Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book II/Hymn 11
11. To counteract witchcraft: with an amulet.
[Çukra.—kṛtyāpratiharaṇasūktam; kṛtyādūṣaṇadevatyam. 1. 4p. virāḍgāyatrī; 2-5. 3-p. paroṣṇih (4. pipīlikamadhyā nicṛt).]
⌊The hymn is not metrical.⌋ Not found in Pāipp., nor elsewhere. Reckoned as first of the kṛtyāpratiharaṇa ('counteraction of witchcraft') gaṇa (Kāuç. 39. 7 and note); used in a charm for protection against witchcraft (39. 1), with binding-on of a sraktya amulet; and again later (39. 13; the comm. says, only vs. 1), in a similar rite. The comm. quotes it further from Nakṣ. K. (17, 19), in a mahāçānti called bārhaspatī.
Translated: Weber, xiii. 163; Griffith, i. 54.—Discussed by Bloomfield, AJP. vii. 477 ff., or JAOS. xiii., p. cxxxii (= PAOS. Oct. 1886).
1. Spoiler's spoiler (dū́ṣi) art thou; missile's missile (hetí) art thou; weapon's weapon (mení) art thou: attain (āp) the better one, step beyond the equal (samá).
The body of the verse is addressed to the amulet; the refrain more probably to its wearer (so, too, Weber); but the comm. assigns the latter also to the amulet, and quotes to show it TS. ii. 4. 14, which rather supports the contrary opinion. He calls mení a vajranāman, deriving it from root mī 'damage.' ⌊See Geldner's discussion of mení ('hurt done to another in vengeful anger'), Festgruss an Böhtlingk, p. 31, 32.⌋
2. Sraktyà. art thou; re-entrant (pratisará) art thou; counter-conjuring art thou: attain the etc. etc.
The comm. says that srakti is the tilaka-tree, and sraktya means made from it; pratisara is something by which sorceries are turned back (upon their performer); it seems to mean virtually a circular amulet—⌊such as a bracelet? For re-entrant, Whitney has interlined revertent (sic), better, perhaps, reverting, trans, or intrans.⌋.
3. Conjure (abhi-car) against him who hates us, whom we hate: attain the etc. etc.
4. Patron (sūrí) art thou; splendor-bestowing art thou; body-protecting art thou: attain the etc. etc.
The comm., without explaining why, glosses sūrí with abhijña 'knowing.'
5. Bright (çukrá) art thou; shining (bhrājá) art thou; heaven (svàr) art thou; light art thou: attain the etc. etc.
The comm. thinks svàr to be jvarādirogotpādanena tāpakaḥ, or else "the common name of sky and sun."
The Anukr. scans vs. 1 as 6 + 6 + 6: 12 = 30, and the other verses as 8 + 8: 12 = 28, excepting vs. 4, which is 9 + 6: 12 = 27 (restoring the a of asi in b).