Sukta 16
Rishi: Vratya (mythic/cosmic subject; traditional attribution varies in ancillary lists)
Devata: Vratya / Prāṇa-functions (here Apāna) as cosmic principle
Chandas: Prose-like Atharvanic style (not a strict ṛgvedic meter; often treated as mixed/anuṣṭubh-adjacent in later catalogues)
AV 15.16 poursuit la spéculation sur le Vratya en faisant correspondre l’apāna du Vratya (le souffle descendant) à des réalités rituelles et calendaires majeures, transformant ainsi la physiologie en cosmologie. En déclarant que des éléments tels qu’Amāvāsyā (la nuit de nouvelle lune), le Yajña (le sacrifice) et la Dakṣiṇā (la rétribution sacerdotale) sont des « membres-apāna » du Vratya, l’hymne sacralise le temps liminal, l’action rituelle et le don obligatoire comme des fonctions cosmiques intrinsèques. Sa force est intégrative : il légitime la place du Vratya dans l’ordre sacrificiel brahmanique tout en affirmant que le souffle lui-même est le moteur du rite et de la légitimité sociale.
Mantras
Mantra 1
तस्य॒ व्रात्य॑स्य ।योऽस्य प्रथ॒मोऽपा॒नः सा पौ॑र्णमा॒सी
De ce Vrātya : le premier souffle Apāna — elle est Paurṇamāsī, la Pleine Lune.
Mantra 2
तस्य॒ व्रात्य॑स्य ।योऽस्य द्वि॒तीयो॑ऽपा॒नः साष्ट॑का
De ce Vrātya : le deuxième de ses souffles d’Apāna — c’est l’Aṣṭakā.
Mantra 3
तस्य॒ व्रात्य॑स्य ।योऽस्य तृ॒तीयो॑ऽपा॒नः सामा॑वा॒स्या
De ce Vrātya : le troisième de ses souffles d’Apāna — c’est la nuit de nouvelle lune (Amāvāsyā).
Mantra 4
तस्य॒ व्रात्य॑स्य । योऽस्य चतु॒र्थोऽपा॒नः सा श्र॒द्धा
De ce Vrātya : le quatrième de ses souffles d’Apāna — c’est Śraddhā, la Foi.
Mantra 5
तस्य॒ व्रात्य॑स्य । योऽस्य पञ्च॒मोऽपा॒नः सा दी॒क्षा
De ce Vrātya : le cinquième de ses souffles Apāna — c’est la Dīkṣā (consécration).
Mantra 6
तस्य॒ व्रात्य॑स्य । योऽस्य ष॒ष्ठोऽपा॒नः स य॒ज्ञः
De ce Vrātya : le sixième de ses souffles Apāna — c’est le Yajña (sacrifice).
Mantra 7
तस्य॒ व्रात्य॑स्य । योऽस्य सप्त॒मोऽपा॒नस्ता इ॒मा दक्षि॑णाः
De ce Vrātya : ce qui est en lui le septième — Apāna, le souffle descendant — ce sont ces dakṣiṇā, les rétributions sacerdotales.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here the Vratya is treated as a cosmic figure, not only a social category. The hymn speaks of the Vratya’s inner breaths (especially apāna) as identical with major ritual and temporal powers.
The sukta uses bandhu logic: inner physiology mirrors outer cosmos. By saying a particular apāna ‘is’ Amāvāsyā or ‘is’ Yajña, it makes liminal time and sacrifice part of a single cosmic-bodily system that can be ritually affirmed.
It means the priestly fee is presented as a necessary, power-bearing element of the rite—cosmically grounded rather than optional. Giving dakṣiṇā becomes a sacral act that completes and legitimates the ritual order.
Ask anything about Sukta 16 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.