XI, 10. Prayer to Trishamdhi for help in battle.
1. Arise and arm yourselves, ye nebulous spectres
together with fiery portents; ye serpents, other
brood, and Rakshas, run ye after the enemy!
2. He knows how 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 Trishazzdhi!
V. Charms Pertaining to Royalty. 127
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 Gatavedas Aditya, many
carcasses! This army of Trishamdhi shall be de-
voted 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 offering pleasing
to Trishazzdhi. |
6. This white-footed, four-footed arrow - shall
fetter (?). Do thou, O magic spell, operate, together
with the army-of Trishawdhi, 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 Byz-
haspati, 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. Brzhaspati, 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 Aditya
128 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
(the sun) and Indra are protected, the gods did destine for (our) might and strength.
12. All the worlds the gods did conquer through
this oblation, (and) by the bolt which Bvzhaspati,
the descendant of Angiras, did mould into a weapon
for the destruction of the Asuras.
13. With the bolt which Bvzhaspati, the descendant
of Angiras, did mould into a weapon for the destruc-
tion of the Asuras do I, O Bvzhaspati, annihilate
yonder army: I smite the enemies with force.
14. All the gods that eat the oblation offered
with the call vasha¢ 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 Trishawdhi. Adhere to the great
compact under which of yore the Asuras were
conquered !
16. Vayu (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, Aditya
(the sun) shall send their missiles astray, and Kan-
dramas (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
thou, O Trishamdhi, go forth with thy army, conquer
the enemies, advance !
19. O Trishamdhi, envelop thou the enemies in
V. Charms Pertaining to Royalty. I29
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 Nyar-
budi: 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 fasten-
ings of their coats-of-mail, by the battle-throng, they
shall lie!
23. Those with 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 Vrztra, shall slay, and with the Trishamdhi-bolt
(the bolt with three joints)!
130 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
V, 20. Hymn to the battle-drum.
1. High sounds the voice of the drum, that acts
the warrior, the wooden (drum), equipped with the
skin of the cow. Whetting thy voice, subduing the
enemy, like a lion sure of victory, do thou loudly
thunder against them!
2. The wooden (instrument) with fastened (cover-
ing) 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 foe-
subduing 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
V. Charms Pertaining to Royalty. I31
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 gather-
ing skin dances upon the soma-shoots, thus do thou,
O drum, lustily dance upon the booty !
1r. A conqueror of enemies, overwhelming, foe-
subduing, eager for the fray, victoriously crushing,
as a speaker his speech do thou carry forth thy
sound; sound forth here strength for victory in
battle !
12. Shaking those that are unshaken, hurrying to
the strife, a conqueror of enemies, an unconquerable
leader, protected by Indra, attending to the hosts,
do thou that crusheth the hearts of the enemies,
quickly go!
V, 21. Hymn to the battle-drum, the terror
of the enemy.
1, Carry with thy voice, O drum, lack of heart,
and failure of courage among the enemies! Dis-
agreement, dismay, and fright, do we place into the
enemies: beat them down, O drum!
2. Agitated in their minds, their sight, their
132 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
a ee er
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 your-
selves upon them, when the strength of their arms |
is gone!
11. Ye strong Maruts, Pv7sni’s children, with Indra.
V. Charms Pertaining to Royalty. I 33
as an ally, crush ye the enemies; Soma the king
(shall crush them), Varuza the king, Mahadeva, and
also Mrztyu (death), and Indra!
12. These wise armies of the gods, having the sun as their ensign, shall conquer our enemies!
Hail!
VI.
CHARMS TO SECURE HARMONY, INFLUENCE IN
THE ASSEMBLY, AND THE LIKE
(SAMMANASYANI, ETC,).
III, 30. Charm to secure harmony.
1. Unity of heart, and unity of mind, freedom from
hatred, do I procure for you. Do ye take delight
in one another, as a cow in her (new-) born calf!
2. The son shall be devoted to his father, be of
the same mind with his mother; the wife shall speak
honied, sweet, words to her husband!
3. The brother shall not hate the brother, and the
sister not the-sister! Harmonious, devoted to the
same purpose, speak ye words in kindly spirit!
4. That charm which causes the gods not to dis-
agree, 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
' Vi. Charms to Secure Harmony, Etc. 135
mind, all paying deference to one (person) through
my harmonising charm. Like the gods that are
guarding the ambrosia, may he (the leader) be well-
disposed towards you, night and day!
VI, 73. Charm to allay discord.
1. Hither shall come Varuza, Soma, Agni; Brz-
haspati 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, doI 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 Pishan shall make impassable
for you! V4stoshpati shall urgently call you back :
delight in me shall ye take, O kinsmen!
VI, 74. Charm to allay discord.
1. May your bodies be united, may your minds
and your purposes (be united)! Brahmavzaspati 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 | cause you to agree.
3. As the Adityas 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!
136 HYMNS OF THE ATHARVA-VEDA.
VII, 52. Charm against strife and bloodshed.
1. May we be in harmony with our kinfolk, in
harmony with strangers; do ye, O Asvins, establish
here agreement among us!
2. May we agree in mind and thought, may we
not struggle with one another, in a spirit displeasing
to the gods! May not the din of frequent battle-