Atharva Veda 4.18.2: Kanda 4, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 18, Mantra 2
Sukta 18
यो दे॑वाः कृ॒त्यां कृ॒त्वा हरा॒दवि॑दुषो गृ॒हम्। व॒त्सो धा॒रुरि॑व मा॒तरं॒ तं प्र॒त्यगुप॑ पद्यताम्
yó devāḥ kṛtyā́ṃ kṛtvā́ harā́d avidúṣo gṛhám | vatsó dhā́rur iva mātáraṃ táṃ pratyág úpa padyatām ||
Whoso, O Gods, hath framed the witchcraft, stealing upon the house of him that knew it not—like a calf that clings and hastens to its mother, let it go back and step upon that man.
भगवान, जो किसी ने जादू-टोना करके किसी और के घर में बुरा किया है, उसको वापस उसी के पास भेज दो। जैसे बछेड़ा अपनी माँ के पास भागता है, वैसे ही वो बुरा काम उसी इंसान के पास जाए जो उसने किया है। उसका जादू उसी पर पड़ेगा।
The meaning
What it says
Whoever has made witchcraft and stolen it into the house of one who did not know—like a calf running to its mother—let that kṛtyā go back and step upon that man.
The inner meaning
Reversal of projected harm: what is sent returns to its source. The calf-to-mother simile frames recoil as natural attraction—hostility gravitates back to its origin.
The truth in it
Intentions have trajectories: harm launched into the world tends to rebound through consequence, exposure, or inner corrosion; protection can be framed as restoring rightful ownership of one’s fate.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Abhicarika (Counter-sorcery / Recoil of witchcraft)
Its aim
Cause the hostile kṛtyā to recoil and afflict its sender rather than the innocent household.
Word by Word
Pada patha
यः । देवाः । कृत्याम् । कृत्वा । हरात् । अविदुषः । गृहम् । वत्सः । धारुः-इव । मातरम् । तम् । प्रत्यक् । उप । पद्यताम् ।
- यः
- who (he who)whoever; the unknown aggressor.Pronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- देवाः
- the godsO gods; invoked as witnesses/enforcers of retribution.Nounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role KartāRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- कृत्याम्
- a sorcery/witchcraft (harmful rite)kṛtyā, wrought witchcraft/hostile rite sent against a victim.Nounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot कृत्या (प्रातिपदिक)
- कृत्वा
- having done/madehaving made/perpetrated; denotes completed hostile act.Verbक्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund): ‘having done’Role क्रियाविशेषणम्Root कृ (धातु)
- हरात्
- from the harā (a place/den; lair)from concealment/secretly (or 'from the taking away'); i.e., by stealthy means.Nounपुंलिङ्गः, पञ्चमी, एकवचनम्Role ApādānaRoot हर (प्रातिपदिक)
- अविदुषः
- of the ignorant/unwitting (man)of the unknowing/innocent; the victim unaware of the attack.Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, एकवचनम्Role सम्बन्धःRoot अविद्वस् (प्रातिपदिक) < विद्वस् ‘knowing’ with negation अ-
- गृहम्
- househouse; the domestic target of sorcery.Nounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
- वत्सः
- a calfcalf; emblem of instinctive return and dependence.Nounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot वत्स (प्रातिपदिक)
- धारुः
- a suckling (young one)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot धारु (प्रातिपदिक)
- इव
- like/asIndeclinableउपमा-अव्ययRole सम्बन्ध/उपमाRoot इव
- मातरम्
- motherto its mother; the source to which it returns.Nounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- तम्
- him/that onethat one (the perpetrator); target of recoil.Pronounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- प्रति
- towards/againstIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्यय (directional)Role दिशा/प्रत्यभिमुखताRoot प्रति
- अगु
- indeed/just (particle)Indeclinableनिपात (Vedic particle; intensifier/connector)Role निपातःRoot अगु
- उप
- near, up toupon, toward; motion of approach.Indeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्यय (near, up to)Role दिशा/सामीप्यRoot उप
- पद्यताम्
- let him go/step; let him approachlet it step/come upon; may the kṛtyā 'walk back' onto him.Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्, आत्मनेपदम्Role मुख्यक्रियाRoot पद् (धातु)
Sandhi Notes
- हरात् + अविदुषः → हरादविदुषः (त् + अ → द्)
- प्रति + अगु (वैदिक-निपातः) + उप
- अन्यत्र विशेष-संधि-परिवर्तनं न आवश्यकम्।
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic transmission (anukramaṇī-dependent).
- Devata
- Devas as enforcers; kṛtyā as the operative object to be reversed.
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh-like.
- Rasa
- Raudra and Bhayankara
Sāyaṇa emphasizes the 'pratyag' recoil: kṛtyā is to return to its maker by a natural compulsion, illustrated by the calf’s inevitable movement to the cow. 'Harāt' is taken as secret/stealthy practice; the victim is 'aviduṣ'—unaware and thus needing Atharvanic protection.
Anonymous (Atharvanic; kṛtyā-countercharm tradition)
Recoil magic: redirecting hostile kṛtyā back to its maker; boundary-defense of the innocent household.
Illustrates the Atharvan-Aṅgiras duality: protection through aggressive reversal, justified by innocence (‘aviduṣo gṛham’).
Devas as enforcers; Kṛtyā as reversible force
The Gods administer moral recoil; kṛtyā is treated as a force-object that can be ‘re-aimed’ to its proper owner.
Restores safety of the household by removing intrusive harm; reduces fear and perceived spiritual contamination.
Strong apotropaic reversal—turning the attack away from the innocent.
4 pādas with minor irregularities from sandhi/lexemes
Charm idiom and simile expansion can shift syllable counts; cadence remains punchy and directive.
Forward-driving, with a strong recoil-command in the latter half.
Psychologically ‘turns’ the direction of fear outward and back to source, restoring agency.
Identify the afflicted house/person as 'aviduṣ' (unaware victim) and establish a protective perimeter (sprinkling/marking).
Recite the mantra while directing a reversing gesture (turning back, counter-circling, or casting backward) to enact 'pratyak'.
Optionally transfer the kṛtyā into a carrier (plant/cord/effigy) and send it away from the house, verbally assigning it to return to the sender.
Kauśika Sūtra: kṛtyā-pratiharaṇa / pratyāvartana-karman (general rubric; exact sūtra numbering varies by edition).
Atharvan priest as reverser (pratyāvartaka): performs counter-circulation and verbal assignment of the returning harm.
Recited while circling the house/threshold with apāmārga or while sweeping outward; can be used when unexplained misfortune is attributed to kṛtyā.
Immediately upon suspicion of kṛtyā; at nightfall; after strangers’ visits or boundary breaches.
Atharvan practitioner directs the rite; householder may assist by marking boundaries and disposing sweepings outside.
Symbolic ‘return-to-sender’ protection used with ethical restraint; framed as removing negativity rather than harming a named person.
Apāmārga (hymn-level substance); Domestic boundary/house (gṛha) as ritual locus
The ‘house’ is the container to be defended; apāmārga functions as the operative cleanser/driver; the calf simile encodes inevitability of return-to-source.
Kṛtyā-affliction (occult harm), household malaise attributed to hostile acts; anxiety and sleep disturbance secondary.
Expulsion + reversal: remove the intrusive force from the house and redirect it to the sender; re-seal domestic boundary.
Protects ojas by reducing fear and perceived contamination; aligns with rakṣoghna (demon/evil-averting) logic found in later ritual medicine.
Boundary restoration after harassment or stalking: reclaiming safety and reducing hypervigilance through structured protective ritual.
The sender of kṛtyā; the kṛtyā-object itself.
Send the hostile kṛtyā back to its maker so it ‘steps upon’ (afflicts) him rather than the innocent house.
Reversal spell (pratyak) + simile of natural return (calf to mother) + divine address to enforce recoil.
Witchcraft, covert aggression, envy attacks on the household.
- कृत्या (kṛtyā)
- constructed harm, programmed negativity, intrusive intention
- हरात् (harāt)
- covert aggression; violation of domestic sanctity
- अविदुष् (aviduṣ)
- innocence, unpreparedness; the unconsenting victim
- गृह (gṛha)
- psyche/home-boundary; protected life-space
- वत्स (vatsa)
- instinctive return; inevitable pull back to the source
- मातर (mātara)
- origin, sender, causal matrix
- प्रत्यक् (pratyak)
- recoil, reversal, return-to-sender principle
Cut cords of intrusive influence; reclaim agency and safety.
Maṇipūra (protective will)
Strong exhale visualization: push out and away; then settle into slow breathing to re-establish calm.
A boundary of light around the home/body; a dark knot is lifted and carried back along its own trail to dissolve at its source.
Resolute, defended, unentangled.
Chant once with firm intent, then shift to calming practice—do not remain in reactive anger; seal with a satya-based vow and grounding.
Keep consonant cluster kṛtyā clear (kṛ-tyā).; Pronounce pratyag with clear palatal y and final g.; Maintain aspirate in dhārur-iva (if recited with that reading) and clear vatsa.
Directive charm tone; emphasize ‘pratyag’ and ‘upa padyatām’ as the operative reversal.
Stress: kṛtyāṃ kṛtvā / harād / aviduṣo gṛham / pratyag / upa padyatām.
Forceful, expulsive; end with a decisive cadence on ‘padyatām’.
Often paired with outward sweeping/throwing gesture; avoid naming individuals in anger—traditional framing targets the ‘sender’ generically.
Perceived spiritual attack, envy, repeated unexplained household discord; need for firm boundaries after intrusion.
After cleansing the home; when setting protective intention; before sleep if fear of harm is present.
Sense of safety, reduced fear, restored household confidence; symbolic release of intrusive negativity.
Do not use to justify retaliation or scapegoating; seek practical solutions and professional help for ongoing threats or mental distress.
Even when not named in every verse, Apāmārga functions as the rite’s material anchor; the mantra supplies the juridical logic of recoil. The plant’s expulsive handling pairs with 'pratyag' semantics to produce a combined material-semiotic reversal.
The household is imagined as vulnerable to clandestine aggression; protection requires a specialist who can mobilize gods and enforce moral-ritual reciprocity. The aggressor is socially anonymous ('whoever'), implying pervasive suspicion and the need for institutionalized counter-magic.
The kṛtyā lexeme and the explicit 'return-to-sender' logic are Atharvanic specializations. The domestic framing (gṛha) and stealth-attack motif are more typical of AV social-magic discourse than RV sacrificial praise.
Gopatha tends to treat hostile rites as real forces that can be redirected through correct brahman and procedure. The calf simile supports a theory of 'natural compulsion'—once redirected, the kṛtyā seeks its origin like an entity with homing behavior.
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