An incantation for the destruction of a hostile army

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

p. 71

HYMN X

1Rise up, with all your banners rise; prepare your strength, ye
   vapoury Forms!
  Serpents and fiends and Other Folk, charge and pursue our
   enemies!
2Let those who bear an evil name, in air, in heaven on earth, and
   men,
  After Trishandhi's will, revere your power, the sway that Know-
   ledge gives, together with your ruddy flags.
3Let those with iron faces, with faces like needles or like combs,
  Flesh-eaters, rapid as the wind, cling closely to our foemen with
  Trishandhi for their thunderbolt.
4Omniscient Āditya, make full many a corpse to disappear.
  Let this devoted army of Trishandhi be in my control.
5Rise up, O Godlike Being, rise, Arbudi, with thine army: this,
  Tribute is sacrificed to thee, Trishandhi's welcome offering
6May this four-footed White-foot, may this arrow brace and bind
   thee fast:
  Together with Trishandhi's host, be thou, O Witchcraft, meant
   for foes.
7Down let the dim-eyed demon fly, and let her shorteared sister
   shriek:
  Red be the banners when the host of Arbudi hath won the day.
8Let all the birds that move on wings come downward, all fowls
   that roam the heavens and air's midregion. p. 72
  Let beasts of prey and flies attacks, and vultures that eat raw
   flesh mangle and gnaw the carcase.
9By that same binding treaty which thou madest, Brihaspati!
   with Indra! and with Brahma,
  By Indra's pledge I bid the Gods come hither. Conquer on this
   side, not on their side yonder.
10Brihaspati Angirasa, Rishis made strong and keen by prayer,
  Have set Trishandhi in the heaven, dire weapon that destroys
   the fiends.
11The Gods enjoyed Trishandhi for the sake of energy and power,
  Him under whose protection, both, Indra and yon Āditya stand.
12The Gods, victorious, won themselves all worlds by this oblation,
   which
  Brihaspati Angirasa effused, a very thunderbolt, a weapon to
   destory the friends.
13That fiend-destroying weapon which Brihaspati Angirasa poured
   out and made a thunderbolt.
  Even therewith, Brihaspati, I brush that hostile armament, and
   strike the foemen down with might.
14Over to us come all the Gods who eat the hallowed sacrifice
  With this oblation be ye pleased: conquer on this side, not on
   that.
15Over,to us let all Gods come: dear is Trishandhi's offering.
  Keen the great pledge through which, of old, the Asuras were
   overthrown.
16Let Vāyu bend the arrow-points of those who are our enemies.
  Let Indra break their arms away: no power to lay the shaft be
   theirs!
  Āditya utterly destroy their missile! Chandramās bar the path
   of him who lingers!
17If they have issued forth strongholds of Gods, and made their
   shields of prayer,
  Gaining protection for their lives, protection round about, make
   all their instigation powerless
18With the Flesh-eater and with Death, following the Purohita,
  On! forward with Trishandhi's host! conquering enemies
   advance!
19Do thou, Trishandhi, with the gloom of darkness compass round
   our foes; p. 73
  Let none escape of them expelled with speckled butter mixt with
   curds.
20Let White-foot fall upon those wings of our opponents' arma-
   ment;
  Mazed and bewildered be those hands of foes this day, O Nyar-
   budi.
21Mazed are the foemen, Nyarbudi! Slay thou each bravest man
   of them: with this our army slaughter them.
22Low lie the warrior, mailed, unmailed, each foeman in the rush
   of war.
  Down-smitten with the strings of bows, the fastenings of mail,
   the charge!
23The armour-clad, the armourless, enemies clothed with coats of
   mail,
  All these struck down, O Arbudi, let dogs devour upon the
   earth.
24Car-borne and carless fighting men, riders and those who go
   on foot,
  All these, struck down, let vultures, kites, and all, the birds of
   air devour.
25Low let the hostile army lie, thousands of corpses, on the
   ground,
  Pierced through and rent to pieces where the deadly weapons
   clash in fight.
26With eagles let them eat the evil-hearted, pierced in the vitals,
   lying crushed and howling.
  The foe whoe'er will fight against this our protecting sacrifice.
27With this which Gods attend, with this which never fails to gain
   its end,
  Let Indra, Vritra-slayer, smite, and with Trishandhi as a bolt.

p. 74