Sukta 18
यत् त आत्मनि तन्वां ऽ घोरमस्ति यद्वा केशेषु प्रतिचक्षणे वा । सर्वं तद्वाचाप हन्मो वयं देवस्त्वा सविता सूदयतु
yát te ātmáni tanvā̀ṃ ’ ghóram ásti yád vā kéśeṣu pratícakṣaṇe vā | sárvaṃ tád vācā́pa hanmo vayáṃ devás tvā savitā́ sūdayatu ||
Whatsoever of thine, within thy self, within thy body, is terrible; or whatsoever is in the hairs, or in the look and aspect—All that do we smite away with speech. May the God Savitar impel thee onward (to safety).
Rishi: Atharvanic/Angirasic tradition (ascribed at the hymn level in Anukramaṇī; verse-level attribution not separately marked here).
Devata: Savitar (with the implicit target being the ‘ghora’ evil/affliction).
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (predominant; this verse conforms to the common AV anuṣṭubh cadence).
{"primary_rasa":"shanta","secondary_rasa":"vira","emotional_arc":"From alarm at the ‘terrible’ presence → decisive verbal striking-away → calm assurance through Savitar’s onward impulse.","listener_experience":"Feels like a protective diagnostic scan followed by a clean energetic ‘cut’ and a bright, forward-moving release.","intensity":6}