Sukta 28
Rishi: Atharvanic/Angiras-type attribution (exact r̥ṣi for 1.28 requires full anukramaṇī data).
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh-like (requires full metrical verification; pāda division suggests a common AV śloka cadence).
AV 1.28 is a compact rakṣoghna (demon- and witch-expelling) hymn that turns back a yātudhānī’s curse, stupor-spell, and life-draining assault on a newborn. It invokes burning, reversal (prati-), and punitive “self-consuming” imagery so the malefic force collapses upon its own source, restoring safety to the child and household.
Kind of charm
In this hymn
Addressed to
Mantras
Mantra 1
रक्षोघ्नम्। उप॒ प्रागा॑द् दे॒वो अ॒ग्नी र॑क्षो॒हामी॑व॒चात॑नः । दह॒न्नप॑ द्वया॒विनो॑ यातु॒धाना॑न् किमी॒दिनः॑
अग्नि भगवान आगे बढ़के आए हैं। वो राक्षस मारता है और बीमारी भगाता है। वो धोखेबाज़ लोगों को जला देता है, यातुधान और किमीदिन नाम के राक्षस। सबको भगा देता है।
Mantra 2
प्रति॑ दह यातु॒धाना॒न् प्रति॑ देव किमी॒दिनः॑ । प्र॒तीचीः॑ कृष्णवर्तने॒ सं द॑ह यातुधा॒न्यः
अग्नि, इन यातुधान राक्षसों को जलाके पीछे भगा दे। और किमीदिन को भी भगा दे। काली राह वाले अग्नि, इन सबको पीछे मोड़ दे। यातुधानी डायनों को पूरा जला दे।
Mantra 3
या श॒शाप॒ शप॑नेन॒ याघं मूर॑माद॒धे। या रस॑स्य॒ हर॑णाय जा॒तमा॑रे॒भे तो॒कम॑त्तु॒ सा
वो औरत जिसने बड़ा बड़ा करके श्राप दिया, जिसने बुरा करके आदमी को फंसाया। वो जिसने बच्चे से जान चीन-ने के लिए नई पैदाइश पर हमला किया। अब वो अपना ही बच्चा खा ले।
Mantra 4
पु॒त्रम॑त्तु यातुधा॒नीः स्वसा॑रमु॒त न॒प्त्यऽम्। अधा॑ मि॒थो वि॑के॒श्यो॒३वि घ्न॑तां यातुधा॒न्यो॒३वि तृ॑ह्यन्तामरा॒य्यः
यह राक्षसियाँ अपने ही बेटे को खा जाएँ, अपनी बहन को भी, अपने ही परिवार को भी। फिर बाल खोल के एक दूसरे को मारें। यह दुश्मन औरतें टुकड़े-टुकड़े हो जाएँ।
Inside Sukta 28
How it unfolds
- How it opens
The hymn opens with a forceful ‘burn back’ command, directing divine heat against yātudhānas and kimīdins and insisting on reversal (prati-, pratīcīḥ).
- What it asks
That the witch-like agents be driven back and consumed, and that their curse and vitality-theft from the newborn be stopped and returned upon them.
- Where its power lies
Efficacy is asserted through the logic of tapas/Agni: what is hostile is fit to be burned, and what is sent is compelled to return—harm becomes self-harm for the sender.
- How it closes
The final movement intensifies into total neutralization: the yātudhānīs are imagined devouring their own kin and tearing each other apart, sealing the expulsion by internal collapse of the hostile power.
Famous verses
prati daha … saṃ daha
vi ghna̍tām … vi tṛ̍hyantām
Kind of hymn
Abhicarika (Counter-sorcery / Apotropaic)
What it is for
Neutralize and reverse a yātudhānī’s curse and life-draining attack; restore safety, vitality, and ritual order by driving the hostile force away or destroying it.
Who it is for
Householders, family priests (atharvāṇa practitioners), and caregivers seeking protection for infants/children against sorcery, evil speech, and nocturnal/liminal attacks.
Also used as
- Rakṣoghna (demon/witch-expelling)
- Apotropaic protection of children
- Pratyāvartana (spell-reversal)
Powers of the deity
- Burning/consuming hostile entities (rakṣas, yātudhāna, kimīdin)
- Pratyāvartana (turning-back/reversal) of curses and spells
- Protection of the newborn’s vitality (rasa/prāṇa imagery)
- Disruption of enemy cohesion—forcing mutual conflict and self-destruction
- Boundary-clearing and ritual purification of the domestic space
Why the deity is called
To incinerate and repel the witch-like assault, reverse the curse that causes stupor and harm, and sever the entity’s grip on a newborn’s life-sap by compelling the attacker’s power to self-destruct.
The seer
- Atharvan/Āṅgirasa-type (anukramaṇī-specific r̥ṣi uncertain for AV 1.28)Atharvan. Rakṣoghna and abhicārika counter-charms: repelling yātudhānas/kimīdins, reversing curses, protecting infants and the domestic boundary through mantric ‘burning’ and turning-back formulas.
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 1.6 (rakṣoghna/counter-demonic)
- AV 1.7 (protective expulsion)
- AV 1.16 (apotropaic charm)
- AV 1.21 (counter-harm/warding)
Preparing for the rite
- Purify the space (simple sweeping/sprinkling water) and seat the protected child/person within a marked safe area.
- Set a protective intention: ‘turn back’ (prati-) any harm directed toward the child/house.
- If a household fire is present, face it or face east, treating Agni as witness and purifier.
The rite
- Recite the four mantras as a single sequence with emphasis on prati-/pratīcīḥ (‘back/turned back’) and saṃ daha (‘burn up utterly’).
- Optionally gesture outward (expelling motion) on ‘prati’ phrases and downward/closing gesture on ‘saṃ daha’ to ‘seal’ the expulsion.
- Conclude by silently affirming that the hostile force is cut off from the child’s rasa (vital sap) and sent back to its source.
What it needs
- No specific substances required by the hymn text
- Optional: household fire (Agni) as ritual focus
- Optional: clean water for sprinkling as a boundary marker
When
Performed immediately upon suspicion of bewitchment, infant wasting, or curse-attack; commonly suited to dusk/night protections or any liminal time when fear of yātudhāna activity is ritually salient.
Frequently Asked Questions
It addresses witchcraft-like harm: curses, stupefying spells, and attacks that drain a newborn/child’s vitality. The hymn’s strategy is to repel and ‘burn back’ the hostile force and make the harm return to its sender.
This is a pratyāvartana (reversal) image: the malefic power is compelled to recoil upon the one who launched it. The language is imprecatory and symbolic of total neutralization—harm collapses inward rather than reaching the victim.
Not according to the hymn’s wording: it works primarily through spoken command and the imagery of burning/reversal. Practically, reciters may use a household fire as a focus and simple purification (clean water, a marked safe space), but no specific substance is required by the text.
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