Sukta 18
Rishi: Atharvanic/Angirasa tradition (to be resolved via Anukramaṇī data).
Devata: Mantra as operative power (brahman); implicitly Agni as carrier due to svāhā.
Chandas: Likely Anuṣṭubh or a short pragmatic formula; exact meter requires full pada-count verification.
L’Atharvaveda 2.18 est un ensemble bref de formules opératoires, scandé par l’exclamation d’oblation (svāhā), visant à consumer/épuiser (kṣayaṇa) et à chasser (cātana) des rivaux hostiles — surtout le bhrātṛvya (pair concurrent/prétendant) et l’arā́ya (puissance ennemie). Chaque mantra identifie l’instrument ou l’acte rituel à la force même de destruction de l’ennemi, puis demande que cette force soit transférée au sacrifiant comme protection, victoire et sécurité ininterrompue. La répétition de svāhā encadre le charme comme une offrande au feu, où la puissance du mantra (brahman) est portée et « scellée » par Agni.
Mantras
Mantra 1
शत्रुनाशनम्। भ्रा॒तृ॒व्य॒क्षय॑णमसि भ्रातृव्य॒चात॑नं मे दाः॒ स्वाहा॑
Destructeur des ennemis : tu es l’épuisement du rival (bhrātṛvya) ; accorde-moi l’expulsion du rival — svāhā.
Mantra 2
स॒प॒त्न॒क्षय॑णमसि सपत्न॒चात॑नं मे दाः॒ स्वाहा॑
Tu es l’épuisement du rival (sapatna) ; accorde-moi l’expulsion du rival — svāhā.
Mantra 3
अ॒रा॒य॒क्षय॑णमस्यराय॒चात॑नं मे दाः॒ स्वाहा॑
Tu es l’épuisement de l’hostile (arāya) ; accorde-moi l’expulsion de la puissance hostile — svāhā.
Mantra 4
पि॒शा॒च॒क्षय॑णमसि पिशाच॒चात॑नं मे दाः॒ स्वाहा॑
Tu es le dépérissement des Piśācas ; accorde-moi l’expulsion des Piśācas — svāhā.
Mantra 5
स॒दा॒न्वा॒क्षय॑णमसि सदान्वा॒चात॑नं मे दाः॒ स्वाहा॑
Tu es toujours-suivant, inépuisable ; toujours-suivant, inattaquable : accorde-moi cela. Svāhā.
Frequently Asked Questions
In Atharvavedic usage, bhrātṛvya is a hostile peer or rival claimant—someone competing for the same status, share, or authority. The hymn aims to diminish that rival’s strength and drive them away from the sacrificer’s sphere.
Svāhā marks the mantra as an offering-formula: the words are meant to be accompanied by an oblation into fire. It also functions as a ritual seal, transmitting the intended effect through Agni as carrier.
Its primary register is abhicārika (rival-subduing and expulsion), but it is also strongly apotropaic: it seeks to remove hostile forces from the patron and establish ongoing protection. Traditional use is framed as defense, safeguarding, and securing one’s rightful standing.
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