Sukta 65
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (plant-hymn complex; not specified in supplied excerpt)
Devata: Apāmārga (plant-deity/medicine as personified agent)
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (probable)
Mantras
Mantra 1
दुरितनाशनम्। प्रतीचीनफलो हि त्वमपामार्ग रुरोहिथ । सर्वान् मच्छपथाँ अधि वरीयो यावया इतः
Backward-fruited art thou, O Apāmārga, and thou springest up: drive hence from here, as one the stronger and the better, all curses levelled against me.
Mantra 2
यद् दुष्कृतं यच्छमलं यद् वा चेरिम पापया । त्वया तद् विश्वतोमुखापामार्गाप मृज्महे
What ill we have done, what stain there is, or what in evil wise we have practised—by thee, O Apāmārga of faces turned to every side, from that we cleanse us wholly away.
Mantra 3
श्यावदता कुनखिना बण्डेन यत् सहासिम। अपामार्ग त्वया वयं सर्वं तदप मृज्महे
Whatsoever with the dark-toothed, with the evil-nailed, with the binder we have consorted—O Apāmārga, by thee we wipe away from us all that utterly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Apāmārga is a medicinal plant (Achyranthes aspera) spoken to as a personified power that can repel harm and cleanse impurity, acting like a living purifier.
It targets three linked troubles: curses or hostile speech aimed at a person, inner moral/ritual “stain,” and contamination picked up through contact with harmful or binding influences.
A practitioner recites the verses while sweeping or rubbing the patient lightly with Apāmārga, intending that curses and impurities are wiped off and driven away, then the used plant is discarded outside.