Sukta 67
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (longevity benediction formula; specific r̥ṣi not securely individualized in common indices for this brief series)
Devata: Āyus (Life) / benedictive longevity (implicit)
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh-like benedictive pāda (short formula; often treated as a fixed āyuṣya refrain)
AV 19.67 سُوكتةٌ موجزة من سُوكتات الآيُشْيَة، صيغت من تبريكاتٍ ذات لازمة تتكرر لتُسقط مرارًا مثال «مئة خريف» بوصفه المدى المعياري للعمر التام. وتكمن قوتها في أمنياتٍ مكثفة قابلة للأداء—أن يرى المرء، وأن يحيا، وأن يزدهر—ليغدو طول العمر ليس مجرد امتدادٍ زمني، بل حيويةً متواصلة وازدهارًا دائمًا، بل ومتجاوزًا لمقياس المئة عام.
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
दीर्घायुत्वम्। पश्ये॑म श॒रदः॑ श॒तम्
لتكن لنا حياةٌ مديدة: لعلّنا نرى مئةَ خريف.
Mantra 2
जीवे॑म श॒रदः॑ श॒तम्
لِنَحْيَ مِئَةَ خَرِيفٍ.
Mantra 3
बुध्ये॑म श॒रदः॑ श॒तम्
لِنَسْتَيْقِظْ وَنَعِيَ عَلَى مَدَى مِئَةِ خَرِيفٍ.
Mantra 4
रोहे॑म श॒रदः॑ श॒तम्
لِنَنْمُوَ مِئَةَ خَرِيفٍ.
Mantra 5
पूषे॑म श॒रदः॑ श॒तम्
لِنَزْدَهِرْ خلالَ مِئَةِ خَرِيفٍ.
Mantra 6
भवे॑म श॒रदः॑ श॒तम्
لِنَكُنْ لمئةِ خريفٍ—لمئةِ سنة.
Mantra 7
भूये॑म श॒रदः॑ श॒तम्
لِنَكُنْ لِمِئَةِ خَرِيفٍ.
Mantra 8
भूय॑सीः श॒रदः॑ श॒तात्
لِتَكُنْ أَعْظَمَ مِنْ مِئَةِ خَرِيفٍ؛ لِتَتَجَاوَزْ سِنُوكَ الْمِئَةَ.
Inside Sukta 67
How it unfolds
- How it opens
Begins with a direct bestowal of ‘dīrghāyutvam’ (long life), immediately tied to the vision of ‘a hundred autumns.’
- What it asks
May we live, see, and prosper through a full century of seasons—longevity with functioning senses and flourishing support.
- Where its power lies
The repeated, compact ‘śaradaḥ śatam’ formula acts as a performative seal: saying the full measure of years is treated as establishing it.
- How it closes
Ends by pushing beyond the norm—‘may you be greater than a hundred autumns’—a final superlative extension of life-span.
Famous verses
paśyema śaradaḥ śatam
pūṣema śaradaḥ śatam
bhūyasīḥ śaradaḥ śatāt
Kind of hymn
Paustika (Prosperity/Longevity)
What it is for
To confer and stabilize long life with intact faculties and enduring prosperity, framed as repeated blessings for a hundred autumns and beyond.
Who it is for
Householders seeking longevity and well-being for themselves or a beneficiary (child, patron, family member), and priests performing brief āyuṣya-benedictions in domestic rites.
Also used as
- Shantika
- Raksha (protective/āyuṣya)
The deity
Āyus is the personified principle of life-span and vital continuity; in this short series it functions as an implicit devatā behind set blessings for living, seeing, and thriving through the full term of years. Puṣṭi (nourishment/prosperity) appears as the life that is well-fed, well-supported, and steadily increasing.
Powers of the deity
- Extends and stabilizes life-span (āyuḥ)
- Sustains sensory faculties and bodily vigor across years (e.g., continued sight)
- Grants flourishing/prosperity (puṣṭi) throughout the life-term
- Protects against diminution of years and premature decline
- Allows ‘overflow’ longevity beyond the conventional hundred-year ideal
Why the deity is called
Invoked to secure a complete, undiminished life—“seeing a hundred autumns,” prospering through them, and (in the climactic wish) exceeding the hundred-year norm.
The seer
- Atharvanic (anonymous formulaic seer)Atharvan. Āyuṣya and paustika formulas: longevity benedictions, sense-function continuity (especially sight), and prosperity-through-life-span refrains used as protective and strengthening utterances.
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 19.66
- AV 19.68
- AV 19.69
Preparing for the rite
- Choose the beneficiary (self or other) and state the saṅkalpa for āyuṣ and puṣṭi.
- Maintain basic purity (ācamanam/clean posture); sit facing east or north if possible.
- Optionally begin with a brief śānti and remembrance of Āyus/Puṣṭi as the intended devatā.
The rite
- Recite the eight short mantras as blessings, either once each or in a small repetition cycle (e.g., 3/9/27 times) depending on custom.
- When blessing another, recite while placing the right hand lightly on the head/shoulder or while offering a verbal benediction at the close of a rite.
- Conclude with an explicit ‘āyuḥ-puṣṭi’ blessing (e.g., repeating the key refrain) and a silent intention for uninterrupted years.
What it needs
- None required (mantra-only benediction).
When
Any auspicious time; especially at birthdays/anniversaries, after recovery from illness, at household śānti, or as a closing benediction to rites.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a Vedic idiom for a full, ideal human life-span—years counted by the return of the autumn season—implying completeness and stability of life.
Primarily for general well-being and longevity (paustika/śānti): it blesses long life, continued functioning (like sight), and prosperity; it can also be recited after illness as a strengthening benediction.
No. This sūkta is essentially mantra-only: its short formulas are designed to function as direct spoken blessings, though some traditions may add it as a concluding benediction within a larger rite.
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