Killing Infidels in Vedas

truthabouthinduism.wordpress.com/2014/05/15/killing-infidels-in-vedas/

Plunder and Killing in Vedas

Written by Sulaiman Razvi

Also read new article Violence in Hinduism

Some fanatic Hindus who are unaware of the violent passages in their book often mock
other religious texts by misinterpreting them. They have no idea how violent Vedas are.
Vedas are terror manual which turns humans into savages. Many tribes were destroyed
as a result of the violent passages in Vedas. As per Vedas, you must kill a person who
rejects Vedas, who hates Vedas and Ishwar, who does not worship, who does not make
offerings to ishwar, who insults god (Blasphemy), one who oppresses a Brahmin etc.
There are several passages in Vedas which calls for death of disbelievers. I am mostly
using Arya Samaji translations of Satya Prakash Saraswati, Satyakam Vidyalankar, Devi
Chand, Vaidyanath Shastri, Kshemkarand Das Trivedi, Swami Dayanand Saraswati,
Shripad Damodar Satvalekar, and orthodox translations of Swami Karpatri and Shri Ram
Sharma Acharya (Gayatri Parivar) and I will be using Griffith’s translation as well followed
by Hindi translation of Hindu scholars.

Rig Veda 9.13.9 ”May you (O love divine), the beholder of the path of enlightenment,
purifying our mind and destroying the infidels who refuse to offer worship, come and stay
in the prime position of the eternal sacrifice.” Tr. SatyaPrakash Saraswati

Rig Veda 7.6.3 ”May the fire divine chase away those infidels, who do not perform
worship and who are uncivil in speech. They are niggards, unbelievers, say no tribute to
fire divine and offer no homage. The fire divine turns those godless people far away who
institute no sacred ceremonies.” Tr. SatyaPrakash Saraswati

Rig Veda 9.63.5 ‘‘Augmenting the strength of resplendent self, urging the waters and
rejuvenating all noble acts and destroying the infidels.” Tr. SatyaPrakash Saraswati

One who does not offer Sacrifice is inhuman

Rig Veda 8.70.11 ”May your friend, the cloud, hurl that infidel down from heaven who
differs from us in rites and rituals, is inhuman, who does not observe fire sacrificials, and
who does not show reverence to Nature’s bounties.” Tr. SatyaPrakash Saraswati

Rig Veda 7.97.9 ”O Lord of knowledge, this laudation is for you…destroy the godless and
the malice of our enemy.” Tr. SatyaPrakash Saraswati

Rig Veda 1.84. 8 When will he trample, like a weed, the man [Infidel] who hath no gift for
him…

Yaska writes,

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Nirukta 5.17 When, with his foot, will he trample the unworshipping man like a mushroom

Rig Veda 8.64.1-2 ”May our hymns please you; O lord of resolute will power, please
display your bounty. May you drive off the infidels. May you crush with your foot the
niggard churls who offer no homage. You are powerful; there is none so powerful as you
are.” Tr. SatyaPrakash Saraswati

Rig Veda 5.2.10 ”May you roaring flames, O adorable Lord, be manifest in the sky as
sharp weapons, to destroy infidels. In his exhilaration may his shining splendour inflict
destruction. The godless hands try to bind him from all sides but do not succeed.” Tr.
SatyaPrakash Saraswati

Rig Veda 9.79.10 ”The powerful flowing elixir…It is the conferer of wealth, the king of
vigour; It crushes malignities and harasses the enemies.” Tr. SatyaPrakash Saraswati

Rig Veda 8.76.11 ”Both the heaven and earth shudder when you, O the resplendent Lord,
uttering your fearful roar, crush down the infidel.” Tr. Satya Prakash Sarawati

Atharva Veda 5.21.3 ‘Let this war drum made of wood, muffled with leather straps, dear
to all the persons of human race and bedewed with ghee, speak terror to our foemen.”Tr.
Vaidyanath Shastri

Rig Veda 9.19.6 ‘May you bring near to us those who stand aloof; may you strike terror
into our foes; o pure flowing elixir, please transfer their riches to us.” Tr. SatyaPrakash
Saraswati and Satyakam Vidyalankar

Yajur Veda 17.33 ”He is an ideal commander of the army, who is swift, keeps his arms
sharpened, fearless like a strong bull, a zealous killer of foes, strikes terror in men…” Tr.
Devi Chand

Atharva Veda 4.31.7 ”Let the King [Varuna] and Manyu, the warm emotion give us the
wealth of both kinds-earned and gathered. Let our enemies overwhelmed with terror in
their mind and spirit and defeated in their design run away.” Tr. Vaidyanath Shastri.

Yaska Acharya also writes about terror,

Nirukta 10.21 …These are hemistichs. Like a spear hurled, it inspires terror (among
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enemies) or courage (among friends)…

Yajur Veda 7.36 ”We learned persons accept as our ruler, thee, the introducer of new
plans for our advancement, the master of loyal subjects, the embodiment of virtue, the
most advanced in noble qualities and acts, the queller of the irreligious…” Tr. Devi Chand

Yajur Veda 7.44 ”…This fourth warrior, full of delight, should subdue the irreligious foes.”
Tr. Devi Chand

Yajur Veda 13.12 ”O king, make progress in thy duty of administration, extend happiness
to the virtuous. O terrible chastiser, burn down the irreligious foes. O splendid person,
humiliate and consume utterly like dried up stubble, him, who encourages our foe.” Tr.
Devi Chand

Atharva Veda 11.2.23 He who dwells fixed in the atmosphere, smiting the blasphemers
of the god that do not sacrifice, to him be reverence with ten sakvarî−stanzas!

Killing Women and Children

Atharva Veda 11.2.21 Do not covet our cattle, our men, our goats and sheep! Bend thy
course elsewhere, O strong god (ugra), slay the offspring of the blasphemers!

Atharva Veda 5.20.4-5 ”Let this war-drum victorious in the battle, loudly roaring and
becoming the means of seizing whatever may be seized, be seen by all. Let this war-
drum utter wonderful voice and let the army-controlling man capture the possessions of
the enemies. Amid the conflict of the deadly weapons let the woman of enemy waked by
the roar and afflicted run forward in her terror hearing the resounding and far reaching
voice of the wardrum, holding her son in her hand.” Tr. Vaidyanath Shastri.

Rig Veda 10.118.8 So, Agni, with thy glowing face burn fierce against the female fiends,
Shining among Uruksayas.

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VEDIC GOD STEALS

GOD STEALING LIKE A THIEF

Rig Veda 1.103.6 ”To him, who is the performer of all deeds, the possessor and giver of
strength, the truly powerful Lord, we offer devotional prayers. He a highwayman, snatches
wealth from the godless exploiters and gives it to honest devotees.” Tr. SatyaPrakash
Saraswati

Griffith’s translation,

Rig Veda 1.103.6 ”…The Hero, watching like a thief in ambush, goes parting the
possessions of the godless.” Tr. Ralph T.H. Griffith

Rig Veda 1.93.4 Agni and Soma, famed is that your. prowess wherewith ye stole the
kine, his food, from Paṇi…

Rig Veda 9.61.25 ”The elixir of divine love flows onward, chasing the malignant, and
driving off the withholders of wealth and thus it proceeds to the holy abode of the
resplendent Lord.” Tr. SatyaPrakash Saraswati

Rig Veda 7.19.9 ‘O bounteous Lord, pious devotees, skilled in reciting hymns, sing their
songs to you for your adoration. May you select us also to join them who by their homage
to you, have become entitled to appropriate the riches of infidels‘. Tr. Satya Prakash
Saraswati

Rig Veda 8.75.12 ‘Leave us not in this conflict as a bearer of load; snatch up the wealth
of infidels and give it to us.’ Tr. Satya Prakash Saraswati

Rig Veda 5.4.5 ”…May you come to bless our fire ritual. May you having scattered all our
adversaries, bring to us the possessions of our foeman.” Tr. SatyaPrakash Saraswati

Here god is prayed to eliminate the rivals and to bring their wealth. Yaska writes on this
verse,

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Nirukta 4.5 ”Having destroyed all assailants, bring to us the treasures of our enemies, i.e.
having destroyed the forces of our adversaries, bring to us the treasures or the food from
the homes of our enemies.”- Nirukta 4.5

ALL NON HINDUS ARE DEMONS, BARBARIANS.

Swami Dayanand Saraswati wrote,

”The Dwijaas( the twice-born) – Braahmanaas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyaas are called Aryas,
while the Shudras are called Anaryas, or Non-Aryas.”ATHARVA VEDA 19:62. In the face
ofthese Vedic authorities how can sensible people believe in the imaginary tales of the
foreigners. In the Devaasurawars, Prince Arjuna and King Dashrathaand others of
Aryavarta used to go to the assistance of the Aryas in order to crush the Asuras. This
shows that the people living outside Aryavarta were called Dasyus and Malechhaas…
Besides, Manu also corroborates our position. He says, “The countries other than
Aryavarta are called Dasyus and Malechha countries.” MANU 10:45, 2:23. The people
living in the north-east, north, north-west were called Rakshasas.” Satyarth Prakash, by
Dayanand Saraswati, Ch 8, page 266, Tr. Chrinajiva Bhardwaja

Dasyu and Rakshasa mean demon. Here Swami Dayanand quoting Manu Smriti says
that all people living outside Aryavrata and those who do not belong to upper three castes
are demons (Rakshasa, Dasyu) and barbarians (Mleccha). According to Hindu Dharma
all the non Hindus are demons and barbarians. Here is a full translation of Manu Smriti,

Manu Smriti 10.45 All those tribes in this world, which are excluded from (the community
of) those born from the mouth, the arms, the thighs, and the feet (of Brahman), are called
Dasyus, whether they speak the language of the Mlekkhas (barbarians) or that of the
Aryans.

It is mentioned in Sutras,

Apastamba Sutra, Prasna I, Patala 9, Khanda 27.11 The expression Krishna Varna, ‘the
black race,’ is truly Vedic. In the Rig-veda it usually denotes the aboriginal races, and
sometimes the demons.

Vedas also states that the one who offers no worship is inhuman, wicked, evil, miser etc.,

Rig Veda 9.20.5 ”Preserve us from the reproach of every one, who makes no offerings, is
vicious and wicked and who utters ill words, so that we may be free (from anxiety).” Tr.
SatyaPrakash Saraswati

Shouldn’t Ishwar be friendly with entire creation? Why Ishwar is friendly only with those
who make offerings? Was it invented by Rishis to get wealth in the name of god? What
about the poor people who don’t even have money to feed their children. Will Ishwar
forgive them or punish them as he commands to kill those who doesn’t pour gifts.

Beheading the Demons (Non Hindus)

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Krishna Yajur Veda 6.2.10 ”…Here do I cut off the neck of the Raksas, who hateth us,
and whom we hate’, he says; there are two people, he whom he hates and he who hates
him; verily straightway he cuts their necks…”

Atharva Veda 1.7.7 O Agni, bring thou hitherward the Yatudhanas bound and chained.
And afterward let Indra tear their heads off with his thunder-bolt.

Yajur Veda 5.26 By impulse of God Savitar I take thee with arms of Asvins, with the
hands of Peahen.Thou art a woman. Here I cut the necks of Rakshasas away. Barley art
thou. Bar off from us our haters, bar our enemies…

Rig Veda 6.26.3 Thou didst impel the sage to win the daylight, didst ruin Śuṣṇa for the
pious Kutsa.The invulnerable demon’s head thou clavest when thou wouldst win the
praise of Atithigva.

Rig Veda 8.14.13 With waters’ foam thou torest off, Indra, the head of Namuci, Subduing
all contending hosts.

DEATH TO THOSE WHO DOESN’T POUR GIFTS TO ISHWAR

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Rig Veda 6.44.11 ”Give us not, O showerer of benefits, to the wicked. Relying upon your
friendship, O Lord of riches, may we remain unharmed. Many are the boons you
distribute amongst men; may you demolish those who make no libation, and root out
those who present no offerings.” Tr. SatyaPrakash Saraswati

Rig Veda 1.176.4 Slay everyone who pours no gift, who, hard to reach, delights thee not.
Bestow on us what wealth he hath: this even the worshipper awaits.

PLUNDERING THE PROPERTIES OF PEOPLE WHO DO NOT OFFER GIFTS

Ishwar commands to plunder the property of people who do not offer gifts and then to kill
them.

Rig Veda 1.81.9 …Discover thou, as Lord, the wealth of men who offer up no gifts: bring
thou to us this wealth of theirs.

Atharva Veda 20.93.2 Crush with thy foot the niggard churls who bring no gifts. Might art
thou: There is not one to equal thee.

This verse refers to the Panis tribe, according to some scholars the Panis tribe were also
part of the Vedic society but were plundered and killed because they made no offerings
to Ishwar, this is why they are considered Niggards. But Yaska gives a different meaning,
Yaska writes that Panis tribe were Demons. One is not to be deluded by the usage of the
word Demon here as Demons and Barbarians are those who does not follow the Veda or
who lives beyond the boundaries of Aryavarta. The Vedic followers are commanded here

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to crush the Panis tribe only because they make no offerings to Vedic Gods. There are
more evidences to show that tribes were plundered and killed just because they made no
offerings to Vedic gods.

Atharva Veda 20.56.6 These people, Indra, keep for thee all that is worthy of thy choice.
Discover thou, as Lord, the wealth of men who offer up no gifts: bring thou to us this
wealth of theirs.

Ishwar Behaving like a Thug

Rig Veda 7.93.5 ”When two large, mutually defiant hosts, emulous in corporal vigour,
contest, may you destroy the godless in favour of the god fearing and in favour of the
person who pours out devotional sentiments.” Tr. SatyaPrakash Saraswati

Rig Veda 4.25.7 (Indra), the drinker of the effused Soma, contracts no friendship with the
wealthy trader who offers not any libation ; he takes away his wealth ; destroys him when
destitute; but he is a special (friend) to him who presents the libation and oblation.

Rig Veda 5.34.8 When Indra, the possessor of opulence, discriminates between two men,
both wealthy, and exerting themselves (against each other) for the sake of valuable
cattle, he takes one of them [The one who performs Yajna] as his associate, causing (his
adversaries) to tremble, and the agitator (of the clouds), together with the Maruts,
bestows upon him herds of cattle.

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Other verses shows that Ishwar provides protection to those who make offerings to him,
but Ishwar slays the person who doesn’t worship or make offerings. Why is Ishwar
behaving like a thug? Shouldn’t Ishwar be equal and friendly to everyone irrespective of
their offerings? All the verses I quoted above orders to kill those who make no offerings,
there are several instances in Vedas wherein tribesmen were killed just because they
made no offering to Ishwar,

Rig Veda 3.53.14 ”O bounteous Lord, of what avail are the cattle of infidels to you.
Neither they yield milk nor do these faithless persons kindle sacred fire. May you bring
wealth of these unbelievers to us and give us possession of people of low mortality and
crush them.” Tr. SayaPrakash Saraswati

This verse is referring to the Kikata tribe who were plundered by Vedic heroes and killed.
Maharishi Yaska explains this as,

Nirukta 6.32 What are the cows doing in Kikata? Kikata is the name of a country where
the non-Aryans dwell. Non-Aryan tribes are (so called because it is said),’What have they
done? Or their assumption is that religious rites are useless. They neither get the milk to
mix with the soma, nor kindle fire.

As I said earlier, many tribes were plundered and looted by Vedic gods just because they
made no offering to Ishwar, Kikata and Panis tribes are few examples.

KILLING THOSE WHO HATE ISHWAR AND WHOM ISHWAR HATES

The entire hymn of Atharva 2.19 is dedicated in burning those who hate Ishwar and to
whom Ishwar hates,

Atharva Veda 2.19.1 Burn thou, O Agni, with that heat of thine against the man who
hates us, whom we hate.

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Atharva Veda 10.5.15 ”…By him we attack on him who hates us and whome we abhor.
We overthrow and slay him through this knowledge, through this act and through this fatal
weapon.” Tr. Vaidyanath Shastri

Atharva Veda 10.5.25 …from earth we bar him who hates us and whom we hate.

The Arya Samaj commentary states that a, ‘Man [Brahmin] should satisfy himself by
killing his enemies with the miraculous powers given by God’.

Rig Veda 3.53.21 ”O resplendent Lord, brave and opulant, protect us this day against our
foes with many and excellent defences, may the vile wretch who hates us fall before us;
May the breath of life depart from him whom we hate.” Tr. SatyaPrakash Saraswati

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Yajur Veda 15.15 This one in front, golden-tressed, with sunbeams; the leader of his host
and his chieftain are Rathagritsa and Rathaujas, and Puñjikasthalâ: and Kratusthalâ his
Apsarases. Biting animals are his weapon, homicide his missile weapon; to them be
homage: may they protect us, may they have mercy upon us. In their jaws we place the
man whom we hate and who hates us.

Atharva Veda 10.3.3 This charm shall conquer and cast down thy foemen. Be thou the
first to slay the men who hate thee.

Is it right to kill someone just because they hate you or Ishwar? What kind of God is
Ishwar who commands to kill the person who just hates him. The above verse explicitly
says to be the first one to kill those who just ‘Hate’ you. Is this justifiable? If you just
oppress a Brahmin you are liable to be killed according to Vedas, but the Brahmin can kill
you, deprive you of your property, there is no sin in this, but oppressing a Brahmin is a
grave sin in Vedas,

‘Atharva Veda 13.3.1 ‘…O Rohita (King) agitate destroy and entangle in snares the man
doing wrong to Brahman.” , Tr. Vaidyanath Shastri.

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Atharva Veda 12.5.52 Rend, rend to pieces, rend away, destroy, destroy him utterly.
Destroy Angirasi! the wretch who robs and wrongs the Brahmans, born.

Poor Shudra’s fate is to be oppressed by Brahmins,

Manu Smriti 8.417 A Brahmana may confidently seize the goods of (his) Sudra (slave);
for, as that (slave) can have no property, his master may take his possessions.

Maharishi Manu says that a Brahmin can even kill anyone who hurts him without bringing
notice to the King,

Manu Smriti 9.31-33 A Brahmana who knows the law need not bring any (offence) to the
notice of the king; by his own power alone be can punish those men who injure him. His
own power is greater than the power of the king; the Brahmana therefore, may punish his
foes by his own power alone. Let him use without hesitation the sacred texts, revealed by
Atharvan and by Angiras; speech, indeed, is the weapon of the Brahmana, with that he
may slay his enemies.

KILLING THOSE WHO REJECT AND HATE VEDAS

Atharva Veda 12.5.62 ”Rend, rend to bits, rend through and through, scorch and
consume and burn to dust, the one who rejects the Vedas”

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[This verse is translated from the Hindi Bhasya]

Arya Samaj commentary states:

”Godly persons shall always be ready to kill irreligious people”

[Kshemkarandas Trivedi (Arya Samaj) on Atharva Veda 12.5.62, page 576]

[Source: http://aryasamajjamnagar.org/atharvaveda_v2/pages/p576.gif ]

He writes on Atharva Veda 12.5.54

‘‘Vedic followers should destroy infidels”- Kshem Karan Das Trivedi on Atharva Veda
12.5.54, page 574 [Source: http://aryasamajjamnagar.org/atharvaveda_v2/pages/p574.gif
]

Hindu god Vishnu says,

Vishnu Purana 3.17 When the glorious Vishnu heard their prayers he emitted from his
person an illusory form wliich he gave to the celestials and said. “This illusory form shall
so deceive the Daityas, so that being led astray from the path of the Vedas, they may be
put to death ; for all gods, demons and others, who shall transgress the authority of the
Veda, shall perish by my prowess which I exercise for the preservation of the universe.
Go then ; be not affraid ; this illusory form shall go before you. celestials, it shall be of
great service to you, this day.

Veda also commands to kill the enemies of Vedas,

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Atharva Veda 2.12.6 …Burn down the enemies of Vedas.

Griffith has translated the word Brahmadvish as ”Haters of Prayer/devotion” which is also
correct but the definition ”Those who hate Vedas” is precisely correct, other correct
definition is ‘Enemies of Vedas’. Dayanand Saraswati founder of Arya Samaj gives the
following meaning,

”Brahmadivsh = The enemies of Vedas and Ishwar.

[Rig Veda Dayanand Saraswati Hindi Bhasya, Mandala 2, page 323]

Vidya Martanda also endorsed his Guru’s definition,

[Rig Veda, By Acharya Dharma Deva Vidya Martanda, Vol 3, p.469, Published by
Sarvadeshik Arya Pratinidhi Sabha, April 2002 Reprint]

Satya Prakash Saraswati defines Brahmadvish as,

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[Rig Veda Samhita, by Satya Prakash Saraswati and Vidyalankar, Vol 4, page no 1294,
Published by Veda Pratishthana, New Delhi, 1977]

Swami Prabhupada the founder of ISKCON gives the following meaning,

‘‘One who is envious of the Vedas, of a qualified Brahmana or of the Brahmana caste is
called Brahma-dvis”

[Krishna The Supreme Personality of Godhead: A Summary Study of Srimad-

Bhagavatam’s Tenth Canto, Part 2, by A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, page 304,
Publisher Bhaktivedanta Trust, 2003 Edition]

Besides Pandit Jaydev Sharma also translates it as ‘The enemies of Vedas’, Almost
every commentator and translator has given the same meaning.

Rig Veda 2.23.4 ”O God and learned person! you take the people to the target through
the path of religion and justice and protect them. If you commit a sin, the soul or God is
not infested with it. Those who denounce the Vedas and God, you cast your anger on
them. Therefore, we should admire your greatness.” Tr. Acharya Dharma Deva Vidya
Martanda (Arya Samaj).

Atharva Veda 20.93.1 …destroy the enemies of Vedas

Rig Veda 6.22.8 …burn down the enemies of God, Vedas and the malice…
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Rig Veda 6.52.3 …cast your destroying weapon for the destruction of the enemies of
Veda, wealth and crops.

Atharva Veda 20.96.4 …he slays, unasked, the enemies of Vedas.

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Rig Veda 6.22.8; 6.52.3, Atharva veda 20.96.4; 2.12.6 are translated into English from
the Hindi Bhashya.

KILLING THE BLASPHEMERS

Rig Veda 6.72.1 …ye killed all darkness and the Gods’ blasphemers.

It is mentioned in Bhagwad Purana (Srimad Bhagvatam)

Srimad Bhagvatam 4.4.17 Sati continued: If one hears an irresponsible person

blaspheme the master and controller of religion, one should block his ears and go away if
unable to punish him. But if one is able to kill, then one should by force cut out the
blasphemer’s tongue and kill the offender, and after that one should give up his own life.

ISKCON scholar writes on this verse,

”If possible she should have cut out Daksha’s tongue because he blasphemed Lord Siva.
In other words, since Lord Siva is the protector of religion, a person who vilifies him
should be killed at once, and after killing such a person, one should give up one’s life…
The instruction set forth here in Srimad-Bhagavatam is that one should not tolerate at any
cost the activities of a person who vilifies or blasphemes an authority. If one is a
Brahmana he should not give up his body because by doing so he would be responsible
for killing a Brahmana; therefore a Brahmana should leave the place or block his ears so
that he will not hear the blasphemy. If one happens to be a Kshatriya he has the power to
punish any man; therefore a Kshatriya should at once cut out the tongue of the vilifier and
kill him. But as far as the Vaisyas and Sudras are concerned, they should immediately
give up their bodies.” [ http://vanisource.org/wiki/SB_4.4.17 ]
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Rig Veda 6.61.3 Thou castest down, Sarasvati, those who scorned the Gods…

Rig Veda 2.23.14 Burn up the demons [disbelievers] with thy fiercest flaming brand,
those who have scorned thee in thy manifested might…

Recommended reading Vedas and World Peace part 2 and Is Hinduism Peaceful?

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