Sukta 7
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (often treated as Angiras/Atharvan-type seer for rakṣohāna hymns; specific r̥ṣi assignment varies by anukramaṇī).
Devata: Agni (as Rakṣohā/guardian and destroyer of yātudhānas).
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (4 pādas of 8 syllables; with Atharvanic metrical looseness).
الترنيمة AV 1.7 هي ترنيمة راكṣوهانا (لكسر الشياطين وإبطال السحر) تُسخِّر أغني—وغالبًا مع إندرا—لمطاردة الياتودهانا والكيميدين وكشفهم وطردهم، أولئك الذين «يلتهمون» الحياة والحظّ والصحّة. وتعمل قوة الترنيمة في حركتين مترابطتين: تُجبر القوى المعادية على أن تُظهر نفسها (باعتراف/تعيين قسري)، ثم تُسلِّمها إلى قوة النار الآكلة المُطهِّرة. وعند تلاوتها مع قربان منزلي، تُصوِّر الحماية بوصفها نصرًا أخلاقيًا (الآلهة الممدوحة تفعل) وتقنيةً طقسيةً أيضًا (أغني حارسٌ مرئي).
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
यातुधाननाशनम्। स्तु॒वा॒नम॑ग्न॒ आ व॑ह यातु॒धानं॑ किमी॒दिन॑म्। त्वं हि दे॑व वन्दि॒तो ह॒न्ता दस्यो॑र्ब॒भूवि॑थ
مُهلكُ الياتودهانا. يا أغني، احملْ إلى هاهنا الياتودهانا، الكِميدين، إلى من يسبّحك. فإنك، أيها الإله، إذا عُبِدتَ على وجهها، قد صرتَ قاتلَ الداسيو.
Mantra 2
आज्य॑स्य परमेष्ठिन् जात॑वेद॒स्तनू॑वशिन्। अग्ने॑ तौ॒लस्य॒ प्राशा॑न यातु॒धाना॒न् वि ला॑पय
يا أيها الأسمى مقاماً، يا جاتافيداس، المالك لجسده، يا أغني، بعد أن تناولت زيت السمسم، ذوّب السحرة الأشرار شرذمة شرذمة.
Mantra 3
वि ल॑पन्तु यातु॒धाना॑ अ॒त्त्रिणो॒ ये कि॑मी॒दिनः॑ । अथे॒दम॑ग्ने नो ह॒विरिन्द्र॑श्च प्रति॑ हर्यतम्
لِيَنْتَحِبِ اليَاتُوذَانَةُ مُتَفَرِّقينَ—أولئك الآكِلون، مَن كانوا الكِيمِيدِينَ. ثم تَقَبَّلا، يا أغني وإندرا، قُربانَنا هذا (هَفِس) كُلٌّ على نَوْبَتِه.
Mantra 4
अ॒ग्नि पूर्व॒ आ र॑भतां॒ प्रेन्द्रो॑ नुदतु बाहु॒मा॑न्। ब्रवी॑तु॒ सर्वो॑ यातु॒मान॒यम॒स्मीत्येत्य॑
لِيُمْسِكْ بِهِ أَغْنِي أَوَّلًا؛ وَلْيَدْفَعْهُ إِنْدْرَا ذُو الذِّرَاعِ الْقَوِيَّةِ إِلَى الْخَارِجِ. وَلْيَقُلْ كُلُّ سَاحِرٍ: «هٰذَا أَنَا»؛ فَهٰكَذَا يَخْرُجُ (لِيُعْرَفَ).
Mantra 5
पश्या॑म ते वी॒र्यं॒ जातवेदः॒ प्र णो॑ ब्रूहि यातु॒धाना॑न् नृचक्षः । त्वया॒ सर्वे॒ परि॑तप्ताः पु॒रस्तात्त आ य॑न्तु प्रब्रुवा॒णा उपे॒दम्
لِنُبْصِرْ قُدْرَتَكَ، يا جاتافيداس؛ أَخْبِرْنَا بِاليَاتُودْهَانَاتِ، يا مَنْ يَرَى النَّاسَ. بِكَ قَدِ احْتَرَقُوا جَمِيعًا مُحِيطًا بِهِمْ مِنْ قَبْلُ؛ فَلْيَأْتُوا إِلَى هُنَا مُصَرِّحِينَ مُعْتَرِفِينَ، إِلَى هٰذَا الطَّقْسِ.
Mantra 6
आ र॑भस्व जातवेदो॒ऽस्माकार्था॑य जज्ञिषे । दू॒तो नो॑ अग्ने भू॒त्वा या॑तु॒धाना॒न् वि ला॑पय
تَشَبَّثْ، يا جاتافيداس؛ لأجل منفعتِنا وُلِدتَ. صِرْ رسولَنا، يا أغني، واذِبْ—وبَدِّدْ—اليَاتُوذَانَةَ.
Mantra 7
त्व॑मग्ने यातु॒धाना॒नुप॑बद्धाँ इ॒हा व॑ह । अथै॑षा॒मिन्द्रो॒ वज्रे॒णापि॑ शी॒र्षाणि॑ वृश्चतु
أنتَ، يا أغني، احمِلْ إلى هنا اليَاتُوذَانَةَ مُوثَقينَ بإحكام. ثم لِيَقْطَعْ إندرا أيضًا، بصاعقته (فَجْرَه)، رؤوسَهم.
Inside Sukta 7
How it unfolds
- How it opens
Agni is praised and summoned as the yātudhāna-destroyer, asked to bring the hidden hostile being into reach of the worshipper’s praise and rite.
- What it asks
That yātudhānas/kimīdins be made to wail, be exposed, and be driven out; that Agni (with Indra) accept the oblation and thereby secure protection.
- Where its power lies
Agni, when duly adored, is declared the proven slayer of Dasyus and hostile powers—his grasp reveals and his fire consumes; Indra’s force drives the enemy away.
- How it closes
The rite is sealed by divine acceptance of havis and the compelled disclosure/expulsion of the yātu—hostility is rendered visible, named, and removed from the household sphere.
Famous verses
yātudhānanāśanam
ayam asmīti
Kind of hymn
Abhicarika (Apotropaic/Counter-sorcery)
What it is for
Exposure, humiliation, dispersal, and destruction/repulsion of yātudhāna- and kimīdin-type hostile agencies; stabilization of the home through Agni’s guardianship and accepted oblation.
Who it is for
Householders maintaining the domestic fire; ritual specialists performing protective counter-sorcery; anyone seeking warding against occult attack, night-terrors, or ‘devouring’ afflictions.
Also used as
- Rakṣohāna (anti-demonic)
- Shantika (protective pacification through oblation)
- Gṛhya-protection (household warding)
The deity
Agni is invoked as the household fire and cosmic purifier who detects impurity, seizes hostile beings, and consumes/banishes demonic or sorcerous aggression; Indra functions as the forceful expeller who drives the attacker out and breaks resistance.
Powers of the deity
- Rakṣas-slaying and yātudhāna-destruction
- Revealing/bringing-to-light hidden attackers
- Seizing and binding hostile agencies (ā-rabh)
- Purification through fire and oblation
- Driving out and dispersing threats (with Indra’s nuda-/repulsion)
- Securing divine acceptance of havis for protection
Why the deity is called
To summon Agni’s guarding presence into the rite so that the yātudhāna/kimīdin is drawn near, identified, made to confess, and then expelled/consumed—while the oblation is accepted as the protective payment and seal.
The seer
- Atharvan/Āṅgiras-type seer (rakṣohāna anukramaṇī assignment varies)Atharvan. Apotropaic charms (rakṣohāna), counter-sorcery against yātu/yātudhāna, expulsion and exposure rites, fire-centered protective liturgy in the household setting
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 1.6
- AV 1.8
- AV 2.24
- AV 4.36
Preparing for the rite
- Kindle or steady the domestic Agni (gārhapatya/household fire) and clean the hearth area.
- Prepare a simple havis (commonly ghee and/or cooked food portion) with a clean ladle/spoon.
- Seat the reciter facing the fire; establish silence and a protective boundary (mental/ritual) around the household space.
The rite
- Recite the hymn as direct address to Agni (and where applicable Indra), synchronizing key lines with offering moments.
- At verses that speak of seizing/expelling, gesture toward the fire (as the ‘grasp’) and outward from the house (as the ‘thrusting out’).
- Offer havis into Agni at the acceptance-request verse(s), treating the oblation as the formal contract of protection.
- Conclude with a final oblation or a brief silent watch of the flame, visualizing the hostile agency revealed and removed.
What it needs
- Ritual fire (Agni)
- Havis/oblation (typically ghee; optionally grain/food offering)
- Ladle/spoon (sruc)
- Clean water for preliminary purification (ācamanā-like rinsing)
When
Especially at dusk/nightfall (when rakṣas are ritually imagined as active), or whenever signs of hostile influence are feared; can be repeated for several nights as needed.
The main substance
Agni (ritual fire) with havis (ghee/food oblation)
How it is prepared
Prepare a small, pure oblation (ghee or food portion). Keep the fire steady; offer in measured portions at the acceptance-request verse(s), using the flame as the consuming/warding focus.
Frequently Asked Questions
They are hostile beings in Atharvanic language—figures of sorcery, devouring affliction, and unseen attack. The hymn treats them as forces that can be exposed, named, and driven away by Agni’s power.
Agni is both visible and ritually operative: fire reveals what is hidden, purifies what is tainted, and ‘consumes’ hostility. When praised and fed with oblation, Agni is invoked as a guardian who can seize and neutralize the attacker.
By reciting it at the household fire with a simple ghee/food offering, especially at dusk or when fear of harm arises. The recitation is paired with the intent that the threat be revealed, compelled to withdraw, and barred from returning.
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