Sukta 6
Devata: Ritual bandhu (sacrificial implements/acts as correlates of cosmic entities).
Chandas: Prose-like yajus-style formulation (not a regular ṛc-meter); often treated as anustubh-deficient/ritual prose in AV ritual sections.
AVŚ 9.6 is a bandhu-hymn that “maps” ritual materials and actions onto their authoritative cosmic and śrauta counterparts, so that the domestic/technical act becomes a valid sacrificial conduit. By naming each implement (barhis, pavitra, waters, byproducts, spreadings) as its true ritual identity, the hymn stabilizes correctness (ṛta) and prevents the rite from becoming ritually “unmoored.” Its power lies in precise identification: speech (yajus-like prose) makes the offering-space and tools participate in the greater sacrifice.
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
अतिथि-सत्कारः। (१) यो वि॒द्याद् ब्रह्म॑ प्र॒त्यक्षं॒ परूं॑षि॒ यस्य॑ संभा॒रा ऋचो॒ यस्या॑नू॒क्यऽम्
Whoso should know the sacred power, made manifest in very limbs; whose requisites are the Ṛc-verses, whose appointed recitation is the Anūkyā,—
Mantra 2
सामा॑नि॒ यस्य॒ लोमा॑नि॒ यजु॒र्हृद॑यमु॒च्यते॑ परि॒स्तर॑णा॒मिद्ध॒विः
Whose hairs are the Sāman-chants, whose heart is called the Yajus; whose spreadings are the kindled oblations,—
Mantra 3
यद् वा अति॑थिपति॒रति॑थीन् प्रति॒पश्य॑ति देव॒यज॑नं॒ प्रेक्ष॑ते
When, again, the Master of Guests looks forth upon the guests, he is, in very deed, looking upon the worship of the Gods.
Mantra 4
यद॑भि॒वद॑ति दी॒क्षामुपै॑ति॒ यदु॑द॒कं याच॑त्य॒पः प्र ण॑यति
When he makes reverent address, he enters upon consecration; when he asks for water, he leads the Waters forth.
Mantra 5
या ए॒व य॒ज्ञ आपः॑ प्रणी॒यन्ते॒ ता ए॒व ताः
The very Waters that are led forward in the sacrifice—those, even those, are these.
Mantra 6
यत् तर्प॑णमा॒हर॑न्ति॒ य ए॒वाग्नी॑षो॒मीयः॑ प॒शुर्ब॒ध्यते॒ स ए॒व सः
When they bring the refreshment-offering, that is, in very truth, the Agnīṣomīya victim that is bound.
Mantra 7
यदा॑वस॒थान् क॒ल्पय॑न्ति सदोहविर्धा॒नान्ये॒व तत् क॑ल्पयन्ति
When they set in order the lodging-places, they are, in very deed, setting in order the Sadas and the Havirdhāna.
Mantra 8
यदु॑पस्तृ॒णन्ति॑ ब॒र्हिरे॒व तत्
What they spread beneath—this, in very truth, is the Barhis.
Mantra 9
यदु॑परिशय॒नमा॒हर॑न्ति स्व॒र्गमे॒व तेन॑ लो॒कमव॑ रुन्द्धे
What covering they bring—therewith, in very deed, he fences in for himself the world of heaven.
Mantra 10
यत् क॑शिपूपबर्ह॒णमा॒हर॑न्ति परि॒धय॑ ए॒व ते
What seat-cushion they bring—these, in very truth, are the Paridhis.
Mantra 11
यदा॑ञ्जनाभ्यञ्ज॒नमा॒हर॒न्त्याज्य॑मे॒व तत्
What anointing-unguent they bring—this, in very truth, is ghee.
Mantra 12
यत् पु॒रा प॑रि॒वेषात् स्वा॒दमा॒हर॑न्ति पुरो॒डाशा॑वे॒व तौ
What, before the serving, they bring as the savoury portion—those two are, in very truth, the Puroḍāśa-cakes.
Mantra 13
यद॑शन॒कृतं॒ ह्वय॑न्ति हवि॒ष्कृत॑मे॒व तद्ध्व॑यन्ति
What they call ‘made for eating,’ that—verily the same—they call ‘made into an oblation.’
Mantra 14
ये व्री॒हयो॒ यवा॑ निरु॒प्यन्तें॒ऽशव॑ ए॒व ते
The rice and barley that are duly set forth—those, in very truth, are a horse.
Mantra 15
यान्यु॑लूखलमुस॒लानि॒ ग्रावा॑ण ए॒व ते
What mortar-and-pestles there are—those, in very truth, are the pressing-stones.
Mantra 16
शूर्पं॑ प॒वित्रं॒ तुषा॑ ऋजी॒षाभि॒षव॑णी॒रापः॑
The winnowing-fan is the purifier; the husks are the ṛjīṣa; the waters (here) are the pressing-waters.
Mantra 17
स्रुग् दर्वि॒र्नेक्ष॑णमा॒यव॑नं द्रोणकल॒शाः कु॒म्भ्योऽ वाय॒व्या॒ऽनि॒ पात्रा॑णी॒यमे॒व कृ॑ष्णाजि॒नम्
The ladle, the spoon, the sprinkling-vessel, the leading-up; the drona-jars are the pots; the vessels are Vāyu’s: this, verily, is the black antelope-skin.
Inside Sukta 6
How it unfolds
- How it opens
Begins by sacralizing the ritual locus through declarative identifications (yajus-like ‘this indeed is…’), establishing the rite’s frame as truly sacrificial.
- What it asks
That each implement and action be fixed in its correct bandhu so the procedure is pure, valid, and connected to the intended world/result.
- Where its power lies
Speech itself effects the correspondence: by naming the object as its śrauta/cosmic counterpart, the mantra makes it so, preventing loss of fruit through mismatch.
- How it closes
Concludes with further identifications and purificatory equivalences (notably involving pavitra/āpaḥ), sealing the rite’s integrity by completing the network of correspondences.
Famous verses
बर्हिरेव तत् (barhireva tat)सामानि यस्य लोमानि (sāmāni yasya lomāni)Kind of hymn
Śrauta/Pravargya–Agnihotra bandhu (Ritual-identification; not primarily Bhaisajya)
What it is for
To secure ritual correctness by establishing authoritative correspondences: implements, spreadings, byproducts, and waters are verbally fixed as their proper sacrificial identities, ensuring purity and efficacy.
Who it is for
Ritual specialists (atharvan/adhvaryu-aligned practitioners), householders performing domestic rites with śrauta-style correctness, and officiants standardizing implements and spaces.
Also used as
- Śrauta/Pravargya–Agnihotra bandhu (ritual-identification)
- Paustika (purificatory-technical homologies)
The deity
Not a single anthropomorphic deity, but the sacral principle that ritual objects and actions are ‘the same as’ their cosmic and śrauta forms; purity is guaranteed through Pavitra (the purifier) and Āpaḥ (consecrating waters).
Powers of the deity
- Establishes correct ritual identity (nāmadheya/bandhu) of implements and actions
- Confers sacrificial validity and right orientation of the offering-space
- Purifies tools, byproducts, and working waters by equating them with soma-rite purifiers
- Prevents error, mismatch, and loss of ritual fruit through misidentification
Why the deity is called
To ensure that what is done in a domestic or technical setting is recognized as fully sacrificial—each item is declared to be its true śrauta correlate—so the rite yields intended results without impurity or procedural fault.
The seer
- Anukramaṇī attribution uncertain for AVŚ 9.6Atharvan. Ritual-bandhu and technical identifications (yajus-style formulations) that secure sacrificial validity, purity, and correct correspondences between implements and cosmic/śrauta entities.
Other hymns of this seer
- AVŚ 9 (bandhu/ritual-identification cluster; exact hymn-level attributions require Anukramaṇī confirmation)
Preparing for the rite
- Arrange the working area as a miniature sacrificial space (clean ground, delineated place for spreadings).
- Lay out implements to be identified (grass/strewing, winnowing-fan, strainer/purifier, vessels, working waters).
- Prepare clean water for sprinkling/handling; keep byproducts (husks/chaff) separated but present for identification.
The rite
- Recite the hymn while touching or indicating each item as it is named (deictic identification).
- When stating an identity (e.g., ‘this is the barhis’), gesture to or place the item in its functional position.
- Use water as a purificatory medium during the identifications, especially where Āpaḥ/Pavitra are mentioned.
What it needs
- Barhis (sacrificial grass/strewing)
- Āpaḥ (clean waters)
- Pavitra/straining device (or symbolic purifier)
- Śūrpa (winnowing-fan)
- Tūṣa (husks/chaff)
When
During preparation and standardization of the offering-space and implements—immediately before or at the start of the relevant rite (agnihotra/pravargya-adjacent domestic analogue).
The main substance
Āpaḥ (purifying waters) and barhis (sacrificial strewing/grass)
How it is prepared
Keep water ritually clean for sprinkling/handling; lay and straighten barhis/strewing as the ground-layer; hold or indicate implements (śūrpa/pavitra) at the moment their bandhu-identities are spoken.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bandhu is a ritual correspondence: the mantra states that a given tool or action is truly the same as its authoritative sacrificial/cosmic form, so the rite becomes valid and connected to its intended result.
Because ritual efficacy depends on correct sacral framing. By equating the fan with the purifier (pavitra) and husks with ṛjīṣa, the domestic process is aligned with soma-rite purity and order.
Not primarily. Its main function is śānti and ritual-technical correctness—purifying and validating the rite by fixing the identities of implements, spaces, and waters through bandhu statements.
Ask anything about Sukta 6 of the Atharva Veda
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