Deities of Anuvaka 4
- AAdityaĀditya (Sun)
Destroyer
In 1 hymn
- RRudra-PashupatiRudra-Paśupati
Protector
In 1 hymn
- VVishvakarmanViśvakarman
Restorer
In 1 hymn
- A
- AAtharvanic healing powermantra as bhaiṣajya
Healer
In 2 hymns
Anuvaka 4
Restoring vitality by expelling disease-agents and re-securing social–ritual order
Kinds of charm
Bhaishajya (healing): 3Paushtika (prosperity): 2Shantika (pacifying): 1
Suktas in Anuvaka 4
Sukta 31
AV 2.31 is a bhaiṣajya charm aimed at destroying and expelling kṛmi—worms/parasites conceived both as bodily infestations and as hostile agents of disease. The hymn repeatedly frames healing as an act of crushing and smiting: Indra’s dṛṣad (press-stone) and Atharvanic vāc (effective sacred speech) are the operative forces that pulverize worms in every bodily locus and cut off their very “birth” (janima) to prevent return.
Sukta 32
AV 2.32 is a krimi-nāśana (worm-destroying) healing charm that mobilizes Āditya’s rising and setting rays as a burning, searching weapon against internal parasites, especially those afflicting cattle. The hymn combines solar purification with Atharvanic “speech-as-medicine,” asserting that the mantra’s brahman crushes and expels every class of kṛmi—inner, surrounding, great and small—restoring vitality and productivity.
Sukta 33
This Atharvavedic healing hymn is a surgical verbal-extraction charm against yákṣma, conceived as a wasting disease-demon that lodges in specific organs and tissues. By naming body-parts in a systematic anatomical sweep and repeatedly declaring “we tear it out” (vi vṛh-), the mantra functions as an exorcistic therapy—dislodging the affliction from head and senses to trunk and skin. The hymn culminates in an all-body purge, empowered by the authoritative healing current associated with Kaśyapa and the vībarha (“uprooting/extractor” force).
Sukta 34
AVŚ 2.34 is a compact Atharvanic protection-and-prosperity charm that secures the well-being of cattle and people by acknowledging Paśupati (Rudra) as the rightful lord of bipeds and quadrupeds and by offering him his due share as a “buying-off” (niṣkrīti). It then widens into a success-formula: the gods are asked to open a safe “path” (gātu/pāthaḥ) for the yajamāna, while hostile bindings and surveillance are loosened by Agni and safeguarded by Viśvakarman so that wealth, herd-increase, and progeny remain intact.
Sukta 35
AV 2.35 is a Viśvakarman hymn used to remediate ritual error (duriṣṭi/énas) and convert a failing offering into a successful, wealth-bearing sviṣṭi. It treats the sacrifice as a living body—endowed with eye, mouth, speech, hearing, and mind—so that when any part is harmed, the cosmic Artificer can refashion it whole. Its power is restorative: it calls back what was “lost” (naṣṭa)—shares, drops, prosperity, and wellbeing—reintegrating the sacrificer and his household with the rite’s proper order.
Sukta 36
AV 2.36 is a domestic nuptial charm that draws a fitting husband toward a maiden and stabilizes the match through social acceptance, prosperity, and emotional concord. By invoking Agni as household mediator and Bhaga as distributor of “portion” and good fortune, the hymn aims to make the girl pleasing among suitors and secure a marriage free from anger and offence.
Deities of Anuvaka 4
Inside Anuvaka 4
The theme
Restoring vitality by expelling disease-agents and re-securing social–ritual order
Threads through it
- Kr̥mi (worm/parasite) destruction in humans and cattle
- Yákṣma (wasting disease) extraction from specific body-parts
- Rudra–Paśupati protection of cattle and household prosperity
- Repair of ritual fault (énas/duriṣṭi) into successful offering (sviṣṭi)
- Marriage-attraction and stabilization through domestic Agni
Who it serves
Illness management (parasites, wasting disease), livestock protection, correcting ritual mistakes to regain prosperity, and securing an auspicious marriage alliance.
What it heals
- Kr̥mi infestation (worms/parasites) in body; disease conceived as hostile agentsSukta 2.31, 2.32
- Kr̥mi afflicting cattle (internal parasites; herd debility)Sukta 2.32
- Yákṣma (wasting disease) lodged in organs/tissuesSukta 2.33
- Threats to cattle and household well-being (loss, fear, vulnerability of herds and people)Sukta 2.34
- Ritual error/énas causing failed offering and loss of prosperitySukta 2.35
- Marriage delay or mismatch; need to attract a suitable husband and secure concordSukta 2.36
Frequently Asked Questions
It concentrates on restoring vitality: expelling kr̥mi (parasites) and yákṣma (wasting disease), while also safeguarding cattle, repairing ritual failure into sviṣṭi, and securing an auspicious marriage.
Suktas 2.31 and 2.32 target kr̥mi. The cure is framed as a forceful expulsion and burning/searching destruction, especially through Āditya’s rays in 2.32.
They extend “healing” to social and ritual life: Rudra–Paśupati protects herd and household (2.34), Viśvakarman converts ritual fault into success and wealth (2.35), and Agni stabilizes a marriage alliance (2.36).
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