Atharva Veda 8.3

rakṣohaṇaṃ vājinam ā jigharmi mitraṃ prathiṣṭham upa yāmi śarma śiśāno agniḥ kratubhiḥ samiddhaḥ sa no divā sa riṣaḥ pātu naktam

To Agni: against sorcerers and demons

I pour ghee upon (a-ghṛ) the vigorous (vājín) demon-slayer; I go for broadest protection to the friend; Agni, sharpened, [is] kindled with acts of skill (? krátu); let him by day, let him by night, protect us from harm.

ayodaṃṣṭro arciṣā yātudhānān upa spṛśa jātavedaḥ samiddhaḥ ā jihvayā mūradevān rabhasva kravyādo vṛṣṭvāpi dhatsvāsan

Do thou, of iron tusks, O Jātavedas, kindled, touch the sorcerers with thy flame (arcís); take hold of the false-worshipers with thy tongue; cutting off (?) the flesh-eaters, shut them in thy mouth.

ubhobhayāvinn upa dhehi daṃṣṭrau hiṃsraḥ śiśāno 'varaṃ paraṃ ca utāntarikṣe pari yāhy agne jambhaiḥ saṃ dhehy abhi yātudhānān

Apply both thy tusks, thou that hast them in both jaws (ubhayāvín), the lower one and the upper, being harmful, sharpened; also in the atmosphere go about, O Agni; put together thy grinders upon the sorcerers.

agne tvacaṃ yātudhānasya bhinddhi hiṃsrāśanir harasā hantv enam pra parvāṇi jātavedaḥ śṛṇīhi kravyāt kraviṣṇur vi cinotv enam

O Agni, split the skin of the sorcerer; let the harmful thunderbolt smite him with flame (háras); crush his joints, O Jātavedas; let the flesh-eating, flesh-craving ⌊one⌋ divide him.

yatredānīṃ paśyasi jātavedas tiṣṭhantam agna uta vā carantam utāntarikṣe patantaṃ yātudhānaṃ tam astā vidhya śarvā śiśānaḥ

Wherever now, O Jātavedas, thou seest a sorcerer standing, O Agni, or also moving, also flying in the atmosphere, him [as] archer, pierce with a shaft, being sharpened.

This verse is not included in this edition.

By sacrifices, O Agni, straightening (sam-nam) thine arrows, by speech smearing their tips with thunderbolts—with them pierce in the heart the sorcerers; break back (pratīcás) their arms.

utārabdhānt spṛṇuhi jātaveda utārebhāṇāṁ ṛṣṭibhir yātudhānān agne pūrvo ni jahi śośucāna āmādaḥ kṣviṅkās tam adantv enīḥ

Both those that are seized do thou win (spṛ), O Jātavedas, and also the sorcerers that have seized with spears; do thou, O Agni, first, greatly gleaming, smite [him] down; let the variegated raw-flesh-eating kṣvín̄kās eat him.

iha pra brūhi yatamaḥ so agne yātudhāno ya idaṃ kṛṇoti tam ā rabhasva samidhā yaviṣṭha nṛcakṣasaś cakṣuṣe randhayainam

Proclaim thou here which that [is], O Agni—the sorcerer that is doing this; him take hold of with the fuel, O youngest [god]; subject him to the eye of the men-watcher.

tīkṣṇenāgne cakṣuṣā rakṣa yajñaṃ prāñcaṃ vasubhyaḥ praṇaya pracetaḥ hiṃsraṃ rakṣāṃsy abhi śośucānaṃ mā tvā dabhan yātudhānā nṛcakṣaḥ

With sharp eye, O Agni, defend thou the sacrifice; conduct it forward to the Vasus, O forethoughtful one; thee that art harmful, greatly gleaming against the demons, let not the sorcerers injure, O men-watcher.

nṛcakṣā rakṣaḥ pari paśya vikṣu tasya trīṇi prati śṛṇīhy agrā tasyāgne pṛṣṭīr harasā śṛṇīhi tredhā mūlaṃ yātudhānasya vṛśca

A men-watcher, do thou look around for the demon among the people (vikṣú); crush back his three points (ágra); crush, O Agni, his ribs with flame (háras); cut up threefold the root of the sorcerer.

trir yātudhānaḥ prasitiṃ ta etv ṛtaṃ yo agne anṛtena hanti tam arciṣā sphūrjayan jātavedaḥ samakṣam enam gṛṇate ni yuṅdhi

Let the sorcerer thrice come within thy reach (? prásiti), who, O Agni, slays truth (ṛtá) with untruth; roaring [at] him with thy flame (arcís), O Jātavedas, do thou put him down (ni-yuj) before the eyes of the singer.

yad agne adya mithunā śapāto yad vācas tṛṣṭaṃ janayanta rebhāḥ manyor manasaḥ śaravyā jāyate yā tayā vidhya hṛdaye yātudhānān

What, O Agni, the pair utter in curses today, what harshness (tṛṣṭá) of speech the reciters (rebhá) produce: the shaft that is born of fury of the mind—with that pierce thou the sorcerers in the heart.

parā śṛṇīhi tapasā yātudhānān parāgne rakṣo harasā śṛṇīhi parārciṣā mūradevāñchṛṇīhi parāsutṛpaḥ śośucataḥ śṛṇīhi

Crush away the sorcerers with heat; crush away, O Agni, the demon with flame (háras); crush away with burning (arcís) the false-worshipers; crush away the greatly gleaming ones that feed on lives (? asutṛ́p).

parādya devā vṛjinaṃ śṛṇantu pratyag enaṃ śapathā yantu sṛṣṭāḥ vācāstenaṃ śarava ṛcchantu marman viśvasyaitu prasitiṃ yātudhānaḥ

Let the gods crush away today the wicked one (vṛjiná); let [his] curses sent forth go back upon him; let shafts strike (ṛch) in the vitals him who steals by [magic] speech; let the sorcerer come within every one's reach.

yaḥ pauruṣeyeṇa kraviṣā samaṅkte yo aśvyena paśunā yātudhānaḥ yo aghnyāyā bharati kṣīram agne teṣāṃ śīrṣāṇi harasāpi vṛśca

The sorcerer that smears himself (sam-añj) with the flesh of men, who with that of horses, with cattle, who bears [off] the milk of the inviolable [cow], O Agni—their heads cut thou into with flame.

viṣaṃ gavāṃ yātudhānā bharantām ā vṛścantām aditaye durevāḥ paraiṇān devaḥ savitā dadātu parā bhāgam oṣadhīnāṃ jayantām

Let the sorcerers bear [off] poison of the kine; let them of evil courses fall under the wrath of Aditi; let god Savitar abandon them; let them lose their share of the herbs.

saṃvatsarīṇaṃ paya usriyāyās tasya māśīd yātudhāno nṛcakṣaḥ pīyūṣam agne yatamas titṛpsāt taṃ pratyañcam arciṣā vidhya marmaṇi

Yearly [is] the milk of the ruddy [cow]; of that let not the sorcerer partake (aç), O men-watcher; whatever one [of them], O Agni, would fain enjoy (tṛp) the beestings, him do thou pierce back in the vitals with thy burning (arcís).

sanād agne mṛṇasi yātudhānān na tvā rakṣāṃsi pṛtanāsu jigyuḥ sahamūrān anu daha kravyādo mā te hetyā mukṣata daivyāyāḥ

From of old, O Agni, thou killest the sorcerers; the demons have not conquered thee in fights; burn up the flesh-eaters together with their dupes (? mūrá); let them not be freed from thy heavenly missile.

tvaṃ no agne adharād udaktas tvaṃ paścād uta rakṣā purastāt prati tye te ajarāsas tapiṣṭhā aghaśaṃsaṃ śośucato dahantu

Do thou, O Agni, from below, from above, do thou defend us from behind and from in front; let those [flames] of thine, unaging, extremely hot, greatly paining, burn against the evil-plotter.

paścāt purastād adharād utottarāt kaviḥ kāvyena pari pāhy agne sakhā sakhāyam ajaro jarimne agne martāṁ amartyas tvaṃ naḥ

From behind, in front, below, and above, do thou, O Agni, a poet, protect us about with poesy; [as] friend a friend, [as] unaging in order to old age, [as] an immortal mortals, do thou [protect] us, O Agni.

tad agne cakṣuḥ prati dhehi rebhe śaphārujo yena paśyasi yātudhānān atharvavaj jyotiṣā daivyena satyaṃ dhūrvantam acitaṃ nyoṣa

Set thou in the reciter, O Agni, that eye with which thou seest the hoof-breaking sorcerers; Atharvan-like, with brightness of the gods, scorch (uṣ) down the truth-damaging fool (acít).

pari tvāgne puraṃ vayaṃ vipraṃ sahasya dhīmahi dhṛṣadvarṇaṃ dive dive hantāraṃ bhaṅgurāvataḥ

Thee the devout, O Agni, powerful one, would we fain put about us [as] a stronghold, [thee] of daring color, day by day, slayer of the destructive one.

viṣeṇa bhaṅgurāvataḥ prati sma rakṣaso jahi agne tigmena śociṣā tapuragrābhir arcibhiḥ

With poison smite thou back the destructive ones, the demoniacs, O Agni, with keen brightness (çocís), with heat-pointed flames (arcí).

vi jyotiṣā bṛhatā bhāty agnir āvir viśvāni kṛṇute mahitvā prādevīr māyāḥ sahate durevāḥ śiśīte śṛṅge rakṣobhyo vinikṣe

With great light Agni shineth out; he maketh all things manifest by his greatness; he forceth away the ill-conditioned ungodly wiles; he sharpeneth his two horns to gore the demons.

ye te śṛṅge ajare jātavedas tigmahetī brahmasaṃśite tābhyāṃ durhārdam abhidāsantaṃ kimīdinaṃ pratyañcam arciṣā jātavedo vi nikṣva

The two horns that thou hast, O Jātavedas, unaging, of keen thrust, sharpened by devotion (bráhman)—with them do thou gore, O Jātavedas, the attacking enemy (durhā́rd), the advancing kimīdín with thy flame (arcís).

agnī rakṣāṃsi sedhati śukraśocir amartyaḥ śuciḥ pāvaka īḍyaḥ

Agni drives off the demons, he of bright brightness, immortal, bright, purifying, laudable.