Atharva Veda 4.39.2: Kanda 4, Anuvaka 4, Sukta 39, Mantra 2
Sukta 39
पृ॒थि॒वी धे॒नुस्तस्या॑ अ॒ग्निर्व॒त्सः । सा मे॒ऽग्निना॑ व॒त्सेनेष॒मूर्जं॒ कामं॑ दुहाम्। आयुः॑ प्रथ॒मं प्र॒जां पोषं॑ र॒यिं स्वाहा॑
pṛthivī́ dhénus tásyā agnír vatsáḥ | sā́ me ’gnínā vatséna íṣam ū́rjaṃ kā́maṃ duhām | ā́yuḥ prathamáṃ prajā́ṃ póṣaṃ rayíṃ svā́hā ||
Earth is the milch-cow; of her Agni is the calf. With Agni for her calf let her milk out for me refreshment, vigor, and desire fulfilled—life first, then offspring, thriving, and wealth—svāhā!
পৃথিৱী ধেনু; তাৰ অগ্নি বাছুৰ। অগ্নিক বাছুৰ কৰি সি মোৰ বাবে ইষা, ঊৰ্জা আৰু কাম-সিদ্ধি দুহি দিওক—প্ৰথমে আয়ু, তাৰ পাছত প্ৰজা, পোষণ-সমৃদ্ধি আৰু ৰয়ি (ধন)—স্বাহা।
The meaning
What it says
Earth is imagined as a milch-cow; Agni is her calf. With Agni as calf, Earth is asked to ‘milk out’ nourishment (iṣ), vigor (ūrj), fulfilled desire (kāma), then long life, progeny, thriving, and wealth; sealed by svāhā (oblation).
The inner meaning
The psyche is the ‘earth-field’ of latent abundance; Agni is appetite/attention that draws resources out of the world properly. Prosperity is requested in an ordered sequence: life → family continuity → thriving → material means.
The truth in it
Abundance is not merely taken; it is elicited through right relationship: care (cow), legitimate demand (calf), and ritualized reciprocity (svāhā).
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Paustika (Prosperity)
Its aim
To obtain nourishment, strength, fulfilled desires, longevity, progeny, thriving, and wealth by activating Earth’s abundance through Agni and oblation.
Word by Word
Pada patha
पृथिवी । धेनुः । तस्याः । अग्निः । वत्सः । सा । मे । अग्निना । वत्सेन । इषम् । ऊर्जम् । कामम् । दुहाम् । आयुः । प्रथमम् । प्रजाम् । पोषम् । रयिम् । स्वाहा
- पृथिवी
- EarthNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot पृथिवी (प्रातिपदिक) < पृथु
- धेनुः
- cow (milch-cow)milch-cow (source of sustenance; archetype of abundance)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot धेनु (प्रातिपदिक)
- तस्याः
- of her/itsof her (of that Earth-cow)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अग्निः
- Agni; fireAgni (fire; here the calf of Earth, drawing nourishment/offerings)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- वत्सः
- calfNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot वत्स (प्रातिपदिक)
- सा
- she (that one)she (that Earth-cow)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- मे
- to me / for mefor me, to me (beneficiary)Pronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी, एकवचन (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्प्रदान (दत्त्यर्थे) / सम्बन्धRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अग्निना
- with/through Agni (fire)with Agni (instrumentally; by means of fire/oblation)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करणRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- वत्सेन
- with/through the calfwith the calf (i.e., with Agni-as-calf; the stimulus for yielding)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करणRoot वत्स (प्रातिपदिक)
- इषम्
- nourishment; foodrefreshment, food (desired nourishment; ritual plenty)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot इष्/इषा (प्रातिपदिक; ‘इष्’ = बल/आहार-समृद्धि)
- ऊर्जम्
- vigor; strengthsap, strength, vital vigor (sustaining energy)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot ऊर्ज्/ऊर्जा (प्रातिपदिक)
- कामम्
- desire; wishdesire, wished-for object (the totality of sought goods)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot काम (प्रातिपदिक)
- दुहाम्
- may she milk/yieldlet her milk/yield (optative; extraction of prosperity)Verbलोट् (आशीर्लिङ्/विधिलिङ्-प्रायः वैदिके), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (आशीर्वचनम्: ‘let her milk’)Role क्रियाRoot √दुह् (दोग्धि) धातु
- आयुः
- life; longevitylife, lifespan (primary boon)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (फल-रूपेण)Role कर्मRoot आयुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- प्रथमम्
- first; foremostfirst, foremost (priority ordering of boons)Adjective (used adverbially)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (आयुः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role विशेषणRoot प्रथम (प्रातिपदिक)
- प्रजाम्
- offspring; progenyoffspring, progeny (continuity of household line)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot प्रजा (प्रातिपदिक)
- पोषम्
- prosperity; thrivingthriving, increase, prosperity (sustained growth)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot पोष (प्रातिपदिक)
- रयिम्
- wealth; richeswealth, treasure (movable goods; especially cattle/means)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot रयि (प्रातिपदिक)
- स्वाहा
- svāhā (ritual exclamation)svāhā (oblation-sealing exclamation; makes the request operative)Indeclinableअव्यय (उच्चारण-निपातः; हविर्दान-समाप्ति)Role मन्त्र-निपात; कारकातीतRoot स्वाहा (निपात/मन्त्र-शब्द)
Sandhi Notes
- पृथिवी | धेनुः | तस्याः | अग्निः | वत्सः | सा | मे | अग्निना | वत्सेन | इषम् | ऊर्जम् | कामम् | दुहाम् | आयुः | प्रथमम् | प्रजाम् | पोषम् | रयिम् | स्वाहा । मुख्य-सन्धयः:
- (1) अग्निर्वत्सः = अग्निः + वत्सः (विसर्गस्य ‘र्’ आदेशः स्वरादौ)
- (2) मेऽग्निना = मे + अग्निना (अ + अ → ’ (अवग्रह), संहितायाम्)
- (3) वत्सेनेषमूर्जं कामं = वत्सेन + इषम् + ऊर्जम् + कामम् (ए + इ → ए, तथा पदान्त-अनुस्वार/जिह्वामूलीयादि-लेखनभेदाः; संहितायां ‘इषम् ऊर्जम्’ इत्यत्र संयोग-प्रवृत्तिः)
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic tradition
- Devata
- Pṛthivī–Agni complex (Earth as giver; Agni as activator/mediator)
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh-like with expanded pāda (Atharvanic prose-leaning anuṣṭubh; exact scan varies)
- Rasa
- Shanta and Shringara
The verse is a classic prosperity metaphor: Earth as cow yields goods when stimulated by her calf, Agni—i.e., when offerings are made into fire. Sayana would emphasize the instrumental ‘agninā vatsena’: by tending Agni (feeding the calf), one causes Earth to ‘milk’ boons. The list of boons is hierarchized: longevity, progeny, increase, wealth; svāhā indicates an accompanying oblation.
Anukramaṇī-unspecified (Atharvanic tradition)
Paustika prosperity rites: agrarian/household abundance, longevity, progeny, and wealth through earth-fire reciprocity.
Encodes a classic Atharvan domestic theology: the household fire (Agni) makes Earth’s bounty ‘milkable’—prosperity as a ritually maintained relationship.
Pṛthivī–Agni (Earth as giver; Agni as activator)
Earth provides the store of life; Agni mediates exchange (offering ↔ return), converting raw potential into usable nourishment and prosperity.
Restorative in a broad sense: supports vitality (ūrj) and nourishment (iṣ), foundations of health.
Stabilizes household welfare and continuity; guards against scarcity by reaffirming reciprocity with the environment.
Core anuṣṭubh feel; second half expands with a prosperity-catalog and svāhā closure.
Catalogic pāda-extension typical of paustika formulas; metrical strictness yields to ritual list-making.
Lulling and fecund; the milking imagery creates a steady ‘drawing’ cadence.
Builds a sense of incremental increase—each requested good stacks upon the previous.
Establish the domestic fire; prepare ghee (or suitable oblation).
Recite the identification ‘pṛthivī dhénuḥ… agnír vatsáḥ’ while facing the fire, conceptualizing Agni as the calf that draws Earth’s yield.
At ‘duhām’ (let her milk), make/visualize the ‘milking’ as the flow of boons from Earth to the sacrificer.
Offer ghee into the fire at ‘svā́hā’, synchronizing the oblation with the enumerated boons (āyuḥ, prajā, póṣa, rayí).
Kauśika Sūtra: paustika rites with oblation at svāhā using AV 4.39 (edition-dependent numbering).
Atharvan priest recites and offers; household patron is the beneficiary named by ‘me’.
Recite at the hearth with a small ghee offering (svāhā) and/or while touching the ground/threshold; suitable for agrarian contexts before sowing or harvest storage.
Morning kindling of fire; new moon/full moon household offerings; before meals when seeking nourishment and family thriving.
Householder-led; priest optional for expanded homa with prosperity offerings (ghṛta, rice, barley).
KauśS: paustika/homa usage for prosperity and increase (general; exact sūtra varies by edition).
Lamp-offering with a spoon of ghee (or symbolic offering), followed by mindful meal-sharing and gratitude to land/food chain.
Agni (fire as calf); Earth (pṛthivī as cow); oblation medium implied by svāhā (ghee/fuel)
Agni explicitly; svāhā implies ghee/oblations and fuel.
The ‘cow’ is renewable abundance; the ‘calf’ is rightful need/ritual claim. Fire is the metabolic/ritual principle that converts environment into life—an Atharvan bridge between ecology and household prosperity.
General debility, malnourishment, wasting/weakness (conceptually: kṣaya/daurbalya) rather than a named disease.
Vitalization through nourishment/vigor invocation; psychosomatic support via abundance imagery and fire-offering reciprocity.
Supports ojas-building themes (ūrj/poṣa); aligns with rasāyana intent (longevity, vitality, progeny).
Convalescence support: nutrition-focused recovery, stress reduction, and strengthening routines framed by positive expectancy.
Household and its members (especially the patron/householder).
To draw sustained nourishment, vitality, fulfilled aims, longevity, progeny, thriving, and wealth from Earth through Agni-enabled reciprocity.
Zoomorphic analogy (earth=cow, fire=calf) + oblation sealing (svāhā) + ordered prosperity list (āyuḥ → prajā → poṣa → rayi).
Scarcity, crop/food anxiety, household decline, infertility (in broad prosperity sense).
Food security, vitality, family continuity, economic stability.
- धेनुः (dhenuḥ)
- sustaining nature, generosity, renewable abundance
- वत्सः (vatsaḥ)
- legitimate claimant; the ‘need’ that activates giving
- दुहाम् (duhām)
- drawing sustenance through proper method, not extraction
- इषम् (iṣam)
- nourishment, capacity to be fed and satisfied
- ऊर्जम् (ūrjam)
- vital energy, resilience
- कामम् (kāmam)
- fulfilled intention, life’s meaningful aims
- आयुः (āyuḥ)
- continuity, time to mature outcomes
- प्रजाम् (prajām)
- creative continuity—children, projects, discipleship
- पोषम् (poṣam)
- sustained growth, well-being beyond mere survival
- रयिम् (rayim)
- resources that circulate and support dharma
- स्वाहा (svāhā)
- ritual ‘handover’—reciprocity, sealing the request
Receiving abundance with responsibility; cultivating ‘right appetite’ (Agni) so nourishment becomes ojas.
maṇipūra (digestive fire) and mūlādhāra (earth stability)
Slow diaphragmatic breathing; on inhale ‘pṛthivī’, on exhale ‘agni’; then recite.
Earth as a luminous cow; a small steady flame at the navel draws a stream of golden milk-light into the body, filling limbs with ūrj.
Grateful receptivity; non-grasping prosperity mindset.
Pair mantra with ethical earning and food discipline; prosperity is framed as ‘milked’ through right relationship, not seized.
Recite with clear lift on key nouns (pṛthivī, dhenuḥ, agniḥ, vatsaḥ; āyuḥ, prajā, poṣa, rayi; svāhā as final seal).
Slight caesura after ‘agniḥ vatsaḥ’; build intensity through the prosperity list, then drop into a firm ‘svāhā’.
Nurturing, steady; crescendo through the list, decisive on svāhā.
If performed as homa, keep offerings small and consistent; the ‘milking’ image favors repeated small acts over a single large oblation.
11 times
Seeking food security, household stability, fertility/creative continuity, rebuilding strength after hardship.
During morning fire/lamp, before cooking, at the start of planting/harvest, or when resources feel blocked.
Improved sense of sufficiency, steadier vitality, supportive conditions for family and prosperity-oriented work.
Do not treat as a substitute for medical care or nutrition planning; avoid wasteful offerings—align with ecological reciprocity implied by Pṛthivī.
No herb is named; the ‘substance’ is the oblation (typically ghee) and the cosmic dairy metaphor. Prosperity is conceptualized as milked yield; ritual feeding of Agni is the technical trigger.
It encodes a household economy where prosperity (food, progeny, wealth) is ritually mediated. The priestly speech legitimates access to resources by framing them as cosmic gifts obtainable through correct domestic ritual.
The explicit cosmic-cow allegory exists in RV, but AV here deploys it as a direct paustika instrument with a concrete boon-list and svāhā closure, reflecting Atharvanic operationalization of mythic imagery.
Gopatha frequently rationalizes Atharvanic efficacy through correspondences: feeding Agni sustains cosmic order and returns as household goods. This verse exemplifies that exchange logic in a compact domestic form.
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