Atharvaveda: Vedic magic
India has always fascinated people for its philosophy, culture, and beliefs, expressed in long epic and religious texts. The Atharvaveda was included late in the corpus of sacred texts, probably due to the difference in its content: instead of religious texts in the usual form, most of the Atharvaveda texts are short hymns or stanzas intended to solve everyday problems, such as illness, finding love, or warding off demons. In other words, it is a compendium of Vedic spells.
Its dating is complicated, between 2000 and 1500 BCE, and several of its texts appear scattered throughout other works, which has helped in its reconstruction. Its name is believed to derive from Atharvan, the name of a mythical sage (rishi) who first developed the spells. This is the most widely accepted version, but according to other scholars, Atharva (अथर्वन्) could come from a root athar-, "priest," or ath-, "fire," related to Agni and the gods, "the higher power" (Witzel, 2003); not surprisingly, Atharvan is also the name of the priest focused on sacrifices and sacred fires. However, his ancient name, mentioned in the work itself, is
Atharvangirasa (अथर्वाङगिरसवेद), which would derive from a fusion of Atharvan, the fire priest, and Angiras, the sorcerer, who did not enjoy the same social esteem (Bloomfield 1899). It is an old but interesting theory.
The Atharvaveda consisted of 18 books, later expanded to 20, the last book containing a hymn to Indra, taken from the Rig Veda, which contributed to its acceptance as a canonical text. The first eight books are magical poems, and the rest are dissensions, thoughts, etc., except for books 13 to 18, where some rites of passage for different stages of life can be found. The variety of themes is remarkable, and the hymns and spells are not ordered or organized, so we will be guided by some of the divisions made by E. Luján (2010).
RELIGIOUS RITUALS (NOT NECESSARILY MAGICAL)
Cosmogonic hymns.
The hymns of the Atharvaveda are religious hymns that deal with the origin of creation and the gods, but above all, with primordial forces, such as the Sun, Time (Kala), and Love (Kama).
Although these are long poems extolling virtues and powers, one of the shorter ones will suffice as an example for the article:
AV XIX, 54. Hymn of Creation.
<<From Time emerged the waters, from Time emerged brahma (spiritual exaltation), tapas (creative fervor), the regions (of space). Through Time the sun rises, in Time it sets again.
Through Time blows the wind, through Time the great earth exists; the great sky is fixed in Time. In Time the Son (Pragâpati) engendered of old what was and what will be.
From Time emerged the Riks, from Time was born the Yagus; Time presented the sacrifice, the imperishable part of the gods.
In Time the Gandharvas and Apsaras are founded, in Time the worlds, in Time these Angiras and Atharvan govern the heavens.
Having conquered this world and the highest world, and the sacred (pure) worlds (and) their sacred divisions; having conquered all worlds through Brahma (spiritual exaltation), Time, the supreme God, truly hastens onward >>
Samskāra (संस्कार), sacraments or rites of passage.
Samskāra is usually translated as sacrament, given its religious aspect, although in reality it corresponds more to rites of passage that "Western" sacraments have already forgotten. Not all of these rites are spells, but many do have a magical aspect, in that the act is performed by people, assimilated with divinities, and not merely by invocation.
For example, in the késānta, at the age of sixteen, the adolescent's hair and first beard and mustache were shaved. This commemorated the first shave of the god Soma, but at the same time, the adolescent is endowed with the vigor of this sacred drink, purified with the water, blessed for good luck, and prayed to the blade not to injure the boy, in a way that extends to anything else harmful. The hairs, in a way, were an offering to the brahmin who took the adolescent into his care for his training.
<<Savitar has come with the razor: / Vāyu, come you with the hot water. / Let the Ādityas, the Rudras, and the Vasu moisten this one, in concert, O sages, shave King Soma. / Let Aditi shave his beard, may the waters moisten him with their vigor, may Prajāpati grant him long life, may he have vision." / With the razor with which the sage Savitar shaved King Soma, Varuna, with that, priests, shave this one; may he be rich in cows, horses, and offspring.>>
MAGICAL RITUALS:
Strikarmani or women's magic. We invite you to read the article that analyzes these spells.
Rājakarmāni (राजकर्माणि), rituals for royalty, and in relation to their functions. There are incantations intended to preserve and protect royal power, but also for their other activities, such as war:
AV I, 19. Battle spell against arrow wounds.
<< The piercing (arrows) will not reach us, nor will the piercing arrows reach us! Far from us, O Indra, on both sides, make the rain of arrows fall!
On either side of us will fall the arrows, those that have been shot and will be shot! You, divine and human arrows, pierce my enemies!
Whether ours or strangers, relatives or foreigners, who have enmity toward us, those enemies of mine, Rudra will pierce with a shower of arrows!
He who rivals us, or does not rival us, he who curses us with hatred, may all the gods smite us, and my enchantment protect me from within! >>
AV. III, 5. In praise of an amulet derived from the Parna tree (Palash or Butea, also called forest fire), designed to strengthen royal power.
<<Here has come this amulet of Parna wood, with its power mightily crushing the enemy. (It is) the strength of the gods, the sap of the waters: may it assiduously encourage me with energy!
The power to rule you shall retain in me, O amulet of Parna wood; you shall grasp riches in me! May I, rooted in the dominion of kingship, become the leader!
Their own amulet that the gods secretly placed in the tree, which the gods will give us to wear, along with life!
The Parna has come here as the powerful force of soma, given by Indra, instructed by Varuna. May I, resplendently, wear it, for a long life, for a hundred autumns!
The amulet of Parna wood has ascended upon me to complete exemption from harm, so that I may rise above (even) friends and alliances!
The skilled chariot builders, and the ingenious metal workers (…) The kings who make kings, the charioteers and the leaders of armies, the people who surround me, make you, O Parna, help me!
You are the Parna protector of the body, a brother of mine, the hero. Together with the brightness of the year I buckle you, O amulet! >>
Bhaiṣajyāni (भैषज्यानि) are the healing rites. It is much more medicinal than the previous two. It describes the symptoms of almost a hundred illnesses and diseases. Its magical aspect lies in the recitation and invocation of natural elements as entities in themselves, flattering them or addressing them directly, so that they apply their healing powers. It also has an exorcistic character, when attempts are made to expel the demons that cause certain illnesses, or the illnesses themselves as living entities.
Among the illnesses mentioned, Takman, fever, and worms stand out (considering that they could be found anywhere on the body). Fever, for example, could be a punishment from Varuna.
AV. VII, 116. Transferring fever to a frog that is passed over the body,
<<Honor the deliriously hot, the trembling, the exciting, the impetuous Takman (fever)! Honor the cold Takman, who in the past granted wishes!" May the fever that returns in the morning, the one who returns in two days, the wicked, pass to this frog! >>
Commonly, offerings of Soma were also made to Agni, lord of fire, or an axe was heated red-hot and extinguished by immersing it, using the water to bathe the sick person. Homeopathic magic is also common against worms, in which what is desired is represented, and in other cases a direct metaphor is used:
AV. 2.31 1-2;4. Spell against worms, striking stones
<< With Indra's great millstone, which crushes all vermin, I grind the worms to pieces, like lentils with a millstone.
I have crushed the visible and invisible worm, and I have also crushed the kururu. All the algandu and saluna, the worms, we grind with our charm. (...)
The worm in the entrails, and the one in the head, likewise the one in the ribs: avaskava and vyadhvara, the worms, we crush with (this) charm (...) >>
AV. VI, 105. Against cough.
<< Swiftly as fancy flies/with the conceptions of the mind,
Thus following the flight of fancy, /O cough, flee swiftly.
Swiftly as an arrow that flies/with its point sharply honed,
Flee so swiftly, O Cough, /over the region of the earth!
Swiftly as the rays of light,/the rays of Sūrya, fly far away,
Then, cough! Fly swiftly/over the sea current! >>
Abhicārikāni and Krtyāpratiharanāni. Spells against demons and sorcerers.
Luján (2010) presents these two types of enchantments together, and this is not surprising, since their ritual formula is similar, and in fact, parallel to that of other cultures in which the demon/witch is sought to be identified, and once exposed, is enchanted and expelled.
AV I, 16. Spell with a Lead Amulet, Against Demons and Sorcerers
"Against the devouring demons who, on the night of the full moon, have risen in multitudes, may Agni, the strong, the slayer of sorcerers, give us courage!
Varuna blesses the lead, lead is pleasing to Agni. Indra gave me the lead, which unfailingly dispels sorcery.
This lead (sisa) vanquishes the vishkandha, this strikes the devouring demons (atrin); with this I have overwhelmed all the offspring of the Pisakas.
If you kill our cow, our horse, or our man, we will pierce you with the lead, so that you do not kill our heroes.>>
AV VII 37. Curse Against the Curse-Slayer
<< The thousand-eyed curse, having yoked its chariot, has come here, seeking the one who curses me, as a wolf goes to the house of one who has sheep.
Avoid us, O curse, as a burning fire avoids a lake! Strike here the one who curses us, as lightning from heaven strikes a tree!
Whoever curses us when we are not cursing, and whoever curses us when we are cursing, I will throw to death, as a bone is thrown to the ground to a dog.>>
A curious detail is the superstition regarding certain people with specific appearances (our example of "a one-eyed man looked at me"). These people, even if they do not intentionally commit evil, can be "infectious," and for this purpose there are "cleansing" spells, also valid for personal errors:
AV VII, 65. Purification with the Apâmârga Plant
<< With the fruit turned backward, you have truly grown, O Apâmârga (probably amaranth): remove all curses far from here!
The evil deeds and foul deeds, or the sinful acts we have committed, with you, O Apâmârga, whose face is turned in all directions, we will erase them (apa mrigmahe, with a phonetic similarity to the name of the plant).
If we have sat next to someone with black teeth, or diseased nails, or someone who is deformed, with you, O apâmârga, we erase all of that (apa mrigmahe) >>
In connection with these charms against evils, we find a series of expiatory spells for sins, bad omens, and nightmares. They have not been given a specific name, as is the case with the previous sections, perhaps because it is less well-defined: these spells mix a bit of purification and a bit of exorcism, a bit of tradition and a bit of superstition.
We present below some varied examples, beginning with an expiatory formula from AV. VI, 114, intended to erase ritual errors committed during the celebration of a sacrifice:
<< From the act causing divine wrath, O gods, which we, the divine Brahmins, have committed, from that, O Âdityas, deliver us, by virtue of the order of the universe.
By the order of the universe, O reverend Adityas, release us here if, O you bearers of the sacrifice, although desiring to perform it, we fail to do so! If by sacrificing with (animal) fat, by offering ghee oblations with the spoon, by desiring to benefit you, O all you gods, we have thwarted your desire, and we fail to do so! >>
Charms against bad dreams and bad omens have many similarities with each other, and with exorcisms that seek to ward off evil beings.
AV. VI, 29. Charm against doves and owls, considered ill-omened
<< Upon such people will fall the winged missile! If the owl screeches, it will be in vain, or if the dove steps on fire!
For your two messengers, O Nirriti (goddess of destruction), who come here, sent or unsent, to our house, the dove and the owl, this will be no place for them to tread!
They will not fly here to kill our men; nor will they settle here to keep our men healthy! Enchant them far away, to a distant region, where people will behold you in the house of Yama (god of death) without strength, they will behold you without power! >>
AV VI, 46. Exorcism against nightmares
<< You who are neither alive nor dead, the immortal son of the gods are you, O Sleep! Varunani is your mother, Yama (death) your father, Araru is your name.
We know, O Sleep, your birth, you are the son of divine women, the instrument of Yama! You are the end, you are death!
Thus we know you, O Dream: you, O Dream, protect us from bad dreams!
Just as one pays a sixteenth, an eighth, or the whole of a debt, so we transfer every bad dream to our enemy >>
Āyusyāni.
This term, āyusyāni, refers to spells and prayers intended to bring about a long and healthy life. In these spells and prayers, water and plants are very important tools, as is fire, which is always evoked under the name of the sage Agni. We also find the creation of amulets and talismans to accompany the person and guarantee what was requested. But among them, we also find spells against demons or diseases, which were considered to be responsible for preventing a full life.
AV XIX, 60, for health.
<<Voice in my mouth, breath in my nostrils, sight in my eyes, hearing in my ears, hair not gray, teeth not rotten, great strength in my arms, vigor in my thighs, swiftness in my shins, firmness in my feet, all of mine unharmed, and I unfailing.>>
AV XIX, 67, for a long life.
<<Let us see a hundred autumns, live a hundred autumns, awaken a hundred autumns, rise a hundred autumns, prosper a hundred autumns, endure a hundred autumns, reach a hundred autumns, more autumns than a hundred.>>
Rituals for luck. Like expiatory rituals, they do not have a specific name given their variety.
These spells are valid for luck in the home, livestock, crops, business, or gambling, but also for protection. For example, there are spells to protect cultivated fields from lightning. (AV. VII, 11)
<<With your broad thunder, with the beacon, raised by the all-pervading gods, with the lightning, do not destroy our grain, O god; nor destroy it with the rays of the sun!>>
AV IV, 3, Shepherd's Charm
<<Three have left here, the tiger, the man, and the wolf. Out of sight, indeed, are the rivers, out of sight grows the divine banana tree, out of sight, the enemies will retreat (...)
The wolf will take a distant path, and the thief an even more distant one! On a distant path will move the biting rope (the serpent), on a distant path he who plans evil!
We will crush your eyes and your jaws, O tiger, (...) and the thief who comes today will be torn to pieces. (...) Indra will kill him with his thunderbolt! The wild beast's teeth are blunt, and its ribs broken. (...) Born of Indra, born of Soma, you (my spell) are the tiger-crusher of Atharvan>>
Spells that are not protective are intended for specific moments, for strokes of luck, and for general well-being.
AV. IV, 38, Invocation for Luck in Gambling
<<The Apsarâ (Hindu nymph goddess), successful, victorious, skillful gambler, that Apsarâ who obtains the winnings in the game of dice, I call her here (...) she who sweeps and piles up the bets, she who takes the winnings in the game of dice, I call her here.
She, who dances with the dice, when she takes the stake in the game of dice, when she wishes to win for us, let us gain the advantage through her magic! May she come to us full of abundance! May this wealth of ours not be won by others!
To the Apsaras who rejoice in dice, who carry sorrow and anger, to the joyful and exultant Apsaras, I call you here. >>
AV. VII, 9. Charm to Find Lost Objects
<<Pûshan was born on the distant path of heaven and earth (...) He will guide us, from the east he will place his right hand upon us, he will bring back to us what has been lost: we will find what was lost!>>
Sâmmanasyâni, sometimes included in a compendium of "lucky spells," are actually spells for harmony, to avoid arguments, to maintain good and influential relationships with others, etc. Below are a couple of simple examples, as simple as their practice was, since they apparently consisted of the recitation and performance of a sacrifice and oblation.
AV. VI, 94. A spell to provoke the submission of others to one's will.
<< Their minds, their purposes, their plans, we make them bend. You, the people of there, who dedicate yourselves to other ends, we make them comply!
With my mind I seize your minds: you with your thoughts follow my thought! I place your hearts under my control: come, directing your path according to my course!
I have invoked heaven and earth, I have invoked the goddess Sarasvati, I have invoked both Indra and Agni: may we succeed in this. O Sarasvati! >>
Pietro V. Carracedo Ahumada – pietrocarracedo@gmail.com
Bibliography:
– Storm, Rachel; Indian Mythology: Myths and Legends of India, Tibet, and Sri Lanka, Om Books International, New Delhi, 2006.
– VV.AA., edited by Juan Antonio Álvarez-Pedrosa Núñez and Sofía Torallas Tovar). Edition of magical texts from antiquity and the Middle Ages, CSIC, Madrid, 2010.
– VV.AA. Hymns of the Atharva-Veda, translated by Maurice Bloomfield. Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 42. [1897]
Related Articles:
> Strikarmani. Vedic Women's Magic
> Hindu or Jyotish astrology. Notions of Astrology (III)
> Mudras. Introduction. Jnana Mudra and Kubera Mudra.
> Mayong, the land of sorcery in India.
