14. Stride away (O spell), like a loudly braying
74 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
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, hither-
ward 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 house-
hold 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 fashioned 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 ?
Iii. Imprecations Against Demons, Etc. 75
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,
76 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
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.
V, 31. Charm to repel sorceries or spells.
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 garhapatya-fire, or into the house-
fire, 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.
Ill. IMPRECATIONS AGAINST DEMONS, ETC. |
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)
against 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) !
V, 14. Charm to repel sorceries or spells.
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 pre-
pares 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!
78 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
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 pro-
nounces 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 pre-
pared 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 asa 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 over-
comes 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
Iii, Imprecations Against Demons, Etc. 79
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!
VIII, 5. Prayer for protection addressed to a talis- man made from wood of the sraktya-tree.
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 Vvztra, 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 ;
Brzhaspati, 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!
So HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
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 !
1o. As an armour upon him the gods shall tie the
amulet, Indra, Vishzu, Savitar, Rudra, Agni, Praga-
pati, Paramesh/fin, Virag, Vaisvanara, 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 Gan-
dharvas, nor mortal men; all regions does he rule,
that wears this talisman.
14. Kasyapa has created thee, Kasyapa has pro-
duced 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,
Iii. Imprecations Against Demons, Etc. Si
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; DhAatar 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 complete 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 Vvztra, 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!
X, 3. Praise of the virtues of an amulet derived from the varaza-tree.
1. Here is my varaza-amulet, a bull that destroys
the rivals: with it do thou close in upon thy enemies,
crush them that desire to injure thee!