Atharva Veda · 471 of 724

HYMN V

On the duty of giving cows to Brāhmans, and the sin and danger of withholding the gift 1. Created by toil and holy fervour, found by devotion, resting in    right; 2. Invested with truth, surrounded with honour, compassed about    with glory; 3. Girt round with inherent power, fortified with faith, protected,    by consecration, installed at sacrifice, the world her resting-    place; 4. Brahma her guide, the Brāhman her lord and ruler; 5. Of the Kshatriya who taketh to himself this Brāhman's cow and    oppresseth the Brāhman. 6. The glory, the heroism, and the favouring fortune depart. 7. The energy and vigour, the power and might the speech and    mental strength, the glory and duty; 8. Devotion and princely sway, kingship and people, brilliance and    honour, and splendour and wealth; 9. Long life and goodly form, and name and fame, inbreathing and    expiration, and sight, and hearing; 10. Milk and flavour, and food and nourishment, and right and    truth, and action and fulfilment, and children and cattle; 11. All these blessings of a Kshatriya depart from him when he    oppresseth the Brāhman and taketh to himself the hhman's    cow. 12. Terrible is she this Brāhman's cow, and fearfully venomous,    visibly witchcraft. 13. In her are all horrors and all death. 14. In her are all dreadful, deeds, all slaughters of mankind. 15. This, the Brāhman's cow, being appropriated, holdeth bound in    the fetter of Death the oppressor of the Brāhman, the blas-    phemer of the Gods. 16. A hundred-killing bolt is she: she slays the Brāhman's injurer. 17. Therefore the Brāhmans' cow is held inviolable by the wise. 18. Running she is a thunderbolt, when driven away she is Vaisvā-    nara; 19. An arrow when she draweth up her hooves, and Mahādeva when    she looketh around; 20. Sharp as a razor when she beholdeth, she thundereth when she    belloweth. 21. Death is she when she loweth, and a fierce God when she whis-    keth her tail; 22. Utter destruction when she moveth her ears this way and that,   Consumption when she droppeth water; 23. A missile when milking, pain in the head when milked; 24. The taking away of strength when she approacheth, a hand-to-    hand fighter when roughly touched; 25. Wounding like an arrow when she is fastened by her mouth,    contention when she is beaten; 26. Fearfully venomous when falling, darkness when she hath fallen    down. 27. Following him, the Brāhman's cow extinguisheth the vital breath    of the injurer of the Brāhman. 28. Hostility when being cut to pieces, woe to children when the    portions are distributed, 29. A destructive missile of Gods when she is being seized,    misfortune when carried away; 30. Misery while being additionally acquired, contumely and abuse    while being put in the stall; 31. Poison when in agitation, fever when seasoned with condi-    ments; 32. Sin while she is cooking, evil dream when she is cooked; 33. Uprooting when she is being turned round, destruction when she    hath been turned round; 34. Discord by her smell, grief when she is being eviscerated: ser-    pent with poison in its fang when drawn; 35. Loss of power while sacrificially presented, humiliation when she    hath been offered; 36. Wrathful Sarva while being carved. Simidā when cut up: 37. Poverty while she is being eaten. Destruction when eaten. 38. The Brāhman's cow when eaten cuts off the injurer of Brāhmans    both from this world and from the world yonder. 39. Her slaughter is the sin of witchcraft, her cutting-up is a thunder-    bolt, her undigested grass is a secret spell. 40. Homelessness is she when denied her rights. 41. Having become Flesh-eating Agni the Brāhman's cow entereth    into and devoureth the oppressor of Brāhmans. 42. She sunders all his members, joints, and roots. 43. She cuts off relationship on the father's side and destroys mater-    nal kinship. 44. The Brāhman's cow, not restored by a Kshatriya, ruins the    marriages and all the kinsmen of the Brāhman's oppressor. 45. She makes him houseless, homeless, childless: he is extinguished    without posterity to succeed him. 046. So shall it be with the Kshatriya who takes to himself the cow    of the Braman who hath this knowledge. 47. Quickly, when he is smitten down by death, the clamorous vul-    tures cry: 48. Quickly around his funeral fire dance women with dishevelled    locks,   Striking the hand upon the breast and uttering their evil shriek. 49. Quickly the wolves are howling in the habitation where he    lived: 50. Quickly they ask about him, What is this? What thing hath    happened here? 51. Rend, rend to pieces, rend away, destroy, destroy him utterly. 52. Destroy Angirasi! the wretch who robs and wrongs the Brah-    mans, born. 53. Of evil womb, thou witchcraft hid, for Vaisvadevi is thy name, 54. Consuming, burning all things up, the thunderbolt of spell and    charm. 55. Go thou, becoming Mrityu sharp as razor's edge pursue thy    course: 56. Thou bearest off the tyrants' strength, their store of merit, and    their prayers. 57. Bearing off wrong, thou givest in that world to him who hath    been wronged. 58. O Cow, become a tracker through the curse the Brāhman hath    pronounced, 59. Become a bolt, an arrow through his sin, be terribly venomous. 60. O Cow, break thou the head of him who wrongs the Brāhmans,    criminal, niggard, blasphemer of the Gods. 61. Let Agni burn the spiteful wretch when crushed to death and    slain by thee. 62. Rend, rend to bits, rend through and through, scorch and con-    sume and burn to dust, 63. Consume thou, even from the root, the Brāhmans' tyrant, god-    like Cow! 64. That he may go from Yama's home afar into the worlds of sin.    its 65. So, Goddess Cow, do thou from him, the Brāhmans' tyrant,    criminal, niggard, blasphemer of the Gods, 66. With hundred-knotted thunderbolt, sharpened and edged with    razor-blades, 67. Strike off the shoulders and the head. 68. Snatch thou the hair from off his head, and from his body strip    the skin: 69. Tear out his sinews, cause his flesh to fall in pieces from his    frame. 70. Crush thou his bones together, strike and beat the marrow out    of him. 71. Dislocate all his limbs and joints. 72. From earth let the Carnivorous Agni drive him, let Vayu burn.    him from mid-air's broad region. 73. From heaven let Sūrya drive him and consume him.