Atharva Veda 2.19.5: Kanda 2, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 19, Mantra 5
Sukta 19
अग्ने॒ यत् ते॒ तेज॒स्तेन॒ तम॑ते॒जसं॑ कृणु॒ यो॒३स्मान् द्वेष्टि॒ यं व॒यं द्वि॒ष्मः
ágné yát te téjas ténā tám atéjasaṃ kṛṇu yó ’smā́n dvéṣṭi yáṃ vayáṃ dvíṣmaḥ
O Agni, with that splendour of thine, make him splendourless—who hateth us, whom we do hate.
अग्नि भगवान, आपकी चमक से उस आदमी को बेजान कर दे। जो हमसे नफरत करता है, जिसे हम दुश्मन मानते हैं, उसकी सारी चमक छीन ले।
The meaning
What it says
Agni is invoked: with your tejas (splendour/power), make him a-tejas (splendourless)—the hater whom we hate.
The inner meaning
Rather than ‘burning’ the enemy physically, the mantra targets their efficacy and prestige: it is a psychological disarmament—removing the aura of intimidation and the performer’s fear-response to it.
The truth in it
Harm often operates through borrowed ‘shine’ (status, charisma, threat-display); when its tejas is withdrawn, it becomes impotent.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Abhicarika (counter-sorcery / hostile-apotropaic)
Its aim
To neutralize an enemy’s power by ritually stripping him of tejas (force, prestige, efficacy), returning hostility upon the hater.
Word by Word
Pada patha
अग्ने । यत् । ते । तेजः । तेन । तम् । अ-तेजसम् । कृणु । यः । अस्मान् । द्वेष्टि । यम् । वयम् । द्विष्मः ।
- अग्ने
- O AgniO Agni; the divine Fire invoked as a burning, consuming power and as ritual executor (hotṛ-like agent) in Atharvanic spellsNoun (address)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अग्नि
- यत्
- that (which)what/that which; introducing the specific potency to be deployedPronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचनRole कर्म (कृणु इत्यस्य)Root यद्
- ते
- of you/yourthy/for thee; belonging to AgniPronounषष्ठी-एकवचन (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root युष्मद्
- तेजः
- splendour, fiery powersplendour, fiery brilliance, sharp energy; here the coercive, scorching efficacy (tejas) that can strip an enemy of powerNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचनRole कर्तृ (अस्ति/भवति इत्यर्थे, यत्-सम्बन्धेन)Root तेजस्
- तेन
- with thatwith that (instrumental); by means of that very tejas as the operative forcePronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया-एकवचनRole करणRoot तद्
- तमः
- darknessNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-एकवचनRole कर्म (कृणु इत्यस्य)Root तमस्
- अतेजसम्
- devoid of splendour, powerlesswithout tejas, deprived of splendour/force; rendered powerless, lustreless, and ritually ineffectiveAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-एकवचन (तमम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्म (तमः इत्यस्य विशेषणत्वेन)Root अ-तेजस्
- कृणु
- make!make! do! (imperative); perform the transformation as an act of divine/ritual agencyVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे); मध्यम-पुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्Role क्रियाRoot कृ
- यः
- whowho; relative pronoun specifying the offenderPronounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचनRole कर्तृ (द्वेष्टि इत्यस्य)Root यद्
- अस्मान्
- usus; the sacrificer/household under Atharvanic protectionPronounद्वितीया-बहुवचनRole कर्म (द्वेष्टि इत्यस्य)Root अस्मद्
- द्वेष्टि
- hateshates, bears malice; the hostile intention that legitimates apotropaic counter-actionVerbलट्; प्रथम-पुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्Role क्रियाRoot द्विष्
- यम्
- whomwhom; the one who is reciprocally hated/treated as enemyPronounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-एकवचनRole कर्म (द्विष्मः इत्यस्य)Root यद्
- वयम्
- wewe; the ritual community/clients of the Atharvan priestPronounप्रथमा-बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (द्विष्मः इत्यस्य)Root अस्मद्
- द्विष्मः
- hatewe hate; formal declaration of enmity enabling the mantra’s reversal/return of harmVerbलट्; उत्तम-पुरुष; बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्Role क्रियाRoot द्विष्
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: अग्ने | यत् | ते | तेजः | तेन | तमः | अतेजसम् | कृणु | यः | अस्मान् | द्वेष्टि | यम् | वयम् | द्विष्मः ।
- (1) ते तेजः: षष्ठी-सम्बन्धः ‘your splendour’.
- (2) तेन: तद्-शब्दस्य तृतीया एकवचन ‘with that’.
- (3) तम अतेजसम्: ‘तमः’ कर्म, ‘अतेजसम्’ विशेषणम्
- संहितायां तम॑ते॒जसं॑ इति पदसीमा-लोप/सन्धि-प्रभावः (तमः + अतेजसम्).
- (4) यो॒३स्मान्: संहितायां ‘यः अस्मान्’ इत्यत्र विसर्ग-लोपः/स्वर-चिह्न-युक्त लेखनम्
- पदे ‘यः | अस्मान्’
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic tradition (specific r̥ṣi attribution varies by anukramaṇī for this hymn)
- Devata
- Agni (as tejas, the consuming and empowering fire)
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh-type cadence (Atharvanic anuṣṭubh/near-anuṣṭubh)
- Rasa
- Vira and Raudra
Sāyaṇa takes tejas as Agni’s burning might (dāhaka-śakti) and construes the prayer as a counter-hostility rite: the adversary who bears dveṣa toward the sacrificer is to be deprived of tejas—i.e., of vigour, authority, and effective power—by Agni’s own tejas. The reciprocity clause (“whom we hate”) is read as establishing the proper target (adhikārin) for the spell, preventing misdirection.
Anukramaṇī-uncertain (hymn attribution required)
Atharvanic power-theft/neutralization motifs: removing an opponent’s tejas rather than only inflicting pain; a subtler abhicāra.
Highlights tejas as transferable/contestable power; Atharvanic magic often targets ‘potency’ (ojas/tejas) as the real battlefield.
Agni
Source and arbiter of tejas; grants brilliance to the worthy and consumes false shine.
Protects by de-powering threats—diminishing the enemy’s capacity to harm and the glamour of malice.
4×8 (approx.); notable shift: imperative ‘kṛṇu’ with object ‘a-tejasam’
Compound/privative a-tejasam may affect syllable feel; AV cadence remains formulaic.
Softer than ‘prati tapa/hara’: the power is in the privative turn (a-).
From radiance to negation—audibly ‘switching off’ the opponent’s shine.
Prepare the domestic fire (gārhapatya) or a dedicated rite-fire; seat the client facing east.
Kindle/brighten the fire so that it is visibly ‘tejas-bearing’ (flaring), establishing the mantra’s material analogue.
Recite the mantra while gazing at the flame; mentally fix the hostile person as the target (dveṣṭṛ).
Optionally accompany with an oblation (ājya or samidh) cast into the fire at the imperative ‘कृणु’ (kṛṇu), synchronizing speech-act and offering-act.
Conclude with a protective sealing act: circumambulation of the fire or touching the client’s head/shoulders with a warmed but safe implement (edition- and tradition-dependent), to ‘retain’ Agni’s protection with the household.
Kauśika Sūtra: general application within the dveṣa-śānti / abhicāra counteraction procedures employing Agni-mantras.
Atharvan/Brahman officiant as apotropaic technician: identifies the legitimate target, controls the intention (saṅkalpa), times the oblation with the verbal imperative, and ensures the rite remains defensive (counter-dveṣa) rather than indiscriminate harm.
Recite before a bright flame; optionally offer ghee to strengthen one’s own tejas while ritually ‘withdrawing’ the opponent’s.
Morning (to align with rising tejas) or before public encounters where status/power dynamics matter.
Householder recitation is plausible; priest may integrate into formal rakṣā/śatrunāśana sequences.
Chant, then a brief posture of upright dignity (standing/sitting tall) to embody reclaimed tejas.
Agni (fire) as the operative medium; Tejas (fiery splendour) as the transferable/weaponized potency
Agni as tejas; radiance as transferable potency.
Tejas is treated like a measurable substance: it can be intensified, transferred, or removed; Agni is the cosmic ‘bank’ of splendour.
Conceptual link: tejas as a subtle fire-principle; here used socially/magically rather than therapeutically.
Reducing the perceived ‘power’ of a bully/abuser in one’s mind; reclaiming agency by de-glamorizing threat (adjunct to real-world support).
Hostile adversary; also the ‘aura’ of hostility itself.
Neutralization by removing tejas (efficacy, prestige, threatening aura) from the hater.
Privative transformation formula (a-tejasam kṛṇu) + fire as the reservoir of tejas; imagined ‘withdrawal’ of enemy’s shine into Agni.
Intimidation, coercive charisma, curse-backed authority.
- तेजः (tejas)
- Efficacy, charisma, authority, spiritual energy
- अतेजसम् (a-tejasam)
- Disempowered, de-magnetized; stripped of harmful influence
- कृणु (kṛṇu)
- Ritual speech as causal technology—vāc that ‘re-forms’ social reality
Reclaim and stabilize one’s tejas; de-glamorize hostile power.
maṇipūra
Slow inhale imagining tejas gathering; slow exhale imagining the opponent’s threatening aura dimming (without hatred).
A golden sun at the navel expands; the adversary’s dark ‘shine’ fades to matte gray and disperses as ash-light.
Dignified steadiness; luminous composure.
Pair with sattvic resolve: protect self, avoid obsession with the foe; end with a brief śānti or compassion for all beings to cool raudra residues.
Sustain ‘tejas’ with bright resonance; make the privative ‘a-’ in ‘a-tejasam’ clearly audible.
agne | yat te tejaḥ | tena tam | a-tejasam kṛṇu | yo ’smān dveṣṭi | yaṃ vayaṃ dviṣmaḥ.
Steady, luminous, less aggressive than the ‘tapas’ verse.
This is a ‘de-powering’ charm; keep intention defensive and conclude with cooling/grounding to avoid fixation on status conflict.
21 times
Dealing with intimidating rivals, workplace politics, coercive personalities, or fear of an adversary’s ‘influence’.
Before negotiations, public speaking, legal/administrative meetings, or after feeling overawed by someone’s power.
Reduced intimidation, strengthened self-confidence, sense of protection through inner radiance.
Not a replacement for professional/legal safeguards; avoid using to fuel ego contests.
No explicit plant is named; the ‘substance’ is Agni’s tejas itself. Atharvanic technology often treats tejas as a quasi-material potency transferable through fire, oblation, and speech. The mantra weaponizes a valued quality (tejas) by negation (a-tejas), a common Atharvanic strategy analogous to ‘cooling’ fever or ‘drying’ poison—here applied to social/hostile power.
The verse presumes a household or patron entitled to ritual defense and an officiant capable of directing divine force against a social adversary. ‘Tejas’ also indexes prestige and authority; to make someone ‘a-tejas’ is to attack not merely bodily strength but public standing and efficacy—suggesting a world where ritual power contests social power.
The diction is broadly RV-compatible (Agni invocation; tejas; dveṣ-). The Atharvanic flavor lies in the direct coercive imperative and the explicit targeting formula (relative clause naming the hater + reciprocal hatred), a pragmatic spell-structure more typical of AV than RV’s praise-hymn style.
In Gopatha’s Atharvanic theology, efficacy rests on brahman (formulated speech) correctly applied with rite and intention; Agni is both witness and executor. A mantra that specifies instrument (tejas), action (kṛṇu), and target (yo ’smān dveṣṭi) exemplifies the ‘well-aimed’ (samyak-prayukta) spell whose success depends on correct identification of the adversary and proper ritual anchoring in fire.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Atharva Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
