Kanda 7Anuvaka 1Sukta 31 Mantras

Sukta 3

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (unspecified in the provided excerpt)

Devata: Ātman (as radiance/ghṛṇi and sustaining support)

Chandas: Triṣṭubh-like (probable; requires full hymn metrical audit)

Mantras

Mantra 1

आत्मा। अया विष्ठा जनयन् कर्वराणि स हि घृणिरुरुर्वराय गातुः । स प्रत्युदैद् धरुणं मध्वो अग्रं स्वया तन्वाऽतन्वऽमैरयत

The Self: by this established base generating the dusky forms; for he is ardent glow, wide for the winning of a boon, a path. He rose forth in counter, the firm support, the honey’s foremost essence; with his own body he drave away the bodiless.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this hymn mean by ‘Ātman’—is it just the individual self?

Here Ātman is praised as a cosmic-embodied principle: radiant power (ghṛṇi) and firm support (dhāruṇa) that establishes a stable base and protects life against disembodied harm.

Who are the ‘bodiless’ (atanvaḥ) that are driven away?

The term points to unseen, disembodied hostile agencies—forces of obstruction, fear, or affliction that lack stable embodiment and are repelled by the mantra’s affirmation of embodied, sustaining presence.

Why is honey (mádhu) mentioned and used?

Honey represents ‘madhvo agra’—the foremost sweet essence that nourishes and seals protection; ritually it can be offered or lightly consumed to mark the establishment of supportive, life-affirming potency.