Sukta 35
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (Aṅgiras/Atharvan attribution typical for apamṛtyu material; exact r̥ṣi to be verified against Anukramaṇī for AV 4.35).
Devata: Brahman/Brāhmaṇaspati principle embodied in brahma-odana; life-breath (Prāṇa) and death-transcendence motif.
Chandas: Triṣṭubh-like cadence (to be confirmed by metrical scan; Saunaka AV often mixes triṣṭubh/jagatī in such stanzas).
AV 4.35 ist ein mṛtyu-santāraṇa-Heilhymnus („Hinübergehen über den Tod“), der brahma-odana (geweihter gekochter Reis) als kosmische, lebenstragende Substanz sakralisiert, durch die der Rezitierende den vorzeitigen Tod „überschreitet“. Odanā wird mit Prajāpatis aus Tapas geborener Schöpfungstat identifiziert sowie mit einem leuchtenden, nach allen Richtungen schützenden Brahman-/Brāhmaṇaspati-Prinzip, das den prāṇa wiederherstellt und die Räder der Zeit (Monate, Jahr, Tag und Nacht) überdauert. Die refrainartige Bitte — „tena odanena ati tarāṇi mṛtyum“ („mit diesem Odanā möge ich den Tod überschreiten“) — fungiert als wirksames Siegel der hymnischen Kraft.
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
मृत्युसंतरणम्। बयमो॑द॒नं प्र॑थम॒जा ऋ॒तस्य॑ प्र॒जाप॑ति॒स्तप॑सा ब्र॒ह्मणेऽप॑चत्। यो लो॒कानां॒ विधृ॑ति॒र्नाभि॒रेषा॒त् तेनौ॑द॒नेनाति॑ तराणि मृ॒त्युम्
Zauber zum Überschreiten des Todes. Dieser Odana (gekochter Reis) — der Erstgeborene der Ṛta (kosmischen Ordnung); Prajāpati kochte ihn durch die Glut des Tapas für Brahman, für die Brahman-Kraft. Er war die Stütze der Welten, ihr Nabel und Mittelpunkt: mit eben diesem Odana möge ich den Tod überschreiten.
Mantra 2
येनात॑रन् भूत॒कृतोऽति॑ मृ॒त्युं यम॒न्ववि॑द॒न् तप॑सा॒ श्रमे॑ण । यं प॒पाच॑ ब्र॒ह्मणे॒ ब्रह्म॒ पूर्वं॒ तेनौ॑द॒नेनाति॑ तराणि मृ॒त्युम्
Womit die Schöpfer der Wesen den Tod überschritten — was sie danach durch Tapas-Glut und mühevolle Anstrengung fanden; was Brahman am Anfang für die Brahman-Kraft kochte — mit eben diesem Odana möge ich den Tod überschreiten.
Mantra 3
यो दा॒धार॑ पृथि॒वीं वि॒श्वभो॑जसं॒ यो अ॒न्तरि॑क्ष॒मापृ॑णा॒द् रसे॑न । यो अस्त॑भ्ना॒द् दिव॑मू॒र्ध्वो म॑हि॒म्ना तेनौ॑द॒नेनाति॑ तराणि मृ॒त्युम्
Er, der die Erde hielt, die allnährende; der den Luftraum mit Saft, mit Rasa, erfüllte; der den Himmel hoch aufstützte durch seine Größe — mit eben diesem Odana möge ich den Tod überschreiten.
Mantra 4
यस्मा॒न्मासा॒ निर्मि॑तास्त्रिं॒शद॑राः संवत्स॒रो यस्मा॒न्निर्मि॑तो॒ द्वाद॑शारः । अ॒हो॒रा॒त्रा यं प॑रि॒यन्तो॒ नापुस्तेनौ॑दनेनाति॑ तराणि मृ॒त्युम्
Aus dem die Monate geformt sind, dreißigspeichig; aus dem das Jahr geformt ist, zwölfspeichig; den Tag und Nacht, im Kreise umlaufend, nicht erreichen konnten — mit eben diesem Odana möge ich den Tod überschreiten.
Mantra 5
यः प्रा॑ण॒दः प्रा॑ण॒दवा॑न् ब॒भूव॒ यस्मै॑ लो॒का घृ॒तव॑न्तः॒ क्षर॑न्ति । ज्योति॑ष्मतीः प्र॒दिशो॒ यस्य॒ सर्वा॒स्तेनौ॑द॒नेनाति॑ तराणि मृ॒त्युम्
Er, der zum Spender des Atems wurde, ja, atemverleihend; für den die Welten, ghee-reich, ihre Ströme träufeln; dessen alle Himmelsrichtungen lichtvoll erglänzen — durch jenes Odana möge ich den Tod überschreiten.
Mantra 6
यस्मा॑त् प॒क्वाद॒मृतं॑ संब॒भूव॒ यो गा॑य॒त्र्या अधि॑पतिर्ब॒भूव॑ । यस्मि॒न् वेदा॒ निहि॑ता वि॒श्वरू॑पा॒स्तेनौ॑द॒नेनाति॑ तराणि मृ॒त्युम्
Aus der gekochten Opfergabe wurde Unsterblichkeit geboren; sie wurde zum Herrn der Gāyatrī. In ihr sind die Veden, in allen Gestalten, niedergelegt: durch jenen Odana möge ich den Tod überschreiten.
Mantra 7
अव॑ बाधे द्वि॒षन्तं॑ देवपी॒युं स॒पत्ना॒ ये मेऽप॒ ते भ॑वन्तु । ब्र॒ह्मौ॒द॒नं वि॑श्व॒जितं॑ पचामि शृ॒ण्वन्तु॑ मे श्र॒द्दधा॑नस्य दे॒वाः
Fort schlage ich den Hasser, den Göttertrinker; die Nebenbuhler, die die meinen sind—fort mit ihnen, mögen sie verschwinden. Ich koche den Brahma-Odana, allbezwingend: mögen die Götter mich erhören, mich, der im Glauben handelt.
Inside Sukta 35
How it unfolds
- How it opens
The hymn opens by declaring the rite as ‘mṛtyu-santāraṇa’ and presents odana as ‘first-born of ṛta,’ cooked by Prajāpati’s tapas for Brahman-power, the worlds’ support and navel.
- What it asks
Repeatedly petitions that by ‘that very odana’ the reciter may cross beyond Death—i.e., elude death’s seizure and regain stable prāṇa.
- Where its power lies
Odana is equated with cosmic sovereignty: the source beyond time’s spokes (months/year) and beyond day-night’s circling; the quarters are luminous for the prāṇa-giver—therefore death cannot overtake the one aligned with it.
- How it closes
The refrain functions as the closing seal: ‘tena odanena ati tarāṇi mṛtyum’—a final binding of intention that the consecrated substance carries the performer past death.
Famous verses
tena odanena ati tarāṇi mṛtyum
tena odanena ati tarāṇi mṛtyum
prāṇadaḥ prāṇadavān
Kind of hymn
Bhaisajya (Healing) / Apamrityu (Death-warding)
What it is for
To avert untimely death, strengthen life-breath, and establish a protected, time-transcending vitality through the ritual use of consecrated odana with ghee.
Who it is for
Householders and Atharvanic practitioners performing longevity and recovery rites for a patient, a threatened individual, or the family line (especially when omens/illness suggest apamṛtyu).
Also used as
- Shantika
- Paustika
- Apamrityu
The deity
A combined principle: Brahman-power as efficacious sacred speech and priestly force, Brāhmaṇaspati as its lordly protector, and Prajāpati as the tapas-born creator—here concretized in odana, the ‘first-born of ṛta,’ the worlds’ navel/support and a vessel of prāṇa.
Powers of the deity
- Bestows and restores prāṇa (life-breath)
- Carries the sacrificer beyond mṛtyu (especially apamṛtyu/untimely death)
- Establishes all-direction protection (luminous quarters)
- Stabilizes cosmic order (ṛta) and the world’s ‘navel’ (nābhi)
- Transcends time-cycles (months/year/day-night) and their decay-force
Why the deity is called
Invoked to consecrate odana as a living, cosmic medicine so that by consuming/using it with mantra the performer secures prāṇa, protection in all directions, and a ‘crossing over’ death’s grasp.
The seer
- Atharvan/Āṅgirasa seer (exact name to be verified from the Anukramaṇī for AV 4.35)Atharvan. Apamṛtyu (warding off untimely death), bhaiṣajya (healing/recuperation), and longevity rites that combine cosmological identification with a concrete ritual food-substance (odana) as the carrier of prāṇa.
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 4.34 (apamṛtyu/health context, adjacent collection)
- AV 5.30 (apamṛtyu-type material; attribution varies by Anukramaṇī)
- AV 7.53 (longevity/protection theme; attribution varies by tradition)
Preparing for the rite
- Prepare a clean ritual space; seat the patient/beneficiary facing east (or toward the household fire).
- Cook odana (boiled rice/gruel) with ghṛta; keep it covered and ritually ‘guarded’ from impurity.
- Optional: establish a simple protective boundary (water-sprinkling or silent prāṇa-visualization) before recitation.
The rite
- Recite the sukta over the odana, focusing on the refrain ‘tena odanena ati tarāṇi mṛtyum’ as the operative intent.
- Offer a small portion conceptually to the sustaining power (Brahman/Brāhmaṇaspati/Prajāpati) and then give the remainder to the beneficiary to eat while the mantra is concluded.
- Conclude with a brief silent prāṇa-holding (steady breathing) and a directional visualization of light in all quarters.
What it needs
- Odana (boiled rice/gruel)
- Ghṛta (ghee)
- Clean water for sprinkling (optional)
- A clean vessel and ladle/spoon
When
Performed during illness, after ominous dreams/portents, or in a longevity rite; ideally in the morning or at a calm, auspicious time when the beneficiary can eat the consecrated food.
The main substance
Odana (boiled rice/gruel) consecrated as brahma-odana
How it is prepared
Cook rice into odana; mix or anoint with ghṛta. Recite the sukta over the prepared odana, then have the beneficiary consume it as the mantra’s carrier of prāṇa and death-warding power.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is boiled rice/gruel ritually identified with Brahman-power—treated as a cosmic, life-bearing food that can carry the reciter beyond the grasp of untimely death.
In Atharvanic usage it primarily targets apamṛtyu (premature/inauspicious death) and severe peril, aiming to restore prāṇa and extend life within the ordered span, rather than denying mortality altogether.
By cooking odana with ghee, reciting the verses over it, and having the beneficiary consume it; the repeated refrain ‘by that odana may I pass beyond Death’ functions as the operative intention.
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