Sukta 15
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
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (approx.)
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.
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
अभय प्राप्तिः। यथा॒ द्यौश्च॑ पृथि॒वी च॒ न बि॑भी॒तो न रिष्य॑तः । ए॒वा मे॑ प्राण॒ मा बि॑भेः
As Heaven and Earth together fear not, nor suffer harm, even so, O Breath of life, for me—be not afraid.
Mantra 2
यथाह॑श्च॒ रात्री॑ च॒ न बि॑भी॒तो न रिष्य॑तः । ए॒वा मे॑ प्राण॒ मा बि॑भेः
As Day and Night fear not, nor come to harm, even so, O Breath of life, for me—be not afraid.
Mantra 3
यथा॒ सूर्य॑श्च च॒न्द्रश्च॒ न बि॑भी॒तो न रिष्य॑तः । ए॒वा मे॑ प्राण॒ मा बि॑भेः
As the Sun and as the Moon fear not, nor come to harm, even so, O my Breath, do thou not fear.
Mantra 4
यथा॒ ब्रह्म॑ च क्ष॒त्रं च॒ न बि॑भी॒तो न रिष्य॑तः । ए॒वा मे॑ प्राण॒ मा बि॑भेः
Even as the Brahman-power and the Kṣatra-power have not feared, nor are they harmed—so, for me, O Breath of life, be not afraid.
Mantra 5
यथा॑ स॒त्यं चानृ॑तं च॒ न बि॑भी॒तो न रिष्य॑तः । ए॒वा मे॑ प्राण॒ मा बि॑भेः
As Truth and Untruth fear not, nor suffer harm—so, O my Prāṇa, do thou not fear.
Mantra 6
यथा॑ भू॒तं च॒ भव्यं॑ च॒ न बि॑भी॒तो न रिष्य॑तः । ए॒वा मे॑ प्राण॒ मा बि॑भेः
As one, in face of what hath been and what shall be, is not afraid and suffereth no hurt,—even so, O Breath of mine, be thou not fearful.
Inside Sukta 15
How it unfolds
- How it opens
The hymn opens by setting a pattern of comparison: ‘As X does not fear and is not harmed… so, O Prāṇa, for me—do not fear.’
- What it asks
That the patient’s prāṇa remain fearless, unharmed, and steady—neither shaken nor driven away by danger, anxiety, or weakness.
- Where its power lies
By invoking unassailable models (Day–Night; brahman–kṣatra; the totality of past–future), the mantra claims prāṇa can be made equally inviolable through speech-act and alignment with cosmic order.
- How it closes
The final repetition extends fearlessness across time itself (‘bhūta’ and ‘bhavya’), sealing the patient’s prāṇa against anxieties of what was and what will be.
Famous verses
evā me prāṇa mā bibheḥ
yathā brahma ca kṣatraṃ ca
yathā bhūtaṃ ca bhavyaṃ ca
Kind of hymn
Bhaisajya (Healing) / Rakṣā (Protective charm)
What it is for
To stabilize and retain prāṇa, remove fear and shock, and ensure the patient remains unharmed—thereby supporting recovery and averting fatal decline.
Who it is for
Healers/ritual specialists (Atharvanic practitioners) reciting for a patient suffering fright, weakness, faintness, or precarious vitality; also suitable for self-recitation in anxiety-related depletion.
Also used as
- Rakṣā
- Śāntika
- Āyuṣya
The deity
Prāṇa is the personified life-force that sustains bodily vitality, consciousness, and endurance; in Atharvavedic healing it is treated as a resident power that can be steadied, recalled, and guarded. Day and Night function as paradigms of unbroken rhythm and fearlessness, modeling the stable circulation and continuity desired for the patient’s breath-life.
Powers of the deity
- Sustains life, strength, and wakeful awareness
- Counters fear, shock, and destabilization of the person
- Guards against harm (riṣ) and decline (kṣaya/avaśyāya implied)
- Restores steadiness and continuity like cosmic regularities
- Reintegrates the person after fright or near-collapse
Why the deity is called
Prāṇa is invoked to remain in the patient without fear or injury, preventing the life-breath from wavering or departing under the pressure of fright, weakness, or ominous thoughts.
The seer
- Atharvanic (anukramaṇī-dependent; often placed in Atharvan/Āṅgirasa streams)Atharvan. Bhaiṣajya and rakṣā charms for life-preservation: prāṇa-stabilization, fear-removal, protection from sudden harm, and restoring steadiness after fright or weakness.
Other hymns of this seer
- AVŚ 2.13 (prāṇa/āyuṣya-protective material in the same healing cluster, tradition-dependent)
- AVŚ 3.11 (āyuṣya/life-prolonging themes; attribution varies by recension/anukramaṇī)
- AVŚ 6.53 (rakṣā/apotropaic protection; common Atharvanic attribution patterns)
Preparing for the rite
- Seat the patient calmly in a protected, quiet space; regulate breathing gently (no forceful techniques).
- Mentally frame the rite as prāṇa-sthāpanā (establishing the life-breath) and bhaya-śamana (pacifying fear).
- If desired, mark a simple protective boundary (rakṣā) around the patient with clean water or by intention.
The rite
- Recite the six mantras in order, keeping the refrain-like cadence steady to ‘entrain’ calm.
- On the repeated line ‘evā me prāṇa mā bibheḥ’, gesture toward the chest/heart region to ‘seat’ prāṇa (hṛdaya/uras focus).
- Optionally repeat the whole sukta 3, 7, or 9 times for strengthening, maintaining even tone and tempo.
What it needs
- None required by the text
- Optional: clean water for sprinkling (prokṣaṇa) as a calming rakṣā support
When
Any time of acute fear, shock, faintness, or breath-instability; especially effective at transitional times (dawn/dusk) that mirror Ahaḥ–Rātrī continuity.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is used to steady and retain prāṇa (vital breath) when a person is frightened, weak, or at risk of collapse—removing fear and guarding against harm.
These are presented as stable, unharmed powers. The mantra transfers that same steadiness and inviolability to the patient’s life-breath through repeated comparison.
No substances are required by the hymn itself. It can be performed purely by recitation, with optional calming supports like sprinkling clean water if one follows local practice.
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