Shloka 7
Snāna-Śauca Krama: Varuṇa–Āpaḥ Mantras, Aghamarṣaṇa, Sūrya-Upasthāna, and Sarva-Tarpaṇa
ॐ ये ते शतं वरुणये सहस्रं यज्ञियाः पाशा वितता महान्तः / तेभिर्नो अद्य सवितोत विष्णुर्विश्वे मुञ्चन्तु मरुतः स्वर्काः स्वाहा / सुमित्रियान इत्यबञ्जलिमाकृत्योत्तरेण तोयं पश्चाद्विराज्य चैव विनिः क्षिपेत् / ॐ सुमित्रिया न आप ओषधयः सन्तु / दुर्मित्रियास्तस्मै सन्तु यो ऽस्मान्द्वेष्टि यञ्च वयं द्विष्मः
oṃ ye te śataṃ varuṇaye sahasraṃ yajñiyāḥ pāśā vitatā mahāntaḥ / tebhirno adya savitota viṣṇurviśve muñcantu marutaḥ svarkāḥ svāhā / sumitriyāna ityabañjalimākṛtyottareṇa toyaṃ paścādvirājya caiva viniḥ kṣipet / oṃ sumitriyā na āpa oṣadhayaḥ santu / durmitriyāstasmai santu yo 'smāndveṣṭi yañca vayaṃ dviṣmaḥ
Om. O Varuṇa, those vast, far-spread, sacred nooses—by the hundred and by the thousand—may Savitṛ and also Viṣṇu, and all the Maruts who grant heaven, release us today from them—svāhā. Saying “Sumitriyā…”, one should form the hands as a cup and then cast the water to the north and behind, as prescribed. Om. May the waters and the healing herbs be friendly to us; and may they be unfriendly to the one who hates us, and to the one whom we hate.
Ritual instruction voice (Garuda Purana’s narrator/teaching context; mantra portions are Vedic invocations)
Concept: Bondage (pāśa) is loosened by divine grace and right rite; cultivate amity with life-sustaining forces (waters, herbs) while neutralizing hostility.
Vedantic Theme: Grace (anugraha) complements effort; surrender to Viṣṇu within Vedic framework; purification includes social/psychic protection from enmity.
Application: When feeling constrained by fear, guilt, or conflict: recite release-prayers, perform a simple water-offering with clear intention, and commit to reconciliation where possible; avoid generating new enmity.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: riverbank/ghāṭ or ritual courtyard with water vessel
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.214.5 (ye te… mantra-traya); Garuda Purana 1.214.6 (Varuṇa/ṛta context)
FAQs
Varuṇa’s “pāśa” symbolizes binding forces—sins, fear, and constriction; this mantra asks Savitṛ, Viṣṇu, and the Maruts to loosen those bonds so the practitioner (or the departed in related rites) is protected and purified.
Though framed as a purification/protection mantra, its core theme—release from binding “nooses”—aligns with Garuda Purana’s after-death narrative where karmic bonds and fear obstruct the preta; such mantras are used to support safe passage and ritual cleanliness.
Use it as a protective prayer during purification (snāna/ācamana or śrāddha-related water acts): cultivate “sumitri” (friendliness) with nature (water, herbs) and reduce hostility—recognizing that enmity and hatred tighten one’s inner bonds.