Sukta 2
Rishi: Atharvanic/Angiras-type attribution (requires hymn-level colophon confirmation for AVŚ 1.2 in the chosen edition).
Devata: Indra (as repeller of missiles; with mention of Ṛbhu as invoked/celebrated figure).
Chandas: Mixed/Triṣṭubh-like cadence (to be confirmed against pada count and editional metrical marking).
This brief Atharvavedic hymn is a compact apotropaic charm that “turns back” hostile forces imagined as missile-like afflictions—arrows, bolts, and bindings sent by enemies or sorcerers. It hardens the worshipper’s body (as stone), widens a safe protective space, and drives the dangerous dart far away by invoking Indra’s repelling power alongside potent material-symbols like the bow-string and muñja-binding.
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
रोगोपशमनम्। वि॒द्मा श॒रस्य॑ पि॒तरं॑ प॒र्जन्यं॒ भू॑रिधायसम्। वि॒द्मो ष्व॑स्य मा॒तरं॑ पृथि॒वीं भूरि॑वर्पसम्
We know the Father of the Reed—Parjanya, rich in stored abundance. We know, yea, the Mother of it—Earth, of form and plenty manifold.
Mantra 2
ज्याऽके॒ परि॑ णो न॒माश्मा॑नं त॒न्वं कृधि । वी॒डुर्वरी॒योऽरा॑ती॒रप॒ द्वेषां॒स्याऽकृ॑धि
O Bow-string, round about us—receive our reverence: make thou the body as stone, unyielding. Drive thou away the hostilities; make thou the hatreds to be put afar, and grant the safer, ampler room.
Mantra 3
वृ॒क्षं यद्गावः॑ परिषस्वजा॒ना अ॑नुस्फु॒रं श॒रमर्च॑न्त्यृ॒भुम्। शरु॑म॒स्मद्या॑वय दि॒द्युमि॑न्द्र
When round the tree the cows, close-clasping, gather, and praise the deft Ṛbhu with the quivering arrow— That arrow from us drive thou far away, O Indra, the flashing bolt.
Mantra 4
यथा॒ द्यां च॑ पृथि॒वीं चा॒न्तस्तिष्ठ॑ति॒ तेज॑नम्। ए॒वा रोगं॑ चास्रा॒वं चा॒न्तस्ति॑ष्ठतु॒ मुञ्ज॒ इत्
As, within, the fastening-implement stands between Heaven and Earth, even so—within—let Muñja hold fast the disease and the wasting flux, yea, let it stand confined within.
Inside Sukta 2
How it unfolds
- How it opens
The hymn opens by activating protective encirclement and firmness—addressing a personified implement/power that can surround the worshipper and make the body unyielding.
- What it asks
Drive away arāti, hatred, and the incoming missile-like harm; secure a broader, safer space for the petitioner and household.
- Where its power lies
The charm claims efficacy through concrete analogies and bindings: as a fastening stands firm between Heaven and Earth, so the binding-power can hold disease and flux confined; Indra’s flashing force can repel the dart.
- How it closes
It concludes by fixing the threat in a bound, contained state (Muñja holding roga and āsrāva ‘within’), sealing protection through immobilization rather than mere flight.
Famous verses
tanvaṃ kṛdhi aśmānam
śaruma asmadyāvaya didyumi indra
eva rogaṃ cāsrāvaṃ cāntastiṣṭhatu muñja it
Kind of hymn
Abhicarika (Apotropaic/Counter-sorcery)
What it is for
To neutralize and repel hostile sorcery or enemy-sent affliction conceived as a dart/arrow, while fortifying the body and confining disease-like effects (roga/āsrāva) so they become ineffective.
Who it is for
Householders, ritual specialists, and healers employing Atharvanic counter-sorcery and protection rites for personal and domestic safeguarding.
Also used as
- Rakṣoghna (protective/anti-demonic)
- Śāntika (pacificatory safety-making)
- Bhaiṣajya (healing by binding/containment)
The deity
Indra appears as the divine counter-weapon who drives away the flashing bolt/dart; Ṛbhu is praised in a scene of skill and efficacy, reinforcing the hymn’s theme of deft protective craft. Jyā and Muñja function as personified, tangible powers—encircling, hardening, and binding the threat so it cannot strike.
Powers of the deity
- Repels and diverts hostile ‘arrows’ and magical projectiles
- Creates a widened zone of safety (varīyas/uru space) around the petitioner
- Hardens the body against harm (aśman-like firmness)
- Binds, contains, and immobilizes disease/flux so it cannot spread
- Turns enmity, hatred, and arāti (hostile intent) away from the household
Why the deity is called
Indra is invoked as the decisive force to drive the dart/bolt away; the hymn also mobilizes ‘craft-power’ (Ṛbhu) and material binders (Jyā, Muñja) to encircle, harden, and restrain the incoming harm.
The seer
- Atharvan/Āṅgirasa-type seer (hymn-level colophon dependent)Atharvan. Rakṣoghna and abhicārika counter-charms: repelling hostile ‘missiles’ (śara/śaru), hardening-protection (aśman-like firmness), and binding/containment of disease-like intrusions.
Other hymns of this seer
- AVŚ 1.1 (early protective charm; attribution varies by anukramaṇī)
- AVŚ 1.3 (adjacent early kanda protective material; attribution varies by recension)
- AVŚ 1.6 (selected rakṣas-repelling verses in some anukramaṇī traditions)
Preparing for the rite
- Establish a clean protective space; seat the petitioner facing an auspicious direction (commonly east).
- Prepare a bow-string (jyā) or cord for encircling/binding and obtain muñja grass for a band/amulet tie.
- If applicable, touch or place a stone (aśman) as a symbol of bodily firmness and invulnerability.
- Mentally identify the ‘incoming śara/śaru’ (harm, curse, disease, hostility) as the object to be driven away and bound.
The rite
- Recite the hymn while encircling the petitioner with the bow-string/cord (symbolic paridhi/pari-āveṣṭana) to establish a protective perimeter.
- On the ‘aśman’ sentiment, touch the chest/limbs or the cord/amulet, affirming stone-like firmness of the body.
- On the Indra-verse, gesture outward (a pushing-away motion) to ‘send the arrow far’ from the house and lineage.
- On the Muñja-binding verse, tie muñja as a girdle/armlet/knotted amulet, visualizing disease/flux held fast and contained within.
What it needs
- Bow-string or protective cord (jyā)
- Muñja grass (amulet/girdle material)
- Stone (aśman) as emblem or touchstone of firmness
- A fastening/peg or tie-implement (tejanam) for securing the band
When
Performed when harm is suspected (envy, hostility, ominous signs) or at the onset of affliction; also suitable as a threshold/household protection recitation.
The main substance
Muñja grass (binding-amulet material)
Herbs
- Muñja (Saccharum munja / muñja-grass, traditional binding material)
Amulets
- Muñja girdle/armlet (knotted bandhana)
- Bow-string/cord (jyā) as encircling talisman
- Stone (aśman) as touch-amulet or emblem of firmness
How it is prepared
Twist muñja into a cord or small band; knot while reciting the binding verse so the ‘roga/āsrāva’ is imagined as caught and fixed. Use a bow-string/cord to encircle the petitioner and then secure the muñja band with a small peg/tie (tejanam) if needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
It targets harm imagined as a “dart/arrow” (śara/śaru): enemy hostility, curse-like attack, or a sudden affliction that strikes like a projectile. The hymn repels it outward and also binds its effects so they cannot spread.
The bow-string (jyā) symbolizes protective encirclement—creating a boundary around the person—while the stone (aśman) represents making the body firm and unyielding to attack. Together they express both defense (boundary) and resilience (hardness).
Muñja is treated as an empowered binding material: it ‘holds fast’ disease (roga) and wasting discharge (āsrāva) within a confined state, using the model of a firm cosmic fastening between Heaven and Earth. Practically, it points to a tied band/amulet used to restrain and neutralize the affliction.
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