Sukta 96
यस्ते हन्ति पतयन्तं निषत्स्नुं यः सरीसृपम्। जातं यस्ते जिघांसति तमितो नाशयामसि
yás te hánti patáyantaṃ níḥsatsnuṃ yáḥ sarīsṛpám | jā́taṃ yás te jíghāṃsati tám itó nāśayāmasi ||
Whoso would smite—be it the flier, the stealthy creeper, or the crawling thing—whoso would slay thy newborn child, him from hence we cause to perish.
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition
Devata: General rakṣā-power (often under Agni’s broader protection in the hymn sequence)
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh
{"primary_rasa":"bhayankara","secondary_rasa":"vira","emotional_arc":"From vigilance against many dangers to courageous communal banishment.","listener_experience":"Protective alertness and relief; sense of a guarded nursery-space.","intensity":6}