Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c3.410

v1.c3.410

Apā-mārga.—A plant (Achyranthes aspera) used frequently¹ in witchcraft practices, and for medical purposes, especially against Kṣetriya. It is described in the Atharvaveda² as ‘revertive’ (punaḥ-sara), either, as Roth³ and Zimmer⁴ think, because of its having reverted leaves (a view also accepted by Whitney⁵), or because, as Bloomfield⁶ holds, it wards off a spell by causing it to recoil on its user.