Sukta 52
Rishi: To be confirmed by AVŚ 19.52 anukramaṇī
Devata: Kāma (personified Desire)
Chandas: Triṣṭubh (probable; requires metrical verification)
تستدعي هذه الترتيلة القصيرة كاما (الرغبة) بوصفه الدافع الخلّاق الأوّل—«بذرة الذهن الأولى»—ثم تُحوِّل تلك الخصوبة الكونية إلى رخاء ملموس للياجامانا. ومن خلال مواءمة التوق الشخصي مع الاندفاعة الأولى للخلق، تهدف الأبيات إلى جعل المقاصد قريبة المنال من بعيد، متبادلة الاستجابة، وفي النهاية «أكشايا» (غير نافدة/لا تنقص)، مُختومة بقربان موجَّه إلى كاما.
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
कामः। काम॒स्तदग्रे॒ सम॑वर्तत॒ मन॑सो॒ रेतः॑ प्रथ॒मं यदासी॑त्। स का॑म॒ कामे॑न बृह॒ता सयो॑नी रा॒यस्पोषं॒ यज॑मानाय धेहि
كَامَا—الرغبة—نهضت في البدء؛ بذرةُ الذهن، أوّلُ ما كان. فامنحْ، يا كَامَا، برغبةٍ عظيمةٍ، من رحمٍ واحدٍ معها، زيادةَ الثروةِ والازدهارَ لليَجَمَانَا (مُقَدِّم القُربان).
Mantra 2
त्वं का॑म॒ सह॑सासि॒ प्रति॑ष्ठितो वि॒भुर्वि॒भावा॑ सख॒ आ स॑खीय॒ते। त्वमु॒ग्रः पृत॑नासु सास॒हिः सह॒ ओजो॒ यज॑मानाय धेहि
يا كاما، إنك ثابتٌ بالقوة—واسعُ السلطان، بعيدُ الإشعاع—حليفٌ يُتَّخذ صديقًا. أنت شديدٌ، غالبٌ في المعارك: فامنحْ للقائم بالقرابين (yajamāna) قوةً وبأسًا و«أوجَس» (ojas).
Mantra 3
दू॒राच्च॑कमा॒नाय॑ प्रतिपा॒णायाक्ष॑ये । आस्मा॑ अशृण्व॒न्नाशाः॒ कामे॑नाजनय॒न्त्स्वः
من بعيدٍ إلى مَن يقترب، وإلى اليدِ التي تُجيبُ اليد، لِرِبحٍ لا ينفد—لهذا الرجلِ أصغتِ الآمال؛ وبـ«كاما (Kāma)» أنجبوا حُسنَ حظِّ السماء.
Mantra 4
कामे॑न मा॒ काम॒ आगन् हृद॑या॒द्धृद॑यं॒ परि॑ । यद॒मीषा॑म॒दो मन॒स्तदैतूप॒ मामि॒ह
بِكَامَا، يا كَامَا، تعالَ إليَّ؛ من قلبٍ إلى قلبٍ أَحِطْ إحاطةً تامّة. وأيُّ ذهنٍ هناك لهم، فذلك الذهنُ بعينه—فليدنُ، وليأتِ إليَّ ههنا.
Mantra 5
यत् का॑म का॒मय॑माना इ॒दं कृ॒ण्मसि॑ ते ह॒विः । तन्नः॒ सर्वं॒ समृ॑ध्यता॒मथै॒तस्य॑ ह॒विषो॑ वीहि॒ स्वाहा॑
يا كَامَا، ما نُعِدُّه لك—ونحنُ راغبون—قُربانًا (هَفِس)، فليزدهر لنا كلُّه وليتمّ. ثم تفضّلْ فتناولْ من هذا القربان: سْفَاهَا!
Inside Sukta 52
How it unfolds
- How it opens
Begins by naming Kāma and situating him at the very beginning of existence as the first movement/seed of mind (cosmogonic grounding).
- What it asks
Kāma is asked to bestow rāyas-poṣa (increase of wealth and thriving) and to make hopes and good fortune arise through desire, enabling approach and reciprocal success.
- Where its power lies
Desire is presented as not merely personal craving but a cosmic force that engenders ‘svah’ (good fortune/heavenly good) and produces akṣaya gain—thereby guaranteeing efficacy when properly invoked.
- How it closes
Closes with an explicit havis-offering and svāhā, requesting that ‘all of it’ prosper and be fulfilled, and inviting Kāma to partake—ritually sealing the petition.
Famous verses
manaso retaḥ prathamaṃ yad āsīt
pratipāṇāya akṣaye
tannaḥ sarvaṃ samṛdhyatām… svāhā
Kind of hymn
Pauṣṭika (Prosperity) / Generative-cosmic invocation
What it is for
Prosperity and thriving for the yajamāna, successful drawing-near of the desired boon/person, and an ‘imperishable’ (akṣaya) result validated by offering.
Who it is for
Householder-yajamāna and Atharvanic practitioner seeking prosperity, fulfilment of a wish, or successful attraction/attainment within a domestic or simple offering context.
Also used as
- Kāmyā (desire-fulfilment)
- Śāntika (stabilizing/akṣaya outcome, secondarily)
- Generative-cosmic invocation
The deity
Kāma is Desire as a cosmic principle: the first stirring that arises at the beginning, identified as the mind’s generative ‘seed’ and the driver of creation, union, and attainment. In late Atharvanic style, Kāma is also the practical power that makes hopes listen, draws what is sought from distance, and ripens results into prosperity.
Powers of the deity
- Primal creative impulse (cosmogonic generativity)
- Attraction/bringing-near of a desired person or goal
- Establishing reciprocity and consent (“hand answering hand”)
- Bestowing wealth, increase, and thriving (rāyas-poṣa)
- Making gains stable and unfailing (akṣaya)
- Fulfilling vows/intentions through oblation-acceptance
Why the deity is called
To convert desire into a sanctioned, efficacious force that produces prosperity and successful attainment for the sacrificer, culminating in an offering (havis) to secure complete fulfilment.
The seer
- To be confirmed (per AVŚ 19.52 anukramaṇī; Kāma-hymn complex attribution varies)Atharvan. Pauṣṭika and kāmyā mantras: prosperity, attraction/bringing-near, fulfilment of aims through invocation of cosmic powers (Kāma, Āśā).
Other hymns of this seer
- AVŚ 19.51 (Kāma complex; attribution varies by anukramaṇī)
- AVŚ 19.53 (Kāma complex; attribution varies by anukramaṇī)
- AVŚ 9.2 (Kāma Sūkta; often connected thematically, though r̥ṣi differs in lists)
Preparing for the rite
- Set a clean recitation space; establish intention (saṅkalpa) naming the desired outcome as ‘rāyas-poṣa’ and ‘akṣaya’.
- If using a domestic fire, prepare simple havis (ghee and/or grains) suitable for a svāhā-offering.
- Seat the yajamāna facing east or north; maintain calm, focused mind (since Kāma is framed as ‘mind’s seed’).
The rite
- Recite the hymn as a unified invocation to Kāma, emphasizing the cosmogonic opening (19.52.1) to ‘ground’ personal desire in primordial order.
- At the concluding verse with svāhā (19.52.5), offer havis into fire (or symbolically dedicate if no fire-rite is possible), requesting ‘sarvaṃ samṛdhyatām’ (complete fulfilment).
- Optionally repeat key lines for attraction/attainment themes (e.g., ‘dūrācca… pratipāṇāya… akṣaye’) as japa after the main recitation.
What it needs
- Havis (generic oblation: typically ghee; optionally mixed with grain such as rice/barley)
- Fire (gārhapatya/household fire) or a lamp as minimal substitute
When
Preferably morning or evening at a quiet time; also suitable when initiating a new undertaking or when seeking to ‘bring near’ a desired result from afar.
The main substance
Havis (ghee; optionally ghee with grain)
How it is prepared
Prepare a small, clean oblation portion (ghee alone or ghee mixed with cooked/uncooked grain). Offer at the svāhā-verse (19.52.5), dedicating the offering specifically to Kāma and the stated aim (prosperity/fulfilment/akṣaya gain).
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Kāma here is broader: the cosmic impulse that drives creation and attainment. The hymn applies that power to prosperity, success, and fulfilment of aims, not only romance.
Akṣaya means “unfailing” or “imperishable.” The hymn seeks gains that do not diminish—stable prosperity or success that remains secure.
Traditionally it culminates in a havis offering with svāhā (19.52.5). A household fire is ideal, but a minimal offering setup (lamp/fire substitute) with clear dedication is often used in practice when a full rite is not possible.
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