Atharvaveda

By Rajbali Pandey

'Veda' literally means 'knowledge' in Sanskrit. It is because the term was derived when the ancients thought of putting their experiences in an organised manner. It can't be said in the written form because it is certain that in that hoary past period writing had not been invented. Nevertheless, the four Vedas, viz. Rigveda, Saamveda, Yajurveda and Atharvaveda, are known to contain the pristine gems of Indian wisdom. They appear universally important because they constitute one of the first records of the human 'awakened' experiences. They can be said to be the very fount of Indian wisdom. It is their status, apart from the contents, that made them universally popular. It is to highlight their extreme significance that we are undertaking this project of revealing before the curious readers their Sookta or aphorism-wise translation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Diamond Books
• Release date: Dec 7, 2021
• ISBN: 9788128822766

Book preview

First Chapter

First Section Sookta 1 : Deity Vachaspati (Brahma)

The whole material of the entire world is instinct with 21 deities. May the lord of speech Brahma give me their strength. O Lord of speech and of good come again, with divine mind and let it abide in me, in myself by what is heard. Grant me my desired fruit. O Vachaspati Brahma! Please stabilise my wisdom in affluence. Make us ever full of all knowledge.

Sookta 2 : Deity : Megha (rain laden cloud)

The sustainer of all the animate and inanimate beings are Megha and the earth; they Vaau’s father and mother. Remove the keen arrows and the malicious acts of the enemy far away from us, O Lord of gods. Make our bodies firm and robust. May this Vaau’ (Medical instrument with sharp edge) cure our troubles and heat up our wounds and abraseous.

Sookta 3 : Deity, Parjanye (rain laden Cloud or Megha).

O Patient with this Vaau, the product of Megha I set right your urinary trouble. I use the solar rays to treat your problems. May your held up urine burst out with a gurgling sound. I have opened the hole of your urinary tract.

Sookta 4 : Deity : Aap (Water)

The Yaagyikas (yagya performers) come to the yagya with water, Som-rasa, milk and ghee. May the moisture present in the Solar system ensure success to our yagya. The water endowed with divine qualities and replete with the medicinal qualities of nectar grant strength to our catties and other animals. I invoke the water deity!

Sookta 5 : Deity : Aap (Water)

O beneficial waters! Make us sturdy with your essence. May we get you in enough quantity to produce sufficient grains. I pray for water deity, the lord of all resources giving happiness and having the water capable of curing all the diseases.

Sookta 6 : Deity : Aap : (water)

May water full of all the divine qualities give us happiness and pleasure. May its form instinct in all the medicinal herbs prove perfect remedy to our all physical ailments and entirely auspicious. May the water found in water-rich areas, the wells and even the deserts and pitchers provide us relief and happiness.

Second Section : Sookta 7 : Deity : Agni & Indra

O Agni! Pleased with our offerings may you send the prayed God quickly to us. Pleased with the oblation and ghee offered, may you and Indra destroy all the demons. O Agni, embodying all knowledge, become our envoy and fulfil our all desired objectives. Please remove the demons. May Indra behead the demons with his thunderbolt.

Sookta : 8 : Deity : Jupiter (Brihaspati)

Like fast flowing rivers throw their water to far off places, the same way you must convey the offering made by us to the deities far off from us. Throw these wile beings and their wicked endeavours far away from us. O Agni! O Brihaspati! Please destroy this demon seeking your shelter suffering distress from you only. Become strong by the charge of the mantra and omniscient, destroy this demon and his entire life.

Sookta 9 : Deity : Vasu etc.

May Vasu, Indra, Pousha, Varuna, Surya, Agni and other deities grant enough wealth and other resources to the Yajaman (host) desirous of them and May Aditya and Vishwadeva make him illustrious. O gods! please ensure that this host retains your divine glow. Make him devoid of all enemies and reach heavens. O Agni having free access to all the gods, make this host prosper with the change of the yagya incantations and make him the best in his realm!

Sookta 10: Deity : Varuna

Varuna Dev (deity) is controller of all and the authority to punish the sinners. He is capable of ever speaking truth. Gaining strength from him I have become strong and in this capacity I endeavour to protect the host troubles by wrath of Varuna. O Varuna, may this host, now devoted to you live for hundered years. I rescue this host who spoke lie and hence inviting wrath of Varuna Dev with this prayer. O Varuna! Propitiated by these prayers may you pardon all our offences.

Sookta : 11 : Deity : Pousha and Others

O Pousha! May the Ritwijas through the pronouncement of Swaha and Aryama, Veda through obtation propitiate you. May with your grace this woman deliver the child without any trouble. Indra, the guardian of the quartes who allowed her to become pregnant may ensure her safe delivery. May Pousha ensure her becoming decay less. May Maruti Dev (wind) make her deliver easily. They must make save that the embryo may not slip out to the ground in delivery. May the infant come out so naturally as the birds fly in the air and wind and mind move at will!

Third Section : Soocta 12 : Deity : Sun and other who cure Diseases :

In this mortal world the first to dawn is the sun, as fast as the fast moving rain laden clouds. Though bedight in three ways yet all alone, the sun keep our all the three basic humours : the bils, the phlegm and the wind on an even keel.

O Sun and the gods close by him. propitiate with our oblation - offering, keep the host free of headaches, cold and other illnesses. May all the diseases generated by initiation of the bile, phlegm and the wind be cured quickly. May all the diseases that afflict my body be cured instantly and I may remain happy. May my every limb be well.

Sookta 13 : Deity : Parjanya Electricity

My obesaince to shining electirc spark and its thunderous roar. I salute to the rain laden clouds. You all hurl blows to destroy the sinners. My salutations to Parjainva (the rain laden clouds) the protector of the noble. May you grant happiness to us and our progeny and remove our all fears. O inaccessible clouds! Our salutations to you!

Sookta : 14 : Deity : The Bride - and the Groom (the deities who ensure conjugal bliss.)

I accept this bride’s brilliance and her great good fortune. She is like mother to me. May among the relations she enjoys everlasting fame. O king (the groom) following a well regulated discipline. May this bride remain in your family for a very long period. She is the protrectress of the family. Till she lives all your family will live happily. O Som-drinking deity, ever fetter-less, I enturine her with your affluence.

Sookta 15 : Deity : Prajapati

May all rivers, winds and birds remain ever favourable to me. I am performing the yagya with milk, ghee and other oblation to satisfy the deities. May they also remain favourable to me. O Deities! May the offerings made in the yagya draw you to its host and grant him boon to make him endowed with progeny, cattle and wealth. May the rivers unending waters grant us wealth and food without any break. May we get ghee, water, cattle-wealth and other resources to our heart’s desire.

Sookta 16 : Deity : Agni - Varuna and others

May Agnideva, the scourge of the demons prowling in night and destroyer of humans, grant us respite and relief from him. Indra has promised -that he is soon going to destroy the Seesa demons. May the world be protected by them. May enemy not cause any damage to our horses, servants and the warriors. So we dstroy those Seesa demons.

Fourth Section : Sookta : 17 : Deity That Control Human Arteries

The women that go yonder may have their arteries still and blood-flow ceased. Stand still the lower arteries, the higher ones and the middle ones. May the tiniest vein stand still and may the great artery stand still. Of the hundred arteries, and the thousand veins and those in the middles, have all really stood still, and then their ends have ceased to flow.

Sookta 18 : Deity : The Sun and other Deities:

May Savita drive out the stigmas on the entire body. May Savita drive them away from feet, head, face and the entire body. May Varuna, Mitra, Aryaman drive them out from the hands; may Amimati kindly drive all out of us. O man! we drive away all the inauspicious marks on your body, face, eyes etc. through the chanting of Mantras. We drive away this wile woman embodying all the wicked ailments who has feet like that of a deer, teeth like that of ox, gait like that of a cow with the efficacy of our charged mantras.

Sookta 19 : Deities : Indra and others

May no enemy armed with projectile weapons and hand held weapons every succeed in reaching close to us. O Indra! Keep us safe from the enemy arrows. May our divine weapons destroy all our enemies whether he of our community or out of it and those that intend enslaving us. May the supreme destroyer Rudra finish them off with his arrows. May my mantra protect me like my armour.

Sookta 20 : Deity Soma-Marudganas etc.

O Soma! May our enemy be seperated from his spouse and house. O Marudganas! May our yagya keep us happy and well and our enemies far removed. O Varuna! Remove the weapons in the enemy hands so that he may not indulge in violence with us. Grant us happiness. O Indra! You are invincible and the scourge of enemy. He who seeks friendship with you also becoms invincible and beyond all violent attacks. May with your help we may trounce our enemy.

Sookta 21 : Deity : Indra

May indestructible, giver of auspicious results, loving nourisher of his people, destroyer of Vritta in order to ensure happy rains, scourge of the enemy, the lord of all beings, Indra, the lover of som grant us security from all fears. May he lead us in the war. O supremely affluent Indra, destroy our enemies. Put our enemies willing to usurp all our wealth and happiness in dark dungeons. O Lord! O destroyers of Vrita, break the jaws of our enemies to discourage their intention of troubing us and make their arrow unable to reach us.

Fifth Section : Sookta 22 : Deity : Sun

O Pateint ! May your heart ailment and Jaundice turned discoloured body may acquire right colour by the grace of the sun. May your colour become red like that of a milch cow. May you become robust and cured totally. We make you red- hued like the wish-fulfilling cow, kaamdhenu. May your body become as green (well) as that of the healthy parrot.

Sookta 23 : Deities : Herbs

Night-born ant thou, O herb, dark, black, sable one. Do thou, rich in colour stain this leprosy and spot. The leprous and grey spots, make thou disappear from here. Let thine own colour settle, drive away the white spots hence. Sable is thy secret space, sable they home, sable art thou, O herb, drive away from here the speckled spots.

Sookta 24 : Deity : Demonic Herb

The Suparna (Garuda) was born first and thou was its gall; then the Asuri (demonic) women having conquered gave it to the forest trees for their colour. She was the first to make this remedy for the leprous spots - this remover of leprosy. She has made the leprous spots disappear and made the skin of even colour. Even colour is the name of thy mother; even colour is the name of thy father. Thou producing even colour; make this spot of even colour.

Sookta 25 : Deity : Agni is cure of Tuberculosis and other fever

O Painful fever! Realise this that your source is the fire of the Heaven and hence when the warm water consecrated by yagya Agni is sprinkled you must quit our body. Since you make the body’s complexion pat you are also called ‘Hudoo’. O body heating fever originated by yagya-Agni, when doused by the yagya heated warm water, you must quite our body. O Cold fever and other forms of fever, I salute you all and request you all to leave my body!

Sookta 26 : Deity : Indra and Other Gods

O Gods! Please ensure that the weapons cast by our enemies and the stones hurled by them remain far from us. May all the gods including Indra and sun ever remain our friends. May they provide us all hapiness a total good health, ensure happiness of our progeny and destroy all the afflictions. May the Marudganas and Parjamya (Megha) endowed with seven hues grant us all happiness.

Sookta 27 : Deity : Indrani

Twenty one of the enemy forces stand yonder on the further spot, like a she-snake, out of their sloughs. We wrap up the eyes of them, the maliquant foes, with these sloughs. Neither have they been ever together, nor could they venture anything being weak. May the enemies, the maliquant ones, be unsuccessful like bamboo-sprouts! Move forward ye two feet, be quick to take us to the houses of our bestowes; let Indrani, the Indra’s might, go first unscathed; unrobbed in front.

Sookta 28 : Deity : Agni, Yatudhan (Demons)

The destroyer of all diseases and demons, Agnideva is reaching close to the host of the yagya, having moved from the heaven. O Agni! Destroy all the hell-bounds, demons and giants in your fire. May the bitter speaking, violent demoness who fleece even their own progeny of all their vitality may devour them and all the enemy issues as well. May they die quarreling mutually.

Sixth Section : Sookta 29 : Deity : Brahmanaspati (Brihaspati)

O Lord of Brahmanas! Make the gem which ensures all prosperity to Indra cause prosperity to that state which is distressed by enemies. O gem! Make our enemies powerless. O gem enriched by the influence of the Sun, the nourisher of the beings, and the moon, you enhance glory of the one who wears you. Grant me power to defeat my enemy. First to dawn we the sun the inspirer of all the beings with his grace rose up my mantra-charged voice. May I succeed in violently trouncing my enemy. O Gem! May your association ensure my slaying the enemies and becoming the master of this state so that I enjoy all the desired fruits that I clamour for.

Sookta 30 : Deity : Vishwadeva:

O Indra, Vishwadeva, Vasuganas, Dhata, Aryama gods! Protect the host desirous of long age. Make his enemies lose their strength. May no one be able to cause him any violence. I entrust his custody to you. Protect him from all troubles and grant him full age. O gods dewelling in heaven, O Agni deva dweling on the earth, O wind freely moving in the space! Enhance the age of my host. Those gods for whom pancha yagyas are performed; those that have their do share in the yagya, those Indra and other gods-all of them should ensure the host getting a long age.

Sookta : 31 : Deity Directions’ Guardians

We invoke the guardians with our mantras. O Indras and other guardians of the direction! Protect us from death and other nooses of sorrow. May the fourth guardian, Kubera, grant us wealth - I offer oblation to Kubera. May our parents, cows and all relations receive best of wealth; may they succeed in their all endeavours. May we all see the sun for a hundred years.

Sookta 32 : Deity : Sky-Earth

Know ye folk, a great mystery, about to be made known- that which is not found either on earth or in heaven, whereby the plants breathe. In the atmosphere is their stay, like a station for the wearied the place of support. This the wise know, or perhaps, they know not? What is trembling firmaments and the earth together fashioned, is now in perfectual motion, like the streams of the mighty ocean.

The one Earth has encompassed all; all this rests upon the other. Both the Heaven and Earth, the all possessing I have paid my homage.

Sookta 33 : Deity : Aap (Water)

May these gleaming waters, all purifying, who assumed Agni as their embryo, be blessing and pleasing for us; Amidst whom the king Varuna goes, watching over the truth and falsehood of men, who is of gleaming colours, be blessing and joy for us! O waters, behold us with propitious eye, bathe my skin with propitious body, they that are ghee dripping, clean and purifying let these waters be blessing and joy for us.

Sookta 34 : Deity : Hiranyam (Gold)

O men I tie this