Sukta 41
Rishi: Ṛgvedic provenance (Dadhīci/Indra cycle); specific seer per anukramaṇī not provided here.
Devata: Indra
Chandas: Likely Anuṣṭubh (requires verification).
Dieser kurze Hymnus des Atharvaveda verdichtet einen rigvedischen heroischen Mythenzyklus zu einem dreistrophigen Zauber: Indras „unangefochtener“ Sieg mit Dadhīcis Gebeinen wird zum Muster, um hemmende Mächte zu zerschmettern. Danach wendet sich der Text Motiven gelingender Wiedergewinnung zu – dem Auffinden des verborgenen Pferdekopfes und dem Erspüren des geheimen Namens der Kuh –, damit der Ausführende das Verborgene (Kraft, Wohlstand, rituellen Erfolg) zurückholt und Fruchtbarkeit und Ordnung wiederherstellt.
Mantras
Mantra 1
इन्द्रो॑ दधी॒चो अ॒स्थभि॑र्वृ॒त्राण्यप्र॑तिष्कुतः । ज॒घान॑ नव॒तीर्नव॑
Indra erschlug, mit Dadhīcis Gebeinen, unaufgehalten, die Vṛtras — neunzig und neun.
Mantra 2
इ॒च्छनश्व॑स्य॒ यच्छिरः॒ पर्वते॒ष्वप॑श्रितम्। तद् वि॑दच्छर्य॒णाव॑ति
Auf der Suche nach dem Kopf des Pferdes, der in den Bergen verborgen lag, fand er ihn bei Śaryaṇāvatī.
Mantra 3
अत्राह॒ गोर॑मन्वत॒ नाम॒ त्वष्टु॑रपी॒च्यम्। इ॒त्था च॒न्द्रम॑सो गृ॒हे
Hier, wahrlich, spürten sie den Namen der Kuh auf — Tvaṣṭṛs verborgenes Geheimnis; so, im Hause des Mondes.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is used to become ‘unopposed’ in difficult situations—crushing obstructive forces (rivals, hostile powers, ritual impediments) and restoring what is hidden or withheld (luck, goods, vitality).
In the myth, Indra uses Dadhīci’s bones as a weapon to defeat many Vṛtras; ritually, this turns sacred substance into a symbol of irresistible force that the practitioner seeks to inherit through recitation.
They function as ‘successful recovery’ exempla: the mantra models finding what is concealed and unlocking a hidden secret of nourishment and fertility, supporting rites for retrieval, restoration, and household increase.
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