Atharva Veda · 566 of 724

HYMN LVII

A charm against evil dreams 1. As men discharge the utmost debt, collect the eighth and    sixteenth part,   So to the foeman we transfer together all the evil dream. 2. Princes came together, debts came together, Kushthas came to-    gether,   Sixteenths came together. The whole evil dream that hath visited    us we send away as a bad dream to the man who hates us. 3. Child of Gods’ Consorts, minister of Yama is the good Dream:    that which is my trouble we drive away to the enemy. 4. Thou whose name is Rough art the mouth of the Black Bird.   As such we know thee, Dream, as such we know thee well. Like    a horse art thou, O Dream. As they bind girth and surcingle    on a horse, so bind the alien mischief-maker, the scorner of    the Gods. 5. The evil dream that threatens us, threatens our cattle or our    home.   That let the scorner of the Gods, the alien mischief-maker bind    as a gold jewel round his neck. 6. Having measured off nine cubits’ distance from us we give away    the whole of the evil dream to the man who hates us.