Sukta 28
Rishi: Atharvanic/Angiras-type attribution (as typical for AV healing/life rites; specific r̥ṣi assignment depends on the anukramaṇī tradition for 2.28).
Devata: Mitra-Varuṇa; Agni (Hotṛ) as ritual mediator
Chandas: Triṣṭubh (11-syllable cadence typical of the verse’s structure)
AV 2.28 ist ein āyuṣya-bhaiṣajya-Hymnus (lebensverlängernd und heilend), der den Verehrer von jarā-mṛtyu (Alter-und-Tod) abwendet, indem er den Kranken unter den gemeinsamen, ordnenden Schutz von Mitra–Varuṇa stellt, mit Agni als wissendem rituellen Mittler. Er bewahrt prāṇa und apāna, wehrt Schaden sowohl von Freunden als auch von Feinden ab und gipfelt in einem Segen für langes Leben, leiblichen Glanz und das Erreichen des hohen Alters unter Aditi und allen Göttern.
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
दीर्घायुःप्राप्तिः। तुभ्य॑मे॒व ज॑रिमन् वर्धताम॒यं मेमम॒न्ये मृ॒त्यवो॑ हिंसिषुः श॒तं ये॑। मा॒तेव॒ पु॒त्रं प्रम॑ना उ॒पस्थे॑ मि॒त्र ए॑नं मि॒त्रिया॑त् पा॒त्वंह॑सः
Dir allein — o Alter — möge Zuwachs verliehen werden; die anderen Tode, hundertfach, sollen diesem meinem Menschen, mir, keinen Schaden zufügen. Wie eine Mutter, gütig gesinnt, ihren Sohn auf dem Schoß hält, so möge Mitra ihn durch seine freundliche Macht vor Bedrängnis (aṃhas) behüten.
Mantra 2
मि॒त्र एनं॒ वरु॑णो वा रि॒शादा॑ ज॒रामृ॑त्युं कृणुतां संविदा॒नौ। तद॒ग्निर्होता॑ व॒युना॑नि विद्वान् विश्वा॑ दे॒वानां॒ जनि॑मा विवक्ति
Mitra — oder Varuṇa, der Verderbenverzehrer — möge in gemeinsamer Übereinkunft für diesen Menschen eine Abwendung von Alter und Tod bewirken. Jener Agni, der Hotṛ, der die Satzungen (vayunāni) kennt, unterscheidet alle Geburten und Ämter der Götter.
Mantra 3
त्वमी॑शिषे पशू॒नां पार्थि॑वानां॒ ये जा॒ता उ॒त वा॒ ये ज॒नित्राः॑ । मेमं प्रा॒णो हा॑सी॒न्मो अ॑पा॒नो मेमं मि॒त्रा व॑धिषु॒र्मो अ॒मित्राः॑
Du herrschest über das irdische Vieh — über die Geborenen und auch über die, die zeugen. Prāṇa, der Lebenshauch, soll diesen Menschen nicht verlassen, noch Apāna, der abwärtsgehende Hauch. Weder Freunde sollen diesen Menschen schlagen, noch Feinde.
Mantra 4
द्यौष्ट्वा॑ पि॒ता पृ॑थि॒वी मा॒ता ज॒रामृ॑त्युं कृणुतां संविदा॒ने। यथा॒ जीवा॒ अदि॑तेरु॒पस्थे॑ प्राणापा॒नाभ्यां॑ गुपि॒तः श॒तं हिमाः॑
Der Himmel sei dein Vater, die Erde deine Mutter; in Eintracht mögen sie Alter und Tod von dir fernhalten. So mögest du, lebend, im Schoß der Aditi, behütet durch Ein- und Ausatem (Prāṇa und Apāna), hundert Winter erreichen.
Mantra 5
इ॒मम॑ग्ने॒ आयु॑षे॒ वर्च॑से नय प्रि॒यं रेतो॑ वरुण मित्रराजन्। मा॒तेवा॑स्मा अदिते॒ शर्म॑ यच्छ॒ विश्वे॑ देवा ज॒रद॑ष्टि॒र्य॑थास॑त्
Führe diesen Menschen, o Agni, zu langem Leben und zu Glanz; gewähre ihm geliebten Samen, o Varuṇa, o Mitra, König. Wie eine Mutter, o Aditi, schenke ihm Schutz; so mögen alle Götter es fügen, dass er das Alter schaue.
Inside Sukta 28
How it unfolds
- How it opens
The hymn opens by placing the beneficiary under sovereign, orderly protection—Mitra and Varuṇa acting ‘in joint accord’ (saṃvidāna) with Agni as the knowing Hotṛ.
- What it asks
Avert jarā-mṛtyu; keep prāṇa and apāna from departing; prevent lethal harm from any quarter; lead the person into āyus, varcas, and dear generative continuity.
- Where its power lies
Efficacy is grounded in ṛta and correct ritual knowledge: Agni ‘knowing the ordinances’ properly distinguishes divine functions, ensuring the prayer reaches the right powers and takes effect.
- How it closes
The hymn seals the rite with maternal shelter from Aditi and collective ratification by the Viśve Devāḥ so that the beneficiary becomes jaradaṣṭi—one who truly ‘beholds old age.’
Famous verses
jarāmṛtyuṃ kṛṇutām (turn away age-and-death)
mā imaṃ prāṇo hāsīt (let not the life-breath abandon him)
jaradaṣṭir yathāsat (so that he may behold old age)
Kind of hymn
Bhaisajya (Healing) / Ayusya (Life-prolonging)
What it is for
To prevent loss of life-force, avert untimely death and debilitating decline, and establish a protected trajectory toward long life, radiance, and household continuity (including fertility and cattle-wellbeing).
Who it is for
Householders and Atharvanic ritual specialists applying a life-prolonging charm for a patient, convalescent, or vulnerable person (and by extension the household’s vital economy).
Also used as
- Ayusya
- Shantika
- Paustika
The deity
Mitra and Varuṇa represent concord and moral-sovereign order (ṛta): Mitra binds by agreement and friendship, Varuṇa restrains, releases, and removes injury; Agni as Hotṛ ‘knows the ordinances’ and correctly differentiates divine offices so the rite reaches its mark. Aditi supplies maternal shelter (śarma) and unbounded protection, while the All-Gods ratify the blessing into lived longevity.
Powers of the deity
- Averting jarā-mṛtyu (turning away senescence-and-death)
- Protection of prāṇa and apāna (vital and downward breaths)
- Warding off injury from allies and adversaries alike
- Bestowing āyus (long life) and varcas (splendour, vitality)
- Granting retaḥ (generative potency/continuity)
- Providing śarma (safe shelter) and social-ritual concord (saṃvid)
- Ritual mediation and correct ‘placement’ of offerings/prayers through Agni’s hotṛ-function
Why the deity is called
They are invoked to secure life by divine concord: Mitra–Varuṇa remove the threat of decay and death, Agni ensures the rite is properly carried to the gods, and Aditi/Viśve Devāḥ finalize the protection so the beneficiary ‘beholds old age.’
The seer
- Atharvan/Āṅgirasa-type (anukramaṇī-dependent for AV 2.28)Atharvan. Āyuṣya and protective healing charms: averting untimely death, stabilizing vital breaths (prāṇa/apāna), and securing household prosperity (paśu, varcas, retaḥ) through ritually ‘well-known’ ordinances (vayunāni).
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 1.10 (Āyuṣya-type longevity prayer; Atharvanic attribution varies by tradition)
- AV 3.11 (Protective/life-supporting charm; Atharvanic attribution varies)
- AV 6.120 (Breath/life-protection type; Atharvanic attribution varies)
Preparing for the rite
- Seat the beneficiary facing the domestic fire (or a clean, kindled fire) and establish a calm, non-contentious setting (Mitra’s concord is thematically central).
- Perform basic purification: washing hands, sipping water (ācamana), and mentally dedicating the rite to āyus and śarma.
- If no formal fire is available, keep a lamp or small flame as Agni’s visible locus; otherwise use the gārhapatya/dhūpa as customary.
The rite
- Recite the hymn as an āyuṣya-prayoga over the beneficiary, emphasizing the ‘turning away’ from jarā-mṛtyu and the non-departure of prāṇa/apāna.
- Optionally touch the crown/heart region while reciting the prāṇa/apāna protection verse (2.28.3) as a stabilizing gesture.
- Conclude by reciting the final blessing (2.28.5) toward the fire, then toward the beneficiary, as a ‘leading’ (naya) into longevity and splendour.
What it needs
- Fire (Agni) or a flame substitute
- Clean water for simple purification (optional)
When
Performed in the morning or at a daily auspicious junction (sandhyā), and especially during illness, weakness, or after ominous dreams/portents suggesting life-loss.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is used as a healing and life-prolonging recitation to avert decline and untimely death, stabilize the vital breaths, and place the person under orderly divine protection.
Together they represent concord and sovereign order (ṛta): by mutual agreement they ‘turn away’ jarā-mṛtyu, making protection effective both socially (Mitra) and juridically/apotropaically (Varuṇa).
Not necessarily. The hymn works primarily through prayer and ritual alignment; a fire (or simple flame) is the most natural support because Agni is the mediator who carries and ‘orders’ the rite.
Ask anything about Sukta 28 of the Atharva Veda
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Atharva Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
