Sukta 23
Rishi: Atharvanic/Angirasa tradition (hymn-level attribution varies by anukramaṇī; commonly treated as Atharvanic).
Devata: Āpaḥ (Waters), as empowered agents of tejas and protection.
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (probable; confirm against pada-count in the critical edition/anukramaṇī).
AVŚ 2.23 es un himno breve de contrahechicería que convoca a las Aguas (Āpaḥ) como un poder luminoso y ígneo capaz de revertir la hostilidad. Al invocar el arciṣ (resplandor), el haraḥ (fuerza que se lleva/arranca) y el tejas (eficacia) de las aguas, el ensalmo «devuelve» el daño y despoja al agresor de su potencia, a la vez que protege implícitamente el ámbito del recitador.
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
शत्रुनाशनम्। आपो॒ यद् व॒स्तप॒स्तेन॒ तं प्रति॑ तपत॒ यो॒३स्मान् द्वेष्टि॒ यं व॒यं द्वि॒ष्मः
Oh Aguas, el ardor abrasador (tapas) que hay en vosotras: con él chamuscadlo de vuelta, a aquel que nos odia, a quien también nosotros odiamos.
Mantra 2
आपो॒ यद् वो॒ हर॒स्तेन॒ तं प्रति॑ हरत॒ यो॒३स्मान् द्वेष्टि॒ यं व॒यं द्वि॒ष्मः
Oh Aguas, qué poder de arrebatar y llevaros es el vuestro: con él llevad de vuelta, en retribución, a quien nos odia, a quien nosotros odiamos.
Mantra 3
आपो॒ यद् वो॒ऽर्चिस्तेन॒ तं प्रत्य॑र्चत॒ यो॒३स्मान् द्वेष्टि॒ यं व॒यं द्वि॒ष्मः
Oh Aguas, con el resplandor que es vuestro, arded contra él en retorno — el hombre que nos odia, a quien nosotros a su vez odiamos.
Mantra 4
आपो॒ यद् वः॑ शो॒चिस्तेन॒ तं प्रति॑ शोचत॒ यो॒३स्मान् द्वेष्टि॒ यं व॒यं द्वि॒ष्मः
Oh Aguas, qué fulgor ardiente es el vuestro: con él chamuscad en retribución a quien nos odia, a quien nosotros odiamos.
Mantra 5
आपो॒ यद् व॒स्तेज॒स्तेन॒ तम॑ते॒जसं॑ कृणुत॒ यो॒३स्मान् द्वेष्टि॒ यं व॒यं द्वि॒ष्मः
Oh Aguas, la fuerza ígnea que es vuestra — con ella dejad sin vigor a quien nos odia, a quien nosotros a su vez odiamos.
Inside Sukta 23
How it unfolds
- How it opens
The hymn addresses Āpaḥ directly, acknowledging their inherent powers (radiance/force/tejas) as present and available.
- What it asks
Let the waters turn back (prati-) the hostile force and act upon the hater—specifically the one who hates us, whom we oppose in return.
- Where its power lies
The waters possess arciṣ, haraḥ, and tejas; by that very intrinsic potency they can retaliate and make the aggressor ‘a-tejas’ (ineffective).
- How it closes
The charm seals the reversal by explicitly naming the end-state: the enemy is rendered void of might through the waters’ tejas.
Famous verses
yo ’smān dveṣṭi yaṃ vayaṃ dviṣmaḥ
tena taṃ pratya̍rcata
a-tejasaṃ kṛṇuta
Kind of hymn
Abhicarika (counter-sorcery / apotropaic reversal) with protective (Rakṣoghna) coloring
What it is for
To repel and return hostile intent and to render the hater ‘a-tejas’ (deprived of efficacy), securing safety for the reciter and their dependents.
Who it is for
Householders, ritual specialists, and community protectors facing enmity, accusations, sorcery-fear, or persistent social hostility.
Also used as
- Rakṣoghna (protective/demon-warding coloring)
- Apotropaic reversal (prati-)
- Śāntika undertone via purification
The deity
The Waters are invoked not merely as purifiers but as tejas-filled agents whose inner heat/radiance can be weaponized for protection and retaliatory reversal. In Atharvanic idiom, water can both cleanse and carry back affliction, acting as a medium of moral-ritual retribution.
Powers of the deity
- Purification and removal of pollution/evil influence
- Containment and deployment of tejas (efficacy, force)
- Radiant retaliation (praty-arc / ‘blazing back’) against hostility
- Carrying-off and returning harm to the sender (prati-hara)
- Protective shielding (rakṣoghna coloring) for persons/household/community
Why the deity is called
They are invoked to neutralize an enemy’s dveṣas by reflecting it back and by draining the aggressor’s tejas, using water as the operative, consecrated medium.
The seer
- Atharvanic (Angirasa-type) seer—hymn-level attribution varies by AnukramaṇīAtharvan. Apotropaic and abhicārika reversals: enemy-repulsion, counter-sorcery, and protective use of consecrated substances (especially water) to return dveṣas (hostile intent) to its source.
Other hymns of this seer
- AVŚ 2.21
- AVŚ 2.22
- AVŚ 2.24
- AVŚ 1.7 (Āpaḥ-related material, tradition-dependent attribution)
Preparing for the rite
- Collect clean water (preferably flowing water or freshly drawn) into a vessel; keep it ritually ‘unmixed’ and undisturbed.
- Establish a protected spot (east-facing if customary), with the water placed before the reciter.
- Perform brief purification (ācamana) and set intention: reversal of hostile dveṣas without self-harm.
The rite
- Recite the hymn over the water, treating it as ‘charged’ with arciṣ/tejas.
- During key ‘prati-’ verbs (e.g., pratya̍rcata, prati̍ harata), gesture outward as if returning the force to its source.
- Use the consecrated water to sprinkle around the threshold, on the body (head/heart), or on a boundary line; optionally pour a small portion away from the dwelling as symbolic ‘sending back’.
- Conclude with a final sprinkling for sealing protection.
What it needs
- Water (āpaḥ) in a clean vessel (kalaśa/kumbha implied)
- Optional: darbha/kuśa for sprinkling; optional protective thread/cord if following local prayoga
When
As needed when hostility is perceived; commonly performed at liminal times (dawn/dusk) or before entering contested social situations.
The main substance
Consecrated water (āpaḥ)
How it is prepared
Use freshly drawn or clean water; recite the sukta over it to ‘charge’ it with the waters’ arciṣ/tejas, then apply by sprinkling (prokṣaṇa) on self and boundaries, with a small portion optionally cast away to signify return of harm.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is used to counter and reverse hostility—social enmity or sorcery-like harm—by invoking the Waters to send the force back and weaken the aggressor’s efficacy (tejas).
In Atharvanic thought, water is not only cleansing; it can carry an inner heat/radiance (arciṣ/tejas) that acts as an active protective and retaliatory power when ritually addressed.
The core substance is water itself. Many prayogas use only clean water consecrated by recitation and applied by sprinkling for protection and symbolic reversal.
Ask anything about Sukta 23 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.
