Atharva Veda 13.2.3: Kanda 13, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 2, Mantra 3
Sukta 2
यत् प्राङ् प्र॒त्यङ् स्व॒धया॒ यासि॒ शीभं॒ नाना॑रूपे॒ अह॑नी॒ कर्षि॑ मा॒यया॑ । तदा॑दित्य॒ महि॒ तत् ते॒ महि॒ श्रवो॒ यदेको॒ विश्वं॒ परि॒ भूम॒ जाय॑से
yát prā́ṅ pratyáṅ svadháyā yā́si śībháṁ nā́nārūpe áhanī kárṣi māyáyā | tád ādítya máhi tát te máhi śrávo yád éko víśvaṁ pári bhū́ma jā́yase ||
That thou, now eastward, now again westward, by thine own might goest swiftly, and by wondrous power drawest on the Day and Night of many forms—this, O Āditya, is great; great is thy glory, in that thou, alone, art born encompassing the whole earth.
Dass du bald ostwärts, bald wieder westwärts, aus eigener Kraft schnell dahingehst und durch wunderwirkende Macht Tag und Nacht in vieler Gestalt heranziehst — das ist groß, o Āditya; groß ist dein Ruhm darin, dass du allein geboren wirst, die ganze Erde umfassend.
Rishi: Atharvanic solar-stuti seer tradition (general attribution).
Devata: Āditya/Sūrya.
Chandas: Triṣṭubh-like (mixed).
Primary: adbhuta
Secondary: shanta
Sāyaṇa glosses svadhā as the sun’s self-impelling ordinance (not dependent on another agent). ‘Māyā’ is divine skill whereby the alternation and ‘drawing’ (kṛṣ) of day and night is effected. ‘Jāyase’ is interpreted as the sun’s daily ‘birth’ at sunrise, a cosmological event ritually mirrored in dawn rites.
To magnify Āditya’s sovereign control of time (day/night) and space (earth), thereby stabilizing cosmic order for the patron and averting disorder.
Sleep-wake disturbance (symbolic), anxiety related to unpredictability; tamas/rajas imbalance framed as disrupted rhythm.
Affirms lawful alternation of day/night; entrains mind to accept cycles and return to equilibrium.
Dinacaryā and ritu-caryā alignment; supports vāta regulation via regularity; strengthens tejas through solar contemplation.
Circadian entrainment, sleep hygiene mindset, cognitive reframing of change as rhythmic/ordered.
shantika
Pacify instability by invoking Āditya’s sovereign governance of cycles; secure orderly time-flow for household and patron.
Magnification (mahattva-kīrtana): praising the deity’s great control so that order is mirrored in the petitioner’s life.
Untimeliness, ominous irregularity, fear of darkness, ‘bad timing’ in undertakings.
Regular success, stable routine, long life through rhythm.
Sūrya goes swiftly eastward and westward by his own power; by māyā he draws on day and night of many forms. Great is his glory, born alone encompassing the whole earth.
The psyche’s cycles (activity/rest, clarity/obscurity) are not random: a deeper intelligence ‘pulls’ them. Recognizing this reduces anxiety and builds trust in rhythm and renewal.
Time’s alternation is a crafted order: the one light appears as many phases, sustaining life through change while remaining whole.
- प्राङ् / प्रत्यङ् (prāṅ/pratyaṅ)
- forward/backward movement of time; expansion/contraction of awareness
- स्वधया (svadhayā)
- intrinsic sovereignty; self-sustaining order
- अहनी (ahanī)
- dual phases of consciousness; waking/sleeping; manifest/latent
- नानारूपे (nānārūpe)
- multiplicity of experiences within one rhythm
- मायया (māyayā)
- divine craft; lawful transformation
- एकः (ekaḥ)
- non-dual source behind cycles
- परि भूम (pari bhūma)
- total pervasion; containment of the whole field
Observe alternation without clinging: day/night as inhalation/exhalation of the cosmos; rest in the ‘eka’ behind both.
ajna
alternate-nostril breathing (gentle) to mirror prāṅ/pratyaṅ; end with equalized breathing.
A golden sun-circle moves along an inner horizon; day/night waves pass through the mind while a steady point remains unchanged.
Equanimity amid change; sense of pervading witness.
Recite 7 times at dusk; then sit 10 minutes observing the urge to control time, letting it soften into trust.
Flowing triṣṭubh with a noticeable lift on “āditya” and “mahí”; broaden tone on “yadeko viśvaṃ…”.
Keep “yat prāṅ pratyaṅ…” as one rolling phrase; pause after “māyayā”; then deliver the final greatness clause with slower weight.
Articulate “svadhayā” (not ‘svadhyā’)., Keep long ī in “śībham”., Maintain clear diphthong in “jāyase”.
Warm, expansive, steady; slightly slower in the final pāda.
Especially effective at liminal times (sandhyā) where Atharvanic practice seeks to pacify boundary-instabilities; accompany with a small water offering (arghya).
7
Jet lag-like disruption, insomnia, seasonal affect shifts, anxiety during life transitions.
At dusk to release the day; at dawn to welcome ordered activity; before planning to reduce ‘time panic’.
Improved acceptance of cycles, steadier routine, calmer relationship to change and uncertainty.
For persistent sleep or mood disorders, combine with clinical care; do not replace treatment with mantra alone.
पदच्छेदः (सम्भाव्यः): यत् | प्राङ् | प्रत्यङ् | स्वधया | यासि | शीभम् | नानारूपे | अहनी | कर्षि | मायया | तत् | आदित्य | महि | तत् | ते | महि | श्रवः | यत् | एकः | विश्वम् | परि | भूम | जायसे । 1) ‘तदा॑दित्य’ = ‘तत् + आदित्य’ (तद् + अ- आरम्भे स्वर-सन्धिः; लेखने ‘तदा-’). 2) ‘एको॒’ = ‘एकः’ (विसर्ग-लोपः पदान्ते वैदिकपाठे). 3) ‘भूम’ वैदिक-प्रयोगः: ‘भू’ धातोः लट् मध्यम-एकवचनं, ‘भवसि’ अर्थे (पदपाठेषु ‘भूम’ इति रूपं दृश्यते).
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