Atharva Veda 2.35.1: Kanda 2, Anuvaka 4, Sukta 35, Mantra 1
Sukta 35
विश्वकर्मा। ये भ॒क्षय॑न्तो॒ न वसू॑न्यानृ॒धुर्यान॒ग्नयो॑ अ॒न्वत॑प्यन्त॒ धिष्ण्याः॑ । या तेषा॑मव॒या दुरि॑ष्टिः॒ स्विऽष्टिं न॒स्तां कृ॑णवद् वि॒श्वक॑र्मा
viśvákarmā | yé bhakṣáyanto ná vásūny anṛdhúr yā́n agnáyo anvátapyanta dhiṣṇyā́ḥ | yā́ téṣām avayā́ duríṣṭiḥ svíṣṭiṃ nas tā́ṃ kṛṇavad viśvákarmā́
O Viśvakarman! Those who, devouring, prospered not in goods—those Fires, the established ones, that scorched in pursuit—what ill-rite of theirs, through mishap, there was: that, for us, may he make into a well-offering, Viśvakarman.
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.
The meaning
What it says
Viśvakarman is invoked to rectify a ritual failure: fires that ‘devoured’ yet did not yield wealth and that scorched in pursuit are pacified; whatever duriṣṭi occurred through mishap is transformed into a successful offering (sviṣṭi) for us.
The inner meaning
When one’s efforts burn energy without producing results (agni ‘devouring’), the remedy is skillful reconfiguration rather than despair: the inner craftsman (Viśvakarman) turns error into learning and restores coherence to intention and action.
The truth in it
Systems fail; wholeness is restored by intelligent redesign. Missteps can be transmuted into success when acknowledged and properly corrected.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Paustika (Prosperity) / Apotropaic (Ritual-fault remediation)
Its aim
To neutralize the harmful consequences of a faulty sacrifice (duriṣṭi), stop the fires’ affliction, and convert failure into a successful oblation (sviṣṭi) that restores wealth.
Word by Word
Pada patha
विश्वकर्मा । ये । भक्षयन्तः । न । वसूनि । अनृधुः । यान् । अग्नयः । अन्वतप्यन्त । धिष्ण्याः । या । तेषाम् । अवया । दुरिष्टिः । स्विष्टिम् । नः । ताम् । कृणवत् । विश्वकर्मा ।
- विश्वकर्मा
- Viśvakarman (the All-maker, divine artisan)Viśvakarman, the All-maker; cosmic artificer invoked to rectify ritual fault and restore wholenessNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot विश्वकर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- ये
- who (those who)who(ever); relative pronoun introducing the class of agents/forces describedPronounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- भक्षयन्तः
- eating, consumingdevouring, consuming; (of fires) eating up offerings/wealth, i.e., wasting resources through mis-riteVerb (participle)वर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot भक्ष् (धातु)
- न
- notnot; negation marking failure of expected prosperityIndeclinableनिषेधRoot न (निपात)
- वसूनि
- goods, richesgoods, wealth, valuables; the household’s substance endangered by ritual mishapNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot वसु (प्रातिपदिक)
- अनृधुः
- they did not prosper / did not succeedthey did not prosper / did not thrive; failed to attain increase (ṛdh) through the riteVerbलुङ् (आगम-रहित/वैदिक-अओरिस्ट); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot ऋध् (धातु)
- यान्
- whom (those whom)whom/which; referring to the fires just mentioned (as those that caused the trouble)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अग्नयः
- the fires (Agni-powers)fires; especially the ritual fires as living agents capable of helping or harmingNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- अनु
- along, afterIndeclinableउपसर्गार्थे/अव्ययRoot अनु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- अतप्यन्त
- they heated / they scorchedVerbलङ् (इम्पर्फेक्ट); आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot तप् (धातु)
- धिष्ण्याः
- the (sacred) hearth-fires / established firesthe ‘seated’/established fires (dhiṣṇya); fixed hearth-fires or altar-fires in their stationsNoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot धिष्ण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- या
- which (that)which; introducing the specific mischief/evil conditionPronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- तेषाम्
- of themof them; of those fires/agents or of those persons affected (contextually, the household/performers)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक; षष्ठी; बहुवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अवया
- down/away; adversely (Vedic particle)by defect, by mishap, by ‘going astray’ (ava-); a fault-condition producing ritual failureIndeclinableवैदिक-निपात (अर्थे: ‘अव/अधः/अप’ इत्यादि; पदपाठे अवया इति)Root अव (अव्यय/उपसर्ग) + या (धातु) → अवया (निपातवत्/अव्यय-प्रयोग)
- दुरिष्टिः
- ill-aim, evil sight/portentill-rite, bad sacrifice, faulty performance; a technical term for ritual error with harmful reboundNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot दुरिष्टि (प्रातिपदिक)
- स्विष्टिम्
- good offering / well-accomplished ritewell-offering, successful oblation; the properly accomplished rite that yields benefitNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot स्विष्टि (प्रातिपदिक)
- नः
- our (for us)for us; for our household/performersPronounषष्ठी (एन्क्लिटिक); बहुवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- ताम्
- thatthat; referring to the desired ‘sv-iṣṭi’ (successful rite)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- कृणवत्
- may he makelet him make, fashion, effect; performative optative/jussive force: ‘may he set it right’Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot कृ (धातु)
- विश्वकर्मा
- ViśvakarmanViśvakarman again; invoked as the one who ‘re-constructs’ the rite and neutralizes the evil of misperformanceNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot विश्वकर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- वसूनि + अनृधुः → वसून्यानृधुः (इ/अ संधि)
- यान् + अग्नयः → यानग्नयः (न् + अ)
- अनु + अतप्यन्त → अन्वतप्यन्त (उ + अ → व)
- स्विष्टिम् + नः + ताम् → स्विऽष्टिं नस्तां (म् + नः → नस्; अवग्रहः ‘स्विऽ’ = स्वि + इष्टिम्/स्विष्टिम् इति पदच्छेद-चिह्न)
Seer, deity and metre
- 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)
- Rasa
- Shanta and Adbhuta
Sāyaṇa takes the ‘Agni-s’ as the ritual fires in their proper stations (dhiṣṇya), yet capable of ‘consuming’ the sacrificer’s wealth when the rite is defective. ‘Dur-iṣṭi’ is explained as a sacrifice marred by omission, misrecitation, or improper handling of oblations; ‘avayā’ signals a lapse or deviation (doṣa) that occasions the fires’ punitive heat. Viśvakarman is invoked as the cosmic craftsman who can re-form the broken sacrifice into ‘sv-iṣṭi’—a technically successful offering—thereby averting loss and restoring prosperity.
Viśvakarman hymnic seer-line (Atharvavedic anukramaṇī varies; verse belongs to a Viśvakarman-centered cluster)
Śāntika-prāyaścitta style remediation: converting ritual fault into success; fire-management and apotropaic correction.
Represents the Atharvan confidence that even ‘bad rite’ can be repaired through correct speech and re-offering—ritual as a technology of restoration.
Viśvakarman
Cosmic architect who arranges forms and functions; here, the agent who re-tools a flawed sacrifice into a ‘well-made’ offering.
Psychosomatic: calms ‘burning’ stress and restores balanced ‘inner fire’ by resolving fault and guilt.
Protects from backlash of ritual error (duriṣṭi) and from destructive pursuit of misdirected energies (scorching fires).
4 pādas with triṣṭubh tendency; caesurae follow sense: ye… / yān… / yā… / sviṣṭim…
Compression/expansion around consonant clusters (dhiṣṇyāḥ, duriṣṭiḥ) yields non-classical counts; functions as practical mantra.
Urgent-to-resolving: first half describes scorching pursuit; final pāda resolves into transformation (kṛṇavad).
Moves the mind from anxiety about error to confidence in correction—‘closing’ the fault.
Diagnose the fault-condition: omission, mis-sequence, or adverse fire-behavior interpreted as ‘duriṣṭi’.
Re-kindling/steadying action: the Atharvan priest tends the established fires (dhiṣṇya), re-seats fuel, and restores orderly burning.
Offer a corrective oblation (typically ghee) into the fire while reciting the mantra, explicitly intending the transformation of ‘duriṣṭi’ into ‘sviṣṭi’.
Conclude with a brief silent or spoken resolve (saṃkalpa) that the rite is ‘well-offered’ and that loss of wealth is averted; resume the interrupted domestic rite if applicable.
Kauśika Sūtra: prāyaścitta (expiation) context for duriṣṭi/sviṣṭi mantras; specific adhikaraṇa varies by edition (often grouped under expiations for faulty offering and fire-omens).
Atharvan/Brahman as ritual-technician of expiation: he identifies the procedural fault, performs corrective tending of the fires, and recites the mantra as a performative ‘re-making’ (kṛ-) of the sacrifice into sv-iṣṭi.
Recite when an offering is interrupted, a mistake is noticed, smoke behaves ominously, or an undertaking yields no return; accompany a small corrective oblation and apology.
Immediately upon noticing fault; also at end of rite to ‘seal’ success.
Householder or purohita acting as corrector (prāyaścittika).
Used after a failed attempt (exam, project, business) as a ritual reset coupled with a concrete corrective action.
ritual fires (agni); oblations/offerings (iṣṭi implied); household wealth (vasu)
agnayaḥ, dhiṣṇyāḥ (station-fires/hearths); central substance-action medium.
Fire is both tool and risk: when misfed it ‘devours’ without fruit; when correctly offered it becomes sviṣṭi—successful transformation.
Stress-heat, insomnia-like agitation (metaphor of ‘scorching fires’); ritual/psychological ‘burnout’.
Pacification and cognitive reframe: naming the fault (duriṣṭi) and invoking repair (sviṣṭi) reduces fear and restores regulated ‘agni’.
Agni-balancing; reducing pitta-aggravation imagery (heat/scorching) through śānti and corrected regimen.
Burnout recovery and error-repair culture: converting failure into actionable correction, reducing rumination and stress response.
Ritual process and household prosperity
Neutralize harmful consequences of faulty rite and stop afflictive ‘heat’; convert duriṣṭi into sviṣṭi to restore wealth and auspicious outcome.
Transmutation formula: explicitly re-label the ‘bad offering’ as ‘well-offered’ through Viśvakarman’s crafting power.
Backlash of ritual mistake; ominous fire-behavior; loss of goods despite effort
Household wealth (vasu), successful undertakings
- viśvakarman
- integrative intelligence that repairs broken order—ritual, social, psychological
- agni / agnayaḥ
- transformative processes: effort, metabolism, desire, ritual heat
- dhiṣṇyāḥ
- fixed structures and routines that can help or harm if mismanaged
- bhakṣayantaḥ
- consumption of resources/attention without return
- vasūni
- tangible outcomes; prosperity as measurable fruit
- duriṣṭi
- misaligned action, procedural error, wrong aim
- sviṣṭi
- aligned completion; repaired efficacy
Repair and integration: turning error into coherent offering.
manipura
cooling exhale (śītali/śītkārī if appropriate) after recitation; otherwise lengthened exhale to ‘cool the fires’.
A misbuilt altar being re-measured and perfected; flames becoming steady, smokeless, and beneficent.
From rajasic agitation to sattvic clarity.
Recite once, name the specific ‘duriṣṭi’ in plain words, then perform one corrective step; end with a brief silence to seal sviṣṭi.
Maintain clear rise on viśvakarmā (vocative); emphasize duriṣṭiḥ and sviṣṭim as pivot-words.
First two pādas slightly urgent; slow down on yā teṣām…duriṣṭiḥ; final clause sviṣṭiṃ…kṛṇavad as resolving cadence.
Cooling, corrective, composed; avoid harshness (do not ‘feed’ agitation).
Best paired with a brief corrective oblation or confession of procedural error; the mantra functions as prāyaścitta by verbal transmutation.
7 times
After mistakes in worship, ceremonies, or important work; when effort feels ‘consumed’ without results.
Immediately after noticing an error; at the end of a troubled undertaking to reset outcome.
Reduced anxiety/guilt, restored focus, improved follow-through; sense of ‘successful completion’.
Do not use to bypass accountability—pair with real correction; if distress persists, seek support.
No explicit botanical drug appears; the operative ‘substance’ is the ritual fire and the oblation (iṣṭi). The mantra functions as a prāyaścitta-technology: it reclassifies a harmful sacrificial event (duriṣṭi) into a successful one (sviṣṭi), thereby preventing the ‘consumption’ of wealth attributed to mismanaged fire.
The verse presumes a household economy (‘vasu’) vulnerable to ritual error and a specialist who can diagnose and repair that error. The Atharvan/Brahman’s authority lies in managing failure—an expertise distinct from ordinary domestic competence—thus reinforcing priestly control over risk, misfortune, and the interpretation of adverse signs in the ritual apparatus.
The lexeme duriṣṭi/sviṣṭi is shared with older Vedic ritual diction, but Atharvan usage tends to foreground pragmatic remediation over praise. The plural ‘agniyāḥ’ with ‘dhiṣṇyāḥ’ reflects technical fire-taxonomy familiar from śrauta discourse, while the Atharvan framing makes the fires agents of affliction when rites fail—an intensification of the punitive semantics.
Gopatha-style Atharvan exegesis typically grounds efficacy in correct speech-act plus correct handling of the ritual substrate (fire/oblation). In that logic, ‘Viśvakarman’ is the paradigmatic ‘maker’ who can reconstitute a broken rite; the mantra’s power is the formal conversion of a defective iṣṭi into a sv-iṣṭi, thereby restoring the sacrificial economy and averting the rebound of error.
Ask anything about this verse
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.
