Sukta 19

Mantra 1

ब्रह्मगवि अ॒ति॒मा॒त्रम॑वर्धन्त॒ नोदि॑व॒ दिव॑मस्पृशन्। भृगुं॑ हिंसि॒त्वा सृञ्ज॑या वैतह॒व्याः परा॑भवन्

The brahman-cows waxed beyond measure; yet reached they not, as though from on high, unto the heaven. Having done hurt to Bhṛgu, the Sṛñjayas—the Vaitahavyas—fell to overthrow.

Mantra 2

ये बृ॒हत्सा॑मानमाङ्गिर॒समार्प॑यन् ब्राह्म॒णं जनाः॑ । पेत्व॒स्तेषा॑मुभ॒याद॒मवि॑स्तो॒कान्या॑वयत्

They who bestowed the great Bṛhat-sāman, Angirasa-born, upon the Brahman—those folk, the Pētvas—Amavi from either side did ward, and kept their drops (their little boons) from harm.

Mantra 3

ये ब्रा॑ह्म॒णं प्र॒त्यष्ठी॑व॒न् ये वा॑स्मिञ्छु॒ल्कमी॑षि॒रे। अ॒स्नस्ते मध्ये॑ कु॒ल्यायाः॒ केशा॒न् खाद॑न्त आसते

They who have spat in scorn against a Brahman, or who within this realm have sought to exact a fee—unbathed, in the midst of a ditch, they sit abiding, gnawing at their own hair.

Mantra 4

ब्र॒ह्म॒ग॒वी प॒च्यमा॑ना॒ याव॒त् साभि वि॒जङ्ग॑हे । तेजो॑ रा॒ष्ट्रस्य॒ निर्ह॑न्ति॒ न वी॒रो जा॑यते॒ वृषा॑

So long as the Brahman’s cow is being cooked, so long she assails: she smites away the kingdom’s fiery might; no hero, no bull-like champion is born.

Mantra 5

क्रू॒रम॑स्या आ॒शस॑नं तृ॒ष्टं पि॑शि॒तम॑स्यते । क्षी॒रं यद॑स्याः पी॒यते॒ तद् वै पि॒तृषु॒ किल्बि॑षम्

Cruel is the eating of her—her flesh is devoured in greedy thirst; and the milk of her that is drunk, that verily is guilt among the Fathers.

Mantra 6

उ॒ग्रो राजा॒ मन्य॑मानो ब्राह्म॒णं यो जिघ॑त्सति । परा॑ तत् सि॑च्यते रा॒ष्ट्रं ब्रा॑ह्म॒णो यत्र॑ जी॒यते॑

A fierce king, deeming himself mighty, who would slay a Brahman—then is that realm poured away to ruin, where the Brahman is made to be conquered.

Mantra 7

अ॒ष्टाप॑दी चतुर॒क्षी चतुः॑श्रोत्रा॒ चतु॑र्हनुः । द्व्याऽस्या॒ द्विजि॑ह्वा भू॒त्वा सा रा॒ष्ट्रमव॑ धूनुते ब्रह्म॒ज्यस्य॑

Eight-footed, four-eyed, four-eared, four-jawed—becoming two-faced and two-tongued, she shakes the kingdom down, the dread power that cleaves to the Brahman-injurer.

Mantra 8

तद् वै रा॒ष्ट्रमा स्र॑वति॒ नावं॑ भि॒न्नामि॑वोद॒कम्। ब्र॒ह्माणं॒ यत्र॒ हिंस॑न्ति॒ तद् रा॒ष्ट्रं ह॑न्ति दु॒च्छुना॑

Verily that realm runneth out and away, as water from a boat that is cloven. Where men do violence unto the Brahman, that realm—by evil ill-luck—he smiteth down.

Mantra 9

तं वृ॒क्षा अप॑ सेधन्ति छा॒यां नो॒ मोप॑गा॒ इति॑ । यो ब्रा॑ह्म॒णस्य॒ सद् धन॑म॒भि ना॑रद॒ मन्य॑ते

Him do the trees thrust back: ‘Approach not thou our shade,’ say they—whoso, O Nārada, doth set his thought upon the rightful wealth of a Brahman.

Mantra 10

वि॒षमे॒तद् दे॒वकृ॑तं॒ राजा॒ वरु॑णोऽब्रवीत्। न ब्रा॑ह्म॒णस्य॒ गां ज॒ग्ध्वा रा॒ष्ट्रे जा॑गार॒ कश्च॒न

‘A perilous thing is this, ordained of gods,’ King Varuṇa hath proclaimed: ‘No man, having eaten the Brahman’s cow, within the realm keepeth watch in safety.’

Mantra 11

नवै॒व ता न॑व॒तयो॒ या भूमि॒र्व्यऽधूनुत । प्र॒जां हिं॑सि॒त्वा ब्राह्म॑णीमसंभ॒व्यं परा॑भवन्

Even nine—those companies of ninety—whom Earth cast off and scattered: for, having harmed the folk and wrought outrage upon a Brahmin woman, they fell to ruin, a deed intolerable.

Mantra 12

यां मृ॒ताया॑नुब॒ध्नन्ति॑ कू॒द्यंऽ पद॒योप॑नीम्। तद् वै ब्र॑ह्मज्य ते दे॒वा उ॑प॒स्तर॑णमब्रुवन्

That which they bind upon a dead woman—(as) a wall-covering, a foot-laid upper cloth—this verily the gods have ordained as bedding for the brahman-hurter.

Mantra 13

अश्रू॑णि॒ कृप॑मानस्य॒ यानि॑ जी॒तस्य॑ वावृ॒तुः । तं वै ब्र॑ह्मज्य ते दे॒वा अ॒पां भा॒गम॑धारयन्

The tears of him that piteously lamenteth—those which have encompassed the conquered—him, verily, as Brahman-slayer, the Gods have held back from the Waters’ portion.

Mantra 14

येन॑ मृ॒तं स्न॒पय॑न्ति॒ श्मश्रू॑णि॒ येनोन्दते॑ । तं वै ब्र॑ह्मज्य ते दे॒वा अ॒पां भा॒गम॑धारयन्

That wherewith they wash the dead, wherewith they moisten the beard—him, verily, as Brahman-slayer, the Gods have held back from the Waters’ portion.

Mantra 15

न व॒र्षं मै॑त्रावरु॒णं ब्र॑ह्म॒ज्यम॒भि व॑र्षति । नास्मै॒ समि॑तिः कल्पते॒ न मि॒त्रं न॑यते॒ वश॑म्

No Mitra-Varuṇa rain raineth upon the Brahman-slayer; for him no assembly is made ready; no friend bringeth (aught) under his control.