Atharva Veda 13.2.12: Kanda 13, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 2, Mantra 12
Sukta 2
दि॒वि त्वात्त्रि॑रधारय॒त् सूर्या॒ मासा॑य॒ कर्त॑वे । स ए॑षि॒ सुधृ॑त॒स्तप॒न् विश्वा॑ भू॒ताव॒चाक॑शत्
diví tvā́t trír adhārayat sū́ryā mā́sāya kártave | sá éṣi sudhṛ́tas tápan víśvā bhūtā́vacā́kaśat ||
In heaven they set thee fast, O Sūrya, thrice over, to make the month its course. Thou goest, firmly stayed, burning; thou hast made all beings visible below.
Im Himmel haben sie dich festgesetzt, o Sūrya, dreimal, damit der Monat seinen Lauf vollbringe. Du gehst, fest gegründet, brennend; du hast alle Wesen hier unten sichtbar gemacht.
Rishi: Traditionally associated with Sūrya/Āditya stuti strata in AV 13; exact r̥ṣi assignment varies by anukramaṇī tradition.
Devata: Sūrya (Āditya) as regulator of time and revealer (cakṣus).
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (predominant in this section).
Primary: shanta
Secondary: adbhuta
Sāyaṇa takes the verse as praising Sūrya’s fixed ordinance (ṛta): the Sun is ‘established’ in the sky in a threefold manner (variously glossed as three stations/three daily divisions/three worlds), in order to ‘make’ (i.e., regulate) the month and time. ‘Sudhṛta’ is explained as upheld by dharma/ṛta; ‘avacākaśat’ as causing manifestation—illumination that dispels darkness and, by Atharvanic extension, the hidden agencies of harm.
To secure orderly time, visibility, and the Sun’s protective radiance—thereby repelling concealed harms and stabilizing communal well-being.
Disorders of rhythm/time (conceptual); ‘hidden’ illness/poison/evil influence that thrives in secrecy.
Eyes/vision implied (visibility)
Restoring order (regular cycles) + revelation (light) as apotropaic therapy.
Dinacaryā and kāla (time) as a therapeutic principle; tejas supporting perception and digestion.
Circadian stabilization; light exposure for sleep-wake regulation (general parallel).
paustika
Household/community; individual seeking steadiness
Stabilize time/cycles; ensure visibility and protection through solar radiance.
Cosmic precedent (itihāsa-like): because Sūrya is firmly set, the rite becomes firmly set; light as banishing agent.
Hidden harms, confusion, irregularity, bad timing/inauspiciousness
Orderly time leading to success in work and rites
In heaven they fixed Sūrya thrice to make the month’s course; he goes firmly set, burning, making all beings visible below.
Stability enables illumination: when the mind is ‘fixed’ (dhṛta), its heat (tapas/tejas) reveals what was hidden—bringing unconscious content into awareness.
Time and visibility depend on steadfast order; what is steady can illuminate and protect.
- त्रिः अधारयत् (triḥ adhārayat)
- triple stabilization—past/present/future; three worlds; threefold discipline that anchors time
- मासाय कर्तवे (māsāya kartave)
- regulation of cycles; reliable rhythm in life
- सुधृत (sudhṛta)
- inner steadiness; containment that prevents scattering
- तपन् (tapan)
- purifying heat; discerning intelligence
- अवचाकशत् (avacākaśat)
- revealing the concealed; exposing harm; insight
Steadiness that reveals: fix attention gently and let ‘light’ disclose what is present.
Ājñā (clarity)
Slow nasal breathing; brief kumbhaka only if comfortable—symbolic ‘holding fast’.
A sun-disc fixed above the crown shining down, illuminating the body-mind; shadows dissolve without struggle.
Lucid, steady, wakeful calm.
Use as a ‘daily anchor’ mantra; keep it short and consistent—regularity is the medicine here.
Observe udātta on marked syllables; keep anuṣṭubh pādas evenly paced with clear quarter-pauses.
Pause after each pāda; emphasize ‘sudhṛtaḥ’ and ‘avacākaśat’ for steadiness and revelation.
tvāt-trir: articulate the consonant cluster cleanly, māsāya: long ‘ā’ maintained, avacākaśat: keep ‘cā’ long and ‘ś’ crisp
Clear, steady, ‘daylight’ tone—neither harsh nor whispered.
Good as a morning śānti: combine with facing east and a moment of silent ‘seeing’ after recitation.
3
Needing clarity, correct timing, and protection from hidden issues; beginning a new routine.
At sunrise daily; at month beginnings for cycle-alignment.
Greater steadiness, improved sense of order, reduced confusion and concealment.
If used for sleep/circadian issues, combine with evidence-based sleep hygiene; seek care for persistent insomnia.
पदच्छेदः: दिवि | त्वा | त्रिः | अधारयत् | सूर्यः | मासाय | कर्तवे || सः | एषि | सुधृतः | तपन् | विश्वाः | भूताः | अचाकशत् । 1) ‘दिवि त्वा’ इत्यत्र संधिः न विशेषः (इ-त् संयोगः)। 2) ‘त्वात्त्रिः’ पाठे ‘त्वा त्रिः’ इति पदच्छेदः; दीर्घस्वरानन्तरं तकारस्य द्वित्व/उच्चारण-प्रभावेन ‘त्वात्त्रिः’ इति संहितापाठः। 3) ‘स एषि’ इत्यत्र ‘सः’ + ‘एषि’ → ‘स एषि’ (विसर्गलोपः स्वरादौ)। 4) ‘भूतावचाकशत्’ पाठे ‘भूताः अचाकशत्’ → ‘भूताऽचाकशत्’ (अः + अ → आ; संहितायां दीर्घः), देवनागरी-लिप्यन्तरे ‘भूतावचाकशत्’ इति दृश्यते।
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