TOGTHER WITH
EXTRACTS FROM THE RITUAL BOOKS AND THE COMMENTARIES
TRANSLATED BY
MAURICE BLOOMFIELD
Sacred Books of the East, volume 42
[1897]
[Scanned at www.sacred-texts.com]
[Editors Note: this, the 42nd volume of the the Sacred Books of the East, is an anthology of representative texts from the Atharva-veda, the fourth Veda. Since the order is not that of the original I have inserted a five digit number in wavy brackets in front of each hymn, where the first two digits are the book and the remaining three digits are the hymn number. For instance, {07044} is the 44th verse of the 7th book. This is to assist in searching if you know which verse you are looking for. Due to time considerations, I have omitted most of the introduction and the annotations.]
The present volume of translations comprises about one third of the entire material of the Atharva-veda in the text of the Saunaka-school. But it represents the contents and spirit of the fourth Veda in a far greater measure than is indicated by this numerical statement. The twentieth book of the Samhit�, with the exception of the so-called kunt�pas�ktini (hymns 127-136), seems to be a verbatim repetition of mantras contained in the Rig-veda, being employed in the Vait�na-s�ra at the sastras and stotras of the soma-sacrifice: it is altogether foreign to the spirit of the original Atharvan. The nineteenth book is a late addendum, in general very corrupt; its omission (with the exception of hymns 26, 34, 35, 38, 39, 53, and 54) does not detract much from the general impression left by the body of the collection. The seventeenth book consists of a single hymn of inferior interest. Again, books XV and XVI, the former entirely Brahmanical prose, the latter almost entirely so, are of doubtful quality and chronology. Finally, books XIV and XVIII contain respectively the wedding and funeral stanzas of the Atharvan, and are largely coincident with corresponding Mantras of the tenth book of the Rig-veda: they are, granted their intrinsic interest, not specifically Atharvanic. Of the rest of the Atharvan (books I-XIII) there is presented here about one half, naturally that half which seemed to the translator the most interesting and characteristic. Since not a little of the collection rises scarcely above the level of mere verbiage, the process of exclusion has not called for any great degree of abstemiousness.
These successive acts of exclusion have made it possible to present a fairly complete history of each of the hymns translated. The employment of the hymns in the Atharvanic practices is in closer touch with the original purpose of the composition or compilation of the hymns than is true in the case of the other collections of Vedic hymns. Many times, though by no means at all times, the practices connected with a given hymn present the key to the correct interpretation of the hymn itself. In any case it is instructive to see what the Atharvan priests did with the hymns of their own school, even if we must judge their performances to be secondary.
I do not consider any translation of the AV. at this time as final. The most difficult problem, hardly as yet ripe for final solution, is the original function of many mantras, after they have been stripped of certain adaptive modifications, imparted to them to meet the immediate purpose of the Atharvavedin. Not infrequently a stanza has to be rendered in some measure of harmony with its connection, when, in fact, a more original meaning, not at all applicable to its present environment, is but scantily covered up by the 'secondary modifications of the text. This garbled tradition of the ancient texts partakes of the character of popular etymology in the course of the transmission of wofds. New meaning is read into the mantras, and any little stubbornness on their part is met with modifications of their wording. The critic encounters here a very difficult situation: searching investigation of the remaining Vedic collections is necessary before a bridge can be built from the more original meaning to the meaning implied and required by the situation in a given Atharvan hymn. Needless to say the only correct and useful way to translate a mantra in the Atharvan, is to reproduce it with the bent which it has received in the Atharvan. The other Vedic collections are by no means free from the same taint. The entire Vedic tradition, the Rig-veda not excepted, presents rather the conclusion than the beginning of a long period of literary activity. Conventionality of subject-matter, style, form (metre), &c., betray themselves at every step: the 'earliest' books of the RV. are not exempt from the same processes of secondary grouping and adaptation of their mantras, though these are less frequent and less obvious than is the case in the Atharva-veda.
Obligations to previous translators: Weber, Muir, Ludwig, Zimmer, Grill', Henry, &c., are acknowledged in the introduction to each hymn. I regret that the work was in the hands of the printer prior to the appearance of Professor Henry's excellent version of books X-XII. The late lamented Professor Whitney kindly furnished me with the advance sheets of the late Shankar Pandurang Pandit's scholarly edition of the AV. with S�yana's commentary, as also with many of the readings of the Cashmir text (the so-called Paippal�da-s�kh�) of the AV. Neither the Paippal�da nor S�yana sensibly relieves the task of its difficulty and responsibility.
MAURICE BLOOMFIELD.
JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY,
BALTIMORE: April, 1896.
{05022}
1. May Agni drive the takman away from here, may Soma, the press-stone, and
Varuna, of tried skill; may the altar, the straw (upon the altar), and the
brightly-flaming fagots (drive him away)! Away to naught shall go the hateful
powers!
2. Thou that makest all men sallow, inflarning them like a searing
fire, even now, O takman, thou shalt become void of strength: do thou now go
away down, aye, into the depths!
The takman that is spotted, covered Nvith
spots, like reddish sediment, him thou, (O plant) of unremitting potency, drive
away down below!
4. Having made obeisance to the takman, I cast him down
below: let him, the champion of Sakambhara, return again to the
Mah�vrishas!
5. His home is with the M�gavants, his home with the
Mah�vrishas. From the moment of thy birth thou art indigenous with the
Balhikas.
6. O takman, vy�la, v� gada, vy�nga, hold off (thy missile) far!
Seek the gadabout slave-girl, strike her with thy bolt!
7. O takman, go to
the M�gavants, or to the Balhikas farther away! Seek the lecherous S�dra female:
her, O takman, give a good shaking-up!
8. Go away to the Mah�vrishas and the
M�gavants, thy kinsfolk, and consume them! Those (regions) do we bespeak for the
takman, or these regions here other (than ours).
9. (If) in other regions
thou dost not abide, mayest thou that art powerful take pity on us! Takman, now,
has become eager: he will go to the Balhikas.
10. When thou, being cold, and
then again deliriously hot, accompanied by cough, didst cause the (sufferer) to
shake, then, O takman, thy missiles were terrible: from these surely exempt
us!
11. By no means ally thyself with bal�sa, cough and spasm! From there do
thou not return hither again: that, O takman, do I ask of thee!
12. O takman,
along with thy brother bal�sa, along with thy sister cough, along with thy
cousin p�man, go to yonder foreign folk!
13. Destroy the takman that returns
on (each) third day, the one that intermits (each) third day, the one that
continues without intermission, and the autumnal one; destroy the cold takman,
the hot, him that comes in summer, and him that arrives in the rainy
season!
14. To the Gandh�ris, the M�gavants, the Angas, and the Magadhas, we
deliver over the takman, like a servant, like a treasure!
{06020}
1. As if from this Agni (fire), that burns and flashes, (the takman) comes.
Let him then, too, as a babbling drunkard, pass away! Let him, the impious one,
search out some other person, not ourselves! Reverence be to the takman with the
burning weapon!
2. Reverence be to Rudra, reverence to the takman, reverence
to the luminous king Varuna! Reverence to heaven, reverence to earth, reverence
to the plants!
3. To thee here, that burnest through, and turnest all bodies
yellow, to the red, to the brown, to the takman produced by the forest, do I
render obeisance.
{01025}
1. When Agni, having entered the waters, burned, where the (gods) who uphold
the order (of the universe) rendered homage (to Agni), there, they say, is thy
origin on high: do thou feel for us, and spare us, O takman!
2. Whether thou
art flame, whether thou art heat, or whether from licking chips (of wood) thou
bast arisen, Hr�du by name art thou, O god of the yellow: do thou feel for us,
and spare us, O takman!
3. Whether thou art burning, whether thou art
scorching, or whether thou art the son of king Varuna, Hr�du by name art thou, O
god of the yellow: do thou feel for us, and spare us, O takman!
4. To the
cold takman, and to the deliriously hot, the glowing, do I render homage. To
hirn that returns on the morrow, to him that returns for two (successive) days,
to the takman that returns on the third day, homage shall be!
{07116}
1. Homage (be) to the deliriously hot, the shaking, exciting, impetuous
(takman)! Homage to the cold (takman), to him that in the past fulfilled
desires!
2. May (the takman) that returns on the morrow, he that returns on
two (successive) days, the impious one, pass into this frog!
{05004}
1. Thou that art born upon the mountains, as the most potent of plants, come
hither, O kushtha, destroyer of the takman, to drive out from here the
takman!
2. To thee (that growest) upon the mountain, the brooding-place of
the eagle, (and) art sprung from Himavant, they come with treasures, having
heard (thy fame). For they know (thee to be) the destroyer of the takman.
3.
The asvattha-tree is the seat of the gods in the third heaven from here. There
the gods procured the kushtha, the visible manifestation of amrita
(ambrosia).
4. A golden ship with golden tackle moved upon the heavens. There
the gods procured the kushtha, the flower of amrita (ambrosia).
5. The paths
were golden, and golden were the oars; golden were the ships, upon which they
carried forth the kushtha hither (to the mountain).
6. This person here, O
kushtha, restore for me, and cure him! Render him free from sickness for
me!
7. Thou art born of the gods, thou art Soma's good friend. Be thou
propitious to my in-breathing and my out-breathing, and to this eye of
mine!
8. Sprung in the north from the Himavant (mountains), thou art brought
to the people in the east. There the most stiperior varieties of the kushtha
were apportioned.
9. 'Superior,' O kushtha, is thy name; 'superior' is the
name of thy father. Do thou drive out all disease, and render the takman devoid
of strength!
10. Pain in the head, affliction in the eye, and ailment of the
body, all that shall the kushtha heal-a divinely powerful (remedy),
forsooth!
{19039}
1. May the protecting god kushtha come hither from the Himavant: destroy thou
every takman, and all female spooks!
2. Three names hast thou, O kushtha,
(namely: kushtha), na-gh�-m�ra ('forsooth-no-death'), and na-gh�-risha
('forsooth-no-harm'). Verily no harm shall suffer (na gh� . . . rishat) this
person here, for whom I bespeak thee morn and eve, aye the (entire) day!
3.
Thy mother's name is g�val� ('quickening'), thy father's name is g�vanta
('living'). Verily no harm shall suffer this person here, for whom I bespeak
thee morn and eve, aye the entire day!
4. Thou art the most superior of the
plants, as a steer among cattle, as the tiger among beasts of prey. Verily no
harm shall stiffer this person here, for whom I bespeak thee morn and eve, aye
the entire day!
5. Thrice begotten by the S�mbu Angiras, thrice by the
�dityas, and thrice by all the gods, this kushtha, a universal remedy, stands
together with soma. Destroy thou every takman, and all female spooks!
6. The
asvattha-tree is the seat of the gods in the third heaven from here. There came
to sight the amrita (ambrosia), there the kushtha-plant was born.
7. A golden
ship with golden tackle moved upon the heavens. There came to sight the amrita,
there the kushtha-plant was born.
8. On the spot where the ship glided down,
on the peak of the Himavant, there came to sight the ambrosia, there the
kushtha-plant was born. This kushtha, a universal remedy, stands together with
soma. Destroy thou every takman, and all female spooks!
9. (We know) thee
whom Ikshv�ku knew of yore, whom the women, fond of kushtha, knew, whom V�yasa
and M�tsya knew: therefore art thou a universal remedy.
10. The takman that
returns on each third day, the one that cominues without intermission, and the
yearly one, ao thou, (O plant) of unremitting strength, drive away down
below!
{01012}
1. The first red bull, born of the (cloud-)womb, born of wind and clouds,
comes on thundering with rain. May he, that cleaving moves straight on, spare
our bodies; he who, a single force, has passed through threefold!
2. Bowing
down to thee that fastenest thyself with heat upon every limb, we would
reverence thee with oblations; we would reverence with oblations the crooks and
hooks of thee that hast, as a seizer, seized the limbs of this person.
3.
Free him from headache and also from cough, (produced by the lightning) that has
entered his every joint! May the flashing (lightning), that is born of the
cloud, and born of the wind, strike the trees and the mountains!
4. Comfort
be to my upper limb, comfort be to my nether; comfort be to my four members,
comfort to my entire body!
{01022}
1. Up to the sun shall go thy heart-ache and thy jaundice: in the colour of
the red bull do we eovelop thee!
2. We envelop thee in red tints, unto long
life. May this person go unscathed, and be free of vellow colour!
3. The cows
whose divinity is Rohini, they who, moreover, axe (themselves) red (r�hinin)-(in
their) every form and every strength we do envelop thee.
4. Into the parrots,
into the ropan�k�s (thrush) do we put thy jaundice, and, furthermore, into the
h�ridravas (yellow wagtail) do we put thy jaundice.
{06014}
1. The internal disease that has set in, that crumbles the bones, and
crumbles the joints, every bal�sa do thou drive out, that which is in the limbs,
and in the joints!
2. The bal�sa of him that is afflicted with bal�sa do I
remove, as one gelds a lusty animal. Its connection do I cut off as the root of
a pumpkin.
3. Fly forth from here, O bal�sa, as a swift foal (after the
mare). And even, as the reed in every year, pass away without slaying men!
{04105}
1. As the-soul with the soul's desires swiftly to a distance flies, thus do
thou, O cough, fly forth along the soul's course of flight!
2. As a
well-sharpened arrow swiftly to a distance flies, thus do thou, O cough, fly
forth along the expanse of the earth!
3. As the rays of the sun swiftly to a
distance fly, thus do thou, O cough, fly forth along the flood of the sea!
{01002}
1. We know the father of the arrow, Parg-anya, who furnishes bountiful fluid,
and well do we know his mother, Prithivi (earth), the multiform!
2. O
bowstring, turn aside from us, turn my body into stone! Do thou firmly hold very
far away the hostile powers and the haters!
3. When the bowstring, embracing
the wood (of the bow), greets with a whiz the eaoer arrow, do thou, O Indra,
ward off from us the piercing missile!
4. As the point (of the arrow) stands
in the way of heaven and earth, thus may the mu�ga-grass unfailingly stand in
the way of sickness and (excessive) discharge!
{02003}
1. The spring-water yonder which runs down upon the mountain, that do I
render healing for thee, in order that thou mayest contain a potent
remedy.
2. Then surely, yea quite surely, of the hundred remedies contained
in thee, thou art the most superior in checking discharges and removing
pain.
3. Deep down do the Asuras bury this great healer of wounds: that is
the cure for discharges, and thal hath removed disease.
4. The ants bring the
remedy from the sea: that is the cure for discharges, and that hath quieted
disease.
5. This great healer of wounds has been gotten out of the earth:
that is the cure for discharges, and
that hath removed disease.
6. May the
waters afford us welfare, may the herbs be propitious to us I Indra's bolt shall
beat off the Rakshas, far (from us) shall fly the arrows cast by the
Rakshas!
{06044}
1. The heavens have stood still, the earth has stood still, all creatures
have stood still. The trees that sleep erect have stood still: may this disease
of thine stand still!
2. Of the hundred remedies which thou hast, of the
thousand that have been collected, this is the most excellent cure for
discharges, the best remover of disease.
3. Thou art the urine of Rudra, the
navel of amrita (ambrosia). Thy name, forsooth, is vish�nak�, (thou art) arisen
from the foundation of the Fathers, a remover of diseases produced by the winds
(of the body).
{01003}
1. We know the father of the arrow, Parganya, of hundredfold power. With this
(charm) may I render comfortable thy body: make thy Outpouring upon the earth;
out of thee may it come with the sound b�l!
2. We know the father of the
arrow, Mitra, &c.
3. We know the father of the arrow, Varuna,
&c.
4. We know the father of the arrow, Kandra, &c.
5. We know the
father of the arrow, S�rya, &c.
6. That which has accumulated in thy
entralls. thy canals, in thy bladder-thus let thy urine be released, out
completely, with the sound b�l!
7, I split open thy penis like the dike of a
lake--thus let thy urine be released, out completely, with the sound b�l!
8.
Relaxed is the opening of thy bladder like the ocean, the reservoir of
water--thus let thy urine be released, out completely, with the sound b�l!
9.
As an arrow flies to a distance when hurled from the bow-thus let thy urine be
released, out completely, with the sound b�l!
{06090}
1. The arrow that Rudra did cast upon thee, into (thy) limbs, and into thy
heart, this here do we now draw out away from thee.
2. From the hundred
arteries which are distributed along thy limbs, from all of these do we exorcise
forth the poisons.
3. Adoration be to thee, O Rudra, as thou casteth (thy
arrow); adoration to the (arrow) when it has been placed upon (the bow);
adoration to it as it is being hurled; adoration to it when it has fallen
down!
{01010}
1. This Asura rules over the gods; the commands of Varuna, the ruler, surely
come true. From this (trouble), from the wrath of the mighty (Varuna), do I,
excelling in my incantation, lead out this man.
2. Reverence, O king Varuna,
be to thy wrath, for all falsehood, O mighty one, clost thou discover. A
thousand others together do I make over to thee: this thy (man) shall live a
hundred autumns!
3. From the untruth which thou hast spoken, the abundant
wrong, with thy tongue--from king, Varuna I release thee, whose laws do not
fail.
4. I release thee from Vaisv�nara (Agni), from the great flood. Our
rivals, O mighty one, do thou censure here, and give heed to our prayer!
{07083}
1. Thy golden chamber, king Varuna, is built in the waters! Thence the king
that maintains the laws shall loosen all shackles!
2. From every habitation
(of thine), O king Varuna, from here do thou free us! In that we have said, 'ye
waters, ye cows;' in that we have said, 'O Varuna,' from this (sin), O Varuna,
free us!
3. Lift from us, O Varuna, the uppermost fetter, take down the
nethermost, loosen the middlemost! Then shall we, O �ditya, in thy law, exempt
from guilt, live in freedom!
4. Loosen from us, O Varuna, all fetters, the
uppermost, the nethermost, and those imposed by Varuna! Evil dreams, and
misfortune drive away from us: then may we go to the world of the pious!
{06024}
1. From the Himavant (mountains) they flow forth, in the Sindhu (Indus),
forsooth, is their assembling-place: may the waters, indeed, grant me that cure
for heart-ache!
2. The pain that hurts me in the eyes, and that which hurts
in the heels and the fore-feet, the waters, the most skilled of physicians,
shall put all that to rights!
3. Ye rivers all, whose mistress is Sindhu,
whose queen is Sindhu, grant us the remedy for that: through this (remedy) may
we derive benefit from you!
{06080}
1. Through the air he flies, looking down upon all beings: with the majesty
of the heavenly dog, with that oblation would we pay homage to thee!
2. The
three k�lak��ga that are fixed upon the sky like gods, all these I have called
for help, to render this person exempt from injury.
3. In the waters is thy
origin, upon the heavens thy home, in the middle of the sea, and upon the earth
thy greatness. With the majesty of the heavenly dog, with that oblation would we
pay homage to thee!
{02008}
1. Up have risen the majestic twin stars, the vikritau ('the two looseners');
may they loosen the nethermost and the uppermost fetter of the kshetriya
(inherited disease)!
2. May this night shine (the kshetriya) away, may she
shine away the witches; may the plant, destructive of kshetriya, shine the
kshetriya away!
3. With the straw of thy brown barley, endowed with white
stalks, with the blossom of the sesame--may the plant, destructive of kshetriya,
shine the: kshetriya away!
4. Reverence be to thy ploughs, reverence to thy
wagon-poles and yokes! May the plant, destructive of kshetriya, shine the
kshetriya away!
5. Reverence be to those with sunken eyes reverence to the
indicenous (evils?), reverence to the lord of the field! May the plant,
destructive of kshetriya, shine the kshetriya away!
{02010}
1. From kshetriya (inherited disease), from Nirriti (the goddess of
destruction), from the curse of the kinswoman, from Druh (the demon of guile),
from the fetter of Varuna do I release thee. Guiltless do I render thee through
my charm; may heaven and earth both be propitious to thee!
2. May Agni
together with the waters be auspicious to thee, may Soma together with the
plants be auspicious. Thus from kshetriya, from Nirriti, from the curse of the
kinswoman, from the Druh, from the fetter of Varuna do I release thee. Guiltless
do I render thee through my charm; may heaven and earth both be propitious to
thee!
May the wind in the atmosphere auspiciously bestow upon thee strength,
may the four quarters of the heaven be auspicious to thee. Thus from kshetriya,
from Nirriti &c.
4. These four goddesses, the directions of space, the
consorts of the wind, the sun surveys. Thus from kshetriya, from Nirriti
&c.
5. Within these (directions) I assign thee to old age; forth to a
distance shall go Nirriti and disease! Thus from kshetriya, from Nirriti
&c.
6. Thou hast been released from disease, from mishap, and from blame;
out from the fetter of Druh, and from Gr�hi (the demon of fits) thou hast been
released. Thus from kshetriya, from Nirriti &c.
7. Thou didst leave
behind Ar�ti (the demon of grudge), didst obtain prosperity, didst enter the
happy world of the pious. Thus from kshetriya, from Nirriti &c.
8. The
gods, releasing the sun and the ritam (the divine order of the universe) from
darkness and from Gr�hi, did take them out of sin. Thus from kshetriya, from
Nirriti &c.
{03007}
1. Upon the head of the nimble antelope a remedy grows! He has driven the
kshetriya (inherited disease) in all directions by means of the horn.
2. The
antelope has gone after thee with his four feet. O horn, loosen the kshetriya
that is knitted into his heart!
3. (The horn) that glistens yonder like a
roof with four wings (sides), with that do we drive out every kshetriya from thy
limbs.
4. The lovely twin stars, the vikritau ('the two looseners') that are
yonder upon the sky, shall loosen the nethermost and the uppermost fetter of the
kshetriya!
5. The waters, verily, are healers, the waters are scatterers of
disease, the waters cure all disease: may they. relieve thee from the
kshetriya!
6. The kshetriya that has entered into thee from the prepared
(magic) concoction, for that I know the remedy; I drive the kshetriya out of
thee.
7. When the constellations fade away, and when the dawn does fade away,
(then) shall he shine away from us every evil and the kshetriya!
{01023}
1. Born by night art thou, O plant, dark, black, sable. Do thou, that art
rich in colour, stain this leprosy, and the gray spots!
2. The leprosy and
the gray spots drive away from here--may thy native colour settle upon thee--the
white spots cause to fly away!
3. Sable is thy hiding-place, sable thy
dwelling-place, sable art thou, O plant: drive away from here the speckled
spots!
4. The leprosy which has originated in the bones, and that which has
originated in the body and upon the skin, the white mark begotten of corruption,
I have destroyed with my charm.
{01024}
1. The eagle (suparna) that was born at first, his gall thou wast, O plant.
The �sur� having conquered this (gall) gave it to the trees for their
colour.
2. The �sur� was the first to construct this remedy for leprosy, this
destroyer of leprosy. She has destroyed the leprosy, has made the skin of even
colour.
3. 'Even-colour' is the name of thy mother; 'Even-colour' is the name
of thy father; thou, O plant, producest even colour: render this (spot) of even
colour!
4. The black (plant) that produces even colour has been fetched out
of the earth. Do thou now, pray, perfect this, construct anew the colours!
{06083}
1. Fly forth, ye apakit (sores), as an eagle from the nest! S�rya (the sun)
shall prepare a remedy, Kandram�s (the moon) shall shine you away!
2. One is
variegated, one is white, one is black, and two are red: I have gotten the names
of all of them. Go ye away without slaying men!
3. The apakit, the daughter
of the black one, without bearing offspring will fly away; the boil will fly
away from here, the galunta (swelling) will perish.
4. Consume thy own
(proper) oblation with gratification in thy mind, when I here offer sv�h� in my
mind!
{07076}
1. Ye (sores) fall easily from that which falls easily, ye exist less than
those that do not exist (at all); ye are drier than the (part of the body
called) sehu, more moist than salt.
2. The apakit (sores) that are upon the
neck, and those that are upon the shoulders; the apakit that are upon the
vig�man (some part of the body) fall off of themselves.
3. The g�y�nya that crushes the ribs, that which passes down to the sole of
the foot, and whichever is fixed upon the crown of the head, I have driven out
every one.
4. The g�y�nya, winged, flies; he settles down upon man. Here is
the remedy both for sores not caused by cutting as well as for wounds sharply
cut!
5. We know, O g�y�nya, thy origin, whence thou didst spring. How canst
thou slay there, in whose house we offer oblations?
6. Drink stoutly, O Indra, slayer of Vritra, hero, of the soma in the cup, at the battle for riches! Drink thy fill at the mid-day pressure! Living in wealth, do thou bestow wealth upon us!
{07074}
1. We have heard it said that the mother of the black Apakit (pustules) is
red: with the root (found by) the divine sage do I strike all these.
2. I
strike the foremost one of them, and I strike also the middlemost of them; this
hindmost one I cut off as a flake (of wool).
3. With Tvashtar's charm I have sobered down thy jealousy; also thy anger, O lord, we have quieted.
4. Do thou, O lord of vows, adorned with vows, ever benevolently here shine! May we all, adoring thee, when thou hast been kindled, O G�tavedas, be rich in offspring!
{06025}
1. The five and fifty (sores) that gather together upon the nape of the neck,
from here they all shall pass away, as the pustules of the (disease called)
apakit!
2. The seven and seventy (sores) that gather together upon the neck,
from here they all shall pass away, as the pustules of the (disease called)
apakit!
3. The nine and ninety (sores) that gather together upon the
shoulders, from here they all shall pass away, as the pustules of the (disease
called) apakit!
{06057}
1. This, verily, is a remedy, this is the remedy of Rudra, with which one may
charm away the arrow that has one shaft and a hundred points!
2. With g�l�sha
(urine) do ye wash (the tumour), with g�l�sha do ye sprinkle it! The g�l�sha is
a potent remedy: do thou (Rudra) with it show mercy to us, that we may
live!
3. Both well-being and comfort shall be ours, and nothing whatever
shall injure us! To the ground the disease (shall fall): may every remedy be
ours, may all remedies be ours!
{04012}
1. Rohan! art thou, causing to heal (rohan�), the broken bone thou causest to
heal (rohan�): cause this here to heal (rohaya), O arundhat�!
2. That bone of
thine which, injured and burst, exists in thy person, Dh�tar shall kindly knit
together again, joint with joint!
3. Thy marrow shall unite with marrow, and
thy joint (unite) with joint; the part of thy flesh that has fallen off, and thy
bone shall grow together again!
4. Thy marrow shall be joined together with
marrow, thy skin grow together with skin! Thy blood, thy bone shall grow, thy
flesh grow together with flesh!
5. Fit together hair with hair, and fit
together skin with skin! Thy blood, thy bone shall grow: what is cut join thou
together, O plant!
6. Do thou here rise up, go forth, run forth, (as) a
chariot with sound wheels, firm feloe, and strong nave; stand upright
firmly!
7. If he has been injured by falling into a pit, or if a stone was
cast and hurt him, may he (Dh�tar, the fashioner) fit him together, joint to
joint, as the wagoner (Ribhu) the parts of a chariot!
{05005}
1. The night is thy mother, the cloud thy father, Aryaman thy grandfather.
Sil�k�, forsooth, is thy name, thou art the sister of the gods.
2. He that
drinks thee lives; (that) person thou dost preserve. For thou art the supporter
of all successive (generations), the refuge of men.
3. Every tree thou dost
climb, like a wench lusting after a man. 'Victorious,' 'firmly founded,'
'saving,' verily, is thy name.
4. The wound that has been inflicted by the
club, by the arrow, or by fire, of that thou art the cure: do thou cure this
person here!
5. Upon the noble plaksha-tree (ficus infectoria) thou growest
up, upon the asvattha (ficus religiosa), the khadira (acacia catechu), and the
dhava (grislea tomentosa); (thou growest up) upon the noble nyagrodha (ficus
indica, banyan-tree), and the parna (butea frondosa). Come thou to us, O
arundhat�!
6. O gold-coloured, lovely, sun-coloured, most handsome (plant),
mayest thou come to the fracture, O cure! 'Cure,' verily, is thy name!
7. O
gold-coloured, lovely, fiery (plant), with hairy stem, thou art the sister of
the waters, O l�ksh�, the wind became thy very breath.
8. Sil�k� is thy name,
O thou that art brown as a goat, thy father is the son of a maiden. With the
blood of the brown horse of Yama thou hast verily been sprinkled.
9. Having
dropped from the blood of the horse she ran upon the trees, turning into a
winged brook. Do thou come to us, O arundhat�!
{06109}
1. The pepper-corn cures the wounds that have been struck by missiles, it
also cures the wounds from stabs. Anent it the gods decreed: 'Powerful to secure
life this (plant) shall be!'
2. The pepper-corns spake to one another, as
they came out, after having been created: 'He whom we shall find (as yet) alive,
that man shall not suffer harm!'
3. The Asuras did dig thee into the ground,
the gods cast thee up again, as a cure for disease produced by wind (in the
body), moreover as a cure for wounds struck by missiles.
{01017}
1. The maidens that go yonder, the veins, clothed in red garments, like
sisters without a brother, bereft of strength, they shall stand still!
2.
Stand still, thou lower one, stand still, thou higher one; do thou in the middle
also stand still! The most tiny (vein) stands still: may then the great artery
also stand still!
Of the hundred arteries, and the thousand veins, those in
the middle here have indeed stood still. At the same time the ends have ceased
(to flow).
4. Around you has passed a great sandy dike: stand ye still, pray
take your case!
{02031}
1. With Indra's great mill-stone, that crushes all vermin, do I grind to
pieces the worms, as lentils with a mill-stone.
2. I have crushed the visible
and the invisible worm, and the kur�ru, too, I have crushed. All the algandu and
the saluna, the worms, we grind to pieces with our charm.
3. The algandu do I
smite with a mighty weapon: those that have been burned, and those that have not
been burned, have become devoid of strength. Those that are left and those that
are not left do I destroy with my song, so that not one of the worms be
left.
4. The worm which is in the entrails, and he that is in the head,
likewise the one that is in the ribs: avaskava and vyadhvara, the worms, do we
crush with (this) charm.
5. The worms that are within the mountains, forests,
plants, cattle, and the waters, those that have settled in our bodies, all that
brood of the worms do I smite.
{02032}
1. The rising sun shall slay the worms, the setting sun with his rays shall
slay the worms that are within the cattle!
2. The variegated worm, the
four-eyed, the speckled, and the white--I crush his ribs, and I tear off his
head.
3. Like Atri, like Kanva, and like Gamadagni do I slay you, ye worms!
With the incantation of Agastya do I crush the worms to pieces.
4. Slain is
the king of the worms, and their viceroy also is slain. Slain is the worm, with
him his mother slain, his brother slain, his sister slain.
5. Slain are they
who are inmates with him, slain are his neighbours; moreover all the quite tiny
worms are slain.
6. I break off thy two horns with which thou deliverest thy
thrusts; I cut that bag of thine which is the receptacle for thy poison.
{05023}
1. I have called upon heaven and earth, I have called upon the goddess
Sarasvat�, I have called upon Indra and Agni: 'they shall crush the worm,' (I
said).
2. Slay the worms in this boy, O Indra, lord of treasures! Slain are
all the evil powers by my fierce imprecation!
3. Him that moves about in the
eyes, that moves about in the nose, that gets to the middle of the teeth, that
worm do we crush.
4. The two of like colour, the two of different colour; the
two black ones, and the two red ones; the brown one, and the brown-eared one;
the (one like a) vulture, and the (one like a) cuckoo, are slain.
5. The
worms with white shoulders, the black ones with white arms, and all those that
are variegated, these worms do we crush.
6. In the east rises the sun, seen
by all, slaying that which is not seen; slaying the seen and the unseen (worms),
and grinding to pieces all the worms.
7. The yev�sha and the kashkasha, the
egatka, and the sipavitnuka--the seen worm shall be slain, moreover the unseen
shall be slain!
8. Slain of the worms is the yev�sha, slain further is the
nadaniman; all have I crushed down like lentils with a mill-stone.
9. The
worm with three heads and the one with three skulls, the speckled, and the
white--I crush his ribs and I tear off his head.
10. Like Atri, like Kanva,
and like Gamadagni do I slay you, ye worms! With the incantation of Agastya do I
crush the worms to pieces.
11. Slain is the king of the worms, and their
viceroy also is slain. Slain is the worm, with him his mother slain, his brother
slain, his sister slain.
12. Slain are they who are inmates with him, slain
are his neighbours; moreover all the quite tiny worms are slain.
13. Of all
the male worms, and of all the female worms do I split the heads with the stone,
I burn their faces with fire.
{04006}
1. The Br�hmana was the first to be born, with ten heads and ten mouths. He
was the first to drink the soma; that did render poison powerless.
2. As
great as heaven and earth are in extent, as far as the seven streams did spread,
so far from here have I proclaimed forth this charm that destroys poison.
3.
The eagle Garutmant did, O poison, first devour thee. Thou didst not bewilder
him, didst not injure him, yea, thou didst turn into food for him.
4. The
five-fingered hand that did hurl upon thee (the arrow) even from the curved
bow--from the point of the tearing (arrow) have I charmed away the poison.
5.
From the point (of the arrow) have I charmed away the poison, from the substance
that has been smeared upon it, and from its plume. From its barbed horn, and its
neck, I have charmed away the poison.
6. Powerless, O arrow, is thy point,
and powerless is thy poison. Moreover of powerless wood is thy powerless bow, O
powerless (arrow)!
7. They that ground (the poison), they that daubed it on,
they that hurled it, and they that let it go, all these have been rendered
impotent. The mountain that grows poisonous plants has been rendered
impotent.
8. Impotent are they that dig thee, impotent art thou, O plant!
Impotent is that mountain height whence this poison has sprung.
{04007}
1. This water (v�r) in the (river) Varan�vat� shall ward off (v�ray�tai)!
Amrita (ambrosia) has been poured into it: with that do I ward off (v�raye)
poison from thee.
2. Powerless is the poison from the east, powerless that
from the north. Moreover the poison from the south transforms itself into a
porridge.
3. Having made thee (the poison) that comes from a horizontal
direction into a porridge, rich in fat, and cheering, from sheer hunger he has
eaten thee, that hast an evil body: do thou not cause injury!
4. Thy
bewildering quality (madam), O (plant?) that art bewildering (madivati), we
cause to fall like a reed. As a boiling pot of porridge do we remove thee by
(our) charm.
5. (Thee, O poison) that art, as it were, heaped about the
village, do we cause to stand still by (our) charm. Stand still as a tree upon
its place; do not, thou that hast been dug with the spade, cause injury!
6.
With broom-straw (?), garments, and also with skins they purchased thee: a thing
for barter art thou, O plant! Do not, thou that hast been dug with the spade,
cause injury!
7. Those of you who were of yore unequalled in the deeds which
they performed-may the), not injure here our men: for this very purpose do I
engage you!
{06100}
1. The gods have given, the sun has given, the earth has given, the three
Sarasvat�s, of one mind, have given this poison-destroying (remedy)!
2. That
water, O ants, which the gods poured for you into the dry land, with this
(water), sent forth by the gods, do ye destroy this poison!
3. Thou art the
daughter of the Asuras, thou art the sister of the gods. Sprung from heaven and
earth, thou didst render the poison devoid of strength.
{06013}
1. Varuna, the sage of heaven, verily lends (power) to rne. With mighty
charms do I dissolve thy poison. The (poison) which has been dug, that which has
not been duo-, and that which is inherent, 1 have held fast. As a brook in the
desert thy poison has dried up.
2. That poison of thine which is not fluid I
have confined within these (serpents?). I hold fast the sap that is in thy
middle, thy top, and in thy bottom, too. May (the sap) now vanish out of thee
from fright!
3. My lusty shout (is) as the thunder with the cloud: then do I
smite thy (sap) with my strong charm. With manly strength I have held fast that
sap of his. May the sun rise as light from the darkness!
4. With my eye do I
slay thy eye, with poison do I slay thy poison. O serpent, die, do not live;
back upon thee shall thy poison turn!
5. O kair�ta, speckled one, upatrinya
(grass-dweller?), brown one, listen to me; ye black repulsive reptiles, (listen
to me)! Do not stand upon the ground of my friend; cease with your poison and
make it known (to people?)!
6. I release (thee) from the fury of the black
serpent, the taim�ta, the brown serpent, the poison that is not fluid, the
all-conquering, as the bowstring (is loosened) from the bow, as chariots (from
horses).
7. Both �lig� and Vilig�, both father and mother, we know your kin
everywhere. Deprived of your strength what will ye do?
8. The daughter of
urug�l�, the evil one born with the black--of all those who have run to their
hiding-place the poison is devoid of force.
9. The prickly porcupine,
tripping down from the mountain, did declare this: 'Whatsoever serpents, living
in ditches, are here, their poison is most deficient in force.'
10. T�buvam
(or) not t�buvam, thou (O serpent) art not t�buvam. Through t�buvam thy poison
is bereft of force.
11. Tastuvam (or) not tastuvam, thou (O serpent) art not
tastuvam. Through tastuvarn thy poison is bereft of force.
{06012}
1. As the sun (goes around) the heavens I have surrounded the race of the
serpents. As night (puts to rest) all animals except the hamsa bird, (thus) do I
with this (charm) ward off thy poison.
2. With (the charm) that was found of
yore by the Brahmans, found by the Rishis, and found by the gods, with (the
charm) that was, will be, and is now present, with this do I ward off thy
poison.
3. With honey do I mix the rivers; the mountains and peaks are honey.
Honey are the rivers Parushn� and S�pal�. Prosperity be to thy mouth, prosperity
to thy heart!
{07056}
1. The poison infused by the serpent that is striped across, by the black
serpent, and by the adder; that poison of the kankaparvan ('with limbs like a
comb,' scorpion) this plant has driven out.
2. This herb, born of honey,
dripping honey, sweet as honey, honied, is the remedy for injuries; moreover it
crushes insects.
3. Wherever thou hast been bitten, wherever thou hast been
sucked, from there do we exorcise for thee the poison of the small, greedily
biting insect, (so that it be) devoid of strength.
4. Thou (serpent) here,
crooked, without joints, and without limbs, that twisteth thy crooked jawsmayest
thou, O Brihaspati, straighten them out, as
a (bent) reed!
5. The poison
of the sarkota (scorpion) that creeps low upon the ground, (after he) has been
deprived of his strength, I have taken away; moreover I have caused him to be
crushed.
6. There is no strength in thy arms, in thy head, nor in the middle
(of thy body). Then why dost thou so wickedly carry a small (sting) in thy
tail?
7. The ants devour thee, pea-hens hack thee to pieces. Yea, every one
of you shall declare the poison of the sarkota powerless!
8. Thou (scorpion)
that strikest with both, with mouth as well as tail, in thy mouth there is no
poison: then what can there be in the receptacle in thy tail?
{06016}
1. O �bayu, (and even if) thou art not �bayu, strong is thy juice, O �bayu!
We eat a gruel, compounded of thee.
2. Vihalha is thy father's name, Mad�vat�
thy mother's name. Thou art verily not such, as to have consumed thy own
self.
3. O Tauvilik�, do be quiet! This howling one has become quiet. O brown
one, and brown-eared one, go away! Go out, O �la!
4. Alas�l� thou art first,
sil��gal�l� thou art the next, n�l�galas�l� (thou art third?)!
{06021}
1. Of these three earths (our) earth verily is the highest. From the surface
of these I have now plucked a remedy.
2. Thou art the most excellent of
remedies, the best of plants, as Soma (the moon) is the lord in the watches of
the night, as Varuna (is king) among the gods.
3. O ye wealthy, irresistible
(plants), ye do generously bestow benefits. And ye strengthen the hair, and,
moreover, promote its increase.
{06136}
1. As a goddess upon the goddess earth thou wast born, O plant! We dig thee
up, O nitatni, that thou mayest strengthen (the growth) of the hair.
2.
Strengthen the old (hair), beget the new! That which has come forth render more
luxurious!
3. That hair of thine which does drop off, and that which is
broken root and all, upon it do I sprinkle here the all-healing herb.
{06137}
1. The (plant) that Gamadagni dug up to promote the growth of his daughter's
hair, V�tahavya has brought here from the dwelling of Asita.
2. With reins
they had to be measured, with outstretched arms they had to be measured out. May
thy hairs grow as reeds, may they (cluster), black, about thy head!
3. Make
firm their roots, draw out their ends, expand their middle., O herb! May thy
hairs grow as reeds, may they (cluster), black, about thy head!
{04004}
1. Thee, the plant, which the Gandharva dug up for Varuna, when his virility
had decayed, thee, that causest strength[1], we dig up.
2. Ushas (Aurora),
S�rya, (the sun), and this charm of mine; the bull Prag�pati (the lord of
creatures) shall with his lusty fire arouse him!
3. This herb shall make thee
so very full of lusty strength, that thou shalt, when thou art excited, exhale
heat as a thing on fire!
4. The fire of the plants, and the essence of the
bulls shall arouse him! Do thou, O Indra, controller of bodies, place the lusty
force of men into this person!
5. Thou (O herb) art the first-born sap of the
waters and also of the plants. Moreover thou art the brother of Soma, and the
lusty force of the antelope buck!
6. Now, O Agni, now, O Savitar, now, O
goddess Sarasvat�, now, O Brahmanaspati, do thou stiffen the pasas as a
bow!
7. I stiffen thy pasas as a bowstring upon the bow. Embrace thou (women)
as the antelope buck the gazelle with ever unfailing (strength)!
8. The
strength of the horse, the mule, the goat and the ram, moreover the strength of
the bull bestow upon him, O controller of bodies (Indra)!
[1. The original, more drastically, sepaharshan�m. By a few changes and omissions in stanzas 3, 6, and 7 the direct simplicity of the original has been similarly veiled.]
{06111}
1. Release for me, O Agni, this person here, who, bound and well-secured,
loudly jabbers! Then shall he have due regard for thy share (of the offering),
when he shall be free from madness!
2. Agni shall quiet down thy mind, if it
has been disturbed! Cunningly do I prepare a remedy, that thou shalt be freed
from madness.
3. (Whose mind) has been maddened by the sin of the gods, or
been robbed of sense by the Rakshas, (for him) do I cunningly prepare a remedy,
that he shall be free from madness.
4. May the Apsaras restore thee, may
Indra, may Bhaga restore thee; may all the gods restore thee, that thou mayest
be freed from madness!
{04037}
1. With thee, O herb, the Atharvans first slew the Rakshas, with thee Kasyapa
slew (them), with thee Kanva and Agastya (slew them).
2. With thee do we
scatter the Apsaras and Gandharvas. O agasringi (odina pinnata), goad (aga) the
Rakshas, drive them all away with thy smell!
3. The Apsaras, Guggulil, I'lli,
Naladi, Aukshagandhi, and Pramandani (by name), shall go to the river, to the
ford of the waters, as if blown away! Thither do ye, O Apsaras, pass away,
(since) ye have been recognised!
4. Where grow the asvattha (ficus religiosa)
and the banyan-trees, the great trees with crowns, thither do ye, O Apsaras,
pass away, (since) ye have been recognised!
5. Where your gold and silver
swings are, where cymbals and lutes chime together, thither do ye, O Apsaras,
pass away, (since) ye have been recog~ nised.
6. Hither has come the
mightiest of the plants and herbs. May the agasringi ar�taki pierce with her
sharp horn (t�kshmasring�)!
7. Of the crested Gandharva, the husband of the
Apsaras, who comes dancing hither, I crush the two mushkas and cut off the
sepas.
8. Terrible are the missiles of Indra, with a hundred points, brazen;
with these he shall pierce the Gandharvas, who devour oblations, and devour the
avak�-reed.
9. Terrible are the missiles of Indra, with a hundred points,
golden; with these he shall pierce the Gandharvas, who devour oblations, and
devour the avakd-reed.
10. All the Pis�kas that devour the avak�-reeds, that
burn, and spread their little light in the waters, do thou, O herb, crush and
overcome!
11. One is like a dog, one like an ape. As a youth, with luxuriant
locks, pleasant to look upon, the Gandharva hangs about the woman. Him do we
drive out from here with our powerful charm.
12. The Apsaras, you know, are
your wives; ye, the Gandharvas, are their husbands. Speed away, ye immortals, do
not go after mortals!
{02009}
1. O (amulet) of ten kinds of wood, release this man from the demon (rakshas)
and the fit (gr�hi) which has seized upon.(gagr�ha) his joints! Do thou,
moreover, O plant, lead him forth to the world of the living!
2. He has come,
he has gone forth, he has joined the community of the living. And he has become
the father of sons, and the most happy of men!
3. This person has come to his
senses, he has come to the cities of the living. For he (now) has a hundred
physicians, and also a thousand herbs.
4. The gods have found thy
arrangement, (O amulet); the Brahmans, moreover, the plants. All the gods have
found thy arrangement upon the earth.
5. (The god) that has caused (disease)
shall perform the cure; he is himself the best physician.
Let him indeed, the
holy one, prepare remedies for thee, together with the (earthly) physician!
{04006}
1. May Agni Vaisv�nara, the bull of unfailing strength, burn up him that is
evil-disposed, and desires to harm us, and him that plans hostile deeds against
us!
2. Between the two rows of teeth of Agni Vaisv�nara do I place him that
plans to injure us, when we are not planning to injure him; and him that plans
to injure us, when we do plan to injure him.
Those who hound us in our
chambers, while shouting goes on in the night of the new moon, and the other
flesh-devourers who plan to injure us, all of them do I overcome with
might.
4. With might I overcome the Pis�kas, rob them of their property; all
evil-disposed (demons) do I slay: may my device succeed!
5. With the gods who
vie with, and measure their swiftness with this sun, with those that are in the
rivers, and in the mountains, do I, along with my cattle, consort.
6. I
plague the Pis�kas as the tiger the cattle-owners. As dogs who have seen a lion,
these do not find a refuge.
7. My strength does not lie with Pis�kas, nor
with thieves, nor with prowlers in the forest. From the village which I enter
the Pis�kas vanish away.
8. From the village which my fierce power has
entered the Pis�kas vanish away; they do not devise evil.
9. They who
irritate me with their jabber, as (buzzing) mosquitoes the elephant, them I
regard as wretched (creatures), as small vermin upon people.
10. May Nirriti
(the goddess of destruction) take hold of this one, as a horse with the halter!
The fool who is wroth with me is not freed from (her) snare.
{02025}
1. The goddess Prisniparn� has prepared prosperity for us, mishap for Nirriti
(the goddess of destruction). For she is a fierce devourer of the Kanvas: her,
the mighty, have I employed.
2. The Prisniparn� was first begotten powerful;
with her do I lop off the heads of the evil brood, as (the head) of a
bird.
3. The blood-sucking demon, and him that tries to rob (our) health,
Kanva, the devourer of our offspring, destroy, O Prisniparn�, and
overcome!
4. These Kanvas, the effacers of life, drive into the mountain; go
thou burning after them like fire, O goddess Prisniparn�!
5. Drive far away
these Kanvas, the effacers of life! Where the dark regions are, there have I
made these flesh-eaters go.
{06032}
1. Do ye well offer within the fire this oblation with ghee, that destroys
the spook! Do thou, O Agni, burn from afar against the Rakshas, (but) our houses
thou shalt not consume!
2. Rudra has broken your necks, ye Pis�kas: may he
also break your ribs, ye spooks! The plant whose power is everywhere has united
you with Yama (death).
3. Exempt from danger, O Mitra and Varuna, may we here
be; drive back with your flames the devouring demons (Atrin)! Neither aider, nor
support do they find; smiting one another they go to death.
{02004}
1. Unto long life and great delights, for ever unharmed and vigorous, do we
wear the gangida, as an amulet destructive of the vishkandha.
2. From
convulsions, from tearing pain, from vishkandha, and from torturing pain, the
gangida shall protect us on all sides--an amulet of a thousand virtues!
3.
This gangida conquers the vishkandha, and smites the Atrin (devouring demons);
may this all-healing gangida protect us from adversity!
4. By means of the
invigorating gangida, bestowed by the gods as an amulet, do we conquer in battle
the vishkandha and all the Rakshas.
5. May the hemp and may gangida protect
me against vishkandha! The one (gangida) is brought hither from the forest, the
other (hemp) from the sap of the furrow.
6. Destruction of witchcraft is this
amulet, also destruction of hostile powers: may the powerful gangida therefore
extend far our lives!
{19034}
1. Thou art an Angiras, O gangida, a protector art thou, O gangida. All
two-footed and four-footed creatures that belong to us the gangida shall
protect!
2. The sorceries fifty-three in number, and the hundred performers
of sorcery, all these having lost their force, the gangida shall render bereft
of strength!
3. Bereft of strength is the gotten-up clamour, bereft of
strength are the seven debilitating (charms). Do thou, O gangida, hurl away from
here poverty, as an archer an arrow!
4. This gangida is a destroyer of
witchcraft, and also a destroyer of hostile powers. May then the powerful
gangida extend far our lives!
5. May the greatness of the gangida protect us
about on all sides, (the greatness) with which he has overcome the vishkandha
(and) the samskandha, (overcoming the powerful (disease) with power!
6.
Thrice the gods begot thee that hast grown up upon the earth. The Brahmanas of
yore knew thee here by the name of Angiras.
7. Neither the plants of olden
times, nor they of recent times, surpass thee; a fierce slayer is the gahaida,
and a happy refuge.
8 And when, O gangida of boundless virtue, thou didst
spring up in the days of yore, O fierce (plant), Indra at first placed strength
in thee.
9. Fierce Indra, verily, put might into thee, O lord of the forest!
Dispersing all diseases, slay thou the Rakshas, O plant!
I o. The breaking
disease and the tearing disease, the bal�sa, and the pain in the limbs, the
takman that comes every autumn, may the gangida render devoid of force!
{19035}
1. While uttering Indra's name the seers bestowed (upon men) the gangida,
which the gods in the beginning had made into a remedy, destructive of the
vishkandha.
2 . May that gangida protect us as a treasurer his treasures, he
whom the gods and the Br�hmanas made into a refuge that puts to naught the
hostile powers!
3. The evil eye of the hostile-minded, (and) the evil-doer I
have approached. Do thou, O thousandeyed one, watchfully destroy these! A refuge
art thou, O gangida.
4. May the gangida protect me from heaven, protect me
from earth, protect (me) from the atmosphere, protect me from the plants,
protect me from the past, as well as the future; may he protect us from every
direction of space!
5. The sorceries performed by the gods, and also those
performed by men, may the all-healing gangida render them all devoid of
strength!
{06085}
1. This divine tree, the varana, shall shut out (v�ray�tai). The gods, too,
have shut out (av�varan) the disease that hath entered into this man!
2. By
Indra's command, by Mitra's and by Varuna's, by the command of all the gods do
we shut out thy disease.
3. As Vritra did bold fast these ever-flowing
waters, thus do I shut out (v�raye) disease from thee with (the help of) Agni
Vaisv�nara.
{06127}
1. Of the abscess, of the bal�sa, of flow of blood, O plant; of neuralgia, O
herb, thou shalt not leave even a speck!
2. Those two boils (testicles) of
thine, O balasa, that are fixed upon the arm-pits-I know the remedy for that:
the k�pudru-tree takes care of it.
3. The neuralgia that is in the limbs,
that is in the ears and in the eyes-we tear them out, the neuralgia, the
abscess, and the pain in the heart. That unknown disease do we drive away
downward.
{19038}
1. [Neither diseases, nor yet a curse, enters this person, O arundhat�!] From
him that is penetrated by the sweet fragrance of the healing bdellium, diseases
flee in every direction, as antelopes and as horses run.
2. Whether, O
bdellium, thou comest from the Sindhu (Indus), or whether thou art derived from
the sea, I have seized the qualities of both, that this person shall be exempt
from harm.
{06091}
1. This barley they did plough vigorously, with yokes of eight and yokes of
six. With it I drive off to a far distance the ailment from thy body.
2.
Downward blows the wind, downward burns the sun, downward the cow is milked:
downward shall thy ailment pass!
3. The waters verily are healing, the waters
chase away disease, the waters cure all (disease): may they prepare a remedy for
thee!
{08007}
1. The plants that are brown, and those that are white; the red ones and the
speckled ones; the sable and the black plants, all (these) do we invoke.
2.
May they protect this man from the disease sent by the gods, the herbs whose
father is the sky, whose mother is the earth, whose root is the ocean.
3. The
waters and the heavenly plants are foremost; they have driven out from every
limb thy disease, consequent upon sin.
4. The plants that spread forth, those
that are busby, those that have a single sheath, those that creep along, do I
address; I call in thy behalf the plants that have shoots, those that have
stalks, those that divide their branches, those that are derived from all the
gods, the strong (plants) that furnish
life to man.
5. With the might that
is yours, ye mighty ones, with the power and strength that is yours, with that
do ye, O plants, rescue this man from this disease!
I now prepare a
remedy.
6. The plants gival� ('quickening'), na-gh�-rish�
('forsooth-no-harm'), g�vanti ('living'), and the arundhat�, which removes
(disease), is full of blossoms, and rich in honey, do I call to exempt him from
injury.
7. Hither shall come the intelligent (plants) that understand my
speech, that we may bring this man into safety out of misery!
8. They that
are the food of Agni (the fire), the offspring of the waters, that grow ever
renewing themselves, the firm (plants) that bear a thousand names, the healing
(plants), shall be brought hither!
9. The plants, whose womb is the avaki
(blyxa octandra), whose essence are the waters, shall with their sharp horns
thrust aside evil!
10. The plants which release, exempt from Varuna (dropsy),
are strong, and destroy poison; those, too, that remove (the disease) baldsa,
and ward off witchcraft shall come hither!'
11. The plants that have been
bought, that are right potent, and are praised, shall protect in this village
cow, horse, man, and cattle!
12. Honied are the roots of these herbs, honied
their tops, honied their middles, honied their leaves, honied their blossoms;
they share in honey, are the food of immortality. May they yield ghee, and food,
and cattle chief of all!
13. As many in number and in kind the plants here
are upon the earth, may they, furnished with a thousand leaves, release me from
death and misery!
14. Tiger-like is the amulet (made of) herbs, a saviour, a
protector against hostile schemes: may it drive off far away from us all
diseases and the Rakshas!
15. As if at the roar of the lion they start with
fright, as if (at the roar) of fire they tremble before the (plants) that have
been brought hither. The diseases of cattle and men have been driven out by the
herbs: let them pass into navigable streams!
16. The plants release us from
Agni Vaisv�nara. Spreading over the earth, go ye, whose king is the tree!
17.
The plants, descended from Angiras, that grow upon the mountains and in the
plains, shall be for us rich in milk, auspicious, comforting to the
heart!
18. The herbs which I know, and those which I see with my sight; the
unknown, those which we know, and those which we perceive to be charged with
(power),--
19. All plants collectively shall note my words, that we may bring
this man into safety out of misfortune,--
20. The asvattha (ficus religiosa),
and the darbha among the plants; king Soma, amrita (ambrosia) and the oblation;
rice and barley, the two healing, immortal children of heaven!
21. Ye arise:
it is thundering and crashing, ye plants, since Parganya (the god of rain) is
favouring you, O children of Prisni (the spotted cloud), with (his) seed
(water).
22. The strength of this amrita (ambrosia) do we crive this man to
drink. Moreover, I prepare a remedy, that he may live a hundred years!
23.
The boar knows, the ichneumon knows the healing plant. Those that the serpents
and Gandharvas know, I call hither for help.
24. The plants, derived from the
Angiras, which the eagles and the heavenly raghats (falcons) know, which the
birds and the flamingos know, which all winged (creatures) know, which all wild
animals know, I call hither for help.
25. As many plants as the oxen and
kine, as many as the goats and the sheep feed upon, so many plants, when
applied, shall furnish protection to thee!
26. As many (plants), as the human
physicians know to contain a remedy, so many, endowed with every healing
quality, do I apply to thee!
27. Those that have flowers, those that have
blossoms, those that bear fruit, and those that are without fruit, as if from
the same mother they shall suck sap, to exempt this man from injury!
28. 1
have saved thee from a depth of five fathoms, and, too, from a depth of ten
fathoms; moreover, from the foot-fetter of Yama, and from every sin against the
gods.
{06096}
1. The many plants of hundredfold aspect, whose king is Soma, which have been
begotten by Brihaspati, shall free us from calamity!
2. May they free us from
(the calamity) consequent upon curses, and also from the (toils) of Varuna;
moreover, from the foot-fetter of Yama, and every sin against the gods!
3.
What laws we have infringed upon, with the eye, the mind, and speech, either
while awake, or asleep-may Soma by his (divine) nature clear these (sins) away
from us!
{02032}
1. From thy eyes, thy nostrils, ears, and chin--the disease which is seated
in thy head--from thy brain and tongue I do tear it out.
2. From thy neck,
nape of the neck, ribs, and spine--the disease which is seated in thy
fore-arm--from thy shoulders and arms I do tear it out.
3. From thy heart,
thy lungs, viscera, and sides; from thy kidneys, spleen, and liver we do tear
out the disease.
4. From thy entrails, canals, rectum, and abdomen; from thy
belly, guts, and navel I do tear out the disease.
5. From thy thighs, knees,
heels, and the tips of thy feet--from thy hips I do tear out the disease seated
in thy buttocks, from thy bottom the disease seated in thy buttocks.
6. From
thy bones, marrow, sinews and arteries; from thy hands, fingers, and nails I do
tear out the disease.
7. The disease that is in thy every limb, thy every
hair, thy every joint; that which is seated in thy skin, with Kasyapa's charm,
that tears out, to either side we do tear it out.
{09008}
1. Headache and suffering in the head, pain in the ears and flow of blood,
every disease of the head, do we charm forth from thee.
2. From thy ears,
from thy kank�shas the earpain, and the neuralgia--every disease of the head do
we charm forth from thee.
3. (With the charm) through whose agency disease
hastens forth from the ears and the mouth-every disease of the head do we charm
forth from thee.
4. (The disease) that renders a man deaf and blind--every
disease of the head do we charm forth from thee.
5. Pain in the limbs, fever
in the limbs, the neuralgia that affects every limb-every disease of the head do
we charm forth from thee.
6. (The disease) whose frightful aspect makes man
tremble, the takman (fever) that comes every autumn, do we charm forth from
thee.
7. The disease that creeps along the thighs, and then enters the
canals, out of thy inner parts do we charm forth.
8. If from the heart, from
love, or from disgust, it arises, from thy heart and from thy limbs the bal�sa
do we charm forth.
9. Jaundice from thy limbs, diarrhoea from within thy
bowels, the core of disease from thy inner soul do we charm forth.
10. To
ashes (�sa) the bal�sa shall turn; what is diseased shall turn to urine! The
poison of all diseases I have charmed forth from thee.
11. Outside the
opening (of the bladder) it shall run off; the rumbling shall pass from thy
belly! The poison of all diseases I have charmed forth from thee.
12. From
thy belly, lungs, navel, and heart-the poison of all diseases I have charmed
forth from thee.
13. (The pains) that split the crown (of the head), pierce
the head, without doing injury, without causing disease, they shall run off
outside the opening (of the bladder)!
14. They that pierce the heart, creep
along the ribs, without doing injury, without causing disease, they shall run
off outside the opening (of the bladder)!
15. They that pierce the sides,
bore along the ribs, without doing injury, without causing disease, they shall
run off outside the opening (of the bladder)!
16. They that pierce crosswise,
burrow in thy abdomen, without doing injury, without causing disease, they shall
run off outside the opening (of the bladder)!
17. They that creep along the
rectum, twist the bowels, without doing injury, without causing disease, they
shall run off outside the opening (of the bladder)!
18. They that suck the
marrow, and split the joints, without doing injury, without causing disease,
they shall run off outside the opening (of the bladder)!
19. The diseases and
the injuries that paralyse thy limbs, the poison of all diseases I have charmed
forth from thee.
20. Of neuralgia, of abscesses, of inflation, or of
inflammation of the eyes, the poison of all diseases I have driven forth from
thee.
21. From thy feet, knees, thighs, and bottom; from thy spine, and thy
neck the piercing pains, from thy head the ache I have removed.
22. Firm are
the bones of thy skull, and the beat of thy heart. At thy rising, O sun, thou
didst remove the pains of the head, quiet the pangs in the limbs.
{02029}
1. In the essence of earthly bliss, O ye gods, in strength of body (may he
live)! May Agni, S�rya, Brihaspati bestow upon him life's vigour!
2. Give
life to him, O G�tavedas, bestow in addition progeny upon him, O Tvashtar;
procure, O Savitar, increase of wealth for him; may this one, who belongs to
thee, live a hundred autumns!
3. May our prayer bestow upon us vigour, and
possession of sound. progeny; ability and property do ye two, (O heaven and
earth), bestow upon us!, May he, conquering lands with might, (live), O Indra,
subjecting the others, his enemies!
4. Given by Indra, instructed by Varuna,
sent by the Maruts, strong, he has come to us; may he, in the lap of ye two,
heaven and earth, not suffer from hunger and not from thirst!
5. Strength may
ye two, that are rich in strength, bestow upon him; milk may ye two, that are
rich in milk, bestow upon him! Strength heaven and earth did bestow upon him;
strength all the gods, the Maruts, and the waters.
6. With the gracious
(waters) do I delight thy heart, mayest thou, free from disease, full of force,
rejoice! Clothed in the same garment do ye two drink this stirred drink, taking
on as a magic form the shape of the two Asvins!
7. Indra, having been
wounded, first created this vigour, and this ever fresh divine food: that same
belongs to thee. By means of that do thou, full of force, live (a hundred)
autumns; may it not flow out of thee: physicians have prepared it for thee!
{03011}
1. I release thee unto life by means of (my) oblation, from unknown decline,
and from consumption. If Gr�hi (seizure) has caught hold (gagr�ha) of this
person here, may Indra and Agni free him from that!
2. If his life has faded,
even if he has passed away, if he has been brought to the very vicinity of
death, I snatch him from the lap of Nirriti (the goddess of destruction): I have
freed him unto a life of a hundred autumns.
3. I have snatched him (from
death) by means of an oblation which has a thousand eyes, hundredfold strength,
and -ensures a hundredfold life, in order that Indra may conduct him through the
years across to the other side of every misfortune.
4. Live thou, thriving a
hundred autumns, a hundred winters, and a hundred springs! May Indra, Agni,
Savitar, Brihaspati (grant) thee a hundred years! I have snatched him (from
death) with an oblation that secures a life,of a hundred years.
5. Enter ye,
O in-breathirig and out-breathing, as two bulls a stable! Away shall go the
other deaths, of which, it is said, there are a hundred more!
6. Remain ye
here, O in-breathing and out-breathing, do not go away from here; do ye car anew
to old age his body and his limbs!
7. To old age I make thee over, into old
age I urge thee; may a happy old age guide thee! Away shall go the other deaths,
of which, it is said, there are a hundred more!
8. Upon thee (life unto) old
age has been deposited, as a rope is tied upon a bull. That death which has
fettered thee at thy birth with a firm rope, Brihaspati with the hands of the
truth did strip off from thee.
{02028}
1. For thee alone, O (death from) old age, this (boy) shall grow up: the
other hundred kinds of death shall not harm him! Like a provident mother in her
lap Mitra shall befriend him, shall save him from misfortune!
2. May Mitra or
Varuna, the illustrious, cooperating, grant him death from old age! Then Agni,
the priest, who knows the ways, promulgates all the races of the gods.
3.
Thou, (O Agni), rulest over all the animals of the earth, those which have been
born, and those which are to be born: may not in-breathing leave this one, nor
yet out-breathing, may neither friends nor foes slay him!
4. May father Dyaus
(sky) and mother Prithivi (earth), co-operating, grant thee death from old age,
that thou mayest live in the lap of Aditi a hundred winters, guarded by
in-breathing and outbreathing!
5. Lead this dear child to life and vigour, O
Agni, Varuna, and king Mitra! As a mother afford him protection, O Aditi, and
all ye gods, that he may attain to old age!
{03031}
1. The gods are free from decrepitude; thou, O Agni, art removed from the
demon of hostility. I free thee from all evil and disease, (and) unite thee with
life.
2. (V�yu), the purifying (wind), shall free thee from misfortune, Sakra
(Indra) from evil sorcery! I free thee from all evil and disease, (and) unite
thee with life.
3. The tame (village) animals are separate from the wild
(forest animals); the water has flowed apart from thirst. I free thee from all
evil and disease, (and) unite thee with life.
4. Heaven and earth here go
apart; the paths go in every direction. I free thee from all evil and disease,
(and) unite thee with life.
5. 'Tvashtar is preparing a wedding for his
daughter,' thus (saying) does this whole world pass through. I free thee from
all evil and disease, (and) unite thee with life.
6. Agni unites (life's)
breaths, the moon is united with (life's) breath. I free thee from all evil and
disease, (and) unite thee with life.
7. By means of (life's) breath the gods
aroused the everywhere mighty sun. I free thee from all evil and disease, (and)
unite thee with life.
8. Live thou by the (life's) breath of them that have
life, and that create life; do not die! I free thee from all evil and disease,
(and) unite thee with life.
9. Breathe thou with the (life's) breath of those
that breathe; do not die! I free thee from all evil and disease, (and) unite
thee with life.
10. Do thou (rise) up with life, unite thyself with life,
(rise) up with the sap of the plants! I free thee from all evil and disease,
(and) unite thee with life.
11. From the rain of Parganya we have risen up,
immortal. I free thee from all evil and disease, (and) unite thee with life.
{07053}
1. When, O Brihaspati, thou didst liberate (us) from existence in yonder
world of Yama, (and) from hostile schemes, then did the Asvins, the physicians
of the gods, with might sweep death from us, O Agni!
2. O in-breathing and
out-breathing, go along with the body, do not leave it: may they be thy allies
here! Live and thrive a hundred autumns; Agni shall be thy most excellent
shepherd and overseer!
3. Thy vital force that has been dissipated afar, thy
in-breathing and thy out-breathing, shall come back again! Agni has snatched
them from the lap of Nirriti (the goddess of destruction), and I again introduce
them into thy person.
4. Let not his in-breathing desert him, nor his
out-breathing quit him and depart! I commit him to the Seven Rishis: may they
convey him in health to old age!
5. Enter, O in-breathing and out-breathing,
like two bulls into a stable: this person shall here flourish, an unmolested
repository for old age!
6. Life's breath we do drive into thee, disease we do
drive away from thee. May this excellent Agni endow us with life from every
source!
7. Ascending from the darkness of death to the highest firmament, to
S�rya (the sun), the god among gods, we have reached the highest light.
{08001}
1. To the 'Ender,' to Death be reverence! May thy in-breathing and thy
out-breathing remain here! United here with (life's) spirit this man shall be,
sharing in the sun, in the world of immortality (amrita)!
2. Bhaga has raised
him up, Soma with his rays (has raised) him up, the Maruts, the gods, (have
raised) him up, Indra and Agni (have raised) him up unto well-being.
3. Here
(shall be) thy (life's) spirit, here thy inbreathing, here thy life, here thy
mind! We rescue thee from the toils of Nirriti (destruction) by means of our
divine utterance.
4. Rise up hence, O man! Casting off the footshackles of
death, do not sink down! Be not cut off from this world, from the sight of Agni
and the sun!
5. The wind, M�tarisvan, shall blow for thee, the waters shall
shower amrita (ambrosia) upon thee, the sun shall shine kindly for thy body!
Death shall pity thee: do not waste away!
6. Thou shalt ascend and not
descend, O man! Life and alertness do I prepare for thee. Mount, forsooth, this
imperishable, pleasant car; then in old age thou shalt hold converse with thy
family!
7. Thy mind shall not go thither, shall not disappear! Do not become
heedless of the living, do not follow the Fathers! All the gods shall preserve
thee here!
8. Do not long after the departed, who conduct (men) afar! Ascend
from the darkness, come to the light! We lay hold of thy hands.
9. The two
dogs of Yama, the black and the brindled one, that guard the road (to heaven),
that have been despatched, shall not (go after) thee! Come hither, do not long
to be away; do not tarry here with thy mind turned to a distance!
10. Do not
follow this path: it is terrible! I speak of that by which thou hast not
hitherto gone. Darkness is this, O man, do not enter it! Danger is beyond,
security here for thee.
11. May the fires that are within the waters gLiard
thee, may (the fire) which men kindle guard thee, may G�tavedas Vaisv�nara (the
fire common to all men) guard thee! Let not the heavenly (fire) together with
the lightning burn, thee!
12. Let not the flesh-devouring (fire) menace thee:
move afar from the funeral pyre! Heaven shall guard thee, the earth shall guard
thee, the sun and moon shall guard thee, the atmosphere shall guard thee against
the divine missile!
13. May the alert and the watchful divinities guard thee,
may he that sleeps not and nods not guard thee, may he that protects and is
vigilant guard thee!
14. They shall guard thee, they shall protect thee.
Reverence be to them. Hail be to them!
15. Into converse with the living
V�yu, Indra, Dh�tar, and saving Savitar shall put thee; breath and strength
shall not leave thee! Thy (life's) spirit do we call back to thee.
16.
Convulsions that draw the jaws together, darkness, shall not come upon thee, nor
(the demon) that tears out the tongue (?)! How shalt thou then waste away? The
�dityas and Vasus, Indra and Agni shall raise thee up unto well-being!
17.
The heavens, the earth, Prag�pati, have rescued thee. The plants with Soma their
king have delivered thee from death.
18. Let this man remain right here, ye
gods, let him not depart hence to yonder world! We rescue him from death with (a
charm) of thousandfold strength.
19. I have delivered thee from death. The
(powers) that furnish strength shall breathe upon thee. The (mourning women)
with dishevelled hair, they that wail lugubriously, shall not wail over
thee!
20. 1 have snatched thee (from death), I have obtained thee; thou hast
returned with renewed youth. O thou, that art (now) sound of limb, for thee
sound sight, and sound life have I obtained.
21. It has shone upon thee,
light has arisen, darkness has departed from thee. We remove from thee death,
destruction, and disease.
{08002}
1. Take hold of this (charm) that subjects to immortality (life), may thy
life unto old age not be cut off! I bring to thee anew breath and life: not to
mist and darkness, do not waste away!
2. Come hither to the light of the
living; I rescue thee unto a life of a hundred autumns! Loosing the bands of
death and imprecation, I bestow upon thee long life extended very far.
3.
From the wind thy breath I have obtained, from the sun thine eye; thy soul I
hold fast in thee: be together with thy limbs, speak articulating with thy
tongue!
4. With the breath of two-footed and four-footed creatures I blow
upon thee, as on Agni when he is born (as on fire when kindled). I have paid
reverence, O death, to thine eye, reverence to thy breath.
5. This (man)
shall live and shall not die: we rouse this man (to life)! I make for him a
remedy: O death, do not slay the man!
6. The plant g�val� (quickening'),
na-gh�-rish� ('forsooth-no-harm'), and g�vant� ('living), a victorious, mighty
saviour-plant do I invoke, that he may be exempt from injury.
7. Befriend
him, do not seize him, let him go, (O death); though he be thy very own, let him
abide here with unimpaired strength! O Bhava and Sarva, take pity, grant
Protection; misfortune drive away, and life bestow!
8. Befriend him, death,
and pity him: may he from here arise! Unharmed, with sound limbs, hearing
perfectly, through old age carrying a hundred years, let him get enjoyment by
himself (unaided)!
9. The missile of the gods shall pass thee by! I pass thee
across the mist (of death); from death I have rescued thee. Removing far the
flesh-devouring Agni, a barrier do I set around thee, that thou mayest
live.
10. From thy misty road that cannot be withstood, O death, from this
path (of thine) we guard this (man), and make our charm a protection for
him.
11. In-breathing and out-breathing. do I prepare for thee, death in old
age, long life, and prosperity. All the messengers of Yama, that roam about,
dispatched by Vivasvant's son, do I drive away.
12. Ar�ti (grudge), Nirriti
(destruction), Gr�hi (seizure), and the flesh-devouring Pis�kas (do we drive)
away to a distance, and hurl all wicked Rakshas away into darkness as it
were.
13. I crave thy life's breath from the immortal, life-possessing Agni
G�tavedas. That thou shalt not take harm, shalt be immortal in (Agni's) company,
that do I procure for thee, and that shall be fulfilled for thee!
14. May
heaven and earth, the bestowers of happiness, be auspicious and harmless to
thee; may the sun-shine, and the wind blow comfort to thy heart; may the
heavenly waters, rich in milk, flow upon thee kindly!
15. May the plants be
auspicious to thee! I have raised thee from the lower to the upper earth: there
may both the �dityas, the sun and the moon, . protect thee.
16. Whatever
garment for clothing, or whatever girdle thou makest for thyself, agreeable to
thy body do we render it; not rough to thy touch shall it be!
17. When thou,
the barber, shearest with thy sharp well-whetted razor our hair and beard, do
not, while cleansing our face, rob us of our life!
18. Rice and barley shall
be auspicious to thee, causing no bal�sa, inflicting no injury! They two drive
away disease, they two release from calamity.
19. Whatever thou eatest or
drinkest, the grain of the plough-land or milk, whatever is or is not to be
eaten, all that food do I render for thee free from poison.
20. To day and to
night both do we commit thee: from the demons that seek to devour, do ye
preserve this (man) for me!
21. A hundred years, ten thousand years, two,
three, four ages (yuga) do we allot to thee; Indra and Agni, and all the gods
without anger shall favour thee!
22. To autumn thee, to winter, spring and
summer, do we commit; the rains in which grow the plants shall be pleasant to
thee!
23. Death rules over bipeds, death rules over quadrupeds. From that
death, the lord of cattle, do I rescue thee: do not fear!
24. Free from harm
thou shalt not die; thou shalt not die: do not fear! Verily, they do not die
there, they do not go to the nethermost darkness;--
25. Verily, every
creature lives there, the cow, the horse, and man, where this charm is
performed, as the (protecting) barrier for life.
26. May it preserve thee
from sorcery, from thy equals and thy kin! Undying be, immortal, exceedingly
vital; thy spirits shall not abandon thy body!
27. From the one and a hundred
deaths, from the dangers that are surmountable, from that Agai Vaisv�nara (the
funeral pyre?) may the gods deliver thee!
28. Thou, the remedy called
p6tudru, art the body of Agni, the deliverer, slayer of Rakshas, slayer of
rivals, moreover thou chasest away disease.
{05030}
1. From near thy vicinity, from near thy distance (do I call): remain here,
do not follow; do not follow the Fathers of yore! Firmly do I fasten thy life's
breath.
2. Whatever sorcery any kinsman or stranger has practised against
thee, both release and deliverance with my voice do I declare for thee.
3. If
thou hast deceived or cursed a woman or a man in thy folly, both release and
deliverance with my voice do I declare for thee.
4. If thou liest (ill) in
consequence of a sin committed by thy mother or thy father, both release and
deliverance with my voice do I declare for thee.
5. Fight shy of the medicine
which thy mother and thy father, thy sister and thy brother let out against
thee: I shall cause thee to live unto old age!
6. Remain here, O man, with
thy entire soul; do not follow the two messengers of Yama: come to the abodes of
the living!
7. Return when called, knowing the outlet of the path (death),
the ascent, the advance, the road of every living man!
8. Fear not, thou
shalt not die: I shall cause thee to live unto old age! I have charmed away from
thy limbs the disease that wastes the limbs.
9. The disease that racks and
wastes thy limbs, and the sickness in thy heart, has flown as an eagle to a far
distance, overcome by my charm.
10. The two sages Alert and Watchful, the
sleepless and the vigilant, these two guardians of thy life's breath, are awake
both day and night.
11. Agni here is to be revered; the sun shall rise here
for thee: rise thou from deep death, yea from black darkness!
12. Reverence
be to Yama, reverence to death; reverence to the Fathers and to those that lead
(to them) [death's messengers?]! That Agni who knows the way to save do I engage
for this man, that he be exempt from harm!
13. His breath shall come, his
soul shall come, his sight shall come, and, too, his strength! His body shall
collect itself: then shall he stand firm upon his feet!
14. Unite him, Agni,
with breath and sight, provide him with a body and with strength! Thou hast a
knowledge of immortality: let him not now depart, let him not now become a
dweller in a house of clay!
15. Thy in-breathing shall not cease, thy
outbreathing shall not vanish; S�rya (the sun), the supreme lord, shall raise
thee from death with his rays!
16. This tongue (of mine), bound (in the
mouth, yet) mobile, speaks within: with it I have charmed away disease, and the
hundred torments of the takman (fever).
17. This world is most dear to the
gods, unconquered. For whatever death thou wast destined when thou wast born, O
man, that (death) and we call after thee: do not die before old age!
{04009}
1. Come hither! Thou art the living, protecting eye-ointment of the mountain,
given by all the gods as a safeguard, unto life.
2. Thou art a protection for
men, a protection for cattle, thou didst stand for the protection of horses and
steeds.
3. Thou art, O salve, both a protection that crushes the sorcerers,
and thou hast knowledge of immortality (amrita). Moreover, thou art food for the
living, and thou art, too, a remedy aorainst jaundice.
4. From him over whose
every limb and every joint thou passest, O salve, thou dost, as a mighty
intercepter, drive away disease.
5. Him that bears thee, O salve, neither
curse, nor sorcery, nor burning pain does reach; nor does the,vishkandha come
upon him.
6. From evil scheme, from troubled dream, from evil deed, and also
from foulness.; from the evil eye of the enemy, from this protect us, O
salve!
7. Knowing this, O salve, I shall speak the truth, avoid falsehood.
May I obtain horses and cattle, and thy person, O serving-man!
8. Three are
servants of the salve: the takman (fever), the bal�sa, and the serpent. The
highest of the mountains, Trikakud ('Three-peaks') by name, is thy father.
9.
Since the salve of Trikakud is born upon the Himavant, it shall demolish all the
wizards and all the witches.
10. Whether thou art derived from the (mountain)
Trikakud, or art said to come from the (river) Yamun�, both these names of thine
are auspicious: with these, O salve, protect us!
{04010}
1. Born of the wind, the atmosphere, the lightning, and the light, may this
pearl shell, born of gold, protect us from straits!
2. With the shell which
was born in the sea, at the head of bright substances, we slay the Rakshas and
conquer the Atrins (devouring demons).
3. With the shell (we conquer) disease
and poverty; with the shell, too, the Sa�nv�s. The shell is our universal
remedy; the pearl shall protect us from straits!
4. Born in the heavens, born
in the sea, brought on from the river (Sindhu), this shell, born of gold, is our
life-prolonging amulet.
5. The amulet, born from the sea, a sun, born from
Vritra (the cloud), shall on all sides protect us from the missiles of the gods
and the Asuras!
6. Thou art one of the golden substances, thou art born from
Soma (the moon). Thou art sightly on the chariot, thou art brilliant on the
quiver. [May it prolong our lives!]
7. The bone of the gods turned into
pearl; that, animated, dwells in the waters. That do I fasten upon thee unto
life, lustre, strength, longevity, unto a life lasting a hundred autumns, May
the (amulet) of pearl protect thee!
{19026}
1. The gold which is born from fire, the immortal, they bestowed upon the
mortals. He who knows this deserves it; of old age dies he who wears it.
2.
The gold, (endowed by) the sun with beautiful colour, which the men of yore,
rich in descendants, did desire, may it gleaming envelop thee in lustre!
Long-lived becomes he who wears it!
3. (May it envelop) thee unto (long)
life, unto lustre, unto force, and unto strength, that thou shalt by the
brilliancy of the gold shine forth among people!
4. (The gold) which king
Varuna knows, which god Brihaspati knows, which Indra, the slayer of Vritra,
knows, may that become for thee a source of life, may that become for thee a
source of lustre!
{01007}
1. The sorcerer (y�tudh�na) that vaunts himsel and the Kim�din do thou, O
Agni, convey hither! For thou, O god, when lauded, becomest the destroyer of the
demon.
2. Partake of the ghee, of the sesame-oil, O Agni G�tavedas, that
standest on high, conquerest by thyself! Make the sorcerers howl!
3. The
sorcerers and the devouring (atrin) Kim�din shall howl! Do ye, moreover, O Agni
and Indra, receive graciously this our oblation!
4. Agni shall be the first
to seize them, Indra with his (strong) arms shall drive them away! Every wizard,
as soon as he comes, shall proclaim himself, saying, 'I am he'!
5. We would
see thy might, O G�tavedas; disclose to us the wizards, O thou that beholdest
men! May they all, driven forth by thy fire, disclosing themselves, come to this
spot!
6. Seize hold, O G�tavedas: for our good thou wast born! Become our
messenger, O Agni, and make the sorcerers howl!
7. Do thou, O Agni, drag
hither the sorcerers, bound in shackles; then Indra with his thunderbolt shall
cut off their heads!
{01008}
1. May this oblation carry hither the sorcerers, as a river (carries) foam!
The man or the woman who has performed this (sorcery), that person shall here
proclaim himself!
2. This vaunting (sorcerer) has come hither: receive him
with alacrity! O Brihaspati, put him into subjection; O Agni and Soma, pierce
him through!
3. Slay the offspring of the sorcerer, O soma-drinking (Indra),
and subject (him)! Make drop out the farther and the nearer eye of the braggart
(demon)!
4. Wherever, O Agni G�tavedas, thou perceivest the brood of these
hidden devourers (atrin), do thou, mightily strengthened by our charm, slay
them: slay their (brood), O Agni, piercing them a hundredfold!
{01016}
1. Against the devouring demons who, in the night of the full-moon, have
arisen in throngs, may Agni, the strong, the slayer of the sorcerers, give us
courage!
2. To the lead Varuna gives blessing, to the lead Agni gives help.
Indra gave me the lead: unfailingly it dispels sorcery.
3. This (lead)
overcomes the vishkandha, this smites the devouring demons (atrin); with this I
have overwhelmed all the brood of the Pis�kas.
4. If thou slayest our cow, if
our horse or our domestic, we pierce thee with the lead, so that thou shalt not
slay our heroes.
{06002}
1. Press the soma, ye priests, and rinse it (for renewed pressing), in behalf
of Indra who shall listen to the song of the worshipper, and to my call!
2.
Do thou, O doughty (Indra), whom the drops of soma enter as birds a tree, beat
off the hostile brood of the Rakshas!
3. Press ye the soma for Indra, the
soma-drinker, who wields the thunderbolt! A youthful victor and ruler is he,
praised by many men.
{02014}
1. Niss�l�, the bold, the greedy demon (?dhishana), and (the female demon)
with long-drawn howl, the bloodthirsty; all the daughters of Kanda, the Sad�nv�s
do we destroy.
2. We drive you out of the stable, out of the axle (of the
wagon), and the body of the wagon; we chase you, O ye daughters of Magund�, from
the house.
3. In yonder house below, there the grudging demons (ar�y�) shall
exist; there ruin shall prevail, and all the witches!
4. May (Rudra), the
lord of beings, and Indra. drive forth from here the Sad�nv�s; those that am
seated on the foundation of the house Indra shall overcome with his
thunderbolt!
5. Whether ye belong to (the demons) of inherited disease,
whether ye have been dispatched by men, or whether ye have originated from the
Dasyus (demon-like aborigines), vanish from here, O ye Sad�nv�s!
6. About
their dwelling-places I did swiftly course, as if on a race-course. I have won
all contests with you: vanish from here, O ye Sad�nv�s!
{03009}
1. Of karsapha and visapha heaven is the father and earth the mother. As, ye
gods, ye have brought on (the trouble), thus do ye again remove it!
2.
Without fastening the), (the protecting plants?) held fast, thus it has been
arranged by Manu. The vishkandha do I render impotent, like one who gelds
cattle.
3. A talisman tied to a reddish thread the active (seers) then do
fasten on: may the fastenings render impotent the eager, fiery k�bava!
4. And
since, O ye eager (demons), ye walk like gods by the wile of the Asuras, the
fastening (of the amulet) is destructive to the k�bava, as the ape to the
dog.
5. I revile thee, the k�bava, unto misfortune, (and) shall work harm for
thee. Accompanied with curses ye shall go out like swift chariots!
6. A
hundred and one vishkandha are spread out along the earth; for these at the
beginning they brought out thee, the amulet, that destroys vishkandha.
{04020}
1. He sees here, he sees yonder, he sees in the distance, he sees--the sky,
the atmosphere as well as the earth, all that, O goddess, he sees.
2. The
three heavens, the three earths, and these six directions severally; all
creatures may I see through thee, O divine plant!
3. Thou art verily the
eyeball of the divine eagle; thou didst ascend the earth as a weary woman a
palanquin.
4. The thousand-eyed god shall put this plant into my right hand:
with that do I see every one, the S�dra as well as the �rya.
5. Reveal (all)
forms, do not hide thy own self; moreover, do thou, O thousand-eyed (plant),
look the Kim�dins in the face!
6. Reveal to me the wizards, and reveal the
witches, reveal all the Pis�kas: for this purpose do I take hold of thee, O
plant!
7. Thou art the eye of Kasyapa, and the eye of the four-eyed bitch.
Like the sun, moving in the bright day, make thou the Pis�ka evident to
me!
8. 1 have dragged out from his retreat the sorcerer and the Kim�din.
Through this (charm) do I see every one, the S�dra as well as the �rya.
9.
Him that flies in the air, him that moves across the sky, him that regards the
earth as his resort, that Pis�ka do thou reveal (to me)!
{04017}
1. We take hold, O victorious one, of thee, the mistress of remedies. I have
made thee a thing of thousandfold strength for ever), one, O plant!
2. Her,
the unfailingly victorious one, that wards off curses, that is powerful and
defensive; (her and) all the plants have I assembled, intending that she shall
save us from this (trouble)!
3. The woman who has cursed us with a curse, who
has arranged dire misfortune (for us), who has taken hold of our children, to
rob them of their strengthmay she eat (her own) offspring!
4. The magic spell
which they have put into the unburned vessel, that which they have put into the
blue and red thread, that which they have put into raw flesh, with these slay
thou those that have prepared the spell!
5. Evil dreams, troubled life,
Rakshas, gruesomeness, and grudging demons (ar�y�), all the evil-named,
evil-speakinor (powers), these do we drive out from us.
6. Death from hunger,
and death from thirst, poverty in cattle, and failure of offspring, all that, O
ap�m�rga, do we wipe out (apa mrigmahe) with thee.
7. Death from thirst, and
death from hunger, moreover, ill-luck at dice, all that, O ap�m�rga, do we wipe
out with thee.
8. The ap�m�rga is sole ruler over all plants, with it do we
wipe mishap from thee: do thou then live exempt from disease!
{04018}
1. Night is like unto the sun, the (starry) night is similar to day. The
truth do I engage for help: the enchantments shall be devoid of force!
2. He,
O ye gods, who prepares a spell, and carries it to the house of one that knows
not (of it), upon him the spell, returning, shall fasten itself like a suckling
calf upon its mother!
3. The person that prepares evil at home, and desires
with it to harm another, she is consumed by fire, and many stones fall upon her
with a loud crash.
4. Bestow curses, O thou (ap�m�rga), that hast a thousand
homes, upon the (demons) visikha ('crestless'), and vigr�va ('crooked-neck')!
Turn back the spell upon him that has performed it, as a beloved maid (is
brought) to her lover!
5. With this plant I have put to naught all spells,
those that they have put into thy field, thy cattle, and into thy
domestics.
6. He that has undertaken them has not been able to accomplish
them: he broke his foot, his toe. He performed a lucky act for us, but for
himself an injury.
7. The ap�m�rga-plant shall wipe out (apa m�rshtu)
'inherited ills, and curses; yea, it shall wipe out all witches, and all
grudging demons (ar�y�)!
8. Having wiped out all sorcerers, and all grudging
demons, with thee, O ap�m�rga, we wipe all that (evil) out.
{04019}
1. On the one hand thou deprivest of kin, on the other thou now procurest
kinfolk. Do thou, moreover, cut the offspring of him that practises spells, as a
reed that springs up in the rain!
2. By a Br�hmana thou hast been blest, by
Kanva, the descendant of Nrishad. Thou goest like a stronor army; where thou
hast arrived, O plant, there there is no fear.
3. Thou goest at the head of
the plants, spreading lustre, as if with a light. Thou art on the one hand the
protector of the weak, on the other the slayer of the Rakshas.
4. When of
yore, in the beginning, the gods drove out the Asuras with thee, then, O plant,
thou wast begotten as ap�m�rga ('wiping out').
5. Thou cuttest to pieces
(vibhindat�), and hast a hundred branches; vibhindant ('cutting to pieces') is
thy father's name. Do thou (turn) against, and cut to pieces (vi bhindhi) him
that is hostile towards us!
6. Non-being arose from the earth, that goes to
heaven, (as) a great expansion. Thence, verily, that, spreading vapours, shall
turn against the performer (of spells)!
7. Thou didst grow backward, thou
hast fruit which is turned backward. Ward off from me all curses, ward off very
far destructive weapons!
8. Protect me with a hundredfold, guard me with a
thousandfold (strength)! Indra, the strong, shall put strength into thee, O
prince of plants!
{07065}
1. With fruit turned backward thou verily didst grow, O ap�m�rga: do thou
drive all curses quite far away from here!
2. The evil deeds and foul, or the
sinful acts which we have committed, with thee, O ap�m�rga, whose face is turned
to every side, do we wipe them out (apa mrigmahe).
3. If we have sat together
with one who has black teeth, or diseased nails, or one who is deformed, with
thee, O ap�m�rga, we wipe all that out (apa mrigmahe).
{10001}
1. The (spell) which they skilfully prepare, as a bride for the wedding, the
multiform (spell), fashioned by hand, shall go to a distance: we drive it
away!
2. The (spell) that has been brought forward by the fashioner of the
spell, that is endowed with head, endowed with nose, endowed with ears, and
multiform, shall go to a distance: we drive it away!
3. (The spell) that has
been prepared by a Sadra, prepared by a R�ga, prepared by a woman, prepared by
Brahmans, as a wife rejected by her husband, shall recoil upon her fabricator,
(and) his kin!
4. With this herb have I destroyed all spells, that which they
have put into thy field, into thy cattle, and into thy men.
5. Evil be to him
that prepares evil, the curse shall recoil upon him that utters curses: back do
we hurl it against him, that it may slay him that fashions the spell.
6.
Pratik�na (' Back-hurler'), the descendant of Angiras, is our overseer and
officiator (purohita): do thou drive back again (prat�k�h) the spells, and slay
yonder fashioners of the spells!
7. He that has said to thee (the spell): 'go
on'! upon that enemy, that antagonist do thou turn, O spell: do not seek out us,
that are harmless!
8. He that has fitted together thy joints with skill, as
the wagoner (Ribhu) the joints of a chariot, to him go, there is thy course:
this person here shall remain unknown to thee!
9. They that have prepared
thee and taken hold of thee, the cunning wizards-this is what cures it, destroys
the spell, drives it back the opposite way - with it do we bathe thee.
10.
Since we have come upon tile wretched (spell), as upon (a cow) with a dead calf,
flooded away (by a river), may all evil go away from me, and mav possessions
come to me!
11. If (thy enemies) have made (offerings) to thy Fathers, or
have called thy name at the sacrifice, may these herbs free thee from every
indigenous evil!
12. From the sin of the gods, and that of the fathers, from
mentions of (thy) name, from (evil schemes) concocted at home, may the herbs
free thee with might, through (this) charm, (and these) stanzas, (that are) the
milk of the Rishis!
13. As the wind stirs up the dust from the earth, and the
cloud from the atmosphere, thus may all misfortune, driven by my charm, go away
from me!
14. Stride away (O spell), like a loudly braying she-ass, that has
been loosened (from the tether); reach those that have fabricated thee, driven
from here by (my) forceful charm!
15. 'This is the way, O spell,' with these
words do we lead thee. Thee that hast been sent Out against us do we send back
again. Go this way like a crushing army, with heavy carts, thou that art
multiform, and crowned by a crest(?)!
16. In the distance there is light for
thee, hitherward there is no road for thee; away from us take thy course! By
another road cross thou ninety navigable streams, hard to cross! Do not injure,
go away!
17. As the wind the trees, crush down and fell (the enemy), leave
them neither cow, nor horse, nor serving-man! Turn from here upon those that
have fabricated thee, O spell, awaken them to childlessness!
18. The spell or
the magic which they have buried against thee in the sacrificial straw (barhis),
in the field, (or) in the burial-ground, or if with superior skill they have
practised sorcery against thee, that art simple and innocent, in thy household
fire,--
19. The hostile, insidious instrument which they have brought hither
has been discovered; that which has been dug in we have detected. It shall go
whence it has been brought hither; there, like a horse, it shall disport itself,
and slay the offspring of him that has fashion'ed the spell!
20. Swords of
good brass are in our house: we know how many joints thou hast, O spell! Be sure
to rise, go away from hence! O stranger, what seekest thou here?
21. I shall
hew off, O spell, thy neck, and thy feet: run away! May Indra and Agni, to whom
belong the children (of men), protect us!
22. King Soma, who guards and
pities us, and the lords of the beings shall take pity on us!
23. May Bhava
and Sarva cast the lightning, the divine missile, upon him that performs evil,
fashions a spell, and does wrong!
24. If thou art come two-footed, (or)
four-footed, prepared by the fashioner of the spell, multiform, do thou, having
become eight-footed, again go away from here, O misfortune!
25. Anointed,
ornamented, and well equipped, go away, carrying every misfortune! Know, O
spell, thy maker, as a daughter her own father!
26. Go away, O spell, do not
stand still, track (the enemy) as a wounded (animal)! He is the game, thou the
hunter: he is not able to put thee down.
27. Him that first hurls (the
arrow), the other, laying on in defence, slays with the arrow, and while the
first deals the blow, the other returns the blow.
28. Hear, verily, this
speech of mine, and then return whence thou camest, against the one that
fashioned thee!
29. Slaughter of an innocent is heinous, O spell: do not slay
our cow, horse, or serving-man! Wherever thou hast been put down, thence thee do
we remove. Be lighter than a leaf!
30. If ye are enveloped in darkness,
covered as if by a net--we tear all spells out from here, send them back again
to him that fashioned them.
31. The offspring of them that fashion the spell,
practise magic, or plot against us, crush thou, O spell, leave none of them!
Slay those that fashion the spell!
32. As the sun is released from darkness,
abandons the night, and the streaks of the dawn, thus every misery, (every)
device prepared by the fashioner of the spell, (every) misfortune, do I leave
behind, as an elephant the dust.
{05031}
1. The spell which they have put for thee into an unburned vessel, that which
they have put into mixed grain, that which they have put into raw meat, that do
I hurl back again.
2. The spell which they have put for thee into a cock, or
that which (they have put) into a goat, into a crested animal, that which they
have put into a sheep, that do I hurl back again.
3. The spell which they
have put for thee into solipeds, into animals with teeth on both sides, that
which they have put into an ass, that do I hurl back again.
4. The magic
which they have put for thee into moveable property, or into personal
possession, the spell which they have put into the field, that do I hurl back
again.
5. The spell which evil-scheming persons have put for thee into the
g�rhapatya-fire, or into the housefire, that which they have put -into the
house, that do I hurl back again.
6. The spell which they have put for thee
into the assembly-hall, that which (they have put) into the gaming-place, that
which they have put into the dice, that do I hurl back again.
7. The spell
which they have put for thee into the army, that which they have put into the
arrow and the weapon, that which they have put into the drum, that do I hurl
back again.
8. The spell which they have placed down for thee in the well, or
have buried in the burial-ground, that which they have put into (thy) home, that
do I hurl back again.
9. That which they have put for thee into human bones,
that which (they have put) into the funeral fire, to the consuming, burning,
flesh-eating fire do I hurl that back again.
10. By an unbeaten path he has
brought it (the spell) hither, by a (beaten) path we drive it out from here. The
fool in his folly has prepared (the spell) aorainst those that are surely
wise.
11. He that has undertaken it has not been able to accomplish it: he
broke his foot, his toe. He, luckless, performed an auspicious act for us, that
are lucky.
12. Him that fashions spells, practises magic, digs after roots,
sends out curses, Indra, shall slay with his mighty weapon, Agni shall pierce
with his hurled (arrow)!
{05014}
1. An eagle found thee out, a boar dug thee out with his snout. Seek thou, O
plant, to injure him that seeks to injure (us), strike down him that prepares
spells (against us'!
2. Strike down the wizards, strike down him that
prepares spells (against us); slay thou, moreover, O plant, him that seeks to
injure us!
3. Cutting out from the skin (of the enemy) as if (from the skin)
of an antelope, do ye, O gods, fasten the spell upon him that prepares it, as
(one fastens) an ornament!
4. Take hold by the hand and lead away the spell
back to him that prepares it! Place it in his very presence, so that it shall
slay him that prepares the spell!
5. The spells shall take effect upon him
that prepares the spells, the curse upon him that pronounces the curse! As a
chariot with easy-going wheels, the spell shall turn back upon him that prepares
the spell!
6. Whether a woman, or whether a man has prepared the spell for
evil, we lead that spell to him as a horse with the halter.
7. Whether thou
hast been prepared by the gods, or hast been prepared by men, we lead thee back
with the help of Indra as an ally.
8. O Agni gainer of battles, do thou gain
the battles! With a counter-charm do we hurl back the spell upon him that
prepares the spell.
9. Hold ready, (O plant,) thy weapon, and strike him,
slay the very one that has prepared (the spell)! We do not whet thee for the
destruction of him that has not practised (spells).
10. Go as a son to his
father, bite like an adder that has been stepped upon. Return thou, O spell, to
him that prepares the spell, as one who overcomes his fetters!
11. As the shy
deer, the antelope, goes out to the mating (buck), thus the spell shall reach
him that prepares it!
12. Straighter than an arrow may it (the spell) fly
against him, O ye heaven and earth; may that spell take hold again of him that
prepares it, as (a hunter)
of his game!
13. Like fire (the spell) shall
progress in the teeth of obstacles, like water along its course! As a chariot
with easy-going wheels the spell shall turn back upon him that prepares the
spell!
{08005}
1. This attacking talisman, (itself) a man, is fastened upon the man: it is
full of force, slays enemies, makes heroes of men, furnishes shelter, provides
good luck.
2. This talisman slays enemies, makes strong men, is powerful,
lusty, victorious, strong; as a man it advances against sorceries and destroys
them.
3. With this talisman Indra slew Vritra, with it he, full of device,
destroyed the Asuras, with it he conquered both the heaven and earth, with it he
conquered the four regions of space.
4. This talisman of sraktya assails and
attacks. With might controlling the enemies, it shall protect us on all
sides!
5. Agni has said this, and Soma has said this; Brihaspati, Savitar,
Indra (have said) this. These divine purohitas, (chaplains) shall turn back for
me (upon the sorcerer) the sorceries with aggressive amulets!
6. I have
interposed heaven and earth, also the day, and also the sun. These divine
purohitas (chaplains) shall turn back for me (upon the sorcerer) the sorceries
with aggressive amulets!
7. (For) the folk that make an armour of the
talisman of sraktya--like the sun ascending the sky, it subjects and beats off
the sorceries.
8. With the amulet of sraktya, as if with a seer of powerful
spirit, I have gained all battles, I slay the enemies, the Rakshas.
9. The
sorceries that come from the Angiras, the sorceries that come from the Asuras,
the sorceries that prepare themselves, and those that are prepared by others,
both these shall go away to a distance across ninety navigable streams!
10.
As an armour upon him the gods shall tie the amulet, Indra, Vishnu, Savitar,
Rudra, Agni, Prag�pati, Parameshthin, Vir�g,Vaisv�nara, and the seers
all.
11. Thou art the most superb of plants, as if a steer among the cattle,
as if a tiger among beasts of prey. (The amulet) that we did seek, that have we
found, a guardian at our side.
12. He that wears this talisman, verily is a
tiger, a lion as well, and, too, a bull; moreover a curtailer of enemies.
13.
Him slay not the Apsaras, nor the Gandharvas, nor mortal men; all reoions does
he rule, that wears this talisman.
14. Kasyapa has created thee, Kasyapa has
produced thee. Indra wore thee in human (battle); wearing thee in the close
combat he conquered. The gods did make the talisman an armour of thousandfold
strength.
15. He that plans to harm thee with sorceries, with (unholy)
consecrations and sacrifices--him beat thou back, O Indra, with thy thunderbolt
that hath a hundred joints!
16. This talisman verily does assail, full of
might, victorious. Offspring and wealth it shall protect, provide defence,
abound in luck!
17. Remove our enemies in the south, remove our enemies in
the north; remove, O Indra, our enemies in the west: light, O hero, place in
front (east) of us!
18. An armour for me be heaven and earth, an armour day,
an armour the sun! An armour for me be Indra and Agni; Dh�tar shall bestow
(dadhAtu) an armour upon me!
19. The armour of Indra and Agni, that is thick
and strong, all the gods united do not pierce. This great (armour) shall protect
my body on all sides, that I may obtain long life, and reach old age!
20. The
divine talisman has ascended upon me,unto completc exemption from injury.
Assemble about this post that protects the body, furnishes threefold defence, in
order to (secure) strength!
21. Into it Indra shall deposit manliness: do ye,
O gods, assemble about it for long life, for life lasting a hundred autumns,
that he may reach old age.
22. May Indra who bestows welfare, the lord of the
people, the slayer of Vritra, the controller of enemies, he that conquereth and
is unconquered, the soma-drinking bull that frees from danger, fasten the amulet
upon thee: may it protect thee on each and every side, by day and by night!
{10003}
1. Here is my varana-amulet, a bull that destroys the rivals: with it do thou
close in upon thy enemies, crush them that desire to injure thee!
2. Break
them, crush them, close in upon them: the amulet shall be thy vanguard in front!
With the varana the Devas (gods) did ward off (av�rayanta) the onslaught of the
Asuras (demons) day after day.
3, This thousand-eyed, yellow, golden
varanaamulet is a universal cure; it shall lay low thy enemies: be thou the
first to injure those that hate thee!
4. This varana will ward off
(v�rayishyate) the spell that has been spread against thee; this will protect
thee from human danger, this will protect thee from all evil!
5. This divine
tree, the varana, shall shut out (v�ray�t�i)! The gods, too, have shutout
(avivaran) the disease that has entered into this (man).
6. If when asleep
thou shalt behold an evil dream; as often as a wild beast shall run an
inauspicious course; from (ominous) sneezing, and from the evil shriek of a
bird, this varana-amulet will protect thee (v�rayishyate).
7. From Ar�ti
(grudge), Nirriti (misfortune), from sorcery, and from danger; from death and
overstrong weapons the varana will protect thee.
8. The sin that my mother,
that my father, that my brothers and my sister have committed; the sin that we
(ourselves) have committed, from that this divine tree will protect us.
9.
Through the varana are confused my enemies and my (rival) kin. To untraversed
gloom they have gone: they shall go to the nethermost darkness!
10. (May) I
(be) unharmed, with cows unharmed, long-lived, with undiminished men! This
varana-amulet shall guard me in every region (of space)!
11. This varana upon
my breast, the kingly, divine tree, shall smite asunder my enemies, as Indra the
Dasyus, the Asuras (demons)!
12. Long-lived, a hundred autumns old, do I wear
this varana: kingdom and rule, cattle and strength, this shall bestow upon
me!
13. As the wind breaks with might the trees, the lords of the forest,
thus do thou break my rivals, those formerly born, and the latter born! The
varana shall watch over thee!
14. As the wind and the fire consume the trees,
the lords of the forest, thus, do thou consume my rivals, those formerly born,
and the latter born! The varana shall watch over thee!
15. As, ruined by the
wind, the trees lie prostrate, thus do thou ruin and prostrate my rivals, those
formerly born, and the latter born! The varana shall watch over thee!
16. Do
thou cut off, O varana, before their appointed time and before old age, those
that aim to injure him in his cattle, and threaten his sovereignty!
17. As
the sun is resplendent, as in him brilliance has been deposited, thus shall the
amulet of varana hold fast for me reputation and prosperity, shall sprinkle me
with brilliance, and anoint me with splendour!
1 8. As splendour is in the
moon, and in the sun, the beholder of men, thus shall the amulet of varana hold
fast, &c.
19. As splendour is in the earth, as in this G�tavedas (the
fire), thus shall the amulet of varana hold fast, &c.
20. As splendour is
in the maiden, as in this appointed chariot, thus shall the amulet of varana
hold fast, &c.
2 1. As splendour is in the soma-draught, as splendour is
in the honey-mixture (for guests), thus shall the amulet of varana hold fast,
&c.
22. As splendour is in the agnihotra-oblation, as splendour is in the
call vashat, thus shall the amulet of varana hold fast, &c.
23. As
splendour is in the sacrificer, as (splendour) has been deposited in the
sacrifice, thus shall the amulet of varana hold fast, &c.
24. As
splendour is in Prag�pati, as in this Parameshthin (the lord on high), thus
shall the amulet of varana hold fast, &c.
25. As immortality is in the
gods, as truth has been deposited in them, thus shall the amulet of varana hod
fast, &c.
{10006}
1. The head of the hostile rival, of the enemy that bates me, do I cut off
with might.
2. This amulet, produced by the ploughshare, will prepare an
armour for me: full of stirred drink it has come to me, together with sap and
lustre.
3. If the skilful workman has injured thee with his hand or with his
knife, the living bright waters shall purify thee from that, (so that thou shalt
be) bright!
4. This amulet has a golden wreath, bestows faith and sacrifice
and might; in our house as a guest it shall dwell!
5. Before it (the amulet
as a guest) ghee, sur� (liquor), honey, and every kind of food we place. The
amulet having gone to the gods shall, as a father for his sons, plan for us
growing good, more and more day after day!
6. The amulet which Brihaspati
tied, the ploughshare dripping with ghee, the strong khadira, unto strength,
that Agni did fasten on; that yields him ghee more and more day after day: with
it those that hate me do thou slay!
7. This amulet which Brihaspati tied that
Indra did fasten on, for strength and heroism; that yields him might more and
more, &c.
8. The amulet which Brihaspati tied . . . that Soma did fasten
on unto perfect hearing and seeing; that verily yields him lustre more and more,
&c.
9. The amulet which Brihaspat, tied . . . that S�rya did fasten on,
with that he conquered these directions of space; that yields him prosperity
moreand more, &c.
10. The amulet which Brihaspati tied wearing that
amulet Kandramas (the moon) conquered the golden cities of the Asuras and the
D�navas; that yields him fortune more and more, &c.
11. The amulet which
Brihaspat' tied for swift V�ta (wind), that yields him strength more and more,
&c.
12, The amulet which Brihaspati tied for swift V�ta, with that
amulet, O Asvins, do ye guard this plough-land; that yields the two physicians
(the Asvins) might more and more, &c.
13. The amulet which Brihaspati
tied for swift V�ta, wearing that, Savitar through it conquered this light; that
yields him abundance more and more, &c.
14. The amulet which Brihaspati
tied for swift V�ta, wearing that, the waters ever run undiminished; that verily
yields them ambrosia more and more, &c.
15. The amulet which Brihaspati
tied for swift V�ta, that comforting amulet king Varuna did fasten on; that
verily yields him truth more and more, &c.
16. The amulet which
Brihaspati tied for swift V�ta, wearing that the gods did conquer all the worlds
in battle; that verily yields them conquest more and more, &c.
17. The
amulet which Brihaspati tied for swift V�ta, that comforting amulet the
divinities did fasten on; that verily yields them- all more and more,
&c.
18. The seasons did fasten it on; the divisions (of the year) did
fasten it on. Since the year did fasten it on, it guards every being.
19. The
intermediate directions did fasten it on; the directions did fasten it on. The
amulet created by Prag�pati has subjected those that hate me.
20. The
Atharvans did tie it on, the descendants of the Atharvans did tie it on; with
these allied, the Angiras cleft the castles of the Dasyus. With it those that
hate me do thou slay!
21. That Dh�tar did fasten on: (then) he shaped the
being. With it those that hate me do thou slay!
22. The amulet which
Brihaspati tied for the gods, destructive of the Asuras, that has come to me
together with sap and lustre.
23. The amulet . . . has come to me together
with cows, goats, and sheep, together with food and offspring.
24. The amulet
. . . has come to me together with rice and barley, together with might and
prosperity.
25. The amulet has come to me with a stream of honey and ghee
together with sweet drink.
26. The amulet has come to me together with
nourishment and milk, together with goods and fortune.
27. The amulet . . .
has. come to me together with brilliance and strength, together with glory and
reputation.
28. The amulet . . . has come to me together with all 'kinds of
prosperity.
29, This amulet the gods shall give me unto prosperity, the
mighty amulet that strengthens sovereignty and injures the rivals!
30. An
(amulet) auspicious for me thou shalt fasten upon (me), together with brahma
(spiritual exaltation) and brilliance! Free from rivals, slaying rivals, it has
subjected my rivals.
31. This god-born amulet, the sap milked from which
these three worlds revere, shall render me superior to him that hates me; it
shall ascend upon my head unto excellence!
32. The amulet upon which the
gods, the Fathers, and men ever live, shall ascend upon my head unto
excellence!
33. As the seed grows in the field, in the furrow drawn by the
ploughshare, thus in me offspring, cattle, and every kind of food shall grow
up!
34. Upon whom, O thou amulet that prosperest the sacrifice, I have
fastened thee (that art) propitious, him, O amulet, that yieldest a hundredfold
sacrificial reward, thou shalt inspire unto excellence!
35. This fire-wood
that has been laid on together with the oblations do thou, Agni, gladly accept:
may we in this kindled G�tavedas (fire), through (this) charm, find favour,
well-being, offspring, sight, and cattle!
{04016}
1. The great guardian among these (gods) sees as if from anear. He that
thinketh he is moving stealthily--all this the gods know.
2. If a man stands,
walks, or sneaks about, if he goes slinking away, if he goes into his
hiding-place; if two persons sit together and scheme, king Varuna is there as a
third, and knows it.
3. Both this earth here belongs to king Varuna, and also
yonder broad sky whose boundaries are far away. Moreover these two oceans are
the loins of Varuna; yea, he is hidden in this small (drop of) water.
4. He
that should flee beyond the heaven far away would not be free from king Varuna.
His spies come hither (to the earth) from heaven, with a thousand eyes do they
watch over the earth.
5. King Varuna sees through all that is between heaven
and earth, and all that is beyond. He has counted the winkings of men's eyes. As
a (winning) gamester puts down his dice, thus does he establish these
(laws).
6. May all thy fateful toils which, seven by seven, threefold, lie
spread out, ensnare him that speaks falsehood: him that speaks the truth they
shall let go!
7. With a hundred snares, O Varuna, surround him, let the liar
not go free from thee, O thou that observest men! The rogue shall sit, his belly
hanging loose, like a cask without hoops, bursting all about!
8. With (the
snare of) Varuna which is fastened lengthwise, and that which (is fastened)
broadwise, with the indigenous and the foreign, with the divine and the
human,--
9. With all these snares do I fetter thee, O N. N., descended from
N. N., the son of the woman N. N.: all these do I design for thee.
{02012}
1. Heaven and earth, the broad atmosphere, the goddess of the field, and the
wonderful, far-striding (Vishnu); moreover, the broad atmosphere guarded by V�ta
(the wind): may these here be inflamed, when I am inflamed!
2. Hear this, O
ye revered gods! Let Bharadv�ga recite for me songs of praise! 'May he who
injures this our plan be bound in the fetter (of disease) and joined to
misfortune!
3. Hear, O soma-drinking Indra, what with burning heart I shout
to thee! I cleave, as one cleaves a tree with an axe, him that injures this our
plan.
4. With (the aid of) thrice eighty siman-singers, with (the aid of) the
�dityas, Vasus, and Angiras--may our father's sacrifices and gifts to the
priests, aid us-do I seize this one with fateful fervour.
5. May heaven and
earth look after me, may all the gods support me! O ye Angiras, O ye fathers
devoted to Soma, may he who does harm enter into misfortune!
6 . He who
perchance despises us, O ye Maruts, he who abuses the holy practice which is
beiog performed by us, may his evil deeds be firebrands to him, may the heavens
surround with fire the hater of holy practices!
7. Thy seven in-breathings
and thy eight marrows, these do I cut for thee by means of my charm. Thou shalt
go to the seat of Yama, fitly prepared, with Agni as thy guide!
8. 1 set thy
footstep upon the kindled fire. May Agni surround thy body, may thy voice enter
into breath!
{07070}
1. Whenever yonder person in his thought, and with his speech, offers
sacrifice accompanied by oblations and benedictions, may Nirriti (the goddess of
destruction), allying herself with death, smite his offering before it takes
effect!
2. May sorcerers, Nirriti, as well as Rakshas, mar his true work with
error! May the gods, despatched by Indra, scatter (churn) his sacrificial
butter; may that which yonder person offers not succeed!
3. The two agile
supreme rulers, like two eagle-s pouiicing down, shall strike the sacrificial
butter pf the enemy, whosoever plans evil against us!
4. Back do I tie both
thy two arms, thy mouth I shut. With the fury of god Agni, have I destroyed thy
oblation.
5. I tie thy two arms, I shut thy mouth. With the fury of terrible
Agni have I destroyed thy oblation.
{02007}
1. The god-begotten plant, hated by the wicked, which wipes away the curses
(of the enemies), like water a foul spot it has washed away all curses from
me.
2. The curse of the rival and the curse of the kinswoman, the curse which
the Brahman shall utter in wrath, all that (do thou put) under our feet!
3.
From heaven her root is suspended, from the earth it rises up; with her that has
a thousand shoots do thou protect us on all sides!
4. Protect me, protect my
offspring, protect our goods; let not ill-will overcome us, let not hostile
schemes overcome us!
5. The curse shall go to the curser; joint possession
shall we have with the friend. Of the enemy who bewitches with (his) eye we hew
off the ribs.
{03006}
1. A male has sprung from a male, the asvattha (ficus religiosa) from the
khadira (acacia catechu). May this slay my enemies, those whom I hate and those
who hate me!
2. Crush the enemies, as they rush on, O asvattha, 'displacer,'
allied with Indra, the slayer of Vritra, (allied) with Mitra and Varuxa!
3.
As thou didst break forth, O asvattha, into the great flood (of the air), thus
do thou break up all those whom I hate and those who hate me!
4. Thou that
goest conquering as a conquering bull, with thee here, O asvattha, may we
conquer our rivals!
5. May Nirriti (the goddess of destruction), O asvattha,
bind in the toils of death that cannot be loosened those enemies of mine whom I
hate and who hate me!
6. As thou climbest up the trees, O asvattha, and
renderest them subordinate, thus do thou split in two the head of iny enemy, and
overcome him!
7. They (the enemies) shall float down like a ship cut loose
from its moorings! There is no returning again for those that have been driven
out by the 'displacer.'
8. I drive them out with my mind, drive them out with
my thought, and also with my incantation. We drive them out with a branch of the
asvattha-tree.
{06075}
1. Forth from his home do I drive that person yonder, who as a rival contends
with us: through the oblation devoted to suppression Indra, has broken him to
pieces.
2. Indra, the slayer of Vritra, shall drive him to the remotest
distance, from which in all successive years he shall not again return!
3. He
shall go to the three distances, he shall go beyond the five peoples; he shall
go beyond the three ethers, whence he shall not again in all successive years
return, while the sun is upon the heavens!
{07037}
1. The thousand-eyed curse having yoked his chariot has come hither, seeking
out him that curses me, as a wolf the house of him that owns sheep.
2. Avoid
us, O curse, as a burning fire (avoids) a lake! Strike here him that curses us,
as the lightning of heaven the tree!
3. He that shall curse us when we do not
curse, and he that shall curse us when we do curse, him do I hurl to death as a
bone to a dog upon the ground.
{07013}
1. As the rising sun takes away the lustre of the stars, thus do I take away
the strength of both the women and the men that hate me.
2. As many enemies
as ye are, lookina out auainst me, as I come on--of those that hate me do I take
away the strenorth, as the sun takes away the strength of persons asleep (while
it rises).
{02036}
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 Dh�tar, 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!
{06060}
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. Dh�tar (the creator) supports (didhhra) this
earth, Dh�tar supports the heavens, and the sun. May Dhatar furnish this
spinster with a husband after her own heart).
{06082}
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
S�ry�, 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 Sak�, procure a wife for me that desireth a wife!
{06078}
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!
{07036}
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!
{07037}
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!
{06081}
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.
{03023}
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. Prag�pati'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!
{06011}
1. The asvattha (ficus religiosa) has mounted the sam� (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 Prag�pati.
3. Prag�pati, Anumati, and Sin�v�l� have fashioned
him. May he (Prag�pati) elsewhere afford the birth of a female, but here he
shall bestow a man!
{07035}
1. The other enemies conquer with might; beat back, O G�tavedas, 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.
{06017}
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!
{01011}
1. Aryaman as active hotar-priest shall utter for thee the vashat-call at
this (soma-) pressing, O P�shan! May (this) woman, (herself) begotten in
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 S�shan open: her womb do we cause to gape. Do thou, O S�shan,
loosen the womb, do thou, O Bishkal�, 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!
{01034}
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!
{02030}
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!
{06008}
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.
{06009}
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!
{06102}
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).
{03025}
1. May (love), the disquieter, disquiet thee; do not hold out upon thy bed!
With the terrible arrow of K�ma (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, K�ma shall pierce thee in the heart!
3. With that
well-aimed arrow of K�ma 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!
{07139}
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!
{07038}
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 �sur� 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 S�rya
(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!
{06130}
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!
{06131}
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, �k�ti! 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!
{06132}
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
dev�h) 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 Indr�ni
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!
{06005}
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!
{06077}
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
G�tavedas (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!
{06018}
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.
{07045}
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!
{01014}
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.
{03018}
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!
{06138}
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
{01018}
1. The (foul) mark, the lal�m� (with spot on the forehead), the Ar�ti
(grudging demon), do we drive out. Then the (signs) that are auspicious (shall
remain) with us; (yet) to beget offspring do we bring the Ar�ti!
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 vil�dh� (the driveling one), the lal�m�
(with spot on the forehead), these do we drive from us.
{06110}
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) gyeshihaghn� ('she
that slays the oldest'), or under the vikrit�u ('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!
{06140}
1. Those two teeth, the tigers, that have broken forth, eager to devour
father and mother, do thou, O Brahmanaspati G�tavedas, 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!
{04008}
1. Himself prosperous (bh�to), he does put strength into the beings
(bh�teshu); he became the chief lord of the beings (bh�t�n�m). 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!
{03003}
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 g�yatri, the
brihat�, and the arka (songs), infused courage into him with the
sautr�man�-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!
{03004}
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)!
{03005}
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!
{04022}
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!
{01009}
1. Upon this (person) the Vasus, Indra, P�shan, Varuna, Mitra, and Agni,
shall bestow goods (vasu)! The �dityas, and, further, all the gods shall hold
him in the higher light!
2. Light, ye gods, shall be at his bidding: S�rya
(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 G�tavedas (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!
{06038}
1. The brilliancy that is in the lion, the tiger, and the serpent; in Agni,
the Br�hmana, 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!
{06039}
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.
{08008}
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 (kh�da) them, O! khadira (acacia catechu) in lively
style! Like the t�gadbhanga (ricinus communis) they shall be broken
(bhagyant�m), may the vadhaka (a certain kind of tree) slay them with his
weapons (vadhaih)!
4. May the knotty �hva-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 S�dhyas (blessed) go
holding up with might one support of the net, the Rudras another, the Vasus
another, (Still) another is upheld by the �dityas.
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 purod�sas (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, V�k (speech) the road.
23. The year is the chariot, the full year
is the body of the chariot, Vir�g, 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!
{01019}
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!
{03001}
1. Agni shall skilfully march against our opponents, burning against their
schemes and hostile plans; G�tavedas 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!
{03002}
1. Agni, our skilful vanguard, shall attack, burning, against their schemes
and hostile plans! G�tavedas 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!
{06097}
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!
{06099}
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!
{11009}
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 g�shkamadas, 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 R�pak�s (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!
23. Arbudi and Trishamdhi shall
pierce our enemies, so that, O Indra, slayer of Vritra, spouse of Sak�, 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
�ditya, Brahmanaspati did rule over you; Indra, and Agni, Dh�tar, Mitra, and
Prag�pati 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!
{11010}
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 G�tavedas �ditya, 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 �ditya (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. V�yu
(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, �ditya (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)!
{05020}
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!
{05021}
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,
Mah�deva, and
also Mrityu (death), and Indra!
12. These wise armies of the
gods, having the sun as their ensign, shall conquer our enemies! Hail!
{03030}
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!
{06073}
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 P�shan shall make impassable for you! Vistoshpati shall
urgently call you back: delight in me shall ye take, O kinsmen!
{06074}
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
�dityas 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!
{07052}
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!
{06064}
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!
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!
{06042}
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!
{06043}
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!
{02027}
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 p�t�-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 S�l�vrikas. 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!
{07012}
1. May assembly and meeting, the two daughters of Prag�pati, 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!
{06094}
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 Sarasvat�, I have called upon both Indra and Agni: may we succeed in
this. O Sarasvat�!
{03012}
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, V�yu, 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).
{06142}
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!
{06079}
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!
{06050}
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 tard� (-female), O husband Of the vagh�
(-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.
{07011}
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!
{02026}
1. Hither shall come the cattle which have strayed to a distance, whose
companionship V�yu (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!
S�n�v�l� 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.
{03014}
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 P�shan, Brihaspati, and Indra, the conqueror of booty,
unite you! Do ye prosper my possessions!
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
sak�-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 s�ri-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!
{06059}
1. Thy foremost protection, O Arundhat�, 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 Arundhat�, 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!
{06070}
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!
{03028}
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!
{06092}
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!
{03013}
1. Because of yore, when the (cloud-) serpent was slain (by Indra), ye did
rush forth and shout (anadat�), 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 (�pnot) you, as ye
went, therefore anon are ye 'meeters' (�pah waters')!
3. When reluctantly ye
flowed, Indra, forsooth, did with might choose (av�varata) you as his own, ye
goddesses! Therefore 'choice' (v�r 'water') has been given you as your
name!
4. One god stood upon you, as ye flowed according to will. Up breathed
(ud �nishuh) they who are known as 'the great' (mah�h). 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!
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!
{06106}
1. Where thou comest, (O fire), and where thou goest away, the blooming
d�rv�-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!
{04003}
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.
{03015}
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, Prag�pati, 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
G�tavedas, (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!
{04038}
1. The successful, victorious, skilfully gaming Apsar�, that Apsar� who makes
the winnings in the game of dice, do I call hither.
2. The skilfully gaming
Apsar� who sweeps and heaps up (the stakes), that Apsar� who takes the winnings
in the game of dice, do I call hither.
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 (Apsar�s) who rejoice
in dice, who carry grief and wrath-tbat joyful and exulting Apsar�, do I call
hither.
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 (kark�) calf, O thou swift steed (the sun)! Here are many
drops (of ghee) for thee; come hither! May this white calf (kark�) of thine, may
thy mind, be here!
7. Together with the atmosphere, O thou who art full of
strength, protect the white (kark�) 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!
{07050}
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!
{06056}
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.
{10004}
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
kasarn�la, the horse of Pedu slays the white (serpent), and also the black. The
horse of Pedu cleaves the head of the ratharv�, 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 agh�sva
and the svaga! Indra (and) Pedu's horse have put to naught the evil-planning
(agh�yantam) 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 Kir�ta-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, V�ta 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 kasarn�la, 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 k�nd�-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, Taud� by name.;
Ghrit�k�, 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!
{11002}
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
sakvar�-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), pur�kayas (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!
{04028}
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 Kim�din! I praise you, O Bhava and
Sarva, call fervently upon you in distress: deliver us from calamity!
{07009}
1. On the distant path of the paths P�shan 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. P�shan 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 P�shan, under thy law may we never suffer harm: as praisers
of thee are we here!
4. P�shan 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!
{06128}
1. When the stars made Sakadh�ma 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 Sakadh�ma!
4. To thee, O Sakadh�ma, ruler of the
stars, that gavest us good weather in the evening in the night, and by day, let
there ever be obeisance!
{11006}
1. To Agni we speak and to the trees, to the plants and to the herbs; to
Indra, Brihaspati, and S�ya: 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
Dh�tar, and to P�shan; 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 S�rya (sun) and to
Kandramas (moon), the twain; to all the �dityas we speak: they shall deliver us
from calamity!
6. We speak to V�ta (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
Prag�pati. 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!
13. The �dityas, 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 s�mans, 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 Ar�yas (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 M�tal� knows as a remedy, that Indra
stored away in the waters: that, O ye waters, furnish ye as a remedy!
{06045}
1. Pass far away, O sin of the mind! Why dost thou utter things not to be
uttered? Pass away, I love thee not! To the trees, the forests go on! With the
house, the cattle, is my mind.
2. What wrongs we have committed through
imprecation, calumny, and false speech, either awake, or asleep--Agni shall put
far away from us all offensive evil deeds!
3. What, O Indra Brahmanaspati, we
do falselymay Praketas ('care-taker') �ngirasa protect us from misfortune, and
from evil!
{06026}
1. Let me go, O evil; being powerful, take thou pity on us! Set me, O evil,
unharmed, into the world of happiness!
2. If, O evil, thou dost not abandon
us, then do we abandon thee at the fork of the road. May evil follow after
another (man)!
3. Away from us may thousand-eyed, immortal (evil) dwell! Him
whom we hate may it strike, and him whom we hate do thou surely smite!
{06114}
1. The god-angering (deed), O ye gods, that we, the (Brahman) gods, have
committed, from that do ye, O �dityas, release us, by virtue of the order of the
universe!
2. By virtue of the order of the universe do ye, O reverend
�dityas, release us here, if, O ye carriers of the sacrifice, though desirous of
accomplishing (the sacrifice), we did not accomplish (it)!--
3. (If), when
sacrificing with the fat (animal), when offering oblations of ghee with the
spoon, when desiring to benefit you, O all ye gods, we have contrary to desire,
not succeeded!
{06115}
1. From the sins which knowingly or unknowingly we have committed, do ye, all
gods, of one accord, release us!
2. If awake, or if asleep, to sin inclined,
I have committed a sin, may what has been, and what shall be, as if from a
wooden post, release me!
3. As one released from a wooden post, as one in a
sweat by bathing (is cleansed) of filth, as ghee is clarified by the sieve, may
all (the gods) clear me from sin!
{06112}
1. May this (younger brother) not slay the oldest one of them, O Agni;
protect him that he be not torn out by the root! Do thou here cunningly loosen
the fetter of Gr�hi (attack of disease); may all the gods give thee leave!
2.
Free these three, O Agni, from the three fetters with which they have been
shackled! Do thou cunningly loosen the fetters of Gr�hi; release them all,
father, sons, and mother!
3. The fetters with which the older brother, whose
younger brother has married before him, has been bound, with which he has been
encumbered and shackled limb by limb, may they be loosened; since fit for
loosening they are! Wipe off, O P�shan, the misdeeds upon him that practiseth
abortion!
{06113}
1. On Trita the gods wiped off this sin, Trita wiped it off on human beings;
hence if Gr�hi (attack of disease) has seized thee, may these gods remove her by
means of their charm!
2. Enter into the rays, into smoke, O sin; go into the
vapours, and into the fog! Lose thyself on the foam of the river! 'Wipet off, O
P�shan, the misdeeds upon him that practiseth abortion!
3. Deposited in
twelve places is that which has been wiped off Trita, the sins belonging to
humanity. Hence if Gr�hi has seized thee, may these gods remove her by means of
their charm!
{06120}
1. If air, or earth and heaven, if mother or father, we have injured, may
this Agni G�rhapatya (household fire) without fail lead us out from this
(crime)
to the world of well-doing!
2. The earth is our mother, Aditi (the
universe) our kin, the air our protector from hostile schemes. May father sky
bring prosperity to us from the world of the Fathers; may I come to my
(departed) kin, and not lose heaven!
3. In that bright world where our pious
friends live in joy, having cast aside the ailments of their own bodies, free
from lameness, not deformed in limb, there may we behold our parents and our
children!
{06027}
1. O ye gods, if the pigeon, despatched as the messenger of Nirriti (the
goddess of destruction), hath come here seeking (us out), we shall sing his
praises, and prepare (our) ransom. May our two-footed and four-footed creatures
be prosperous!
2. Auspicious to us shall be the pigeon that has been
despatched; harmless, ye gods, the bird shall be to our house! The sage Agni
shall verily take pleasure in our oblation; the winged missile shall avoid
us!
3. The winged missile shall not do us injury: upon our hearth, our
fireplace he (the pigeon) takes his steps! Propitious he shall be to our cattle
and
our domestics; may not, ye gods, the pigeon here do harm to us!
{06029}
1. Upon those persons yonder the winged missile shall fall! If the owl
shrieks, futile shall this be, or if the pigeon takes his steps upon the
fire!
2. To thy two messengers, O Nirriti, who come here, despatched or not
despatched, to our house, to the pigeon and to the owl, this shall be no place
to step upon!
3. He shall not fly hither to slaughter (our) men; to keep
(our) men sound he shall settle here! Charm .him very far away unto a distant
region, that (people) shall behold you (i.e. him) in Yama's house devoid of
strength, that they shall behold you bereft of power!
{07064}
1. What this black bird flying forth towards (me) has dropped here--may the
waters protect me from all that misfortune and evil!
2. What this black bird
has brushed here with thy mouth, O Nirtiti (goddess of misfortune)-may Agni
G�rhapatya (the god of the household fire) free me from this sin!
{06046}
1. Thou who art neither alive nor dead, the immortal child of the gods art
thou, O Sleep! Varun�n� is thy mother, Yama (death) thy father, Araru is thy
name.
2. We know, O Sleep, thy birth, thou art the son of the divine
women-folk, the instrument of Yama (death)! Thou art the ender, thou art death!
Thus do we know thee, O Sleep: do thou, O Sleep, protect us from evil
dreams!
3. As one pays off a sixteenth, an eighth, or an (entire) debt, thus
do we transfer every evil dream upon our enemy.
{07115}
1. Fly forth from here, O evil mark, vanish from here, fly forth to yonder
place! Upon him that hates us do we fasten thee with a brazen hook.
2. The
unsavoury mark which flying has alighted upon me, as a creeper upon a tree, that
mayest thou put away from us, away from here, O golden-handed
(golden-rayed)
Savitar (the sun), bestowing goods upon us!
3. Together with the body of the
mortal, from his birth, one and a hundred marks are born. Those that are most
foul do we drive away from here; the auspicious ones, O G�tavedas (Agni), do
thou hold fast for us!
4. These (marks) here I have separated, as cows
scattered upon the heather. The pure marks shall remain, the foul ones I have
made to disappear!
{05018}
1. The gods, O king, did not give to thee this (Cow) to eat. Do not, O
prince, seek to devour the cow of the Br�hmana, which is unfit to be
eaten!
2. The prince, beguiled by dice, the wretched one who has lost as a
stake his own person, he may, perchance, eat the cow of the Br�hmana,
(thinking), 'let me live to-day (if) not to-morrow'!
3. Enveloped (is she) in
her skin, as an adder with evil poison; do not, O prince, (eat the cow) of the
Br�hmana: sapless, unfit to be eaten, is that cow!
4. Away does (the
Br�hmana) take regal power, destroys vigour; like fire which has caught does he
burn away everything. He that regards the Br�hmana as fit food drinks of the
poison of the taim�ta-serpent.
5. He who thinks him (the Brahman) mild, and
slays him, he who reviles the gods, lusts after wealth, without thought, in his
heart Indra kindles a fire; him both heaven and earth hate while he lives.
6.
The Br�hmana must not be encroached upon, any more than fire, by him that
regards his own body! For Soma is his (the Br�hmana's) heir, Indra protects him
from hostile plots.
7. He swallows her (the cow), bristling with a hundred
hooks, (but) is unable to digest her, he, the fool who, devouring the food of
the Brahmans, thinks, 'I am eating a luscious (morsel).'
8. (The Brahman's)
tongue turns into a bow. string, his voice into the neck of an arrow; his
windpipe, his teeth are bedaubed with holy fire: with these the Brahman strikes
those who revile the gods, by means of bows that have the strength to reach the
heart, discharged by the gods.
9. The Br�hmanas have sharp arrows, are armed
with missiles, the arrow whi ch they hurl goes not in vain; pursuing him with
their holy fire and their wrath, even from afar, do they pierce him.
10. They
who ruled over a thousand, and were themselves ten hundred, the Vaitahavya, when
they devoured the cow of the Br�hmana, perished.
11. The cow herself, when
slaughtered, came down upon the Vaitahavyas. who had roasted for themselves the
last she-goat of Kesarapr�bandh�.
12. The one hundred and one persons whom
the earth did cast off, because they had injured the offspring of a Br�hmana,
were ruined irretrievably.
13. As a reviler of the gods does he live among
mortals, having swallowed poison, he becomes more bone (than flesh). He that
injureth a Br�hmana, whose kin are the gods, does not reach heaven by the road
of the Fathers.
14. Agni is called our guide, Soma our heir, Indra slays
those who curse (us): that the strong (sages) know.
15. Like a poisoned
arrow, O king, like -an adder, O lord of cattle, is the terrible arrow of the
Br�hmana: with that he smites those who revile (the gods).
{05019}
1. Beyond measure they waxed strong, just fell short of touching the heavens.
When they infringed upon Bhrigu they perished, the Sri�gaya Vaitahavyas.
2.
The persons who pierced Brihats�man, the descendant of Angiras, the Br�hmana--a
ram with two rows of teeth, a sheep devoured their offspring.
3. They who
spat upon the Br�hmana, who desired tribute from him, they sit in the middle of
a pool of blood, chewing hair.
4. The cow of the Brahman, when roasted, as
far as she reaches does she destroy the lustre of the kingdom; no lusty hero is
born (there).
5. A cruel (sacrilegious) deed is her slaughter, her meat, when
eaten, is sapless; when her milk is drunk, that surely is accounted a crime
against the Fathers.
6. When the king, weening himself mighty, desires to
destroy the Br�hmana, then royal power is dissipated, where the Br�hmana is
oppressed.
7. Becoming eight-footed, four-eyed, four-eared, four-jawed,
two-mouthed, two-tongued, she dispels the rule of the oppressor of the
Brahman.
8. That (kingdom) surely she swamps, as water a leaking ship;
misfortune strikes that kingdom, in which they injure a Br�hmana.
9. The
trees chase away with the words: 'do not come within our shade,' him who covets
the wealth that belongs to a Br�hmana, O N�rada!
10. King Varuna pronounced
this (to be) poison, prepared by the gods: no one who has devoured the cow of a
Br�hmana retains the charge of a kingdom.
11. Those full nine and ninety whom
the earth did cast off, because they had injured the offspring of a Br�hmana,
were ruined irretrievably.
12. The k�d�-plant (Christ's thorn) that wipes
away the track (of death), which they fasten to the dead, that very one, O
oppressor of Brahmans, the gods did declare (to be) thy couch.
13. The tears
which have rolled from (the eyes of) the oppressed (Brahman), as he laments,
these very ones, O oppressor of Brahmans, the gods did assign to thee as thy
share of water.
14. The water with which they bathe the dead, with which they
moisten his beard, that very one, O oppressor of Brahmans, the gods did assign
to thee as thy share of water.
15. The rain of Mitra and Varuna does not
moisten the oppressor of Brahmans; the assembly is not complacent for him, he
does not guide his friend according to his will.
{05007}
1. Bring (wealth) to us, do not stand in our way, O Ar�ti; do not keep from
us the sacrificial reward as it is being taken (to us)! Adoration be to the
power of grudge, the power of failure, adoration to Ar�ti!
2. To thy advising
minister, whom thou, Ar�ti, didst make thy agent, do we make obeisance. Do not
bring failure to my wish!
3. May our wish, instilled by the gods, be
fulfilled by day and night! We go in quest of Ar�ti. Adoration be to
Ar�ti!
4. Sarasvat� (speech), Anumati (favour), and Bhaga (fortune) we go to
invoke. Pleasant, honied, words I have spoken on the occasions when the gods
were invoked.
5. Him whom I implore with V�k Sarasvat� (the goddess-of
speech), the yoke-fellow of thought, faith shall find to-day, bestowed by the
brown soma!
6. Neither our wish nor our speech do thou frustrate! May Indra
and Agni both bring us wealth! Do ye all who to-day desire to make gifts to us
gain favour with Ar�ti!
7. Go far away, failure! Thy missile do we avert. I
know thee (to be) oppressive and piercing, O Ar�ti!
8. Thou dost even
transform thyself into a naked woman, and attach thyself to people in their
sleep, frustrating, O Ar�ti, the thought, and intention of man.
9. To her
who, great, and of great dimension, did penetrate all the regions, to this
golden-locked Nirriti (goddess of misfortune), I have rendered obeisance.
10.
To the gold-complexioned, lovely one, who rests upon golden cushions, to the
great one, to that Ar�ti who wears golden robes, I have rendered obeisance.
{12004}
1. 'I give,' he shall surely say,'the sterile cow to the begging
Brahmans'--and they have noted her--that brings progeny and offspring!
2.
With his offspring does he trade, of his cattle is he deprived, that refuses to
give the cow of the gods to the begging descendants of the Rishis.
3. Through
(the gift of) a cow with broken horns his (cattle) breaks down, through a lame
one he tumbles into a pit, through a mutilated one his house is burned, through
a one-eyed one his property is given away.
4. Flow of blood attacks the
cattle-owner from the spot where her dung is deposited: this understanding there
is about the vas� (the sterile cow); for thou (sterile cow) art said to be very
difficult to deceive!
5. From the resting-place of her feet the (disease)
called viklindu overtakes (the owner, or the cattle). Without sickness breaks
down (the cattle) which she sniffs upon with her nose.
6. He that pierces her
ears is estranged from the gods. He thinks: 'I am making a mark (upon her),'
(but) he diminishes his own property.
7. If any one for whatsoever purpose
cuts her tail then do his colts die, and the wolf tears his calves.
8. If a
crow has injured her hair, as long as she is with her owner then do his children
die: decline overtakes them without (noticeable) sickness.
9. If the
serving-maid sweeps together her dung, that bites as lye, there arises from this
sin disfigurement that passeth not away.
10. The sterile cow in her very
birth is born for the gods and Br�hmanas. Hence to the Brahmans she is to be
given: that, they say, guarantees the security of one's own property.
11. For
those that come requesting her the cow has been created by the gods. Oppression
of Brahmans it is called, if he keeps her for himself.
12. He that refuses to
give the cow of the gods to the descendants of the Rishis who ask for it,
infringes upon the gods, and the wrath of the Br�hmanas.
13. Though he
derives benefit from this sterile cow, another (cow) then shall he seek! When
kept she injures (his) folk, if he refuses to give her after she has been asked
for!
14. The sterile cow is as a treasure deposited for die Br�hmanas: they
come here for her, with whomsoever she is born.
15. The Br�hmanas come here
for their own, when they come for the sterile cow. The refusal of her is, as
though he were oppressing them in other concerns.
I& If she herds up to
her third year, and no disease is discovered in her, and he finds her to be a
sterile cow, O N�rada, then must he look for the Br�hmanas.
17. If he denies
that she is sterile, a treasure deposited for the gods, then Bhava and Sarva,
both, come upon him, and hurl their arrow upon him.
18. Though he does not
perceive upon her either udder, or tits, yet both yield him milk, if he has
prevailed upon himself to give away the sterile cow.
19. Hard to cheat, she
oppresses him, if, when asked for, he refuses to give her. His desires are not
fulfilled, if he aims to accomplish them without giving her away.
20. The
gods did ask for the sterile cow, making the Br�hmana their mouthpiece. The man
that does not give (her) enters into the wrath of all of these.
21. Into the
wrath of the cattle enters he that gives not the sterile cow to the Br�hmanas;
if he, the mortal, appropriates the share deposited for the gods.
22. Even if
a hundred other Br�hmanas beg the owner for the sterile cow, yet the gods did
say anent her: 'The cow belongs to him that knoweth thus.'
23. He that
refuses the sterile cow to him that knoweth thus, and gives her to others,
difficult to dwell upon is for him the earth with her divinities.
24. The
gods did beg the sterile cow of him wilh whom she was born at first. That very
one N�rada recognised and drove forth in company with the gods.
25. The
sterile cow renders childless, and poor in cattle, him that yet appropriates
her, when she has been begged for by the Br�hmanas.
26. For Agni and Soma,
for K�ma, for Mitra, and for Varuna, for these do the Br�hmanas beg her: upon
these he infringes, if he gl ves her not.
27. As long as the owner does not
himself hear the stanzas referring to (the giving away of) her, she may herd
among his cattle; (only) if he has not heard (them) may she pass the night in
his house.
28. He that has listened to the stanzas, yet has permitted her to
herd among the cattle, his life and prosperity the angry gods destroy.
29.
The sterile cow, even when she rambles freely, is a treasure deposited for the
gods. Make evident thy true nature when thou desirest to go to thy (proper)
stable!
30. She makes evident her nature when she desires to go to her
(proper) stable. Then indeed the sterile cow puts it into the minds of the
Brahmans to beg (for her).
31. She evolves it in her mind, that (thought)
reaches the gods. Then do the Brahmans come to beg for the sterile cow.
32.
The call svadh� befriends him with the Fathers, the sacrifice with the gods.
Through the gift of the sterile cow the man of royal caste incurs not the anger
of (her), his mother.
33. The sterile cow is the mother of the man of royal
caste: thus was it from the beginning. It is said to be no (real) deprivation if
she is given to the Brahmans.
34. As if he were to rob the ghee ladled up for
Agni (the fire) from the (very) spoon, thus, if he gives not the sterile cow to
the Brahmans, does he infringe upon Agni.
35. The sterile cow has the
purodasa (sacrificial cake) for her calf, she yields plentiful milk, helps in
this world, and fulfils all wishes for him that gives her (to the
Brahmans).
36. The sterile cow fulfils all wishes in the kingdom of Yama for
him that gives her. But they say that hell falls to the lot of him that
withholds her, when she has been begged for.
37. The sterile cow, even if she
should become fruitful, lives in anger at her owner: 'since he did regard me as
sterile (without giving me to the Brahmans), he shall be bound in the fetters of
death!'
38, He who thinks that the cow is sterile, and (yet) roasts her at
home, even his children qnd grandchildren Brihaspati causes to be importuned
(for her).
39. Fiercely does the (supposed) sterile cow burn when she herds
with the cattle, though she be a (fruitful) cow. She verily, too, milks poison
for the owner that does not present her.
40. It pleases the cattle when she
is given to the Brahmans; moreover, the sterile cow is pleased, when she is made
an offering to the gods (Brahmans).
41. From the sterile cows which the gods,
returning from the sacrifice, created, N�rada picked out as (most) terrible the
vilipt�.
42. In reference to her the gods reflected: 'Is she a sterile cow,
or not?' And N�rada in reference to her said: 'Of sterile cows she is the most
sterile!'
43. 'How many sterile cows (are there), O N�rada, which thou
knowest to be born among men?' About these do I ask thee, that knowest: 'Of
which may the non-Br�hmana not eat?'
44. Of the vilipt�, of her that has born
a sterile cow, and of the sterile cow (herself), the non-Br�hmana, that hopes
for prosperity, shall not eat!
45. Reverence be to thee, O N�rada, that
knowest thoroughly which sterile cow is the most terrible, by withholding which
(from the Brahmans) destruction is.incurred.
46. The vilipt�, O Brihaspati,
her that has, begotten a sterile cow, and the sterile cow (herself), the
non-Br�hmana, that hopes for prosperity, shall not eat!
47. Three kinds,
forsooth, of sterile cows are there: the vilipt�, she that has begotten a
sterile cow, and the sterile cow (herself). These he shall give to the Brahmans;
(then) does he not estrange himself from Prag�pati.
48. 'This is your
oblation, O Br�hmanas,' thus shall he reflect, if he is supplicated, if they ask
him for the sterile cow, terrible in the house of him that refuses to give
her.
49. The gods animadverted in reference to Bheda and the sterile cow,
angry because he had not given her, in these verses-and therefore he (Bheda)
perished.
50. Bheda did not present the sterile cow, though requested by
Indra: for this sin the gods crushed him in battle.
51. The counsellors that
advise the withholding (of the sterile cow), they, the rogues, in their folly,
conflict with the wrath of Indra.
52. They who lead the owner of cattle
aside, then say to him: 'do not give,' in their folly they run into the missile
hurled by Rudra.
53. And if he roasts the sterile cow at home, whether he
makes a sacrifice of her, or not, he sins against the gods and Br�hmanas, and as
a cheat falls from heaven.
{11001}
1. O Agni, come into being! Aditi here in her throes, longing for sons, is
cooking the porridge for the Brahmans, The seven Rishis, that did create the
beings, shall here churn thee, along with progeny!
2. Produce the smoke, ye
lusty friends; unharmed by wiles go ye into the contest! Here is the Agni (fire)
who gains battles, and commands powerful warriors, with whom the gods did
conquer the demons.
3. O Agni, to a great heroic deed thou wast aroused, to
cook the Brahman's porridge, O G�tavedas! The seven Rishis, that did create the
beings, have produced thee. Grant her (the wife) wealth together with
undiminished heroes!
4. Burn, O Agni, after having been kindled by the
firewood, bring skilfully hither the gods that are to be revered! Causing the
oblation to cook for these (Brahmans), do thou raise this (sacrificer) to the
highest firmament!
5. The, threefold share which was of yore assigned to you
(belongs) to the gods, the (departed) Fathers, and to the mortals (the priests).
Know your shares! I divide them for you: the (share) of the gods shall protect
this (woman)!
6. O Agni, possessed of might, superior, thou dost without fail
prevail! Bend down to the ground our hateful rivals!--This measure, that is
being measured, and has been measured, may constitute thy kin into (people) that
render thee tribute!
7. Mayest thou together with thy kin be endowed with
sap! Elevate her (the wife) to great heroism! Ascend on high to the base of the
firmament, which they call 'the world of brightness'!
8. This great goddess
earth, kindly disposed, shall receive the (sacrificial) skin! Then may we go to
the world of well-doing (heaven)!
9. Lay these two press-stones, well
coupled, upon the skin; crush skilfully the (soma-) shoots for the sacrificer!
Crush down, (O earth), and beat down, those who are hostile to her (the wife);
lift up high, and elevate her offspring!
10. Take into thy hands, O man, the
press-stones that work together: the gods that are to be revered have come to
thy sacrifice! Whatever three wishes thou dost choose, I shall here procure for
thee unto fulfilment.
11. This, (O winnowing-basket), is thy purpose, and
this thy nature: may Aditi, mother of heroes, take hold of thee! Winnow out
those who are hostile to this (woman); afford her wealth and undiminished
heroes!
12. Do ye, (O grains), remain in the (winnowing-) basket, while (the
wind) blows over you; be separated, ye who are fit for the sacrifice, from the
chaff! May we in happiness be superior to all our equals! I bend down under our
feet those that hate us.
13. Retire, O woman, and return promptly! The stable
of the waters (water-vessel) has settled upon thee, that thou mayest carry it:
of these (the waters) thou shalt take such as are fit for sacrifice; having
intelligently divided them off, thou shalt leave the rest behind!
14. These
bright women, (the waters), have come hither. Arise, thou woman, and gather
strength! To thee, that art rendered by thy husband a true wife, (and) by thy
children rich in offspring, the sacrifice has come: receive the (water-)
vessel!
15. The share of food that belongs to you of yore has been set aside
for you. Instructed by the Rishis bring thou (woman) hither this water! May this
sacrifice win advancement for you, win prAection, win offspring for you; may it
be mighty, win cattle, and heroes for you!
16. O Agni, the sacrificial pot
has settled upon thee: do thou shining, brightly glowing, heat it with thy glow!
May the divine descendants of the Rishis, assembled about their share (of the
porridge), full of fervour, heat this (pot) at the proper time!
17. Pure and
clear may these sacrificial women, the waters bright, flow into the pot! The),
have given us abundant offspring and cattle. May he that cooks the porridge go
to the world of the pious (heaven)!
18. Purified by (our) prayer, and
clarified by the ghee are the soma-shoots, (and) these sacrificial grains. Enter
the water; may the pot receive you! When ye have cookect this (porridge) go ye
to the world of the pious (heaven)!
19. Spread out far unto great extent,
with a thousand surfaces, in the world of the pious! Grandfathers, fathers,
children, grandchildren--I am the fifteenth one that did cook thee.
20. The
porridge has a thousand surfaces, a hundred streams, and is indestructible; it
is the road of the gods, leads to heaven. Yonder (enemies) do I place upon thee:
injure them and their offspring; (but) to me that brings gifts thou shalt be
merciful!
21. Step upon the altar (vedi); make this woman thrive in her
progeny; repel the demons.; advance her! May we in happiness be superior to all
our equals! I bend down under our feet all those that hate us.
22. Turn
towards her with cattle, (thou pot), face towards her, together with the divine
powers! Neither curses nor hostile magic shall reach thee; rule in thy dwelling
free from disease!
23. Properly built, placed with care, this altar (vedi)
has been arranged of yore for the Brahmans porridge. Put it, O woman, upon the
purified amsadhrl; place there the porridge for the divine (Br�hmanas)!
24.
May this sacrificial ladle (sruk), the second hand of Aditi, which the seven
Rishis, the creators of the beings, did fashion, may this spoon, knowing the
limbs of the porridge, heap it upon the altar!
25. The divine (Br�hmanas)
shall sit down to thee, the cooked saerfice: do thou again descending from the
fire, approach them! Clarified by soma settle in the belly of the Br�hmanas; the
descendants of the Rishis who eat thee shall not take harm!
26. O king Soma,
infuse harmony into the good Br�hmanas who shall sit about thee! Eagerly do I
invite to the porridge the Rishis, descended from Rishis, that are born of
religious fervour, and gladly obey the call.
27. These pure and clear
sacrificial women (the waters) I put into the hands of the Br�hmanas severally.
With whatever wish I pour this upon you, may Indra. accompanied by the Maruts
grant this to me!
28. This gold is my immortal light, this ripe fruit of the
field is my wish-granting cow. This treasure I present to the Br�hmanas: I
prepare for myself a road that leads. to the Fathers in the heavens.
29.
Scatter the spelt into Agni G�tavedas (the fire), sweep away to a far distance
the chaff! This (chaff) we have heard, is the share of the ruler of the house
(Agni), and we know, too, what belonos to Nirriti (destruction) as her
share.
30. Note, (O porridge), him that takes pains, and cooks and presses
the soma; lift him up to the heavenly road, upon which, after he has reached the
fullest age, he shall ascend to the highest firmament, the supreme
heavens!
31. Anoint (with ghee), O adhvaryu (priest), the surface of this
sustaining (porridge), make skilfully a place for the melted butter; with ghee
do thou anoint all its limbs! I prepare for myself a road that leads to the
Fathers in the heavens.
32. O sustaining (porridge), cast destruction and
strife among such as are sitting about thee, and are not Br�hmanas! (But) the
descendants of the -Rishis, that eat thee, being full of substance, spreading
forth, shall not take harm!
33. To the descendants of the Rishis I make thee
over, O porridge; those who are not descended from Rishis have no share in it!
May Agni as my guardian, may all the Maruts, and all the gods watch over the
cooked food!
34. Thee (the porridge) that milkest the sacrifice, art evermore
abundant, the male milch-cow, the seat of wealth, we beseech for immortality of
off-spring and long life with abundance of wealth.
35. Thou art a lusty male,
penetratest heaven: go thou to the Rishis, descended from Rishis! Dwell in the
world of the pious: there is a well-prepared (place) for us two!
36. Pack
thyself up, go forth! O Agni, prepare the roads, that lead to the gods! By
these: well-prepared (roads) may we reach the sacrifice, standing upon the
firmament (that shines) with seven rays!
37. With the light with which the
gods, having cooked the porridge for the Br�manas, ascended to heaven, to the
world of the pious, with that would we go to the world of the pious, ascending
to the light, to the highest firmament!
{07003}
1. (Thyself) a male, step thou upon the hide of the male (steer): go, call
thither all that is dear to thee! At whatever age ye two formerly did first
unite (in marriage), may that age be your common lot in Yama's kingdom!
2.
Your sight shall be as clear (as formerly), your strength as abundant, your
lustre as great, your vitality as manifold! When Agni, the (funeral-) pyre,
fastens himself upon the corpse, then as a pair ye.shall rise from the (cooked)
porridge!
3. Come ye together in this world, upon the road to the gods, and
in Yama's realms! By purifications purified call ye together the offspring that
has sprung from you!
4. Around the water united, sit ye down, O children;
around this living (father) and the waters that refresh the living! Partake of
these (waters), and of that porridge which the mother of you two cooks, and
which is called amrita (ambrosia)!
5. The porridge which the father of you
two, and which the mother cooks, unto freedom from defilement and foulness of
speech, that porridge with a hundred streams (of ghee), leading to heaven, has
penetrated with might both the hemispheres of the world.
6. In that one of
the two hemispheres and the two heavenly worlds, conquered by the pious, which
especially abounds in light, and is rich in honey, in that do ye in the fulness
of time come together with your children!
7. Keep ever on in an easterly
direction: this is the region that the faithful cling to! When your cooked
porridge has been prepared on the fire, hold together, O man and wife, that ye
may guard it!
8. When ye shall have reached the southerly direction, turn ye
to this vessel! In that Yama, associated with the fathers, shall give abundant
protection to your cooked porridge!
9. This westerly direction is especially
favoured: in it Soma is ruler and consoler. To this hold, attach yourselves to
the pious: then as a pair ye shall rise from the cooked porridge!
10. The
northerly direction shall make our realm the very uppermost, in offspring,
uppermost! The purusha is the metre pahkti: with all (our kin), endowed with all
their limbs, may we be united!
11. This 'firm' direction (nadir) is Vir�g
(brilliancy): reverence be to her; may she be kind to my children and to me!
Mayest thou, O goddess Aditi, who boldest all treasures, as an alert guardian
guard the cooked porridge!
12. As a father his children do thou, (O earth),
embrace us; may gentle winds blow upon us here on earth! Then the porridge which
the two divinities (the sacrificer and his wife) are here preparing for us shall
take note of our religious fer~our and our truth!
13. Whatever the black
bird, that has come hither stealthily, has touched of that ahich has stuck to
the rim, or whatever the wet-banded slavegirl does pollute-may ye, O waters,
purify (that) mortar and pestle!
14. May this sturdy press-stone, with broad
bottom, purified by the purifiers, beat away the Rakshas! Settle upon the skin,
afford firm protection; may man and wife not come to grief in their
children!
15. The (pestle of) wood has come to us together with the gods: it
drives away the Rakshas and Pis�kas. Up it shall rise, shall let its voice
resound
through it let us conquer all the worlds!
16. The cattle clothed
itself in sevenfold strength, those among them that are sleek and those that are
poor. The thirty-three gods attend them mayest thou, (O cattle), guide us to the
heavenly world!
17. To the bright world of heaven thou shalt lead us; (there)
let us be united with wife and children! I take her hand, may she follow me
there; neither Nirriti (destruction), nor Ar�ti (grudge), shall gain mastery
over us!
18. May we get past the evil Gr�hi (seizure)! Casting aside darkness
do thou, (O pestle), let thy lovely voice resound; do not, O wooden tool, when
raised, do injury; do not mutilate the grain devoted to the gods!
19.
All-embracing, about to be covered with ghee, enter, (O pot), as a co-dweller
this space!--Take hold of the winnowing-basket, that has been grown by the rain:
the spelt and the chaff it shall sift out!
20. Three regions are constructed
after the pattern of the Br�hmana: yonder heaven, the earth, and the
atmosphere.--Take the (soma-) shoots, and hold one another, (O man and wife)!
They (the shoots) shall swell (with moisture), and again go back into the
winnowing-basket!
21. Of manifold variegated colours are the animals, one
colour hast thou, (O porridge), when successfully prepared.--Push these (soma-)
Shoots upon this red skin; the press-stone shall purify them as the washer-man
his clothes!
22. Thee, the (pot of) earth, I place upon the earth: your
substance is the same, though thine, (O pot), is modified. Even though a blow
has cracked or scratched thee, do not therefore burst: with this verse do I
cover that up!
23. Gently as a mother embrace the son: I unite thee, (pot of)
earth, with the earth! Mayest thou, the hollow pot, not totter upon the altar,
when thou art pressed by the tools of sacrifice and the ghee!
24. May Agni
who cooks thee protect thee on the east, Indra with the Maruts protect thee on
the south! May Varuna on the west support thee upon thy foundation, may Soma on
the north hold thee together!
25. Purified by the purifiers, the (waters)
flow pure from the clouds, they reach to the spaces of heaven, and of the earth.
They are alive, refresh the livino, and are firmly rooted: may Agni heat them,
after they have been poured into the vessel!
26. From heaven they come, into
the earth they penetrate; from the earth they penetrate into the atmosphere. May
they, now pure, yet purify themselves further; may they conduct us to the
heavenly world!
27. Whether ye are over-abundant or just sufficient, ye are
surely clear, pure, and immortal: cook, ye waters, instructed by the husband and
wife, obliging and helpful, the porridge!
28. Counted drops penetrate into
the earth, commensurate with the breaths of life and the plants. The uncounted
golden (drops), that are poured into (the porridge), have, (themselves) pure,
established complete purity.
29. The boiling waters rise and sputter, cast up
foam and many bubbles. Unite, ye waters, with this grain, as a woman who beholds
her husband in the proper season!
30. Stir up (the grains) as they settle at
the bottom: let them mingle their inmost parts with the waters! The water here I
have measured with cups; measured was the grain, so as to be according to these
regulations.
31. Hand over the sickle, with haste bring promptly (the grass
for the barhis); without giving pain let them cut the plants at the joints! They
whose kingdom Soma rules, the plants, shall not harbour anger against us!
32.
Strew a new barhis for the porridge: pleasing to its heart, and lovely to its
sight it shall be! Upon it the gods together with the goddesses shall enter;
settle down to this (porridge) in proper order, and cat it!
33. O (instrument
of) wood, settle down upon the strewn barhis, in keeping with the divinities and
the agnishloma rites! Well shaped, as if by a carpenter (Tvashtar) with his axe,
is thy form. Longing for this (porridge) the (gods) shall be seen about the
vessel!
34. In sixty autumns the treasurer (of the porridge) shall fetch it,
by the cooked grain he shall obtain heaven; the parents and the children shall
live upon it. Bring thou this (man) to heaven, into the presence of Agni!
35.
(Thyself) a holder, (O pot), hold on to the foundation of the earth: thee, that
art immoveable the gods (alone) shall move! Man and wife, alive, with living
children, shall remove thee from the hearth of the fire!
36. Thou hast
conquered and reached all worlds; as many as are our wishes, thou hast satisfied
them. Dip ye in, stirring stick and spoon! Place it (the por idge) upon a single
dish!
37. Lay (ghee) upon it, let it spread forth, anoint this dish with
ghee! As the lowing cow her young that craves the breast, ye gods shall greet
with sounds of satisfaction this (porridge)!
38. With ghee thou hast covered
it, hast made this place (for the porridge): may it, peerless, spread afar to
heaven! Upon it shall rest the mighty eagle; gods shall offer it to the
divinities!
39. Whatever the wife cooks aside from thee, (O husband), or the
husband (cooks) unbeknown of thee, O wife, mix that together: to both of you it
shall belong; bring it together into a single place!
40. As many of her
children as dwell upon the earth, and the sons that have been begotten by him,
all those ye shall call up to the dish: on shall come the young knowing their
nest!
41. The goodly streams, swelling with honey, mixed with ghee, the seats
of ambrosia, all these does he obtain, ascends to heaven. In sixty autumns the
treasurer (of the porridge) shall fetch it!
42. The treasurer shall fetch
this treasure: all outsiders round about shall not control it! The
heaven-directed porridge, that has been presented and deposited by us, in three
divisions has reached the thrte heavens.
43. May Agni burn the ungodly
Rakshas; the flesh-devouring Pis�ka shall have nothing here to partake of! We
drive him away, hold him afar from us: the �dityas and Angiras shall stay near
it!
44. To the �dityas and the Angiras do I offer this (food of) honey, mixed
with ghee. Do ye two, (man and wife), with clean hands, without having injured a
Br�hmana, performing pious deeds, go to that heavenly world!
45. I would
obtain this highest part of it (the porridge), the place from which the highest
lord permeates (the all). Pour butter upon it, anoint it witb plentiful ghee:
this here is our share, fit for the Angiras!
46. For the sake of truth and
holy strength do we make over this porridge as a hoarded treasure to the gods:
it shall not be lost to us in gaming or in the assembly; do not let it go to any
other person before me!
47. I cook, and I give (to the Brahmans), and so,
too, my wife, at my religious rite and practice.--With the birth of a son the
world of children has arisen (for you): do ye two hold on to a life that extends
beyond (your years)!
48. In that place exists no guilt, and no duplicity, not
even if he goes conspiring with his friends. This full dish of ours has here
been deposited: the cooked (porridge) shall come back again to him that cooks
it!
49. kind deeds we shall perform for our friends: all that hate us shall
go to darkness (hell)!--As (fruitful) cow, and (strong) steer, they (man and
wife) shall during, every successive period of their lives drive away
man-besetting death!
50. The fires (all) know one another, that which lives
in plants, and lives in the waters, and all the (light-) gods that glow upon the
heaven. The gold (here) becomes the light of him that cooks (the
porridge).
51. This (naked skin) among the hides is born upon man (alone),
all other animals are riot naked. Clothe yourselves, (ye Brahmans), in
sheltering garments: (even) the face of the porridge is a homespun
garment!
52. What falsehood thou shalt speak at play and in the assembly, or
the falsehood that thou shalt speak through lust for gain--put on together, (O
man and wife), this same garment, deposit upon it every blemish!
53. Produce
rain, go to the gods, let smoke arise from (thy) surface; all-embracing, about
to be covered with ghee, enter as a co-dweller this place!
54. In many ways
heaven assumes within itself a different form, according to circumstances. It
(the heaven) has laid aside its black form, purifying itself to a bright (form);
the red form do I sacrifice fot thee into the fire.
55. Thee here we hand
over to the eastern direction, to Agni as sovereign lord, to the black serpent
as guardian, to �ditya as bowman: do ye guard it for us, until we arrive! To the
goal here he shall lead us, to old age; old age shall hand us over to death:
then shall we be united with the cooked (porridge)!
56. Thee here we hand
over to the southern direction, to Indra as sovereign lord, to the serpent that
is striped across as guardian, to Yama as bowman: do ye guard it for us, until
we arrive! To the goal here, &c.
57. Thee here we hand over to the
western direction, to Varuna as sovereign lord, to the prid�ku-serpent as
guardian, to food as bowman: do ye guard it for us, until we arrive. To the goal
here, &c.
58. Thee here we hand over to the northern direction, to Soma
as sovereign lord, to the svaga-serpent as guardian, to the lightning as bowman:
do ye guard it for us, until we arrive. To the goal here, &c.
59. Thee
here we hand over to the direction of the nadir, to Vishnu as sovereign lord, to
the serpent with black-spotted neck as guardian, to the plants as bowmen: do ye
guard it for us, until we arrive. To the goal here, &c.
60. Thee here we
hand over to the direction of the zenith, to Brihaspati as sovereign lord, to
the light-coloured serpent as guardian, to the rain as bowman: do ye guard it
for us, until we arrive. To the goal here, &c.
{09003}
1. The fastenings of the buttresses, the supports, and also of the
connectinc, beams of the house, that abounds in treasures, do we loosen.
2. O
(house) rich in all treasures! the fetter which has been bound about thee, and
the knot which has been fastened upon thee, that with my charm do I undo, as
Brihaspati (undid) Vala.
3. (The builder) has drawn thee to,,ether, pressed
thee together, placed firm knots upon thee. Skilfully, as the priest who
butchers (the sacrificial animal), do we with Indra's aid disjoint thy
limbs.
4. From thy beams, thy bolts, thy frame, and thy thatch; from thy
sides, (O house) abounding in treasures, do we loosen the fastenings.
5. The
fastenings of the dove-tailed (joints), of the reed (-covering), of the
frame-work, do we loosen here from the 'mistress of dwelling.'
6. The ropes
which they have tied within thee for comfort, these do we loosen from thee; be
thou propitious to our persons, O mistress of dwelling, after thou hast (again)
been erected!
7. A receptacle for Soma, a house for Agni, a seat for the
mistresses (of the house), a seat (for the priests), a seat for the gods art
thou, O goddess house!
8. Thy covering of wicker-work, with thousand eyes,
stretched out upon thy crown, fastened down and laid on, do we loosen with
(this) charm.
9. He who receives thee as a gift, O house, and he by whom thou
hast been built, both these, O mistress of dwelling, shall live attaining old
age!
10. Return to him in the other world, firmly bound, ornamented, (thou
house), which we loosen limb by limb, and joint by joint!
11. He who built
thee, O house, brought together (thy) timbers, he, a Prag�pati on high, did
construct thee, O house, for his progeny (prag�yai).
12. We render obeisance
to him (the builder); obeisance to the giver, the lord of the house; obeisance
to Agni who serves (the sacrifice); and obeisance to thy (attendant) man!
13.
Reverence to the cattle and the horses, and to that which is born in the house!
Thou that hast produced, art rich in offspring, thy fetters do we loosen.
14.
Thou dost shelter Agni within, (and) the domestics together with the cattle.
Thou that hast produced, art rich in offspring, thy fetters do we loosen.
15.
The expanse which is between heaven and earth, with that do I receive as a gift
this house of thine; the middle region which is stretched out from the sky, that
do I make into a receptacle for treasures; with that do I receive the house for
this one.
16. Full of nurture, full of milk, fixed upon the earth, erected,
holding food for all, O house, do thou not injure them that receive thee as a
gift!
17. Enveloped in grass, clothed in reeds, like night does the house
lodge the cattle; erected thou dost stand upon the earth, like a she-elephant,
firm of foot.
18. The part of thee that was covered with mats unfolding do I
loosen. Thee that hast been enfolded by Varuna may Mitra uncover in the
morning!
19. The house built with pious word, built by seers, erected--may
Indra and Agni, the two immortals, protect the house, the seat of Soma!
20.
Chest is crowded upon chest, basket upon basket; there mortal man is begotten
from whom all things spring.
21. In the house which is built with two
facades, four facades, six facades; in the house with eight facades, with ten
facades, in the 'mistress of dwelling.' Agni rests as if in the
womb.
Tuirning towards thee that art turned towards me, O house, I come to
thee that injurest me not. For Agni and the waters, the first door to divine
order, are within.
23. These waters, free from disease, destructive of
disease, do I bring here. The chambers do I enter in upon in company with the
immortal Agni (fire).
24. Do thou not fasten a fetter upon us; though a heavy
load, become thou light! As a bride do we carry thee, O house, wherever we
please.
25. From the easterly direction of the house reverence (be) to
greatness, hail to the gods who are to be addressed with hail!
26. From the
southerly direction of the house, &c.!
27. From the westerly direction of
the house, &c.!
28. From the northerly direction of the house,
&c.!
29. From the firm direction (nadir) of the house, &c.!
30.
From the upright direction (zenith) of the house, &c.!
3 1. From every
direction of the house reverence (be) to greatness, hail to the gods who are to
be addressed with hail!
{06071}
1. The varied food which I consume in many places, my gold, my horses, and,
too, my cows, goats, and sheep: everything whatsoever that I have received as a
gift--may Agni, the priest, render that an auspicious offering!
2. The gift
that has come to me by sacrifice, or without sacrifice, bestowed by the Fathers,
granted by men, through which my heart, as it were, lights up with joy--may
Agni, the priest, render that an auspicious offering!
3. The food that I, O
gods, improperly consume, (the food) I promise, intending to give of it (to the
Brahmans), or not to give of it, by the might of mighty Vaisv�nara (Agni) may
(that) food be for me auspicious and full of honey!
{20127}
1. Listen, ye folks, to this: (a song) in praise of a hero shall be sung! Six
thousand and ninety (cows) did we get (when we were) with Kaurama among the
Rusamas,--
2. Whose twice ten buffaloes move right along, touether with their
cows; the height of his chariot just misses the heaven which recedes from its
touch.
3. This one (Kaurama) presented the seer with a hundred jewels, ten
chaplets, three hundred steeds, and ten thousand cattle.
4. Disport thyself, O chanter, disport thyself as a bird upon a flowering
tree; thy tongue glides quickly over the lips as a razor over the strop.
5.
The chanters with their pious song hurry on blithely as cows; at home are their
children, and at home the cows do they attend.
6. Bring hither, O chanter,
thy poem, that which earns cattle and earns good things! Among the gods (kings)
place thy voice as a manly archer his arrow!
7. Listen ye to the high praise of the king who rules over all peoples, the
god who is above mortals, of Vaisv�nara Parikshit!
8. 'Parikshit has procured
for us a secure dwelling when he, the most excellent one, weat to his seat.'
(Thus) the husband in Kuru-land, when he founds his household, converses with
his wife.
9. 'What may I bring to thee, curds, stirred drink, or liquor?'
(Thus) I the wife asks her husband in the kingdom of king Parikshit.
10. Like
light the ripe barley runs over beyond the mouth (of the vessels). The people
thrive merrily in the kingdom of king Parikshit.
11. Indra has awakened the poet, saying: 'Arise, move about, and sing; of me,
the strong, verily, sing the praises; full every pious one shall offer thee
(sacrificial reward)!'
12. Here, O cattle, ye shall be born, here, ye horses,
here, ye domestics! And P�shan also, who bestows a thousand (cows) as
sacrificial reward, settles down here.
13. May these cattle, O Indra, not
suffer harm, and may their owner not suffer harm; may the hostile folk, O Indra,
may the thief not gain possession of them!
14. We shout to the hero with hymn
and song we (shout) with a pleasing song. Take delight in our songs; may we not
ever suffer harm!
{12001}
1. Truth, greatness, universal order (rita), strength. consecration, creative
fervour (tapas), spiritual exaltation (brahma), the sacrifice, support the
earth. May this earth, the mistress of that which was and shall be, prepare for
us a broad domain!
2. The earth that has heights, and slopes, and great
plains, that supports the plants of manifold virtue, free from the pressure that
comes from the midst of men, she shall spread out for us, and fit. herself for
us!
3. The earth upon which the sea, and the rivers and the waters, upon
which food and the tribes of men have arisen, upon which this breathing, moving
life exists, shall afford us precedence in drinking!
4. The earth whose are
the four regions of space, upon which food and the tribes of men have arisen,
which supports the manifold breathing, moving thinas, shall afford us cattle and
other possessions also!
5. The earth upon which of old the first men unfolded
themselves, upon which the gods overcame the Asuras, shall procure for us (all)
kinds of cattle, horses, and fowls, good fortune, and glory!
6. The earth
that supports all, furnishes wealth, the foundation, the golden-breasted
resting-place of all living creatures, she that supports Agni Vaisv�nara (the
fire), and mates with Indra, the bull, shall furnish us with property!
7. The
broad -earth, which the sleepless gods ever attentively guard, shall milk for us
precious honey, and, moreover, besprinkle us with glory!
8. That earth which
formerly was water upon the ocean (of space), which the wise (seers) found out
by their skilful devices; whose heart is in the highest heaven, immortal,
surrounded by truth, shall bestow upon us brilliancy and strength, (and place
us) in supreme sovereignty!
9. That earth upon which the attendant waters
jointly flow by day and night unceasingly, shall pour out milk for us in rich
streams, and, moreover, besprinkle us with glory!
10. The earth which the
Asvins have measured, upon which Vishnu has stepped out, which Indra, the lord
of might, has made friendly to himself; she, the mother, shall pour forth milk
for me, the son!
11. Thy snowy mountain heights, and thy forests, O earth,
shall be kind to us! The brown, the black, the red, the multi-coloured, the firm
earth, that is protected by Indra, I have settled upon, not suppressed, not
slain, not wounded.
12. Into thy rniddle set us, O earth, and into thy navel,
into the nourishing strength that has grown tip from thy body; purify thyself
for us! The earth is the mother, and I the son of the earth; Paro-anya is the
father; he, too, shall save us!
13. The earth upon which they (the priests)
inclose the altar (vedi), upon which they, devoted to all (holy) works, unfold
the sacrifice, upon which are set up, in front of the sacrifice, the sacrificial
posts, erect and brilliant, that earth shall prosper us, herself
prospering!
14. Him that hates us, O earth, him that battles against us, him
that is hostile towards us with his mind and his weapons, do thou subject to us,
anticipating (our wish) by deed!
15. The mortals born of thee live on thee,
thou supportest both bipeds and quadrupeds. Thine, O earth, are these five races
of men, the mortals, upon whom the rising sun sheds undying light with his
rays.
16. These creatures all together shall yield milk for us; do thou, O
earth, give us the honey of speech!
17. Upon the firm, broad earth, the
all-begetting mother of the plants, that is supported by (divine) law, upon her,
propitious and kind, may we ever pass-our lives!
18. A great gathering-place
thou, great (earth), hast become; great haste, commotion, and agitation are upon
thee. Great Indra protects thee unceasingly. Do thou, O earth, cause us to
brighten as if at the sight of gold: not any one shall hate us!
19. Agni
(fire) is in the earth, in the plants, the waters hold Agni, Agni is in the
stones; Agni is within men, Agnis (fires) are within cattle, within
horses.
20. Agni glows from the sky, to Agni, the god, belongs the broad air.
The mortals kindle Agni, the bearer of oblations, that loveth ghee.
21. The
earth, clothed in Agni, with dark knees, shall make me brilliant and
alert!
22. Upon the earth men give to the gods the sacrifice, the prepared
oblation; upon the earth mortal men live pleasantly by food. May this earth give
us breath and life, may she cause me to reach old age!
23. The fragrance, O
earth, that has arisen upon thee, which the plants and the waters hold, which
the Gandharvas and the Apsaras have partaken of, with that make me fragrant: not
any one shall hate us!
24. That fragrance of thine which has entered into the
lotus, that fragrance, O earth, which the immortals of yore gathered up at the
marriage of S�ry�, with that make me fragrant: not any one shall hate us!
25.
That fragrance of thine which is in men, the loveliness and charm that is in
male and female, that which is in steeds and heroes, that which is in the wild
animals with trunks (elephants), the lustre that is in the maiden, O earth, with
that do thou blend us: not any one shall hate us!
26. Rock, stone, dust is
this earth; this earth is supported, held together. To this golden-breasted
earth I have rendered obeisance.
27. The earth, upon whom the forest-sprung
trees ever stand firm, the all-nourishing, compact earth, do we invoke.
28.
Rising or sitting, standing or walking, may we not stumble with our right or
left foot upon the earth!
29. To the pure earth I speak, to the ground, the
soil that has grown through the brahma (spiritual exaltation). Upon thee, that
holdest nourishment, prosperity, food, and ghee, we would settle down, O
earth!
30. Purified the waters shall flow for our bodies; what flows off from
us that do we deposit upon him we dislike: with a purifier, O earth, do I purify
myself!
31. Thy easterly regions, and thy northern, thy southerly (regions),
O earth, and thy western, shall be kind to me as I walk (upon thee)! May I that
have been placed into the world not fall down!
32. Do not drive us from the
west, nor from the east; not from the north, and not from the south! Security be
thou for us, O earth: waylayers shall not find us, hold far away (their)
murderous weapon!
33. As long as I look out upon thee, O earth, with S�rya
(the sun) as my companion, so long shall my sight not fall, as year followeth
upon year!
34. When, as I lie, I turn upon my right or left side, O earth;
when stretched out we lie with our ribs upon thee pressing against (us), do not,
O earth, that liest close to everything, there injure us!
35. What, O earth,
I dig out of thee, quickly shall that grow again: may I not, O pure one, pierce
thy vital spot, (and) not thy heart!
36. Thy summer, O earth, thy rainy
season, thy autumn, winter, early spring, and spring; thy decreed yearly
seasons, thy days and nights shall yield us milk
37. The pure earth that
starts in fright away from the serpent, upon whom were the fires that are within
the waters, she that delivers (to destruction) the blasphemous Dasyus, she that
takes the side of Indra, not of Vritra, (that earth) adheres to Sakra (mighty
Indra), the lusty bull.
38. Upon whom rests the sacrificial hut (sadas) and
the (two) vehicles that hold the soma (havirdh�ne), in whom the sacrificial post
is fixed, upon whom the Br�hmanas praise (the gods) with riks and s�mans,
knowing (also) the yagur-formulas; upon whom the serving-priests (ritvig) are
employed so that Indra shall drink the soma;--
39. Upon whom the seers of
yore, that created the beings, brought forth with their songs the cows, they the
seven active (priests), by means of the satra-offerings, the sacrifices, and
(their) creative fervour (tapas);--
40. May this earth point out to us the
wealth that we-crave; may Bhaga (fortune) add his help, may Indra come here as
(our) champion!
41. The earth upon whom the noisy mortals sing and dance,
upon whom they fight, upon whom resounds the roaring drum, shall drive forth our
enemies, shall make us free from rivals!
42. To the earth upon whom are food,
and rice and barley, upon whom live these five races of men, to the earth, the
wife of Parganya, that is fattened by rain, be reverence!
43. The earth upon
whose ground the citadels constructed by the gods unfold themselves, every
region of her that is the womb of all, Prag�pati shall make pleasant for
us!
44. The earth that holds treasures manifold in secret places, wealth,
jewels, and gold shall she give to me; she that bestows wealth liberally, the
kindly goddess, wealth shall she bestow upon us!
45. The earth that holds
people of manifold varied speech, of different customs, according to their
habitations, as a reliable milch-cow that does not kick, shall she milk for me a
thousand streams of wealth!
46. The serpent, the scorpion with thirsty fangs,
that hibernating torpidly lies upon thee; the worm, and whatever living thing, O
earth, moves in the rainy season, shall, when it creeps, not creep upon us: with
what is auspicious (on thee) be gracious to us!
47. Thy many paths upon which
people go, thy tracks for chariots and wagons to advance, upon which both good
and evil men proceed, this road, free from enemies, and free from thieves, may
we gain: with what is auspicious (on thee) be gracious to us!
48. The earth
holds the fool and holds the wise, endures that good and bad dwell (upon her);
she keeps company with the boar, gives herself up to the wild hog.
49. Thy
forest animals, the wild animals homed in the woods, the man-eating lions, and
tigers that roam; the ula, the wolf, mishap, injury (rikshik�), and demons
(rakshas), O earth, drive away from us!
50. The Gandharvas, the Apsaras, the
Ar�yas and Kim�dins; the Pis�kas and all demons (rakshas), these, O earth, hold
from us!
51. The earth upon whom the biped birds fly together, the
flamingoes, eagles, birds of prey, and fowls; upon whom M�tarisvan, the wind,
hastens, raising the dust, and tossing the trees-as the wind blows forth and
back the flame bursts after;--
52. The earth upon whom day and night jointly,
black and bright, have been decreed, the broad earth covered and enveloped with
rain, shall kindly place us into every pleasant abode!
53. Heaven, and earth,
and air have here given me expanse; Agni, S�rya, the waters, and all the gods
together have given me wisdom.
54. Mighty am I, 'Superior' (uttara) by name,
upon the earth, conquering am I, all-conquering, completely conquering every
region.
55. At that time, O goddess, when, spreading., (pratham�n�) forth,
named (prithiv� 'broad') by the gods, thou didst extend to greatness, then
prosperity did enter thee, (and) thou didst fashion the four regions.
56. In
the villages and in the wilderness, in the assembly-halls that are upon the
earth; in the gatherings, and in the meetings, may we hold forth agreeably to
thee!
57. As dust a steed did she, as soon as she was born, scatter these
people, that dwelt upon the earth, she the lovely one, the leader, the guardian
of the world, that holds the trees and plants.
58. The words I speak, honied
do I speak them: the things I see they furnish me with. Brilliant I am and
alert: the others that rush (against me) do I beat down.
59. Gentle,
fragrant, kindly, with the sweet drink (k�l�la) in her udder, rich in milk, the
broad earth together with (her) milk shall give us courage!
60. She whom
Visvakarman (the creator of all) did search out by means of oblations, when she
had entered the surging (flood of the) atmosphere, she, the vessel destined to
nourish, deposited in a secret place, became visible (to the gods) and the
(heavenly) mothers.
61. Thou art the scatterer of men, the broadly expanding
Aditi that yields milk according to wish. What is wanting in thee Prag�pati,
first-born of the divine order (rita), shall supply for thee
62. Thy laps, O
earth, free from ailment! Free from disease, shall be produced for us! May we
attentively, throuoh our long lives, be bearers of bali-offerings to
thee!
63. O mother earth, kindly set me down upon a well-founded place! With
(father) heaven cooperating, O thou wise one, do thou place me into happiness
and prosperity!
{13001}
1. Rise up, O steed, that art within the waters, enter this kingdom, rich in
liberal gifts! Rohita (the red sun) who has begotten this all, shall keep thee
well-supported for sovereignty!
2. The steed that is within the waters has
risen up: ascend upon the clans that are sprung from thee! Furnishing soma, the
waters, plants, and cows, cause thou four-footed and two-footed creatures to
enter here!
3. Do ye, strong Maruts, children of Prisni (the cloud), allied
with Indra, crush the enemies! Rohita shall hear you, that give abundant gifts,
the thrice seven Maruts, who take delight in sweet (nourishment)!
4. Rohita
has climbed the heights, he has ascended them, he, the embryo of women, (has
ascended) the womb of births. Closely united with these women they found out the
six broad (directions); spying out a road he has brought hither
sovereignty.
5. Hither to thee Rohita has brought sovereignty; he has
dispersed the enemies: freedom from danger has resulted for thee. To thee heaven
and earth together with the revat� and sakvar�-stanzas shall yield gifts at
will!
6. Rohita produced heaven and earth; there Parameshthin (the lord on
high) extended the thread (of the sacrifice). There Aga Ekap�da (the one-footed
goat, the sun) did fix himself; he made firm the heavens and earth with his
strength.
7. Rohita made firm heaven and earth, by him the (heavenly) light
was established, by him the firmament. By him the atmosphere and the spaces were
measured out, through him the gods obtained immortality.
8. Rohita did ponder
the multiform (universe) while preparing (his) climbings and advances. Having
ascended the heaven with great might, he shall anoint thy royalty with milk and
ghee!
9. All thy climbings, advances, and all thy ascents with which thou,
(Rohita, the sun), fillest the heavens and the atmosphere, having strengthened
thyself with their brahma and payas (spiritual and physical essence) do thou
keep awake (do thou watch over) among the people in the kingdom of the (earthly)
Rohita (the king)!
10. The peoples that have originated from thy tapas (heat,
or creative fervour), have followed here the calf, the g�yatri. They shall enter
thee with kindly spirit; the calf Rohita with its mother shall come on!
11.
High on the firmament Rohita has stood, a youth, a sage, begettinu all forms. As
Agni he shines with piercing light, in the third space he did assume lovely
(forms).
12. A bull with a thousand horns, G�tavedas (fire), endowed with
sacrifices of ghee, carrying soma upon his back, rich in heroes, he shall, when
implored, not abandon me, nor may I abandon thee: abundance in cattle and
abundance in heroes procure for me!
14. Rohita is the generator of the
sacrifice, and its mouth; to Rohita I offer oblations with voice, ear, and mind.
To Rohita the gods resort with glad mind: he shall cause me to rise through
elevation derived from the assembly!
14. Rohita arranged a sacrifice for
Visvakarman; from it these brilliant, qualities have come to me. Let me announce
thy origin over the extent of the world!
15, Upon thee have ascended the
brihat� and the pankti (metres), upon thee the kakubh with splendour, O
G�tavedas. Upon thee the vashat-call, whose syllables make an ushnih�, has
ascended, upon thee Rohita with his seed has ascended.
16. This one clothes
himself in the womb of the earth, this one clothes himself in heaven, and in the
atmosphere. This one at the station of the brown (sun) did attain unto the
worlds of light.
17. O V�kaspati (lord of speech), the earth shall be
pleasant to us, pleasant our dwelling, agrecable our couches! Right here life's
breath shall be to our friend; thee, O Parameshthin, Agni shall envelop in life
and lustre!
18. O V�kaspati, the five seasons that we have, which have come
about as the creation of Visvakarman, rialit here (they and) life's breath shall
be to our friend; thee, O Parameshthin, Rohita shall envelop in life and
lustre!
19. O V�kaspati, good cheer and spirit, cattle in our stable,
children in our wombs beget thou! Right here life's breath shall be to our
friend; thee, O Parameshthin, I envelop in life and lustre.
20. God Savitar
and Agni shall envelop thee, Mitra and Varuna surround thee with lustre!
Treading down all powers of grudge come thou hither: thou hast made this kingdom
rich in liberal gifts.
21. Thou, O Rohita, whom the brindled cow, harnessed
at the side, carries, goest with brilliance, causing the waters to flow.
22.
Devoted to Rohita is Rohin� his mistress, with beautiful colour (complexion),
great, and lustrous: through her may we conquer booty of every description,
through her win every battle!
23. This seat, Rohin�, belongs to Rohita;
yonder is the path on which the brindled (female) goes! Her the Gandharvas and
the Kasyapas lead forth, her the sages guard with diligence.
24. The radiant
bay steeds of the sun, the immortal, ever draw the delightful chariot. Rohita,
the drinker of ghee, the shining god, did enter the variegated heavens.
25.
Rohita, the sharp-horned bull, who surpasses Agni and surpasses S�rya, who props
up the earth and the sky, out of him the gods frame the creations.
26. Rohita
ascended the heaven from the great flood; Rohita has climbed all heights.
27.
Create (the cow) that is rich in milk, drips with ghee: she is the milch-cowof
the gods that does not refuse! Indra shall drink the Soma, there shall be secure
possession; Agni shall sing praises: the enemies do thou drive out!
28. Agni
kindled, spreads his flames, fortified by ghee, sprinkled with ghee. Victorious,
all-conquering Agni shall slay them that are my rivals!
29. He shall slay
them, shall burn the enemy that battles against us! With the flesh-devouring
Agni do we burn our rivals.
30. Smite them down, O Indra, with the
thunderbolt, with thy (strong) arm! Then have I overpowered my rivals with
Agni's brilliant strengths.
31. O Agni, subject our rivals to us; confuse, O
Brihaspati, the kinsman that is puffed up! O Indra and Agni, O Mitra and Varuna,
subjected they shall be, unable to vent their wrath against us!
32. Do thou,
god S�rya (the sun), when thou risest, beat down my rivals, beat them down with
a stone: they shall go to the nethermost darkness!
33. The calf of Vir�g, the
bull of prayers, carrying the bright (soma) upon his back, has ascended the
atmosphere. A song accompanied by ghee they sing to the calf; himself brahma
(spiritual exaltation) they swell him with their brahma (prayer).
34. Ascend
the heavens, ascend the earth sovereignty ascend thou, and possessions ascend
thou! Offspring ascend thou, and immortality ascend thou, unite thy body with
Rohita!
35. The gods that hold sovereignty, who go about the sun, with these
allied, Rohita, kindly disposed, shall bestow sovereignty upon thee!
36. The
sacrifices purified by prayer lead thee forth; the bay steeds that travel upon
the road carry thee: thou shinest across the swelling ocean.
37. In Rohita
who conquers wealth, conquers cattle, and conquers booty, heaven and earth are
fixed. Of thee that hast a thousand and seven births, let me announce the origin
over the extent of the world!
38. Glorious thou goest to the intermediate
directions and the directions (of space), glorious (in the sight) of animals and
the tribes of men, glorious in the lap of the earth, of Aditi: may I like
Savitar be lovely!
39. Being yonder thou knowest (what takes place) here;
being here thou beholdest these things. Here (men) behold the inspired sun that
shines upon the sky.
40. A god thou praisest the gods, thou movest within the
flood. They kindle (him), a universal fire; him the highest sages know.
41.
Below the superior (region), above the inferior (region) here, the cow has
arisen supporting (her) calf by the foot. Whither is she turned; to which half
(of the universe), forsooth, has she aone away; where, forsooth, does she beget?
Verily not in this herd!
42. One-footed, two-footed, four-footed is she;
eight-footed, nine-footed became she, the thousand-syllabled (consisting of
thousand elements) pankti (quinary stanza) of the universe: the oceans from her
flow forth upon (the world).
43. Ascending the heaven, immortal, receive
kindly my song! The sacrifices purified by prayer lead thee forth; the bay
steeds that travel upon the road carry thee.
44. That do I know of thee, O
immortal, where thy march is upon the sky, where thy habitation is in the
highest heaven.
45. S�rya (the sun) surveys the sky, S�rya the earth, S�rya
the waters. S�rya is the single eye of being: he has ascended the great
heavens.
46. The broad (directions) where the fagots that fence in (the
fire), the earth turned itself into a fire-altar. There Rohita laid on for
himself these two fires, cold and heat.
47. Laying on cold and heat, using
the mountains as sacrificial posts, the two fires of Rohita who knows the
(heavenly) light, into which (the fires) rain (flowed) as ghee, carried out the
sacrifice.
48. The fire of Rohita who knows the (heavenly) light is kindled
by prayer. From it heat, from it cold, from it the sacrifice was
produced.
49. The two fires swelling through prayer, increased through
prayer, sacrificed into with prayer; the two fires of Rohita who knows the
(heavenly) light, kindled through prayer, carried out the sacrifice.
50. One
is deposited in truth, the other is kindled in the waters. The two fires of
Rohita who knows the (heavenly) light, kindled through prayer, carried out the
sacrifice.
51. The fire which the wind brightens up, and that which Indra and
Brahmanaspati (brighten up), the two fires of Rohita who knows the (heavenly)
light, kindled through prayer, carried out the sacrifice.
52. Having
fashioned the earth into an altar, having made the heavens (his) sacrificial
reward, then having made heat into fire, Rohita created all that has breath
through rain (serving) as ghee.
53. Rain fashioned itself into ghee, heat
into fire, the earth into an altar. Then Agni by (his) songs fashioned the high
mountains.
54. Having fashioned by means of songs the high (mountains),
Rohita spake to the earth: In thee all shall be born, what is and what shall
be.
55. The sacrifice first, (and then) what is and what shall be was born.
From that this all was born, and whatever here appears, brought hither by the
sage Rohita.
56. He who kicks a cow with his foot, and he who micturates
towards the sun--of thee do I tear out the root; thou shalt henceforth not cast
a shadow!
57. Thou that passest across me, casting thy shadow against me,
between me and the fire--of thee do I tear out the root; thou shalt henceforth
not cast a shadow!
58. He, O god S�rya, that to-day passes between thee and
me, upon him our evil dream, our foulness, and our misfortunes do we wipe
off.
59. May we not miss our way, may we not, O Indra, miss the sacrifice of
him that presses the soma; may.not the powers of grudge intercept us!
60. The
(guiding) thread stretched out among the gods, that accomplishes the sacrifice,
that, by pouring oblations, may we attain!
{11005}
1. The Brahmak�rin (Brahmanical disciple) moves inciting both hemispheres of
the world; in him the gods are harmonised. He holds the heavens and the earth,
he fills the teacher with creative fervour (tapas).
2. The fathers, the
divine folk, and all the gods severally follow the Brahmak�rin; the Gandharvas
did go after him, six thousand three hundred and thirty-three. He fills all the
gods with creative fervour.
3. When the teacher receives the Brahmak�rin as a
disciple, he places him as a foetus inside (of his body). He carries him for
three nights in his belly: when he is born the gods gather about to see
him.
4. This earth is (his first) piece of firewood, the heaven the second,
and the atmosphere also he fills with (the third) piece of firewood. The
Brahmak�rin. fills the worlds with his firewood, his girdle, his asceticism, and
his creative fervour.
5. Prior to the brahma (spiritual exaltation) the
Brahmak�rin was born; clothed in heat, by creative fervour he arose. From him
sprung the br�hmanam (Brahmanic life) and the highest brahma, and all the gods
together with immortality (amrita).
6. The Brahmak�rin advances, kindled by
the firewood, clothed in the skin of the black antelope, consecrated, with long
beard. Within the day he passes from the eastern to the northern sea; gathering
together the worlds he repeatedly shapes them.
7. The Brahmak�rin, begetting
the brahma, the waters, the world, Prag�pati Parameshthin (he that stands in the
hiahest place), and Vir�g, having become an embryo in the womb of immortality,
having forsooth, become Indra, pierced the Asuras.
8. The teacher fashioned
these two hern spheres of the world, the broad and the deep, earth and heaven.
These the Brahmak�rin guards with his creative fervour (tapas): in him the gods
are harmonised.
9. This broad earth and the heaven the Brahmak�rin first
brought hither as alms. Having made these into two sticks of firewood he reveres
them upon them all beings have been founded.
10. One is on the hither side,
the other on the farther side of the back of the heavens; secretly are deposited
the two receptacles of the br�hmanam (Brahmanic life). These the Brahmak�rin
protects by his tapas (creative fervour); understandingly he performs that
brahma (spiritual exaltation) solely.
11. One on the hither side, the other
away from the earth, do the two Agnis come together between these two
hemispheres (of the world). To them adhere the rays firmly; the Brahmak�rin by
his tapas (creative fervour) enters into the (rays).
12. Shouting forth,
thundering, red, white he carries a great penis along the earth. The Brahmak�rin
sprinkles seed upon the back of the earth; through it the four directions
live.
13. Into fire, the sun, the moon, M�tarisvan (wind), and the waters,
the Brahmak�rin places the firewood; the lights from these severally go into the
clouds, from them come sacrificial butter, the purusha (primeval man), rain, and
water.
14. Death is the teacher, (and) Varuna, Soma, the plants, milk; the
clouds were the warriors: by these this light has been brought hither.
15.
Varuna, having become the teacher, at home prepares the ghee solely. Whatever he
desired from Prag�pati, that the Brahmak�rin furnished, as Mitra (a friend) from
his own Atman (spirit, or person).
16. The Brahmak�rin is the teacher, the
Brahmak�rin Prag�pati. Prag�pati rules (shines forth, vi r�gati); Vir�g
(heavenly power, or light) became Indra, the ruler.
17. Through holy
disciplehood. (brahmak�ryam), through tapas (creative fervour), the king
protects his kingdom. The teacher by (his own) brahmak�ryam (holy life) seeks
(finds) the Brahmak�rin.
18. Through holy disciplehood the maiden obtains a
young husband, through holy disciplehood the steer, the horse seeks to obtain
fodder.
19. Through holy disciplehood, through creative fervour, the gods
drove away death. Indrajorsooth, by his holy disciplehood brought the light to
the gods.
20. The plants, that which was and shall be, day and night, the
tree, the year along with the seasons, have sprung from the Brahmak�rin.
21.
The earthly and the heavenly animals, the wild and the domestic, the wingless
and the winged (animals), have sprung from the Brahmak�rin.
22. All the
creatures of Prag�pati (the creator) severally carry breath in their souls. All
these the brahma, which has been brought hither in the Brahmak�rin,
protects.
23. This, that was set into motion by the gods, that is
insurmountable, that moves shining, from it has sprung the br�hmanam
(Brahmanical life), the highest brahma, and all the gods, together with
immortality (amrita).
24, 25. The Brahmak�rin carries the shining brahma:
into this all the gods are woven. Producing in-breathing and out-breathing, as
well as through-breathing; speech, mind, heart, brahma, and wisdom, do thou
furnish us with sight, hearing, glory, food, semen, blood, and belly!
26.
These things the Brahmak�rin fashioned upon the back of the (heavenly) water. He
stood in the sea kindled with tapas (creative fervour). He, when he has bathed,
shines vigorously upon the earth, brown and ruddy.
{11004}
1. Reverence to Pr�na, to whom all this (universe) is subject, who has become
the lord of the all, on whom the all is supported!
2. Reverence, O Pr�na, to
thy roaring (wind), reverence, O Pr�na, to thy thunder, reverence, O Pr�na, to
thy lightning, reverence, O Pr�na, to thy rain!
When Pr�na calls aloud to the
plants with his thunder, they are fecundated, they conceive, and then are
produced abundant (plants).
4. When the season has arrived, and Pr�na calls
aloud to the plants, then everything rejoices, whatsoever is upon the
earth.
5. When Pr�na has watered the great earth with rain, then the beasts
rejoice; (they think): 'strength, forsooth, we shall now obtain.'
6. When
they had been watered by Pr�na, the plants spake in concert: 'thou hast,
forsooth, prolonged our life, thou hast made us all fragrant.'
7. Reverence
be, O Pr�na, to thee coming, reverence to thee going; 'reverence to thee
standing, and reverence, too, to thee sitting!
8. Reverence be to thee, O
Pr�na, when thou breatbest in (primate), reverence when thou breathest out!
Reverence be to thee when thou art turned away, reverence to thee when thou art
turned hither: to thee, entire, reverence be here!
9. Of thy dear form, O
Pr�na, of thy very dear form, of the healing power that is thine, give unto us,
that we may live!
10. Pr�na clothes the creatures, as a father his dear son.
Pr�na, truly, is the lord of all, of all that breathes, and does not
breathe.
11. Pr�na is death, Pr�na is fever. The gods worship Prana. Pr�na
shall place the truth-speaker in the highest world
12. Pr�na is Vir�g (power,
lustre), Pr�na is Deshtr� (the divinity that guides): all worship Pr�na. Pr�na
verily is sun and moon. They call Pr�na Prag�pati.
13. Rice and barley are
in-breathing and outbreathing. Pr�na is called a steer. In-breathing forsooth,
is founded upon barley; rice is called out-breathing.
14. Man breathes out
and breathes in when within the womb. When thou, O Pr�na, quickenest him, then
is he born again.
15. They call Pr�na M�tarisvan (the wind); Pr�na, forsooth,
is called V�ta (the wind). The past and the future, the all, verily is supported
upon Pr�na.
16. The holy (�tharvana) plants, the magic (�ngirasa) plants, the
divine plants, and those produced by men, spring forth, when thou, O Pr�na,
quickenest them.
17, When Pr�na has watered the great earth with rain, then
the plants spring forth, and also every sort of herb.
18. Whoever, O Pr�na,
knows this regarding thee, and (knows) on what thou art supported, to him all
shall offer tribute in yonder highest world.
19. As all these creatures, O
Pr�na, offer thee tribute, so they shall offer tribute (in yonder world) to him
who hears thee, O far-famed one!
20. He moves as an embryo within the gods;
having arrived, and being in existence, he is born again. Having arisen he
enters with his mights the present and the future, as a father (goes to) his
son.
21. When as a swan he rises from the water he does not withdraw his one
foot. If in truth he were to withdraw it, there would be neither to-day, nor
to-morrow, no night and no day, never would the dawn appear.
22. With eight
wheels, and one felloe he moves, containing a thousand sounds (elements), upward
in the east, downward in the west. With (his) half he produced the whole world:
what is the visible sign of his (other) half?
23. He who rules over this
(all) derived from every source, and over everything that movesreverence be to
thee, O Pr�na, that wieldest a swift bow against others (the enemies)!
24.
May Pr�na, who rules over this (all) derived from every source, and over
everything that moves, (may he) unwearied, strong through the brahma, adhere to
me!
25. Erect he watches in those that sleep, nor does lie lie down across.
No one has heard of his sleeping in those that sleep.
26. O Pr�na, be not
turned away from me, thou shalt not be other than myself! As the embryo of the
waters (fire), thee, O Pr�na, do bind to me, that I may live.
{09002}
1. To the bull that slays the enemy, to K�ma, do I render tribute with ghee,
oblation, and (sacrificial) melted butter. Do thou, since thou hast been
extolled, hurl down my enemies by thy great might!
2. The evil dream which is
offensive to my mind and eye, which harasses and does not please me, that
(dream) do I let loose upon my enemy. Having praised K�ma may I prevail!
3,.
Evil dreams, O K�ma, and misfortune, O K�ma, childlessness, ill-health, and
trouble, do thou, a strong lord, let loose upon him that designs evil against
us!
4. Drive them away, O K�ma, thrust them away, O K�ma; may they that are
my enemies fall into trouble! When they have been driven into the nethermost
darkness, do thou, O Agni, burn up their d welling- places!
5. That
milch-cow, O K�ma, whom the sages call V�k Vir�g (ruling, or resplendent
speech), is said to be thy daughter; by her drive away my enemies; breath,
cattle, and life shall give them a wide birth!
6. With the strength of K�ma,
Indra, king Varuna, and Vishnu, with the impelling force (savena) of Savitar,
with the priestly power of Agni, do I drive forth the enemies, as a skilled
steersman a boat.
7. My sturdy guardian, strong K�ma, shall procure for me
full freedom from enmity! May the gods collectively be my refuge, may all the
gods respond to this, my invocation!
8. Taking pleasure in this (sacrificial)
melted butter, and ghee do ye, (O gods), of whom K�ma is the highest, be joyful
in this place, procuring for me full freedom from enmity!
9. O Indra and
Agni, and K�ma, having formed an alliance, do ye hurl down my enemies; when they
have fallen into the nethermost darkness, do thou, O Agni, burn up after them
their dwelling places!
10. Slay thou, O K�ma, those that are my enemies, hurl
them down into blind darkness. Devoid of vigour, Without sap let them all be;
they shall not live a single day!
11. K�ma has slain those that are my
enemies, a broad space has he furnished me to thrive in. May the four directions
of space bow down to me, and the six broad (regions) carry ghee to me!
12.
They (the enemies) shall float down like a boat cut loose from its moorings!
There is no returning again for those who have been struck by our
missiles.
13. Agni is a defence, Indra a defence, Soma a defence. May the
gods, who by their defence ward off (the enemy), ward him off!
14. With his
men reduced, driven out, the hated (enemy) shall go, shunned by his own friends!
And down upon the earth do the lightnings alight; may the strong god crush your
enemies!
15. This mighty lightning supports both moveable and immoveable
things, as well as all thunders. May the rising sun by his resources and his
majesty hurl down my enemies, lie the mighty one!
16. With that
triple-armoured powerful covering of thine, O K�ma, with the charm that has been
made into an Invulnerate armour spread (over thee), with that do thou drive away
those who are my enemies; may breath, cattle, and life give them a wide
berth!
17. With the weapon with which the god drove forth the Asuras, with
which Indra led the Dasyus to the nethermost darkness, with that do thou, O
K�ma, drive forth far away from this world those who are my enemies!
18. As
the gods drove forth the Asuras, as Indra. forced the demons into the nethermost
darkness, thus do thou, O K�ma, drive forth far away from this world those who
are my enemies!
19. K�ma was born at first; him neither the gods, nor the
Fathers, nor men have equalled. To these art thou superior, and ever great; to
thee, O K�ma, do I verily offer reverence.
20. As great as are the heavens
and earth in extent, as far as the waters have swept, as far as fire; to these
art thou superior, &c.
21. Great as are the directions (of space) and the
intermediate direction on either side, great as are the regions and the vistas
of the sky; to these art thou superior, &c.
22. As many bees, bats,
kur�ru-worms, as many vaghas and tree-serpents as there are; to these art thou
superior, &c.
23. Superior art thou to all that winks (lives), superior
to all that stands still (is not alive), superior to the ocean art thou, O K�ma,
Manyu! To these art thou superior, &c.
24. Not, surely, does the wind
equal K�ma, not the fire, not the sun, and not the moon. To these art thou
superior, &c.
25. With those auspicious and gracious forms of thine, O
K�ma, through which what thou wilst becometh reaL with these do thou enter into
us, and elsewhere send the evil thoughts!
{19053}
1. Time, the steed, runs with seven reins (rays), thousand-eyed, ageless,
rich in seed. The seers, thinking holy thoughts, mount him, all the beings
(worlds) are his wheels.
2. With seven wheels does this Time ride, seven
naves has he, immortality is his axle. He carries hither all these beings
(worlds). Time, the first god, now hastens onward.
3. A full jar has been
placed upon Time; him, verily, we see existing in many forms. He carries away
all these beings (worlds); they call him Time in the highest heaven.
4. He
surely did bring hither all the beings (worlds), he surely did encompass all the
beings (worlds). Being their father, he became their son; there is, verily, no
other force, higher than he.
5. Time begot yonder heaven, Time also (begot)
these earths. That which was, and that which shall be, urged forth by Time,
spreads out.
6. Time created the earth, in Time the sun burns. In Time are
all beings, in Time the eye looks abroad.
7. In Time mind is fixed, in Time
breath (is fixed), in Time names (are fixed); when Time has arrived all these
creatures rejoice.
8. In Time tapas (creative fervour) is fixed; in Time the
highest (being is fixed); in Time brahma (spiritual exaltation) is fixed; Time
is the lord of everything, he was the father of Prag�pati.
9. By him this
(universe) was urged forth, by him it was begotten, and upon him this (universe)
was founded. Time, truly, having become the brahma (spiritual exaltation),
supports Parameshthin (the highest lord).
10. Time created the creatures
(prag�h), and Time in the beginning (created) the lord of creatures (Pr�gapati);
the self-existing Kasyapa and the tapas (creative fervour) from Time were
born.
{19054}
1. From Time the waters did arise, from Time the brahma (spiritual
exaltation), the tapas (creative fervour), the regions (of space did arise).
Through Time the sun rises, in Time he goes down again.
2. Through Time the
wind blows, through Time (exists) the great earth; the great sky is fixed in
Time. In Time the son (Prag�pati) begot of yore that which was, and that which
shall be.
3. From Time the Riks arose, the Yagus was born from Time; Time put
forth the sacrifice, the imperishable share of the gods.
4. Upon Time the
Gandharvas and Apsarases are founded, upon Time the worlds (are founded), in
Time this Angiras and Atharvan rule over the heavens.
5. Having conquered
this world and the highest world, and the holy (pure) worlds (and) their holy
divisions; having by means of the brahma (spiritual exaltation) conquered all
the worlds, Time, the highest God, forsooth, hastens onward.
{11007}
1. In the ukkhishta are deposited name (quality) and form, in the ukkhishta
the world is deposited. Within the ukkhishta Indra and Agni, and the all are
deposited.
2. In the ukkhishta heaven and earth, and all beings, are
deposited; in the ukkhishta are deposited the waters, the ocean, the moon, and
the wind.
3. In the ukkhishta are both being and non-being, death, strength
(food), and Prag�pati. The (creatures) of the world are founded upon the
ukkhishta; (also) that which is confined and that which is free, and the grace
in me.
4. He who fastens what is firm, the strong, the leader, the brahma,
the ten creators of the all, the divinities, are fixed on all sides to the
ukkhishta as the (spokes of the) wheel to the nave.
5. Rik, S�man, and Yagus,
the singing of the s�mans, their introductions, and the stotras are in the
ukkhishta. The sound 'him' is in the ukkhishta, and the modulations and the
music of the s�man. That is in me.
6. The prayer to Indra and Agni
(aindr�gnam), the call to the soma, as it is being purified (p�vam�mam), the
mah�n�mn�-verses, the singing of the mah�vrata, (these) divisions of the service
are in the ukkhishta, as the embryo in the mother.
7. The ceremony of the
consecration of the king (r�gas�ya), the v�gapeya, the agnishtoma, and the
cattle-sacrifice belonging to it, the arka and the horse-sacrifice, and the most
delightful (sacrifice) for which fresh barhis is strewn, are in the
ukkhishta.
8. The preparation of the sacred fire (agny�dheyam), the
consecration for the soma-sacrifice (diksh�), the sacrifice by which (special)
wishes are fulfilled, together with the metres, the sacrifices that have passed
out, and the extended sacrifices (satra), are lounded upon the ukkhishta.
9.
The agnihotra, faith, the call vashat, vows and asceticism, sacrificial rewards,
what is sacrificed (to the gods) and given (to the priests) are contained in the
ukkhishta.
10. The (soma-sacrifice) that lasts one night (ekar�tra), and that
which lasts two nights (dvir�tra), the (condensed soma-sacrifice called)
sadyahkr�, and
(that which is called) prakr�, the (Songs called) ukthya, are
woven and deposited in the ukkhishta; (also the parts) of the sacrifice subtle
through (higher) knowledge.
11. The soma-sacrifice that lasts four nights
(kat�r�tra), five nights (pa�kar�tra), six nights (shadr�tra), and along (with
them) those that last double the time; the sixteenfold stotra (shodasin), and
the soma-sacrifice that lasts seven nights (saptar�tra), all the sacrifices
which were founded upon immortality (amrita), were begotten of the
ukkhishta.
12. The pratih�ra-passages (in the s�man-songs), and their final
syllables, the (soma-sacrifices called) visvagit and abhgit, the soma-sacrifice
that ends
with the day (s�hna), and that which lasts into the next day
(atir�tra), are in the ukkhishta--the soma-sacrifice also that lasts twelve
days. That is in me.
13. Liberality, accomplishment, possession, the call
svadh�, nurture, immortality (amrita), and might, all inner desires are
satisfied according to wish in the ukkhishta.
14. The nine earths, oceans,
heavens, are founded upon the ukkhishta. The sun shines in the ukkhishta, and
day and night also. That is in me.
15. The (soma-sacrifice called) upahavya,
the offering on the middle day of a sacrifice lasting a year (vish�vant), and
the sacrifices that are secretly presented, Ukkhishta, the sustainer of the
universe, the father of the generator (Prag�pati), supports.
16. Ukkhishta,
the father of the generator, the grandson of the spirit (asu), the primal
ancestor (grandfather), the ruler of the universe, the lusty bull dwells upon
the earth.
17. Order (rita), truth (satya), creative fervour (tapas),
sovereignty, asceticism, law and works; past, future, strength, and prosperity,
are in the ukkhishta-force in force.
18. Success, might, plans, dominion,
sovereignty, the six broad (regions), the year, libation (id�), the orders to
the priests (praisha), the draughts of soma (graha), oblations (are founded)
upon the ukkhishta.
19. The (liturgies called) katurhot�rah, the �pri-hymns,
the triennial sacrifices, the (formulas called) n�vid, the sacrifices, the
priestly functions, the cattle-sacrifice and the soma-oblations connected with
it, are in the ukkhishta.
20. The half-months and months, the divisions of
the year together with the seasons, the resounding waters, thunder, the great
Vedic canon (sruti) are in the ukkhishta.
21. Pebbles, sand, stones, herbs,
plants, grass, clouds, lightning, rain, are attached to, and are founded upon
the ukkhishta.
22. Success, attainment, accomplishment, control, greatness,
prosperity, supreme attainment, and wellbeing rest upon, rest in, have been
deposited in the ukkhishta.
23. Whatever breathes with breath, and sees with
sight, all gods in the heavens, founded upon heaven, were born of the
ukkhishta.
24. The riks and the s�mans, the metres, the ancient legends
(pur�nam) together with the yagus, all gods in the heavens, founded upon heaven,
were born of the ukkhishta.
25. In-breathing and out-breathing, sight,
hearing, imperishableness and perishableness, all gods in the heavens, founded
upon heaven, were born of the ukkhishta.
26. Joys, pleasures, delights,
jubilation and merriment, all gods in the heavens, founded upon heaven, were
born of the ukkhishta.
27. The gods, the (deceased) Fathers, men, Gandharvas
and Apsaras, all gods in the heavens, founded upon heaven, were born of the
ukkhishta.
{09001}
1. From heaven, from earth, from the atmosphere, from the sea, from the fire,
and from the wind, the honey-lash hath verily sprung. This, clothed in amrita
(ambrosia), all the creatures revering, acclaim in their hearts.
2. Great sap
of all forms (colours) it hath-they call thee moreover the seed of the ocean.
Where the honey-lash comes bestowing gifts, there life's breath, and there
immortality has settled down.
3. Men severally, contemplating it profoundly,
behold its action upon the earth: from the fire and from the wind the honey-lash
hath verily sprung, the strong child of the Maruts.
4. Mother of the �dityas,
daughter of the Vasus, breath of life of created beings, nave of immortality,
the honey-lash, golden-coloured, dripping ghee, as a great embryo, moves among
mortals.
5. The god's begot the lash of honey, from it came an embryo having
all forms (colours). This, as soon as born, (while yet) young its mother
nourishes; this, as soon as born, surveys all the worlds.
6. Who knows it and
who perceives it, the inexhaustible, soma-holding cup that has come from the
heart of it (the honey-lash)? 'Tis the wise priest: he shall derive inspiration
from it!
7. He knows them, and he perceives them, the inexhaustible breasts
of it (the honey-lash), that yield a thousand streams. Nourishment they pour out
-without recalcitration.
8. The great (cow) that loudly gives forth the sound
'him,' that bestows strength, and goes with loud shouts to the holy act,
bellowing with lust for the three (male) gharmas (fires), she lows, and drips
with (streams) of milk.
9. When the waters, the mighty bulls, self-sovereign,
wait upon (the cow), swollen with milk, (then) they, the waters, pour
nourishment (upon her), and cause her to pour nourishment at will for him that
knoweth this.
10. The thunder is thy voice, O Prag�pati; as a bull thou
hurlest thy fire upon the earth. From the fire, and from the wind the honey-lash
hath verily sprung, the strong child of the Maruts.
11. As the soma at the
morn ing-pressure is dear to the Asvins, thus in my own person, O Asvins, lustre
shall be sustained!
12. As the soma at the second (mid-day) pressure is dear
to Indra and Agni, thus in my own person, O Indra, and Agni, lustre shall be
sustained!
13. As the soma at the third pressure (evening) is dear to the
Ribhus, thus in my own person, O Ribhus, lustre shall be sustained!
14. May I
beget honey for myself; may I obtain honey for myself! Bringing milk, O Agni, I
have come:. endow me with lustre!
15. Endow me, O Agni, with lustre, endow me
with offspring and with life! May the gods take note of this (prayer) of mine;
may Indra together with the Rishis (take note of it)!
16. As bees carry
together honey upon honey, thus in my own person, O Asvins, lustre shall be
sustained!
17. As the bees pile this honey upon honey, thus in my own person,
O Asvins, lustre, brilliance, strength, and force shall be sustained!
18. The
honey that is in the mountains, in the heights; in the cows, and in the horses;
the honey which is in the sur� (brandy) as it is being poured out, that shall be
in me!
19. O Asvins, lords of brightness, anoint me with the honey of the
bee, that I may speak forceful speech among men!
20. The thunder is thy
speech, O Prag�pati; as a bull thou hurlest thy fire upon earth and heaven. All
animals live upon it (the earth), and she with it (Prag�pati's fire) fills
nourishment and food.
21. The earth is the staff, the atmosphere the embryo,
the heaven the whip (itself?), the lightning the whip-cord; of gold is the tip
(of the whip?).
22. He that knoweth the seven honies of the whip becomes rich
in honey; (to wit), the Br�hmana, the king, the cow, the ox, rice, barley, and
honey as the seventh.
23. Rich in honey becomes he, rich in honey become his
appurtenances, worlds rich in honey does he win, he that knoweth thus.
24.
When in a bright sky it thunders, then Prag�pati manifests himself to (his)
creatures (prag�h). Therefore do I stand with the sacred cord suspended from the
right shoulder (pr�kinopavita), saying, 'O Prag�pati, watch over me!' The
creatures (prag�h) watch over him, Prag�pati watches over him, that knoweth
thus.