Sukta 19
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition
Devata: Apāmārga
Chandas: Mixed/irregular prose-anuṣṭubh style (opening label + anuṣṭubh-like cadence; exact metrical scan uncertain from excerpt)
Dieser Hymnus setzt Apāmārga (die „Wegfeger“-Pflanze) als lebendige, schneidende und bindungswiederherstellende Kraft ein: Sie trennt wiederkehrendes, „jahresheimsuchendes“ Leiden ab und bricht feindliche kṛtyā (künstlich bewirkte Zauberei), die gegen die Hauslinie gerichtet ist. Neben dem Heilziel stiftet er soziale Geschlossenheit neu — macht „Freund“ und „Verwandten“ — und errichtet einen bezifferbaren Schutzring (hundertfach/tausendfach), gestärkt durch Indras ojas.
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
अपामार्गः। उ॒तो अ॒स्यब॑न्धुकृदु॒तो अ॑सि॒ नु जा॑मि॒कृत्। उ॒तो कृ॑त्या॒कृतः॑ प्र॒जां न॒डमि॒वा छि॑न्धि॒ वार्षि॑कम्
Apāmārga! Auch stiftest du Freundschaft; auch stiftest du nun Verwandtschaft. Und als Wirker gegen die Kṛtyā schneide dem Volk das jahrelang nachstellende Übel ab, wie man ein Schilfrohr abschneidet.
Mantra 2
ब्रा॒ह्म॒णेन॒ पर्यु॑क्तासि॒ कण्वे॑न नार्ष॒देन॑ । सेने॑वैषि॒ त्विषी॑मती॒ न तत्र॑ भ॒यमस्ति॒ यत्र॑ प्रा॒प्नोष्यो॑षधे
Vom Brahmanen bist du ringsum mit Spruch umhegt — von Kaṇva, von Nārṣada. Wie ein Heer ziehst du voran, voll blitzender Kraft: Keine Furcht ist dort, wohin du gelangst, o Heilpflanze.
Mantra 3
अग्र॑मे॒ष्योष॑धीनां॒ ज्योति॑षेवाभिदी॒पय॑न्। उ॒त त्रा॒तासि॒ पाक॒स्याथो॑ ह॒न्तासि॑ र॒क्षसः॑
Du schreitest den Kräutern voran; wie mit einem Licht leuchtest du dem (Feind) entgegen. Du bist der Hüter der Speise des Hauses; zudem bist du der Töter der Rākṣasas.
Mantra 4
यद॒दो दे॒वा असु॑रां॒स्त्वयाग्रे॑ नि॒रकु॑र्वत । तत॒स्त्वमध्यो॑षधेऽपामा॒र्गो अ॑जायथाः
Als einst, am Anfang, die Götter durch dich die Asuras hinausstießen, da wurdest du, o Kraut, als Apāmārga geboren.
Mantra 5
वि॒भि॒न्द॒ती श॒तशा॑खा विभि॒न्दन् नाम॑ ते पि॒ता। प्र॒त्यग् वि भि॑न्धि॒ त्वं तं यो अ॒स्माँ अ॑भि॒दास॑ति
Zerspaltend, hundertzweigig — »Zerspalter« war der Name, den dir dein Vater gab. Wende ihn zurück und spalte in zwei den, der uns Hass trägt und uns angreift.
Mantra 6
अस॒द् भूम्याः॒ सम॑भव॒त् तद् यामे॑ति म॒हद् व्यचः॑ । तद् वै ततो॑ विधू॒पाय॑त् प्र॒त्यक् क॒र्तार॑मृच्छतु
Aus der Erde kam das Nichtseiende zusammen und wurde seiend; es geht seinen Lauf, groß und weithin sich ausbreitend. Dann, wahrlich, rauchte es hervor; möge es zurückkehren und den Täter (des Schadens) erreichen.
Mantra 7
प्र॒त्यङ् हि सं॑ब॒भूवि॑थ प्रती॒चीन॑फल॒स्त्वम्। सर्वा॒न् मच्छ॒पथाँ॒ अधि॒ वरी॑यो यावया व॒धम्
Denn du bist rückwärts gewandt geworden, mit rückwärts tragender Frucht. Über alle gegen mich gerichteten Flüche sei du der Stärkere; treibe den tödlichen Schaden fort.
Mantra 8
श॒तेन॑ मा॒ परि॑ पाहि स॒हस्रे॑णा॒भि र॑क्ष मा । इन्द्र॑स्ते वीरुधां पत उ॒ग्र ओ॒ज्मान॒मा द॑धत्
Mit hundertfachem Schutz umgib mich; mit tausendfachem wehre den Angriff von mir ab. Indra, der Gewaltige, hat dir, o Herr der Pflanzen, die mächtige Kraft fest eingesetzt.
Inside Sukta 19
How it unfolds
- How it opens
Begins by naming Apāmārga and praising it as a maker of bonds—friend and kinsman—immediately framing healing as both bodily and social restoration.
- What it asks
Cut off the people’s ‘year-haunting’ affliction and act as a kṛtyā-counteragent that reverses and destroys hostile workings.
- Where its power lies
Apāmārga is ‘hundred-branched’ and inherently ‘splitting’; its very name and paternal naming (‘Vibhindant’) certify irresistible efficacy against attackers.
- How it closes
Ends by fixing a measurable protective enclosure—hundredfold and thousandfold—while invoking Indra’s fierce ojas as the empowering force behind the plant-lord’s protection.
Famous verses
pra̱jāṃ na̱ḍamivā chi̍ndhi vārṣi̍kam
vibhi̱nda̱tī śa̱taśā̍khā
śa̱tena̍ mā̱ pari̍ pāhi sa̱hasre̍ṇā̱bhi ra̍kṣa mā
Kind of hymn
Bhaisajya (chronic/seasonal affliction) + Paustika (household cohesion) + Abhicarika (anti-kṛtyā)
What it is for
Sever the recurring (‘annual’) affliction and any sorcery-linked harm from the household line, reverse hostility onto its source, and stabilize social bonds and protective strength.
Who it is for
Householders and village ritual specialists (Atharvanic practitioners) addressing recurring illness, suspected sorcery, or ongoing interpersonal hostility affecting family welfare.
Also used as
- Paustika
- Abhicarika
- Rakṣoghna
The deity
Apāmārga is invoked as a sentient herb whose very nature is to expel, cut, and reverse harmful forces; it also ‘makes bonds’ by repairing social fractures caused by illness or sorcery.
Powers of the deity
- Sweeps away disease, impurity, and hostile influences
- Cuts off recurring/seasonal (‘vārṣika’) affliction from a lineage
- Breaks and reverses kṛtyā (crafted malefic rites) back upon the sender
- Splits, shatters, and disperses attackers (human or demonic)
- Restores friendship and kinship bonds within the household
- Receives and mediates Indra’s ojas as intensified protective potency
Why the deity is called
To use Apāmārga’s expulsive and ‘splitting’ force to remove chronic/annual illness and to counter-act kṛtyā, while re-establishing protective cohesion around the family/community.
The seer
- Atharvanic seer (anukramaṇī attribution for AV 4.19 not uniform in common recensions)Atharvan. Bhaiṣajya-rakṣā charms using vīrudh (plants) for chronic/seasonal disorders, anti-kṛtyā counter-sorcery, and paustika rites that restore household solidarity and prosperity.
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 4.17 (plant/amulet-protection cluster; Atharvanic style)
- AV 4.18 (protective/expulsive formulas in the same kanda sequence)
- AV 6.139 (Apāmārga-related ‘sweeping away’ usage in later book tradition, thematically parallel)
Preparing for the rite
- Obtain fresh Apāmārga (whole plant or branches), ideally intact and vigorous (‘hundred-branched’ imagery).
- Prepare a clean space in/near the home threshold; seat the patient/householder facing east if feasible.
- If an amulet is intended, twist Apāmārga fibers/branches into a small binding or knot; alternatively keep a sprig for brushing/sweeping gestures.
- Mentally specify the target: ‘vārṣika’ recurring illness and/or kṛtyā and the hostile agent behind it (without naming publicly if socially sensitive).
The rite
- Recite the opening identifying formula with Apāmārga named and addressed as bond-maker and kṛtyā-cutter (cf. 4.19.1).
- Perform a symbolic ‘cutting’ action during the severance lines: slice a reed/grass stalk or mime cutting while holding Apāmārga, to enact the mantra’s ‘as one cuts a reed’ imagery.
- For counter-hostility passages (cf. 4.19.5), gesture outward then ‘turn back’ (pratyag) to signify reversal; lightly strike the ground/threshold with the plant to ‘split’ the attack.
- Conclude by establishing a protective perimeter with quantified guarding (cf. 4.19.8), circling the patient/household space with the herb or placing it at the doorway/bedside.
What it needs
- Apāmārga (Achyranthes aspera) sprigs/branches
- Reed/grass stalk (naḍa) or a small substitute stalk for the cutting enactment
- Thread/cord for binding an amulet (optional)
- Water for simple purification sprinkling (optional, supportive)
When
Especially appropriate at the recurrence of symptoms (seasonal return), at the turning of the year/monsoon onset implied by ‘vārṣika’, or when signs of repeated household discord/illness suggest ongoing hostile influence.
The main substance
Apāmārga (Achyranthes aspera)
Herbs
- Apāmārga (primary vīrudh)
Amulets
- Apāmārga sprig tied as a small bundle/knot
- Thread-bound herb packet for doorway/bedside placement
How it is prepared
Use a fresh sprig; for an amulet, bind the sprig with clean thread while reciting; for ‘severance’, pair recitation with cutting a reed/grass stalk or mimed cutting while holding Apāmārga.
Frequently Asked Questions
In AV 4.19 Apāmārga is a medicinal herb addressed as a personified power. The hymn treats the plant as an active protector that can ‘cut off’ disease and repel hostile forces.
It refers to an illness or trouble that keeps returning with the seasons or year after year. The mantra asks Apāmārga to sever that repeating pattern from the household line.
The verses describe Apāmārga as a ‘splitter’ that turns attacks back (pratyag) and breaks the hostile working. Practically, the recitation is paired with holding/placing Apāmārga and performing a symbolic cutting or reversal gesture to enact the counter-force.
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