Sukta 35
Rishi: Traditionally associated with Viśvakarman hymnic material; specific Atharvavedic assignment varies by anukramaṇī tradition.
Devata: Viśvakarman (cosmic artificer; restorer of ritual integrity)
Chandas: Triṣṭubh-like cadence (mixed/irregular in Atharvan transmission; often treated as a pragmatic mantra rather than strict metrical poetry)
AV 2.35 ist ein Viśvakarman-Hymnus, der zur Behebung ritueller Fehlleistung (duriṣṭi/énas) dient und ein misslingendes Opfer in eine gelingende, wohlstandbringende sviṣṭi verwandelt. Das Opfer wird als lebendiger Leib verstanden — mit Auge, Mund, Sprache, Gehör und Geist ausgestattet —, sodass der kosmische Werkmeister es, wenn irgendein Teil verletzt ist, wieder ganz neu formen kann. Seine Kraft ist restaurativ: Er ruft zurück, was „verloren“ (naṣṭa) war — Anteile, Tropfen, Gedeihen und Wohlergehen — und fügt den Opfernden und sein Haus erneut in die rechte Ordnung des Ritus ein.
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
विश्वकर्मा। ये भ॒क्षय॑न्तो॒ न वसू॑न्यानृ॒धुर्यान॒ग्नयो॑ अ॒न्वत॑प्यन्त॒ धिष्ण्याः॑ । या तेषा॑मव॒या दुरि॑ष्टिः॒ स्विऽष्टिं न॒स्तां कृ॑णवद् वि॒श्वक॑र्मा
O Viśvakarman! Die, die verzehrend an Gütern nicht gediehen — jene Feuer, die fest auf ihren Sitzen (dhīṣṇyāḥ) stehen und in der Verfolgung sengten — welches missratene Ritual (duriṣṭi) bei ihnen durch Unglück war: das mache er uns zu einer guten Opfergabe, zu einem wohlvollzogenen Opfer (sv-iṣṭi), Viśvakarman.
Mantra 2
य॒ज्ञप॑ति॒मृष॑यः॒ एन॑साहु॒र्निर्भ॑क्तं प्र॒जा अ॑नुत॒प्यमा॑नम्। म॒थ॒व्या॒ऽन्त्स्तो॒कानप॒ यान् र॒राध॒ सं न॒ष्टेभिः॑ सृजतु वि॒श्वक॑र्मा
Die Rishis haben dies Sünde genannt: dass der Herr des Opfers, von seinem Anteil abgeschnitten, hernach mit seinem Volk leiden müsse. Jene Tropfen, jene kleinen Anteile, die er verletzt und fortgetrieben hat—möge Viśvakarman, der Allgestalter, sie wieder aussenden und mit dem Verlorenen zusammenfügen.
Mantra 3
अ॒दा॒न्यान्त्सो॑म॒पान् मन्य॑मानो य॒ज्ञस्य॑ वि॒द्वान्त्स॑म॒ये न धीरः॑ । यदेन॑श्चकृ॒वान् ब॒द्ध ए॒ष तं वि॑श्वकर्म॒न् प्र मु॑ञ्चा स्व॒स्तये॑
Ungebend, doch sich für einen Soma-Trinker haltend, und, obgleich des Opfers kundig, zur rechten Zeit nicht standhaft—welche Schuld er auch getan hat, dadurch ist dieser Mann gebunden: ihn, o Viśvakarman, löse ganz, zum Heil.
Mantra 4
घो॒रा ऋष॑यो॒ नमो॑ अस्त्वेभ्य॒श्चक्षु॒र्यदे॑षां॒ मन॑सश्च स॒त्यम्। बृह॒स्पत॑ये महिष द्यु॒मन्नमो॒ विश्व॑कर्म॒न् नम॑स्ते पा॒ह्य॑१स्मा॑न्
Ehrerbietung sei jenen furchtbaren Rishis, deren Blick scharf ist und deren Geist Wahrheit ist. Ehrerbietung Bṛhaspati, o Mächtiger, Strahlender; Ehrerbietung, o Viśvakarman; Ehrerbietung dir—schütze uns.
Mantra 5
य॒ज्ञस्य॒ चक्षुः॒ प्रभृ॑ति॒र्मुखं॑ च वा॒चा श्रोत्रे॑ण॒ मन॑सा जुहोमि । इ॒मं य॒ज्ञं वित॑तं वि॒श्वक॑र्म॒णा दे॒वा य॑न्तु सुमन॒स्यमा॑नाः
Mit Rede, mit Hören, mit dem Geist bringe ich die Opfergabe dar: das Auge des Opfers, seinen ersten Ursprung und seinen Mund. Zu diesem Opfer, ausgebreitet und recht gefügt von Viśvakarman, mögen die Götter kommen, gnädig und in guter Gesinnung.
Inside Sukta 35
How it unfolds
- How it opens
Begins by addressing Viśvakarman in the context of misbehaving/afflicting fires and a rite that has not yielded goods (vasu).
- What it asks
May the ill-rite (duriṣṭi) arising from mishap be transformed into a well-offering (sviṣṭi), and may what was cut off or lost (shares/drops) be restored to the sacrificer and his people.
- Where its power lies
Viśvakarman is treated as the one who can refashion the sacrifice’s structure itself—rejoining its ‘parts’ and reversing exclusion, loss, and burning consequence.
- How it closes
Concludes by offering with the integrated faculties (vāc–śrotra–manas) and inviting the gods to come graciously to the Viśvakarman-spread sacrifice.
Famous verses
duriṣṭiḥ … svi'ṣṭiṃ naḥ tāṃ kṛṇavad viśvakarmā
saṃ naṣṭebhiḥ sṛjatu viśvakarmā
vācā śrotreṇa manasā juhomi
Kind of hymn
Paustika (Prosperity) / Apotropaic (Ritual-fault remediation)
What it is for
Neutralize the consequences of a faulty sacrifice, restore the sacrificer’s proper share and wellbeing, and secure a successful oblation that yields prosperity and divine favor.
Who it is for
Householders and ritualists (yajamāna/adhvaryu-like performers) facing signs of ritual failure—loss of share, misfire of offerings, anxiety of énas, or affliction traced to the fires.
Also used as
- Śāntika
- Prāyaścitta (ritual expiation)
- Apotropaic (fault-averting)
The deity
The cosmic artificer and master of form, invoked as the one who re-fashions what has been wrongly made in the rite—restoring integrity to the yajña and aligning it with ṛta (right order).
Powers of the deity
- Transforms duriṣṭi (ill-performed rite) into sviṣṭi (well-performed offering)
- Recalls and reattaches what is lost, scattered, or excluded from the sacrifice (naṣṭa, nirbhakta)
- Pacifies the scorching/afflicting aspect of the ritual fires (agni-dhiṣṇya)
- Restores prosperity (vasu), continuity of household/people (prajā), and auspicious participation of the gods
Why the deity is called
To repair ritual faults and sin/pollution (énas), stop the fires’ harmful consequence, and reconstitute the sacrifice so the gods approach in a benevolent mood and the sacrificer regains wealth and wholeness.
The seer
- Viśvakarman-related Atharvanic seers (anukramaṇī attribution varies)Atharvan. Prāyaścitta-like expiation and ritual-fault remediation; pacifying harmful heat of mismanaged fires; prosperity-restoration through reconstitution of the yajña.
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 2.35 (this hymn)
- Related Viśvakarman/yajña-siddhi material in Atharvanic collections (attributions vary by anukramaṇī)
Preparing for the rite
- Re-establish cleanliness and calm: wash hands/mouth; steady the mind (manas) and speech (vāc).
- Kindle or tend the household/ritual fire(s) with attention so they are no longer ‘scorching in pursuit’ (anv-atapyanta).
- Set aside a small corrective oblation (sviṣṭakṛt-style intention): ghee or simple havis as available.
- Mentally acknowledge the fault as duriṣṭi/énas and resolve to ‘refashion’ rather than abandon the rite.
The rite
- Recite the hymn facing the fire(s), addressing Viśvakarman as the refashioner of the rite.
- At 2.35.1, offer a small ghee oblation to symbolically convert duriṣṭi into sviṣṭi.
- At 2.35.2, gesture/offer with the intention of calling back the ‘lost drops/shares’ (stoka, naṣṭa) into the rite and into the sacrificer’s portion.
- At the concluding verse (e.g., 2.35.5), perform an invitation: ‘with speech, hearing, and mind I offer’—then conclude with a final oblation and silent assent.
What it needs
- Ritual fire(s) (agni; dhiṣṇya conceptually)
- Ghee (ājya) or simple havis/food offering
- Optional: clean water for sipping (ācamana) and sprinkling around the fire-space
When
Immediately upon noticing a ritual mistake, inauspicious sign, or interruption; also suitable at the close of an offering sequence as a corrective ‘seal’.
The main substance
Ghee (ājya) offered into the fire as a corrective oblation (sviṣṭi-intent)
How it is prepared
Warm/clarify ghee if needed; prepare a small measured portion for a corrective offering. Offer into a steady flame while reciting the central remediation verses, maintaining focused intention to ‘refashion’ the rite.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is used when a sacrifice goes wrong—errors, omissions, or inauspicious effects—described as duriṣṭi/énas, especially when the fires seem to ‘scorch’ and results (wealth, wellbeing) do not arise.
Agni is the working fire, but Viśvakarman is invoked as the cosmic craftsman who can re-form the rite’s structure—turning a flawed performance into a completed, acceptable offering (sviṣṭi).
Tend the fire, recite the hymn with steady attention, and offer a small ghee oblation with the intention of correcting the fault and ‘calling back’ what was lost; end by inviting the gods to approach in a kindly mood.
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