Vishnudharmottarapurana 2.127: Atharvavidhikathana (Atharvavidhāna)

Puṣkara said:
Offering the Śāntātīta hymn-group into the fire, a man attains peace; / and offering the Bhaiṣajya hymn-group, he dispels all diseases.

Offering the Triṣaptīya hymn-group, one is freed from all sins; / and offering the Abhaya hymn-group, one encounters no fear anywhere.

One is not defeated, O Rāma, after offering the Aparājita hymn-group; / and offering the Āyuṣya hymn-group, one wards off untimely death.

One attains well-being everywhere by offering the Svastyayana hymn-group; / likewise, through the Śarmavarman hymn-group one attains union with supreme good.

Offering the Vāstoṣpatya hymn-group, one dispels architectural defects; / likewise, offering the Raudra hymn-group, one removes all faults.

Fire-oblation with these ten hymn-groups is indeed performed in the eighteen pacification rites:

The pacification rites dedicated to Viṣṇu, Indra, Brahmā, and Rudra, / Vāyu, Varuṇa, Kubera, and Bhṛgu;

Prajāpati, Tvaṣṭṛ, Kumāra, and the fire-god; / the Maruts, Gandharvas, and the pacification rite to Nirṛti;

the pacification rites to Aṅgiras, Yama, and Pṛthivī, O best of the Bhṛgus.

These pacification rites are declared to be beneficial for all undertakings at all times.

Recitation of 'yas tvā mṛtyuḥ' destroys death.

And offering the names of the Mothers into the fire, one obtains desires in this manner.

Offering with 'suparṇas tvā', one is not afflicted by snakes; / and one desiring land should constantly mutter 'yasyedaṃ bhūmyām'.

Offered with 'pṛthivyām uttamo 'si', it always bestows supremacy; / likewise, with 'audumbaraṃ yo naḥ', it increases vigor.

The verse 'indreṇa dattam' destroys all obstacles; / and bathing with 'hiraṇyavarṇāḥ' removes sins.

All verses beginning with 'asitasya' destroy poison, O best of the Bhṛgus; / and a wise man should employ the mantras beginning with 'sarasvatī' to eliminate poison.

All mantras beginning with 'śarabha' destroy Piśācas.

And the mantra 'imā devīḥ' is supreme, effecting all pacification.

The verse 'devā marutaḥ' fulfills all desires; / 'yamasya lokāt' is supreme in pacifying bad dreams.

'agner vaḥ' is also taught as destroying anger; / one should know that performing [rites with] 'ūrdhvo bhavati' is supreme, securing high station.

'indraṃ vayaṃ vaṇijam' is supreme in bringing profit from trade; / 'kāmo me rājñaḥ' increases good fortune for women.

One should mutter 'bhadrāya karṇam' when there is discharge from the ear; / likewise 'bhadrāsy akṣirodhe jātā' for ear discharge.

Offered with 'tubhyam eva jariman', it promotes longevity; / offered with 'āyātu mitraḥ', it brings about the acquisition of friends.

One should offer 'āśāsānam idaṃ janāḥ' into the fire with mixed grains; / thereby one attains sovereignty everywhere, O best of men.

'agne gobhir naḥ' is supreme for increasing cattle; / one should offer it especially for twelve days along with the Parāka fast.

'śānto agniḥ' brings well-being to a village; / having fashioned an altar identical to it with clay from that village, one enjoys [prosperity].

[The hymns beginning with] 'vidmāsya sarvā cittāni' serve to secure the kingdom; / 'tribhyo rudrebhyaḥ' is declared as related to the deity of the dwelling.

Offered with 'dhruvaṃ dhruveṇa', it brings the acquisition of a dwelling; / likewise, 'acyutā dyauḥ', O Rāma, is declared to bestow a stable abode.

Offered with 'payo deveṣu', it is supreme for increasing wealth; / with 'yunakta sīrā', along with 'śunām', it brings agricultural success.

'ayaṃ te yoniḥ' brings the acquisition of a son; / and 'śunaṃ vatsān', when offered into the fire, increases cattle.

[The mantra beginning with] '... mā' is declared to produce supremacy everywhere.

'ahaṃ te bhagaḥ' increases good fortune.

'ye te pāśāḥ' brings liberation from fetters; / and 'yo naḥ svaḥ' is supreme in destroying enemies.

Likewise 'sapatnahanam'—there is no doubt about this; / 'tvam uttamam' is supreme in increasing renown.

'yathā mṛgo gopayasi' increases good fortune for women; / and 'ā no agne' is declared to bestow a husband.

'yena vehat' and 'iṣam' bring about conception; / likewise 'imaṃ tapasvin' increases good fortune.

Offered according to rule with 'yat pṛthivyā anāvṛttam', / after making recitation, it is known to be effective; there is no doubt about this.

[…] / 'śivaḥ śivābhiḥ' is supreme in bringing welfare.

'kṛtyādūṣaṇaḥ' is declared to counteract sorcery; / 'bṛhaspatiḥ paripātu' is a benedictory rite for journeys.

'mano nv edam' bestows safety and is a benedictory rite for journeys; / 'ayaṃ no agnir adhyakṣaḥ' succeeds through the grace of Agni.

He who carries the sacred fire on his head for a year,

should constantly mutter this mantra facing the south-eastern quarter.

When the year has elapsed, O Rāma, he can make fire kindle without fire.

One should mutter the unsurpassed mantra 'dūṣyā dūṣiḥ'; / and one should perform the tying of the protective amulet-cord, which destroys all evils.

The Prāṇasūkta is taught as increasing life-force; / 'muñcāmi tvā' is taught as liberation from untimely death.

A student of the Atharvaśiras is freed from all sins; / for that is supremely purifying and the destroyer of all impurities.

Thus these auspicious mantras have been related to you by me for each Veda, / in summary, O Rāma, by extracting the principal ones.

Thousands of ritual applications for each single mantra / have been taught, O tiger among the Bhṛgus, by the ancient high-souled sages.

They cannot be spoken, O fortunate one, even in hundreds of years; / nevertheless, through the pre-eminent mantras, some rituals have been taught to you.

Where no material for fire-oblation was specified by me to you previously, / I shall tell you the oblation materials for that; listen to me speak them.

Sacrificial firewood of sacrificial trees is the primary oblation material, / along with clarified butter, rice grains, and white mustard seeds;

unbroken barley grains, sesame seeds, curd, and milk, O Bhārgava.

darbha grass, and likewise dūrvā grass, bilva fruits, and lotuses;

these materials, O Bhārgava, are said to produce pacification and nourishment.
O knower of dharma, in rites of sorcery one should employ
sacrificial firewood with thorns, oil as fuel, black mustard, blood, and poison.

Without knowing the seer, deity, and meter
of a mantra, O best of the Bhṛgus, one should not perform muttered recitation and fire-oblation with that mantra.

Whatever appears unexpressed in meter, Brāhmaṇa, or hymn,
one should ascertain together with learned scholars and then introduce it into the sacrifice.

Which requisites [are to be used], how, where, which substances, and what rule—
such is the established principle: in each case, the authority is according to one's own Vedic branch.

He who, transgressing his own Sūtra, conducts himself by another's Sūtra,
rendering the seer non-authoritative, becomes joined with unrighteousness.

Therefore, with every effort one should not transgress one's own Sūtra.
O twice-born, in all rites the two—the preliminary ritual framework and the concluding ritual framework—must be performed according to one's own Vedic branch; the main rite is prescribed between them.

This procedure according to the Atharvaveda has been told to you in brief, O foremost of the lineage of the Bhārgavas.
What further shall I tell you beyond this? Tell me that, O long- and red-eyed one!

// Thus ends the one hundred and twenty-seventh chapter, entitled 'Explanation of the Atharvan Rules', in the narration of Puṣkara to Rāma, in the dialogue between Mārkaṇḍeya and Vajra, in the second book of the auspicious Viṣṇudharmottara Purāṇa.