{"collection":"Hinduism","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/hin/av/av10004.htm","path":"hin/av/av10004.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/hin/av/av10004.htm","text":"Hymns of the Atharva Veda, by Ralph T.H. Griffith, [1895]\n2The first of all is Indra's car, next is the chariot of the Gods\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0the third is Varuna's alone.\n \u00a0\u00a0The last, the Serpents' chariot, struck the pillar and then sped\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0away. p. 12\n 2Their lustre is the Darbha-grass, its young shoots are their\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0horse's tail: the reed's plume is their chariot seat.\n 3Strike out, white courser! with thy foot, strike both with fore\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0and hinder foot,\n \u00a0\u00a0Stay the dire poison of the Snakes, and make it weak as soaking\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0wood.\n \u00a0\u00a0-4. Loud neighing he hath dived below, and rising up again replied,\n \u00a0\u00a0Stayed the dire poison of the Snakes, and made it weak as\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0soaking wood.\n 5Paidva kills Kasarnila, kills both the white Serpent and the\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0black,\n \u00a0\u00a0Paidva hath struck and cleft in twain Ratharvi's and the Viper's\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0head.\n 6Go onward, horse of Pedu! go thou first: we follow after thee.\n \u00a0\u00a0Cast thou aside the Serpents from the pathway whereupon we\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0tread.\n 7Here was the horse of Pedu born: this is the way that takes him\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0hence.\n \u00a0\u00a0These are the tracks the courser left, the mighty slayer of the\n \u00a0\u00a0Snakes.\n 8Let him not close the opened mouth, nor open that which now\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0is closed.\n \u00a0\u00a0Two snakes are in this field, and both, female and male, are\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0powerless.\n 9Powerless are the serpents here, those that are near and those\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0afar.\n \u00a0\u00a0I kill the scorpion with a club, and with a staff the new-come\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0snake.\n 10This is the remedy against Agh\u0101sva and the adder, both:\n \u00a0\u00a0Indra and Paidva have subdued and tamed the vicious snake for\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0me.\n 11We fix our thoughts on Pedu's horse, strong, off-spring of a\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0stedfast line.\n \u00a0\u00a0Behind our backs the vipers here crouch down and lie in wait\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0for us.\n 12Bereft of life and poison they lie slain by bolt-armed Indra's\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0hand. Indra and we have slaughtered them.\n 013. Tiraschir\u0101jis have been slain, and vipers crushed and brayed to\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0bits. p. 13\n \u00a0\u00a0Slay Darvi in the Darbha-grass, Karikrata, and White and\n \u00a0\u00a0Black.\n 14The young maid of Kir\u0101ta race, a little damsel, digs the drug,\n \u00a0\u00a0Digs it with shovels wrought of gold on the high ridges of the\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0hills.\n 15Hither the young uuconquered leech who slays the speckled\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0snake hath come.\n \u00a0\u00a0He verily demolishes adder and scorpion; both of them.\n 16Indra, Mitra and Varuna, and V\u0101ta and Parjanya both have\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0given the serpent up to me.\n 17Indra hath given him up to me, the female viper and the male,\n \u00a0\u00a0The adder, him with stripes athwart. Kasarnila, Dasonasi.\n 18O Serpent, Indra hath destroyed the sire who first engendered\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0thee:\n \u00a0\u00a0And when these snakes are pierced and bored what sap and\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0vigour will be theirs?\n 19Their heads have I seized firmly as a fisher grasps the spotted\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0prey,\n \u00a0\u00a0Waded half through the stream and washed the poison of the\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0serpents off.\n 20Let the floods hurry on and bear the poison of all snakes afar.\n \u00a0\u00a0Tiraschir\u0101jis have been slain and vipers crushed and brayed to\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0bits.\n 21As from the salutary plants I deftly pick the fibres out, And\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0guide them skilfully like mares, so let thy venom, Snake!\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0depart,\n 22All poison that the sun and fire, all that the earth and plants\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0contain,\n \u00a0\u00a0Poison of most effectual power\u2014let all thy venom pass away.\n 23Serpents which fire or plants have generated, those which have\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0sprung from waters or the lightning,\n \u00a0\u00a0Whose mighty broods are found in many places, these serpents\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0we will reverently worship.\n 24Thou art a maid called Taudi, or Ghrit\u0101chi is thy name. Thy\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0place;\n \u00a0\u00a0Is underneath my foot. I take the poison-killing remedy.\n 25From every member drive away the venom, and avoid the heart.\n \u00a0\u00a0Then let the poison's burning heat pass downward and away-\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0from thee. p. 14\n 26The bane hath fled afar. It wept, and asked the poison how it\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0fared.\n 27Agni hath found the venom of the serpent, Soma drawn it out.\n \u00a0\u00a0Back to the biter hath returned the poison, and the snake hath\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0died.","title":"Atharva Veda: Book 10: Hymn 4: A charm to destroy venomous serpents","type":"page"}