A charm to destroy venomous serpents

Hymns of the Atharva Veda, by Ralph T.H. Griffith, [1895], at sacred-texts.com

HYMN IV

A charm to destroy venomous serpents

2The first of all is Indra's car, next is the chariot of the Gods
   the third is Varuna's alone.
  The last, the Serpents' chariot, struck the pillar and then sped
   away. p. 12
2Their lustre is the Darbha-grass, its young shoots are their
   horse's tail: the reed's plume is their chariot seat.
3Strike out, white courser! with thy foot, strike both with fore
   and hinder foot,
  Stay the dire poison of the Snakes, and make it weak as soaking
   wood.
  -4. Loud neighing he hath dived below, and rising up again replied,
  Stayed the dire poison of the Snakes, and made it weak as
   soaking wood.
5Paidva kills Kasarnila, kills both the white Serpent and the
   black,
  Paidva hath struck and cleft in twain Ratharvi's and the Viper's
   head.
6Go onward, horse of Pedu! go thou first: we follow after thee.
  Cast thou aside the Serpents from the pathway whereupon we
   tread.
7Here was the horse of Pedu born: this is the way that takes him
   hence.
  These are the tracks the courser left, the mighty slayer of the
  Snakes.
8Let him not close the opened mouth, nor open that which now
   is closed.
  Two snakes are in this field, and both, female and male, are
   powerless.
9Powerless are the serpents here, those that are near and those
   afar.
  I kill the scorpion with a club, and with a staff the new-come
   snake.
10This is the remedy against Aghāsva and the adder, both:
  Indra and Paidva have subdued and tamed the vicious snake for
   me.
11We fix our thoughts on Pedu's horse, strong, off-spring of a
   stedfast line.
  Behind our backs the vipers here crouch down and lie in wait
   for us.
12Bereft of life and poison they lie slain by bolt-armed Indra's
   hand. Indra and we have slaughtered them.
013. Tiraschirājis have been slain, and vipers crushed and brayed to
   bits. p. 13
  Slay Darvi in the Darbha-grass, Karikrata, and White and
  Black.
14The young maid of Kirāta race, a little damsel, digs the drug,
  Digs it with shovels wrought of gold on the high ridges of the
   hills.
15Hither the young uuconquered leech who slays the speckled
   snake hath come.
  He verily demolishes adder and scorpion; both of them.
16Indra, Mitra and Varuna, and Vāta and Parjanya both have
   given the serpent up to me.
17Indra hath given him up to me, the female viper and the male,
  The adder, him with stripes athwart. Kasarnila, Dasonasi.
18O Serpent, Indra hath destroyed the sire who first engendered
   thee:
  And when these snakes are pierced and bored what sap and
   vigour will be theirs?
19Their heads have I seized firmly as a fisher grasps the spotted
   prey,
  Waded half through the stream and washed the poison of the
   serpents off.
20Let the floods hurry on and bear the poison of all snakes afar.
  Tiraschirājis have been slain and vipers crushed and brayed to
   bits.
21As from the salutary plants I deftly pick the fibres out, And
   guide them skilfully like mares, so let thy venom, Snake!
   depart,
22All poison that the sun and fire, all that the earth and plants
   contain,
  Poison of most effectual power—let all thy venom pass away.
23Serpents which fire or plants have generated, those which have
   sprung from waters or the lightning,
  Whose mighty broods are found in many places, these serpents
   we will reverently worship.
24Thou art a maid called Taudi, or Ghritāchi is thy name. Thy
   place;
  Is underneath my foot. I take the poison-killing remedy.
25From every member drive away the venom, and avoid the heart.
  Then let the poison's burning heat pass downward and away-
   from thee. p. 14
26The bane hath fled afar. It wept, and asked the poison how it
   fared.
27Agni hath found the venom of the serpent, Soma drawn it out.
  Back to the biter hath returned the poison, and the snake hath
   died.