Sukta 18
Rishi: Atharvanic/Angirasa tradition (individual r̥ṣi not specified in the provided excerpt; to be resolved via Anukramaṇī data).
Devata: Mantra as operative power (brahman); implicitly Agni as carrier due to svāhā.
Chandas: Likely Anuṣṭubh or a short pragmatic formula; exact meter requires full pada-count verification.
Atharvaveda 2.18 es un conjunto compacto de fórmulas operativas, marcado por la exclamación de oblación (svāhā), destinado a consumir/agotAR (kṣayaṇa) y expulsar (cātana) a rivales hostiles —en especial al bhrātṛvya (par competitivo/pretendiente) y al arā́ya (poder hostil). Cada mantra identifica el instrumento o acto del rito con la fuerza misma de destrucción del enemigo y luego pide que esa fuerza se transfiera al sacrificante como protección, victoria y seguridad ininterrumpida. La repetición de svāhā enmarca el encantamiento como una ofrenda al fuego, en la que el poder del mantra (brahman) es llevado y «sellado» a través de Agni.
Mantras
Mantra 1
शत्रुनाशनम्। भ्रा॒तृ॒व्य॒क्षय॑णमसि भ्रातृव्य॒चात॑नं मे दाः॒ स्वाहा॑
Destructor de enemigos: tú eres el desgaste del rival (bhrātṛvya); concédeme la expulsión del rival — svāhā.
Mantra 2
स॒प॒त्न॒क्षय॑णमसि सपत्न॒चात॑नं मे दाः॒ स्वाहा॑
Tú eres el desgaste del rival (sapatna); concédeme la expulsión del rival — svāhā.
Mantra 3
अ॒रा॒य॒क्षय॑णमस्यराय॒चात॑नं मे दाः॒ स्वाहा॑
Tú eres el desgaste del hostil (arāya); concédeme la expulsión del poder hostil — svāhā.
Mantra 4
पि॒शा॒च॒क्षय॑णमसि पिशाच॒चात॑नं मे दाः॒ स्वाहा॑
Tú eres el desgaste (la consunción) de los Piśācas; concédeme la expulsión de los Piśācas — svāhā.
Mantra 5
स॒दा॒न्वा॒क्षय॑णमसि सदान्वा॒चात॑नं मे दाः॒ स्वाहा॑
Tú eres siempre-seguidor, inagotable; siempre-seguidor, inatacable: concédeme eso. Svāhā.
Frequently Asked Questions
In Atharvavedic usage, bhrātṛvya is a hostile peer or rival claimant—someone competing for the same status, share, or authority. The hymn aims to diminish that rival’s strength and drive them away from the sacrificer’s sphere.
Svāhā marks the mantra as an offering-formula: the words are meant to be accompanied by an oblation into fire. It also functions as a ritual seal, transmitting the intended effect through Agni as carrier.
Its primary register is abhicārika (rival-subduing and expulsion), but it is also strongly apotropaic: it seeks to remove hostile forces from the patron and establish ongoing protection. Traditional use is framed as defense, safeguarding, and securing one’s rightful standing.
Ask anything about Sukta 18 of the Atharva Veda
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Atharva Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.