Sukta 4

Mantra 1

शत्रुदमनम्। इन्द्रासोमा तपतं रक्ष उब्जतं न्यऽर्पयतं वृषणा तमोवृधः । परा शृणीतमचितो न्योऽषतं हतं नुदेथां नि शिशीतमत्त्रिणः

Enemy-subduing. O Indra-Soma, burn ye; crush the Rákṣas, and bind him down—ye two strong Bulls—him that waxeth in darkness. Shatter ye and drive away the unseen; burn him down, smite, thrust forth; whet ye (your power) against the devourers.

Mantra 2

इन्द्रासोमा समघशंसमभ्य१घं तपुर्ययस्तु चरुरग्निमाँ इव । ब्रह्मद्विषे क्रव्यादे घोरचक्षसे द्वेषो धत्तमनवायं किमीदिने

O Indra and Soma, scorch ye wholly the evil-praying wretch—ye burners—like a fire-laden cooked oblation. Upon the Brahman-hater, the flesh-devourer, the dreadful-eyed, lay ye hatred, ineluctable, upon the kīmīdin.

Mantra 3

इन्द्रासोमा दुष्कृतो वव्रे अन्तरनारम्भणे तमसि प्र विध्यतम्। यतो नैषां पुनरेकश्चनोदयत् तद् वामस्तु सहसे मन्युमच्छवः

O Indra and Soma, pierce ye forth the evil-doer within the shut-in, supportless darkness—whence not even one of them may rise again. Let that be yours for might, O ye of wrathful splendour.

Mantra 4

इन्द्रासोमा वर्तयतं दिवो वधं सं पृथिव्या अघशंसाय तर्हणम्। उत् तक्षतं स्वर्यं१ पर्वतेभ्यो येन रक्षो वावृधानं निजूर्वथः

O Indra and Soma, turn ye the slaying-stroke from heaven and from earth—crushing—for the evil-speaker. Hew ye forth a sunward bolt from the mountains, wherewith ye may grind down the waxing Rakṣas.

Mantra 5

इन्द्रासोमा वर्तयतं दिवस्पर्यग्नितप्तेभिर्युवमश्महन्मभिः । तपुर्वधेभिरजरेभिरत्त्रिणो नि पर्शाने विध्यतं यन्तु निस्वरम्

O Indra and Soma, turn ye away the heavenly harm; with fire-heated stone-smiters—ye two—with unfailing, scorching slayings, pierce the devourers in the flank: let them go forth soundless.

Mantra 6

इन्द्रासोमा परि वां भूतु विश्वत इयं मतिः कक्ष्याश्वेव वाजिना । यां वां होत्रां परिहिनोमि मेधयेमा ब्रह्माणि नृपती इव जिन्वतम्

O Indra and Soma, may this my thought encompass you from every side, like a harnessed racer. That invocation which I dispatch for you with understanding—these sacred spells—quicken ye, as lords of men.

Mantra 7

प्रति स्मरेथां तुजयद्भिरेवैर्हतं द्रुहो रक्षसो भङ्गुरावतः । इन्द्रासोमा दुष्कृते मा सुगं भूद् यो मा कदा चिदभिदासति द्रुहुः

In requital, remember ye with these impelling smiters: smite down the treacherous one, the Rākṣasas, the shatterers. O Indra-Soma, for the evil-doer let there be no easy course—whoever at any time assaileth me, the false betrayer.

Mantra 8

यो मा पाकेन मनसा चरन्तमभिचष्टे अनृतेभिर्वचोभिः । आप इव काशिना संगृभीता असन्नस्त्वसतः इन्द्र वक्ता

Who with a crafty mind, as I go my way, denounceth me with words of untruth—like waters seized fast with a snare, so may the utterer of the unreal, O Indra, be held for our behoof.

Mantra 9

ये पाकशंसं विहरन्त एवैर्ये वा भद्रं दूषयन्ति स्वधाभिः । अहये वा तान् प्रददातु सोम आ वा दधातु निरृतेरुपस्थे

They who with such devices spread abroad malicious slander, or who by their own wilful powers mar our welfare—unto the Serpent let Soma deliver them, or set them down within the lap of Nirṛti.

Mantra 10

यो नो रसं दिप्सति पित्वो अग्ने अश्वानां गवां यस्तनूनाम्। रिपु स्तेन स्तेयकृद् दभ्रमेतु नि ष हीयतां तन्वा३ तना च

Whoso would seize our sap, our nourishment, O Agni—of horses, of kine, who of our very persons—enemy, thief, theft-doer—let him go to harm; let him be brought low and fail, in body and in offspring.

Mantra 11

परः सो अस्तु तन्वा३ तना च तिस्रः पृथिवीरधो अस्तु विश्वाः । प्रति शुष्यतु यशो अस्य देवा यो मा दिवा दिप्सति यश्च नक्तम्

Far off let him be, in body and in offspring; beneath all the three earths let him be. Back upon him, O Gods, let his glory wither—who by day would seize me, and who by night.

Mantra 12

सुविज्ञानं चिकितुषे जनाय सच्चासच्च वचसी पस्पृधाते । तयोर्यत् सत्यं यतरदृजीयस्तदित् सोमोऽवति हन्त्यसत्

For the man of right discernment, for him that knoweth, True speech and False contend together in rivalry. Of these, what is the True, what is the straighter and the stronger—That verily Soma upholds, and smiteth down the Untrue.

Mantra 13

न वा उ सोमो वृजिनं हिनोति न क्षत्रियं मिथुया धारयन्तम्। हन्ति रक्षो हन्त्यासद् वदन्तमुभाविन्द्रस्य प्रसितौ शयाते

Soma, in sooth, impelleth none to crooked sin, nor yet the Kṣatriya who falsely holds his plea. He smiteth down the Rakṣas, smiteth him who speaketh Untruth: both lie beneath the constraint, the cast-bond, of Indra.

Mantra 14

यदि वाहमनृतदेवो अस्मि मोघं वा देवाँ अप्यूहे अग्ने । किमस्मभ्यं जातवेदो हृणीषे द्रोघवाचस्ते निरृथं सचन्ताम्

If I be one whose god is Untruth, or if in vain I call the Gods, O Agni—Wherefore, O Jātavedas, art thou wroth with us? Let treacherous speakers cleave to thy destruction and thy ruin.

Mantra 15

अद्या मुरीय यदि यातुधानो अस्मि यदि वायुस्ततप पुरुषस्य । अधा स वीरैर्दशभिर्वि यूया यो मा मोघं यातुधानेत्याह

May I die this day, if I be Yātudhāna; if Vāyu have scorched the man with torment. Then may he be scattered, with ten strong men to drive him asunder, who vainly crieth of me, ‘Yātudhāna!’

Mantra 16

यो मायातुं यातुधानेत्याह यो वा रक्षाः शुचिरस्मीत्याह । इन्द्रस्तं हन्तु महता वधेन विश्वस्य जन्तोरधमस्पदीष्ट

Whoso of me proclaimeth, ‘He is sorcery, a Yātudhāna,’ or whoso, being Rakṣas, saith, ‘I am pure’—May Indra smite that man with mighty slaughter-stroke, and may he take the lowest footing among all living men.

Mantra 17

प्र या जिगाति खर्गलेव नक्तमप द्रुहुस्तन्वं१गूहमाना । वव्रमनन्तमव सा पदीष्ट ग्रावाणो घ्नन्तु रक्षस उपब्दैः

Forth goes she, like a prowling beast, by night—hiding the injurer’s body as she skulks. Into the cave, the boundless lair, may she go down and be entrapped: let the stones smite the Rākṣasas with resounding blows.

Mantra 18

वि तिष्ठध्वं मरुतो विक्ष्वि३छत गृभायत रक्षसः सं पिनष्टन। वयो ये भूत्वा पतयन्ति नक्तभिर्ये वा रिपो दधिरे देवे अध्वरे

Stand forth, O Maruts; scatter them abroad: seize ye the Rākṣasas, and crush them utterly—those who, becoming birds, fly in the nights, or those who, as deceiving foes, have set obstruction in the godward sacrifice.

Mantra 19

प्र वर्तय दिवोऽश्मानमिन्द्र सोमशितं मघवन्त्सं शिशाधि । प्राक्तो अपाक्तोअधरादुदक्तोऽभिजहि रक्षसः पर्वतेन

Roll forth the heavenly stone, O Indra; the Soma-whetted—make it keen, O Bounteous. Whether in front or behind, from below or from above, smite thou the Rākṣasas, crushing them with the mountain-mass.

Mantra 20

एत उ त्ये पतयन्ति श्वयातव इन्द्रं दिप्सन्ति दिप्सवोऽदाभ्यम्। शिशीते शक्रः पिशुनेभ्यो वधं नुनं सृजदशनिं यातुमद्भ्यः

Lo, these—those yelping fliers—seek to harm Indra, the Unassailable, being themselves harm-seekers. The Mighty One now makes slaughter ready against the malicious; even now he lets loose the thunderbolt upon the yātu-possessed.

Mantra 21

इन्द्रो यातूनामभवत् पराशरो हविर्मथीनामभ्या३विवासताम्। अभीदु शक्रः परशुर्यथा वनं पात्रेव भिन्दन्त्सत एतु रक्षसः

Indra hath become the expeller of the yātu-powers, of those who, drawing near, would churn and mar the oblation. Thereon the Mighty One—an axe as it were to a forest—cleaving like vessels, let the present Rākṣas depart away.

Mantra 22

उलूकयातुं शुशुलूकयातुं जहि श्वयातुमुत कोकयातुम्। सुपर्णयातुमुत गृध्रयातुं दृषदेव प्र मृण रक्ष इन्द्र

Slay thou the owl-shaped sorcerer, slay the hooting-owl-shaped; smite the dog-shaped, and eke the koka-shaped. The fair-winged-shaped, and eke the vulture-shaped—O Stone-strong Indra, crush thou forth the Rākṣas.

Mantra 23

मा नो रक्षो अभि नड् यातुमावदपोच्छन्तु मिथुना ये किमीदिनः । पृथिवी नः पार्थिवात् पात्वंहसोऽन्तरिक्षं दिव्यात् पात्वस्मान्

Let not the Rākṣas come leaping against us, unavailing to harm; away let the paired Kīmīdin fiends be chased. Let Earth from earthly peril guard us from distress; let Mid-air from heavenly peril guard us.

Mantra 24

इन्द्र जहि पुमांसं यातुधानमुत स्त्रियं मायया शाशदानाम्। विग्रीवासो मूरदेवा ऋदन्तु मा ते दृशन्त्सूर्यमुच्चरन्तम्

O Indra, smite the male Yātudhāna, and eke the female, of them that by illusion ever wound. Crook-necked, false-god fiends—let them cry out; let them not behold the Sun as he goes up.

Mantra 25

प्रति चक्ष्व वि चक्ष्वेन्द्रश्च सोम जागृतम्। रक्षोभ्यो वधमस्यतमशनिं यातुमद्भ्यः

Look ye in counter, look ye abroad—Indra and Soma, wake and watch. Against the Rākṣas cast ye slaughter; hurl ye the thunderbolt against the sorcery-possessed.