The fourth of the Vedas, a treasury old,
Its earliest Kandas, from one to seven told,
Are filled with the mantras of Atharvan's lore,
Holding life's wishes and charms evermore.
For healing and health the first books take their flight,
With herbs and with prayers to banish the blight.
From fever and sickness, and harms that descend,
Charms for the long life that fate may extend.
There are spells of affection to win a kind heart,
And blessings for home, trade, and farmer's good start.
Against dark misfortune, and foes ever near,
The magical verses subdue every fear.
In measures of poetry, and often in prose,
The practical needs of the people it shows.
A window to customs, both high and quite base,
In these primal sections, the folk-rituals trace.
