Book 4: Hymn 9: A charm addressed to a precious ointment for safety and wealth

HYMN IX

A charm addressed to a precious ointment for safety and wealth

1Approach! thou art the mountain's eye, the living thing that
saveth us;
A gift bestowed by all the Gods, yea, the defence that guardeth
life.
2Thou art the safeguard of the men, thou art the safeguard of
the kine,
Thou standest ready to protect the horses that are fleet of foot.
3Thou, also, Salve! art a defence that rends and crushes
sorcerers.
Thou knowest, too, of Amrit, thou art the delight of all who
live, a jaundice-curing balm art thou.
4Whomso thou creepest over, Salve! member by member, joint
by joint,
From him, like some strong arbiter of strife, thou banishest
decline.
5No imprecation reaches him, no magic, no tormenting fiend,
O Salve, Vishkandha seizes not the man who carries thee about.
6From lying speech, from evil dream, from wicked act and
sinfulness, p. a114
From hostile and malignant eye,—from these, O Salve, protect
us well.
7I, knowing this, O Salve, will speak the very truth and not a
lie:
May I obtain both horse and ox, may I obtain thy life, O man.
8Three are the slaves that serve the Salve, Fever, Consumption,
and the Snake.
Thy father is the loftiest of mountains, named the Triple-
peaked.
9Sprung from the Snowy Mountain's side, this Ointment of the
Three-peaked hill.
Crushes and rends all sorcerers and every witch and sorceress.
10If thou art from the Three-peaked hill or hast thy name from
Yamunā,
These names are both auspicious: by these two protect thou us,
O Salve!