Sukta 56

Mantra 1

विषभैषज्यम्। तिर॑श्चिराजेरसि॒तात् पृदा॑कोः॒ परि॒ संभृ॑तम्। तत् क॒ङ्कप॑र्वणो वि॒षमि॒यं वी॒रुद॑नीनशत्

Poison gathered round about—(poison) of the striped one, of the black one, of the spotted one, of the knot-jointed—this herb hath driven it away.

Mantra 2

इ॒यं वी॒रुन्मधु॑जाता मधु॒श्चुन्म॑धु॒ला म॒धूः । सा विह्रु॑तस्य भेष॒ज्यथो॑ मशक॒जम्भ॑नी

This herb is honey-born, honey-dropping, honey-rich, honey-sweet: she is a remedy for the disordered; and moreover a crusher of the mosquito.

Mantra 3

यतो॑ द॒ष्टं यतो॑ धी॒तं तत॑स्ते॒ निर्ह्व॑यामसि । अ॒र्भस्य॑ तृप्रदं॒शिनो॑ म॒शक॑स्यार॒सं वि॒षम्

Whencesoever it was bitten, whencesoever it was lodged—thence we call it forth: the sapless poison of the tiny, sharp-biting mosquito.

Mantra 4

अ॒यं यो व॒क्रो विप॑रु॒र्व्यऽङ्गो॒ मुखा॑नि व॒क्रा वृ॑जि॒ना कृ॒णोषि॑ । तानि॒ त्वं ब्र॑ह्मणस्पत इ॒षीका॑मिव॒ सं न॑मः

This crooked, twisted-jointed, disjointed thing, that with crooked mouths works injury—those (mouths) do thou, O Lord of sacred speech, bend wholly down, as one (bends) a reed: (to thee) be reverence.

Mantra 5

अ॒र॒सस्य॑ श॒र्कोट॑स्य नी॒चीन॑स्योप॒सर्प॑तः । वि॒षं ह्य॑१स्यादि॒ष्यथो॑ एनमजीजभम्

Of the sapless Śarkota, the low-creeping thing that steals upon one—its venom verily, when I have marked it out, then have I crushed and made it powerless.

Mantra 6

न ते॑ बा॒ह्वोर्बल॑मस्ति॒ न शी॒र्षे नोत म॑ध्य॒तः । अथ॒ किं पा॒पया॑मु॒या पुच्छे॑ बिभर्ष्यर्भ॒कम्

No strength is thine in arms, none in the head, nor yet within the middle: then what, with that evil thing, dost thou bear in thy tail—a paltry trifle?

Mantra 7

अ॒दन्ति॑ त्वा पि॒पीलि॑का॒ वि वृ॑श्चन्ति मयू॒र्यः । सर्वे॑ भल ब्रवाथ॒ शार्को॑टमर॒सं वि॒षम्

The ants devour thee; the peahens cut thee piecemeal. Cry all ‘Well done!’—the Śārkoṭa, sapless, mere poison.

Mantra 8

य उ॒भाभ्यां॑ प्र॒हर॑सि॒ पुच्छे॑न चा॒स्येऽन च । आ॒स्ये॒३ न ते॑ वि॒षं किमु॑ ते पुच्छ॒धाव॑सत्

Thou that strikest with both, with tail and also with mouth—within thy mouth is no venom: what venom then is thine, O tail-rushing one?