Book 5: Hymn 23: A charm against parasitic worms

1I have called Heaven and Earth to aid, have called divine Sarasvati, Indra and Agni have I called: Let these destroy the worm, I prayed. 2O Indra, Lord of Treasures, kill the worms that prey upon this boy. All the malignant spirits have been smitten by my potent spell. p. a185 We utterly destroy the worm, the worm that creeps around the eyes. The worm that crawls about the nose, the worm that gets bet- ween the teeth. 3Two of like colour, two unlike, two coloured black, two coloured red. The tawny and the tawny-eared, Vulture and Wolf, all these are killed. 4Worms that are white about the sides, those that are black with black-hued arms, All that show various tints and hues, these worms we utterly destroy. 5Eastward the Sun is mounting, seen of all, destroying thing unseen, Crushing and killing all the worms invisible and visible. 6Let the Yevāshas, Kaskashas, Ejatkas, Sipavitnukas, Let both the worm that we can see, and that we see not, be destroyed. 7Slain the Yevāsha of the worms, slain too is the Nadaniman. I have reduced them all to dust like vetches with the pounding- stone. 8The worm Sāranga, white of hue, three-headed, with a triple hump, I split and tear his ribs away, I wrench off every head he has. 9I kill you, worms, as Atri, as Kanva and Jamadagni killed.

I crush the worms to pieces with a spell that erst Agastya used. 10The King of worms hath been destroyed, he who was lord of these is slain. Slain is the worm whose mother, whose brother and sister have been slain. 11Destroyed are his dependants, who those dwell around him are destroyed, And all the worms that seem to be the little ones are done to death 12Of every worm and insect, of the female and the male alike, I crush the head to pieces with a stone and burn the face with fire.