Atharva Veda 2.33.2: Kanda 2, Anuvaka 4, Sukta 33, Mantra 2
Sukta 33
ग्री॒वाभ्य॑स्त उ॒ष्णिहा॑भ्यः॒ कीक॑साभ्यो अनू॒क्याऽत्। यक्ष्मं॑ दोष॒ण्य॑१मंसा॑भ्यां बा॒हुभ्यां॒ वि वृ॑हामि ते
grīvā́bhyas te uṣṇíhābhyas kī́kasābhyo anūkyá̄t | yákṣmaṃ doṣaṇyàm aṃsā́bhyāṃ bāhúbhyāṃ ví vṛhāmi te ||
From thy neck, from thy shoulder-parts, from thy ribs, from thy spine,—the wasting-disease, the mischief-working one, with shoulders and with arms I rend away from thee, clean apart.
Aus deinem Nacken, aus den Schulterpartien, aus den Rippen, aus der Wirbelsäule — die Yakṣma, die zehrende, unheilwirkende: aus den Schultern und aus den Armen reiße ich sie aus dir heraus, ganz und gar getrennt.
The meaning
What it says
The healer removes yakṣma from the neck, shoulder-parts, ribs, and spine; then declares the disease—‘mischief-working’—is torn away using shoulders and arms (i.e., by embodied force and ritual action).
The inner meaning
Yakṣma is the burden carried on the shoulders and along the spine—chronic strain, fear, and depletion. The mantra reclaims posture and strength: the body’s ‘support-structures’ are freed from the oppressive presence.
The truth in it
When life becomes a weight, healing begins by restoring support—structure, strength, and the ability to ‘carry’ oneself without collapse.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Bhaisajya (Healing)
Its aim
Expulsion of yákṣma (wasting/consumption) from the patient’s skeletal frame—especially neck, ribs, and spine—by ritual ‘extraction’.
Word by Word
Pada patha
ग्री॒वाभ्यः । ते । उ॒ष्णिहा॑भ्यः । कीक॑साभ्यः । अ॒नू॒क्यात् । यक्ष्मम् । दोष॒ण्य॑म् । अंसा॑भ्याम् । बा॒हुभ्याम् । वि । वृ॑हामि । ते ।
- ग्रीवाभ्यः
- from the necksfrom the neck-vertebrae; the cervical region as a seat where wasting-disease may lodgeNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी-विभक्ति; बहुवचनRole अपादानRoot ग्रीवा (प्रातिपदिक)
- ते
- of you / yourfor thee; of thee (the patient addressed)Pronounषष्ठी-विभक्ति; एकवचन (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- उष्णिहाभ्यः
- from the uṣṇihā-s (vertebrae/neck-bones; lit. ‘uṣṇihā’ parts)from the shoulder-blades/upper back (lit. ‘ushṇih’-parts); a bodily locus named in Atharvanic anatomy as vulnerable to yákṣmaNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी-विभक्ति; बहुवचनRole अपादानRoot उष्णिहा (प्रातिपदिक; छन्दोनाम)
- कीकसाभ्यः
- from the ribsfrom the ribs; the thoracic frame (kī́kasa-), a frequent hiding-place of internal afflictionNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी-विभक्ति; बहुवचनRole अपादानRoot कीकसा (प्रातिपदिक)
- अनूक्यात्
- from the spine/backbonefrom the spinal column/backbone (anū́kya-); the ‘ridge’ of the bodyNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी-विभक्ति; एकवचनRole अपादानRoot अनूक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- यक्ष्मम्
- consumption/disease (yakṣma)yákṣma, wasting disease/consumption (often tubercular complex); personified malady to be torn outNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot यक्ष्म (प्रातिपदिक)
- दोषण्यम्
- harmful, afflictingthe ‘fault-producing’/harmful one; an epithet of the disease as a culpable, injuring agentAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन (यक्ष्मम् इति विशेषणम्)Role कर्मRoot दोषण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- अंसाभ्याम्
- with (my) two shoulderswith (both) shoulders; instrumental of bodily force used in the act of ‘pulling out’ the diseaseNounपुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति; द्विवचनRole करणRoot अंस (प्रातिपदिक)
- बाहुभ्याम्
- with (my) two armswith (both) arms; the operative limbs of the exorcistic extractionNounपुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति; द्विवचनRole करणRoot बाहु (प्रातिपदिक)
- वि
- apart, away, asunderapart, asunder; intensifier indicating complete separation/removalIndeclinableउपसर्ग (वृ/वृह् धातोः सह)Root वि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- वृहामि
- I tear out / I pull outI tear out, uproot, wrench away (√vṛh); standard Atharvanic verb for surgical-magical extractionVerbलट् (वर्तमान); उत्तम-पुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole कर्ताRoot वृह् (धातु; ‘उन्मूलने/उत्क्षेपे’—to tear out, pull out)
- ते
- of you / yourfrom thee/thy; marking the patient as the locus from which the malady is expelledPronounषष्ठी-विभक्ति; एकवचन (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- ग्रीवाभ्यः + ते → ग्रीवाभ्यस् ते (विसर्जनीयस्य ‘स्’ आदेशः, तकारादौ)
- ‘अनू॒क्याऽत्’ इति: अनूक्यात् (दीर्घस्वर-चिह्नयुक्तः पदपाठभेदः)
- शेषपदानि प्रायः असन्धितरूपेण एव।
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic tradition (healing seer; commonly transmitted without a single prominent ṛṣi-name in practical recitation contexts for this hymn)
- Devata
- Yákṣma (as the targeted personified malady); implicitly the healing power of the Atharvan-priest’s brahman
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh (4 pādas of ~8 syllables; with Atharvanic flexibility)
- Rasa
- Vira and Shanta
Sāyaṇa glosses yákṣma as a ‘kṣaya’-like wasting affliction that clings to joints and the frame; the enumerated body-parts (neck, uṣṇih-, ribs, spine) are named as its lurking stations. doṣaṇya is taken as ‘doṣa-kārī’ (harm-causing). The verb √vṛh is explained as a forceful extraction (uddhāraṇa) performed by the Atharvan-priest through mantra plus bodily gesture, as though physically pulling the disease out and separating it (vi) from the patient.
Atharvanic healing seer (yakṣma-vibarhaṇa series; specific ṛṣi varies by anukramaṇī)
Therapeutic ‘extraction’ charms focusing on musculoskeletal frame and breath-support structures; embodied gesture (arms/shoulders) integrated with speech.
The healer’s body participates: shoulders and arms become ritual instruments, uniting vāc (speech) with kriyā (action) in Atharvan domestic healing.
Yakṣma (wasting disease) as adversary; healing force expressed through embodied Atharvan action
A draining force that attacks the body’s supports (neck/spine/breath-cage), threatening collapse; expelled to restore upright life.
Restores strength and breath-capacity by removing the disease from ribs/spine; empowers patient’s sense of bodily support.
Reclaims the skeletal frame as protected territory; discourages re-seating of affliction.
4×8 (approx.; anatomical compounds may compress)
The second half’s ‘aṃsābhyāṃ bāhubhyāṃ’ is gesture-friendly and often chanted with a slight swell to mark embodied action.
Steady, workmanlike—like lifting off a burden.
Supports somatic release in neck/shoulders; encourages upright breathing.
Seat the patient facing east; the Atharvan-priest stands behind or at the side to reach neck/shoulders.
Recite the mantra while touching in sequence the loci named: neck → shoulder-region (uṣṇih-) → ribs → spine.
On ‘ví vṛhāmi’, perform a mimetic pulling motion away from the body (as if uprooting), drawing the hands outward and down, symbolically separating the yákṣma.
Optionally (per common Kauśika-style practice for such mantras), wipe the touched places with a purificatory medium (water/grass) and cast the wiping away to the south or into running water, to ‘send off’ the disease.
Conclude with a protective sealing touch (placing the hand on the crown/heart) to prevent re-entry.
Kauśika Sūtra: yákṣma-bhaiṣajya section (general application to AV 2.33; exact sūtra numbering varies by edition—used with ‘extraction’ (uddhāra) gestures and patient-touch).
Atharvan/Brahman-healer as exorcist-physician: he identifies the disease’s ‘stations’ in the body, then removes it by mantra-driven gesture (sparśa + uddhāra), and disposes of it ritually.
Recite while lightly massaging neck/shoulders or making a gentle ‘pulling away’ motion from shoulders outward; can be done seated with slow breathing.
Morning (to set posture) and evening (to release strain).
Householder or Atharvan specialist; may instruct patient to sit upright and breathe evenly.
KauśS: yakṣma-bhaiṣajya sequences with touch/handling gestures (edition-dependent citation).
Use alongside stretching, breathing exercises, and medical care for chronic illness.
No explicit herb in this mantra; the operative ‘substance’ is bodily force (arms/shoulders) plus the extraction-verb √vṛh, typically accompanied in practice by touch/traction gestures.
The ‘substance’ is strength itself: the healer lends structural support through gesture and speech, re-teaching the body the pattern of uprightness.
Yakṣma (wasting/consumption) affecting musculoskeletal frame—neck, shoulders, ribs, spine; associated weakness, pain, breath limitation.
Neck, shoulders, ribs, spine/back; shoulders and arms as instruments.
Ritual extraction + embodied traction gesture (arms/shoulders) to ‘pull away’ affliction; reassertion of strength structures.
Kṣaya/rajayakṣmā with dhātu depletion; ribs/spine suggest prāṇa-vaha srotas strain and vāta aggravation; supportive strengthening and breath regulation implied.
Supportive chant for chronic fatigue with neck/shoulder tension, postural collapse, or breath restriction; complements physiotherapy/rehab mindset.
Yakṣma disease-entity
Extract yakṣma from the body’s support structures and restore strength.
Anatomical enumeration + extraction verb; synchronized touch/traction gesture using arms/shoulders.
Recurrent weakness, collapse, chronic pain in neck/back.
- ग्रीवा (grīvā)
- bearing/turning toward life; vulnerability of support
- अंस (aṃsa)
- responsibility, load-bearing power
- कीकस (kīkas)
- protective cage; breath-space
- अनूक्य (anūkya)
- integrity, resilience, uprightness
- दोषण्य (doṣaṇya)
- the sabotaging aspect of chronic illness that undermines function
- वि वृहमि (vi vṛhāmi)
- active separation of self from disease
Reclaim uprightness and inner support; release the ‘burden’ from shoulders and spine.
Anāhata (breath-space/ribs) and Viśuddha (neck)
Slow 4–6 count inhale/exhale; gentle thoracic expansion awareness (no strain).
A dark band around neck/shoulders is pulled away and dissolves; spine becomes a luminous staff; breath fills the ribcage with soft light.
Steady resilience; embodied confidence.
Chant while seated tall; after chanting, hold a brief still posture (tāḍāsana seated) with relaxed shoulders.
Steady cadence; give slight emphasis to structural nouns (grīvā-, aṃsa-, kīkas-, anūkya-) and decisive stress on ‘vi vṛhāmi’.
Pause lightly after anūkya’t; then strike ‘yakṣmaṃ doṣaṇyam’ clearly; broaden tone on ‘aṃsābhyāṃ bāhubhyāṃ’.
Supportive, firm, not harsh; suitable for convalescents.
This verse is especially effective with synchronized gesture—speech and action together are the Atharvanic hallmark.
11 times
Weakness with neck/shoulder/back pain; chronic illness posture collapse; breath tightness (traditional yakṣma frame).
During gentle stretching/physio; when shoulders feel heavy; as part of daily recovery practice.
Sense of strength returning; reduced anxiety and improved posture awareness; traditional intent of extracting wasting disease.
Avoid forceful traction if injury is present; seek medical care for severe back/neck pain, neurological symptoms, or unexplained weight loss/fever.
This verse itself names no plant; its therapeutic technology is anatomical localization plus performative extraction (√vṛh). In Atharvanic healing, such ‘pulling out’ mantras often pair with herbs or amulets elsewhere in the sukta/rite; here the body (arms/shoulders) functions as the operative instrument, while the mantra supplies the coercive agency that makes removal efficacious.
The patient is grammatically subordinate (‘from thee I tear out’), while the ritual specialist speaks in the first person with direct agency. The healer’s authority is not merely medical but juridical-magical: the disease is treated as a culpable offender (doṣaṇya), and the Atharvan’s speech-act enforces expulsion—mirroring a social order where specialized brahmanic technicians manage misfortune through sanctioned rites.
The diction is characteristically Atharvanic in its pragmatic, quasi-clinical body-mapping (lists of loci) and in the frequent therapeutic use of √vṛh ‘tear out’ with ví. Terms like kī́kasa- ‘ribs’ are relatively rare and technical, aligning with AV’s expanded somatic vocabulary. The construction is straightforward, with less mythic periphrasis than typical RV hymnic style.
Gopatha’s general Atharvanic theory treats disease-removal as effected by brahman (mantra) when properly applied with rite and intention: naming the malady, locating it, and commanding separation constitutes a binding act. While Gopatha does not always cite each AV verse verbatim, its framework supports this mantra’s logic: the spoken formula, joined to correct karman (touch/extraction gesture), compels the personified affliction to depart and prevents its return.
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