Sukta 90
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (often anonymous in AV; associated with Atharvan/Angiras healing corpus)
Devata: Rudra (as sender and, by appeasement, remover of the missile)
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (approx.; AV healing verses commonly in anuṣṭubh)
Ce bref hymne thérapeutique de l’Atharvaveda traite la douleur intérieure aiguë comme la « flèche » de Rudra, fichée dans les membres et le cœur, et, par le mantra, l’en retire pour la rendre inoffensive. Il associe le vocabulaire de l’extraction (vi vṛh-) à la purification des canaux (dhāmanī-) et s’achève en apaisant Rudra par des hommages répétés au projectile à chaque étape de son vol, afin d’empêcher toute récidive.
Mantras
Mantra 1
इषुनिष्कासनम्। यां ते॑ रु॒द्र इषु॒मास्य॒दङ्गे॑भ्यो॒ हृद॑याय च । इ॒दं ताम॒द्य त्वद् व॒यं विषू॑चीं॒ वि वृ॑हामसि
La flèche que toi, ô Rudra, tu as lancée — vers les membres et vers le cœur —, cette même flèche, aujourd’hui, de toi, nous l’arrachons tout entière, le trait perçant qui blesse au loin.
Mantra 2
यास्ते॑ श॒तं ध॒मन॒योऽङ्गा॒न्यनु॒ विष्ठि॑ताः । तासां॑ ते॒ सर्वा॑सां व॒यं निर्वि॒षाणि॑ ह्वयामसि
Quels sont tes cent conduits (dhámanayaḥ) étendus le long des membres — tous, pour toi, nous les appelons : les puissances sans poison, la délivrance qui neutralise.
Mantra 3
नम॑स्ते रु॒द्रास्य॑ते॒ नमः॒ प्रति॑हितायै । नमो॑ विसृ॒ज्यमा॑नायै॒ नमो॒ निप॑तितायै
Hommage à toi, ô Rudra, quand tu tires; hommage au trait quand il est visé et fixé; hommage quand il est lâché; hommage quand il est tombé.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a ritual image for sudden, piercing illness or pain—especially in limbs and the heart—treated as a lodged missile that can be drawn out and neutralized by mantra.
It frames the body as a network through which pain/poison can spread; the mantra calls in “nirviṣa” (poisonless, antidotal) force so the affliction cannot remain or circulate.
Both: it performs extraction (removal) and then uses repeated namas (homage) to calm Rudra and ‘finish’ the missile’s power at every stage, helping prevent a return of the attack.
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