Atharva Veda

The Hymns of the Atharvaveda

Translation by Ralph T.H. Griffith

BOOK I

HYMN XXIII

A charm against leprosy

1          O Plant, thou sprangest up at night, dusky, dark-coloured, black in hue!
            So, Rajani, re-colour thou these ashy spots, this leprosy.

2          Expel the leprosy, remove from him the spots and ashy hue:
            Let thine own colour come to thee; drive far away the specks of white.

3          Dark is the place of thy repose, dark is the place thou dwellest in:
            Dusky and dark, O Plant, art thou: remove from him each
             speck and spot.

4          I with my spell have chased away the pallid sign of leprosy,
            Caused by infection, on the skin, sprung from the body, from the
            bones.

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