Atharva Veda 2.18.4: Kanda 2, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 18, Mantra 4
Sukta 18
पि॒शा॒च॒क्षय॑णमसि पिशाच॒चात॑नं मे दाः॒ स्वाहा॑
piśāca-kṣáyaṇam asi piśāca-cátanaṁ me dāḥ svā́hā
Thou art the wasting of the Piśācas; bestow on me the driving-forth of the Piśācas—svāhā.
Engkau ialah pelemahan para Piśāca; kurniakan kepadaku penghalauan para Piśāca—svāhā.
The meaning
What it says
Identifies the offering/charm as the ‘wasting’ and ‘driving out’ of Piśācas (malevolent beings linked with possession, fear, wasting) and asks that power be granted—svāhā.
The inner meaning
Piśācas symbolize intrusive thoughts, compulsions, night-terrors, and the sense of being ‘eaten’ from within. The mantra establishes sovereignty of mind and home by expelling the intruder.
The truth in it
When consciousness is invaded—by fear, obsession, or trauma—healing begins with reasserting boundaries and calling in purifying forces; disciplined speech can be a form of exorcism.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Bhaisajya (Healing) / Rakṣoghna (Demon-expelling)
Its aim
To repel and destroy piśāca-affliction (possession, wasting sickness, nocturnal terror) affecting the patient/household.
Word by Word
Pada patha
पिशाच-क्षयणम् । असि । पिशाच-चातनम् । मे । दाः । स्वाहा ।
- पिशाचक्षयणम्
- (you are) the destruction/abode-of-decay of the Piśācas; i.e., a Piśāca-destroyer‘Piśāca-destroying’ (lit. causing the wasting-away/decay of piśācas); an apotropaic power resident in the addressed charm/substanceNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनRole कर्म (असि के साथ विधेय/विशेष्य-रूपेण)Root पिशाच- (प्रातिपदिक) + क्षयण- (प्रातिपदिक; √क्षि/क्षय् ‘क्षय/नाश’ से) अथवा √क्षि ‘क्षय’ + युच्/अन प्रत्यय
- असि
- you arethou art; declarative identification (mantric ‘is-ness’ conferring function)Verbलट्; मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचनRole सम्बन्धक क्रिया; कर्ता = त्वम्Root √अस् (भू/सत्तायाम्)
- पिशाचचातनम्
- a Piśāca-expeller / Piśāca-destroying charmpiśāca-expelling/repelling (driving away the demon); a protective counter-forceNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनRole कर्म (दाः के साथ दातव्य-वस्तु)Root पिशाच- (प्रातिपदिक) + चातन- (प्रातिपदिक; √चत्/चात् ‘नाश/प्रेरण/भग्न’—‘चातयति’ परम्परा)
- मे
- to me / for meto/for me; the sacrificer/patient as beneficiaryPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी एकवचन (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्प्रदान (दाः के साथ ‘मम/मह्यम्’ = to me)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- दाः
- give (grant)give, bestow (grant efficacy/protection); imperative addressed to the charm/deityVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ); मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचनRole सम्बन्धक क्रिया; कर्ता = त्वम्; कर्म = पिशाचचातनम्Root √दा (दाने)
- स्वाहा
- svāhā (hail; offering-formula)svāhā; oblation-call/sealing formula, marking offering and successful ‘sending’ of the spellIndeclinableअव्यय; मन्त्र-समापन/आहुति-उद्गारRole मन्त्र-निपात; यज्ञ/आहुति-सूचकRoot स्वाहा (निपात/उद्गार)
Sandhi Notes
- पि॒शा॒च॒क्षय॑णम् असि → पिशाचक्षयणम् असि (समास/सन्धि-रहित पद-सीमा)
- पिशाच॒चात॑नं मे दाः → पिशाचचातनम् मे दाः (अन्त्य -म् + म- आरम्भ: उच्चारण में ‘ं’/अनुस्वार; पद-विश्लेषण में ‘म्’ रखा)
- स्वाहा स्वतंत्र निपात।
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic tradition (exact r̥ṣi attribution varies by anukramaṇī; commonly Atharvan/Angiras-type for rakṣoghna material)
- Devata
- Mantra/Charm as personified apotropaic power; functionally directed against Piśācas
- Chandas
- Mixed/short formulaic; effectively treated as a brief anuṣṭubh-like utterance in ritual use
- Rasa
- Bhayankara and Raudra
Sāyaṇa glosses the compound-epithets as functional designations of an apotropaic agency (typically a mantra-charm, amulet, or consecrated substance): kṣayaṇa ‘causing destruction/waning’ and cātana ‘driving away’ of piśācas (malevolent, corpse-haunting spirits). The imperative dāḥ is taken as ‘grant me that protective efficacy’; svāhā indicates the mantra’s employment with an offering or a sealing utterance in rite.
Anukramaṇī attribution not supplied; verse stands in Atharvanic rakṣoghna (demon-expelling) stream often associated with Āṅgirasa forcefulness in application.
Rakṣā/rakṣoghna rites; expulsion of piśāca-affliction through fire-offering and charm-consecration.
A classic Atharvan move: treat the affliction as a removable entity and apply purification + expulsion, restoring the patient’s ‘ownership’ of body and space.
Piśāca-kṣayaṇa / Piśāca-cātana (exorcistic protective power; typically enacted through Agni)
Protects the human settlement from liminal, nocturnal, and corpse-associated forces; reestablishes ṛta within the household.
Addresses possession-like states, wasting, terror, and sleep disturbance in Atharvan framing.
Strong apotropaic shield against nocturnal beings and psychic invasion.
4×~8
Rakṣoghna formulas often favor emphatic consonant clusters (piśāca-, kṣ-, cā-) producing a ‘driving’ rhythm.
Hard, expulsive consonants; suitable for forceful exorcistic delivery.
Creates a ‘push-out’ sonic gesture; svāhā seals the banishment.
Prepare a protective support: either an amulet/charm to be bound on the patient, or an offering-fire setup if āhuti is intended.
Recite the mantra over the chosen support (amulet/substance) to ‘identify’ it as piśāca-destroying and piśāca-expelling.
If performed with fire: make an oblation at the svāhā, directing the expulsion/destruction away from the patient and dwelling.
If performed domestically without fire: seal the act by uttering svāhā while binding/placing the charm on the patient (or at threshold/bedside) as a ward.
Conclude with a protective circumambulation or placement at liminal points (door, head of bed), consistent with rakṣā-rites.
Kauśika Sūtra: piśāca/rakṣas-nivāraṇa sections (general application of svāhā-mantras with bali/āhuti and protective binding); exact sutra-number requires recension-specific cross-indexing.
Atharvan/Brahman officiant as rakṣā-kartṛ: consecrates the protective medium, recites the mantra, and performs the binding/oblation to effect expulsion.
Recite with a lamp/fire near the patient’s bed; circle the flame (ārati-like) and gesture outward at doorways; charge an amulet for wearing during sleep.
Nightfall; during acute episodes; also at new/dark moon nights traditionally associated with heightened fear.
Atharvan specialist or experienced householder; caretaker may recite softly for the patient.
Use as calming protective recitation with safe lighting; pair with sleep hygiene and medical help where needed.
apotropaic charm/amulet (maṇi) or consecrated substance (dravya) used as the mantra’s support (implied by ‘thou art…’ identification); oblatory medium (ghee or similar), implied by svāhā
Likely in practice: a rakṣā-maṇi or knotted thread empowered by the mantra and worn/placed near bed/door.
Central: svāhā implies fire as purifier and carrier.
Fire is the anti-piśāca medicine: light against nocturnal predation; the oblation ‘feeds’ Agni so he can ‘consume’ the affliction instead.
Piśāca-affliction: possession-like symptoms, wasting illness, night terrors, fear, delirium (Atharvan nosology).
Exorcistic purification: naming the afflicting class, starving it (kṣayaṇa), expelling it (cātana), and sealing via fire/oblation.
Comparable to bhūta-vidyā domain (graha/affliction management) and to approaches for insomnia/anxiety (manas-roga).
Nightmares, panic episodes, dissociation-like states, severe anxiety with somatic depletion; supportive ritual alongside clinical care.
piśāca (class of malevolent entities/afflictions)
To remove piśāca influence from patient/household and restore safety and sleep.
Rakṣoghna identification of offering/amulet + fire-sealed expulsion; often paired with perimeter-making (threshold protection).
possession, nocturnal terror, wasting, psychic intrusion
- piśāca
- possession states, nightmares, wasting sickness, intrusive compulsions
- kṣayaṇa
- starving the affliction of attention and support
- cātana
- exorcistic expulsion; restoring the household’s integrity
- svāhā
- fire-mediated purification; sending the affliction away
Fear release; reclaiming the ‘night mind’ from intrusive images.
muladhara
Nadi-śodhana (alternate nostril) after recitation to stabilize nervous system.
A warm flame at the navel expands to fill the room; shadow-forms dissolve at the edges and exit with the smoke.
Grounded vigilance transitioning to calm.
Do not over-stimulate; after a few repetitions, sit quietly, feel heaviness leave the limbs, and invite sleep with a gentle mantra.
Forceful but controlled; emphasize piśāca-; svāhā sustained to ‘lock’ the expulsion.
Keep pi-śā-ca distinct; avoid slurring the long ā; pause after ‘asi’ then deliver ‘me dāḥ’ clearly.
Low, steady, protective; avoid frantic volume (which can amplify fear).
Rakṣoghna use often pairs mantra with gesture: sweep the hand outward toward the door on ‘cātana,’ then offer on svāhā.
9 times
Night terrors, fearful atmosphere in home, sense of ‘presence,’ exhaustion with anxiety.
At dusk; during episodes; before sleep as a protective seal.
Calmer sleep, reduced fear, strengthened sense of safety and containment.
Not a substitute for psychiatric/medical care in severe cases; ensure fire safety; avoid reinforcing delusional interpretations—frame as calming protection.
The verse is a classic Atharvanic identification-formula (‘thou art…’), which typically consecrates a material support (herb, amulet, ointment, or oblation) by assigning it a demonological function: kṣayaṇa (destructive wasting) and cātana (expulsion). Even when no plant is named, the mantra’s grammar presumes a tangible carrier whose efficacy is activated by recitation and, often, by binding or offering.
The patient speaks through the priestly voice (‘for me’), but the effective agency is mediated by Atharvanic expertise: the specialist who can correctly identify, address, and operationalize unseen beings (piśācas) via mantra and rite. The formula presupposes a household dependent on ritual-technological knowledge to manage affliction, reinforcing the priest’s role as protector and diagnostician of spirit-caused illness.
The diction is characteristically Atharvanic in its compact, technical demonological compounds (piśāca-kṣayaṇa, piśāca-cātana) and its performative identification (‘asi’) aimed at a charm-object rather than a high deity. The svāhā-sealed imperative aligns with later ritualized speech-acts, emphasizing operational efficacy over RV-style praise-hymn structure.
In Gopatha’s Atharvanic theology, efficacy is grounded in correct application (yathāvidhi) and the intrinsic power of brahman/mantra when properly ‘yoked’ to an act (bandhana, āhuti, rakṣā). Piśāca-afflictions are treated as real, actionable forces; the mantra functions as a weaponized form of brahman that, when sealed (svāhā) and applied to a support, compels separation of the hostile being from the patient and space.
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