Sukta 18
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition
Devata: Īrṣyā (personified affliction) and Agni (as inner heat to be quenched)
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (Atharvanic anuṣṭubh)
Mantras
Mantra 1
ईर्ष्याविनाशनम्। ईर्ष्याया ध्राजिं प्रथमां प्रथमस्या उतापराम्। अग्निं हृदय्यं१ शोकं तं ते निर्वापयामसि
Jealousy’s destruction. Jealousy’s blaze—the first, and of the first her later flare; the heart-seated fire, the grief—this from thee we quench.
Mantra 2
यथा भूमिर्मृतमना मृतान्मृतमनस्तरा । यथोत मम्रुषो मन एवेर्ष्योर्मृतं मनः
As Earth is dead of mind—more dead of mind than the dead—yea, as the mind of one departed; so be the jealous mind a mind made dead.
Mantra 3
अदो यत् ते हृदि श्रितं मनस्कं पतयिष्णुकम्। ततस्त ईर्ष्यां मुञ्चामि निरूष्माणं दृतेरिव
That which, mind-begotten and fluttering, hath lodged within thy heart—thence do I loose from thee thy jealousy, as heat is let forth from a leather-bag.
Frequently Asked Questions
It treats jealousy/envy (īrṣyā) as an inner burning that causes grief and conflict, and it aims to cool and remove that hostile passion from the heart and mind.
Agni here functions as a metaphor for the heart’s heat—burning grief and agitation. The mantra’s action is ‘nirvāpa’ (quenching), turning emotional fire into calm.
Recite the three verses in a calm setting, using cool water as a symbol of quenching while focusing on releasing resentment from the chest/heart and settling the mind into stillness (like earth).