Sukta 14
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (seer attribution varies by anukramaṇī for this hymn)
Devata: Indra (as rakṣas-slayer) and Bhūtapati (as overlord/controller of beings)
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (probable; requires full hymn metrical audit)
AVŚ 2.14 এটা ৰক্ষোঘ্ন গৃহ-ৰক্ষা সূক্ত, যিয়ে ঘৰ আৰু তাৰ দুৰ্বল সংযোগস্থান (ভিত্তি/আধাৰ, গোহালি, গাড়ী/অক্ষ)ৰ পৰা ভূত, ৰাক্ষস আৰু নামোল্লিখিত নাৰী-পীড়কাসকলক বলপূৰ্বক খেদাই উলিয়াই দিয়ে। ইয়াত ইন্দ্ৰক বজ্ৰধাৰী, দণ্ডায়মান প্ৰহৰী ৰূপে গৃহৰ ওপৰত প্ৰতিষ্ঠা কৰা হয়, আৰু ভূতপতি বৈৰী সত্তাসকলক নিয়ন্ত্ৰণ কৰি ঘৰৰ পৰা বাহিৰলৈ তাড়াই দিয়া অধিপতি ৰূপে কাৰ্য কৰে। সূক্তটোৰ শক্তি সম্পূৰ্ণ উচ্ছেদ হিচাপে চিত্ৰিত—অনুপ্ৰবেশকাৰীসকলক গৃহসীমাৰ বাহিৰলৈ ঠেলি দি ঘৰক সীল কৰি সুৰক্ষিত পৰিসৰ কৰি তোলে।
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
वस्युनाशनम्। निः॒सालां धृ॒ष्णुं धि॒षण॑मेकवा॒द्यां जि॑घ॒त्स्वऽम्। सर्वा॒श्चण्ड॑स्य न॒प्त्योऽ ना॒शया॑मः स॒दान्वाः॑
বস্য়ু-নাশন। সভাঘৰৰ পৰা আমি বাহিৰলৈ খেদাই দিওঁ ধৃষ্ট প্ৰেৰক শক্তিক, এক-ধ্বনিযুক্ত (মন্ত্ৰ-ধ্বনি)ক, আৰু ভক্ষণকাৰী ক্ষুধাক। চণ্ডৰ সকলো নাতনি-সন্তান—সদা-অনুগামী সেই দল—আমি বিনাশ কৰোঁ।
Mantra 2
निर्वो॑ गो॒ष्ठाद॑जामसि॒ निरक्षा॒न्निरु॑पान॒सात्। निर्वो॑ मगुन्द्या दुहितरो गृ॒हेभ्य॑श्चातयामहे
গো-গোষ্ঠৰ পৰা তোমালোকক বাহিৰলৈ খেদাই দিওঁ; অক্ষ (চকাৰ ধুৰা)ৰ পৰা, ৰথ/গাড়ীৰ পৰা বাহিৰলৈ। আমাৰ ঘৰবোৰৰ পৰাও আমি তোমালোকক তাড়াই দিওঁ—হে মগুন্দীৰ কন্যাসকল।
Mantra 3
अ॒सौ यो अ॑ध॒राद् गृ॒हस्तत्र॑ सन्त्वरा॒य्यः । तत्र॑ से॒दिर्न्युऽच्यतु॒ सर्वा॑श्च यातुधा॒न्यः
সেই যি—যাৰ গৃহ তলৰ পৰা (অধৰাত্) আছে—তাত বৈৰীসকল থাকক। তাত উচ্চাৰণৰ দ্বাৰা আসন স্থাপন হওক; আৰু তাতেই সকলো যাতুধানী (ডাইনী-দৈত্যিনী) থাকক।
Mantra 4
भू॒त॒प॒तिर्निर॑ज॒त्विन्द्र॑श्चे॒तः स॒दान्वाः॑ । गृ॒हस्य॑ बु॒ध्न आसी॑ना॒स्ता इन्द्रो॒ वज्रे॒णाधि॑ तिष्ठतु
ভূতপতি সিহঁতক বাহিৰলৈ খেদাই দিয়ক; আৰু ইন্দ্ৰ—চিত্তত সদা স্থিৰ—(সিহঁতক খেদাই দিয়ক)। যিসকল গৃহৰ বুধ্নত (ভিতিত) বহি আছে, সিহঁতৰ ওপৰত ইন্দ্ৰ বজ্ৰ ধৰি ওপৰে থিয় হওক।
Mantra 5
यदि॒ स्थ क्षे॑त्रि॒याणां॒ यदि॑ वा॒ पुरु॑षेषिताः । यदि॒ स्थ दस्यु॑भ्यो जा॒ता नश्य॑ते॒तः स॒दान्वाः॑
যদি তোমালোক ক্ষেত্ৰিয়ৰ বংশৰ হওঁ, অথবা মানুহে প্ৰেৰিত হওঁ; যদি তোমালোক দস্যুৰ পৰা জন্মা—তেনে হ’লে ইয়াৰ পৰা নাশ হওঁক, হে সদান্বাসকল!
Mantra 6
परि॒ धामा॑न्यासामा॒शुर्गाष्ठा॑मिवासरन्। अजै॑षं॒ सर्वा॑ना॒जीन्वो॒ नश्य॑ते॒तः स॒दान्वाः॑
এইবোৰৰ ধাম-স্থানসমূহৰ চাৰিওফালে দ্ৰুতগামীজন দৌৰি ফুৰিলে—যেন বিজয়-স্তম্ভলৈ দৌৰ। মই সকলো প্ৰতিদ্বন্দ্বীক জয় কৰিলোঁ; সদায় ঘূৰি-ফুৰা হে লোকসকল, তোমালোক আঁতৰি যোৱা, নাশ হওক।
Inside Sukta 14
How it unfolds
- How it opens
Begins with direct expulsion language—naming spaces to be cleared (cattle-stall, cart/axle, house) and addressing the intrusive agencies as removable occupants.
- What it asks
Drive the beings out completely and prevent their re-entry, especially those ‘seated’ at the house-base and those that roam restlessly.
- Where its power lies
Declares conquest and ritual victory—opponents are ‘overcome’ and commanded to vanish; the mantra-speaker’s authority is presented as effective and final.
- How it closes
Seals protection by installing Indra as the one who ‘stands over’ the house with vajra—an enduring guard-position that suppresses any remaining presence.
Famous verses
gṛhasya budhna āsīnāḥ … indro vajreṇādhi tiṣṭhatu
nir vo goṣṭhād ajāmasi … gṛhebhyaś cātayāmahe
ajaiṣaṃ sarvān ajīn … naśyatetaḥ sadānvāḥ
Kind of hymn
Rakṣoghna / Apotropaic (House-protection; anti-bhūta)
What it is for
Complete expulsion and suppression of bhūtas/hostile presences from domestic and pastoral property, with an ongoing protective ‘standing guard’ established over the house-base.
Who it is for
Householders and ritual specialists (Atharvan/paro-hitṛ type) seeking protection for home, cattle-shed, and conveyance (cart/wain), especially when disturbances, fear, or affliction is attributed to bhūtas or sorcery.
Also used as
- Rakṣoghna
- Shantika
- Gṛhya/house-protection
The deity
Indra appears as the militant household-guardian who stands over the house-base with the vajra, crushing and suppressing intrusive beings; Bhūtapati is invoked as the overlord who commands, drives forth, and regulates the ‘beings’ (bhūta) that haunt or infest domestic space.
Powers of the deity
- Driving out and dispersing bhūtas/rākṣasas from inhabited places
- Guarding the house-foundation (gṛhasya budhna) and vulnerable liminal points
- Subduing hostile agencies by threat/force (vajra-symbolism)
- Commanding and controlling ‘beings’ as a lord (Bhūtapati)
- Establishing a protective perimeter around stations/abodes (dhāmāni)
Why the deity is called
To evict hostile presences from house, cattle-stall, and vehicle-space, and to enthrone Indra’s protective dominance over the dwelling while Bhūtapati compels the beings to depart.
The seer
- Atharvanic seer (anukramaṇī-variant attribution)Atharvan. Rakṣoghna and apotropaic charms for house-protection: expulsion of bhūtas/rākṣasas, warding at thresholds and structural ‘joints’ (budhna, akṣa), and countering named afflicting agencies.
Other hymns of this seer
- AVŚ 1.28 (rakṣoghna/house-warding cluster, tradition-level attribution)
- AVŚ 2.10–2.16 (apotropaic sequences in the same kanda, attribution varies by anukramaṇī)
- AVŚ 3.4 (rakṣas-expulsion type, Atharvanic family attribution in several recensions)
Preparing for the rite
- Clean the dwelling area, especially the threshold and the house-base (budhna); sweep out debris from corners where ‘sitters’ are imagined to lodge.
- Mark or mentally map protected zones: house interior, cattle-stall (goṣṭha), and cart/vehicle area (axle/wain).
- Prepare a simple protective locus: a small standing place (adhi-tiṣṭhatu imagery) such as a post, threshold-stone, or central spot where the guardian is envisioned.
- If using water, make it ‘protective’ by holding it during recitation for later sprinkling at corners and the foundation.
The rite
- Recite the hymn as a verbal eviction, explicitly directing the intruders outward from goṣṭha, axle, wain, and house.
- During the Indra/Bhūtapati verses, perform a downward and outward gesture (as if pressing and driving away) toward the house-base and then toward the exterior.
- Circumambulate the house or key ‘stations’ (dhāmāni) once, aligning with the hymn’s ‘running around’ imagery, then end at the threshold as a sealing point.
- Optionally sprinkle water at the foundation line and corners while repeating the expulsion imperatives (nir-, naś-).
What it needs
- Water for sprinkling (optional but common in house-warding)
- A household staff/post or threshold-stone as a symbolic ‘standing-guard’ locus
- No required herb/amulet in the text; vajra is invoked as weapon-symbol rather than a physical object
When
At dusk or nightfall (a common bhūta-time), or immediately upon signs of haunting/affliction; also suitable at house-entry/house-warming or after an inauspicious event.
The main substance
Water (optional sprinkling medium)
Amulets
- Threshold/door-lintel marking (as a protective ‘seat’ for the guardian)
- House-post or staff used as a symbolic vajra/guardian-support
How it is prepared
If using water, hold it during recitation and sprinkle at the four corners, threshold, and along the foundation line; pair sprinkling with expulsion imperatives (nir-/naś-) and conclude by ‘installing’ Indra at the budhna in visualization or at a chosen post/stone.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is used to drive out bhūtas/hostile presences from a house and its attached spaces (cattle-stall and cart), and to establish a continuing protective guard over the home.
Bhūtapati functions as the commander who orders ‘beings’ to depart, while Indra is the forceful protector who stands over the house-base with the vajra, suppressing any return.
The hymn itself does not require a specific herb; it works primarily through authoritative expulsion and protective installation. If desired, simple water-sprinkling at the foundation and corners can accompany the recitation as a practical sealing act.
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