Sukta 80
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (Anukramaṇī varies)
Devata: Paurṇamāsī (Full-Moon)
Chandas: Triṣṭubh (probable; requires metrical verification)
Este breve himno sacraliza la Luna Llena (Paurṇamāsī) como un poder cósmico victorioso que todo lo completa, en el que moran los Dioses y por medio del cual los humanos pueden regocijarse en la abundancia del sacrificio. Vincula la correcta observancia lunar y las ofrendas con la plenitud (pūrṇatā), la prosperidad, los deseos cumplidos y el mérito que conduce a la obtención del cielo.
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
पूर्णिमा। पू॒र्णा प॒श्चादु॒त पू॒र्णा पु॒रस्ता॒दुन्म॑ध्य॒तः पौ॑र्णमा॒सी जि॑गाय । तस्यां॑ दे॒वैः सं॒वस॑न्तो महि॒त्वा नाक॑स्य पृ॒ष्ठे समि॒षा म॑देम
Luna Llena (Pūrṇimā): llena detrás y llena delante, sí, llena desde el centro; Paurṇamāsī ha conquistado la victoria. En ella, morando con los dioses por la grandeza de su poder, sobre el lomo del cielo, con el alimento sacrificial, regocijémonos.
Mantra 2
वृ॒ष॒भं वा॒जिनं॑ व॒यं पौ॑र्णमा॒सं य॑जामहे । स नो॑ ददा॒त्वक्षि॑तां र॒यिमनु॑पदस्वतीम्
Al Toro, al vencedor del premio, a la Luna Llena rendimos culto con el sacrificio. Que él nos otorgue riquezas imperecederas, acompañadas de provecho a cada paso.
Mantra 3
प्रजा॑पते॒ न त्वदे॒तान्य॒न्यो विश्वा॑ रू॒पाणि॑ परि॒भूर्ज॑जान । यत् का॑मास्ते जुहु॒मस्तन्नो॑ अस्तु व॒यं स्या॑म॒ पत॑यो रयी॒णाम्
Oh Prajāpati, fuera de ti, el que todo lo sobrepasa, nadie ha engendrado todas estas formas. Los deseos que te ofrecemos en la oblación, que eso sea nuestro; que lleguemos a ser señores de las riquezas.
Mantra 4
पौ॒र्ण॒मा॒सी प्र॑थ॒मा य॒ज्ञिया॑सी॒दह्नां॒ रात्री॑णामतिशर्व॒रेषु॑ । ये त्वां य॒ज्ञैर्य॑ज्ञिये अ॒र्धय॑न्त्य॒मी ते नाके॑ सु॒कृतः॒ प्रवि॑ष्टाः
Oh Noche de Luna Llena, la primera, digna del sacrificio, fuiste tú en medio de las noches y los días excesivamente oscurecidos. Quienes, oh digna de culto, te hacen prosperar con sacrificios — esos mismos hombres, ricos en mérito, han entrado en el cielo.
Inside Sukta 80
How it unfolds
- How it opens
The hymn opens by naming Paurṇimā and declaring her ‘full’ in every direction—behind, before, and in the middle—establishing cosmic completeness.
- What it asks
To dwell with the Gods in the Full-Moon’s power and rejoice ‘on heaven’s back’ with sacrificial fare; additionally, to have offered desires become the sacrificer’s and to gain lordship of riches.
- Where its power lies
Paurṇamāsī is portrayed as victorious and intrinsically yajñiyā (fit for sacrifice); Prajāpati alone is said to have generated all forms, legitimizing the rite’s wish-fulfilling efficacy.
- How it closes
The hymn closes by promising that those who strengthen Paurṇamāsī through sacrifice enter heaven as sukṛtas (rich in merit), sealing prosperity with transcendent reward.
Famous verses
pūrṇā paścād uta pūrṇā purastād
vayaṃ syāma patayo rayīṇām
Kind of hymn
Paustika (Prosperity) / Gṛhya-lunar observance
What it is for
Completion and increase—abundance of food/offerings, lordship over wealth, fulfilled desires, and the merit associated with correct Full-Moon worship.
Who it is for
Householders and ritual practitioners observing the Paurṇamāsī rite; families seeking prosperity, auspiciousness, and merit through lunar timing.
Also used as
- Śāntika (auspicious timing/observance)
- Gṛhya-lunar observance
- Kāmyā (desire-fulfilment)
The deity
Paurṇamāsī is the personified Full-Moon observance—‘full behind, full before’—a calendric power that gathers divine presence and makes ritual plenitude available. Prajāpati appears as the sovereign begetter of forms, underwriting the hymn’s wish-fulfilment and wealth-bestowal.
Powers of the deity
- Bestows completeness/plenitude (pūrṇatā) and ‘victory’ of auspicious time
- Makes the sacrificer ‘co-dwell’ with the Gods in the rite
- Transforms offerings into prosperity and enjoyment of sacrificial fare
- Grants fulfilment of desires (kāma) through Prajāpati’s creative sovereignty
- Confers sukṛta (merit) and heavenly entry for proper worship
Why the deity is called
To align household and sacrificial life with the Full-Moon’s auspicious fullness, securing prosperity, fulfilled aims, and merit through timely offerings and praise.
The seer
- Atharvanic seer(s) (Anukramaṇī attribution varies)Atharvan. Paustika and śāntika charms: calendric/lunar observances, prosperity-invocations, rites that convert correct timing and offering into ‘completeness,’ wealth, and merit (sukṛta).
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 7.79 (adjacent lunar/observance material; traditional proximity)
- AV 7.81 (adjacent observance/prosperity material; traditional proximity)
- Comparable Paurṇamāsī/Amāvāsyā observance hymns in AV ritual clusters (exact Anukramaṇī attributions vary by recensional lists)
Preparing for the rite
- Observe purity rules appropriate to a lunar observance (clean body/clothing; tidy the ritual space).
- Prepare simple offerings/food (samīṣā) suitable for a domestic or śrauta-adjacent Full-Moon act.
- Set intention (kāma) clearly—what is sought (prosperity, completeness, success).
The rite
- At the Full-Moon, recite the hymn facing the moon/sky or at the household fire, beginning with the Paurṇamāsī praise of fullness.
- Offer food/oblations while voicing the central petitions: rejoicing with the Gods, prosperity, and fulfilment of desires (Prajāpati verse).
- Conclude by affirming the merit of those who ‘make the Full-Moon thrive’ through sacrifice, sealing the rite with a final offering or respectful silence.
What it needs
- samīṣā (sacrificial food/feast; festive offering)
- havis/āhuti (general oblation materials, as customary—e.g., ghee/grain/food)
- water for purification (ācamanā/prokṣaṇa, as per local practice)
When
Paurṇamāsī (the Full-Moon night/day; ideally at moonrise or during the established Full-Moon offering time).
The main substance
samīṣā (sacrificial food/feast offering)
How it is prepared
Prepare a clean, shareable offering (cooked food or customary havis) for the Full-Moon; portion it as an offering first, then as consecrated food to be enjoyed after recitation/oblations.
Frequently Asked Questions
It seeks ‘fullness’—prosperity, successful offerings, and fulfilled aims—by honoring the Full-Moon as an auspicious power in which the Gods abide.
Prajāpati is invoked as the begetter of all forms, so desires offered in the rite are authorized by the creator’s sovereignty and return as wealth and success.
By reciting it at the Full-Moon with a simple food/oblation offering, keeping a clear intention, and treating the observance as an act that generates prosperity and merit.
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