Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book VII/Hymn 88 (93)

88 (93). Against poison.

[Garutman.—takṣakadevatyam. 3-av. bṛhatī.]

⌊Prose.⌋ Found in Pāipp. xx., but so defaced as not to be comparable in detail. Used by Kāuç. (29. 6) in a healing rite against snake-poison, rubbing the bite with grass and flinging this out in the direction of the snake.

Translated: Ludwig, p. 511; Henry, 36, 106; Griffith, i. 373.

1. Go away! enemy (ári) art thou; enemy verily art thou; in poison hast thou mixed poison; poison verily hast thou mixed; go away straight to the snake; smite that!

It can be seen in Ppp. that the combination arir vā ’si is made. Addressed to the poison (comm.), or to the wisp of grass that wipes it off (Henry)—or otherwise. The "verse" (12: 14: 10 = 36) is bṛhatī only in number of syllables. ⌊The comm. reads abhyupehi. He takes the "that" to mean the snake. With regard to the auto-toxic action of snake-venoms, see note to v. 13. 4.⌋