Atharvaveda 8.3

I pour ghee upon (a-ghṛ) the vigorous (vājín) demon-slayer; I go for broadest protection to the friend; Agni, sharpened, [is] kindled with acts of skill (? krátu); let him by day, let him by night, protect us from harm.

Do thou, of iron tusks, O Jātavedas, kindled, touch the sorcerers with thy flame (arcís); take hold of the false-worshipers with thy tongue; cutting off (?) the flesh-eaters, shut them in thy mouth.

Apply both thy tusks, thou that hast them in both jaws (ubhayāvín), the lower one and the upper, being harmful, sharpened; also in the atmosphere go about, O Agni; put together thy grinders upon the sorcerers.

O Agni, split the skin of the sorcerer; let the harmful thunderbolt smite him with flame (háras); crush his joints, O Jātavedas; let the flesh-eating, flesh-craving ⌊one⌋ divide him.

Wherever now, O Jātavedas, thou seest a sorcerer standing, O Agni, or also moving, also flying in the atmosphere, him [as] archer, pierce with a shaft, being sharpened.

By sacrifices, O Agni, straightening (sam-nam) thine arrows, by speech smearing their tips with thunderbolts—with them pierce in the heart the sorcerers; break back (pratīcás) their arms.

Both those that are seized do thou win (spṛ), O Jātavedas, and also the sorcerers that have seized with spears; do thou, O Agni, first, greatly gleaming, smite [him] down; let the variegated raw-flesh-eating kṣvín̄kās eat him.

Proclaim thou here which that [is], O Agni—the sorcerer that is doing this; him take hold of with the fuel, O youngest [god]; subject him to the eye of the men-watcher.

With sharp eye, O Agni, defend thou the sacrifice; conduct it forward to the Vasus, O forethoughtful one; thee that art harmful, greatly gleaming against the demons, let not the sorcerers injure, O men-watcher.

A men-watcher, do thou look around for the demon among the people (vikṣú); crush back his three points (ágra); crush, O Agni, his ribs with flame (háras); cut up threefold the root of the sorcerer.

Let the sorcerer thrice come within thy reach (? prásiti), who, O Agni, slays truth (ṛtá) with untruth; roaring [at] him with thy flame (arcís), O Jātavedas, do thou put him down (ni-yuj) before the eyes of the singer.

What, O Agni, the pair utter in curses today, what harshness (tṛṣṭá) of speech the reciters (rebhá) produce: the shaft that is born of fury of the mind—with that pierce thou the sorcerers in the heart.

Crush away the sorcerers with heat; crush away, O Agni, the demon with flame (háras); crush away with burning (arcís) the false-worshipers; crush away the greatly gleaming ones that feed on lives (? asutṛ́p).

Let the gods crush away today the wicked one (vṛjiná); let [his] curses sent forth go back upon him; let shafts strike (ṛch) in the vitals him who steals by [magic] speech; let the sorcerer come within every one's reach.

The sorcerer that smears himself (sam-añj) with the flesh of men, who with that of horses, with cattle, who bears [off] the milk of the inviolable [cow], O Agni—their heads cut thou into with flame.

Let the sorcerers bear [off] poison of the kine; let them of evil courses fall under the wrath of Aditi; let god Savitar abandon them; let them lose their share of the herbs.

Yearly [is] the milk of the ruddy [cow]; of that let not the sorcerer partake (aç), O men-watcher; whatever one [of them], O Agni, would fain enjoy (tṛp) the beestings, him do thou pierce back in the vitals with thy burning (arcís).

From of old, O Agni, thou killest the sorcerers; the demons have not conquered thee in fights; burn up the flesh-eaters together with their dupes (? mūrá); let them not be freed from thy heavenly missile.

Do thou, O Agni, from below, from above, do thou defend us from behind and from in front; let those [flames] of thine, unaging, extremely hot, greatly paining, burn against the evil-plotter.

From behind, in front, below, and above, do thou, O Agni, a poet, protect us about with poesy; [as] friend a friend, [as] unaging in order to old age, [as] an immortal mortals, do thou [protect] us, O Agni.

Set thou in the reciter, O Agni, that eye with which thou seest the hoof-breaking sorcerers; Atharvan-like, with brightness of the gods, scorch (uṣ) down the truth-damaging fool (acít).

Thee the devout, O Agni, powerful one, would we fain put about us [as] a stronghold, [thee] of daring color, day by day, slayer of the destructive one.

With poison smite thou back the destructive ones, the demoniacs, O Agni, with keen brightness (çocís), with heat-pointed flames (arcí).

With great light Agni shineth out; he maketh all things manifest by his greatness; he forceth away the ill-conditioned ungodly wiles; he sharpeneth his two horns to gore the demons.

The two horns that thou hast, O Jātavedas, unaging, of keen thrust, sharpened by devotion (bráhman)—with them do thou gore, O Jātavedas, the attacking enemy (durhā́rd), the advancing kimīdín with thy flame (arcís).

Agni drives off the demons, he of bright brightness, immortal, bright, purifying, laudable.