Atharva Veda 4.2.5: Kanda 4, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 2, Mantra 5
Sukta 2
यस्य॒ विश्वे॑ हि॒मव॑न्तो महि॒त्वा स॑मु॒द्रे यस्य॑ र॒सामिदा॒हुः । इ॒माश्च॑ प्र॒दिशो॒ यस्य॒ बा॒हू कस्मै॑ दे॒वाय॑ ह॒विषा॑ विधेम
yásya víśve himávanto mahitvā́ samudré yásya rasā́n íd āhúḥ | imā́ś ca pradíśo yásya bāhū́ kásmai devā́ya havíṣā vidhema ||
Whose, by his majesty, are all the snowy mountains; whose are the vital juices, so men indeed declare, in the ocean: whose arms are these quarters of space—unto what God shall we with oblation do worship?
Por cuya majestad son todas las montañas nevadas; de quien son los jugos vitales — así, en verdad, lo dicen los hombres — en el océano; cuyos brazos son estas regiones del espacio: ¿a qué Dios ofreceremos la oblación?
The meaning
What it says
A cosmological praise-question: whose majesty owns the snowy mountains; whose vital juices are said to be in the ocean; whose arms are the quarters—‘to what god (Ka) shall we offer?’
The inner meaning
The mind seeks the ultimate support behind stability (mountains), vitality (rasa), and orientation (directions). The refrain-like question trains humility: the ego cannot name the source, but can align through offering.
The truth in it
Life is upheld by an unseen integrating principle: structure, nourishment, and space belong to a single sovereignty. Worship is alignment with that totality, not mere petition.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Paustika (Prosperity) / Cosmological-theological (supporting general welfare and stability)
Its aim
To secure universal support, stability, and life-sustaining ‘rasa’ for the sacrificer by aligning the rite with the cosmic lord.
Word by Word
Pada patha
यस्य । विश्वे । हिमवन्तः । महित्वा । समुद्रे । यस्य । रसान् । इत् । आहुः । इमाः । च । प्रदिशः । यस्य । बाहू । कस्मै । देवाय । हविषा । विधेम ।
- यस्य
- whosewhose (of whom); indicating the all-encompassing lord as the possessor of cosmic partsPronounपुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी एकवचनम् (सम्बन्धे) — ‘whose/of whom’Role सम्बन्ध (genitive relation) / अधिकरण-सम्बन्धRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- विश्वे
- all (ones)all; the totality (of mountains/regions), stressing universal sovereigntyAdjective (used substantively) / Nounपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृ (अस्ति/भवन्ति इत्यर्थे) — subjectRoot विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- हि
- indeed / forIndeclinableनिपातः (emphatic/causal particle)Root हि
- हिमवन्तः
- the हिमवत् mountains (snowy mountains)snowy mountains, the Himavants; emblematic of the earth’s firm supportsNounपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृ (विश्वे … हिमवन्तः) — subject/appositionRoot हिमवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- महित्वा
- by (his) greatnessby greatness, by majesty; by inherent divine magnitude (mahatva)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया एकवचनम्Role करण (instrument/means: ‘by/with greatness’)Root महित्व (प्रातिपदिक; भाववाचक-नपुंसक)
- समुद्रे
- in the oceanin the ocean; the great receptacle, boundary and store of watersNounपुंलिङ्गे सप्तमी एकवचनम्Role अधिकरण (locative: ‘in the ocean’)Root समुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- यस्य
- whosewhose; resuming the relative construction for another cosmic domainPronounपुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी एकवचनम्Role सम्बन्ध (genitive relation)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- रसाम्
- juices / essences / watersNounपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया बहुवचनम्Role कर्म (object of ‘आहुः’)Root रस (प्रातिपदिक)
- इद
- thisPronounनपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम् (Vedic: इद = इदम्)Role कर्म (object/appositive: ‘this’)Root इद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक; Vedic form of इदम्)
- आहुः
- they call / they saythey call/say; traditional authoritative utterance (āgama)Verbलिट् (परोक्शभूत/परफेक्ट) प्रथमपुरुष बहुवचनम् परस्मैपदम्Role क्रिया (they say/call)Root √अह् (ब्रू/वच्-अर्थे; ‘to say’)
- इमाः
- thesethese (here); the visible quarters/regions present to the ritualistPronoun (demonstrative)स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृ (subject of implied ‘सन्ति/भवन्ति’)Root इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- च
- andand; connective, accumulating cosmic membersIndeclinableसमुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययम्Root च
- प्रदिशः
- the directions / quartersthe directions/quarters; spatial totality under divine ‘arms’Nounस्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृ (with ‘इमाः’)Root प्रदिश् (प्रातिपदिक)
- यस्य
- whosewhose; again marking possessionPronounपुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी एकवचनम्Role सम्बन्ध (genitive relation)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- बाहू
- (his) two armsarms; metaphor for protection, reach, and ritual embrace of spaceNounपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा द्विवचनम्Role कर्तृ/सम्बन्ध-विशेषण (predicate-nominative: ‘(are) his two arms’)Root बाहु (प्रातिपदिक)
- कस्मै
- to which (one)? / to whom?to which? to whom?; interrogative used as a liturgical refrain pointing to the supreme deityInterrogative pronounपुंलिङ्गे चतुर्थी एकवचनम्Role सम्प्रदान (dative: ‘for/to whom’)Root क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- देवाय
- to the godto the god; the worthy recipient of offeringNounपुंलिङ्गे चतुर्थी एकवचनम्Role सम्प्रदान (dative; in apposition to ‘कस्मै’)Root देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- हविषा
- with an oblationwith oblation; sacrificial offering as the operative medium of efficacyNounनपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया एकवचनम्Role करण (instrument: ‘with oblation’)Root हविस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- विधेम
- may we offer / may we performmay we render/ordain (worship); perform the offering-rite properlyVerbविधिलिङ् (optative) उत्तमपुरुष बहुवचनम् परस्मैपदम्Role क्रिया (let us offer/perform)Root √धा (वि+धा; ‘to arrange, to offer, to perform’)
Sandhi Notes
- (1) रसामिदा॒हुः = रसाम् + इद् + आहुः (म् + इ → मि; इद् Vedic for इदम्).
- (2) इमाश्च = इमाः + च (ः + च → श्च).
- (3) दिशो॒ यस्य = दिशः + यस्य (visarga before y often realized as o in saṃhitā; here written ‘दिशो’).
- (4) बाहू कस्मै: no sandhi
- pāda-break preserved. Accent marks are Vedic and do not change morphological segmentation
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Traditionally associated with Prajāpati/Hiraṇyagarbha-type hymnic voice (exact r̥ṣi attribution varies in ancillary lists).
- Devata
- Prajāpati / Hiraṇyagarbha (the ‘Ka’ deity of the refrain).
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh-like cadence (as in the well-known ‘kásmai devā́ya’ hymn-type).
- Rasa
- Adbhuta and Shanta
Sāyaṇa takes the relative clauses as enumerating the cosmic ‘members’ of the supreme lord (Prajāpati/Hiraṇyagarbha): mountains as stabilizers of earth, ocean as the seat of rasa (life-sap/waters). ‘Arms’ is read as protective extension over the quarters; the refrain ‘kasmai devāya’ is a rhetorical pointer to the one deity who is the support of all.
Hiraṇyagarbha/Prajāpati hymn-tradition voice (attribution variable in ancillary lists)
Cosmological-theological stotra used for paustika stability and ritual alignment; ‘Ka’ refrain tradition emphasizing the unnamed lord (Prajāpati) as total support.
Imports the grand cosmogonic register into Atharvan usage: not only domestic magic, but metaphysical anchoring for welfare, legitimacy, and world-support.
Prajāpati / Hiraṇyagarbha (Ka)
Source and sovereign of cosmic structure (mountains), vitality (rasa), and spatial order (directions as arms).
Indirect: grants wholeness through cosmic integration; supports vitality via ‘rasa’.
High: directions-as-arms imagery implies encompassing protection and stability.
4 pādas of ~11 syllables; with a refrain-like cadence at the end
Atharvan adoption of RV-style triṣṭubh; cadence often feels ‘stotra’ rather than charm; slight irregularities tolerated across recensions.
Expansive, solemn, processional; suited to oblation and contemplation.
Elevates attention from local concerns to cosmic scale; induces steadiness and awe.
Prepare the domestic fire (gārhapatya) and arrange havis (typically ghee with ladle).
Recite the mantra as an offering-formula, maintaining the refrain as the dedicatory act.
At ‘havíṣā’, make the oblation into the fire; at ‘vidhema’, complete with a mental dedication to Prajāpati/Hiraṇyagarbha as cosmic support.
Optionally, repeat with the sequence of adjacent mantras (4.2.5–8) as a set for completeness of cosmological enumeration.
Kauśika Sūtra: general deployment of ‘kásmai devā́ya havíṣā vidhema’ (Hiraṇyagarbha/Prajāpati-type) verses in homa contexts; exact sūtra varies by śākhā tradition and prayoga manuals.
Atharvan/Brahman officiant: reciter-supervisor ensuring correct accent, timing of oblation, and apotropaic containment of ritual space (quarters as ‘arms’).
Recite during a small ghee offering (lamp or homa) for household stability and prosperity; contemplate mountains/ocean/directions as the deity’s body.
Morning or new/full moon household offerings; also before major undertakings.
Householder may recite; priest optional for homa.
General gṛhya agnihotra/aupāsana contexts can host such stotra-like verses; specific gṛhya citations vary by school.
KauśS includes paustika rites where Prajāpati/Ka verses support welfare; exact numbering varies by edition.
Use as daily grounding prayer with a small lamp offering or water offering.
havís (general oblation: ghee/food-offering implied); samudra (ocean as reservoir of rasa); hिमवन्तः (mountains as cosmic supports)
samudra as reservoir of rasa (implied)
havís implies offering into fire (Agni)
Oblation is the bridging substance: material nourishment offered into cosmic order returns as ‘rasa’—life-essence circulating through world and person.
Supports vitality by invoking ‘rasa’ as cosmic essence; stabilizes mind through cosmological orientation.
Rasa as first dhātu (nutritive plasma) resonates conceptually, though the mantra is not an Ayurvedic prescription.
Stress regulation via ‘awe’ and meaning-making; grounding by contemplating vast supports (mountains/ocean/space).
General welfare: secure stability, nourishment, and protection by aligning offering with the cosmic lord behind supports and directions.
Theological alignment through oblation (havís) and contemplative naming-by-question (‘Ka’), functioning as a ‘meta-charm’ for stability.
Disorder, instability, loss of vitality/fortune
Longevity, social legitimacy, stable resources (‘rasa’)
- हिमवन्तः (himavantaḥ)
- cosmic supports; steadiness, endurance, ‘bones’ of the world
- महित्वा (mahitvā)
- sovereign power that makes order possible
- समुद्र (samudra)
- reservoir of rasa; depth of life-energy and undifferentiated source
- रस (rasa)
- vitality, nourishment, soma-like essence; the life-flavor of existence
- प्रदिशः (pradiśaḥ)
- orientation, moral/ritual order; the ‘arms’ that embrace and protect
- बाहू (bāhū)
- protective reach; capacity to uphold and encompass
- कस्मै देवाय (kasmai devāya)
- the ‘Ka’ theology: the unnamed/ultimate Prajāpati beyond fixed labels
Contemplate the support of life: mountains (stability), ocean (rasa), directions (orientation). Rest in the unnamed source (Ka).
anāhata (expansive embrace) and sahasrāra (the unnamed source)
Slow diaphragmatic breathing; exhale on ‘kasmai devāya’ as surrender.
Imagine ‘rasa’ as a luminous ocean within, nourishing all tissues; directions as protective arms around you.
Śānta-adbhuta: calm awe, spacious attention.
Recite 7 times with a small offering (ghee lamp or mental offering); end with silent contemplation of ‘Who is the support?’
Stotra-like: sustained mid-register with gentle rise toward the refrain ‘kasmai devāya…’.
Keep compounds clear (himavanto mahi tvā; pradiśo yasya bāhū); give the refrain a consistent cadence each time.
Resonant, open-throated, devotional
Though Atharvanic apps may label as paustika, its power is chiefly ‘alignment’—best chanted with offering or contemplative attention, not as a quick charm.
7 times
Seeking stability, prosperity, legitimacy, and a sense of being supported during uncertainty.
Morning grounding; before travel/exams/interviews; during household offerings.
Calmer mind, strengthened resolve, felt connection to a larger order; motivation for ethical action.
None specific; if using with fire offerings, follow safety and local regulations.
No explicit herb appears; instead ‘rasa’ functions as a generalized life-fluid (sap/waters). In Atharvanic medical logic, securing ‘rasa’ cosmically underwrites bodily vitality; the oblation mediates access to that potency.
The refrain frames worship as correct oblation-performance, privileging the ritual specialist who can ‘name’ and access the supreme support. Cosmic geography (quarters, mountains, ocean) is ritually subordinated to the sacrificer’s rite, reflecting a priestly technology of control over space.
The diction and refrain closely parallel RV-style cosmological hymns (notably the ‘kásmai devā́ya’ type). The Atharvanic setting tends to repurpose such high-cosmology for pragmatic welfare/apotropaic ends.
Gopatha-style reasoning typically grounds efficacy in Prajāpati as the totality and in correct identification/dedication through mantra. The interrogative ‘kasmai’ is treated not as ignorance but as a liturgical marker of the transcendent recipient, making the rite universally applicable.
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