Anuvaka 13
Suktas in Anuvaka 13
Sukta 121
This four-verse hymn is an unbinding and expiation prayer that asks Varuṇa to loosen his juridical pāśas (fetters of guilt, oath-violation, and constraint) and to drive away duṣvapnya (evil dreams) and durita (misfortune). By removing ominous bonds and restoring right order, it aims at health, unobstructed movement through life’s “paths,” and a secure passage toward the sukṛta-loka (the world gained by merit).
Sukta 122
This hymn weaves together the ethics of dāna (gift), the upward ‘thread’ of ancestral merit, and the heaven-leading momentum of yajña, culminating in an abhiṣeka-style consecration that petitions Indra-with-the-Maruts to grant the desired boon. Its power lies in aligning social-religious action (giving, priestly mediation, sacrifice) with a consecratory act (sprinkling) that seals prosperity, protection, and auspicious standing. The sukta thus functions as a paustika-saṃskāra charm: it authorizes success here and a secure path beyond, under Brahmanic ritual custody.
Sukta 123
This short hymn distributes and stabilizes saumanasa—shared goodwill, unanimity, and pleasant-minded concord—among an assembled group addressed as “fellows of one seat” (sadhásthaḥ). Agni Jātavedas is envisioned as the divine carrier who brings the “treasure” of concord, while gods and ancestors are invoked to anchor continuity of identity and social order. The closing movement seeks a “kingly” (rājan) sanction from the lofty realm, securing favor toward the community and recognition of their meritorious gifts (pūrta).
Sukta 124
This brief Atharvanic charm counters Nirṛti—misfortune, wasting, and deathliness—by means of purifying waters, Agni-supported restoration, and merit-backed ritual speech. It treats ominous “contact” (a falling fruit or aerial touch) as a removable taint, cleansed from body and garment, and then seals the person in prosperity, radiance, and offspring-bestowing auspiciousness.
Sukta 125
This brief martial-prosperity hymn consecrates a warrior’s chariot by invoking Vanaspati (the divine lord of timber/trees) and by identifying the ratha with Indra’s vajra-like force. The mantras bind together wood, cattle-power, water-vigor, and divine battle-might so that the mounted fighter wins victory and “the winnings” (spoils) while the vehicle remains firm, protected, and effective.
Sukta 126
This brief martial hymn consecrates the dundubhi (war-drum) as a living, breath-like force whose thunder animates the cosmos and panics hostile powers at a distance. Allied with Indra, the drum becomes an apotropaic weapon: it drives away durita (evil/ill-omen), rallies one’s own troops, and seals victory for the chariot-fighters.
Sukta 127
This short Atharvanic healing hymn is a direct medical charm that commands Yakṣma (wasting disease) and allied morbid conditions—abscess (vidradha), balāsa-phlegm, “red” inflammation, and visalpaka (spreading eruption)—to be utterly eradicated without remainder. The hymn empowers a medicinal plant (Oṣadhi/Vanaspati) and a named remedy (cīpudru) to “tear out” disease from specific body-sites and to banish hidden (ajñāta) Yakṣma downward and far away.
Sukta 128
This short Atharvavedic charm petitions the Nakṣatra-king Śakadhūma and the regulating powers of time—Day/Night and Sun/Moon—to convert the present moment into “bhadrāham,” an auspicious, success-bearing day. It works by ritually aligning a human undertaking (especially royal/public action) with cosmic order, pacifying adverse time-signs and securing steady fortune across the whole day-night cycle.
Sukta 129
This brief Paustika hymn invokes Bhaga—fortune as one’s rightful “share”—with Indra’s bounteous force to secure prosperity and make the reciter “fortunate” (bhagin). It draws prosperity out of the vegetative realm (trees, especially śāṃśapa) and simultaneously drives away arātis (ill-wishers, rivals, obstructers) who would hinder gain. The mantra’s power lies in aligning the practitioner with Bhaga’s recurring, even hidden, portion and sealing it with apotropaic expulsion.
Sukta 130
AV 6.130 is a compact Atharvanic love-charm that “dispatches” Smara (Kāma) through the Apsarases and the gods so the desired person becomes love-sick, restless, and burning with longing for the operator. The hymn combines fascination (vaśīkaraṇa) with exclusion of rivals—commanding that the target remember only the performer and forget all others. Its power is framed as a divine sending: the gods drive forth Smara, while Maruts and Agni intensify the target’s inner frenzy.
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