confused, O
Nyarbudi: slay each picked man among them, slay them with this army!
22. The enemy with coat-of-mail, he that has
no coat-of-mail, and he that stands in the battle-throng, throttled by the
strings of their bows, by the fastenings of their coats-of-mail, by the
battle-throng, they shall lie!
23. Those w ith armour and those without
armour, the enemies that are shielded by armour, all those, O Arbudi, after
they have been slain, dogs shall devour upon the ground!
24. Those that ride on chariots, and those
that have no chariots, those that are mounted, and those that are not mounted,
all those, after they have been slain, vultures and strong-winged hawks shall
devour!
25. Counting its dead by thousands, the
hostile army, pierced and shattered in the clash of arms, shall lie!
26. Pierced in a vital spot, shrieking in
concert with the birds of prey, wretched, crushed, prostrate, (the birds of
prey) shall devour the enemy who attempts to hinder this oblation of ours
directed against (him)!
27. With (the oblation) to which the gods
flock, which is free from failure,-with it Indra, the slayer of Vritra, shall
slay, and with the Trishamdhi-bolt (the bolt with three joints)!
V, 20. Hymn to the battle-drum.
1. High sounds the voice of the drum, that
acts the warrior, the wooden (drum), equipped with the skin of the cow.
Whetting thy voice, subduing the enemy, like a lion sure of victory, do thou
loudly thunder against them!
2. The wooden (instrument) with fastened
(covering) has thundered as a lion, as a bull roars to the cow that longs to
mate. Thou art a bull, thy enemies are eunuchs; thou ownest Indra’s foesubduing
fire!
3. Like a bull in the herd, full of might,
lusty, do thou, O snatcher of booty, roar against them! Pierce with fire the
heart of the enemy; with -broken ranks the foe shall run and scatter!
4. In victorious battles raise thy roar! What
may be captured, capture; sound in many places! Favour, O drum, (our deeds)
with thy divine voice; bring to (us) with strength the property of the enemy!
5. When the wife of the enemy hears the voice
of the drum, that speaks to a far distance, may she, aroused by the sound,
distressed, snatch her son to her arms, and run, frightened at the clash of
arms!
6. Do thou, O drum, sound the first sound,
ring brilliantly over the back of the earth! Open wide thy maw at the enemies
host; resound brightly, joyously, O drum!
7. Between this heaven and earth thy noise
shall spread, thy sounds shall quickly part to every side! Shout thou and
thunder with swelling sound; make music at thy friend’s victory, having, (chosen)
the good side!
8. Manipulated with care, its voice shall
resound! Make bristle forth the weapons of the warriors! Allied to Indra do
thou call hither the warriors; with thy friends beat vigorously down the
enemies!
9. A shouting herald, followed by a bold
army, spreading news in many places, sounding through the village, eager for
success, knowing the way, do thou distribute glory to many in the battle!
10. Desiring advantage, gaining booty, full
mighty, thou hast been made keen by (my) song, and winnest battles. As the
press-stone on the gathering skin dances upon the soma-sboots, thus do thou, O
drum, lustily dance upon the booty!
11. A conqueror of enemies, overwhelming,
foe-subduing, eager for the fray, victoriously crushing, as a speaker his speech
do thou carry forth thy sound; sound forth here strength for victory in battle!
12. Shaking those that are unshaken, hurrying
to the strife, a conqueror of enemies, an unconquerable leader, protected by
Indra, attending to the hosts, do thou that crusheth the hearts of the enemies,
quickly go!
V, 21 Hymn to the battle-drum, the terror of the enemy.
1. Carry with thy voice, O drum, lack of
heart, and failure of courage among the enemies! Disagreement, dismay, and
fright, do we place into the enemies: beat them down, O drum!
2. Agitated in their minds, their sight,
their hearts, the enemies shall run, frightened with terror, when our oblation
has been offered!
3. Made of wood, equipped with the skin of
the cow, at home with every clan, put thou with thy voice terror into the
enemies, when thou hast been anointed with ghee!
4. As the wild animals of the forest start in
fear from man, thus do thou, O drum, shout against the enemies, frighten them
away, and bewilder their minds!
5. As goats and sheep run from the wolf,
badly frightened, thus do thou, O drum, shout against the enemies, frighten
them away, and bewilder their minds!
6. As birds start in fear from the eagle, as
by day and by night (they start) at the roar of the lion, thus do thou, O drum,
shout against the enemies, frighten them away, and bewilder their minds!
7. With the drum and the skin of the antelope
all the gods, that sway the battle, have scared away the enemies.
8. At the noise of the beat of the feet when
Indra disports himself, and at his shadow, our enemies yonder, that come in
successive ranks, shall tremble!
9. The whirring of the bowstring and the
drums shall shout at the directions where the conquered armies of the enemies
go in successive ranks!
10. O sun, take away their sight; O rays, run
after them; clinging to their feet, fasten yourselves upon them, when the
strength of their arms is gone!
11. Ye strong Maruts, Prisni’s children, with
Indra as an ally, crush ye the enemies; Soma the king (shall crush them),
Varuna the king, Mahâdeva, and
also Mrityu (death), and Indra!
also Mrityu (death), and Indra!
12. These wise armies of the gods, having the
sun as their ensign, shall conquer our enemies! Hail!
End of Section -5
Atharva Veda
Section -6
VI. CHARMS TO SECURE HARMONY, INFLUENCE
IN THE ASSE-NIBLY, AND THE LIKE (SÂMMANASYÂNI, ETC.).
III, 30. Charm to secure harmony.
1. Unity of heart, and unity of mind, freedom
from hatred, do I procure for you. Do ye take delight in one another, as a cow
in her (new-) born calf!
2. The son shall be devoted to his father, be
of the same mind with his mother; the wife shall speak honied, sweet, words to
her husband!
3. The brother shall not hate the brother,
and the sister not the sister! Harmonious, devoted to the same purpose, speak
ye words in kindly spirit!
4. That charm which causes the gods not to
disagree, and not to hate one another, that do we prepare in your house, as a
means of agreement for your folk.
5. Following your leader, of (the same) mind,
do ye not hold yourselves apart! Do ye come here, co-operating, going along the
same wagon-pole, speaking agreeably to one another! I render you of the same
aim, of the same mind.
6. Identical shall be your drink, in common
shall be your share of food! I yoke you together in the same traces: do ye
worship Agni, joining together, as spokes around about the hub!
7. I render you of the same aim, of the same
mind, all paying deference to one (person) through my harmonising charm. Like
the gods that are guarding the ambrosia, may he (the leader) be welldisposed
towards you, night and day!
VI, 73. Charm to allay discord.
1. Hither shall come Varuna, Soma, Agni;
Brihaspati with the Vasus shall come hither! Come together, O ye kinsmen all,
of one mind, to the glory of this mighty guardian!
2. The fire that is within your souls, the
scheme that hath entered your minds, do I frustrate with my oblation, with my
ghee: delight in me shall ye take, O kinsmen!
3. Remain right here, go not away from us;
(the roads) at a distance Pûshan shall make impassable for you! Vistoshpati
shall urgently call you back: delight in me shall ye take, O kinsmen!
VI, 74. Charm to allay discord.
1. May your bodies be united, may your mindg
and your purposes (be united)! Brahmanaspati here has brought you together,
Bhaga has brought you together.
2. Harmony of mind (I procure) for you, and
also harmony of heart. Moreover with the aid of Bhaga’s exertions do I cause
you to agree.
3. As the Âdityas are united with the Vasus,
as the fierce (Rudras), free from grudge, with the Maruts, thus, O three-named
(Agni), without grudge, do thou render these people here of the same mind!
VII, 52. Charm against strife and bloodshed.
VII, 52. Charm against strife and bloodshed.
1. May we be in harmony with our kinfolk, in
harmony with strangers; do ye, O Asvins, establish here agreement among us!
2. May we agree in mind and thought, may we
not struggle with one another, in a spirit displeasing to the gods! Ma not the
din of frequent battle-carnage arise, may the arrow not fly when the day of
Indra has arrived!
VI, 64. Charm to allay discord.
1. Do ye agree, unite yourselves, may your
minds be in harmony, just as the
gods of old in harmony-. sat down to their share!
gods of old in harmony-. sat down to their share!
2. Same be their counsel, same their
assembly, same their aim, in common their thought! The ‘same’ oblation do I
sacrifice for you: do ye enter upon the same plan!
Same be your intention, same your hearts! Same be your mind, so that it may be perfectly in common to you!
Same be your intention, same your hearts! Same be your mind, so that it may be perfectly in common to you!
VI, 42. Charm to appease anger.
1. As the bowstring from the bow, thus do I
take off thy anger from thy heart, so that, having become of the same mind, we
shall associate like friends!
2. Like friends we shall associate-I take off
thy anger. Under a stone that is heavy do we cast thy anger.
3. I step upon thy anger with my heel and my
fore-foot, so that, bereft of will, thou shalt not speak, shalt come up to my
wish!
VI, 43. Charm to appease anger.
1. This darbha-grass removes the anger of
both kinsman and of stranger. And this remover of wrath, ‘appeaser of wrath’ it
is called.
2. This darbha-grass of many roots, that
reaches down into the ocean, having risen from the earth, ‘appeaser of wrath’
it is called.
3. Away we take the offensiveness that is in
thy jaw, away (the offensiveness) in thy mouth, so that, bereft of will, thou
shalt not speak, shalt come up to my wish!
II, 27. Charm against opponents in debate, undertaken with the pâtâ-plant.
1. May the enemy not win the debate! Thou art
mighty and overpowering. Overcome the debate of those that debate against us,
render them devoid of force, O plant!
2. An eagle found thee out, a boar dug thee
out with his snout. Overcome the debate of those that debate against us, render
them devoid of force, O plant!
3. Indra placed thee upon his arm in order to
overthrow the Asuras. Overcome the debate of those that debate against us,
render them devoid of force, O plant!
4. Indra did eat the pâtâ-plant, in order to
overthrow the Asuras. Overcome the debate of those that debate against us,
render them devoid of force, O plant!
5. By means of thee I shall conquer the
enemy, as Indra (conquered) the Sâlâvrikas. Overcome the debate of those that
debate against us, render them devoid of force, O plant!
6. O Rudra, whose remedy is the urine, with
black crest of hair, performer of (strong) deeds,overcome thou the debate of
those that debate against us, render them devoid of force, O plant!
7. Overcome thou the debate of him that is
hostile to us, O Indra! Encourage us with thy might! Render me superior in
debate!
VII, 12. Charm to procure influence in the assembly.
1. May assembly and meeting, the two daughters
of Pragâpati, concurrently aid me! May he with whom I shall meet co-operate
with me, may I, O ye Fathers, speak agreeably to those assembled!
2. We know thy name, O assembly: ‘mirth,’
verily, is thy name; may all those that sit assembled in thee utter speech in
harmony with me!
3. Of them that are sitting together I take
to myself the power and the understanding: in this entire vathering render, O
Indra, me successful!
4. If your mind has wandered to a distance,
or has been enchained here or there, then do we turn it hither: may your mind
take delight in me!
VI, 94. Charm to bring about submission to one’s will.
1. Your minds, your purposes, your plans, do
we cause to bend. Ye persons yonder, that are devoted to other purposes, we
cause you to comply!
2. With my mind do I seize your minds: do ye
with your thoughts follow my thought! I place your hearts in my control: come
ye, directing your way after my course!
3. I have called upon heaven and earth, I
have called upon the goddess Sarasvatî, I have called upon both Indra and Agni:
may we succeed in this. O Sarasvatî!
End of Section -6
Atharva Veda
Section -7
VII. CHARMS TO SECURE PROSPERITY IN
HOUSE, FIELD, CATTLE, BUSINESS, GAMBLING, AND KINDRED MATTERS.
III, 12. Prayer at the building of a house.
1. Right here do I erect a firm house: may it
stand upon a (good) foundation, dripping with ghee! Thee may we inhabit, O
house, with heroes all, with strong heroes, with uninjured heroes!
2. Right here, do thou, O house, stand
firmly, full of horses, full of cattle, full of abundance! Full of sap, ful.]
of ghee, full of milk, elevate thyself unto great happiness!
3. A supporter art thou, O house, with broad
roof, containing purified grain! To thee may the calf come, to thee the child,
to thee the milch-cows, when they return in the evening!
4. May Savitar, Vâyu, Indra, Brihaspati
cunningly erect this house! Alay the Alaruts
sprinkle it with moisture and with ghee; may king Bhaga let our ploughing take
root!
5. O mistress of dwelling, as a sheltering and
kindly goddess thou wast erected by the gods in the bealrinina; clothed in
grass, be thou kindly disposed; give us, moreover, wealth along with heroes!
6. Do thou, O cross-beam, according to
regulation ascend the post, do thou, mightily ruling, hold off the enemies! May
they that approach thee reverently, O house, not suffer injury, may we with all
our heroes live a hundred autumns!
7. Hither to this (house) hath come the
tender child, hither the calf along with (the other) domestic animals; hither
the vessel (full) of liquor, together with bowls of sour milk!
8. Carry forth, O woman, this full jar, a
stream of ghee mixed with ambrosia! Do thou these drinkers supply with
ambrosia; the sacrifice and the gifts (to the Brahmans) shall it (the house)
protect!
9. These waters, free from disease,
destructive of disease, do I carry forth. The chambers do I enter in upon
together with the immortal Agni (fire).
VI, 142. Blessing during the sowing of seed.
1. Raise thyself up, grow thick by thy own
might, O grain! Burst every vessel! The lightning in the heavens shall not
destroy thee!
2. When we invoke thee, god grain, and thou
dost listen, then do thou raise thyself up like the sky, be inexhaustible as
the sea!
3. Inexhaustible shall be those that attend
to thee, inexhaustible thy heaps! Theywhogivethee as a present shall be
inexhaustible, they who eat thee shall be inexhaustible!
VI, 79. Charm for procuring increase of grain.
1. May this bounteous Nabhasaspati (the lord
of the cloud) preserve for us (possessions) without measure in our house!
2. Do thou, O Nabhasaspati, keep
strengthening food in our house, may prosperity and goods come hither!
3. O bounteous god, thou dost command
thousandfold prosperity: of that do thou bestow upon iis, of that do
thou give us, in that may we share with thee!
thou give us, in that may we share with thee!
VI, 50. Exorcism of vermin infesting grain in the field.
1. Slay ye the tarda (‘borer’), the samanka
(‘hook’), and the mole, O Asvins; cut off their heads, and crush their ribs!
Shut their mouths, that they shall not eat the barley; free ye, moreover, the
grain from danger!
2. Ho tarda (‘borer’), ho locust, ho gabhya
(‘snapper’), upakvasa! As a Brahman (eats not) an uncompleted sacrifice, do ye,
not eating this barley, without working injury, get out!
3. O husband of the tardâ (-female), O
husband Of the vaghâ (-female), ye of the sharp teeth, listen to me! The
vyadvaras (‘ rodents’) of the forest, and whatever other vyadvaras (there are),
all these we do crush.
VII, 11. Charm to protect grain from lightning.
1. With thy broad thunder,with the beacon,
elevated by tile gods that pervade this all, with the lightning do thou not
destroy our grain, O god; nor do thou destroy it with the rays of the sun!
II, 26. Charm for the prosperity of cattle.
1. Hither shall come the cattle which have
strayed to a distance, whose companionship Vâyu (the wind) enjoys! (The cattle)
whose structure of form Tvashtar knows, Savitar shall hold in place in this
stable!
2. To this stable the cattle shall flow
together, Brihaspati skilfully shall conduct them hither! Sînîvâlî shall
conduct hither their van: do thou, O Anumati, hold them in place after they
have arrived!
3. May the cattle, may the horses, and may
the domestics flow together; may the increase of the grain flow together! I
sacrifice with an oblation that causeth to flow together!
4. I pour together the milk of the cows, I
pour together strength and sap with the ghee. Poured together shall be our
heroes, constant shall be the cows with me the owner of the cows!
5. I bring hither the milk of the cows, I
have brought hither the sap of the grain. Brought hither are our heroes,
brought hither to this house are our wives.
III, 14. Charm for the prosperity of
cattle.
1. With a firmly founded stable, with wealth,
with well-being, with the name of that which is born on a lucky day do we unite
you (O cattle)!
2. May Aryaman unite you, may Pûshan,
Brihaspati, and Indra, the conqueror of booty, unite you! Do ye prosper my
possessions!
3.Flocking together without fear, making
ordure in this stable, holding honey fit for soma, free from disease, ye shall
come hither!
4. Right here come, ye cows, and prosper here
like the sakâ-bird! And right here do ye beget (your youn(y)! May ye be in
accord with me!
5. May your stable be auspicious to you,
prosper ye like the sâri-birds and parrots! And right here do ye beget (your
young)! With us do we unite you.
6. Attach yourselves, O cows, to me as your
possessor; may this stable here cause you to prosper! Upon you, growing
numerous, and living, may we, increasing in wealth, alive, attend!
VI, 59. Prayer to the plant arundhatî for protection to cattle.
1. Thy foremost protection, O Arundhatî, do
thou bestow upon steer and milch-kine, upon (cattle of) the age when weaned
from their mother, upon (all) four-footed creatures!
2. May Arundhatî, the herb, bestow protection
along with the gods, render full of sap the stable, free from disease our men!
3. The variegated, lovely, life-giving
(plant) do I invoke. May she carry away for us, far from the cattle, the
missile hurled by Rudra!
VI, 70. Charm to secure the attachment of a cow to her calf.
1. As meat, and liquor, and dice (abound) at
the gambling-place, as the heart of thf. lusty male hankers after the woman,
thus shall thy heart, O cow, hanker after the calf!
2. As the elephant directs his steps after
the steps of the female, as the heart of the lusty male hankers after the
woman, thus shall thy heart, O cow, hanker after the calf!
3. As the felloe, and as the spokes, and as
the nave (of the wheel is joined) to the felloe, as the heart of the lusty male
hankers after the woman, thus shall thy heart, O cow, hanker after the calf!
III, 28. Formula in expiation of the
birth of twin-calves
1. Through one creation at a time this (cow)
was born, when the fashioners of the beings did create the cows of many
colours. (Therefore), when a cow doth beget twins portentously, growling and
cross she injureth the cattle.
2. This (cow) doth injure our cattle: a
flesh-eater, devourer, she hath become. Hence to a Brahman he shall give her;
in this way she may be kindly and auspicious!
3. Auspicious be to (our) men, auspicious to
(our) cows and horses, auspicious to this entire field, auspicious be to us
right here!
4. Here be prosperity, licre be sap! Be thou
here one that especially gives a thousandfold! Make the cattle prosper, thou
mother of twins!
5. Where our pious friends live joyously,
having left behind the ailments of their bodies, to that world the mother of
twins did attain: may she not injure our men and our cattle!
6. Where is the world of our pious friends,
where the world of thern that sacrifice with the agnihotra, to that world the
mother of twins did attain: may she not injure our imen and our cattle!
VI, 92. Charm to endow a horse with
swiftness.
1. Swift as the wind be thou, O steed, when
joined (to the chariot); at Indra’s urging go, fleet as the mind! The Maruts,
the all-possessing, shall harness thee,Tvashtar shall put fleetness into thy
feet!
2. With the fleetness, O runner, that has
been deposited in thee in a secret place, (with the fleetness) that has been
made over to the eagle, the wind, and moves in them, with that, O steed, strong
with strength, do thou win the. race, reaching the goal in the contest!
3. Thy body, O steed, leading (our) body,
shall run, a pleasure to ourselves, delight to thyself! A god, not stumbling,
for the support of the great, he shall, as if upon the heaven, found his own
light!
III, 13. Charm for conducting a river into a new channel.
1. Because of yore, when the (cloud-) serpent
was slain (by Indra), ye did rush forth and shout (anadatâ), therefore is your
name ‘shouters’ (nadyah rivers’): that is your designation, ye streams!
2. Because, when sent forth by Varuna, ye
then quickly did bubble up; then Indra met (âpnot) you, as ye went, therefore
anon are ye ‘meeters’ (âpah waters’)!
3. When reluctantly ye flowed, Indra,
forsooth, did with might choose (avîvarata) you as his own, ye goddesses!
Therefore ‘choice’ (vâr ‘water’) has been given you as your name!
4. One god stood upon you, as ye flowed
according to will. Up breathed (ud ânishuh) they who are known as ‘the great’
(mahîh). Therefore ‘upbreather’ (udakam ‘water’) are they called!
5. The waters are kindly, the waters in truth
were ghee. These waters, truly, do support Agni and Soma. May the readily
flowing, strong sap of the honey-dripping (waters) come to me, together with
life’s breath and lustre!
6. Then do I see them and also do I hear
them; their sound, their voice doth come to me. When, ye golden-
coloured, I have refreshed myself with you, then I ween, ambrosia (amrita) am I tasting!
coloured, I have refreshed myself with you, then I ween, ambrosia (amrita) am I tasting!
7. Here, ye waters, is your heart, here is
your calf, ye righteous ones! Come ye, mighty ones, by this way here, by which
I am conducting you here!
VI, 106. Charm to ward off danger from fire.
1. Where thou comest, (O fire), and where
thou goest away, the blooming dûrvâ-plant shall grow: a well-spring there shall
rise up, or a lotus-laden pool!
2. Here (shall be) the gathering place of the
waters, here the dwelling-place of the sea! In the midst of a pond our house
shall be: turn, (O fire), away thy jaws!
With a covering of coolness do we envelop thee, O house; cool as a pond be thou for us! Agni shall furnish the remedy!
With a covering of coolness do we envelop thee, O house; cool as a pond be thou for us! Agni shall furnish the remedy!
IV, 3. Shepherd’s charm against wild beasts and robbers.
1. Three have gone away from here, the tiger,
man, and wolf. Out of sight, forsooth, cm the rivers, out of siaht (grows the
divine tree (the banyan-tree?): out of sight the enemies shall retreat!
2. The wolf shall tlead a distant path, and
the robber one still more distant! On a distant path shall move the biting rope
(the serpent), on a distant path the plotter of evil!
3. Thy eyes and thy jaw we crush, O tiger,
and also all thy twenty claws.
4. We crush the tiger, the foremost of
animals, armed with teeth. Next, too, the thief, and then the serpent, the
wizard, and also the wolf.
5. The thief that approacheth to-day, crushed
to pieces he goeth away. Where the paths are precipitate he shall go, Indra
shall slay him with his bolt!
6. The teeth of the wild beast are dulled,
and broken are his ribs. Out of thy sight the dragon shall go, down shall
tumble the hare-hunting beast!
7. The (jaw, O beast,) that thou shuttest
together, thou shalt not open up; that which thou openest up, thou shalt not
shut together!–Born of Indra, born of Soma, thou, (my charm), art Atharvan’s
crusher of tigers.
III, 15. A merchant’s prayer.
1. Indra, the merchant, do I summon: may he
come to us, may he be our van; driving away the demon of grudge, the waylayers,
and wild beasts, may he, the possessor, bestow wealth upon me!
2. May the many paths, the roads of the gods,
which come together between heaven and earth, c,ladden me with milk and ghee,
so that I may gather in wealth from my purchases!
3. Desirous do I, O Agni, with firewood and
ghee offer oblations (to thee), for success and strength; according to ability
praising (thee) with my prayer, do I sing this divine song, that I may gain a
hundredfold!
4. (Pardon, O Agni, this sin of ours
[incurred upon] the far road which we have travelled!) May our purchases and
our sales be successful for us; may what I get in barter render me a gainer!
May ye two (Indra and Agni) in accord take pleasure in this oblation! May our
transactions and the accruing gain be auspicious to us!
5. The wealth with which I go to purchase,
desiring, ye gods, to gain wealth through wealth, may that grow more, not less!
Drive away, O Agni, in return for the oblation, the gods who shut off gain!
6. The wealth with which I go to purchase,
desiring, ye gods, to gain wealth through wealth, may Indra, Pragâpati,
Savitar, Soma, Agni, place lustre into it for me!
7. We praise with reverence thee, O priest
(Agni) Vaisvdnara. Do thou over our children, selves, cattle, and life’s breath
watch!
8. Daily, never failing, shall we bring (oblations
to thee), O Gâtavedas, (as if fodder) to a horse standing (in the stable). In
growth of wealth and nutriment rejoicing, may we, O Agni, thy neighbours, not
take harm!
IV, 38.
A. Prayer for success in gambling.
1. The successful, victorious, skilfully
gaming Apsarâ, that Apsarâ who makes the winnings in the game of dice, do I
call hither.
2. The skilfully gaming Apsarâ who sweeps and
heaps up (the stakes), that Apsarâ who takes the winnings in the game of dice,
do I call hither.
3. May she, who dances about with the dice,
when she takes the stakes from the game of dice, when she desires to win for
us, obtain the advantage by (her) magic! May she come to us full of abundance!
Let them not win this wealth of ours!
4. The (Apsarâs) who rejoice in dice, who
carry grief and wrath-tbat joyful and exulting Apsarâ, do I call hither.
B. Prayer to secure the return of calves that
have strayed to a distance.
5. They (the cattle) who wander along the
rays of the sun, or they who wander along the flood of light) they whose bull
(the. sun), full of strength, from afar protecting, with the day wanders about
all the worlds-may he (the bull), full of strength, delighting in this
offering, come to us touether with the atmosphere!
6. Together with the atmosphere, O thou who
art full of strength, protect the white (karkî) calf, O thou swift steed (the
sun)! Here are many drops (of ghee) for thee; come hither! May this white calf
(karkî) of thine, may thy mind, be here!
7. Together with the atmosphere, O thou who
art full of strength, protect the white (karkî) calf, O thou swift steed (the
sun)! Here is the fodder, here the stall, here do we tie down the calf.
Whatever (are your) names, we own you. Hail!
VII, 50. Prayer for success at dice.
1. As the lightning at all times smites
irresistibly the tree, thus would I to-day irresistibly beat the gamesters with
my dice!
2. Whether they be alert, or not alert, the
fortune of (these) folks, unresisting, shall assemble from all sides, the gain
(collect) within my hands!
3. I invoke with reverence Agni, who has his
own riches; here attached he shall beap up gain for us! I procure (wealth) for
myself, as if with chariots that win the race. May I accomplish auspiciously
the song of praise to the Maruts!
4. May we by thy aid conquer the (adversary
s) troop; help us (to obtain) our share in every contest! Make for us, O Indra,
a good and ample road; crush, O Maghavan, the lusty power of our enemies!
5. I have conquered and cleaned thee out (?);
I have also gained thy reserve. As the wolf plucks to pieces the sheep, thus do
I pluck thy winnings.
6. Even the strong hand the bold player
conquers, as the skilled gambler heaps up his winnings at the proper time. Upon
him that loves the game (the god), and does not spare his money, (the game, the
god) verily bestows the delights of wealth.
7. Through (the possession of) cattle we all
would suppress (our) wretched poverty, or with grain our hunger, O thou oft
implored (god)! May we foremost among rulers, unharmed, gain wealth by our
cunning devices!
8. Gain is deposited in my right hand,
victory in my left. Let me become a conqueror of cattle, horses, wealth, and
gold!
9. O dice, yield play, profitable as a cow
that is rich in milk! Bind me to a streak of gain, as the bow (is bound) with
the string!
VI, 56. Exorcism of serpents from the
premises.
1. May the serpent, ye gods, not slay us
along with our children and our men! The closed (jaw) shall not snap open, the
open one not close! Reverence (be) to the divine folk!
2. Reverence be to the black serpent,
reverence to the one that is striped across! To the brown svaga reverence;
reverence to the divine folk!
3. I clap thy teeth upon thy teeth, and also
thy jaw upon thy jaw; I press thy tongue against thy tongue, and close up, O
serpent, thy mouth.
X, 4. Charm against serpents, invoking the horse of Pedu that slays serpents.
1. To Indra belongs the first chariot, to the
gods the second chariot, to Varuna, forsooth, the third. The serpents’ chariot
is the last: it shall hit a post, and come to grief!
2. The young darbha-grass burns (the
serpents?), the tail of the horse, the tail of the shaggy one, the seat of the
wagon (burns the serpents?).
3. Strike down, O white (horse), with thy
forefoot and thy hind-foot! As timber floating in water, the poison of the
serpents, the fierce fluid, is devoid of strength.
4. Neighing loudly he dived down, and, again
diving up, said: ‘As timber floating in water, the poison of the serpents, the
fierce fluid, is devoid of strength.’
5. The horse of Pedu slays the kasarnîla, the
horse of Pedu slays the white (serpent), and also the black. The horse of Pedu
cleaves the head of the ratharvî, the adder.
6. O horse of Pedu, go thou first: we come
after thee! Thou shalt cast out the serpents from the road upon which we come!
7. Here the horse of Pedu was born; from here
is his departure. Here are the tracks of the serpent-killing, powerful steed!
8. May the closed (serpent’s jaw) not snap
open, may the open one not close! The two serpents in this field, man and wife,
they are both bereft of strength.
9. Without strength here are the serpents,
those that are near, and those that are far. With a club do I slay the vriskika
(scorpion), with a staff the serpent that has approached.
10. Here is the remedy for both the aghâsva
and the svaga! Indra (and) Pedu’s horse have put to naught the evil-planning
(aghâyantam) serpent.
11. The horse of Pedu do we remember, the
strong, with strong footing: behind he, staring forth, these adders.
12. Deprived are they of life’s spirit, deprived
of poison, slain by Indra with his bolt. Indra hath slain them: we have slain
them.
13. Slain are they that are striped across,
crushed are the adders! Slay thou the one that produces a hood, (slay) the
white and the black in the darbha-grass!
14. The maiden of the Kirâta-tribe, the
little one digs up the remedy, with golden spades, on the mountain’s back.
15. Hither has come a youthful physician: he
slays the speckled (serpent), is irresistible. He, forsooth, crushes the svaga
and the vriskika both.
16. Indra did set at naught for me the
serpent, (and so did) Mitra and Varuna, Vâta and Parganya both.
17. Indra did set at naught for me the
serpent, the adder, male and female, the svaga, (the serpent) that is striped
across, the kasarnîla, and the dasonasi.
18. Indra slew thy first ancestor, O serpent,
and since they are crushed, what strength, forsooth, can be theirs?
19. I have gathered up their heads, as the
fisherman the karvara (fish). I have gone off into the river’s midst, and
washed out the serpent’s poison.
20. The poison of all serpents the rivers
shall carry off! Slain are they that are striped across, crushed are the
adders!
21. As skilfully I cull the fibre of the
plants, as I guide the mares, (thus), O serpent, shall thy poison go away!
22. The poison that is in the fire, in the
sun, in the earth, and in the plants, the kândâ-poison, the kanaknaka, thy
poison shall go forth, and come!
23. The serpents that are sprung from the
fire, that are sprung from the plants, that are sprung from the water, and
originate from the lightning; they from whom great brood has sprung in many
ways, those serpents do we revere with obeisance.
24. Thou art, (O plant), a maiden, Taudî by
name.; Ghritâkî, forsooth, is thy name. Underfoot is thy place: I take in hand
what destroys the poison.
25. From every limb make the poison start;
shut it out from the heart! Now the force that is in thy poison shall go down
below!
26. The poison has gone to a distance: he has
shut it out; he has fused the poison with poison. Agni has put away the poison
of the serpent, Soma has led it out. The poison has gone back to the biter. The
serpent is dead!
XI, 2. Prayer to Bhava and Sarva for protection from dangers.
1. O Bhava and Sarva, be merciful, do not
attack (us); ye lords of beings, lords of cattle, reverence be to you twain!
Discharge not your arrow even after it has been laid on (the bow), and has been
drawn! Destroy not our bipeds and our quadrupeds!
2. Prepare not our bodies for the dog, or the
jackal; for the aliklavas, the vultures, and the black birds! Thy greedy
insects, O lord of cattle (pasupate), and thy birds shall not get us to devour!
3. Reverence we offer, O Bhava, to thy
roaring, to thy breath, and to thy injurious qualities; reverence to thee, O
Rudra, thousand-eyed, immortal!
4. We offer reverence to thee from the east,
from the north, and from the -south; from (every) domain, and from heaven.
Reverence be to thy atmosphere!
5. To thy face, O lord of cattle, to thy
eyes, O Bhava, to thy skin, to thy form, thy appearance, (and to thy aspect)
from behind, reverence be!
6. To thy limbs, to thy belly, to thy tongue,
to thy mouth, to thy teeth, to thy smell (nose), reverence be!
7. May we not conflict with Rudra, the archer
with the dark crest, the thousand-eyed, powerful one, the slayer of Ardhaka!
8. Bhava shall steer clear from us on all
sides, Bhava shall steer clear from us, as fire from water! May he not bear
malice towards us: reverence be to him!
9. Four times, eight times, be reverence to
Bhava, ten times be reverence to thee, O lord of cattle! To thy (charge) have
been assigned these five (kinds of) cattle: cows, horses, men, goats and sheep.
10. Thine, O strong god (ugra), are the four
regions, thine the sky, thine the earth, and thine this broad atmosphere; thine
is this all that has a spirit and has breath upon the earth.
11. Thine is this broad, treasure-holding
receptacle within which all worlds are contained. Do thou spare us, O lord of
cattle: reverence be to thee! Far from us shall go the jackals, evil omens,
dogs; far shall go (the mourning women) who bewail rnisfortune with dishevelled
hair!
12. Thou, O crested (god), carriest in (thy
hand), that smites thousands, a yellow, golden bow that slays hundreds; Rudra’s
arrow, the missile of the gods, flies abroad: reverence be to it, in whatever
direction from here (it flies)!
13. The adversary who lurks and seeks to
overcome thee, O Rudra, upon him thou dost fasten thyself from behind, as (the
hunter) that follows the trail of a wounded (animal).
14. Bhava and Rudra, united and concordant,
both strong (ugrau), ye advance to deeds of heroism: reverence be to both of
them, in whatever direction (they are) from here!
15. Reverence be to thee coming, reverence to
thee going; reverence, O Rudra, be to thee standing, and reverence, also, to
thee sitting!
16. Reverence in the evening, reverence in
the morning, reverence by night,reverence byday! I have offered reverence to
Bhava and to Sarva, both.
17. Let us not with our tongue offend Rudra,
who rushes on, thousand-eyed, overseeing all, who hurls (his shafts) forward,
who is manifoldly wise!
18. We approach first the (god) that has dark
horses, is black, sable, destructive, terrible, who casts down the car of
Kesin: reverence be to him!
19. Do not hurl at us thy club, thy divine
bolt; be not incensed at us, O lord of cattle! Shake over some other than us
the celestial branch!
20. Injure us not, interpose for us, spare
us, be not angry with us! Let us not contend with thee!
21. Do not covet our cattle, our men, our
goats and sheep! Bend thy course elsewhere, O strong god (ugra), slay the
offspring of the blasphemers!
22. He whose missile, fever and cough,
assails the single (victim), as the snorting of a stallion, who snatches away
(his victims) one by one, to him be reverence!
23. He who dwells fixed in the atmosphere,
smiting the blasphemers of the god that do not sacrifice, to him be reverence
with ten sakvarî-stanzas!
24. For thee the wild beasts of the forest
have been placed in the forest: flamingoes, eagles, birds of prey, and fowls.
Thy spirit, O lord of cattle, is within the waters, to strengthen thee the
heavenly waters flow.
25. The dolphins, great serpents (boas),
purîkayas (water-animals), sea-monsters, fishes, ragasas at which thou
shootest-there exists for thee, O Bhava, no distance, and no barrier. At a
glance thou lookest around the entire earth; from the eastern thou slayest in
the northern ocean.
26. Do not, O Rudra, contaminate us with
fever, or with poison, or with heavenly fire: cause this lightning to descend
elsewhere than upon us!
27. Bhava rules the sky, Bhava rules the
earth; Bhava has filled the broad: atmosphere. Reverence be to him in whatever
direction from here (he abides)!
28. O king Bhava, be merciful to thy
worshipper, for thou art the lord of living beasts! He who believes the gods
exist, to his quadruped and biped be merciful!
29. Slay neither our great nor our small;
neither those of us that are riding, nor those that shall ride; neither our
father, nor our mother. Cause no injury, O Rudra, to our own persons!
30. To Rudra’s howling dogs, who swallow
their food without blessing, who have wide jaws, I have made this obeisance.
31. Reverence, O god, be to thy shouting
hosts, reverence to thy long-haired, reverence to thy reverenced, reverence to
thy devouring hosts! May well-being and security be to us!
IV, 28. Prayer to Bhava and Sarva for
protection from calamities.
1. O Bhava and Sarva, I am devoted to you.
Take note of that, ye under whose control, is all this which shines (the
visible universe)! Ye who rule all these two-footed and four-footed creatures,
deliver us from calamity!
2. Ye to whom belongs all that is near by,
yea, all that is far; ye who are known as the most skilful archers among
bowmen; ye who rule all these two-footed and four-footed creatures, deliver us
from calamity!
3. The thousand-eyed slayers of Vritra both
do I invoke. I go praising the two strong gods (ugrau) whose pastures extend
far. Ye who rule all these two-footed and four-footed creatures, deliver us
from calamity!
4. Ye who, united, did undertake many (deeds)
of old, and, moreover, did visit portents upon the. people; ye who rule all
these two-footed and fourfooted creatures, deliver us from calamity!
5. Ye from whose blows no one either among
gods or men escapes; ye who rule all these twofooted and four-footed creatures,
deliver us from calamity!
6. The sorcerer who prepares a spell, or
manipulates the roots (of plants) against us, against him, ye strong gods,
launch your thunderbolt! Ye who rule all these two-footed and four-footed
creatures, deliver us from calamity.
7. Ye strong gods, favour us in battles,
bring into contact with your thunderbolt the Kimîdin! I praise you, O Bhava and
Sarva, call fervently upon you in distress: deliver us from calamity!
VII, 9. Charm for finding lost property.
1. On the distant path of the paths Pûshan
was born, on the distant path of heaven, on the distant path of the earth. Upon
the two most lovely places both he walks hither and away, knowing (the way).
2. Pûshan knows these regions all; he shall
lead us by the most dangerless (way). Bestowing well-being, of radiant glow,
keeping our heroes undiminished, he shall, alert and skilful, go before us!
3. O Pûshan, under thy law may we never
suffer harm: as praisers of thee are we here!
4. Pûshan shall from the east place his right
hand about us, shall bring again to us what has been lost: we shall come upon
what has been lost!
VI, 128. Propitiation of the weather-prophet.
1. When the stars made Sakadhûma their king
they bestowed good weather upon him: ‘This shall be his dominion,’ they said.
2. Let us have good weather at noon, good
weather at eve, good weather in the early morning, good weather in the niyht
3. For day and night, for the stars, for sun
and moon, and for us prepare good weather, O king Sakadhûma!
4. To thee, O Sakadhûma, ruler of the stars,
that gavest us good weather in the evening in the night, and by day, let there
ever be obeisance!
XI, 6. Prayer for deliverance from calamity, addressed to the entire pantheon.
1. To Agni we speak and to the trees, to the
plants and to the herbs; to Indra, Brihaspati, and Sûya: they shall deliver us
from calamity!
2. We speak to king Varuna, to Mitra, Vishnu
and Bhaga. To Amsa and Vivasvant do we speak: they shall deliver us from
calamity!
3. We speak to Savitar, the god, to Dhâtar,
and to Pûshan; to first-born Tvashtar do we speak: they shall deliver us from
calamity!
4. We speak to the Gandharvas and the
Apsaras, to the Asvins and to Brahmanaspati, to the god whose name is Aryaman:
they shall deliver us from calamity!
5. Now do we speak to day and night, to Sûrya
(sun) and to Kandramas (moon), the twain; to all the Âdityas we speak: they
shall deliver us from calamity!
6. We speak to Vâta (wind) and Parganya, to
the atmosphere and the directions of space. And to all the regions do we speak:
they shall deliver us from calamity!
7. Day and night, and Ushas (dawn), too,
shall deliver thee from curses! Soma the god, whom they call Kandramas (moon),
shall deliver me!
8. To the animals of the earth and those of
heaven, to the wild beasts of the forest, to the winged birds, do we speak:
they shall deliver us from calamity!
9. Now do we speak to Bhava and Sarva, to
Rudra and Pasupati; their arrows do we know well: these (arrows) shall be ever
propitious to us!
10. We speak to the heavens, and the stars,
to earth, the Yakshas, and the mountains; to the seas.. the rivers, and the
lakes: they shall deliver us from calamity!
11. To the seven Rishis now do we speak, to
the divine waters and Pragâpati. To the Fathers with Yama at their head: they
shall deliver us from calamity!
12. The gods that dwell in heaven, and those
that dwell in the atmosphere; the mighty (gods) that are fixed upon the earth,
they shall deliver us from
calamity!
calamity!
13. The Âdityas, Rudras, Vasus, the divine
Atharvans in heaven, and the wise Angiras: they shall deliver us from calamity!
14. We speak to the sacrifice and the
sacrificer, to the riks, the sâmans, and the healing (Atharvan) charms; we
speak to the yagus-formulas and the invocations (to the gods): they shall
deliver us from calamity!
15. We speak to the five kingdoms of the
plants with soma the most excellent among them. The darbha-grass, hemp, and
mighty barley: they shall deliver us from calamity!
16. We speak to the Arâyas (demons of
grudge), Rakshas, serpents, pious men, and Fathers; to the one and a hundred
deaths: they shall deliver us from calamity!
17. To the seasons we speak, to the lords of
the seasons, and to the sections of the year; to the halfyears, years, and
months: they shall deliver us from calamity!
18. Come, ye gods, from the south and the
west; ye gods in the east come forth! From the east, from the north the mighty
gods, all the gods assembled: they shall deliver us from calamity!
19, 20. We speak here to all the gods that
hold to their agreements, promote the order (of the universe), together with
all their wives: they shall deliver us from calamity!
21. We speak to being, to the lord of being,
and also to him that controls the beings; to the beings all assembled: they
shall deliver us from calamity!
22. The five divine regions, the twelve
divine seasons, the teeth of the year, they shall ever be propitious, to us!
23. The amrita (ambrosia), bought for the
price of a chariot, which Mâtalî knows as a remedy, that Indra stored away in
the waters: that, O ye waters, furnish ye as a remedy!
End of Section -7
(My humble
salutations to the Translator for the collection)
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