II, 32. Charm to secure perfect health.
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.
I. Charms to Cure Diseases. 45
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 abdo-
men ; 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 Ka^yapas charm, that tears out, to
either side we do tear it out.
IX, 8. Charm to procure immunity from all diseases.
i. 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 kankushas the ear-
pain, 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
46 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
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
balasa 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 (asa) the balasa 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.
1 2. 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, with-
out 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) !
I. Charms to Cure Diseases. 47
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) !
1 7. 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 dis-
ease, 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.
II, 29. Charm for obtaining long life and pros- perity by transmission of disease.
t. In the essence of earthly bliss, O ye gods, in
strength of body (may he live) ! May Agni, Surya,
Brzhaspati bestow upon him life's vigour !
48 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
2. Give life to him, O ^atavedas, bestow in
addition progeny upon him, O Tvash/ar; 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 Varu^a, 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 A^vins !
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 !
II.
PRAYERS FOR LONG LIFE AND HEALTH (AYUSHYANI).
Ill, ii. Prayer for health and long life.
i. I release thee unto life by means of (my)
oblation, from unknown decline, and from consump-
tion. If Grahi (seizure) has caught hold (^agr&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 Nirrzti (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 hun-
dred winters, and a hundred springs ! May Indra,
Agni, Savitar, Brzhaspati (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-breathing 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-
50 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
breathing, do not go away from here ; do ye carry 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, Br/has-
pati with the hands of the truth did strip off from
thee.
II, 28. Prayer for long life pronounced over a boy.
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 Vanma, the illustrious, co-
operating, 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 Frzthivi
(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 out-
breathing !
5. Lead this dear child to life and vigour, O Agni,
Ii. Prayers for Long Life and Health. 5 1
Vanma, and king Mitra ! As a mother afford him
protection, O Aditi, and all ye gods, that he may
attain to old age !
III, 31, Prayer for health and long life.
1. The gods are free from decrepitude; thou,
0 Agni, art removed from the demon of hostility.
1 free thee from all evil and disease, (and) unite thee with life.
2. (Vayu), the purifying (wind), shall free thee
from misfortune, vSakra (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. 'Tvash/ar 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.
52 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
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.
1 1 . From the rain of Par^anya we have risen up,
immortal. I free thee from all evil and disease,
(and) unite thee with life.
VII, 53. Prayer for long life.
1. When, O EWhaspati, 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 Nirrzti (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 7?/shis : 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 !
Ii. Prayers for Long Life and Health. 53
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 Sftrya (the sun), the god
among gods, we have reached the highest light.