Sukta 47

Kind of hymn

Paustika (Prosperity/Fertility)

What it is for

To obtain comprehensive wealth (viśvavāra rayi), sustained increase of resources (rāyas-poṣa), and a vigorous son (vīra) through Kuhū’s acceptance and attentive hearing of the offering.

Who it is for

Householders and ritual performers seeking prosperity, fertility, and successful completion/acceptance of domestic offerings, especially around lunar observances.

Also used as

• Shantika (propitiatory, favor-securing invocation)
• Gṛhya-yajña support (domestic rite efficacy)

The deity

Kuhū is the personified power of the dark/new-moon phase—an auspicious, receptive lunar goddess linked with fertility, gestation, and the hidden replenishment of wealth. In this sukta she is praised as beneficent (sukṛtā), easy to invoke (suhavā), and as “amṛtasya patnī,” a consort-like figure within the immortal divine order who can accept offerings and mature them into tangible prosperity.

Powers of the deity

• Accepts and “enjoys” offered portions (havyā/havis) so rites bear fruit
• Grants rāyas-poṣa: increase and nourishment of wealth
• Bestows vīra: a strong, worthy son/hero as continuation of lineage
• Makes the yajña heard and favorably received (śṛṇotu… uśatī)
• Distributes “all-choicest” goods (viśvavāra rayi) according to merit/fitness

Why the deity is called

She is invoked to validate the oblation, turn the sacrifice into prosperity, and secure both material abundance and fertility/heroic offspring for the household.

The seer

• Atharvanic seer (anukta/variable attribution)Atharvan. Paustika charms for prosperity, fertility, successful acceptance of offerings, and securing lineage (vīra-putra) through well-timed invocations.

Other hymns of this seer

• AV 7.46 (lunar/rite-adjacent prosperity theme, variable attribution)
• AV 7.48 (neighboring Paustika material in some recensional listings, variable attribution)

Preparing for the rite

• Choose a clean domestic altar/household fire setting; maintain basic purity observances customary for a gṛhya-style offering.
• Prepare a simple havis (e.g., ghee and/or cooked offering) suitable for āhuti; keep portions ready for offering while reciting.
• Mentally set the intention: wealth of every choice kind and the blessing of a vīra (worthy offspring/strength).

The rite

• Begin offering context (yajña) and recite 7.47.1 with repeated calling (johavīmi) as the offering is presented or immediately before it.
• Recite 7.47.2 while making/visualizing the āhuti, explicitly asking Kuhū to accept (juṣeta) the havis and to hear the rite today (adya).
• Conclude with a brief silent assent/resolve that the requested rāyas-poṣa and vīra are ‘assigned’ (ni yacchāt) to the sacrificer.

What it needs

• Havis/āhuti (typically ghee; optionally a simple cooked offering)
• Domestic fire or offering setting (yajña context)
• Offering ladle/spoon (as per household practice)

When

Especially apt near the new-moon night (amāvāsyā) or in lunar rites where Kuhū’s receptive phase is emphasized; can be used whenever prosperity and fertility are sought in a domestic offering.

The main substance

Havis/āhuti (ghee-based offering)

How it is prepared

Prepare a simple, clean oblation suitable for household offering (commonly ghee; optionally with a basic cooked offering). Offer while reciting, emphasizing acceptance (juṣeta) and hearing (śṛṇotu) so the rite ‘ripens’ into prosperity.