Atharva Veda Sukta 2
Kanda 5Anuvaka 1Sukta 29 Mantras

Sukta 2

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (Indra-stuti; specific r̥ṣi not marked in the supplied excerpt)

Devata: Indra (implicitly, by epithets of might and victory)

Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (probable; verse-length and cadence consistent with AV anuṣṭubh usage)

AV 5.2 ist ein Sieges- und Wohlstandshymnus, der Indra (und eine indraartige Opferkraft des yajña) als die unübertreffliche Macht preist, die Feinde zurückstößt und die Herrschaft des Gönners über jedes Maß hinaus ausweitet. Durch das Lob von Indras vielen Wegen, seiner unwiderstehlichen Kraft und der kampfverbundenen Süße (madhu) will das Sukta Entschlossenheit (kratu) festigen, kriegerische Begeisterung (mada) entfachen und Vorrang in Wettkämpfen sichern — sozialen, territorialen und militärischen.

Kind of charm

Paushtika (prosperity)
Recitation with translationAtharva Veda 5.2

Mantras

Mantra 1

भुवनेषु ज्येष्ठः। तदिदा॑स॒ भुव॑नेषु॒ ज्येष्ठं॒ यतो॑ यज्ञ उ॒ग्र स्त्वे॒षनृ॑म्णः । स॒द्यो ज॑ज्ञा॒नो नि रि॑णाति॒ शत्रू॒ननु॒ यदे॑नं॒ मद॑न्ति॒ विश्व॒ ऊमाः॑

Der Älteste in den Welten. Wahrlich, er war der Älteste unter den Welten – er, aus dem das Opfer hervorgeht, furchtbar, von glühender Manneskraft. Neugeboren vertreibt er sogleich die Feinde, wenn alle helfenden Mächte in ihm jubeln.

Mantra 2

वा॒वृ॒धा॒नः शव॑सा॒ भूर्यो॑जाः॒ शत्रु॑र्दा॒साय॑ भि॒यसं॑ दधाति । अव्य॑नच्च व्य॒नच्च॒ सस्नि॒ सं ते॑ नवन्त॒ प्रभृ॑ता॒ मदे॑षु

Immer weiter wachsend an Kraft, von reicher Stärke, legt er dem Feind Furcht auf wie einem Dāsa. Er beugte nieder und beugte auseinander; mit dem zügelnden Band beugen sie sich ganz vor dir, wenn in den Tränken des Jubels die Rausche hervorgebracht werden.

Mantra 3

त्वे क्रतु॒मपि॑ पृञ्चन्ति॒ भूरि॒ द्विर्यदे॒ते त्रिर्भव॒न्त्यूमाः॑ । स्वा॒दोः स्वा॒दीयः॑ स्वा॒दुना॑ सृजा॒ सम॒दः सु मधु॒ मधु॑ना॒भि यो॑धीः

In dir mischen sie krátu, den Entschluss, in Fülle, wenn diese Ausströmungen dreifach werden, ja noch zweimal dazu. Süßer als süß: sende mit Süße hervor; erquicke, und mit Honig – honiggetränkt – tritt gegen sie in den Kampf.

Mantra 4

यदि॑ चि॒न्नु त्वा॒ धना॒ जय॑न्तं॒ रणे॑रणे अनु॒मद॑न्ति॒ विप्राः॑ । ओजी॑यः शुष्मिन्त्स्थि॒रमा त॑नुष्व॒ मा त्वा॑ दभन् दु॒रेवा॑सः क॒शोकाः॑

Ja, selbst wenn jetzt die inspirierten Seher dich bejubeln, der in Schlacht um Schlacht Beute gewinnt: breite dich aus, noch stärker, du Gewaltiger, in fester Standhaftigkeit; mögen dich die Übelgesinnten, die schlecht Behausten, die Kummer Bringenden, nicht überlisten.

Mantra 5

त्वया॑ व॒यं शा॑शद्महे॒ रणे॑षु प्र॒पश्य॑न्तो यु॒धेन्या॑नि॒ भूरि॑ । चो॒दया॑मि त॒ आयु॑धा॒ वचो॑भिः॒ सं ते॑ शिशामि॒ ब्रह्म॑णा॒ वयां॑सि

Mit dir siegen wir in den Kämpfen, weit vorausschauend; zahlreich sind die kriegerischen Taten. Ich treibe deine Waffen mit meinen Worten voran; mit heiliger Macht, mit brahman, schärfe ich dir ganz und gar deine Lebenskräfte.

Mantra 6

नि तद् द॑धि॒षेऽव॑रे॒ परे॑ च॒ यस्मि॒न्नावि॒थाव॑सा दुरो॒णे। आ स्था॑पयत मा॒तरं॑ जिग॒त्नुमत॑ इन्वत॒ कर्व॑राणि॒ भूरि॑

Du befestigst jene Hilfe, unten wie oben, in dem Haus (duróṇa), worin du mit deinem Beistand schützt. Richtet die Mutter auf, die eilends hierher kommt; von hier vertreibt die vielen gesprenkelten Feinde.

Mantra 7

स्तु॒ष्व व॑र्ष्मन् पुरु॒वर्त्मा॑नं॒ समृभ्वा॑णमि॒नत॑ममा॒प्तमा॒प्त्याना॑म्। आ द॑र्शति॒ शव॑सा॒ भूर्यो॑जाः॒ प्र स॑क्षति प्रति॒मानं॑ पृथि॒व्याः

Lobe, o erhabene Macht, den Vielpfadigen, den wohl Vollbringenden, den stärksten Antreiber, das sicherst Erreichbare aller Erlangungen. Er zeigt sich in Kraft, reich an Stärke; er überragt das Maß der Erde.

Mantra 8

इ॒मा ब्रह्म॑ बृ॒हद्दि॑वः कृणव॒दिन्द्रा॑य शू॒षम॑ग्रि॒यः स्व॒र्षाः । म॒हो गो॒त्रस्य॑ क्षयति स्व॒राजा॒ तुर॑श्चि॒द् विश्व॑मर्णव॒त् तप॑स्वान्

Diese heiligen Worte des hohen Himmels hat der Vorderste, der Sonnengewinnende, zu stürmischer Kraft für Indra gefügt. Als selbstherrschender Gebieter hält er die Herrschaft über den großen Kuhpferch; überwältigend, ja, er überflutet das All wie eine Flut in glühender Glut.

Mantra 9

ए॒वा म॒हान् बृ॒हद्दि॑वो॒ अथ॒र्वावो॑च॒त् स्वां त॒न्व॑१मिन्द्र॑मे॒व। स्वसा॑रौ मात॒रिभ्व॑री अरि॒प्रे हि॒न्वन्ति॑ चैने॒ शव॑सा व॒र्ध॑य॑न्ति च

So sprach Atharvan, der Große, vom hohen Himmel: Indra selbst in seiner eigenen Gestalt. Zwei Schwestern, die Mātṛbhvarīs, treiben ihn im Feindesstreit an, und mit Macht lassen sie ihn noch mehr anwachsen.

Inside Sukta 2

How it unfolds

  1. How it opens

    Begins by declaring the invoked power ‘chief in the worlds’ and linking that supremacy to the fierce, manly-force-yajña that proceeds from him.

  2. What it asks

    That Indra’s exalted strength and sweet, intoxicating potency intensify the patron’s resolve and join battle successfully against opponents.

  3. Where its power lies

    Indra ‘shows himself forth with strength, rich in vigor’ and prevails beyond earthly measure—thereby making victory not merely likely but characteristic of his presence.

  4. How it closes

    Ends by fixing Indra’s superiority as the decisive measure: foes are pushed down/away, while the patron’s standing and ground are made greater.

Famous verses

bhuvaneṣu jyeṣṭham
Verse 5.2.1Sets the cosmological and ritual authority: the ‘chief in the worlds’ from whom fierce yajña-power proceeds, and who immediately drives away enemies when the supporting powers exult in him.Read verse 5.2.1 →
svādoḥ svādīyaḥ … madhu madhu
Verse 5.2.3Core paustika-jayakarman mechanism: kratu is ‘blended’ in abundance; sweetness (madhu) becomes martial potency that exhilarates and enables joining battle effectively.Read verse 5.2.3 →
prati mānaṃ pṛthivyāḥ
Verse 5.2.7High-point of Indra-stuti: praises Indra as many-pathed and most surely attained; asserts his vigor exceeds the earth’s measure—an image of unquestionable supremacy and dominion.Read verse 5.2.7 →

Kind of hymn

Paustika / Jayakarman (Prosperity and Victory-rite)

What it is for

Strengthen resolve, generate auspicious vigor, and secure victory—culminating in the patron surpassing rivals and holding/expanding dominion.

Who it is for

Householder-patron, king/leader, champion in dispute or battle; also a purohita/priest performing victory and prosperity rites.

Also used as

  • Jayakarman (victory-rite)
  • Abhicarika (enemy-expulsion element)

The deity

Indra here is the archetype of victorious might—many-pathed, well-accomplishing, rich in vigor—whose presence makes allies exult and foes collapse; the hymn also treats yajña as the engine from which fierce, manly force proceeds.

Powers of the deity

  • Drives away and crushes enemies immediately (śatrūn ni riṇāti)
  • Grants victory and dominance in battle and rivalry
  • Increases kratu (resolve/strategic will) and mada (exhilarated fighting power)
  • Expands territory and status ‘beyond the measure of the earth’
  • Makes offerings/effusions (ūmāḥ) effective as empowering currents

Why the deity is called

To enthrone Indra’s supremacy over rivals so the patron gains victory, steadiness of purpose, and enlarged standing/ground (social and territorial).

The seer

  • Atharvanic (anukramaṇī: r̥ṣi not explicitly marked in excerpt; Atharvan/Angirasa attribution varies)Atharvan. Paustika and jayakarman charms: strengthening kratu (resolve), winning contests, repelling rivals, and establishing kṣatra-like dominance through praise that ‘activates’ divine power.

Other hymns of this seer

  • AV 5.1
  • AV 5.3
  • AV 6.52 (Indra-stuti/strengthening type, tradition-linked rather than single named seer)

Preparing for the rite

  • Choose a clean, undisturbed place (home threshold, assembly ground, or before departure).
  • Mentally ‘seat’ Indra as victor; establish sankalpa for victory/prosperity and protection from rivals.
  • If available, prepare madhu (honey/mead) as an auspicious strengthening offering or sip (ācāmana-like) according to local practice.

The rite

  • Recite the sukta in a steady cadence; emphasize verses that mention kratu (resolve), mada (exhilaration), and earth-measure/dominion.
  • Optionally make a small offering of madhu (or sweetened water) to the fire or to a clean vessel as Indra’s share.
  • Conclude with a brief silent fixation on victory and the ‘driving away’ of opponents (śatrūn).

What it needs

  • madhu (honey/mead) or sweetened water (if madhu unavailable)
  • Optional: a small offering fire or clean vessel for libation

When

Before contest/battle/debate; at dawn or prior to setting out; also on auspicious days for gaining influence (paustika intent).

The main substance

madhu (honey/mead) as strengthening, auspicious ‘sweet power’

How it is prepared

Use clean, unfermented honey or a honey-water libation; offer a small portion or sip a consecrated drop while reciting the verse(s) invoking madhu and battle-joining potency.

Frequently Asked Questions

It is used to gain victory and prosperity—strengthening resolve, invoking Indra’s overpowering force, and pushing away rivals or enemies in contests or conflict.

Madhu symbolizes auspicious potency and invigorating strength; the sukta treats sweetness as a force that heightens exhilaration (mada) and empowers effective battle or competition.

Not strictly. The hymn works as a praise-and-intention recitation; if available, a small offering or sip of honey (or sweetened water) can be used to align with the sukta’s imagery and paustika aim.

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