Sukta 87

Mantra 1

रक्षोहणं वाजिनमा जिघर्मि मित्रं प्रथिष्ठमुप यामि शर्म । शिशानो अग्निः क्रतुभिः समिद्धः स नो दिवा स रिषः पातु नक्तम् ॥

I kindle and press forward the swift power that slays the disturbers; I approach the firm-founded Friend as a shelter. Agni, blazing with purposeful wills, kindled by our workings—may he guard us by day, may he guard us from injury by night.

Mantra 2

अयोदंष्ट्रो अर्चिषा यातुधानानुप स्पृश जातवेदः समिद्धः । आ जिह्वया मूरदेवान्रभस्व क्रव्यादो वृक्त्व्यपि धत्स्वासन् ॥

O Jātavedas, fully kindled, touch the yātudhānas with your flame, with iron fangs; with your tongue seize the brutish godless powers. Cut them down—let the eater of rawness fasten upon them, sitting firm.

Mantra 3

उभोभयाविन्नुप धेहि दंष्ट्रा हिंस्रः शिशानोऽवरं परं च । उतान्तरिक्षे परि याहि राजञ्जम्भैः सं धेह्यभि यातुधानान् ॥

O twofold-protecting King, set on your fangs, fierce and blazing, below and above; and move around in the mid-world. With your jaws press in upon the yātudhānas and crush them.

Mantra 4

यज्ञैरिषूः संनममानो अग्ने वाचा शल्याँ अशनिभिर्दिहानः । ताभिर्विध्य हृदये यातुधानान्प्रतीचो बाहून्प्रति भङ्ध्येषाम् ॥

O Agni, bending your arrows through the sacrificial acts, sharpening the darts by speech and forging them like thunderbolts—pierce the yātudhānas in the heart; break back their arms that strike against the right movement.

Mantra 5

अग्ने त्वचं यातुधानस्य भिन्धि हिंस्राशनिर्हरसा हन्त्वेनम् । प्र पर्वाणि जातवेदः शृणीहि क्रव्यात्क्रविष्णुर्वि चिनोतु वृक्णम् ॥

O Agni, split the skin of the yātudhāna; let the fierce thunderbolt smite him with its glare. Break his joints apart, O Jātavedas; let the raw-eater, the devourer, pick apart what is cut down.

Mantra 6

यत्रेदानीं पश्यसि जातवेदस्तिष्ठन्तमग्न उत वा चरन्तम् । यद्वान्तरिक्षे पथिभिः पतन्तं तमस्ता विध्य शर्वा शिशानः ॥

Wherever now you see him, O Jātavedas—standing or moving, or flying in the mid-region along the paths—strike him there with your missile, O blazing Archer, in your sharpened force.

Mantra 7

उतालब्धं स्पृणुहि जातवेद आलेभानादृष्टिभिर्यातुधानात् । अग्ने पूर्वो नि जहि शोशुचान आमादः क्ष्विङ्कास्तमदन्त्वेनीः ॥

And the one who has been seized—rescue him, O Jātavedas, from the yātudhāna who strikes with spears. O Agni, blazing first, strike him down; let the devourers of rawness, the biting powers, consume that one—the swift-darting energies.

Mantra 8

इह प्र ब्रूहि यतमः सो अग्ने यो यातुधानो य इदं कृणोति । तमा रभस्व समिधा यविष्ठ नृचक्षसश्चक्षुषे रन्धयैनम् ॥

Here, declare which one he is, O Agni—what yātudhāna is doing this. Seize him with your kindling, O youngest; subject him to the seeing of the seers of men—make him yield to the eye of true discernment.

Mantra 9

तीक्ष्णेनाग्ने चक्षुषा रक्ष यज्ञं प्राञ्चं वसुभ्यः प्र णय प्रचेतः । हिंस्रं रक्षांस्यभि शोशुचानं मा त्वा दभन्यातुधाना नृचक्षः ॥

With your keen eye, O Agni, protect the offering; lead it forward to the Vasus, O clear-knowing one. Blaze against the violent powers of distortion; let not the yātudhānas deceive you, O seer for men.

Mantra 10

नृचक्षा रक्षः परि पश्य विक्षु तस्य त्रीणि प्रति शृणीह्यग्रा । तस्याग्ने पृष्टीर्हरसा शृणीहि त्रेधा मूलं यातुधानस्य वृश्च ॥

O Agni, who seest with the soul’s eye, look all around among the habitations for the Rakṣas-force. Strike down its three foremost fronts; with thy vehement energy cut its back-supports, and sever in three ways the very root of the yātudhāna (the devourer of the inner light).

Mantra 11

त्रिर्यातुधानः प्रसितिं त एत्वृतं यो अग्ने अनृतेन हन्ति । तमर्चिषा स्फूर्जयञ्जातवेदः समक्षमेनं गृणते नि वृङ्धि ॥

Thrice let the yātudhāna fall into thy snare, O Agni—he who strikes the R̥ta with untruth. O Jātavedas, smiting him with thy flame, beat him down and crush him before the very eyes of the singer who affirms thee.

Mantra 12

तदग्ने चक्षुः प्रति धेहि रेभे शफारुजं येन पश्यसि यातुधानम् । अथर्ववज्ज्योतिषा दैव्येन सत्यं धूर्वन्तमचितं न्योष ॥

Set in us, O Agni, that eye for the seer—the hoof-breaking vision by which thou discernest the yātudhāna. Then, Atharvan-like, with the divine light, strike down and cast away the unconscious falsifier who assails the Truth.

Mantra 13

यदग्ने अद्य मिथुना शपातो यद्वाचस्तृष्टं जनयन्त रेभाः । मन्योर्मनसः शरव्या जायते या तया विध्य हृदये यातुधानान् ॥

If today, O Agni, from the paired forces (within) there arise curses, if the seers beget a sharpened edge of speech—then from the wrath of the mind a swift-flying arrow is born; with that strike the yātudhānas in the heart.

Mantra 14

परा शृणीहि तपसा यातुधानान्पराग्ने रक्षो हरसा शृणीहि । परार्चिषा मूरदेवाञ्छृणीहि परासुतृपो अभि शोशुचानः ॥

Drive far away the yātudhānas by thy tapas, O Agni; drive far away the rakṣas by thy vehement force. With thy flame drive far away the false-gods; blazing on, drive far away those who feed on the life-breath.

Mantra 15

पराद्य देवा वृजिनं शृणन्तु प्रत्यगेनं शपथा यन्तु तृष्टाः । वाचास्तेनं शरव ऋच्छन्तु मर्मन्विश्वस्यैतु प्रसितिं यातुधानः ॥

Today let the gods drive away the crooked evil; let the sharpened curses recoil upon him. Let the arrows of speech strike the thief of the Word in his vital joints; let the yātudhāna go into the universal snare (of the cosmic law).

Mantra 16

यः पौरुषेयेण क्रविषा समङ्क्ते यो अश्व्येन पशुना यातुधानः । यो अघ्न्याया भरति क्षीरमग्ने तेषां शीर्षाणि हरसापि वृश्च ॥

Whoever the yātudhāna is that anoints himself with human flesh, or with the horse-beast; and whoever brings the milk of the un-slain Cow—O Agni, with thy vehement force cut off their heads.

Mantra 17

संवत्सरीणं पय उस्रियायास्तस्य माशीद्यातुधानो नृचक्षः । पीयूषमग्ने यतमस्तितृप्सात्तं प्रत्यञ्चमर्चिषा विध्य मर्मन् ॥

The year-long milk of the shining Cow—let not the yātudhāna taste it, O soul-seeing one. Whoever most seeks to drink the pīyūṣa (immortal sap), him—turning back upon us—pierce with thy flame in his vital spot.

Mantra 18

विषं गवां यातुधानाः पिबन्त्वा वृश्च्यन्तामदितये दुरेवाः । परैनान्देवः सविता ददातु परा भागमोषधीनां जयन्ताम् ॥

Let the yātudhānas drink the poison of the cows; let the evil-doers be cut away for Aditi. Let Savitṛ, the god, deliver them far off; let them lose the portion of the healing powers (plants) and be defeated.

Mantra 19

सनादग्ने मृणसि यातुधानान्न त्वा रक्षांसि पृतनासु जिग्युः । अनु दह सहमूरान्क्रव्यादो मा ते हेत्या मुक्षत दैव्यायाः ॥

From of old, O Agni, thou slayest the yātudhānas; the rakṣasas have not conquered thee in the battles. Burn after them—the corpse-eaters, the strong-deluders; let them not escape thy divine missile-force.

Mantra 20

त्वं नो अग्ने अधरादुदक्तात्त्वं पश्चादुत रक्षा पुरस्तात् । प्रति ते ते अजरासस्तपिष्ठा अघशंसं शोशुचतो दहन्तु ॥

O Agni, guard us from below and from above; guard us also from behind and from the front. In response to you, may your unaging, most burning flames consume the evil-speaking force that rages and seeks to harm.

Mantra 21

पश्चात्पुरस्तादधरादुदक्तात्कविः काव्येन परि पाहि राजन् । सखे सखायमजरो जरिम्णेऽग्ने मर्ताँ अमर्त्यस्त्वं नः ॥

From behind, from the front, from below, from above—O kingly Agni, the seer with seer-power, encompass and protect. O friend, be the friend to us who are subject to decay; you, the deathless, guard mortals.

Mantra 22

परि त्वाग्ने पुरं वयं विप्रं सहस्य धीमहि । धृषद्वर्णं दिवेदिवे हन्तारं भङ्गुरावताम् ॥

Around you, O Agni, we build as it were a stronghold—around you the inspired one, the mighty; we set our thought. Day by day we hold you as the bold-flaming slayer of the breakers and disruptors.

Mantra 23

विषेण भङ्गुरावतः प्रति ष्म रक्षसो दह । अग्ने तिग्मेन शोचिषा तपुरग्राभिॠष्टिभिः ॥

Burn back the rakṣas—those who break and distort—by your venomous potency. O Agni, with your sharp flame, with spear-points whose forefront is burning intensity, consume them.

Mantra 24

प्रत्यग्ने मिथुना दह यातुधाना किमीदिना । सं त्वा शिशामि जागृह्यदब्धं विप्र मन्मभिः ॥

O Agni, burn back in pairs the yātudhānas and the kimīdins. I whet you to fullness; wake—be vigilant, O inspired one, invincible, by our formations of thought.

Mantra 25

प्रत्यग्ने हरसा हरः शृणीहि विश्वतः प्रति । यातुधानस्य रक्षसो बलं वि रुज वीर्यम् ॥

O Agni, with your fierce energy, listen—turning from every side. Shatter apart the strength and the effective power of the yātudhāna-rakṣas.