Sukta 23
Rishi: Uncertain (requires anukramaṇī verification for AVŚ 7.23.1).
Devata: Rakṣoghna-brahman (the mantra’s own power); implicitly Indra/Agni as destroyers of rakṣas in Atharvanic idiom.
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (probable; requires scansion).
AVŚ 7.23は、夜の災いと心身にまたがる諸苦をひとまとめに狙う、簡潔なラクシャス駆逐（rakṣoghna）の呪章である。悪夢、「悪しき生」、魔的な圧迫、敵意ある言葉を名指しし、アヌシュトゥブ（anuṣṭubh）調の一節の宣言によってそれらを追放する。目的は、安らかな眠り、活力、そして言語・社会的な安寧の回復にある。
Mantras
Frequently Asked Questions
It protects against bad dreams and the forces believed to cause them—demonic oppression, life-wasting misfortune, deathward influences, and harmful/hostile speech.
No. The verse itself is designed as a self-sufficient rakṣoghna-brahman: the spoken mantra is the primary instrument, though simple cleansing or sprinkling water may be added optionally.
Before sleep is the most natural timing; it can also be recited right after a disturbing dream or whenever one feels pressured by misfortune, fear, or slander.
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