Shloka 7
Snāna-Śauca Krama: Varuṇa–Āpaḥ Mantras, Aghamarṣaṇa, Sūrya-Upasthāna, and Sarva-Tarpaṇa
ॐ ये ते शतं वरुणये सहस्रं यज्ञियाः पाशा वितता महान्तः / तेभिर्नो अद्य सवितोत विष्णुर्विश्वे मुञ्चन्तु मरुतः स्वर्काः स्वाहा / सुमित्रियान इत्यबञ्जलिमाकृत्योत्तरेण तोयं पश्चाद्विराज्य चैव विनिः क्षिपेत् / ॐ सुमित्रिया न आप ओषधयः सन्तु / दुर्मित्रियास्तस्मै सन्तु यो ऽस्मान्द्वेष्टि यञ्च वयं द्विष्मः
oṃ ye te śataṃ varuṇaye sahasraṃ yajñiyāḥ pāśā vitatā mahāntaḥ / tebhirno adya savitota viṣṇurviśve muñcantu marutaḥ svarkāḥ svāhā / sumitriyāna ityabañjalimākṛtyottareṇa toyaṃ paścādvirājya caiva viniḥ kṣipet / oṃ sumitriyā na āpa oṣadhayaḥ santu / durmitriyāstasmai santu yo 'smāndveṣṭi yañca vayaṃ dviṣmaḥ
Om. Oh Varuṇa, esos vastos lazos sagrados, extendidos por doquier—por cientos y por miles—que Savitṛ y también Viṣṇu, y todos los Maruts dadores del cielo, nos liberen hoy de ellos—svāhā. Diciendo «Sumitriyā…», se forman las manos como cuenco y luego se arroja el agua hacia el norte y hacia atrás, según la prescripción. Om. Que las aguas y las hierbas sanadoras nos sean amistosas; y que sean no amistosas para quien nos odia, y para aquel a quien nosotros odiamos.
Ritual instruction voice (Garuda Purana’s narrator/teaching context; mantra portions are Vedic invocations)
Concept: Bondage (pāśa) is loosened by divine grace and right rite; cultivate amity with life-sustaining forces (waters, herbs) while neutralizing hostility.
Vedantic Theme: Grace (anugraha) complements effort; surrender to Viṣṇu within Vedic framework; purification includes social/psychic protection from enmity.
Application: When feeling constrained by fear, guilt, or conflict: recite release-prayers, perform a simple water-offering with clear intention, and commit to reconciliation where possible; avoid generating new enmity.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: riverbank/ghāṭ or ritual courtyard with water vessel
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.214.5 (ye te… mantra-traya); Garuda Purana 1.214.6 (Varuṇa/ṛta context)
FAQs
Varuṇa’s “pāśa” symbolizes binding forces—sins, fear, and constriction; this mantra asks Savitṛ, Viṣṇu, and the Maruts to loosen those bonds so the practitioner (or the departed in related rites) is protected and purified.
Though framed as a purification/protection mantra, its core theme—release from binding “nooses”—aligns with Garuda Purana’s after-death narrative where karmic bonds and fear obstruct the preta; such mantras are used to support safe passage and ritual cleanliness.
Use it as a protective prayer during purification (snāna/ācamana or śrāddha-related water acts): cultivate “sumitri” (friendliness) with nature (water, herbs) and reduce hostility—recognizing that enmity and hatred tighten one’s inner bonds.