Sukta 20
Rishi: Atharvanic/Angirasa tradition (enemy-destroying hymns are typically attributed to Atharvan/Angiras lineages; specific r̥ṣi attribution depends on the Anukramaṇī).
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (likely; to be confirmed against pada-count in the Saunaka metrical listing)
AVŚ 2.20 is a compact enemy-subduing (śatrunāśana) hymn that asks Vāyu to reverse hostility by applying his own tapas, śociṣ (burning flame), and tejas against the hater. The repeated refrain “yo ’smān dveṣṭi yaṃ vayaṃ dviṣmaḥ” frames the rite as retaliatory reversal: the adversary’s hate is met with Vāyu’s scorching force and the stripping of hostile potency.
Kind of charm
In this hymn
Addressed to
Mantras
Mantra 1
शत्रुनाशनम्। वायो॒ यत् ते॒ तप॒स्तेन॒ तं प्रति॑ तप॒ यो॒३स्मान् द्वेष्टि॒ यं व॒यं द्वि॒ष्मः
वायु भगवान, आपकी शक्ति और तप से उस दुश्मन को जला दे। जो हमसे नफरत करता है, जिसे हम भी दुश्मन मानते हैं, उसे वापस जला दे।
Mantra 2
वायो॒ यत् ते॒ हर॒स्तेन॒ तं प्रति॑ हर॒ यो॒३स्मान् द्वेष्टि॒ यं व॒यं द्वि॒ष्मः
हे वायु, तुम्हारी जो ताकत है, उससे उस आदमी को मारो जो हमसे दुश्मनी रखता है। जिसे हम भी अपना दुश्मन समझते हैं, उसको तुम वापस थप्पड़ मार दो।
Mantra 3
वायो॒ यत् ते॒ऽर्चिस्तेन॒ तं प्रत्य॑र्च॒ यो॒३स्मान् द्वेष्टि॒ यं व॒यं द्वि॒ष्मः
हे वायु, तुम्हारी जो चमक है, उससे उस आदमी पे चमक डालो जो हमसे दुश्मनी करता है। जिसे हम भी पसंद नहीं करते, उसको तुम अपनी रोशनी से दिखाओ।
Mantra 4
वायो॒ यत् ते॑ शो॒चिस्तेन॒ तं प्रति॑ शोच॒ यो॒३स्मान् द्वेष्टि॒ यं व॒यं द्वि॒ष्मः
हे वायु, तुम्हारी जो आग है, उससे उस आदमी को जला दो जो हमसे नफरत करता है। जिसे हम भी अपना दुश्मन मानते हैं, उसको तुम आग से झालो।
Mantra 5
वायो॒ यत् ते॒ तेज॒स्तेन॒ तम॑ते॒जसं॑ कृणु॒ यो॒३स्मान् द्वेष्टि॒ यं व॒यं द्वि॒ष्मः
वायु देव से प्रायर है कि वो अपनी ताकत से दुश्मन को ज़ीरो बना दे। जो हमसे दुश्मनी करता है, जिको हम भी सही नहीं मानते, उसकी चमक खत्म कर दो।
Inside Sukta 20
How it unfolds
- How it opens
Direct address to Vāyu, immediately identifying his tapas as the operative force.
- What it asks
That Vāyu, by his own ardor/flame/splendour, retaliatorily scorch the hater and make him powerless.
- Where its power lies
Efficacy is asserted through parallelism and repetition: the same divine energy (tapas/śociṣ/tejas) is explicitly ‘turned back’ (prati-) onto the hostile target.
- How it closes
The hymn seals the act by naming the final result: the enemy is made a-tejas (devoid of tejas), completing the reversal and neutralization.
Famous verses
yo ’smān dveṣṭi yaṃ vayaṃ dviṣmaḥ
tena taṃ prati śoca
tam a-tejasaṃ kṛṇu
Kind of hymn
Abhicarika (Counter-sorcery / Enemy-subduing; Śatrunāśana)
What it is for
Retaliatory protection: the enemy who hates the client is burned by Vāyu’s tapas/śociṣ and rendered powerless (a-tejas).
Who it is for
A threatened householder, patron, or ritual specialist seeking protection from active hatred, rivalry, or hostile sorcery-like intent.
Also used as
- Śatrunāśana (enemy-destruction)
- Apotropaic reversal (pratyavāya/pratīkara)
- Rakṣoghna/Protective (by repulsion of hostility)
Powers of the deity
- Carries and intensifies tapas (ardor) as a punitive heat
- Scorches/burns (śociṣ) hostile forces and hostile persons
- Drains or nullifies tejas (splendour, efficacy, prestige) of an adversary
- Swiftly reverses directed malice back to its source
- Acts as a protective force around the client through repelling currents
Why the deity is called
To ‘turn back’ hatred and harmful intent onto the hater—scorching him and making him a-tejas (deprived of power), thereby neutralizing his capacity to injure.
The seer
- Atharvan/Āṅgirasa (anukramaṇī-specific attribution to be verified for AVŚ 2.20)Atharvan. Abhicārika and apotropaic charms: reversal of sorcery/hatred, enemy-binding and enemy-burning through tejas/tapas formulas, protective imprecations with refrain-based cadence.
Other hymns of this seer
- AVŚ 1.7 (selected kṛtyā/counter-sorcery material, tradition-level)
- AVŚ 2.7 (selected enemy-repelling material, tradition-level)
- AVŚ 3.1 (selected śatrunāśana-type material, tradition-level)
Preparing for the rite
- Choose a focused intention by identifying the hostile party (mentally; avoid public naming if social risk).
- Seat the reciter facing an open, airy direction (often east or toward moving air), maintaining ritual cleanliness (ācamanam/hand-washing).
- Establish a simple protective boundary by silent breath-control (3 measured breaths) while recalling Vāyu as prāṇa and tejas-bearer.
The rite
- Recite the 5 mantras in sequence, emphasizing the refrain ‘yo ’smān dveṣṭi yaṃ vayaṃ dviṣmaḥ’ as the turning-point of reversal.
- On verses invoking tapas/śociṣ, exhale sharply at the end of the line (symbolic ‘driving out’).
- On the ‘a-tejas’ verse (2.20.5), gesture downward or outward with the right hand to signify depletion/stripping of hostile power.
- Conclude with a brief silent pause, imagining the hostile intent dispersed and the client encircled by Vāyu’s protective current.
When
Performed when hostility is felt to be active—before confronting an adversary, at dawn with moving air, or at the onset of troubling signs; repeat for three consecutive days if needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is used to reverse active hatred or hostile intent by invoking Vāyu’s burning power (tapas/śociṣ) and by draining the adversary’s tejas (effective strength).
The refrain marks a formal reversal: it identifies the hostile agent and frames the rite as a return of harm to its source, rather than a general prayer for wellbeing.
In the verses provided, no substances are specified; it functions primarily as a spoken act of reversal centered on Vāyu’s tapas/tejas, though traditions may add simple breath and directional observances.
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