Atharva Veda 6.21.1: Kanda 6, Anuvaka 3, Sukta 21, Mantra 1

Sukta 21

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

केशवर्धनी औषधिः। इ॒मा यास्ति॒स्रः पृ॑थि॒वीस्तासां॑ ह॒ भूमि॑रुत्त॒मा। तासा॒मधि॑ त्व॒चो अ॒हं भे॑ष॒जं समु॑ जग्रभम्

IAST Transliteration

keśavardhanī́ óṣadhiḥ | imā́ yā́s tisráḥ pṛthivī́s tāsā́ṃ ha bhū́mir uttamā́ | tāsā́m ádhi tváco aháṃ bheṣajáṃ sámu jagrabhám

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

The Hair-Increaser is a herb. Of these three earths, verily the soil is the highest; from their surface-skin have I wholly taken the remedy.

Translation

Keśavardhanī est une plante. De ces trois terres, en vérité, le sol est la plus haute ; de leur « peau » de surface j’ai entièrement saisi le remède.

The meaning

What it says

The herb called Keśavardhanī (“hair-increaser”) is named and ritually sourced from the ‘skin/surface’ (tvac) of the highest ‘earth’—the soil—so that its medicinal potency is fully gathered.

The inner meaning

Hair stands for vitality, continuity of life-force, and personal confidence. “Taking the remedy from the earth’s skin” signals drawing strength from one’s own grounding layer—steady habits, nourishment, and rootedness—rather than from agitation.

The truth in it

Healing is a relationship with the ground of being: what restores us is often closest at hand, in the ‘surface’ of ordinary life, when approached with reverence and right speech (vāc).

What it is for

Kind of hymn

Bhaisajya (Healing) / Paustika (Body-enhancement)

Its aim

To obtain and empower an herb that promotes hair growth/strength, grounding its efficacy in the cosmology of earth and plant-skin.

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Word by Word

Pada patha

केश-वर्धनी । औषधिः । इमाः । याः । तिस्रः । पृथिवीः । तासाम् । ह । भूमिः । उत्तमा । तासाम् । अधि । त्वचः । अहम् । भेषजम् । समु । जग्रभम् ।

केशवर्धनी

hair-growing (herb), ‘Keshavardhanī’hair-increasing; the plant/medicine that promotes hair growth and thicknessNoun/Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole Kartā (वाक्य-आरम्भ में नाम/विशेष्य) / विषय-निर्देशकRoot केश-वर्धनी (प्रातिपदिक; वर्ध्-धातु से निष्पन्न स्त्रीलिङ्ग) अथवा केशवर्धन- (विशेषण) + ई (स्त्री) प्रत्यय

औषधिः

herb, medicinal plantmedicinal herb; a living remedy with inherent potencyNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole Kartā (सम्बन्ध-वाक्य में विधेय/विषय)Root औषधि- (प्रातिपदिक)

इमाः

thesethese; the present set of (cosmic) earths invokedPronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचनRole Kartā (याः… तिस्रः… इमाः = ‘these’ as subject)Root इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

याः

which (who/that)which; relative markerPronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचनRole Kartā (सम्बन्धवाक्य-प्रवर्तक)Root यद् (सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम)

तिस्रः

threethree; the triadic ‘earths’ (cosmic stratification)Numeral/Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचनRole Kartā-विशेषण (पृथिवीः का विशेषण)Root त्रि- (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)

पृथिवीः

earths, worlds (earth-realms)earths; layers/realms of terrestrial supportNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचनRole Kartā (सम्बन्धवाक्य का मुख्य कर्ता)Root पृथिवी- (प्रातिपदिक)

तासाम्

of those (of them)of them; genitivePronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive; ‘of them’)Root तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

हि

indeed, forIndeclinableअव्ययRole — (वाक्य-सम्बन्धक/बल-प्रदर्शक)Root हि (निपात)

भूमिः

the earth, groundsoil/ground; the sustaining base, source of plantsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole Kartā (तासाम्… भूमिः = ‘the earth is…’)Root भूमि- (प्रातिपदिक)

उत्तमा

highest, besthighest/best; most excellent in efficacyAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (भूमिः के साथ)Role Kartā-विशेषण (भूमिः का विधेय-विशेषण)Root उत्तम- (विशेषण; ‘उद्’ उपसर्ग + तमप्/तम)

तासाम्

of those (of them)of them; genitive repetition for emphasisPronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive; ‘of them’)Root तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

अधि

upon, overupon/from; indicating extraction or taking from a surface/sourceIndeclinableअव्ययRole Adhikaraṇa-सूचक (locative sense: ‘upon/over’)Root अधि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय; here as preverb/preposition)

त्वचः

of the skin; of the bark (of the plant)skin/bark; the outer layer (of plant or body), locus of applicationNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी एकवचन (वैदिक रूप; ‘त्वचः’ = ‘त्वचः/त्वचस्’)Role सम्बन्ध (genitive; ‘of the skin/bark’)Root त्वच्- (प्रातिपदिक)

अहम्

II; the officiant/physician-priest as agentPronounउत्तमपुरुष, प्रथमा एकवचनRole Kartā (जग्रभम् का कर्ता)Root अहम् (सर्वनाम)

भेषजम्

remedy, medicineremedy; curative substance empowered by mantraNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनRole Karma (जग्रभम् का कर्म)Root भेषज- (प्रातिपदिक)

समु

together, completely (as preverb)together, wholly; intensifier of taking/collectingIndeclinable (preverb)अव्यय (उपसर्ग)Role — (क्रिया-विशेषक; ‘completely/together’)Root सम् (उपसर्ग) + उ (वैदिक उपसर्ग-रूप; ‘समु’ = ‘सम्’ का वैदिक रूप)

जग्रभम्

I have seized/taken (I took up)I have taken/collected; ritualized gathering of the medicineVerbलिट् (परिपूर्ण/परफेक्ट), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole Kriyā (मुख्य क्रिया)Root ग्रह् (धातु) [परस्मैपद]; उपसर्ग: सम्- (समु)

Sandhi Notes

• (1) इ॒मा यास्ति॒स्रः पृ॑थि॒वीस्तासां॑ → इमाः + याः + तिस्रः + पृथिवीः + तासाम्. यहाँ ‘पृथिवीः तासाम्’ में ईः + ता- के संयोग से ‘पृथिवीस्तासाम्’ (सवर्णदीर्घ/संधि-लोप) दिखता है।
• (2) ह॒ भूमि॑रुत्त॒मा → हि + भूमिः + उत्तमा
• ‘भूमिः उत्तमा’ में विसर्ग-लोप/रुत्व (ः + उ → र्) से ‘भूमिरुत्तमा’।
• (3) तासा॒मधि॑ → तासाम् + अधि (म् + अ → म्-अ, संधि में ‘मधि’ जैसा संयोग-रूप)।
• (4) त्व॒चो अ॒हं → त्वचः + अहम्
• वैदिक पदपाठ में ‘त्वचो’ प्रायः षष्ठी एकवचन ‘त्वचः’ का संधि-रूप (ः + अ → ओऽ) के रूप में आता है।
• (5) समु॑ जग्रभम् → समु (सम्-उपसर्ग का वैदिक रूप) + जग्रभम्
• उपसर्ग पृथक् पद के रूप में।

Seer, deity and metre

Rishi

Atharvanic seer tradition for oṣadhi hymns (often anonymous/collective in later indices).

Devata

Oṣadhi (the herb) and Bhūmi/Pṛthivī as source of medicinal power.

Chandas

Anuṣṭubh tendencies with prose-like opening label; metrical classification varies due to the initial rubric-like phrase.

Rasa

Shanta and Adbhuta

Sayana's Commentary

The Seer

The Deity

The Metre

The Rite

In the Home

Substances

Healing Context

Magic Charm Layer

Symbols in this Mantra

Yogic Application

Chanting Notes

Practical Application

Scholarly Questions