Atharva Veda 3.2.4: Kanda 3, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 2, Mantra 4
Sukta 2
व्याऽकूतय एषामि॒ताथो॑ चि॒त्तानि॑ मुह्यत । अथो॒ यद॒द्यैषां॑ हृदि तदे॑षां॒ परि॒ निर्ज॑हि
vyā́kūtaya eṣām itā́tho cittā́ni muhyata | átho yád adyá eṣā́ṃ hṛdí tád eṣā́ṃ pári nírjahi
Their purposes—thus!—and moreover their thoughts, let them be confounded; and further, whatsoever to-day is in their heart, that from them drive forth and expel away.
Ihre Vorhaben — so! — und auch ihre Gedanken sollen verwirrt sein; und ferner: was heute in ihrem Herzen ist, das treibe von ihnen fort und stoße es hinaus.
The meaning
What it says
May their plans and thoughts be confounded; whatever is in their heart today—drive it out and expel it from them.
The inner meaning
Hostile counsel is neutralized by disrupting coherence: the spell targets the adversary’s executive intention (ākūti) and present affective charge (hṛd), rendering it ineffective.
The truth in it
Harm depends on organized intention; when intention is scattered, aggression collapses. Protection can work by dissolving the adversary’s coordination rather than by physical force.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Abhicarika (Counter-sorcery / Rival-subduing)
Its aim
To confuse and neutralize the hostile intentions and counsels of adversaries, and to expel their present malice from the heart so their harm fails.
Word by Word
Pada patha
वि-आकूतयः । एषाम् । इत । अथो इति । चित्तानि । मुह्यत । अथो इति । यत् । अद्य । एषाम् । हृदि । तत् । एषाम् । परि । निः-जहि
- व्याकूतयः
- confusions; perverse intentionsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (वाक्ये ‘मुह्यत’ इत्यस्य कर्तृ-सम्बन्धः) अथवा विषय-कर्तृRoot व्याकूति (प्रातिपदिक) < वि-आ-√कू (कू/कव् ‘आह्वाने/उच्चारणे’ इत्यादि; ‘व्याकूति’ = विक्षेप/विपर्यय-प्रवृत्ति/भ्रम) नामधातु-निर्मित
- एषाम्
- of theseof these (persons), i.e., of the adversaries named/understood in the ritePronounषष्ठी, बहुवचन (पुं/स्त्री/नपुं सर्वत्र)Role सम्बन्ध (genitive: ‘of these/these people’s’)Root इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- इत
- indeed; justso, thus, just so (an Atharvanic particle of fixing/confirming the spell’s force)Indeclinableअव्ययRole निपात (उपपद-बलवर्धन/एव-अर्थे)Root इत् (निपात/अव्यय)
- अथो
- and alsoIndeclinableअव्ययRole समुच्चय/अन्वय ("also; and then")Root अथो (अथ + उ) निपात
- चित्तानि
- minds; thoughtstheir minds, thoughts, intentions; (in sorcery) the seat of resolve to be confoundedNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (मुह्यत इत्यस्य कर्तृ)Root चित्त (प्रातिपदिक) < √चित् (चेतने) / √चि (चयन) से ‘चित्त’
- मुह्यत
- become deluded; are confusedlet (them) be bewildered, deluded, thrown into confusion (a direct imprecation)Verbलट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot √मुह् (मोहने)
- अथो
- and alsoIndeclinableअव्ययRole समुच्चय/अन्वयRoot अथो (अथ + उ) निपात
- यत्
- that whichwhatever (evil resolve/plan) whichPronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (सापेक्ष-सम्बन्धक)Role सम्बन्ध (relative: ‘that which’)Root यद् (सर्वनाम)
- अद्य
- today; nowtoday, now (temporal fixing: immediate efficacy)Indeclinableअव्ययRole कालाधिकरणRoot अद्य (अव्यय)
- एषाम्
- of thesePronounषष्ठी, बहुवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- हृदि
- in the heartNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole अधिकरण (स्थान)Root हृद् (प्रातिपदिक)
- तत्
- thatPronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (निर्जहि इत्यस्य)Root तद् (सर्वनाम)
- एषाम्
- of thesefrom them, belonging to them (genitive with separative force in the charm)Pronounषष्ठी, बहुवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम)
- परि
- around; completelyaround, away, off (as an expulsive/encircling magical preverb)Indeclinableअव्यय (उपसर्गार्थे)Role क्रियाविशेषण ("around; completely")Root परि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- निर्जहि
- drive out; removeVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रिया (आज्ञा)Root नि-√हन् (हिंसागत्योः; ‘to strike/remove’)
Sandhi Notes
- व्याकूतयः | एषाम् | इत | अथो | चित्तानि | मुह्यत | अथो | यत् | अद्य | एषाम् | हृदि | तत् | एषाम् | परि | निर्जहि ।
- 1) ‘व्याऽकूतयः’ = ‘व्याकूतयः’ (अवग्रहः: आ-स्वर-सन्धि/प्रगृह्य-चिह्न)
- 2) ‘एषामि॒ताथो॑’ पाठः = ‘एषाम् इत अथो’ (म् + इ → मि; पदान्त-मकारस्य स्वर-सन्धिः)
- 3) ‘यद॒द्यैषां॑’ = ‘यत् अद्य एषाम्’ (त् + अ → द्; तथा ‘अद्य + एषाम्’ में स्वर-सन्धि से ‘अद्यैषाम्’)
- 4) ‘तदे॑षाम्’ = ‘तत् एषाम्’ (त् + ए → द्)
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic/Angirasa attribution typical for AV counter-charm material (specific r̥ṣi for AVŚ 3.2 requires hymn-header collation).
- Devata
- Indeterminate; the operative power is the mantra itself as a mohana/apākaraṇa charm directed against human adversaries.
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh (probable; requires metrical verification against full hymn context).
- Rasa
- Raudra and Vira
Sāyaṇa takes vyākūtayaḥ as the adversaries’ saṅkalpāḥ (hostile resolves) and cittāni as their inward counsels; muhyata is an imprecatory injunctive/imperative for producing moha (bewilderment) so that their undertaking miscarries. The clause ‘yad adya eṣāṃ hṛdi’ is read as the presently operative malice; ‘pari nirjahi’ is glossed as a forcible apākaraṇa—an expulsion of that intent from its locus (hṛd), preventing harm to the sacrificer.
Unknown (AVŚ 3.2 anukramaṇī-dependent)
Counter-sorcery and rival-subduing charms aimed at disrupting hostile counsel (ākūti) and mental resolve.
Represents the Atharvanic technology of ‘mental disarmament’: victory is achieved by dissolving intention at its source rather than escalating violence.
Mantra (vāc) as operative power (with implicit expelling force)
Speech as a force that rearranges social reality; it binds and loosens intention, creating protection through reconfiguration of minds.
Neutralizes hostile intention; prevents harm by breaking counsel and resolve.
4 × ~8 syllables; some compression in vyā'kūtayaḥ and pari nirjahi
Abhicāra anuṣṭubh often uses sharp imperatives and enclitics; cadence supports ‘command’ delivery.
Fast, cutting, juridical.
Creates a psychological ‘jam’—a sense of thwarting and reversal.
Identify the adversary/hostile party mentally or by name (saṅkalpa).
Recite the mantra facing the adversary’s direction (or symbolically toward a substitute: a clod/effigy), emphasizing muhyata as the coercive pivot.
Perform an expulsive gesture on the final pāda: a sweeping motion outward from one’s own chest (hṛd) or from the effigy’s chest, synchronized with pári nírjahi.
Conclude by casting away (to the north or to a boundary) the substitute object, signifying removal of the enemy’s intent.
Kauśika Sūtra: general application within abhicaricāṇi for ‘mohana’ (bewilderment) and ‘pratyavāya’ (thwarting an enemy’s design); exact sutra-number requires collation with the practitioner’s pada-index for AVŚ 3.2.
Atharvan/Brahman officiant as apotropaic technician: he vocalizes the imprecation, directs the gesture of expulsion, and fixes the rite by correct accent and intention (saṅkalpa).
Recite at the threshold facing outward, naming (mentally) the hostile party; optionally tie a simple knot in a cord while reciting to ‘bind’ counsel, then discard away from the home.
When receiving threats, during disputes, before meetings with adversarial parties.
Householder or purohita; secrecy often observed for abhicāra-style formulas.
KauśS: generally within abhicāra-pratiṣedha/śānti for warding rivals; exact mapping requires hymn-level Kauśika concordance for AVŚ 3.2.
Silent mental repetition before contentious conversations; journaling to clarify one’s own intention afterward.
No material substrate is stated; the charm relies on vāc alone—speech as pharmakon, acting directly upon intention.
Heart (hṛd) metaphorically as seat of malice
Conflict de-escalation by disrupting harmful planning; metaphorically akin to reducing coordinated harassment/hostile intent.
Human adversaries (unnamed)
Confuse adversaries’ counsels and expel their present malice from the heart so their harm fails.
Mohana (bewilderment) + apākaraṇa (expulsion) directed at ākūti/citta; time-binding with ‘adya’.
Plots, hostile counsel, coordinated aggression
- आकूतयः (ākūtayaḥ)
- strategic will; the ‘plotting’ faculty
- चित्तानि (cittāni)
- mental currents that feed action
- मुह्यत (muhyata)
- loss of coherence; mohana as counter-weapon
- अद्य (adya)
- the immediate activation of harm—time-specific neutralization
- परि निर्जहि (pari nirjahi)
- complete extraction of malice from the heart-mind complex
Boundary-setting: recognize external hostility without internalizing it; dissolve the ‘hook’ of malice.
Maṇipūra (will/agency) with protective containment at Anāhata.
Short, steady exhale on muhyata; then long exhale on pari nirjahi (release).
Alert, protected, non-reactive.
Recite 3 or 7 times; then sit 2 minutes observing thoughts—do not feed retaliatory imagery; return to one clear intention for right action.
Keep a crisp rise on imperatives (muhyata, nirjahi).
Stress vy-ākūtayaḥ and pari nirjahi as the two ‘action’ poles (confound → expel).
Low, firm, controlled; avoid shouting (keeps intention precise).
Abhicāra-style delivery is traditionally restrained and focused; secrecy and directional facing may be observed.
7 times
Facing manipulation, gossip, hostile planning, or adversarial negotiations.
Before entering contested spaces; after receiving hostile messages; before legal/administrative meetings.
Reduced fear; sense that hostile coordination weakens; clearer personal boundaries.
Avoid using to fuel paranoia or unjust aggression; pair with ethical reflection and practical safety steps.
No plant, amulet, or materia is named in this verse; the efficacy is primarily verbal-performative (mohana ‘bewilderment’ and apākaraṇa ‘expulsion’). In practice, Kauśika-style performance often supplies a substitute object (clod/effigy) to ‘carry’ the adversary’s intent, but the mantra itself does not encode a botanical pharmacology.
The verse presumes a specialist who can legitimately manipulate others’ intentions through sanctioned speech. This reflects the Atharvan priest’s distinctive authority in domestic protection and counter-sorcery: social conflict is managed not only by force or adjudication but by ritualized control of rivals’ counsel (citta, hṛd), implying an accepted hierarchy of ritual expertise.
The diction is broadly Vedic, but the pragmatic focus on ‘citta’ and ‘hṛd’ as targets of coercion is characteristically Atharvanic in tone (more direct imprecation and psychological targeting than typical RV praise-hymn style). The compact imperatives (muhyata, nirjahi) foreground performative command rather than deva-invocation.
In Gopatha’s Atharvanic theology, mantras function as operative instruments (śastra-like) when correctly applied with intention and procedure; efficacy is tied to correct recitation and ritual deployment rather than to mythic narration alone. This verse exemplifies that model: it ‘binds’ and ‘drives out’ hostile resolve by speech-act, aligning with Gopatha’s tendency to rationalize Atharvan rites as controlled technologies of protection and reversal.
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