Kāṇḍa 5 — Charms, healing, philosophical

He who with special plans and deathless spirit,

He who — the fluid gold, with radiant kinsmen — ^to

As these have gone to their primeval station, each

By holv wisdom I a sage, Far-Strider ! offer to thee

Seven are the pathways which the wise have fashioned:

Working, I go my way with deathless spirit; life, spirit, bodies have gone gladly thither. Aye, Sakra also gives his gift of treasure as when the sacrificer meets with power.

Half with the milk, its other half, thou minglest, and with that half, strong ! unbeguiled ! increasest.

In all the worlds That was the best and highest

Grown mighty in his strength, with ample vigour,

All concentrate on thee their mental vigour what

If verily in every war the sages joy and exult in thee

Proudly we put our trust in thee in battles, when we

Thou in that house, the highest or the lowest, which

Bakra : the mighty Indra. Meets unthpower : obtains the expected reward of his oblations.

Brihaddiva, the foremost of light-winners, hath made

Half .... thou minglest : preparest a libation consisting of equal parts of Soma juice and milk. Gracious: dvim/ 'das schaf/

TEE STMNS OF [ROOK T.

Lkt strength be mine while I invoke thee, Agni f enkindling thee may we support our bodies.

Baffling the rage of our opponents, Agni ! guard us

May all the Gods be on my side in battle, the

For me let them present all mine oblations, and let

May the Gods grant me riches, may the blessing and

Ye six divine Expanses, give us freedom. Here, all

Do ye three Goddesses give ample shelter and all

Foodful and much-invoked, at this our calling may

Lord of the world. Creator and Disposer, may the

Let those who are our foemen stay afar from us :

Yea, we call Indra hitherward, the winner of wealth

Thou who wast born on mountains, thou most mighty

Brought from the Snowy Mountain, born on the high hill where eagles breed, Men seek to buy thee when they hear : for Fever's Banisher they know, S In the third heaven above us stands the Afvattha tree, the seat of Gods,

Awattha tree: Fious Religiosa or Holy Fig-tree; see II J^ 6. 1, note. The Tirtues ascribed to Kushtha are so manifold and mighty that the plant must have a celestial origin. ' The Samoans think that their most valued vegetables were stolen from heaven by a Samoan visitor* (Lang's Custom and Myth).

There moved through heaven a golden ship, a ship

They sailed on pathways paved with gold, the oars

0 Kushtha, bring thou hitherward this man of mine,

Three Goddesses : IlA, Sarasvati, and Mahi or Bharati, personifica-

The far-reaching Bull : Indra.

Most excellent, indeed, art thon, Kushtha 1 most

Malady that affects the head^ eye-weakness» bodily defect- All this let Kushtha heal and cure : aye, godlike is the vigorous power.

Eastward at first the prayer was generated : Vena disclosed bright flashes fr6m the summit,

None have attained to those of old, those who wrought holy acts for you* Let them not harm our heroes here. Therefore I set before you this. .3 Sweet-tongued, exhaustless, they have sent their voices down together in heaven's vault that pours

The first line of this, as of each of the two following stanzas, is unintelligible to me.

Through this hast thou been left in want. All hail ! With sharpened arms and missiles, kind and friendly,

Through this hast thou committed faults. All hail ! ^ With sharpened arms and missiles, kind and friendly,

Thy sire : the Cloud. I have translated the text as it stands ; but

Became a vnnghd water-brook : come swiftly as a rapid stream.

Make with thy weapon weaponless, O Agni, all

Thou art the house of Indra. I betake me to thee^

Thou art the guard of Indra. I betake me to thee, etc.

Thou art the shield of Indra. I betake me to thee, eto.

Indra's protection art thou. I betake me to thee^

Bbing thou to us, bar not the way^ Ar&ti t Stay net the guerdon that is being brought us.

1^6 man whom tbou preferrest^ O Arftti, he who prates to us — This mao of thine^ we reverence. Baffle not thou my heart's desire*

We, suppliant, call on Bhaga, ob Sarasvatt, Anumati. Pleasant words have I spokeUi sweet as honey is»

The portion that I crave with speech intelligent and

Do no.t thou make our words or wishes fruitless. Let

Misfortune ! ga thou fkr away : we tura thy harmful

May our desire whioh Gk>ds have roused fulfil itself

The remainder of the hymn is noo-metrioaK

Auspicious, with her golden hue, pillowed on gold, the mighty one, — To this Ar&ti clad in robes of gold mine bondage have I paid.

The house of Indra : the thirteenth month is the subject of many wildly fanciful peculations in the later Yedic literature. Here the nexjb world appears to be referred to.

"With fuel of Vikankata bring molten butter to the

O Indra, come unto my call. This will I do. So hear

Whatever plot from yonder, O ye Gods, that godless

Run, ye Exertions, farther on. By Indra's order

The Brahman whom those yonder have appointed

If they have issued forth, strongholds of Gods, a^d

Exertions which that man hath made. Exertions

As Indra, having seized him, set his foot upon

Here, Indra Vritra-slayer, in thy strength pierce

All hail to Heaven !

All hail to Earth !

All hail to Airl

All hail to Air!

All hail to Heaven I

All hail to Earth!

Mine eye is S Arya and my breath is V&ta, Air is my

Udvdchana: one who screams out; perhaps some demon con-

Thou art my wall of stone against the sinner who

Thou art my wall of stone against the sinner wba

Thou art my wall of stone ajrainst the sinner who

Thou art my wall of stone against the sinner who

Thou art my wall of stone against the sinner who

Thou art my wall of stone against the sinner who

Mine eye i$ SHrya: of. 'Maj SArya, sovran Loid of eyes, protect me' (V. 24. 9). So Socrates says (Plato, Republic, VI. 18) : « I regard it (the eye) as the most sunlike of all the oi^ns of sensation ' (see Muir, O. S. Texts, V. 298). Compare also the Funeral Hymn, ^igveda X. 16. 3 : *The sun receive thine eye, the wind thy spirit : go, as thv merit is, to earth or heaven.'

With Bfihat I invoke the mind, with M&tariBvan

How, terrible in might, bast thou here spoken to the great God, how to the gold-hued Father ?

Not through desire do I revoke my present : I bripg

Truly I am profound in wisdom, truly I know by

None, self-dependent -Varu^a! existeth wiser than

Stedfast rtffion : the nadir.

Lofty region : the zenith.

Many reproaches, Varupa, dost thou utter against

Brihat : a S^man, psalm or sacred song in the Brihati metre. See III. 3. 2. Mdt(vri9v<m : here apparently meaning Ykta. or Wind. Both the breaths : inspiration and expiration. The eye from SHrya : see V. 9. 7. Air: as the conductor of sound. Earth : see V. 9, 7. Who suits the mind : being the wise Goddess of eloquence and learning. Speech : Vik, speech persopiGed and deified. See IV. 1. 2.

Let hymns of praise ascend to thee, uplifted in every place of human habitation. But give me now the gift thou hast not given. Thou art my friend for ever firm and faithful.

One origin, Varu^a! one bond unites us: I know

God, giving life unto the god who lauds me, Sage

. Varuna, Sage of heaven, hath given me the gift : with spells of mighty power I draw thy poison out. Dug up, not dug, adherent, I have seized it fast : low hath thy venom sunk like water in the sands.

All the non-fluid portion of thy venom, I receive in

Strong is my cry like thunder with the rainy cloud :

I with this eye destroy thine eye, and with this poi-

Listen to me. Black Snakes and hateful creatures,

Even as the cord that stHogs the bow, I slacken, as

And Aligi and Viligi, their father and the mother

Daughter of UrugAlA, she-fiend whom the black-

Dwelling beside the mountain's l^lope, the quick-

TAbuva or not TAbuva, thou verily art not T&buva : poison is killed by TAbuva. Tastuva or not Tastuva, thou verily art not Tastuva: poison is killed by Tadtuva.

An eagle found thee : with his snout a wild boar dug

Beat thou the Y4tudh4nas back, drive thou away the

As 'twere a strip cut round from skin of a white-

Take thou his sorcery by the hand, and to the sor-

Back on the wizard fall his craft, upon the cursor

Whoso, for other's harm hath dealt — woman or man —

Now whether thou hast been prepared by Gods or

Agni, victorious in fight, subdue the armies of our

Thou who hast piercing weapons, pierce him who

Go as a son goes to his sire : bite as a trampled

Even as the timid antelope or hind from her assailant

Straighter than any arrow let it fly against him,

Let it go contrary like flame, like water following

Plant ! I have those who shall avert the threatened

Twenty ftnd two, O Plant, have I who shall avert the threatened ill. O 0acred Plant, produced aright ! make sweetness, sweet thyself, for me,

As one who jiies from bonds : or, if bdndhum. the alteration sug-

These first, the boundless Sea, and M&tarisvan, fierce- glowing Fire, the Strong, the Bliss-bes tower,

King Soma first of all, without reluctance, made res- titution of the Brahman's consort. Mitra and Varurja were the inviters : Agni as Hotar took her hand and kd her.

The Qutii, ber pledge^ most by the hand be takeo

She whom they eall the star with looeened tresee^i

Active ia duty serves the BrakonaehArl : he ia a

Thus spake of her those Gods of old,. Seven Ilishis^

When infants die, untimely barn, when herds of cat-

Even if ten former husbands — none a Br&bman — had

Not Vaisya, not R&janya^ no, the Br4hman is indeed

So then the Gods restored her, so men gave the

Having restored the Brahman's wife, and freed them^

No lovely wife who brings her dower in hundreds

No broad-browed calf with wide-set ears is ever in

No steward, golden-necklaced, goes before the meat-

No black-eared courser, white of hue, moves proudly,

The men whose task it is to milk drain not the brindled

His milch-cow doth not profit one, his draught-ox

Thb Gods, O Prince, have not bestowed this cow on

A base R^jitnja^ spoiled at dice, and ruined by him-

She takes away his strength, she mars his splendour,

Whoever smites him, deeming him a weakling--rblas-

No Br&hman vawt be injured, safe as fire from him

The fool who eats the Brahmans^ food and thinks it

The Brihrnan^s cow i« like a snake, chained with dire poison, clothed with skin.

Keen arrows have the Br&hmans, armed with missiles :

They who, themselves ten hundred, were the rulers

The cow, indeed, when she was slain overthrew those

One and a hundred were the folk, those whom the

Among mankind the Gk>ds* despiser moveth: be

Agni, in sooth, is called our guide, Soma is called

Prince! like a poisoned arrow, like a deadly snake, O lord of kine ! Dire is the Brihman's arrow : he pierces his enemies therewith.

The sons of Vltahavya, the Srifijayas, waxed exceed- ing strong.

When men pierced Brihatsdman through, the Brdh-

If men have spat upon, or shot their rheum upon a

While yet the Brahman's cow which men are dressing

Terrible is her cutting-up: her bitter flesh is cast

If any King who deems hinaself mighty would eat a

She grows eight-footed, and four-eyed, four-eared,

As water swamps a leaky ship so ruin overflows that

The very trees repel the man, and drive him from

That wealth, King Varui^a hath said, is poison by the

Those nine-and-ninety people whom Earth shook and

Oppressor of the Brahmans ! thus the Gods have

The rain of Mitra-Varupa falls not on him who wrongs the priest. To him no counsel brings success : he wins no friend to do his will.

Oppressor of the BrabmimB 1 tears wept by the man who suflfers wrong, The^e are the share of water which the Gods hare destined to be thine.

FoRMBD out of wood, compact with straps of leather,.

The fastened frame hath roared as ^twere a ILon^ like a bull bellowing to meet the heifer^

Victorious in the battle, loudly roaring, seizing what

Hearing the Drum's far-reaching voice resounding,

Thou, first of all, O Drum, thy voice shalt utter :

Loud be thy roar between the earth and heaven.

Like a bull marked by strength among the cattle, roar seeking kine and gathering up the booty.

Hesonant, roaring, with thy powerful weapons,

Bent on advantage, mightier, gaining treasures, victor

Foe-conqueror, victor, vanquishing opponents, seeker

The step^ffdcing wifp : obliterating the footsteps of the dead on» his journey to the other woric^ so that ]>eath maj not reach the- surviving kinsmen by the same path. Muir tranfilates kd^m (wisp)

The beard : to be shaved off before cremation^

Speak to our enemies, O Drum, discouragement and wild dismay.

When sacrificial butter hath been ofiered, let our

Wrought out of wood, compact with straps of leather,

As the wild creatures of the wood flee in their terror

As, when the wolf approaches, goats and sheep run

As birds of air, day after day, fly in wild terror from

May all the deities whose might controls the fortune

Let those our enemies who go yonder in their

To all the quarters of the sky let clang of bowstrings

Aditya, take their sight away! Follow them close,

Do ye, O mighty Maruts, sons of Prisni, crush down,

Watching our assemblies: favourably regarding oxir gatherings for sacrificial purposes.

Hbngb, filled with holy strength let Agni, Soma,

And thou thyself who makest all men yellow,

Endowed with universal power! send Fever down-

When I have paid obeisance to Fever I send him

His mansions are the Mdjavans, and the Mah4vrishas

Fever, snake, limbless otie,^ speak out! i^eep thyself

Go, Fever, to the MAjavans, or, farther, to the

Oto hence and eat thy kinsmen the Mah4vrishas and

In a strange land thou joyest not: subdued, thou

Since thou now cold, now burning hot, with cough

Take none of these to be thy friends, Cough, or Con-

Go, Fever, with Consumption, thy brother, and with

Chase Fever whether cold or hot, brought by the

We to Gandh&ris, Mi^javans, to Angas and to

I HAVE called Heaven and Earth to aid, have called

O Indra, Lord of Treasures, kill the worms that

We utterly destroy the worm, the worm that creeps

Two of like colour, two unlike, two coloured black,

Worms that are white about the sides, those that are

Eastward the Suii is mounting, seen of all, destroy-

Let the Yevishas, Kaskashas, Ejatkas, Sipavitnukas, Let both the worm that we can see, and that we see

Slain the Yev4sba of the worms, slain too is the

The worm S&ranga, white of hue, three-headed, with

I kill you, worms, as Atri, as Kai^va and Jamadaorni

May Indra who is Lord of heaven protect me,

Destroyed are his dependants, those who dwell around

Of every worm and insect, of the female and the

May Yaraa, Regent of the Fathers, save me.

May the Forefathers of old time protect me.

Miay Fiathers of succeeding agefs save trie.

Next may the Fathers of our fathers save me, in this

Let the man, sower of the germ, lay, as a feather, on

Even as this broad earth deceived the germ of all

O Sinlv&ll, set the germ, set thou the germ, SarasvatJ ! in thee let both the Asvins, crowned with lotuses,

Let Mitra-Varufta and God Brihaspati lay the germ

Let Vishnu form and mould the womb, let Tvashtar

Drink thou the procreative draught well-known to

Thou art the germ of plants and herbs, thou art the

Rise up, put forth thy manly strength, and lay the

Prepare thee, B&rhats&md, let the germ be laid

O Dhfi^tar, thou Disposer, lay within the body of

Tvashtar, celestial artist, lay within the body of

Savitar, vivifier, lay within the body of this dame

0 liord of Life, Praj&pati, within this woman's body

In sacrifice for you may sapient Agni — All hail I— use Yajus texts and fuel.

May Savitar the God — All hail I — foreknowing, chief

In this great rite — All hail 1— may sapient Indra use

Bring Praishas in the rite — All hail! — and Nivids,

As a dame brings her son — All hail! — O Maruts,

Here Aditi is come — All hail! — preparing the rite

Let Vishnu in this rite in varied manner — All hail !

Let Tvashtar in this rite in varied manner— All

Let Bhaga in this rite use prayers, foreknowing —

Let Soma in this rite in varied manner — All hail ! —

Let Indra in this rite in varied manner — All hail! —

Hitherward come ye with the prayer, O Asvins,

Upufted be this sacrificer's fuel : lofty and brilliant be the flames of Agni t Splendidly bright, fair-faced, with all his offspring, TanC^nap&t the Asura, many -handed.

GUk) among Grods, the God bedews the paths with

With store of mead to sacrifice comes Agni, comes

Hither he comes with power and fatness also, the

At holy rites and offerings Agni loveth the scoops :

He is the furtberer at glad oblations: there stood

Ever the Doors divine, and all protect this Ivor-

Forms : Tvashtar being the great artifioer, creator of all forms of life.

Celestial Hotars, with the tongues of Agni praise

Three Goddesses upon this grass be seated, I4&,

This our nutritious genial flow, God Tvashtar! and

Vashat: the sacrificial exclamation, when the oblation is cast into the fire. See I. 11. 1.

Pay sacrifice to Indra. Jdtavedas Agni, with Hail ! Let all the Gods accept the gifts we offer.

For lengthened life, to last through hundred autumns^ they equalize with nine the nine spirations.

May Agni, Sun, and Moon, and Ektrth, and Waters,

In the three-threaded Charm rest triple fulness! Let

Enrich this charm, Adityas, with your treasure ;

With gold let Earth protect thee, iand with iron,

This gold, born threefold at its first production,

Three lives of Jamadagni^ thrice the vital force of

When with the three-stringed charm came three

The golden guard thee from the sky, the silvern

May these three castles of the Gods keep thee secure

The God who first bound on in the beginning the

Aryaman be thy biuder-on, and PAshttn and

Hail! : Bvd^hd; the sacrificial exclamation which consecrates the offering, regarded also as an Apri deity and a form of Agni.

Drawn forth from butter and with meatfa besprinkled^

Made ready in the east drive f(M*th, take notice of what is happening here, omniscient Agt>i !

Accordant with all Gods, O J&tavedas Agni perform

Unanimous, with all the Gods together, so do this

Pierce both his eyes, pierce thou the heart within him>

Whatever of liis body hath been taken, plundered,

If some Pis4cha in my food raw, ready, thoroughly

If one ha^h cheated me in milk or porridge, in food

If one, flesh-eater, in a draught of water have wrong*

If one, flesh-eater, in the day or night-time have

O Agni J4tavedas, slay the bloody PisAcha, flesh*

Thou, Agni, ever slayest Yfttudh&nas, the fiends

The brood of day : auspicious things, produced in the sunlight as opposed to ill-omeiied creatures of night and darkness.

Like as the Soma's tendril, thus, O JdtavedaSi

Spoken by the Recipient of the amulet.

Accept, O Agni, with thy flame the billets of

From thy vicinity I call, from near, from far, from

If any man, a stranger or akin, hath cast a spell on

If in thy folly thou hast lied or cursed a woman or

If thou art lying there because of mother's or

Accept the healing medicine, the balm thy mother

0 man, stay here among us ; stay with all thy spirit :

Come back as thou art called to come, knowing the

Be not alarmed : thou wilt not die. I give thee

Gone is the pain that racked thee, gone thy fever,

Two sages, Sense and Vigilance, the sleepless and

This Agni must be waited on. Here let the Sun

Homage be paid to Yama, and to Mrityu, and to

Let breath and mind return to him, let sight and

Provide this man with breath and sight, O Agni,

T^ilUdgha wood: the word does not occur again in the hymns ; and the tree, probably c tiled TrishUgha, which supplied the fuel, can- not be identified. T&rshUlgha fuel is mentioned in the Kau^ika-Sutra, XXV. 27. Lost his form: and so be annihilated.

Tied, tremulously moving, here the tongue is speaking

This living world, unconquered of the Gods, is most