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III.
IMPRECATIONS AGAINST DEMONS, SORCERERS, AND
ENEMIES (ĀBHIKĀRIKĀṆI AND KṚTYĀPRATIHARAṆĀṆI).
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I, 7. Against sorcerers and demons.
1. The sorcerer (yātudhāna) that vaunteth himself and the Kimīdin 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 Jātavedas, that standest on
high, conquerest by thyself! Make the sorcerers howl!
3. The sorcerers and the devouring (atrin) Kimīdin 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 Jātavedas; 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 Jātavedas: 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!
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I, 8. Against sorcerers and demons.
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
Bṛhaspati, 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 Jātavedas, 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!
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I, 16. Charm with lead, against demons and sorcerers.
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 Varuṇa gives blessing, to the lead Agni gives help. Indra gave
me the lead: unfailingly it dispels sorcery.
3. This (lead) overcomes the viṣkandha, this smites the devouring demons
(atrin); with this I have overwhelmed all the brood of the Piśācas.
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.
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VI, 2. The soma-oblation directed against Demons (rakṣas).
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 Rakṣas!
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.
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II, 14. Charm against a variety of female demons, conceived as hostile to men,
cattle, and home.
1. Nissālā, the bold, the greedy demon (?dhiṣaṇā), and (the female demon)
with long-drawn howl, the bloodthirsty; all the daughters of Kaṇḍa, the
Sadānvās 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 Magundī, from the house.
3. In yonder house below, there the grudging demons (arāyī) shall exist; there
ruin shall prevail, and all the witches!
4. May (Rudra), the lord of beings, and Indra drive forth from here the
Sadānvās; those that are 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 Sadānvās!
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 Sadānvās!
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III, 9. Against viṣkandha and kābava (hostile demons).
1. Of karṣapha and viṣapha 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 them, (the protecting plants?) held fast, thus it has
been arranged by Manu. The viṣkandha 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 kābava!
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 kābava, as the ape
to the dog.
5. I revile thee, the kābava, unto misfortune, (and) shall work harm for thee.
Accompanied with curses ye shall go out like swift chariots!
6. A hundred and one viṣkandha are spread out along the earth; for these at
the beginning they brought out thee, the amulet, that destroys viṣkandha.
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IV, 20. Charm with a certain plant (sadampuṣpā) which exposes demons and
enemies.
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 Śūdra as well as the Ārya.
5. Reveal (all) forms, do not hide thy own self; moreover, do thou, O
thousand-eyed (plant), look the Kimīdins in the face!
6. Reveal to me the wizards, and reveal the witches, reveal all the Piśācas:
for this purpose do I take hold of thee, O plant!
7. Thou art the eye of Kaśyapa, and the eye of the four-eyed bitch. Like the
sun, moving in the bright day, make thou the Piśāca evident to me!
8. I have dragged out from his retreat the sorcerer and the Kimīdin. Through
this (charm) do I see every one, the Śūdra as well as the Ārya.
9. Him that flies in the air, him that moves across the sky, him that regards
the earth as his resort, that Piśāca do thou reveal (to me)!
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IV, 17. Charm with the apāmārga-plant, against sorcery, demons, and enemies.
1. We take hold, O victorious one, of thee, the mistress of remedies. I have
made thee a thing of thousandfold strength for ever, 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 strength —
may 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, Rakṣas, gruesomeness, and grudging demons
(arāyī), all the evil-named, evil-speaking (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 apāmārga, do we wipe out (apa mṛjmahe) with thee.
7. Death from thirst, and death from hunger, moreover, ill-luck at dice, all
that, O apāmārga, do we wipe out with thee.
8. The apāmārga is sole ruler over all plants, with it do we wipe mishap from
thee: do thou then live exempt from disease!
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IV, 18. Charm with the apāmārga-plant, against sorcerers and demons.
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 (apāmārga), that hast a thousand homes, upon the
(demons) viśikha ('crestless'), and vigrīva ('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 apāmārga-plant shall wipe out (apa mārṣṭu) inherited ills, and curses;
yea, it shall wipe out all witches, and all grudging demons (arāyī)!
8. Having wiped out all sorcerers, and all grudging demons, with thee, O
apāmārga, we wipe all that (evil) out.
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IV, 19. Mystic power of the apāmārga-plant, against demons and sorcerers.
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 Brāhmaṇa thou hast been blest, by Kaṇva, the descendant of Nṛṣad. Thou
goest like a strong 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 Rakṣas.
4. When of yore, in the beginning, the gods drove out the Asuras with thee,
then, O plant, thou wast begotten as apāmārga ('wiping out').
5. Thou cuttest to pieces (vibhindatī), 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!
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VII, 65. Charm with the apāmārga-plant, against curses, and the consequences
of sinful deeds.
1. With fruit turned backward thou verily didst grow, O apāmārga: 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 apāmārga, whose face is turned to every side, do we wipe them out (apa
mṛjmahe).
3. If we have sat together with one who has black teeth, or diseased nails, or
one who is deformed, with thee, O apāmārga, we wipe all that out (apa
mṛjmahe).
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X, 1. Charm to repel sorceries or spells.
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 Śūdra, prepared by a Rājā,
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. Pratīcīna ('Back-hurler'), the descendant of Aṅgiras, is our overseer and
officiator (purohita): do thou drive back again (pratīcīḥ) 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 (Ṛbhu)
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 the wretched (spell), as upon (a cow) with a dead
calf, flooded away (by a river), may all evil go away from me, and may
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
Ṛṣis!
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 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?
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 Śarva 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.
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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
gārhapatya-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.
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)!
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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 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!
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VIII, 5. Prayer for protection addressed to a talisman made from wood of the
srāktya-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 Vṛtra, 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 srāktya 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; Bṛhaspati, 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 srāktya — like the
sun ascending the sky, it subjects and beats off the sorceries.
8. With the amulet of srāktya, as if with a seer of powerful spirit, I have
gained all battles, I slay the enemies, the Rakṣas.
9. The sorceries that come from the Aṅgiras, 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, Viṣṇu,
Savitar, Rudra, Agni, Prajāpati, Parameṣṭhin, Virāj, Vaiśvānara, 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 regions
does he rule, that wears this talisman.
14. Kaśyapa has created thee, Kaśyapa 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; Dhātar shall bestow (dadhātu) 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
Vṛtra, 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!
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X, 3. Praise of the virtues of an amulet derived from the varaṇa-tree.
1. Here is my varaṇa-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 varaṇa the Devas (gods) did ward off (avārayanta)
the onslaught of the Asuras (demons) day after day.
3. This thousand-eyed, yellow, golden varaṇa-amulet is a universal cure; it
shall lay low thy enemies: be thou the first to injure those that hate thee!
4. This varaṇa will ward off (vārayiṣyate) 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 varaṇa, shall shut out (vārayātāi)! The gods, too,
have shut out (avīvaraṇ) 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 varaṇa-amulet will protect thee (vārayiṣyate).
7. From Arāti (grudge), Nirṛti (misfortune), from sorcery, and from danger;
from death and overstrong weapons the varaṇa 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 varaṇa 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 varaṇa-amulet shall guard me in every region (of space)!
11. This varaṇa 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 varaṇa: 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 varaṇa
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
varaṇa 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 varaṇa
shall watch over thee!
16. Do thou cut off, O varaṇa, 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 varaṇa hold fast for me reputation and prosperity, shall
sprinkle me with brilliance, and anoint me with splendour!
18. As splendour is in the moon, and in the sun, the beholder of men, thus
shall the amulet of varaṇa hold fast, &c.
19. As splendour is in the earth, as in this Jātavedas (the fire), thus shall
the amulet of varaṇa hold fast, &c.
20. As splendour is in the maiden, as in this appointed chariot, thus shall
the amulet of varaṇa hold fast, &c.
21. As splendour is in the soma-draught, as splendour is in the
honey-mixture (for guests), thus shall the amulet of varaṇa hold fast, &c.
22. As splendour is in the agnihotra-oblation, as splendour is in the call
vaṣaṭ, thus shall the amulet of varaṇa hold fast, &c.
23. As splendour is in the sacrificer, as (splendour) has been deposited in
the sacrifice, thus shall the amulet of varaṇa hold fast, &c.
24. As splendour is in Prajāpati, as in this Parameṣṭhin (the lord on high),
thus shall the amulet of varaṇa hold fast, &c.
25. As immortality is in the gods, as truth has been deposited in them, thus
shall the amulet of varaṇa hold fast, &c.
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{10006}
X, 6. Praise of the virtues of amulet of khadira-wood in the shape of a
ploughshare.
1. The head of the hostile rival, of the enemy that hates 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, surā (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 Bṛhaspati 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 Bṛhaspati tied that Indra did fasten on, for strength and
heroism; that yields him might more and more, &c.
8. The amulet which Bṛhaspati tied . . . that Soma did fasten on unto perfect
hearing and seeing; that verily yields him lustre more and more, &c.
9. The amulet which Bṛhaspati tied . . . that Sūrya did fasten on, with that
he conquered these directions of space; that yields him prosperity more and
more, &c.
10. The amulet which Bṛhaspati tied wearing that amulet Candramas (the moon)
conquered the golden cities of the Asuras and the Dānavas; that yields him
fortune more and more, &c.
11. The amulet which Bṛhaspati tied for swift Vāta (wind), that yields him
strength more and more, &c.
12. The amulet which Bṛhaspati tied for swift Vāta, with that amulet, O
Aśvins, do ye guard this plough-land; that yields the two physicians (the
Aśvins) might more and more, &c.
13. The amulet which Bṛhaspati tied for swift Vāta, wearing that, Savitar
through it conquered this light; that yields him abundance more and more, &c.
14. The amulet which Bṛhaspati tied for swift Vāta, wearing that, the waters
ever run undiminished; that verily yields them ambrosia more and more, &c.
15. The amulet which Bṛhaspati tied for swift Vāta, that comforting amulet
king Varuṇa did fasten on; that verily yields him truth more and more, &c.
16. The amulet which Bṛhaspati tied for swift Vāta, wearing that the gods did
conquer all the worlds in battle; that verily yields them conquest more and
more, &c.
17. The amulet which Bṛhaspati tied for swift Vāta, 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 Prajāpati 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 Aṅgiras cleft the castles of the Dasyus. With it
those that hate me do thou slay!
21. That Dhātar did fasten on: (then) he shaped the being. With it those that
hate me do thou slay!
22. The amulet which Bṛhaspati 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 Jātavedas (fire), through (this)
charm, find favour, well-being, offspring, sight, and cattle!
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{04016}
IV, 16. Prayer to Varuṇa for protection against treacherous designs.
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
Varuṇa is there as a third, and knows it.
3. Both this earth here belongs to king Varuṇa, and also yonder broad sky
whose boundaries are far away. Moreover these two oceans are the loins of
Varuṇa; 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
Varuṇa. His spies come hither (to the earth) from heaven, with a thousand eyes
do they watch over the earth.
5. King Varuṇa 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 Varuṇa, 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) Varuṇa 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.
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{02012}
II, 12. Imprecation against enemies thwarting holy work.
1. Heaven and earth, the broad atmosphere, the goddess of the field, and the
wonderful, far-striding (Viṣṇu); moreover, the broad atmosphere guarded by
Vāta (the wind): may these here be inflamed, when I am inflamed!
2. Hear this, O ye revered gods! Let Bharadvāja 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
Ādityas, Vasus, and Aṅgiras — 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
Aṅgiras, 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 being 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. I set thy footstep upon the kindled fire. May Agni surround thy body, may
thy voice enter into breath!
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{07070}
VII, 70. Frustration of the sacrifice of an enemy.
1. Whenever yonder person in his thought, and with his speech, offers
sacrifice accompanied by oblations and benedictions, may Nirṛti (the goddess
of destruction), allying herself with death, smite his offering before it
takes effect!
2. May sorcerers, Nirṛti, as well as Rakṣas, 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 eagles pouncing down, shall strike
the sacrificial butter of 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.
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{02007}
II, 7. Charm against curses and hostile plots, undertaken with a certain
plant.
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.
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{03006}
III, 6. The aśvattha-tree as a destroyer of enemies.
1. A male has sprung from a male, the aśvattha (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 aśvattha, 'displacer,' allied with
Indra, the slayer of Vṛtra, (allied) with Mitra and Varuṇa!
3. As thou didst break forth, O aśvattha, 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
aśvattha, may we conquer our rivals!
5. May Nirṛti (the goddess of destruction), O aśvattha, 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 aśvattha, and renderest them subordinate,
thus do thou split in two the head of my 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 aśvattha-tree.
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{06075}
VI, 75. Oblation for the suppression of enemies (nairbādhyam haviḥ).
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 Vṛtra, 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!
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{07037}
VII, 37. Curse against one that practises hostile charms.
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.
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{07013}
VII, 13. Charm to deprive enemies of their strength.
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, looking out against me, as I come on — of those
that hate me do I take away the strength, as the sun takes away the strength
of persons asleep (while it rises).
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