AtharvaVeda

1Vena beholds That Highest which lies hidden, wherein this All
resumes one form and fashion.
Thence Prisni milked all life that had existence: the hosts that
know the light with songs extolled her.
2Knowing Eternity, may the Gandharva declare to us that highest
secret station.
Three steps thereof lie hidden in the darkness: he who knows
these shall be the father's father.
3He is our kinsman, father, and begetter: he knows all beings
and all Ordinances.
He only gave the Gods their appellations: all creatures go to
him to ask direction.
4I have gone forth around the earth and heaven, I have approached
the first-born Son of Order.
He, putting voice, as 'twere, within the speaker, stands in the
world, he, verily is Agni.
5I round the circumjacent worlds have travelled to see the far-
extended thread of Order.
Wherein the Gods, obtaining life eternal, have risen upward to
one common birthplace.

1Lord of the World, divine Gandharva, only he should be
honoured in the Tribes and worshipped.
Fast with my spell, celestial God, I hold thee. Homage to thee!
Thy home is in the heavens.
2Sky-reaching, like the Sun in brightness, holy, he who averts
from us the Gods' displeasure.
Lord of the World, may the Gandharva bless us, the friendly
God who only must be worshipped.
3I came, I met these faultless, blameless beings: among the
Apsarases was the Gandharva.
Their home is in the sea—so men have told me,—whence they
come quickly hitherward and vanish.
4Thou, Cloudy! ye who follow the Gandharva Visvā-vasu, ye,
Starry! Lightning-Flasher!
You, O ye Goddesses, I truly worship.
5Haunters of darkness, shrill in voice, dice-lovers, maddeners of
the mind
To these have I paid homage, the Gandharva's wives, Apsarases.

1That little spring of water which is running downward from the
hill
I turn to healing balm for thee that thou mayst be good
medicine.
2Hither and onward! Well! Come on! Among thy hundred
remedies
Most excellent of all art thou, curing disease and morbid flow.
3The Asuras bury deep in earth this mighty thing that healeth
wounds.
This is the cure for morbid flow, this driveth malady away.
4The emmets from the water-flood produce this healing medicine:
This is the cure for morbid flow, this driveth malady away.
5Mighty is this wound-healing balm: from out the earth was it
produced.
This is the cure for morbid flow, this driveth malady away.
6Bless us the Waters! be the Plants auspicious!
May Indra's thunderbolt drive off the demons. Far from us fall
the shafts they shoot against us!

1For length of life, for mighty joy, uninjured, ever showing
strength.
We wear Vishkandha's antidote, the Amulet of Jangida.
2Amulet of a thousand powers, Jangida save us, all around.
From Jambha, and from Viara, Vishkandha, and tormenting
pain.
3This overcomes Vishkandha, this chases the greedy fiends away:
May this our panacea, may Jangida save us from distress.
4With Jangida that brings delight, Amulet given by the Gods,
We in the conflict overcome Vishkandha and all Rākshasas.
5May Cannabis and Jangida preserve me from Vishkandha,—
that
Brought to us from the forest, this sprung from the saps of
husbandry.
6This Amulet destroys the might of magic and malignity:
So may victorious Jangida prolong the years we have to live.

1Indra, be gracious, drive thou forth, come, Hero, with thy two
bay steeds.
Taste the libation, hither, enjoying meath and the hymn, come,
fair, to the banquet.
2O Indra, even as one athirst, fill thee with meath as 'twere from
heaven.
Sweet-toned, the raptures of this juice have come to thee as to
the light.
3Swift-conquering Indra, Mitra like, smote, as a Yati, Vritra
dead.
Like Bhrigu he cleft Vala through, and quelled his foes in Soma's
rapturous joy.
4O Indra, let the juices enter thee. Fill full thy belly, sate thee,
mighty one! Let the hymn bring thee.
Hear thou my call, accept the song I sing, here, Indra, with thy
friends enjoy thyself, to height of rapture.
5Now will I tell the manly deeds of Indra, the first that he
achieved, the thunder-wielder.
He slew the Dragon, then disclosed the waters, and cleft the
channels of the mountain torrents.
6He slew the Dragon lying on the mountain: his heavenly bolt of
thunder Tvashtar fashioned.
Like lowing kine in rapid flow descending the waters glided
downward to the ocean.
7Impetuous as a bull he chose the Soma, and quaffed the juices
in three sacred beakers. p. a38
Maghavan grasped the thunder for his weapon, and smote to
death this first-born of the dragons.

1Half-years and seasons strengthen thee, O Agni, the years, and
all the Verities, and Rishis! p. a39
Flash forth with thy celestial effulgence: illumine all four regions
of the heavens.
2Kindle thee, Agni, and make this man prosper: rise up erect
for high and happy fortune.
Agni, be those uninjured who adore thee, and may thy priests be
glorious and no others.
3These Brāhmans have elected thee, O Agni: be thou propitious
in our sacred chamber.
Slayer of rivals, Agni, quell our foemen: watch in our house
with care that never ceases.
4Seize, Agni, on thy power and firmly hold it: contend thou with
the Friend by way of friendship.
Placed in the centre of our fellows, Agni, flash forth to be
invoked by kings around thee.
5Past those who slay, past enemies, past thoughtless men, past
those who hate,
Yea, Agni, hear us safe past all distresses: give thou us opulence
with men about us.

1Hated by sinners, sprung from Gods, this Plant that turns the
curse away
Hath washed from me all curses, as water makes clean from
spot and stain.
2All curses of a rival, each curse of a female relative, Curse
uttered by an augry priest, all these we tread beneath our feet.
3Spread on the surface of the earth, downward from heaven thy
root depends: p. a40
With this that hath a thousand joints keep thou us safe on every
side.
4Guard on all sides this woman, guard my children, us, and all
our wealth!
Let not malignity o'ercome, nor adversaries conquer us.
5Upon the curser fall his curse! Dwell we with him whose heart
is true!
We split the cruel villain's ribs whose evil eye bewitches us.

1Twin Stars of happy omen, named Releasers, have gone up.
May they
Loose, of inherited disease, the uppermost and lowest bond.
2Vanish this Night, extinct in Dawn! Let those who weave their
spells depart.
So let the plague-destroying Plant remove inherited disease.
3With straw of barley tawny-brown in colour with its silvery ears,
with stalk and stem of Sesamum-
So let the plague-destroying Plant remove inherited disease.
4Let homage to thy ploughs be paid, our homage to the pole and
yokes.
So let the plague-destroying Plant remove inherited disease.
5Homage to men with blinking eyes, homage to those who hear
and act! To the Field's Lord be homage paid.
So let the plague-destroying Plant remove inherited disease.

1Free this man, Dasavriksha! from the demon, from Grāhi who
hath seized his joints and members,
And raise him up again, O Tree, into the world of living men.
2He hath arisen and come once more, rejoined the band of those
who live.
May he become the sire of sons, and of all men most fortunate.
3He hath returned to consciousness, rejoined the living's firm
abodes,
For hundred leeches are in this, yea, and a thousand healing
herbs.
4The Gods, the Brāhman-priests, and plants observed the way to
gather thee:
All deities described the way men gather thee upon the earth.
5Let him who made it also heal: he, truly, is the deftest leech.
Pure, with a leech he verily shall give thee medicines that heal.

1From family sickness, kinsmen's curse, Destruction, from Druh,
from Varuna's noose I free and save thee.
With spell and prayer I make thee pure and sinless: to thee be
both, the Earth and Heaven, auspicious!
2Gracious to thee be Agni with the Waters, let Soma with the
Plants be kind and bless thee.
From family sickness, kinsmen's curse, Destruction, from Druh,
from Varuna's noose I thus release thee.
3May kind Wind strengthen thee in air's mid-region, to thee may
heaven's four quarters be auspicious.
From family sickness, kinsmen's curse, Destruction, from Druh,
from Varuna's curse I thus release thee.
4These Goddesses, four regions of the heavens, on whom the
Sun looks kindly, wives of Vāta—
From family sickness, kinsmen's curse, Destruction, from Druh,
from Varuna's noose I thus release thee.
5For long life, in the midst of these I set thee. Away pass Nirriti,
away Consumption!
From family sickness, kinsmen's curse, Destruction, from Druh,
from Varuna's noose I thus release thee.
6Thou hast been freed from Phthisis and from trouble, from
shame, and from the snare of Druh and Grain.
From family sickness, kinsmen's curse, Destruction, from Druh,
from Varuna's noose I thus release thee.p. a43
7Joy hast thou found, and left ill-will behind thee: thou hast
attained the happy world of virtue.
From family sickness, kinsmen's curse, Destruction, from Druh,
from Varuna's noose I thus release thee.
8The Gods have freed from, sinfulness, redeeming the Sun, the
Law from darkness and from Grāhi.
From family sickness, kinsmen's curse, Destruction, from Druh,
from Varuna's noose I thus release thee.
With spell and prayer I make thee pure and sinless: to thee be
both, the Earth and Heaven, auspicious!

1Dart against dart, destroyer of destruction, thou art the missile
sent to meet the missile. p. a44
Reach thy superior, thou; surpass thine equal.
2Sraktya art thou, an Amulet art thou, a counter-charm of spells,
Reach thy superior, thou; surpass thine equal.
3Use spells against the man we hate, against the man who hateth
us.
Reach thy superior, thou; surpass thine equal.
4A prince art thou, giver of speech, thou art our bodies' strong
defence.
Reach thy superior, thou; surpass thine equal.
5Fulgent art thou, and splendid, thou art heavenly lustre, thou
art light.
Reach thy superior, thou; surpass thine equal.

1The spacious Firmament, and Earth and Heaven, the Field's
Queen, and the wonderful Wide-Strider,
Yea, the broad middle air which Vāta guardeth, may these now
burn with heat while I am burning.
2Listen to this, ye Gods who merit worship. Hymns here are sung
for me by Bharadvāja.
Bound in the noose may he be doomed to trouble whoever mars
this that our mind hath purposed.
3Hear this my call, O Indra, Soma-drinker, as with a burning
heart I oft invoke thee.
I smite, as 'twere a tree felled with a hatchet, the man who
marreth this my plan and purpose.
4Together with thrice-eighty Sāma-singers, Angirases, and Vasus,
and Ādityas,
May the felicity of the Fathers guard us. I seize that man with
fire that Gods have kindled. p. a45
5O Heaven and Earth, regard me with your favour, and, all ye
Gods, stand on my side and help me.
Angirases, Fathers worthy of the Soma! woe fall on him who,
caused the hateful outrage!
6Whoever either scorns us, O ye Maruts, or blames devotion
which we now are paying.
Let his own wicked deeds be fires to burn him. May Heaven
consume the man who hates devotion.
7Thy sevenfold vital breath, thine eight marrows I rend away
with prayer.
With Agni as thine envoy, go, prepared, to Yama's dwelling
place.
8In Jātavedas kindled flame I set the place assigned to thee.
Let fire consume thy body, and thy voice go to the general
breath.