Atharva Veda 5.18.3: Kanda 5, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 18, Mantra 3
Sukta 18
आवि॑ष्टिता॒घवि॑षा पृदा॒कूरि॑व॒ चर्म॑णा । सा ब्रा॑ह्म॒णस्य॑ राजन्य तृ॒ष्टैषा गौर॑ना॒द्या
ā́-viṣṭitā́ghá-viṣā pṛdākú̄r iva cármaṇā | sā́ brā́hmaṇásya rājanya tṛṣṭáiṣā́ gáur anā́dyā ||
Enwrapped with evil poison, as with a leopard’s hide for covering—this cow, O Rajanya, is thirsting: this is the Brahmin’s cow, not to be eaten.
Terbalut oleh racun jahat, seolah-olah oleh kulit harimau bintang sebagai selubung—lembu ini, wahai Rajanya, sedang dahaga; inilah lembu milik Brahmana, bukan untuk dimakan.
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (often attributed broadly to Atharvan/Angiras circles for brahma-tejas hymns)
Devata: Brahman (sacral power) / protective force of the Brahmin’s property (implicit)
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (probable; AV social-apotropaic verses commonly in anuṣṭubh)
Primary: bhayankara
Secondary: raudra
Sayana takes the verse as a warning to the Kṣatriya: the ‘Brahmin’s cow’ is sacrosanct (anādyā). The imagery of ‘hide’ and ‘spotted beast’ conveys a perilous, venom-bearing covering—i.e., the act of seizing/consuming Brahmin-property draws a poisonous recoil. ‘Thirsting’ is read as the aggressor’s craving that becomes self-destructive.
To deter or punish a Kṣatriya who seizes or consumes what belongs to a Brahmin (especially cattle/food), by declaring it taboo and venomous in effect.
Social-legal deterrence: framing theft/exploitation as harmful/toxic; ethics-as-protection.
abhicarika
Rājanya offender (potential violator)
Deter a Kṣatriya/authority figure from consuming/seizing Brahmin cattle by declaring it poison/taboo.
Taboo-imposition (anādyā) + curse-like re-description (poison-wrap simile) to trigger fear and restraint.
Confiscation, predation, forced extraction by power.
Protection of cattle/food base and Brahmin livelihood.
A cow is described as wrapped in ‘evil poison’ like a leopard’s hide; she is thirsting. The verse warns a Rajanya (Kṣatriya) that this is the Brahmin’s cow, not to be eaten.
The cow symbolizes protected livelihood and sacred economy. Declaring it ‘poison-wrapped’ converts greed into aversion: the would-be violator is made to feel moral danger. The ‘thirsting cow’ also evokes neglected duty—power must protect, not exploit, the vulnerable and the sacred.
When sacred trust is violated—especially exploitation of those who sustain knowledge and social conscience—what seems like gain becomes toxic; taboo-language functions as a social immune system.
- अघविष (aghaviṣa)
- karmic backlash; moral toxicity of theft/exploitation
- पृदाकू (pṛdākū)
- predatory appetite; violent appropriation
- चर्मन् (carman)
- binding, concealment; a curse-like ‘wrapping’ around the object
- गौः (gauḥ)
- wealth, nourishment, social continuity; also the Brahmin’s protected property
- अनाद्या (anādyā)
- inviolable boundary; sacral taboo enforcing ethics
- राजन्य (rājanya)
- state power addressed and restrained by brahma-tejas
Boundary ethics: cultivate restraint and reverence toward what is entrusted/sacred.
Vishuddha (speech as law)
Moderate: steady exhale on ‘anādyā’ to seal a boundary.
Sober vigilance; moral clarity.
Use as self-discipline against exploitative impulses; reflect on ‘what is not mine to consume’—time, credit, resources, relationships.
Keep warning cadence; clear articulation of compounds (aghaviṣā).
Stress the prohibition marker ‘anādyā’ as the juridical seal.
‘pṛdākūriva’ keep ṛ and long ā distinct, Retroflex ṭ in ‘tṛṣṭā’, Do not blur ‘brāhmaṇasya’—nasal ṇ clear
Low, firm, admonitory.
Often functions as a spoken ‘taboo label’; can be recited while marking/tying a protective thread at cowshed (if following local custom).
7
Protecting vulnerable resources from exploitation; asserting ethical/property boundaries.
During disputes, threats of coercion, or when setting clear limits around shared resources.
Psychological reinforcement of boundaries; deterrence through moral framing.
Avoid escalating conflict unnecessarily; pair with dialogue/legal process; do not use to justify injustice.
पदच्छेद (सन्धि-निरसन): आवि॑ष्टिता॒घवि॑षा → आविष्टिता + अघविषा (स्वर-संहितायां दीर्घ/संयोग-प्रभाव); पृदा॒कूरि॑व → पृदाकूरि + इव (इव-प्रत्ययः उपमायाम्); चर्म॑णा । सा → चर्मणा + सा (विरामे सन्ध्यभावः न); गौर॑ना॒द्या → गौः + अनाद्या (विसर्ग-लोपः/रुत्व-प्रभावः संहितायाम्)।
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