
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (often treated as Atharvan/Angiras-type for such charms)
Devata: Darbha (personified as a power/implement); indirectly the cosmic order it spans (heavens/earths)
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (probable; many AV 19.x charms are in anuṣṭubh-like cadence)
Is sukta mein darbha ghaas ko bulaya gaya hai. Ye ghaas teesare swarg aur dharati tak phaili hui hai. Isse dushmano par control kiya jata hai. Ye aapko buri cheezon se bachati hai. Isse dusre ki jaban dabane ke liye use karte hain. Buri baatein aur gaaliyan isse band hoti hain. Ye aapko lambi umar deti hai. Ye ek tarah ka shield aur weapon dono hai.
Mantra 1
दर्भः। श॒तका॑ण्डो दुश्च्यव॒नः स॒हस्र॑पर्ण उत्ति॒रः । द॒र्भो य उ॒ग्र ओष॑धि॒स्तं ते॑ बध्ना॒म्यायु॑षे
Yeh Darbha ghaas hai. Iski sau daalen hain, hilaana mushkil hai, hazaar pattiyan hain, aur yeh sabse upar hai. Yeh ek taqatwar jadi-booti hai. Main isko tumhare liye zindagi ke liye bandh raha hoon.
Mantra 2
नास्य॒ केशा॒न् प्र वप॑न्ति॒ नोर॑सि॒ ताड॒मा घ्न॑ते । यस्मा॑ अछिन्नप॒र्णेन॑ द॒र्भेण॒ शर्म॑ यच्छति
Jis aadmi ke liye yeh kaat-darbh se raksha hoti hai, uske baal nahi kaate jaate. Uski chhaati par koi maar nahi padti. Woh safe rehta hai.
Mantra 3
दि॒वि ते॒ तूल॑मोषधे पृथि॒व्याम॑सि॒ निष्ठि॑तः । त्वया॑ स॒हस्र॑काण्डे॒नायुः॒ प्र व॑र्धयामहे
Yeh jadi-booti aasman mein apna phailav rakhti hai, aur dharti par mazbooti se jamti hai. Iske hazaaron daalon ke saath hum apni umar badha lete hain.
Mantra 4
ति॒स्रो दि॒वो अत्य॑तृणत् ति॒स्र इ॒माः पृ॑थि॒वीरु॒त॑। त्व॑याहं दु॒र्हार्दो॑ जि॒ह्वां नि तृ॑णद्मि॒ वचां॑सि
Yeh taakat teen aasmaan ko jeet chuki hai aur teen dharati ko bhi. Main tumhe lekar buri niyat wale ki jeebh dabata hoon. Main uski baatein niche kar deta hoon.
Mantra 5
त्वम॑सि॒ सह॑मानो॒ऽहम॑स्मि॒ सह॑स्वान्। उ॒भौ सह॑स्वन्तौ भू॒त्वा स॒पत्ना॑न्सहिषीवहि
Tum jeetne wale ho aur main bhi taakat wala hoon. Dono milkar taakat rakh ke apne dushmanon ko jeet lete hain. Hum dono milke unko peeche kar dete hain.
Mantra 6
सह॑स्व नो अ॒भिमा॑तिं॒ सह॑स्व पृतनाय॒तः । सह॑स्व॒ सर्वा॑न् दु॒र्हार्दः॑ सु॒हार्दो॑ मे ब॒हून् कृ॑धि
Humare dushmanon ki taakat ko tod do. Ladhne wale dushman ko bhi jeet do. Buri niyat wale sabko khatam karo. Mere liye achhe logon ki toli bana do.
Mantra 7
द॒र्भेण॑ दे॒वजा॑तेन दि॒वि ष्ट॒म्भेन॒ शश्व॒दित्। तेना॒हं शश्व॑तो॒ जनाँ॒ अस॑नं॒ सन॑वानि च
Darbha ghaas devta ki tarah paida hui hai. Yeh aasmaan mein hamesha ke liye khadi rehti hai. Main isse hamesha ke liye logon ko jeet leta hoon. Mujhe apni jagah bhi bana lete hain.
Mantra 8
प्रि॒यं मा॑ दर्भ कृणु ब्रह्मराज॒न्याऽभ्यां शू॒द्राय॒ चार्या॑य च । यस्मै॑ च का॒मया॑महे॒ सर्व॑स्मै च वि॒पश्य॑ते
Hey darbha, mujhe sabse pyaara bana de. Brahmin ho ya raja-varg ke log, shudra ho ya aarya, sabko main pasand aaun. Jisko bhi hum jeetna chahein, woh mujhpe dil de de. Jo bhi mujhe dekh raha ho, uski nazar mein main accha lagun.
Mantra 9
यो जाय॑मानः पृथि॒वीमदृं॑ह॒द् यो अस्त॑भ्नाद॒न्तरि॑क्षं॒ दिवं॑ च । यं बिभ्र॑तं न॒नु पा॒प्मा वि॑वेद॒ स नो॒ऽयं द॒र्भो वरु॑णो दि॒वा कः॑
Jab yeh paida hua, usne dharti ko pakka kiya. Aasmaan ko bhi sahaara diya. Koi buraai usko nahi pakad sakti. Yeh darbha ghaas hamare liye Varuna jaisi shakti laati hai.
Mantra 10
स॒प॒त्न॒हा श॒तका॑ण्डः॒ सह॑स्वा॒नोष॑धीनां प्रथ॒मः सं ब॑भूव । स नो॒ऽयं द॒र्भः परि॑ पातु वि॒श्वत॒स्तेन॑ साक्षीय॒ पृत॑नाः पृतन्य॒तः
Yeh ghaas dushman ko haraati hai. Iski bohot daalein hain, bohot taakatwali hai. Saari jadi-buti mein yeh sabse upar hai. Yeh humein har taraf se bachaaye. Isse main jung mein jeetunga.
It empowers darbha (kuśa grass) as a bound-on protective force: it guards the user, supports longevity, and subjugates rivals—especially by restraining hostile speech such as curses, slander, or accusation.
In Atharvanic practice certain plants are personified as oṣadhis with agency. Darbha is praised as cosmically expansive and ‘first among herbs,’ so it can function as both protection and an instrument to bind or silence harm.
A clean tuft of darbha is braided or held while the verses are recited, then tied on as an amulet or placed around the person/space for encircling protection; for speech-binding intent, the recitation emphasizes pressing down the opponent’s tongue and words (not physical harm).
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
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