5e. Hymn to Guard a Pregnant Woman from Demoniac Forces

[Full title: 5. Hymns Related to Birth (e): Hymn to Guard a Pregnant Woman from Demoniac Forces]

After conception, naturally, it is the term to protect the woman along with the foetus till delivery, so that no evil power can harm both of them. The Atharvavedic hymn which starts with the mantra, yau te mātonmamārja^[1] …, etc., is aimed at guarding a woman during her pregnancy from the demoniac forces. This hymn is interpreted as an arthasūkta,^[2] which has also been left out by Bloomfield undiscussed.

This hymn refers to certain diseases which cause harm to a pregnant woman. Some of these are dūrṇāma, i.e. one kind of skin disease; vatsapa, i.e. diseases that fly about like a bee; palāla; anupalāla; koka; malimluca, palīcaka; āśreṣa; vavrivāsa; ṛkṣagrīva; pramīlina, etc.^[3] In order to get rid of these diseases, an amulet of white mustard is tied to the pregnant lady.^[4]

As the deification of benevolent objects is common in the Vedic literature, so also, in case of the demonization of malevolent aspects, which is observed in the Atharvaveda.

The present hymn alludes to certain demons like Keśī, i.e. hairy; Stambaja, i.e. born on a cluster and Tuṇḍika, i.e. having an ugly appearance.^[5] These demons are probably certain diseases as they are asked to be warded off from the regions of the scrotum and the rectum of a woman.^[6]

Further on, it is mentioned that the demons who kill one by means of snuffling, touching, eating flesh, licking are destroyed by the yellow mustard.^[7] Besides, the demons, who in the form of brother or father, try to injure the woman in the state of her dreaming and the demons, approaching the pregnant woman in the form of a eunuch, are destroyed by white mustard.^[8] The Ṛgveda^[9] also contains a similar reference where the forces who attempt to kill one’s child in the form of a brother, a father and a paramour, are wanted to be rubbed out.

Moreover, both types of mustard are capable in killing the demons, who want to harm the pregnant woman, either in sleeping or in awaking and who may cause to the delivery of a dead child.^[10]

Indra is also prayed to protect the woman from the demons, who hold her by her hips with the help of their demoniac illusion.^[11] The masterless demon, wanting to approach the woman, while sleeping, is asked to be disappeared by the remedy of mustard.^[12] The demons called Uddharṣi, Munikeśa, Marīmṛśa, Udumbala, Śālaḍa who search for the pregnant woman in order to injure her are also wanted to be pierced forth on their feet by the remedy of mustard, as a cow breaks an earthen vessel by kicking.^[13] With the help of yellow mustard, the embryo-killer demons are asked to be vanished.^[14] The demons who kill the embryo prematurely; who in the form of a nurse, lie aside the bearing woman and the Gandharvas, the woman-seekers are also to be vanished by yellow mustard, in the same way, as the waterless cloud is broken by the wind.^[15]

There is a risk of her womb to be injured by the demons, who eat raw-meat, who, the flesh of men, and who, the hairy ones devour the embryo.^[16] The yellow mustard protect her along with her husband and the embryo from the demons, viz. Taṅgalva, Chāyaka, Pabinaka, etc.^[17] Both the white and yellow mustard are spoken of as protecting the child-bearing woman from various demoniac forces.^[18]

Hence, a woman is emphatically asked to hold the remaining portion of white and yellow mustard after the performance of the sacrifices like Homa, etc., for the protection of herself and the forthcoming baby.^[19] She is advised not to throw the same anywhere else, but, to fasten it by her clothes.^[20] Thus, warding off all sorts of dangers, she is desired to be a safe one, along with the young in her womb.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Atharvaveda, 8.6

[2]:

“yau te mātā” iti sūktatrayam arthasūktam / Sāyaṇa in his Introduction to the commentary, Ibid.

[3]:

cf., Atharvaveda, 8.6.1-2

[4]:

mā saṃ vṛto mopa sṛpa ūrū māva sṛpontarā / kṛṇomyasyai bheṣajaṃ bajaṃ durṇāmacātanam // Ibid., 8.6.3

[5]:

yaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ keśyasura stambaja uta tuṇḍikaḥ / Ibid., 8.6.5

[6]:

arāyānasyā muṣkābhyāṃ bhaṃsasopa hanmasi / Ibid.

[7]:

anujighraṃ pramṛśantaṃ kravyādamuta reriham / arāyāṃchvakiṣkiṇo bajaḥ piṅgo anīnaśat // Ibid., 8.6.6

[8]:

yastvā svapne nipadyate bhrātā bhūtvā piteva ca / bajastāntsahatāmitaḥ klībarūpāṃstirīṭinaḥ // Ibid., 8.6.7

[9]:

yastvā bhrātā patirbhūtvā jāro bhūtvā nipadyate / prajāṃ yaste jighāṃsati tam ito nāśayāmasi // Ṛgveda, 10.162.5

[10]:

cf., Atharvaveda, 8.6.8-9

[11]:

ya ātmānamatimātramaṃsa ādhāya bibhrati / strīṇāṃ śroṇipratodina indra rakṣāṃsi nāśaya // Ibid., 8.6.13

[12]:

cf., Ibid., 8.6.16

[13]:

uddharṣiṇaṃ munikeśaṃ jambhayantaṃ marīmṛśam / upeṣantamudumbalaṃ tuṇḍelamuta śāluḍam / padā pra vidhya pārṣṇyā sthālīṃ gauriva spandanā // Ibid., 8.6.17

[14]:

yaste garbhaṃ pratimṛśājjātaṃ vā mārayāti te / piṅgastamugradhanvā kṛṇotu hṛdayāvidham // Ibid., 8.6.18

[15]:

ye amno jātān mārayanti sūtikā anuśerate / strībhāgān piṅgo gandharvān vāto abhramivājatu // Ibid., 8.6.19

[16]:

ya āmaṃ māṃsamadanti pauruṣeyaṃ ca ye kraviḥ / garbhān khādanti keśavāstānito nāśayāmasi // Ibid., 8.6.23

[17]:

pavīnasāt taṅgalvācchāyakāduta nagnakāt / prajāyai patye tvā piṅgaḥ pari pātu kimīdinaḥ // Ibid., 8.6.21

[18]:

cf., Ibid., 8.6.24, 25

[19]:

parisṛṣṭaṃ dhārayatu yaddhitaṃ māva pādi tat / garbhaṃ ta ugrau rakṣatāṃ bheṣajau nīvibhāryau // Ibid., 8.6.20

[20]:

Vide, Sāyaṇa, Ibid.