Atharva Veda 5.13.9: Kanda 5, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 13, Mantra 9
Sukta 13
क॒र्णा श्वा॒वित् तद॑ब्रवीद् गि॒रेर॑वचरन्ति॒का। याः काश्चे॒माः ख॑नि॒त्रिमा॒स्तासा॑मर॒सत॑मं वि॒ष॑म्
kárṇā śvā́vit tád abravīd girér avacarántikā | yā́ḥ kā́ś cemā́ḥ khanitrímās tāsām arásatamaṃ viṣám
Karnā, Śvāvit—thus spake she that cometh down from the mountain: whatever these be, earth-dug (burrow-born), of them (be) the poison most sapless.
Karnā, Śvāvit—ainsi parla celle qui descend de la montagne : quelles que soient celles-ci, creusées dans la terre (nées du terrier), d’entre elles que le poison soit le plus privé de sève.
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (anukramaṇī-dependent)
Devata: Viṣa; named poison-beings (Karnā, Śvāvit) and habitat-sources
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh-like
Primary: shanta
Secondary: bhayankara
Sayana construes the verse as extending the charm’s net: poisons ‘descending from the mountain’ and those ‘khanitrimāḥ’ (arising from dug ground/holes) are included. The superlative ‘arasatamam’ is emphasized as total deprivation of viṣa-śakti; the reported speech (‘abravīt’) lends traditional authority to the formula.
To cover multiple ecological sources of venom (mountain-descending and subterranean/burrow-born), ensuring comprehensive neutralization of poison potency
Envenomation/poisoning (animal venom or toxic exposure), broadly construed
Verbal de-potentiation: declaring poison ‘sapless’ + ecological totalization (mountain + subterranean) to prevent overlooked sources.
Conceptual link to viṣa-cikitsā (toxicology) and the idea of reducing tejas/virya of toxins; ‘rasa’ language resonates with dhātu/rasa discourse though not strictly classical Ayurveda.
First-aid framing: identify exposure source and reduce systemic impact; psychologically akin to grounding techniques during panic after bites/stings.
bhaisajya
Viṣa as an animate adversary; poison-beings tied to terrain
Comprehensive neutralization of poison from multiple habitats; render it ineffective (arasa).
Taxonomic binding by naming + performative predicate (‘arasatamam viṣam’) to drain potency.
Venom from mountain/forest descent and from burrows/dug-earth creatures
Karnā and Śvāvit—named poison-beings—are invoked as coming down from the mountain; all poisons that are “earth-dug/burrow-born” are declared to be the most “sapless” (arasa), i.e., drained of potency.
The mind maps danger by “where it comes from” (mountain slope, underground burrow). Naming the threat and classifying its habitat reduces panic and restores agency; the mantra performs cognitive containment, then de-potentiation (arasa) of the feared toxin.
What is named and rightly located becomes governable; fear loses its ‘juice’ when the source is recognized and ritually neutralized.
- कर्णा (karnā)
- the ‘listening/sensing’ aspect of danger—poison that ‘hears’ and finds its way; also a specific venom-class in Atharvanic taxonomy
- श्वावित् (śvāvit)
- the stealthy, subterranean mode of harm—what strikes from hidden places
- गिरेः अवचरन्तिका (gireḥ avacarantikā)
- descending danger; sudden onset from higher/remote regions (hills, forest slopes), i.e., unpredictable exposure
- खनित्रिमाः (khanitrimāḥ)
- toxins arising from the underworld/hidden layers—latent afflictions, concealed hostility
- अरसतमम् (arasatamam)
- complete deactivation of virulence; draining the ‘rasa’ (effective essence) of poison
- विषम् (viṣam)
- any invasive, destabilizing force—venom, contagion, malice, or toxic speech/thought
Source-awareness: observe where ‘toxicity’ enters (sense, speech, contact) and name it without fear.
Manipura (poison/heat transformation)
Moderate, steady exhale-lengthening to reduce panic response after exposure.
Imagine venom as dark ‘juice’ draining out into dry earth until it becomes tasteless dust.
Grounded vigilance moving into equanimity.
Chant with attention on containment (a boundary around the body) and on the word arasa as a felt ‘drying’ of harm.
Simple Atharvanic recitation with clear udātta emphasis on key predicates (notably arasa/viṣa) according to śākhā practice.
Keep the cadence even; give slight stress to names (karnā, śvāvit) and to arasa-tamam / viṣam as the operative verdict.
khanitrimāḥ: aspirate kh-, retroflex ṇi; keep -tr- crisp, avacarantikā: avoid swallowing -nti-; keep vowels open, viṣam: retroflex ṣ, short a
Firm, clinical, ‘naming’ tone rather than devotional singing.
Charm-verses often work by ‘coverage’; recite while mentally scanning terrains and possible sources to avoid ritual ‘blind spots’.
Suspected bite/sting, toxic contact, or fear of unseen venom in wilderness/fieldwork contexts.
Immediately after exposure and while arranging medical help; also as preventive recitation when entering high-risk terrain.
Psychological stabilization + traditional apotropaic protection; supports the intent to neutralize venom’s potency.
Not a substitute for antivenom/urgent care; immobilize affected limb, avoid harmful folk interventions (incisions/suction).
पदच्छेदः (सम्भाव्यः): कर्णा | श्वावित् | तत् | अब्रवीत् | गिरेः | अवचरन्ति | इका । याः | काः | च | इमाः | खनित्रिमाः | तासाम् | अरसतमम् | विषम् । 1) काश्चेमाः = काः + च + इमाः (च + इ → चे). 2) गिरेरवचरन्तिका = गिरेः + अवचरन्ति + इका; विसर्ग-लोपः/रेफ-सन्धिः (गिरेः + अ → गिरेऽ/गिरेर्) तथा अवचरन्ति + इका → अवचरन्तिका (स्वर-सन्धिः).
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