Sukta 29

Mantra 1

रक्षोघ्नम्। पु॒रस्ता॑द् यु॒क्तो व॑ह जातवे॒दोऽग्ने॑ वि॒द्धि क्रि॒यमा॑णं॒ यथे॒दम्। त्वं भि॒षग् भे॑ष॒जस्या॑सि क॒र्ता त्वया॒ गामश्वं॒ पुरु॑षं सनेम

Demon-slaying: harnessed in front, bear thou it, O Jātavedas Agni; take cognizance of what is being wrought, that thus this may be. Thou art the healer, the accomplisher of the remedy: by thee may we win cow and horse and manly strength.

Mantra 2

तथा॒ तद॑ग्ने कृणु जातवेदो॒ विश्वे॑भिर्दे॒वैः स॒ह सं॑विदा॒नः । यो नो॑ दि॒देव॑ यत॒मो ज॒घास॒ यथा॒ सो अ॒स्य प॑रि॒धिष्पता॑ति

So do thou that, O Agni Jātavedas, in concord with all the Gods. Whoso hath wronged us, whoso hath devoured—so may he, at his boundary, fall away and come to ruin.

Mantra 3

यथा॒ सो अ॒स्य प॑रि॒धिष्पता॑ति तथा॒ तद॑ग्ने कृणु जातवेदः । विश्वे॑भिर्दे॒वैः स॒ह सं॑विदा॒नः

Even as he, at his boundary, falls away—so do thou that, O Agni Jātavedas, in concord with all the Gods.

Mantra 4

अ॒क्ष्यौ॒३नि वि॑ध्य॒ हृद॑यं॒ नि वि॑ध्य जि॒ह्वां नि तृ॑न्द्धि॒ प्र द॒तो मृ॑णीहि । पि॒शा॒चो अ॒स्य य॑त॒मो ज॒घासाग्ने यविष्ठ॒ प्रति॒ तं शृ॑णीहि

Pierce down through the eyes; pierce down through the heart; cut off the tongue; crush forth the teeth. Whichever Piśāca of his hath devoured (him)—O Agni, youngest—against that one hew thou in return.

Mantra 5

यद॑स्य हृ॒तं विहृ॑तं॒ यत् परा॑भृतमा॒त्मनो॑ ज॒ग्धं य॑तम॒त् पि॑शा॒चैः । तद॑ग्ने वि॒द्वान् पुन॒रा भ॑र॒ त्वं शरी॑रे मां॒समसु॒मेर॑यामः

What of him hath been taken, what carried off, what borne away afar—what of his very self the Piśācas have eaten: that, O Agni, knowing, bring thou back again; in the body we will re-set the flesh, we will re-order the life-breaths.

Mantra 6

आ॒मे सुप॑क्वे श॒बले॒ विप॑क्वे॒ यो मा॑ पिशा॒चो अश॑ने द॒दम्भ॑ । तदा॒त्मना॑ प्र॒जया॑ पिशा॒चा वि या॑तयन्तामग॒दो॒३यम॑स्तु

In raw, in well-cooked, in mixed, in over-cooked—what Piśāca hath injured me in the eating: that, with its own self, with its progeny, let the Piśācas be driven apart; let this be an antidote.

Mantra 7

क्षि॒रे मा॑ म॒न्थे य॑त॒मो द॒दम्भा॑कृष्टप॒च्ये अश॑ने धा॒न्ये॒३यः । तदा॒त्मना॑ प्र॒जया॑ पिशा॒चा वि या॑तयन्तामग॒दो॒३यम॑स्तु

In milk, in the churned draught, in the cooked dish drawn together, in grain-food—whichever (Piśāca) hath afflicted me in the eating: that, with its own self, with its progeny, let the Piśācas be driven apart; let this be an antidote.

Mantra 8

अ॒पां मा॒ पाने॑ यत॒मो द॒दम्भ॑ क्र॒व्याद् या॑तू॒नां शय॑ने॒ शया॑नम्। तदा॒त्मना॑ प्र॒जया॑ पिशा॒चा वि या॑तयन्तामग॒दो॒३यम॑स्तु

In drinking of the waters, whichever hath afflicted me—(some) flesh-eater of the Yātus—while I lay lying on the bed: that, with its own self, with its progeny, let the Piśācas be driven apart; let this be an antidote.

Mantra 9

दिवा॑ मा॒ नक्तं॑ यत॒मो द॒दम्भ॑ क्रव्या॒द् या॑तू॒नां शय॑ने॒ शया॑नम्। तदा॒त्मना॑ प्र॒जया॑ पिशा॒चा वि या॑तयन्तामग॒दो॒३यम॑स्तु

By day, by night, let none—whatsoever it be—assail me: the flesh-eater of the sorcerous brood, as I lie lying upon my bed. That evil—together with its very self, together with its progeny—let the Piśācas drive far away: let this be an antidote.

Mantra 10

क्र॒व्याद॑मग्ने रुधि॒रं पि॑शा॒चं म॑नो॒हनं॑ जहि जातवेदः । तमिन्द्रो॑ वा॒जी वज्रे॑ण हन्तु छि॒नत्तु॒ सोमः॒ शिरो॑ अस्य धृ॒ष्णुः

O Agni, smite the flesh-eater, the bloody Piśāca, the mind-bewitcher, O Jātavedas. Let Indra the vigorous slay him with the bolt; let Soma, the bold, cut off his head.

Mantra 11

स॒नाद॑ग्ने मृणसि यातु॒धाना॒न् न त्वा॒ रक्षां॑सि॒ पृत॑नासु जिग्युः । स॒हमू॑रा॒ननु॑ दह क्र॒व्यादो॒ मा ते॑ हे॒त्या मु॑क्षतः॒ दैव्या॑याः

From of old, O Agni, thou crushest the Yātudhānas; never have the Rakṣases conquered thee in battles. Burn after—burn up—those very ones, O flesh-eater; do not let loose thy divine missile against us.

Mantra 12

स॒माह॑र जातवेदो॒ यद्धृ॒तं यत् परा॑भृतम्। गात्रा॑ण्यस्य वर्धन्तामं॒शुरि॒वा प्या॑यताम॒यम्

Bring back together, O Jātavedas, what hath been seized, what hath been borne away. Let his limbs increase; like a ray (or soma-stalk) let this man swell and thrive.

Mantra 13

सोम॑स्येव जातवेदो अं॒शुरा प्या॑यताम॒यम्। अग्ने॑ विर॒प्शिनं॒ मेध्य॑मय॒क्ष्मं कृ॑णु॒ जीव॑तु

Like Soma’s stalk, O Jātavedas, let this man grow full unto thriving. O Agni, make him well-shaped, pure for holy use, free from wasting sickness; let him live.

Mantra 14

ए॒तास्ते॑ अग्ने स॒मिधः॑ पिशाच॒जम्भ॑नीः । तास्त्वं जु॑षस्व॒ प्रति॑ चैना गृहाण जातवेदः

These, Agni, are thy kindling-sticks, the crushings-down of Pisācas. Them do thou accept with favour, and take them to thee in return, O Jātavedas.

Mantra 15

ता॒र्ष्टा॒घीर॑ग्ने स॒मिधः॒ प्रति॑ गृह्णाह्य॒र्चिषा॑ । जहा॑तु क्र॒व्याद् रू॒पं यो अ॑स्य मां॒सं जिही॑र्षति

These keen-smiting kindling-sticks, O Agni, take to thee with thy flame. Let the flesh-eater quit the form—whoso would fain seize this man’s flesh.