Atharva Veda · 465 of 724

HYMN IX

An incantation for the destruction of a hostile army 1. All arms and every arrow, all the power and might that bows    possess,   The warlike weapon, axes, swords, the plan and purpose in the    heart,   All this, O Arbudi, make thou visible to our enemies, and let    them look on mist and fog. 2. Arise ye and prepare yourselves: ye, the celestial hosts, are    friends.   Let your mysterious natures be seen by our friends O Arbudi. 3. Rise both of you: begin your work with fettering and binding.    fast,   Assail, both of you, Arbudi, the armies of our enemies. 4. The God whose name is Arbudi, and Nyarbudi the Mighty   One,   The two by whom the air and this great earth are compassed    and possessed,   With these two friends of Indra I go forth to conquer with the    host. 5. Rise with our army stand thou up. O Godlike Being, Arbudi.   Breaking the hosts of enemies, surround them with thy winding    coils. 6. Exhibiting, O Arbudi, seven children of the mist and fog,   When butter hath been offered, rise with all of these and with    the host. 7. Beating her breast, with tearful face, let the short-earned, the    wild-haired hag. p. 69   Shriek loudly when a man is slain, pierced through by thee, O   Arbudi; 8. Snatching away the vertebra, while with her thought she seeks    her son,   Her husband, brother, kin, when one, Arbudi! hath been pierc-    ed by thee. 9. Let vultures, ravens, kites, and crows, and every carrion-eating    bird.   Feast on our foes, and show where one, Arbudi! hath been    pierced by thee. 10. Then let each greedy beast of prey, and fly and worm regale    itself   Upon the human corpse where one, Arbudi, hath been pierced    by thee. 11. Attack them, both of you; bear off their vital breath O Nyar-    budi.   Let mingled shouts and echoing cries of woe amid our foemen    show where thou, O Arbudi, hast pierced 12. Shake them, and let them sink with fear: e'erwhelm our enemies    with dread.   With widely-grasping bends of arm, O Arbudi, crush down our    foes. 13. Let those mens' arms grow faint and weak, dull be the purpose    of their heart;   And let not aught of them be left when thou, O Arbudi, hast    pierced. 14. Self-smiting, beating breast and thigh, careless of unguent, with    their hair dishevelled, weeping,   hags shall run together, when a man is slain, when thou, O   Arbudi, hast pierced. 15. Apsarases with dog-like mates, and Rūpakās, O Arbudi,   And her who licks the cup inside, and seeks to wound in ill-    kept place,   All these, O Arbudi, do thou make visible to our enemies and    let them look on mists and fog. 16. The fiend who creeps upon the sword, maimed, dwelling where   Lthe wounded lie,   The misty shapes that lurk concealed, Gandharvas and Apsara-    ses, demons, and snakes and Other Folk; 17. Armed with four fangs and yellow teeth, deformed, with faces    smeared with blood, the terrible and fearless ones, 18. Make thou, O Arbudi, those wings of hostile armies quake with    dread.   Let Conqueror and Victor, friends of Indra, overcome our foes. 19. Stifled and crushed, O Nyarbudi, low let the smitten foeman lie.   With tongue of fire and crest of smoke go conquering maidens    with our host! 20. May Indra, Lord of Might, strike down each bravest warrior of    the foes,   Whom this our band hath put to flight: let not one man of    those escape. 21. Let their hearts burst asunder, let their breath fly up and pass    away.   Let dryness of the mouth o'ertake our foemen, not the friendly    ones. 22. The clever and the foolish ones, those who are twisted round,    the deaf,   The dusky-hued, the hornless goats and those whose voice is like    the buck's,   All these, O Arbudi, do thou make visible to our enemies:    cause them to look on mists and fog. 23. Arbudi and Trishandhi fall upon our foes and scatter them,   So that, O Indra, Lord of Might, Slayer of Vritra, we may kill    thousands of these our enemies! 24. Tall trees, and those who live in woods, the herbs and creeping    plants of Earth,   Gandharvas, and Apsarases, Snakes, [       ] Beings, Fathers,   Gods,   All these do thou, O Arbudi, make visible to our enemies:    cause them to look on mists and fog. 25. High sway have Maruts, and the God Āditya, Brāhmanaspati,   High sway have Indra, Agni, and Dilator, Mitra, Prajāpati,   High sway have Rishis given to you, showing upon our enemies    where thou, O Arbudi, hast pierced. 26. With full dominion over these, rise, stand ye up, prepare your-    selves,   Ye are our friends, celestial hosts. When ye have won this    battle, go, each to his several sphere, apart.