Atharva Veda: Book 5: Hymn 28: A charm to ensure general protection and prosperity

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HYMN XXVIII

A charm to ensure general protection and prosperity

For lengthened life, to last through hundred autumns, they
equalize with nine the nine aspirations.
Three in gold, three in silver, three in iron by heat are stablished
in their several places.
May Agni, Sun, and Moon, and Earth, and Waters, Sky, Air,
the Quarters and the Points between them,
And Parts of Years accordant with the Seasons by this three-
threaded Amulet preserve me.
In three-threaded Charm rest triple fulness! Let Pūshan cover it
with milk and butter.
Here rest abundant store of food and people, may ample store
of cattle rest within it.
Enrich this charm, Ādityas, with your treasure; magnify this,
when magnified, O Agni.
Endow it with heroic strength, O Indra: therein be lodged a
triple power of increase.
With gold let Earth protect thee, and with iron, accordant, all-
sustaining Agni save thee!
And in accordance with the plants may silver, regarding thee
with favour, grant thee vigour.
This gold, born threefold at its first production, grew the one
thing that Agni loved most dearly: it fell away, one part of
injured Soma.
One part they call seed of the sapient Waters. This gold bring
thee long life when triply threaded!
Three lives of Jamadagni, thrice the vital force of Kasyapa,
Three sights of immortality, three lives have I prepared for thee.
When with the three-stringed charm came three strong eagles,
sharing the Sacred Syllable and mighty,
With immortality they drove off Mrityu, obscuring and conceal-
ing all distresses.
The golden guard thee from the sky, the silvern guard thee from
the air,
The iron guard thee from the earth! This man hath reached the
forts of Gods.
May these three castles of the Gods keep thee secure on every
side.
Endowed with strength, possessing these, be thou the master of
thy foes,
The God who first bound on in the beginning the deities' im-
mortal golden castle,—
Him I salute with ten extended fingers. Blest be the three-
stringed charm I bind upon thee.
Aryaman be thy binder-on, and Pūshan and Brihaspati:
Whatever name the brood of day possess, therewith we fasten
thee.
With Seasons and with Lengths of Time, for vigour and exten-
ded life,
With all the splendour of the Sun we fasten thee about the neck.
Drawn forth from butter and with meath besprinkled, firm as
the earth, unshakable, triumphant.
Breaking down foes and casting them beneath me, be fastened
on me for exalted fortune!