Atharva Veda · 450 of 724
HYMN IV
A charm to destroy venomous serpents 2. The first of all is Indra’s car, next is the chariot of the Gods the third is Varuna’s alone. The last, the Serpents’ chariot, struck the pillar and then sped away. 2. Their lustre is the Darbha-grass, its young shoots are their horse’s tail: the reed’s plume is their chariot seat. 3. Strike out, white courser! with thy foot, strike both with fore and hinder foot, Stay the dire poison of the Snakes, and make it weak as soaking wood. -4. Loud neighing he hath dived below, and rising up again replied, Stayed the dire poison of the Snakes, and made it weak as soaking wood. 5. Paidva kills Kasarnila, kills both the white Serpent and the black, Paidva hath struck and cleft in twain Ratharvi’s and the Viper’s head. 6. Go onward, horse of Pedu! go thou first: we follow after thee. Cast thou aside the Serpents from the pathway whereupon we tread. 7. Here was the horse of Pedu born: this is the way that takes him hence. These are the tracks the courser left, the mighty slayer of the Snakes. 8. Let him not close the opened mouth, nor open that which now is closed. Two snakes are in this field, and both, female and male, are powerless. 9. Powerless are the serpents here, those that are near and those afar. I kill the scorpion with a club, and with a staff the new-come snake. 10. This is the remedy against Aghāsva and the adder, both: Indra and Paidva have subdued and tamed the vicious snake for me. 11. We fix our thoughts on Pedu’s horse, strong, off-spring of a stedfast line. Behind our backs the vipers here crouch down and lie in wait for us. 12. Bereft of life and poison they lie slain by bolt-armed Indra’s hand. Indra and we have slaughtered them. 013. Tiraschirājis have been slain, and vipers crushed and brayed to bits. p. 13 Slay Darvi in the Darbha-grass, Karikrata, and White and Black. 14. The young maid of Kirāta race, a little damsel, digs the drug, Digs it with shovels wrought of gold on the high ridges of the hills. 15. Hither the young uuconquered leech who slays the speckled snake hath come. He verily demolishes adder and scorpion; both of them. 16. Indra, Mitra and Varuna, and Vāta and Parjanya both have given the serpent up to me. 17. Indra hath given him up to me, the female viper and the male, The adder, him with stripes athwart. Kasarnila, Dasonasi. 18. O Serpent, Indra hath destroyed the sire who first engendered thee: And when these snakes are pierced and bored what sap and vigour will be theirs? 19. Their heads have I seized firmly as a fisher grasps the spotted prey, Waded half through the stream and washed the poison of the serpents off. 20. Let the floods hurry on and bear the poison of all snakes afar. Tiraschirājis have been slain and vipers crushed and brayed to bits. 21. As from the salutary plants I deftly pick the fibres out, And guide them skilfully like mares, so let thy venom, Snake! depart, 22. All poison that the sun and fire, all that the earth and plants contain, Poison of most effectual power—let all thy venom pass away. 23. Serpents which fire or plants have generated, those which have sprung from waters or the lightning, Whose mighty broods are found in many places, these serpents we will reverently worship. 24. Thou art a maid called Taudi, or Ghritāchi is thy name. Thy place; Is underneath my foot. I take the poison-killing remedy. 25. From every member drive away the venom, and avoid the heart. Then let the poison’s burning heat pass downward and away- from thee. 26. The bane hath fled afar. It wept, and asked the poison how it fared. 27. Agni hath found the venom of the serpent, Soma drawn it out. Back to the biter hath returned the poison, and the snake hath died.