Sukta 11
Rishi: Atharvanic healer tradition (often Atharvan/Angirasic attribution for bhaiṣajya hymns)
Devata: Indra-Agni; also implicitly Yakṣma and Grahi as adversarial agents
Chandas: Triṣṭubh (probable; requires metrical verification)
AV 3.11 est un hymne bhaiṣajya de délivrance (mocana) qui desserre le patient du yakṣma (maladie de dépérissement), de la saisie/attaque du grahi et des multiples formes de mṛtyu (issues mortelles), rétablissant souffle, vigueur et longue vie. Il opère en nommant les forces hostiles, en identifiant leur « prise/lacet », puis en invoquant une autorité divine supérieure — surtout Indra‑Agni et Bṛhaspati — pour rompre le lien et réinstaller prāṇa et apāna dans le corps.
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
दीर्घायुः प्राप्तिः। मु॒ञ्चामि॑ त्वा ह॒विषा॒ जीव॑नाय॒ कम॑ज्ञातय॒क्ष्मादु॒त रा॑जय॒क्ष्मात्। ग्राहि॑र्ज॒ग्राह॒ यद्ये॒तदे॑नं॒ तस्या॑ इन्द्राग्नी॒ प्र मु॑मुक्तमेनम्
Obtention de longue vie. Par l’oblation je te délie pour la vie, de la consomption inconnue (yakṣmá) et de la consomption royale. Si le Saisisseur (Grāhi) l’a saisi par cela, alors de cette prise, ô Indra et Agni, délivrez-le entièrement.
Mantra 2
यदि॑ क्षि॒तायु॒र्यदि॑ वा॒ परे॑तो॒ यदि॑ मृ॒त्योर॑न्ति॒कं नी॑त ए॒व। तमा ह॑रामि॒ निरृ॑तेरु॒पस्था॒दस्पा॑र्शमेनं श॒तशा॑रदाय
Si sa durée de vie est épuisée, ou s’il est déjà parti, si vraiment il a été conduit tout près de la Mort, — je le ramène du giron même de Nirṛti, le rendant intact, pour cent automnes.
Mantra 3
स॒ह॒स्रा॒क्षेण॑ श॒तवी॑र्येण श॒तायु॑षा ह॒विषाहा॑र्षमेनम्। इन्द्रो॒ यथै॑नं श॒रदो॒ नया॒त्यति॒ विश्व॑स्य दुरि॒तस्य॑ पा॒रम्
Par la puissance aux mille yeux, par la vigueur au centuple, par la vie au centuple — par l’oblation je le ranime. Ainsi qu’Indra le conduise à travers les automnes, jusqu’à l’autre rive de tout mal.
Mantra 4
श॒तं जी॑व श॒रदो॒ वर्ध॑मानः श॒तं हे॑म॒न्तान् छ॒तमु॑ वस॒न्तान्। श॒तं त॒ इन्द्रो॑ अ॒ग्निः स॑वि॒ता बृह॒स्पतिः॑ श॒तायु॑षा ह॒विषाहा॑र्षमेनम्
Vis cent ans, croissant au long de cent automnes ; cent hivers, oui, cent printemps. Pour toi, qu’Indra, Agni, Savitar et Bṛhaspati — par l’oblation et par une vie de cent ans — fassent prospérer cet homme.
Mantra 5
प्र वि॑शतं प्राणापानावन॒ड्वाहा॑विव व्र॒जम्। व्य॑१न्ये य॑न्तु मृ॒त्यवो॒ याना॒हुरित॑रान् छ॒तम्
Entrez en avant, ô Souffle et Contre-souffle, comme deux bœufs vigoureux dans l’étable. Qu’au loin s’en aillent les autres Morts — celles que les hommes nomment, et les autres, cent de plus.
Mantra 6
इ॒हैव स्तं॑ प्राणापानौ॒ माप॑ गातमि॒तो यु॒वम्। शरी॑रम॒स्याङ्गा॑नि ज॒रसे॑ वहतं॒ पुनः॑
Ici même tenez-vous, ô Prāṇa et Apāna; ne vous éloignez pas d’ici, vous deux. Ramenez de nouveau son corps et ses membres, portez-les en avant — jusqu’à la vieillesse.
Mantra 7
ज॒रायै॑ त्वा॒ परि॑ ददामि ज॒रायै॒ नि धु॑वामि त्वा । ज॒रा त्वा॑ भ॒द्रा ने॑ष्ट॒ व्य॑१न्ये य॑न्तु मृ॒त्यवो॒ याना॒हुरित॑रान् छ॒तम्
À la vieillesse je te remets; dans la vieillesse je t’établis fermement. Que la Vieillesse bienfaisante te conduise; au loin que s’en aillent les autres Morts — celles que les hommes nomment, et les autres, cent encore.
Mantra 8
अ॒भि त्वा॑ जरि॒माहि॑त॒ गामु॒क्षण॑मिव॒ रज्ज्वा । यस्त्वा॑ मृ॒त्युर॒भ्यध॑त्त॒ जाय॑मानं सुपा॒शया॑ । तं ते॑ स॒त्यस्य॒ हस्ता॑भ्या॒मुद॑मुञ्च॒द् बृह॒स्पतिः॑
Sur toi la Vieillesse a été posée, comme d’une corde on lie vache ou taureau. Quelque Mort, au nœud bien serré, t’a lié dès ta naissance — ce lien, pour toi, Bṛhaspati, avec les mains de la Vérité, l’a dénoué et retiré.
Inside Sukta 11
How it unfolds
- How it opens
The hymn opens with the explicit aim of dīrghāyus (long life), loosing the patient by havis from unknown and ‘royal’ yakṣma, and calling Indra-Agni to release from the grahi’s grasp.
- What it asks
Restore life by re-establishing breath and expelling all deaths—named and unnamed—along with disease-agents that bind, seize, or waste the body.
- Where its power lies
The mantra speaks in performative terms—‘I loose thee’—and frames divine powers as expert unbinders whose authority overrides the seizer and death’s noose.
- How it closes
The conclusion seals the cure by narrating the primordial unbinding: Bṛhaspati, with the ‘hands of Truth,’ loosens the bond that death fastened from birth.
Famous verses
muñcāmi tvā haviṣā jīvanāya
prāṇāpānāv ... anaḍvāhāv iva vrajam
satyasya hastābhyām ... bṛhaspatiḥ
Kind of hymn
Bhaiṣajya (Healing; anti-yakṣma and anti-grahi release)
What it is for
Release of the patient from known/unknown yakṣma, grahi-affliction, and multiple forms of mṛtyu; restoration of prāṇa–apāna; establishment of long life and functional vitality.
Who it is for
Atharvanic healer/ritual practitioner treating wasting illness, seizure-like afflictions, breath collapse, or persistent fear of death; also householders seeking longevity protection.
Also used as
- Āyuṣya
- Śāntika (pacificatory removal of affliction)
- Rakṣoghna/Apotropaic (repelling hostile agencies)
- Bandhana-mocana (unbinding release)
The deity
Indra-Agni function here as paired liberators: force and fire together, breaking hostile grasp and restoring ordered vitality; Prāṇa–Apāna are the reinstalled life-functions; Bṛhaspati appears as the archetypal unbinder who loosens death’s noose by satya (truth-order).
Powers of the deity
- Mocana: release from grasp, seizure, and binding
- Bhaiṣajya: driving out wasting disease (yakṣma) and its variants
- Āyuṣya: securing dīrghāyus (long life) and continuity of vitality
- Prāṇa-sthāpana: recalling and stabilizing breath (prāṇa–apāna)
- Apotropaic expulsion: sending away named and unnamed deaths (mṛtyavaḥ)
Why the deity is called
They are invoked to forcibly undo the grahi’s seizure and the yakṣma’s wasting hold, to reinstall breath and life in the patient, and to counteract death’s noose with divine authority and truth-power.
The seer
- Atharvanic healer (Atharvan/Āṅgirasa attribution in bhaiṣajya anukramaṇī style)Atharvan. Bhaiṣajya charms for yakṣma (consumption/wasting), grahi (seizer/demon of fits), bandhana-mocana (unbinding), and āyuṣya rites that stabilize prāṇa (life-breath) and repel mṛtyu (death).
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 3.7 (yakṣma-related healing cluster, Atharvanic style)
- AV 4.13 (yakṣma/consumption themes in bhaiṣajya register)
- AV 5.30 (āyuṣya and protection against death; related breath-and-life idiom)
Preparing for the rite
- Seat the patient facing east or toward the household fire; establish calm, steady breathing.
- Prepare simple havis (oblatory food) if a fire is available; otherwise keep a small offering-ready portion as a vow-substitute (saṅkalpa).
- Mentally identify the affliction as yakṣma/grahi/mṛtyu-bandhana to align the ‘name-and-expel’ logic of the hymn.
The rite
- Recite the opening release-verse invoking Indra-Agni while offering havis (or ritually ‘dedicating’ it) to enact loosening from yakṣma and grahi.
- On the prāṇa–apāna verse, guide the patient to inhale and exhale steadily, envisioning breath entering ‘like strong oxen into the stall’ (breath returning to its proper seat).
- Conclude with the Bṛhaspati unbinding verse, symbolically ‘untying’ the death-noose (optionally touching a cord/rope and then loosening it).
What it needs
- Havis (oblatory offering)
- Optional: a cord/rope (rajju) as a symbolic bandhana prop
- Optional: water for sipping/sprinkling as a cooling, stabilizing adjunct
When
Performed at onset of wasting symptoms, after a seizure/fit, during breath weakness, or at dawn/evening as an āyuṣya reinforcement; repeat for several days in chronic yakṣma.
The main substance
Havis (oblatory offering)
Amulets
- Optional cord/rajju used as a symbolic bond to be loosened (bandhana-mocana prop)
How it is prepared
Prepare a simple, clean havis portion for offering (or dedication if no fire). If using a cord, lightly tie a loose knot while naming the affliction, then untie it during the concluding unbinding verse.
Frequently Asked Questions
It targets wasting illness (yakṣma), seizure-like affliction by a grahi (a “seizer”), and the approach of death understood as a binding/noose. The hymn’s aim is release, restored breathing, and long life.
As a pair they represent force and purifying fire acting in tandem: they break hostile grasp, burn away affliction, and re-establish order in the patient’s life-forces. In 3.11.1 they are directly asked to free the patient from the grahi’s hold.
The hymn calls prāṇa and apāna to “enter” properly again (3.11.5), treating stable respiration as the sign and instrument of restored life. Once breath is re-seated, the text commands the many forms of death to depart.
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