Sukta 42
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (unspecified in the supplied excerpt; commonly treated as Atharvan/Angirasic in anukramaṇī groupings)
Devata: Manyu (wrath) / the opponent’s anger as the operative target
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (probable; typical for such quatrain structure)
AV 6.42 es un conjuro breve para apaciguar y someter la ira (manyu) de un oponente, convirtiendo la hostilidad en concordia (saṃmanas). Mediante vívidas metáforas corporales y materiales — aflojar la cuerda del arco, lastrar la ira como una piedra y pisotearla — el himno busca detener el habla hostil y atraer la mente del otro hacia la conformidad y la fraternidad.
Mantras
Mantra 1
परस्परचित्तैकीकरणम्। अव॒ ज्यामि॑व॒ धन्व॑नो म॒न्युं त॑नोमि ते हृ॒दः । यथा॒ संम॑नसौ भू॒त्वा सखा॑याविव॒ सचा॑वहै
Abajo, como la cuerda del arco desde el arco, hago caer tu ira del corazón; para que, hechos de una sola mente, nosotros dos caminemos juntos, como amigos en concordia.
Mantra 2
सखा॑याविव सचावहा॒ अव॑ म॒न्युं त॑नोमि ते । अ॒धस्ते॑ अश्म॑नो म॒न्युमुपा॑स्यामसि॒ यो गु॒रुः
Como amigos en concordia, vayamos juntos: abajo hago caer tu ira. Esa ira tuya, pesada como una piedra, la oprimiremos hacia abajo, debajo de nosotros.
Mantra 3
अ॒भि ति॑ष्ठामि ते म॒न्युं पार्ष्ण्या॒ प्रप॑देन च । यथा॑व॒शो न वादि॑षो॒ मम॑ चि॒त्तमु॒पाय॑सि
Piso tu ira, con el talón y con la parte delantera del pie. Así, impotente, no hablarás contra mí, y tu mente se acercará a mi voluntad.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is used to pacify and subdue another person’s anger, prevent them from speaking against you, and bring the relationship back into concord and cooperation.
These are ritual-psychological images: anger is ‘slackened’ like a released bowstring, ‘weighed down’ like a heavy stone, and finally ‘dominated’ underfoot to make it powerless.
Both layers are present: it aims at friendship and one-mindedness (saṃmanas), yet it achieves this through coercive suppression of the opponent’s manyu, typical of Atharvanic pragmatic rites.
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