av eda ▁is ▁sometimes ▁called ▁the ▁" V eda ▁of ▁mag ical ▁formulas ", ▁an ▁ep ith et ▁declared ▁to ▁be ▁incorrect ▁by ▁other ▁sch ol ars . ▁The ▁Sam h ita ▁layer ▁of ▁the ▁text ▁likely ▁represents ▁a ▁developing ▁ 2 nd ▁mill en ni um ▁B CE ▁tradition ▁of ▁mag ico - rel ig ious ▁r ites ▁to ▁address ▁super st it ious ▁anx iety , ▁sp ells ▁to ▁remove ▁mal ad ies ▁believed ▁to ▁be ▁caused ▁by ▁dem ons , ▁and ▁her bs - ▁and ▁nature - der ived ▁pot ions ▁as ▁medicine . ▁Many ▁books ▁of ▁the ▁Ath ar v av eda ▁Sam h ita ▁are ▁dedicated ▁to ▁rit uals ▁without ▁magic ▁and ▁to ▁the osoph y . ▁The ▁text , ▁states ▁Kenneth ▁Z y sk , ▁is ▁one ▁of ▁oldest ▁surv iving ▁record ▁of ▁the ▁evolution ary ▁practices ▁in ▁religious ▁medicine ▁and ▁reve als ▁the ▁" ear liest ▁forms ▁of ▁folk ▁he aling ▁of ▁Ind o - Europe an ▁anti qu ity ". ▁ ▁The ▁Ath ar v av eda ▁Sam h ita ▁contains ▁h ym ns ▁many ▁of ▁which ▁were ▁char ms , ▁magic ▁sp ells ▁and ▁inc ant ations ▁meant ▁to ▁be ▁pron ounced ▁by ▁the ▁person ▁who ▁see ks ▁some ▁benefit , ▁or ▁more ▁often ▁by ▁a ▁sor cer er ▁who ▁would ▁say ▁it ▁on ▁his ▁or ▁her ▁beh alf . ▁The ▁most ▁frequent ▁goal ▁of ▁these ▁h ym ns ▁char ms ▁and ▁sp ells ▁were ▁long ▁life ▁of ▁a ▁loved ▁one ▁or ▁recovery ▁from