Sukta 46

Kind of hymn

Paustika (Prosperity/Fertility)

What it is for

Conception, stable pregnancy, safe delivery, and the securing of flourishing lineage together with marital/household prosperity.

Who it is for

Householders (especially couples seeking children), women’s-rites practitioners, and Atharvanic ritual specialists performing domestic oblations for fertility and family welfare.

Also used as

• Strīkarmāṇi (women’s domestic rites)
• Gṛhya/household prosperity rites
• Fertility and lineage-stabilization charms

The deity

Sinīvālī is a feminine divine power of fecundity and auspicious fullness, closely linked with the lunar cycle and women’s reproductive wellbeing; in this hymn she is praised as “the gods’ sister,” “clan-mistress” (viśpatnī), and even syncretically as “Viṣṇu’s consort,” emphasizing household order, marital legitimacy, and generative abundance.

Powers of the deity

• Grants conception and establishes progeny (prajā) securely
• Promotes safe/easy childbirth and protects pregnancy
• Bestows abundant offspring (bahusūvarī) and household increase
• Confers marital prosperity—impels a suitable husband/lord (pati) and thriving success (rādhas)
• Turns away barrenness, miscarriage, and instability of lineage

Why the deity is called

She is invoked to accept the duly offered havis/āhuti and to ‘set’ progeny firmly in the family, while also harmonizing fertility with marriage and prosperity in the home.

The seer

• Atharvanic seer (anonymous/variable attribution in ancillary lists)Atharvan. Paustika and strīkarmāṇi domestic charms—rites for conception, protection of pregnancy, safe delivery, household increase, and marital stability through mantra plus oblation.

Other hymns of this seer

• AV 7.45 (domestic/paustika context in the same book cluster; ancillary attributions vary)
• AV 6.81 (Sinīvālī-related tradition in some recensional/ritual cross-references; attribution varies)
• AV 6.82 (Kuhū/Sinīvālī lunar-fertility complex in later ritual mapping; attribution varies)

Preparing for the rite

• Clean the ritual space and prepare a small domestic fire (gṛhya-style) or a suitable offering place.
• Prepare havis (simple food offering) and ghee or equivalent for āhuti; keep a small ladle/spoon ready.
• Set the intention: conception/progeny, safe childbirth, and household prosperity; if relevant, include a prayer for a worthy husband (pati).

The rite

• Recite 7.46.1 addressing Sinīvālī directly; offer an āhuti at “juṣasva havyamāhutaṃ”.
• Recite 7.46.2 describing her as fair-armed/fair-fingered and ‘rich in offspring’; offer havis as instructed (“ju hotana”).
• Recite 7.46.3 invoking her as viśpatnī and (syncretically) Viṣṇu’s patnī; offer further oblations and conclude with the request to impel pati and rādhas toward the household.
• Optionally repeat the three-mantra cycle for emphasis, keeping the offerings and petitions aligned with the stated aim (prajā and rādhas).

What it needs

• havis (oblatory food: e.g., cooked rice, barley preparation, or other domestic offering)
• ghee (for āhuti) or an appropriate domestic offering medium
• fire (or a sanctioned domestic offering setup)
• ladle/spoon and a small offering vessel

When

Auspicious domestic times associated with fertility—commonly evening/night of favorable lunar phases, or when undertaking conception/childbearing rites; also suitable at marriage-related domestic observances when seeking household increase.

The main substance

havis/āhuti (food offering with ghee)

How it is prepared

Prepare a simple domestic havis (e.g., cooked grain offering) and ghee for āhuti; offer into a small household fire while reciting each mantra, aligning the oblation with the specific petition (prajā, bahusūvarī, pati/rādhas).