Sukta 56
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (commonly anonymous/Angirasic for such charms)
Devata: Viṣa-nāśana (poison-destroying power) directed against the śarkota; the mantra itself functions as the agent
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (probable; typical for short apotropaic verses)
AV 7.56 は、マントラの力と薬草（vīrúd）の効能によって、śarkota および他の這い回り噛みつく生き物の毒を見定め、鎮める解毒・治癒の護符歌である。本讃歌は植物の解毒力とブラフマン（brahman、聖なる言葉）を結び合わせ、毒が「砕かれた」と宣言し、噛みつく口を折り伏せて無害化する。
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
विषभैषज्यम्। तिर॑श्चिराजेरसि॒तात् पृदा॑कोः॒ परि॒ संभृ॑तम्। तत् क॒ङ्कप॑र्वणो वि॒षमि॒यं वी॒रुद॑नीनशत्
周囲に集まった毒——縞あるものの毒、黒きものの毒、斑あるものの毒、節が結び目のごときものの毒——この薬草がそれを追い払った。
Mantra 2
इ॒यं वी॒रुन्मधु॑जाता मधु॒श्चुन्म॑धु॒ला म॒धूः । सा विह्रु॑तस्य भेष॒ज्यथो॑ मशक॒जम्भ॑नी
この薬草は蜜より生まれ、蜜を滴らせ、蜜に満ち、蜜のごとく甘い。彼女は乱れたものの薬であり、さらに蚊を打ち砕く者でもある。
Mantra 3
यतो॑ द॒ष्टं यतो॑ धी॒तं तत॑स्ते॒ निर्ह्व॑यामसि । अ॒र्भस्य॑ तृप्रदं॒शिनो॑ म॒शक॑स्यार॒सं वि॒षम्
いずこで咬まれ、いずこに潜みとどまろうとも——その処より汝を呼び出す。小さく鋭く咬む蚊（मशक maśaka）の、汁気なき毒よ、去れ。
Mantra 4
अ॒यं यो व॒क्रो विप॑रु॒र्व्यऽङ्गो॒ मुखा॑नि व॒क्रा वृ॑जि॒ना कृ॒णोषि॑ । तानि॒ त्वं ब्र॑ह्मणस्पत इ॒षीका॑मिव॒ सं न॑मः
このものは曲がり、節はねじれ、肢は乱れ、曲がった口で害をなす。ブラフマナスパティ（Brahmaṇaspati）、汝それら（口）を、葦をしならせるように、ことごとく屈せしめよ。汝に敬礼。
Mantra 5
अ॒र॒सस्य॑ श॒र्कोट॑स्य नी॒चीन॑स्योप॒सर्प॑तः । वि॒षं ह्य॑१स्यादि॒ष्यथो॑ एनमजीजभम्
汁なきシャルコータ（Śarkota）、低く這い寄り忍び来るもの——その毒はまことに、我がこれを見定め標しおきて、ついに打ち砕き、力を奪い去った。
Mantra 6
न ते॑ बा॒ह्वोर्बल॑मस्ति॒ न शी॒र्षे नोत म॑ध्य॒तः । अथ॒ किं पा॒पया॑मु॒या पुच्छे॑ बिभर्ष्यर्भ॒कम्
汝の両腕には力なく、頭にもなく、また胴の中ほどにもない。されば、その邪なるものをもって、尾にいかなる取るに足らぬ小さきものを携えるのか。
Mantra 7
अ॒दन्ति॑ त्वा पि॒पीलि॑का॒ वि वृ॑श्चन्ति मयू॒र्यः । सर्वे॑ भल ब्रवाथ॒ शार्को॑टमर॒सं वि॒षम्
蟻どもは汝を食らい、雌孔雀らは汝を切り裂く。皆して「よし」と叫べ——シャールコータは汁なきもの、ただの毒。
Mantra 8
य उ॒भाभ्यां॑ प्र॒हर॑सि॒ पुच्छे॑न चा॒स्येऽन च । आ॒स्ये॒३ न ते॑ वि॒षं किमु॑ ते पुच्छ॒धाव॑सत्
汝は両つをもって打つ——尾をも、また口をもって。口の内に汝の毒はない。されば汝の毒は何ぞ、尾走る者よ。
Inside Sukta 56
How it unfolds
- How it opens
Begins by gathering and naming ‘poison’ from various kinds of venomous beings and immediately presenting vīrúd as the driving-away force (anti-venom herb power).
- What it asks
That the venom be expelled/neutralized and that the harmful creature’s capacity to injure be restrained at its source (mouthparts/poison).
- Where its power lies
The speaker claims effective action: the poison is ‘marked out’ and ‘crushed’ (7.56.5), and Brahmaṇaspati can bend down the injuring mouths like a reed (7.56.4).
- How it closes
Concludes with a sealing of protection: poison is rendered powerless and the threat is ritually constrained, leaving the patient safeguarded against further approach and harm.
Famous verses
iṣīkām iva saṃ namaḥ
Kind of hymn
Bhaisajya (Healing) / Apotropaic (anti-venom)
What it is for
Immediate neutralization of venom and protection from the creeping śarkota and allied poisonous beings; restoration of safety and bodily integrity.
Who it is for
Householders, village healers (vaidya-like practitioners), Atharvanic ritualists, and anyone treating bites/stings in domestic or pastoral settings.
Also used as
- Apotropaic
- Rakṣoghna
- Śāntika (pacificatory, in the sense of calming/settling venom)
The deity
A functional Atharvanic divinity: the destroying of poison itself, expressed through the medicinal herb (vīrúd) and empowered by Brahmaṇaspati (lord of brahman/mantra). The mantra acts as the operative agent that detects, binds, and disables the envenoming force.
Powers of the deity
- Neutralizes and expels venom (viṣa) from the body
- Identifies/marks out the poison and renders it ineffective
- Disables the biting/stinging apparatus of the creature (binding/bending the mouths)
- Provides apotropaic protection against further approach/attack
- Channels healing potency through vīrúd (medicinal plant power)
Why the deity is called
Invoked to stop the spread of venom after a bite/sting, to “crush” the poison’s power, and to prevent re-envenomation by ritually disabling the creature’s harmful mouthparts.
The seer
- Anonymous Atharvanic / Bhṛgu (sectional attribution)Bhrigu. Bhaiṣajya and rakṣoghna charms—especially antidotes to bites/stings, neutralization of viṣa, and binding/crippling of harmful creatures through mantra.
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 7.56 (anti-venom against śarkota)
- Other nearby AV 7 bhaiṣajya/viṣa-hymns in the same anuvāka often carry similar Bhṛgu/Angirasic sectional attributions (variant by recension).
Preparing for the rite
- Seat the patient and calm the affected limb; expose the bite/sting site.
- If available, gather a vīrúd (medicinal herb/creeper) regarded as anti-venom; clean water for washing.
- Mentally ‘mark out’ (ādiś-) the poison: identify the source (creeping/low-moving, crooked-mouthed) as the hymn does.
The rite
- Recite the sukta (8 mantras) over the patient and over the herb/water.
- Touch or lightly stroke the bite area while reciting poison-crushing lines (e.g., 7.56.5), directing the mantra to the venom.
- Administer the prepared herb or apply it as a poultice; sprinkle/ablute with mantra-charged water.
- During the Brahmaṇaspati-address (e.g., 7.56.4), gesture as if bending down a reed—symbolically ‘bending’ the creature’s mouths/venom.
What it needs
- Vīrúd (medicinal herb/creeper) as antidote medium
- Clean water (for washing/sprinkling and mantra-charging)
- Optional binding thread/amulet cord for protective sealing
When
As soon as possible after the bite/sting; may be repeated at intervals until symptoms subside.
The main substance
Vīrúd (medicinal herb/creeper) used as an anti-venom medium
Herbs
- Vīrúd (unspecified medicinal creeper/herb; identified locally as an anti-venom plant)
Amulets
- Protective thread/cord (optional, for sealing the charm)
- Herb bundle carried on the person (optional)
How it is prepared
Bruise or grind the vīrúd with a little water to make a paste for topical application, and/or steep it to make a wash; charge both with full-sukta recitation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Śarkota is a low-creeping venomous being in the hymn’s imagery—often understood as a stinging/biting creature (such as a scorpion-like or similar ground-crawling threat). The hymn targets its venom and its ability to injure.
Both. The sukta presents vīrúd (a medicinal herb/creeper) as the antidotal carrier while mantra provides the binding and poison-destroying force that ‘marks out’ and crushes the venom.
Brahmaṇaspati represents the mastery of sacred speech. In 7.56.4 he is asked to bend down the creature’s injuring mouths like a reed—ritually disabling the source of envenomation and reinforcing protection.
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