Atharva Veda 3.10.2: Kanda 3, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 10, Mantra 2
Sukta 10
यां दे॒वाः प्र॑ति॒नन्द॑न्ति॒ रात्रिं॑ धे॒नुमु॑पाय॒तीम्। सं॒व॒त्स॒रस्य॒ या पत्नी॒ सा नो॑ अस्तु सुमङ्ग॒ली
yā́m devā́ḥ pratínandanti rā́triṁ dhénum upāyátīm | saṁvatsarásya yā́ patnī́ sā́ no astu sumaṅgalī́ ||
That Night whom Gods with glad acclaim acknowledge, approaching like a milch-cow rich in yielding,—she who is consort of the circling Year,—let her for us be wholly auspicious.
Jene Nacht, die die Götter mit freudigem Beifall anerkennen, die herannaht wie eine milchgebende Kuh, reich an Ertrag,—sie, die Gemahlin des kreisenden Jahres (saṃvatsara),—sie sei uns ganz und gar glückverheißend (sumangalī).
The meaning
What it says
Night, welcomed by the gods, comes like a milch-cow. She is the consort of the Year (Saṁvatsara). May she be auspicious for us.
The inner meaning
Night is reimagined not as fear but as nourishment and replenishment. The psyche learns to trust the dark interval as a giver—rest, sleep, and renewal—integrated into the annual cycle of time.
The truth in it
Auspiciousness arises when we align with cycles: daily darkness and yearly turning are not threats but necessary phases of abundance and restoration.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Paustika (Prosperity) / Kāla-śānti (Calendrical appeasement)
Its aim
To secure auspiciousness and well-being at the annual transition/night observance; to align household fortune with the Year’s cycle
Word by Word
Pada patha
याम् । दे॒वाः । प्र॒ति॒नन्द॑न्ति । रात्रि॑म् । धे॒नुम् । उ॒पा॒य॒तीम् । सं॒व॒त्स॒रस्य॑ । या । पत्नी॑ । सा । नः॑ । अ॒स्तु॒ । सु॒म॒ङ्ग॒ली॒ ।
- याम्
- whom/which (night)whom/which (fem. acc. sg.), the Night addressed as a power to be obtainedPronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → या-
- देवाः
- the godsthe gods, divine witnesses who approve and empower the riteNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- प्रति
- towards; in return; in responseIndeclinable (preverb/preposition)अव्ययRoot प्रति
- नन्दन्ति
- rejoice (at), delightVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot नन्द् (धातु)
- रात्रिम्
- nightNight (personified), the calendrical/ritual night-forceNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
- धेनुम्
- a milch-cowa milch-cow; emblem of abundance, yielding nourishment and wealthNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्म (उपमा/रूपक-रूपेण)Root धेनु (प्रातिपदिक)
- उपायतीम्
- approaching; coming nearcoming near/approaching; the Night that ‘draws near’ at the rite-timeParticipleवर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ/शानच्-समकक्ष), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole विशेषण (रात्रिम्/धेनुम् प्रति)Root उप-आ-या (धातु) → आयत्/यात् (गमन)
- संवत्सरस्य
- of the yearof the year; belonging to the annual cycle and its sovereigntyNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot संवत्सर (प्रातिपदिक)
- या
- who/whichwho/which (fem. nom. sg.), identifying the Night as the Year’s consortPronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (अस्तु इत्यस्य)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → या-
- पत्नी
- wife; consortwife/consort; ritual spouse-power (patnī) that completes the sacrificeNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole समानााधिकरण (या इत्यस्य)Root पत्नी (प्रातिपदिक)
- सा
- she; that (same one)she, that very one (anaphoric emphasis)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (अस्तु इत्यस्य)Root तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → सा-
- नः
- for us; ourfor us/our; beneficiary of the apotropaic-paustika intentPronounषष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्प्रदान/हित (अर्थे: ‘for us’)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अस्तु
- may (she) belet her be; optative/jussive of ritual establishmentVerbलोट् (आशीर्लिङ्/आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot अस् (धातु)
- सुमङ्गली
- auspicious; bringing good fortunemost auspicious, bringing good fortune; protective felicityAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole प्रेडिकेट-विशेषण (सा … अस्तु)Root सु- + मङ्गली (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- याम् | देवाः | प्रति | नन्दन्ति | रात्रिम् | धेनुम् | उप-आयतीम् । संवत्सरस्य | या | पत्नी | सा | नः | अस्तु | सुमङ्गली ।
- 1) ‘धे॒नुमु॑पाय॒तीम्’ = ‘धेनुम् + उपायतीम्’ (म् + उ → मु).
- 2) ‘सा नो॑’ = ‘सा + नः’ (विसर्ग-लोप/एन्क्लिटिक-प्रयोगः; उच्चारणे ‘नो’).
- 3) ‘दे॒वाः’ इत्यत्र प्लुत/स्वरचिह्नाः पाठभेद-स्वरविशेषाः
- पदरूपं ‘देवाः’ एव
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic tradition (Aṅgiras/Atharvan line; hymn ascribed in later indices to Atharvanic seers)
- Devata
- Rātri (Night) in relation to Saṁvatsara (Year/Kāla)
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh (predominant)
- Rasa
- Shanta and Shringara
Sāyaṇa glosses Rātri as a devatā whose ‘approach’ marks the proper ritual juncture; ‘dhenu’ is a deliberate upamā for plenitude (anna, paśu, rayi). ‘Saṁvatsarasya patnī’ is taken as the Night belonging to/paired with the Year (kāla), hence competent to bestow saubhāgya and avert inauspiciousness at the year-turn.
Atharvanic tradition (later indices associate to Atharvanic seers)
Pauṣṭika and kāla-śānti charms: securing auspicious transitions (night/year) for household welfare.
Represents Atharvan domestic sacralization of calendrical time: the household negotiates with Night as a power that can bless or unsettle.
Rātri (Night) as Saṁvatsara-patnī
Night completes the diurnal and annual rhythms; she is the receptive, replenishing half of time that enables fertility, rest, and continuity.
Indirect: supports sleep/restoration; calms nocturnal fear and protects vitality through proper rest.
Guards liminal hours; wards off night-terrors and inauspicious influences by making Night ‘sumaṅgalī’.
4×8; smooth descriptive cadence with a blessing close (sā no astu sumaṅgalī).
Straightforward anuṣṭubh suited for household recitation; minimal metrical strain.
Soothing, lullaby-like; imagery-driven rather than imperative-heavy.
Pacifies; prepares for sleep/ritual night observance; invites a sense of protected darkness.
At the prescribed night of the year-turn (Aṣṭakā/Ekāṣṭakā complex), the Atharvan priest prepares a domestic offering (havis) and establishes a clean ritual space.
Facing the appropriate direction for the night-observance, he recites this mantra to ‘install’ Rātri as auspicious (sumaṅgalī) for the household.
The patron (gṛhapati) touches or symbolically ‘receives’ prosperity (often by contact with a cow/cow-product or by taking the offered remainder), while the priest completes the appeasement with a concluding oblation.
Kauśika Sūtra: annual/seasonal observances connected with Saṁvatsara and the Aṣṭakā/Ekāṣṭakā nights (general application; exact sūtra numbering varies by edition)
Atharvan/Brahman officiant: calendrical pacification (śānti), mantra-recitation, and establishment of auspiciousness for the patron’s house
Recite at nightfall, especially on significant nights (new year/seasonal shift); light a lamp, offer milk or ghee mentally/ritually to Rātri.
Twilight into early night; at annual/seasonal transition nights.
Householder can recite; Atharvan priest optional for larger śānti.
KauśS: kāla-śānti/pauṣṭika uses around nights and calendrical observances (edition-dependent).
Night-time gratitude practice; safe-lamp/diya ritual with quiet recitation.
dhenu (cow as emblem); night (rātri) as calendrical substance/power
The cow-image turns time into a substance of nourishment: Night ‘yields’ rest, fertility, and prosperity like milk, integrating cosmic time into domestic economy.
Sleep-supportive calming chant; stress reduction at night (adjunct).
Household/community at a night observance or annual turning.
Secure auspiciousness through honoring Night as the Year’s consort; align household fortune with calendrical rhythm.
Benedictive invocation + auspicious naming (sumaṅgalī); prosperity simile (night as milch-cow).
Inauspicious night influences, misfortune at calendrical transitions.
General well-being, household luck, cattle/food symbolism.
- रात्रि (rātri)
- rest, concealment that heals, liminal protection
- धेनु (dhenu)
- abundance, yielding nourishment, domestic prosperity
- उपायतीम् (upāyatīm)
- incoming grace; time arriving as gift
- संवत्सर (saṃvatsara)
- total cycle/time-body; Kāla as household order
- पत्नी (patnī)
- complementarity: day/night, bright/dark as paired powers
- सुमङ्गली (sumaṅgalī)
- protective blessing that pervades the house
Embracing darkness as restorative; surrender into sleep as sacred rhythm.
Ājñā (night/inner vision) with grounding to Mūlādhāra for safety.
Lengthened exhale; silent repetition of ‘rātriṃ… sumaṅgalī’ as a lullaby mantra.
Night as a gentle cow approaching, pouring a stream of cool, dark-blue ‘milk’ of rest over the mind and body.
Śānta, nidrā-prasāda (sleep-readiness).
Chant once or thrice at dusk; then reduce sensory input and maintain a protective boundary of quiet.
Even, gentle; keep the blessing cadence on the final pāda.
Slight emphasis on rātrim and sumaṅgalī; keep imagery words (dhenu, upāyatīm) clear.
Soft, lullaby-like; ideally near a lamp at dusk.
Best used as a ‘threshold’ charm: recite at the doorway or central room to mark the house entering Night under auspicious custody.
3 times
Fear of night, household anxiety, beginning of a new cycle (new year/season), desire for calm prosperity.
At dusk; on significant nights; before sleep when the mind is restless.
Settled mood, sense of protection, traditional increase of auspiciousness and domestic well-being.
If severe insomnia/anxiety persists, seek clinical support; keep lamp/fire safe.
No explicit herb appears; instead, ‘dhenu’ functions as a ritual-ecological substitute for nourishment (milk/ghṛta) and thus for paustika efficacy. The mantra transfers the cow’s yielding capacity to the Night-as-Seasonal-Power.
Prosperity is mediated by the Atharvan priest’s speech-act: the household’s welfare depends on correct calendrical appeasement performed by a specialist, reflecting priestly control over time-rites and auspiciousness.
The personified calendrical abstraction (‘Saṁvatsara’s wife’) is more Atharvanic in tone—domestic, time-ritual, and apotropaic—than typical RV praise; the diction remains RV-compatible but with stronger gr̥hya orientation.
Gopatha frequently grounds Atharvanic efficacy in correct identification of devatā and kāla (time) and in domestic śānti; this verse fits that logic by treating Night as a controllable, ritually installable power tied to the Year’s order.
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