Sukta 18

Mantra 1

ब्रह्मरावी नैतां ते॑ दे॒वा अ॑ददु॒स्तुभ्यं॑ नृपते॒ अत्त॑वे । मा ब्रा॑ह्म॒णस्य॑ राजन्य॒ गां जि॑घत्सो अना॒द्याम्

Brahman-proclaiming is the voice: the Gods gave not this unto thee, O Lord of men, for eating. O royal man, crave not to devour the Brahman’s cow—she is not for food.

Mantra 2

अ॒क्षद्रु॑ग्धो राज॒न्यः पा॒प आ॑त्मपराजि॒तः । स ब्रा॑ह्म॒णस्य॒ गाम॑द्याद॒द्य जी॑वानि॒ माश्वः

Dice-ruined is the royal man—evil, self-overthrown: let him eat the Brahman’s cow; but may I live this day—let not the horse (of mine) be harmed.

Mantra 3

आवि॑ष्टिता॒घवि॑षा पृदा॒कूरि॑व॒ चर्म॑णा । सा ब्रा॑ह्म॒णस्य॑ राजन्य तृ॒ष्टैषा गौर॑ना॒द्या

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.

Mantra 4

निर्वै क्ष॒त्रं नय॑ति॒ हन्ति॒ वर्चो॒ऽग्निरि॒वार॑ब्धो॒ वि दु॑नोति॒ सर्व॑म्। यो ब्रा॑ह्म॒णं मन्य॑ते॒ अन्न॑मे॒व स वि॒षस्य॑ पिबति तैमा॒तस्य॑

Verily it leads his kṣatra forth, it smites his splendour; like fire once seized and kindled it shakes all asunder. He who deems the Brahmin to be but food—he drinks of poison, of Taimāta’s bane.

Mantra 5

य ए॑नं॒ हन्ति॑ मृ॒दुं मन्य॑मानो देवपी॒युर्धन॑कामो॒ न चि॒त्तात्। सं तस्येन्द्रो॒ हृद॑ये॒ऽग्निमि॑न्धे उ॒भे ए॑नं द्विष्टो॒ नभ॑सी॒ चर॑न्तम्

Whoso smites him, deeming him gentle—god-drinker, wealth-desirer, yet void of understanding—Indra kindles fire within that man’s heart; hated, he wanders through the two heavens.

Mantra 6

न ब्रा॑ह्म॒णो हिं॑सित॒व्यो॒३ऽग्निः प्रि॒यत॑नोरिव । सोमो॒ ह्यऽस्य दाया॒द इन्द्रो॑ अस्याभिशस्ति॒पाः

The Brahmin must not be harmed—(he is) as fire with body beloved. For Soma is his heir, and Indra is his warder against imprecation.

Mantra 7

श॒तापा॑ष्ठां॒ नि गि॑रति॒ तां न श॑क्नोति निः॒खिद॑म्। अन्नं॒ यो ब्र॒ह्मणां॑ म॒ल्वः स्वा॒द्व॑१द्मीति॒ मन्य॑ते

He swallows the hundred-barbed thing, and cannot cast it forth again. The Malva who thinks, ‘Sweetly I eat the Brahmins’ food’—

Mantra 8

जिह्वा॒ ज्या भव॑ति॒ कुल्म॑लं॒ वाङ्ना॑डी॒का दन्ता॒स्तप॑सा॒भिदि॑ग्धाः । ते भि॑र्ब्रह्मा वि॑ध्यति देवपी॒यून् हृ॑द्ब॒लैर्धनु॑र्भिर्दे॒वजू॑तैः

The tongue becometh bowstring; the sheath is formed; Speech is the tube, the teeth are arrows, whetted and anointed with ardour. With these shafts the Brahman pierceth the god-portion’s spoilers, with heart-made strengths, with bows by Gods impelled.

Mantra 9

ती॒क्ष्णेष॑वो ब्राह्म॒णा हे॑ति॒मन्तो॒ यामस्य॑न्ति शर॒व्यां॒३ न सा मृषा॑ । अ॒नु॒हाय॒ तप॑सा म॒न्युना॑ चो॒त दू॒रादव॑ भिन्दन्त्येनम्

Sharp-arrowed are the Brahmans, weapon-bearing: they speed the arrow-flight; it is not vain. Pursuing him with ardour and with wrath, yea even from afar they cleave him down.

Mantra 10

ये स॒हस्र॒मरा॑ज॒न्नासन् दशश॒ता उ॒त। ते ब्रा॑ह्म॒णस्य॒ गां ज॒ग्ध्वा वै॑तह॒व्याः परा॑भवन्

Though they were a thousand, kingless, yea ten hundreds besides—those Vaitahavyas, having devoured the Brahman’s cow, were brought to overthrow.

Mantra 11

गौरे॒व तान् ह॒न्यमा॑ना वैतह॒व्याँ अवा॑तिरत्। ये केस॑रप्राबन्धायाश्चर॒माजा॒मपे॑चिरन्

Like a cow, smiting them, she bore the Vaitahavyas down—those who had driven off the last goat of her, the tuft-bound (marked) one.

Mantra 12

एक॑शतं॒ ता ज॒नता॒ या भूमि॒र्व्यऽधूनुत । प्र॒जां हिं॑सि॒त्वा ब्राह्म॑णीमसंभ॒व्यं परा॑भवन्

A hundred were they, that folk whom Earth shook off and cast away: having wronged the people, having violated the Brahman woman, they fell to ruin—an end not to be endured.

Mantra 13

दे॒व॒पी॒युश्च॑रति॒ मर्त्ये॑षु गरगी॒र्णो भ॑व॒त्यस्थि॑भूयान्। यो ब्रा॑ह्म॒णं दे॒वब॑न्धुं हि॒नस्ति॒ न स पि॑तृ॒याण॒मप्ये॑ति लो॒कम्

The godly draught moves abroad among mortals: he who hath swallowed poison becometh bone-exceeding, a mere frame. Whoso smiteth the Brahman, the Gods’ own kinsman, he goeth not—no, not at all—unto the world that is reached by the Fathers’ path.

Mantra 14

अ॒ग्निर्वै नः॑ पदवा॒यः सोमो॑ दाया॒द उ॑च्यते । ह॒न्ताभिश॒स्तेन्द्र॒स्तथा॒ तद् वे॒धसो॑ विदुः

Agni, forsooth, is our guide upon the path; Soma is called the heir and rightful claimant. Indra is the slayer of the imprecation: thus have the wise ordainers known that truth.

Mantra 15

इषु॑रिव दि॒ग्धा नृ॑पते पृदा॒कूरि॑व गोपते । सा ब्रा॑ह्म॒णस्येषु॑र्घो॒रा तया॑ विध्यति॒ पीय॑तः

Like a poison-smeared arrow, O lord of men; like a spotted beast, O lord of kine—such is the Brahman’s dreadful arrow: therewith he pierceth him that swelleth in pride.