Atharva Veda: Book 19: Hymn 30: A protective charm accompanying investiture with an amulet of Darbha grass
Hymns of the Atharva Veda, by Ralph T.H. Griffith, [1895]
1Darbha, with that good shield of thine, of hundred guards tilt
death in eld,
Arm thou this man, and with thy might strike thou his adver-
saries down.
2Darbha, thou hast a hundred shields, thou hast a thousand.
manly powers.
All Gods have given thee to him to bear thee till extreme old
age.
3They call thee, ‘Darbha, shield of Gods, they call the Brāhmanas-
pati.
They call thee shield of Indra: thou protectest kingdoms from
attack.
4Darbha, destroyer of the foe, vexing the hearts of enemies,
An Amulet that strengthens rule I make thee, and the body's.
guard.
5What time Parjanya roared to it with lightning flashes in the sea,
Thence came the drop, the golden drop, thence Darbha into
being sprang.