Atharva Veda Sukta 7
Kanda 8Anuvaka 1Sukta 727 Mantras

Sukta 7

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (often associated with Bhṛgu/Angiras lineages in herb materials; exact anukramaṇī assignment varies)

Devata: Oṣadhayaḥ (Herbs) personified

Chandas: Mixed meters in the hymn per tradition; this verse commonly treated as a lyric in a triṣṭubh/jagatī-family environment, but exact chandas should be verified against padapāṭha/anukramaṇī.

L’Atharvavéda 8.7 est un vaste oṣadhi-sūkta qui convoque toute la communauté des plantes médicinales—classées selon la couleur, la forme et le mode de croissance—afin qu’elles se rassemblent comme des guérisseuses vivantes autour du patient. Il supplie les herbes de déployer leur vīrya (puissance/efficacité) collective pour chasser yakṣma (affection de dépérissement, de type consomption) et « relever » le souffrant des liens superposés du danger, y compris le nœud coulant de la mort et une culpabilité semblable à une souillure. La force de l’hymne tient à ce qu’il traite le remède comme un complexe mantra–médicament : l’invocation proférée rassemble, active et dirige la force curative des plantes vers la délivrance et la restauration.

Kind of charm

Bhaishajya (healing)
Recitation with translationAtharva Veda 8.7

Mantras

Mantra 1

ओषधयः। १२ पञ्चपदा विराडतिशक्वरी, १४ उपरिष्टान्निचृद् बृहती, २६ निचृत्, २८ भुरिक्। या ब॒भ्रवो॒ याश्च॑ शु॒क्रा रोहि॑णीरु॒त पृश्न॑यः । असि॑क्नीः कृ॒ष्णा ओष॑धीः॒ सर्वा॑ अ॒च्छाव॑दामसि

Ô plantes — les brunes et celles qui luisent de blancheur, les roussâtres et les tachetées; les sombres, les noires — vous toutes, plantes de guérison : à vous nous parlons, vous conviant à vous approcher.

Mantra 2

त्राय॑न्तामि॒मं पुरु॑षं॒ यक्ष्मा॑द् दे॒वेषि॑ता॒दधि॑ । यासां॒ द्यौष्पि॒ता पृ॑थि॒वी मा॒ता स॑मु॒द्रो मूलं॑ वी॒रुधां॑ ब॒भूव॑

Qu’elles protègent cet homme contre yakṣma, contre le mal envoyé par les dieux. Celles dont le père est le Ciel, dont la mère est la Terre, dont la racine et la source première sont devenues les eaux de l’Océan.

Mantra 3

आपो॒ अग्रं दि॒व्या ओष॑धयः । तास्ते॒ यक्ष्म॑मेन॒स्य॑१मङ्गा॑दङ्गादनीनशन्

Les Eaux sont au commencement ; divines sont les Plantes. Pour toi, elles ont chassé yakṣma, souillé de faute, de membre en membre.

Mantra 4

प्र॒स्तृ॒ण॒ती स्त॒म्बिनी॒रेक॑शुङ्गाः प्रतन्व॒तीरोष॑धी॒रा व॑दामि । अं॒शु॒मतीः॑ का॒ण्डिनी॒र्या विशा॑खा॒ ह्वया॑मि ते वी॒रुधो॑ वैश्वदे॒वीरु॒ग्राः पु॑रुष॒जीव॑नीः ॥४ यद् वः॒ सहः॑ सहमाना वी॒र्यं॑१यच्च॑ वो॒ बल॑म्। तेने॒मम॒स्माद् यक्ष्मा॒त् पुरु॑षं मुञ्चतौषधी॒रथो॑ कृणोमि भेष॒जम्

Herbes qui vous étendez, portant la tige, à un seul épi, vous déployant au loin—c’est à vous que je parle. Vous, pourvues de rayons, articulées, aux nombreuses branches—je vous appelle: plantes des Tous-les-Dieux (Vaiśvadevīḥ), farouches, gardiennes de la vie de l’homme. Quelle force victorieuse est la vôtre, quelle puissance, quelle vigueur—par elle délivrez cet homme du yakṣma; et ainsi j’accomplis le remède (bheṣajám).

Mantra 5

जी॒व॒लां न॑घारि॒षां जी॑व॒न्तीमोष॑धीम॒हम्। अ॒रु॒न्ध॒तीमु॒न्नय॑न्तीं पु॒ष्पां मधु॑मतीमि॒ह हु॑वे॒ऽस्मा अ॑रि॒ष्टता॑तये

J’invoque l’herbe vivifiante, inoffensive, vivante — Arundhatī, qui élève vers le haut, fleurie, douce comme le miel ; ici je l’appelle pour cet homme, pour une sécurité sans atteinte.

Mantra 6

इ॒हा य॑न्तु॒ प्रचे॑तसो मे॒दिनी॒र्वच॑सो॒ मम॑ । यथे॒मं पा॒रया॑मसि॒ पुरु॑षं दुरि॒तादधि॑

Qu’ici viennent mes paroles sages, nourrissantes, afin que nous fassions passer cet homme sain et sauf, loin de la détresse.

Mantra 7

अ॒ग्नेर्घा॒सो अ॒पां गर्भो॒ या रोह॑न्ति॒ पुन॑र्णवाः । ध्रु॒वाः स॒हस्र॑नाम्नीर्भेष॒जीः स॒न्त्वाभृ॑ताः

Nourriture d’Agni, germe des Eaux — celles qui croissent, toujours renaissantes ; fermes, aux mille noms : que les guérisseuses (plantes) soient apportées ici.

Mantra 8

अ॒वको॑ल्बा उ॒दका॑त्मान॒ ओष॑धयः । व्यृऽषन्तु दुरि॒तं ती॑क्ष्णशृ॒ङ्ग्यः

Les plantes Avakolbā, d’essence d’eau, aux cornes aiguës—qu’elles balayent au loin la détresse.

Mantra 9

उ॒न्मु॒ञ्चन्ती॑र्विवरु॒णा उ॒ग्रा या वि॑ष॒दूष॑णीः । अथो॑ बलास॒नाश॑नीः कृत्या॒दूष॑णीश्च॒ यास्ता इ॒हा य॒न्त्वोष॑धीः

Délivrantes, largement déliantes, farouches sont ces Oṣadhī (plantes médicinales) qui gâtent le poison; oui, celles qui tuent balāsa, celles qui ruinent la kṛtyā (sorcellerie) : que ces plantes viennent ici, en ce lieu.

Mantra 10

अ॒प॒क्री॒ताः सही॑यसीर्वी॒रुधो॒ या अ॒भिष्टु॑ताः । त्राय॑न्ताम॒स्मिन् ग्रामे॒ गामश्वं॒ पुरु॑षं प॒शुम्

Rachetées et plus puissantes sont ces plantes (vīrudh) dûment louées : qu’en ce village elles protègent la vache, le cheval, l’homme et le bétail.

Mantra 11

मधु॑मन्मू॑लं म॑धुमद॑ग्रमासाम्म॑धुमन्म॑ध्यं वीरु॑धां बभूव । मधु॑मत् प॒र्णं मधु॑म॒त् पुष्प॑मासां॒ मधोः॒ संभक्ता अ॒मृत॑स्य भ॒क्षो घृ॒तमन्नं॑ दुह्रतां॒ गोपु॑रोगवम्

Mielleuse est leur racine, mielleux leur sommet ; mielleux est devenu le milieu des plantes. Mielleuse leur feuille, mielleuse leur fleur ; partageant la douceur, nourriture de l’immortalité — qu’elles fassent couler le ghee et la subsistance, menant les vaches, pour la richesse en bétail.

Mantra 12

याव॑तीः किय॑तीश्चे॒माः पृ॑थि॒व्यामध्योष॑धीः । ता मा॑ सहस्रप॒र्ण्योऽ मृ॒त्योर्मु॑ञ्च॒न्त्वंह॑सः

Quelles qu’elles soient, si nombreuses qu’elles soient—ces herbes médicinales (oṣadhīḥ) qui sont sur la terre: que celles aux mille feuilles me délivrent de la détresse, de la mort.

Mantra 13

वैया॑घ्रो म॒णिर्वी॒रुधां॒ त्राय॑मानोऽभिशस्ति॒पाः । अमी॑वाः॒ सर्वा॒ रक्षां॒स्यप॑ ह॒न्त्वधि॑ दू॒रम॒स्मत्

L’amulette tigre des plantes, protectrice, repoussant la malédiction: qu’elle frappe au loin toutes les maladies, tous les Rakṣasas (rakṣāṃsi), loin de nous.

Mantra 14

सिं॒हस्ये॑व स्त॒नथोः॒ सं वि॑जन्ते॒ऽग्नेरि॑व विजन्त॒ आभृ॑ताभ्यः । गवां॒ यक्ष्मः॒ पुरु॑षाणां वी॒रुद्भि॒रति॑नुत्तो ना॒व्याऽएतु स्रो॒त्याः

Comme au rugissement du lion on les disperse, comme par la puissance d’Agni on les chasse loin des remèdes rassemblés : la yákṣma du bétail, la yákṣma des hommes — par les plantes entièrement repoussée — qu’elle s’en aille en barque vers les eaux courantes.

Mantra 15

मु॒मु॒चा॒ना ओष॑धयो॒ऽग्नेर्वै॑श्वान॒रादधि॑ । भूमिं॑ संतन्व॒तीरि॑त॒ यासां॒ राजा॒ वन॒स्पतिः॑

Libératrices (des liens) sont les Herbes, issues d’Agni, issues de Vaiśvānara ; s’étendant sur la Terre—allez de l’avant—celles dont le Roi est le Seigneur des forêts (Vanaspati).

Mantra 16

या रोह॑न्त्याङ्गिर॒सीः पर्व॑तेषु स॒मेषु॑ च । ता नः॒ पय॑स्वतीः शि॒वा ओष॑धीः सन्तु॒ शं हृ॒दे

Quelles herbes, nées des Aṅgiras, croissent sur les montagnes et sur les plaines—que celles-là, riches de sève comme de lait, bienfaisantes, soient à nous, pour le bien du cœur.

Mantra 17

याश्चा॒हं वेद॑ वी॒रुधो॒ याश्च॒ पश्या॑मि॒ चक्षु॑षा । अज्ञा॑ता जानी॒मश्च॒ या यासु॑ वि॒द्म च॒ संभृ॑तम्

Les plantes que je connais, et celles que je vois de mon œil ; même les inconnues que pourtant nous reconnaissons ; et celles en qui nous savons le trésor amassé (de puissance)—

Mantra 18

सर्वाः॑ सम॒ग्रा ओष॑धी॒र्बोध॑न्तु॒ वच॑सो॒ मम॑ । यथे॒मं पा॒रया॑मसि॒ पुरु॑षं दुरि॒तादधि॑

Que toutes les herbes (oṣadhī), entières et intactes, s’éveillent à ma parole, afin que nous fassions passer cet homme en sûreté, loin de la détresse et du mal.

Mantra 19

अ॒श्व॒त्थो द॒र्भो वी॒रुधां॒ सोमो॒ राजा॒मृतं॑ ह॒विः । व्री॒हिर्यव॑श्च भेष॒जौ दि॒वस्पु॒त्रावम॑र्त्यौ

L’Aśvattha, le Darbha, Soma, roi des plantes — l’Amṛta comme oblation. Le riz et l’orge sont deux remèdes, fils du Ciel, immortels.

Mantra 20

उज्जि॑हीध्वे स्त॒नय॑त्यभि॒क्रन्द॑त्योषधीः । य॒दा वः॑ पृश्निमातरः प॒र्जन्यो॒ रेत॒साव॑ति

Élancez-vous, ô Plantes, quand le tonnerre gronde, quand il rugit au-dessus de vous,— quand Parjanya, pour vous dont les mères sont Pṛśni, arrose de semence.

Mantra 21

तस्या॒मृत॑स्ये॒मं बलं॒ पुरु॑षं पाययामसि । अथो॑ कृणोमि भेष॒जं यथा स॑च्छ॒तहा॑यनः

De la force de cet Amṛta nous faisons boire cet homme; et, de plus, je prépare le remède afin qu’il atteigne cent ans.

Mantra 22

व॒रा॒हो वे॑द वी॒रुधं॑ नकु॒लो वे॑द भेष॒जीम्। स॒र्पा ग॑न्ध॒र्वा या वि॒दुस्ता अ॒स्मा अव॑से हुवे

Le sanglier connaît la plante; la mangouste connaît le remède. Ce que savent les serpents et les Gandharvas — ceux-là, je les invoque pour l’aide de cet homme.

Mantra 23

याः सु॑प॒र्णा आ॑ङ्गिर॒सीर्दि॒व्या या र॒घतो॑ वि॒दुः । वयां॑सि हं॒सा या वि॒दुर्याश्च॒ सर्वे॑ पत॒त्रिणः॑ । मृ॒गा या वि॒दुरोष॑धी॒स्ता अ॒स्मा अव॑से हुवे

Quels êtres aux belles ailes, angirasiques, célestes, les rapides ont connus; ce que connaissent les oiseaux, ce que connaissent les cygnes, oui tous les ailés; ce que les bêtes sauvages savent des herbes Oṣadhī — ceux-là, je les invoque pour l’aide de cet homme.

Mantra 24

याव॑तीना॒मोष॑धीनां॒ गा॑वः प्रा॒श्नन्त्य॒घ्न्या याव॑तीनामजा॒वयः॑ । ताव॑ती॒स्तुभ्य॒मोष॑धीः॒ शर्म॑ यच्छ॒न्त्वाभृ॑ताः

Autant il est d’herbes guérisseuses (oṣadhī) dont se nourrissent les vaches inviolables, autant de celles que broutent chèvres et brebis — autant d’herbes, apportées ici, qu’elles t’accordent protection et repos.

Mantra 25

याव॑तीषु मनु॒ष्याऽ भेष॒जं भि॒षजो॑ वि॒दुः । ताव॑तीर्वि॒श्वभे॑षजी॒रा भ॑रामि॒ त्वाम॒भि

Quels remèdes, parmi les hommes, les guérisseurs connaissent — autant, tous guérisseurs, j’en apporte ici et je les applique sur toi.

Mantra 26

पुष्प॑वतीः प्र॒सूम॑तीः फ॒लिनी॑रफ॒ला उ॒त। सं॒मा॒तर॑ इव दुह्राम॒स्मा अ॑रि॒ष्टता॑तये

Porteuses de fleurs, foisonnantes, porteuses de fruits — oui, même sans fruits aussi ; telles des mères rassemblées, trayons-les pour cet homme, pour une sécurité intacte, sans atteinte.

Mantra 27

उत् त्वा॑हार्षं॒ पञ्च॑शला॒दथो॒ दश॑शलादु॒त। अथो॑ य॒मस्य॒ पड्वी॑शा॒द् विश्व॑स्माद् देवकिल्बि॒षात्

Je t’ai retiré du piège à cinq liens, et aussi du piège à dix liens ; et encore — de l’entrave de Yama, de toute faute provoquée par les dieux (devakilbiṣa).

Inside Sukta 7

How it unfolds

  1. How it opens

    The hymn opens by addressing the full spectrum of herbs—brown, white, ruddy, speckled, dark, black—inviting them to come near and listen as living healers.

  2. What it asks

    The central petition is that the herbs, fierce and life-preserving, deploy their sahas, vīrya, and bala to release the patient from yakṣma and establish the remedy (bheṣaja).

  3. Where its power lies

    Efficacy is asserted through totalizing enumeration (all colors/forms), Vaiśvadeva affiliation (plants as ‘All-gods’ own’), and the explicit claim that their combined strength can loosen even compounded bonds.

  4. How it closes

    The conclusion seals the cure as deliverance: the patient is ‘lifted out’ from fivefold and tenfold snares, from Yama’s binding, and from every devakilbiṣa—closing with comprehensive unbinding and purification.

Famous verses

sarvā acchā-vadāmasi
Verse 8.7.1Programmatic opening: it gathers every class of herb by vivid color taxonomy and performs the core ritual move—summoning the plants to approach as a single healing host.Read verse 8.7.1 →
yakṣmāt puruṣaṃ muñcata
Verse 8.7.4Defines the herbs by morphology and divine affiliation (vaiśvadevāḥ), then explicitly petitions release from yakṣma using the herbs’ sahas/vīrya/bala—this is the hymn’s therapeutic center.Read verse 8.7.4 →
ut tvāhārṣam … yamasya paḍvīśāt
Verse 8.7.27A climactic ‘deliverance’ verse that extends healing into unbinding from snares and even Yama’s bond, adding a prāyaścitta-like purification from devakilbiṣa.Read verse 8.7.27 →

Kind of hymn

Bhaisajya (Healing) / Oṣadhi-sūkta (Herb hymn)

What it is for

Broad-spectrum healing by mobilizing all herbs to remove yakṣma, restore vitality, and unbind the patient from layered dangers (disease, death’s noose, and guilt/pollution).

Who it is for

Atharvanic healer/priest (bhaiṣajika), householders caring for the sick, and ritual specialists performing curative recitation with herbal preparations.

Also used as

  • Shantika
  • Prāyaścitta (expiatory coloring)
  • Rakṣoghna/Apotropaic (protective, disease-repelling)

The deity

The herbs are addressed as sentient, manifold powers of life—diverse in color and morphology—belonging to the All-gods and carrying innate healing intelligence. They function as both medicines and divine agents who can loosen bonds, repel disease, and restore vitality.

Powers of the deity

  • Summoning/assembly of all medicinal species (sarvā oṣadhīḥ)
  • Extraction and expulsion of disease, especially yakṣma (wasting/consumption-type affliction)
  • Restoration of strength (bala), conquering might (sahas), and potency (vīrya)
  • Unbinding and deliverance from snares/bonds (pañca-/daśa-śalā, Yama’s binding)
  • Purificatory relief from devakilbiṣa (god-provoked offence/pollution)

Why the deity is called

They are invoked to gather near, reveal and apply their combined potency, and effect a complete cure: freeing the patient from yakṣma, from constricting bonds of peril, and from any transgressive contamination thought to sustain illness.

The seer

  • Atharvanic (anonymous/collective) seerAtharvan. Bhaiṣajya charms that combine materia medica (oṣadhi/vīrudh) with coercive-inviting speech: summoning herbs, extracting disease, and unbinding the patient from peril (yakṣma, pāśa/bonds, kilbiṣa).

Other hymns of this seer

  • AV 8.6 (healing/protective material in the same kanda context; attribution varies by anukramaṇī)
  • AV 4.12 (oṣadhi/healing orientation; school-dependent attributions)
  • AV 2.31 (yakṣma-related healing material; attribution varies)

Preparing for the rite

  • Collect available medicinal herbs (fresh or dried), ideally a mixed bundle representing diverse types (creepers, stalked plants, single-spiked, many-branched).
  • Prepare clean water for steeping/washing; arrange a small working space near the patient (head-side preferred in many healing rites).
  • Fashion a simple herb-bundle or poultice; optionally tie a small packet as an amulet (herbs wrapped in cloth).

The rite

  • Recite the hymn while holding or displaying the herb bundle, verbally ‘calling’ the plants to draw near (acchā-vadāma/ā hvayāmi style).
  • Touch or waft the herb bundle over the patient’s body, focusing on chest/breath and afflicted areas; accompany with sprinkling/aspersion of herb-infused water.
  • At the yakṣma-release portions, perform an explicit ‘unbinding’ gesture (loosening a knot, drawing the bundle away from the body) to mirror the mantra of release.
  • Conclude with a lifting/deliverance act (symbolically raising the patient or raising the herb bundle upward) aligned with the final ‘ut tvāhārṣam’ logic.

What it needs

  • Mixed oṣadhi/vīrudh (medicinal herbs, as available locally)
  • Water (for infusion/aspersion)
  • Cloth or cord (to bind an herb packet/amulet; optional)
  • A small vessel for infusion (optional)

When

Performed during illness episodes; preferably at dawn or early morning for restorative rites, or immediately when yakṣma-like wasting symptoms are recognized.

The main substance

Oṣadhi (a mixed bundle/infusion of medicinal herbs)

Herbs

  • Creeping plants (vīrudh)
  • Stalk-bearing herbs (stambinīḥ)
  • Single-spiked plants (ekaśuṅgāḥ)
  • Many-branched plants (viśākhāḥ)
  • Color-classified herbs: brown/white/ruddy/speckled/dark/black (babhru, śukra, rohiṇī, pṛśni, asiknī, kṛṣṇā)

Amulets

  • Herb packet tied in cloth (oṣadhi-potali)
  • Herb bundle used as a brushing/wafting implement

How it is prepared

Make a mixed herb bundle for touch/wafting; optionally steep a portion in clean water to create an infusion for sprinkling or washing while reciting the summoning and yakṣma-release verses.

Frequently Asked Questions

It is a bhaiṣajya (healing) hymn used to summon medicinal herbs as divine helpers, especially to remove yakṣma (wasting/consumption-type illness) and restore strength.

The color and form catalog is a ritual way of saying “all herbs without exception,” ensuring the healer calls every available medicinal power—creepers, stalked plants, single-spiked, many-branched, and more.

Besides curing disease, the hymn seeks complete deliverance: freedom from death’s noose imagery (Yama’s bond) and from pollution-like guilt or offence (devakilbiṣa) believed to sustain misfortune or illness.

Ask anything about Sukta 7 of the Atharva Veda

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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.

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Continue reading in the Vedapath app

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