Page:Atharva-Veda samhita volume 2.djvu/28

viii. 3- 16. Let the sorcerers bear [off] poison of the kine; let them of evil courses fall under the wrath of Aditi; let god Savitar abandon them; let them lose their share of the herbs.

17. Yearly [is] the milk of the ruddy [cow]; of that let not the sorcerer partake (aç), O men-watcher; whatever one [of them], O Agni, would fain enjoy (tṛp) the beestings, him do thou pierce back in the vitals with thy burning (arcís).

18. From of old, O Agni, thou killest the sorcerers; the demons have not conquered thee in fights; burn up the flesh-eaters together with their dupes (? mūrá); let them not be freed from thy heavenly missile.

19. Do thou, O Agni, from below, from above, do thou defend us from behind and from in front; let those [flames] of thine, unaging, extremely hot, greatly paining, burn against the evil-plotter.

20. From behind, in front, below, and above, do thou, O Agni, a poet, protect us about with poesy; [as] friend a friend, [as] unaging in order to old age, [as] an immortal mortals, do thou [protect] us, O Agni.

21. Set thou in the reciter, O Agni, that eye with which thou seest the hoof-breaking sorcerers; Atharvan-like, with brightness of the gods, scorch (uṣ) down the truth-damaging fool (acít).

The obscure epithet in b is divided in pada-text çapha॰ārújaḥ (RV. -jam, and later yātudhā́nam). The comm. is in part obscure: çaphārujaḥ çaphavat çaphāḥ: nakhā ity arthaḥ; but he adds as alternative atha vā paçurūpadhāriṇāṁ çaphā api