Sukta 108
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (varies by anukramaṇī)
Devata: Agni (as protector and destroyer of foes)
Chandas: Triṣṭubh/Jagatī mixture (requires metrical verification)
अथर्ववेदस्य ७.१०८ सूक्तं संक्षिप्तं रक्षोघ्नाभिचारिकं मन्त्ररूपं यत् गृहपालकं शत्रुनाशकं च अग्निं प्रवर्तयति। अत्र चौरान् गूढान्तरङ्गान् बहिःशत्रूंश्च लक्ष्यीकृत्य तान् ‘प्रतीचीं’ नयति, तेषां स्थिरनिवासं कुलपरम्परां च छिनत्ति। अस्य मन्त्रस्य प्रभावः सद्यः सर्वकालिकश्च इति निरूप्यते—स्वपन् वा जाग्रन्, तिष्ठन् वा चरन्, अग्निः आक्रमणं प्रत्यावर्तयति, आक्रान्तुः संकल्पं च तमेव प्रति दहति।
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
शत्रुनाशनम्। यो न॑स्ता॒यद् दिप्स॑ति॒ यो न॑ आ॒विः स्वो वि॒द्वानर॑णो वा नो अग्ने । प्र॒तीच्ये॒त्वर॑णी द॒त्वती॒ तान् मैषा॑मग्ने॒ वास्तु॑ भू॒न्मो अप॑त्यम्
शत्रुनाशनम्। यो नस्ता॒यद् दिप्सति यो न आविः स्वो विद्वान् अरणो वा नो अग्ने। प्रतीच्येत्वरणी दत्वती तान् मैषामग्ने वास्तु भून् मो अपत्यम्।
Mantra 2
यो नः॑ सु॒प्ता॑न् जाग्र॑तो वाभि॒दासा॒त् तिष्ठ॑तो वा॒ चर॑तो जातवेदः । वै॒श्वा॒न॒रेण॑ स॒युजा॑ स॒जोषा॒स्तान् प्र॒तीचो॒ निर्द॑ह जातवेदः
यो नः सुप्तान् जाग्रतो वाभिदासात् तिष्ठतो वा चरतो जातवेदः। वैश्वानरेण सयुजा सजोषास्तान् प्रतीचो निर्दह जातवेदः।
Inside Sukta 108
How it unfolds
- How it opens
The hymn opens by naming its function—‘destruction of foes’—and immediately addresses Agni as the decisive protector against robbers and harm-doers.
- What it asks
Send the attacker back (pratīcī etu), hand them over to the fire-power generated by the araṇī, and remove their right to dwelling and progeny.
- Where its power lies
Agni’s efficacy is asserted as comprehensive: he detects guile (even among ‘our own’) and acts in every condition—sleeping/waking, standing/moving—burning hostility in concert with Vaiśvānara.
- How it closes
The conclusion seals the reversal: the assailants are to be burned ‘back upon themselves’ and pushed away from the sacrificer’s space, leaving no foothold for settlement.
Famous verses
मा एषाम् अग्ने वास्तु भूत् मो अपत्यम्तान् प्रतीचो निर्दह जातवेदःKind of hymn
Abhicārika / Rakṣoghna (Hostile-countermagic; enemy-expulsion)
What it is for
Repel robbers and assailants (including covert insiders), reverse harmful intent, and render enemies unable to settle or reproduce within the sacrificer’s sphere.
Who it is for
Householders and ritual specialists seeking protection of home, property, and lineage; also communities defending boundaries against raiders or hostile magic.
Also used as
- Rakṣoghna
- Protective/Apotropaic (ābhicārika-defense)
The deity
Agni here is the vigilant, all-knowing fire (Jātavedas) and the universal, communal fire-power (Vaiśvānara) that guards the dwelling while consuming hostile intent. He functions as a moral-ritual boundary: friend vs. foe, insider vs. traitor, and safe space vs. denied settlement.
Powers of the deity
- Burns and repels enemies (nir-dah; hostile destruction)
- Reverses attacks back toward the aggressor (pratīcī/returning)
- Reveals and neutralizes hidden guile, including ‘knowing’ insiders
- Protects continuously across states (sleep/wake; standing/moving)
- Denies foes dwelling (vāstu) and progeny (apatya) as a curse-formulation
Why the deity is called
Invoked to expel and incinerate attackers—human or sorcerous—by activating protective fire and friction-fire (araṇī) as a ritual engine that drives foes away and breaks their capacity to establish themselves.
The seer
- Atharvanic seer (anukramaṇī-variant attribution)Atharvan. Rakṣoghna and abhicārika fire-charms: expulsion of hostile persons/forces, reversal of attacks, and protective rites centered on Agni and the araṇī (friction-fire).
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 7.107 (adjacent rakṣoghna context, tradition-linked)
- AV 7.109 (adjacent protective/expulsive context, tradition-linked)
Preparing for the rite
- Establish a clean hearth or ritual fire-place; mark the domestic boundary (doorway/courtyard) as the protected zone.
- Prepare araṇī (fire-sticks) or ensure a steady flame; orient the rite toward the direction from which threat is perceived (symbolically ‘sending back’).
- Mentally specify the adversary-class: thief, open assailant, ‘one of our own’ acting with guile, or stranger.
The rite
- Kindle or strengthen Agni (optionally by friction with araṇī) while reciting 7.108.1 to ‘send back’ the hostile party and deny them vāstu/apatya.
- Recite 7.108.2 while feeding the fire (small oblation) to enact nir-dahana—burning the assault back upon the attacker in union with Vaiśvānara.
- Optionally circumambulate the fire or the threshold once, ending with a firm verbal dismissal of enemies ‘backward’ (pratīcī) from the dwelling.
What it needs
- Agni (lit fire/hearth)
- Araṇī (fire-sticks) or kindling as its functional equivalent
- Fuel sticks/samit (for feeding the flame)
When
Especially at dusk/nightfall for household protection; also at moments of suspected threat (before sleep, after a theft attempt, or prior to travel).
The main substance
Agni (ritual fire), activated/strengthened through araṇī (friction-fire)
Amulets
- Araṇī (as empowered fire-tool; can be kept as a protective implement near the hearth)
How it is prepared
Kindle or intensify flame using araṇī or fresh kindling; maintain a steady, bright fire during recitation, feeding small fuel-sticks at the key imperatives (pratīcī etu; nir-daha).
Frequently Asked Questions
It is used to protect a home and its people from thieves, attackers, and hostile intent—especially by sending the threat ‘back’ and burning the aggression through Agni’s power.
The first verse explicitly includes harm from a ‘known’ person acting with guile and from an outsider, showing that Agni’s protection covers betrayal as well as external hostility.
The hymn is fire-centered: a lit hearth/fire is primary, and araṇī (fire-sticks) are traditional. In practice, a maintained flame and simple fuel offerings are the core supports for recitation.
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