Atharva Veda Sukta 23
Kanda 5Anuvaka 3Sukta 2313 Mantras

Sukta 23

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (Krimi hymns; specific ṛṣi per anukramaṇī)

Devata: Dyāvā-Pṛthivī, Sarasvatī, Indra, Agni (as protectors and destroyers of krimi)

Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (mixed with Atharvanic cadence; tri-pāda structure in recitation practice)

AV 5.23 es un himno curativo krimi-ghna (destructor de gusanos/enfermedad parasitaria): ata al paciente dentro de un «tejido» divino protector y luego desmiembra y extermina con fuerza a los krimi en todo escondite — dentro, alrededor y en formas diminutas. Su poder reside en totalizar la infestación (nombrar formas y lugares) y en convertir la palabra en un arma aplastante; Dyāvā‑Pṛthivī, Sarasvatī, Indra y Agni son invocados como guardianes envolventes y ejecutores de la enfermedad.

Kind of charm

Bhaishajya (healing)
Recitation with translationAtharva Veda 5.23

Mantras

Mantra 1

क्रिमिघ्नम्। ओते॑ मे॒ द्यावा॑पृथि॒वी ओता॑ दे॒वी सर॑स्वती । ओतौ॑ म॒ इन्द्र॑श्चा॒ग्निश्च॒ क्रिमिं॑ जम्भयता॒मिति॑

«Krimighna», (encanto) mata-gusanos. A mi alrededor están tejidos el Cielo y la Tierra; tejida está la diosa Sarasvatī. A mi alrededor están tejidos Indra y Agni: que aplasten al Krimi (gusano) — así sea.

Mantra 2

अ॒स्येन्द्र॑ कुमा॒रस्य॒ क्रिमी॑न् धनपते जहि । ह॒ता विश्वा॒ अरा॑तय उ॒ग्रेण॒ वच॑सा॒ मम॑

Oh Indra, señor de la riqueza, hiere a los gusanos de este niño. Por mi palabra feroz quedan abatidos todos los daños malignos.

Mantra 3

यो अ॒क्ष्यौऽपरि॒सर्प॑ति॒ यो नासे॑ परि॒सर्प॑ति । द॒तां यो मध्यं॒ गच्छ॑ति॒ तं क्रिमिं॑ जम्भयामसि

El gusano que se arrastra por los ojos, el gusano que se arrastra por la nariz; el gusano que entra en medio de los dientes—a ese gusano lo aplastamos.

Mantra 4

सरू॑पौ॒ द्वौ विरू॑पौ॒ द्वौ कृ॒ष्णौ द्वौ रोहि॑तौ॒ द्वौ। ब॒भ्रुश्च॑ ब॒भ्रुक॑र्णश्च॒ गृध्रः॒ कोक॑श्च॒ ते ह॒ताः

Dos de igual forma, dos de forma distinta; dos negros, dos rojizos. El Pardo y el Pardo-de-orejas, el Buitre y el Búho—vosotros estáis abatidos.

Mantra 5

ये क्रिम॑यः शिति॒कक्षा॒ ये कृ॒ष्णाः शि॑ति॒बाह॑वः । ये के च॑ वि॒श्वरू॑पा॒स्तान् क्रिमी॑न् जम्भयामसि

Sean gusanos de flancos blancos, sean gusanos negros de brazos pálidos, y cualesquiera gusanos de múltiples formas: a esos gusanos los hacemos ser aplastados.

Mantra 6

उत् पु॒रस्ता॒त् सूर्य॑ एति वि॒श्वदृ॑ष्टो अदृष्ट॒हा। दृ॒ष्टांश्च॒ घ्नन्न॒दॄष्टां॑श्च॒ सर्वां॑श्च प्रमृ॒णन् क्रिमी॑न्

Desde el oriente avanza el Sol, que todo lo ve, matador de lo no visto; hiriendo a los vistos e hiriendo a los no vistos, sí, aplastando a todos los gusanos.

Mantra 7

येवा॑षासः॒ कष्क॑षास एज॒त्काः शि॑पवित्नु॒काः । दृ॒ष्टांश्च॑ ह॒न्यतां॑ क्रिमि॑रु॒तादृष्ट॑श्च हन्यताम्

Los gusanos yevāṣa, los gusanos kaṣkaṣa, los que se retuercen, los śipavitnuka: que sea muerto el gusano visto, y que también sea muerto el no visto.

Mantra 8

ह॒तो येवा॑षः॒ क्रिमी॑णां ह॒तो न॑दनि॒मोत। सर्वा॒न् नि म॑ष्म॒षाक॑रं दृ॒षदा॒ खल्वाँ॑ इव

Muerto está el yevāṣa entre los gusanos; muerta también la nadanī. A todos los machaco hasta hacerlos pasta, como con la piedra de moler en el mortero.

Mantra 9

त्रि॒शी॒र्षाणं॑ त्रिक॒कुदं॒ क्रिमिं॑ सा॒रङ्ग॒मर्जु॑नम्। शृ॒णाम्य॑स्य पृ॒ष्टीरपि॑ वृश्चामि॒ यच्छिरः॑

Al gusano de tres cabezas, de tres jorobas, el moteado, el brillante: a ése lo hago añicos. Le quiebro las costillas; sí, le corto esa cabeza.

Mantra 10

अ॒त्रि॒वद् वः॑ क्रिमयो हन्मि कण्व॒वज्ज॑मदग्नि॒वत्। अ॒गस्त्य॑स्य॒ ब्रह्म॑णा॒ सं पि॑नष्म्य॒हं क्रिमी॑न्

Como Atri os hiero, oh gusanos; como Kaṇva, como Jamadagni. Con el brahman de Agastya aplasto por completo a los gusanos: yo mismo, en mi propia persona.

Mantra 11

ह॒तो राजा॒ क्रिमी॑णामु॒तैषां॑ स्थ॒पति॑र्ह॒तः । ह॒तो ह॒तमा॑ता॒ क्रिमि॑र्ह॒तभ्रा॑ता ह॒तस्व॑सा

Muerto está el rey de los gusanos, y muerto también su señor de casa. Muerto está el gusano: con la madre muerta, con el hermano muerto, con la hermana muerta.

Mantra 12

ह॒तासो॑ अस्य वे॒शसो॑ ह॒तासः॒ परि॑वेशसः । अथो॒ ये क्षु॑ल्ल॒का इ॑व॒ सर्वे॒ ते क्रिम॑यो ह॒ताः

Muertos están los moradores que habitan en él, muertos también los que habitan alrededor. Y aun los que son, por así decir, los pequeños: todos esos gusanos están muertos.

Mantra 13

सर्वे॑षां च॒ क्रिमी॑णां॒ सर्वा॑सां च क्रि॒मीना॑म्। भि॒नद्म्यश्म॑ना॒ शिरो॒ दहा॑म्य॒ग्निना॒ मुख॑म्

A todos los gusanos, a cada gusano, a todos sin excepción: les parto la cabeza con la piedra; les quemo la boca con el fuego.

Inside Sukta 23

How it unfolds

  1. How it opens

    Begins by declaring a krimighna charm and ‘weaving’ the patient in the embrace of Dyāvā-Pṛthivī, Sarasvatī, Indra, and Agni as an all-around protective mesh.

  2. What it asks

    That the gods crush (jambhay-) and eradicate the krimi in every seat—lodged within, surrounding outside, and in minute forms.

  3. Where its power lies

    The hymn asserts efficacy through explicit anatomical/monstrous description (e.g., three-headed, three-humped) and performative violence—breaking ribs, cutting off the head—making speech itself the weapon.

  4. How it closes

    Ends with comprehensive extermination formulas that leave no remainder: all krimis—great and small, inner and outer—are declared slain.

Famous verses

क्रिमिं जम्भयताम् (krimiṃ jambhayatām) / ‘let them crush the worm’
Verse 5.23.1Programmatic opening: establishes the protective ‘weaving’ (ote/otā) and commissions the chief gods to crush the krimi; it frames the entire rite as enclosure plus execution.Read verse 5.23.1 →
त्रिशीर्षाणं त्रिककुदं (triśīrṣāṇaṃ trikakudaṃ)
Verse 5.23.9Iconic coercive verse: vividly names the krimi’s monstrous form and performs dismemberment (break ribs, cut off head), exemplifying Atharvanic ‘weaponized speech’ against disease-personification.Read verse 5.23.9 →
सर्वे ते क्रिमयो हताः (sarve te krimayo hatāḥ)
Verse 5.23.12Totalization and seal: covers lodged, surrounding, and ‘petty/minute’ worms, ensuring no residual infestation remains—ritually important as a concluding extermination claim.Read verse 5.23.12 →

Kind of hymn

Bhaisajya (Healing) / Krimi-ghna (anti-parasitic)

What it is for

To protect the afflicted person, identify the krimi in its various forms/locations, and destroy it completely—internally and externally—restoring bodily integrity and well-being.

Who it is for

Atharvanic healers (bhaiṣajikas), household ritualists treating family illness, and practitioners applying protective recitation for suspected parasitic/consumptive disorders.

Also used as

  • Krimi-ghna (anti-parasitic)
  • Shantika (protective pacification)
  • Apotropaic expulsion
  • Abhicarika-style coercion against disease-personification

The deity

A composite protective front: Heaven-and-Earth as the enclosing cosmic boundary, Sarasvatī as purifying and ordering sacred speech/waters, Indra as the crushing warrior force, and Agni as the burning purifier—together directed against krimi conceived as an animate, many-formed parasite/demon.

Powers of the deity

  • Enclosure and shielding of the patient (‘woven around’ protection)
  • Crushing and immobilizing hostile beings (Indra’s jambhana)
  • Burning, purifying, and driving out impurities (Agni)
  • Purification and restoration through sacred flow/word (Sarasvatī)
  • Revealing and targeting hidden/ minute infestations by comprehensive naming

Why the deity is called

They are invoked to form an all-sides protective mesh around the patient and to execute the krimi—crush, sever, and eliminate it wherever it lodges, including subtle ‘small’ forms.

The seer

  • Atharvanic seer (krimi-hymn tradition; specific ṛṣi as per anukramaṇī)Atharvan. Bhaiṣajya and apotropaic charms—especially krimi-ghna formulas that ‘bind’ protection around the patient and coerce/destroy disease-personifications through vivid naming and violent verbal imagery.

Other hymns of this seer

  • AV 2.31 (Krimi-ghna)
  • AV 5.23 (this hymn)
  • AV 5.24 (Krimi/roga-related healing sequence, tradition-linked)
  • AV 6.50 (Bhaiṣajya-type worm/disease expulsion, tradition-linked)

Preparing for the rite

  • Seat the patient facing east or toward the household fire; establish a quiet, clean space.
  • Perform ācamana and a brief sankalpa: removal of krimi and restoration of health.
  • Optionally mark a protective boundary (pariṣecana/mental enclosure) around the patient, aligning with the hymn’s ‘woven’ imagery.

The rite

  • Recite the sukta continuously over the patient, emphasizing the ‘ote/otā’ (woven-around) protection in the opening.
  • During the dismemberment/destruction verses, gesture as if crushing/severing (symbolic jambhana and vṛścana) to ‘map’ the expulsion.
  • Conclude by reciting the total-slaying statements (e.g., ‘sarve te krimayo hatāḥ’) as a sealing affirmation.

What it needs

  • No fixed substance is required by the hymn’s core wording.
  • Optional supports (practice-based): clean water for sprinkling; a thread/cord as a symbolic ‘weave’; a small fire or lamp to invoke Agni’s purifying aspect.

When

Performed at first detection of symptoms; also suitable at dawn or before meals (when ‘internal’ affliction is ritually addressed).

Amulets

  • Optional protective thread/cord (to mirror ‘woven-around’ protection)

How it is prepared

If using a cord, tie or circle it around the patient (or wrist/waist) while reciting 5.23.1; optionally sprinkle clean water after the final extermination verses as a closing purification.

Frequently Asked Questions

Krimi refers to worms/parasites and, more broadly, a disease force imagined as a living, hiding, multiplying enemy that must be exposed and destroyed.

They form a complete therapeutic ecology: cosmic enclosure (Heaven–Earth), purifying order and speech/waters (Sarasvatī), crushing force (Indra), and burning purification/expulsion (Agni).

The hymn’s core operation is mantric—protection plus extermination through speech. In practice, it may be paired with water sprinkling or a protective thread, but no specific herb is mandated by the cited verses.

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