Sukta 42
Sukta 2.42
Gṛtsamada (Bhārgava) (traditional attribution for this maṇḍala section)
Śakuni (omen-bird) / auspicious sign (a protective/apotropaic invocation)
Jagatī (long pādas typical of Jagatī)
This brief apotropaic hymn invokes the Śakuni (omen-bird) to cry out auspiciously and protect the household and traveler from hostile forces. The poet asks that no predator, armed assailant, thief, or evil-voiced power gain mastery, and that the community speak the “Bṛhat” (the vast, elevating word) in the sacred assembly. The sukta thus turns a natural sign (bird-call and direction) into a ritualized assurance of safety, right speech, and successful passage.
Mantras
Mantra 1
कनिक्रदज्जनुषं प्रब्रुवाण इयर्ति वाचमरितेव नावम् । सुमङ्गलश्च शकुने भवासि मा त्वा का चिदभिभा विश्व्या विदत् ॥
Crying out from your birth and proclaiming, you set your voice in motion like a boatman his boat. Be of good omen, O bird; let no universal hostile power overtake you—may the sign be auspicious for the journey of consciousness.
Mantra 2
मा त्वा श्येन उद्वधीन्मा सुपर्णो मा त्वा विददिषुमान्वीरो अस्ता । पित्र्यामनु प्रदिशं कनिक्रदत्सुमङ्गलो भद्रवादी वदेह ॥
Let not the falcon strike you down, nor the strong-winged seize you, nor the arrow-armed hero find you as his mark. Cry out along the ancestral direction; be auspicious, speak the good word here—so the path is guarded and the inner passage remains unharmed.
Mantra 3
अव क्रन्द दक्षिणतो गृहाणां सुमङ्गलो भद्रवादी शकुन्ते । मा नः स्तेन ईशत माघशंसो बृहद्वदेम विदथे सुवीराः ॥
Cry out for us from the right side of our dwelling, O bird of omen, auspicious and a speaker of the good. Let no thief-mastering force rule over us; let no evil-voiced power prevail. May we utter the Vast (Bṛhat) in the sacred assembly and become rich in heroic energies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Śakuni is an omen-bird whose call and position are treated as meaningful signs. The hymn asks the bird to be auspicious (sumaṅgala) and to “speak good” (bhadravādī), bringing protection rather than fear.
In Vedic omen-symbolism, the right (dakṣiṇa) is generally favorable. The hymn requests the bird’s call from that side to establish a strong auspicious sign for the household and its activities.
It is primarily a protective and auspiciousness-invoking recitation—used before travel, at the home threshold, or near the fire—to ward off harm (including theft and hostile speech) and to steady the community in right, uplifting speech.