Atharva Veda: Book 1: Hymn 23: A charm against leprosy
Hymns of the Atharva Veda, by Ralph T.H. Griffith, [1895]
1O Plant, thou sprangest up at night, dusky, dark-coloured,
black in hue! p. a22
So, Rajani, re-colour thou these ashy spots, this leprosy.
2Expel the leprosy, remove from him the spots and ashy hue:
Let thine own colour come to thee; drive far away the specks of
white.
3Dark is the place of thy repose, dark is the place thou dwellest
in:
Dusky and dark, O Plant, art thou: remove from him each
speck and spot.
4I with my spell have chased away the pallid sign of leprosy,
Caused by infection, on the skin, sprung from the body, from the
bones.