Atharvaveda Kanda 2 Anuvaka 2 in English

Various Rishis

Kanda 210 Suktas56 Mantras

Anuvaka 2

Protection of life-force and household territory through reversal of hostility and rakṣa (apotropaic) rites

Kinds of charm

Bhaishajya (healing): 4Abhicharika (against foes): 4Shantika (pacifying): 2

Suktas in Anuvaka 2

Sukta 11

AV 2.11 is a compact Atharvanic charm for rivalry and enmity: it turns hostile dveṣa back toward the hater while empowering the patron to “attain the better lot” (śreyas) and step beyond an opponent’s equal standing. Across five anuṣṭubh-like verses it re-labels destructive agencies (spoiling, weapon, wrath) and then re-consecrates the performer/patron with brilliance and light, asserting that mantra-power can both repel aggression and secure superior prosperity.

Rishi: Atharvanic/Angirasa tradition (ascribed at the hymn level in many indices; verse-level r̥ṣi not separately specified). | Devata: Dveṣa (enmity) as a hostile force to be reversed; implicitly the mantra’s own brahman-power (vac) as agent. | 5 Mantras

Sukta 12

AVŚ 2.12 is a mixed-purpose Atharvanic hymn that frames the performer’s lived territory (kṣetra) within the great cosmic enclosures—Heaven–Earth and the Midspace—so that hostile affliction is forced to rebound upon its sender. It combines apotropaic counter-sorcery (tapas/“scorching back” the attacker, felling the mind-harmer through Indra) with a final restorative turn in which Agni Jātavedas re-establishes the victim’s footing, breath (asu), and speech (vāk).

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (attribution varies by anukramaṇī; commonly classed under Atharvan/Āṅgirasa protective charms) | Devata: Dyāvāpr̥thivī and Antárikṣa (cosmic regions) with Vāta as guardian; also the personified Kṣetrasya Patnī (Field’s Lady) | 8 Mantras

Sukta 13

AVŚ 2.13 is a longevity-and-protection hymn that petitions Agni as āyurdāḥ (bestower of life) to grant ripe old age (jaras) and to guard the recipient like a father surrounding his children. Alongside Agni’s nourishing “ghee-and-honey” imagery, the hymn deploys a protective garment (vāsaḥ) as a portable shield against curses and harm, sealing welfare, wealth, and increase for the household and herd.

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (often transmitted under Atharvan/Āṅgiras lineages; specific r̥ṣi attribution depends on anukramaṇī tradition for AVŚ 2.13). | Devata: Agni (as āyurdāḥ—bestower of longevity and protector). | 5 Mantras

Sukta 14

AVŚ 2.14 is a rakṣoghna household-protection hymn that forcefully expels bhūtas, rākṣasas, and named female afflicters from the home and its vulnerable joints (foundation, cattle-stall, cart/axle). It installs Indra as a standing, vajra-bearing guardian over the dwelling while Bhūtapati functions as the controller who drives hostile beings out. The hymn’s power is framed as a complete eviction—pushing the intruders beyond domestic boundaries and sealing the house as a protected space.

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (seer attribution varies by anukramaṇī for this hymn) | Devata: Indra (as rakṣas-slayer) and Bhūtapati (as overlord/controller of beings) | 6 Mantras

Sukta 15

This brief Atharvavedic healing-protective hymn addresses Prāṇa (the vital breath) directly, commanding it to remain steady, fearless, and unharmed within the patient. By aligning the patient’s life-breath with inviolable cosmic and social exemplars—Day and Night, brahman and kṣatra, past and future—it counters shock, panic, and the dangerous “flight” of prāṇa that precedes collapse. Its power lies in repetitive, stabilizing comparison (yathā… evā…) that ritually “sets” prāṇa back into firmness and continuity.

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (exact r̥ṣi attribution depends on anukramaṇī tradition for AVŚ 2.15) | Devata: Prāṇa (vital breath), with implicit support of Ahaḥ–Rātrī (Day and Night) as cosmic exemplars | 6 Mantras

Sukta 16

This brief Atharvanic charm is a compact life-protection (āyusya) formula that stabilizes the vital breaths—Prāṇa and Apāna—against the approach of Mṛtyu (Death). Through svāhā-sealed invocations to the life-winds and to cosmic guardians (Sūrya’s eye, Agni Vaiśvānara with the All-Gods), it establishes a protective enclosure intended to avert premature or violent death and to restore steadiness to the living person.

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (specific ṛṣi not securely determinable from the single mantra alone in isolation). | Devata: Prāṇa and Apāna (vital breaths) as deified life-agents; apotropaic opposition to Mṛtyu. | 5 Mantras

Sukta 17

AVŚ 2.17 is a compact Atharvanic “faculty-installation” hymn that re-seats vital powers in the patient by directly addressing them as personified indriya-forces. Through short svāhā-formulas—especially to Āyus (Life) and Śrotra (Hearing)—it aims to restore sensory capacity, stabilize life-force, and extend protective coverage (paripāṇa) against further impairment.

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (specific ṛṣi attribution varies by anukramaṇī for this hymn; commonly Atharvan/Angiras-type attributions in this register). | Devata: Śrotra (Hearing) personified as an indriya-power; implicitly supported by the general indriya-deities. | 6 Mantras

Sukta 18

Atharvaveda 2.18 is a compact, oblation-marked set of operative formulas aimed at wasting (kṣayaṇa) and driving away (cātana) hostile rivals—especially the bhrātṛvya (competitive peer/claimant) and arā́ya (hostile power). Each mantra identifies the rite’s implement/act as the very force of enemy-destruction and then petitions that force to be transferred to the sacrificer as protection, victory, and unbroken security. The repeated svāhā frames the charm as a fire-offering performance in which mantra-power (brahman) is carried and “sealed” through Agni.

Rishi: Atharvanic/Angirasa tradition. | Devata: Mantra as operative power (brahman); implicitly Agni as carrier due to svāhā. | 5 Mantras

Sukta 19

This short Agni-hymn is a compact Atharvanic counter-charm that turns hostile intent back upon its sender by harnessing Agni’s arciṣ (flame), śocis (scorching heat), and tejas (splendour). It functions as a ritualized “reversal” (praty-), seeking to burn, scorch, and de-empower the one who hates the performer, while simultaneously protecting the household through the controlled power of the fire.

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (specific ṛṣi attribution for this verse is not securely determinable from the single mantra alone) | Devata: Agni | 5 Mantras

Sukta 20

AVŚ 2.20 is a compact enemy-subduing (śatrunāśana) hymn that asks Vāyu to reverse hostility by applying his own tapas, śociṣ (burning flame), and tejas against the hater. The repeated refrain “yo ’smān dveṣṭi yaṃ vayaṃ dviṣmaḥ” frames the rite as retaliatory reversal: the adversary’s hate is met with Vāyu’s scorching force and the stripping of hostile potency.

Rishi: Atharvanic/Angirasa tradition (enemy-destroying hymns are typically attributed to Atharvan/Angiras lineages; specific r̥ṣi attribution depends on the Anukramaṇī). | Devata: Vāyu (as bearer of tapas/tejas used for punitive reversal) | 5 Mantras

Deities of Anuvaka 2

Agni
Protector-healer and counter-charm agent (burns back hostility; grants āyus)
In 2 hymns
PranaPrāṇa
Healer (vital-breath stabilization and fearlessness)
In 1 hymn
Prana-ApanaPrāṇa-Apāna (paired vital breaths)
Life-protectors (āyusya; barrier against Mṛtyu)
In 1 hymn
Indriyaspersonified faculties/powers
Restorers (re-seating strength, senses, and capacities)
In 1 hymn
VayuVāyu
Destroyer of hostility / reverser (turns tapas/tejas against the hater)
In 1 hymn
Dyava-Prithivi and AntarikshaDyāvā-Pṛthivī and Antarikṣa (cosmic enclosures)
Protective boundary-keepers (kṣetra-guardianship)
In 1 hymn
Rakshas / BhutasRakṣas / Bhūtas (as targets of expulsion)
Targets (expelled/banished from the house-joints)
In 1 hymn
Bhratrivya / ShatruBhrātṛvya / Śatru (as targets of wasting/subduing)
Targets (rival wasting, driving away, and subjugation)
In 2 hymns

Inside Anuvaka 2

The theme

Protection of life-force and household territory through reversal of hostility and rakṣa (apotropaic) rites

Threads through it

Enemy/rival reversal (dveṣa-pratiprasava) and bhrātṛvya-kṣayaṇa
Āyusya rites: stabilizing prāṇa–apāna and warding off Mṛtyu
Rakṣoghna domestic protection against bhūtas/rākṣasas and female afflicters
Cosmic enclosure of the kṣetra (Heaven–Earth–Antarikṣa as protective bounds)
Installation/restoration of faculties (indriya-samsthāpana)
Fire/wind as instruments of counter-heat (tejas/śociṣ) against hostility

Who it serves

For households and individuals facing rivalry, envy, and occult aggression; for patients needing breath-stability, recovery of vitality and faculties, and for securing home/land boundaries from intrusive forces.

What it heals

Threatened lifespan, fear of death, weakening vitalitySukta 2.13, 2.15, 2.16
Breath-instability, panic/fear affecting prāṇa, general debilitySukta 2.15, 2.16
Loss of strength/senses or diminished functioning after illness (faculty depletion)Sukta 2.17
Household affliction: bhūtas/rākṣasas, intrusive spirits, female afflicters harming domestic joints (foundation, cattle-stall, axle/cart)Sukta 2.14
Rivalry, enmity, envy, hostile speech/intent returning upon the senderSukta 2.11, 2.18, 2.19, 2.20
Territorial insecurity: hostile forces pressing into one’s kṣetra/home-spaceSukta 2.12

Frequently Asked Questions

What unifies the hymns of Atharvaveda Kanda 2 Anuvaka 2 (2.11–2.20)?

They combine rakṣa and āyusya work: securing one’s home/territory and life-force while reversing hostility back onto rivals through Agni/Vāyu-powered counter-action.

Which suktas focus most on longevity and stabilizing the vital breath?

AV 2.13 petitions Agni as āyurdāḥ for ripe old age; AV 2.15 addresses Prāṇa directly; AV 2.16 stabilizes Prāṇa–Apāna against the approach of Mṛtyu.

Which hymns are used for rivalry, bhrātṛvya pressure, and enemy-subduing?

AV 2.11 and 2.18 explicitly target rivals (including bhrātṛvya) for reversal/wasting; AV 2.19 uses Agni’s heat as a counter-charm; AV 2.20 asks Vāyu to turn hostility back on the hater.

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