Sukta 8
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition
Devata: Vicṛtā and Tārakā (personified deliverers/unbinders); secondarily the expulsion of kṣetriya-disease
Chandas: Mixed/irregular as noted in the tradition: Virāṭ / Nicṛt-pathyā-pañkti (per the supplied metrical note)
અથર્વવેદ 2.8 એક સંક્ષિપ્ત ઉપચાર–હાંકલવાની મંત્રવિધિ છે, જેનો હેતુ ઉપરથી અને નીચેથી બાંધાયેલા બંધન-પાશ તરીકે કલ્પિત ક્ષેત્રિય વ્યાધિને ઢીલી કરી બહાર હાંકી કાઢવાનો છે. તે જોડિયા મુક્તિકર્તા વિચૃતા અને તારકાને ‘બંધન ખોલો’ એમ આહ્વાન કરે છે. ક્ષેત્રિય-નાશક ઔષધ તરીકે વિરૂત લતને કાર્યરત કરી, આ વિધિની શક્તિ હળ અને ખેડાણનાં સાધનો સુધી વિસ્તારે છે—જે વિધિરૂપે રોગને ‘કાપી’ દૂર કરે છે.
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
क्षेत्रियरोगनाशनम्। ४ विराट्, ५ निचृत्पथ्यापङ्क्तिः। उद॑गातां॒ भग॑वती वि॒चृतौ॒ नाम॒ तार॑के । वि क्षे॑त्रि॒यस्य॑ मुञ्चतामध॒मं पाश॑मुत्त॒मम्
ઉપર તરફ પ્રસ્થાન કરે તે બે ભગવતીઓ—‘વિચૃતૌ’ નામની, બે તારક (ઉદ્ધારક) દેવીઓ. ક્ષેત્રિય-રોગમાંથી (અમને) મુક્ત કરતાં, નીચલો પાશ અને ઉપરનો પાશ—બન્નેને છૂટા કરી દે.
Mantra 2
अपे॒यं रात्र्यु॑च्छ॒त्वपो॑च्छन्त्वभि॒कृत्व॑रीः । वी॒रुत् क्षे॑त्रिय॒नाश॒न्यप॑ क्षेत्रि॒यमु॑च्छतु
દૂર થાઓ! આ રાત ઊઠીને પસાર થઈ જાય; દૂર—આક્રમક શક્તિઓ પણ ઊઠીને દૂર થઈ જાય. ક્ષેત્રિય-નાશિની વિરૂત્ ક્ષેત્રિય વ્યાધિને દૂર ઊઠાવી નાખે.
Mantra 3
ब॒भ्रोरर्जु॑नकाण्डस्य॒ यव॑स्य ते पला॒ल्या तिल॑स्य तिलपि॒ञ्ज्या। वीरुत् क्षे॑त्रिय॒नाश॒न्यप॑ क्षेत्रि॒यमु॑च्छतु
બભ્રુ, અર્જુનના કાંડ (ડાંઠ) સાથે, તારા માટે યવ (જૌ) સાથે; પલાળ્યા (ભૂસો), તિલ અને તિલપિઞ્જ્યા (તિલનો લેપ/પેસ્ટ) સાથે—ક્ષેત્રિય-નાશિની વિરૂત્ ક્ષેત્રિય રોગને દૂર હાંકી કાઢે.
Mantra 4
नम॑स्ते॒ लाङ्ग॑लेभ्यो॒ नम॑ ईषायु॒गेभ्यः॑ । वी॒रुत् क्षे॑त्रिय॒नाश॒न्यप॑ क्षेत्रि॒यमु॑च्छतु
હે લાંગળાઓ, તમને નમસ્કાર; ઈષા-યુગ (દાંડો અને જોડાં) ને નમસ્કાર. ક્ષેત્રિય-નાશિની વીરૂત્ (Virút) ઔષધિ ક્ષેત્રિય વ્યાધિને દૂર ધકેલી દે.
Mantra 5
नमः॑ सनिस्रसा॒क्षेभ्यो॒ नमः॑ संदे॒श्येऽभ्यः । नमः॒ क्षेत्र॑स्य॒ पत॑ये वी॒रुत् क्षे॑त्रिय॒नाश॒न्यप॑ क्षेत्रि॒यमु॑छतु
ધૂંધળી અને સ્રાવવાળી આંખોવાળાઓને નમસ્કાર; પડોશમાં ભટકતી/વસતી શક્તિઓને નમસ્કાર. ક્ષેત્રના પતિને નમસ્કાર. ક્ષેત્રિય-નાશિની વીરૂત્ (Virút) ઔષધિ ક્ષેત્રિય વ્યાધિને દૂર હાંકી દે.
Inside Sukta 8
How it unfolds
- How it opens
The hymn opens by sending the ‘two Blessed Ones’—Vicṛtā and Tārakā—upward and into action as liberators who arrive to unfasten bonds.
- What it asks
To loosen and remove kṣetriya from the patient entirely, cutting both the ‘lower’ and ‘upper’ nooses and lifting off the oppressive agencies.
- Where its power lies
Efficacy is asserted through imperative expulsion verbs (ap-/ucchatu; vi muñcatām) and through naming the herb itself as ‘kṣetriya-nāśanī,’ i.e., inherently disease-destroying.
- How it closes
The rite seals by extending obeisance to empowered instruments (plough/pole/yokes) and reiterating the decisive command that vīrut thrust the kṣetriya malady away.
Famous verses
vi kṣetriyasya muñcatām adhamam pāśam uttamam
vīrut kṣetriyanāśany apakṣetriyam ucchatu
namaste lāṅgalebhyo nama īṣāyugebhyaḥ
Kind of hymn
Bhaisajya (Healing) / Apotropaic
What it is for
Release of the patient from kṣetriya-disease conceived as a noose/bond, and outward expulsion of the affliction along with any assailing forces sustaining it.
Who it is for
Householder-healer (atharvan/vaidya), family ritualist, or community practitioner treating chronic/wasting or ‘field-origin’ afflictions attributed to kṣetriya.
Also used as
- Apotropaic (rakṣoghna/duṣkṛta-nivāraṇa)
- Shāntika (pacificatory removal of hostile agencies)
The deity
Vicṛtā and Tārakā function as personified ‘unfasteners’ who sever bonds and lead the afflicted upward/out of constraint. Vīrut is a medicinal creeper invoked as the active remover of kṣetriya, while Night (Rātri) and the agricultural implements are treated as powers that can be ‘lifted off’ or enlisted to dislodge the malady.
Powers of the deity
- Unbinding and loosening fetters (pāśa-mocana)
- Expelling and lifting away disease-agents (ucchatu / apakarṣaṇa)
- Breaking the disease’s ‘upper and lower’ hold (uttama/adhama pāśa)
- Herbal neutralization and restorative healing through vīrut
- Ritual ‘cutting/turning out’ of affliction via ploughing symbolism
Why the deity is called
To sever kṣetriya’s binding force on the patient and to drive the malady out using the combined agencies of divine unbinders and an operative medicinal plant, reinforced by implements that symbolize uprooting and removal.
The seer
- Atharvanic (anukramaṇī does not clearly preserve a single named r̥ṣi for this excerpted tradition)Atharvan. Bhaiṣajya and apotropaic charms: unbinding (mocana), expulsion (apakarṣaṇa), and plant-based healing rites directed against personified disease-agents.
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 1.22 (selected bhaiṣajya/expulsion material in Atharvanic transmission)
- AV 2.9 (adjacent healing/expulsion charms in the same kanda context)
- AV 4.12 (representative kṛmi/roga-expulsion style hymns in Atharvanic corpora)
Preparing for the rite
- Identify the afflicted person and ritually mark the ‘bond’ (pāśa) by tying a cord lightly or indicating binding points (upper/lower) without harm.
- Procure vīrut (a creeping herb) fresh if possible; keep it clean and separate for the rite.
- Place plough-related implements (or symbolic substitutes) nearby if available: lāṅgala (plough), īṣā (pole), yuga (yoke).
- Arrange a quiet space; if performed at night, prepare for a ‘lifting off of Night’ motif (lamp/fire optional).
The rite
- Recite 2.8.1 while miming the loosening/severing of the ‘upper and lower’ bonds; loosen or untie the cord as the mantra speaks of release.
- Recite 2.8.2 directing the command ‘ap/ucchatu’ outward, brushing the patient with vīrut or waving it away from the body to carry the disease off.
- Optionally integrate the implement-salutation frame (2.8.4): salute or touch plough/pole/yoke (or their symbols) and then repeat the expulsion line, directing removal toward the ground/outside boundary.
- Dispose of the used herb/cord outside the dwelling boundary or at a liminal place, symbolizing the disease’s departure.
What it needs
- Vīrut (creeping medicinal plant)
- Cord/thread representing pāśa (bond/noose)
- Optional: lāṅgala (plough), īṣā (plough-pole), yuga (yoke) or symbolic miniatures
- Optional: water for cleansing and a boundary line (drawn/marked) for expulsion
When
Often suited to liminal times (night’s end/dawn) given the ‘Night, lift away’ language; may also be done whenever symptoms are acute, repeating as needed.
The main substance
Vīrut (creeping medicinal plant)
Herbs
- Vīrut (creeper; invoked as kṣetriya-nāśanī)
Amulets
- Cord/thread (pāśa) used as a removable ‘bond’ token
- Optional: small knot-amulet made from the cord after loosening, then discarded outside
How it is prepared
Use fresh vīrut if possible; lightly brush or wave it from head-to-foot (upper-to-lower) while reciting expulsion lines, then carry it outward and discard beyond the boundary to enact removal.
Frequently Asked Questions
In this sukta, kṣetriya is treated as a named affliction (and almost a personified force) that binds the patient like a noose; the mantra’s goal is to loosen and expel it rather than merely describe symptoms.
They are paired, ‘blessed’ deliverers invoked as unbinders—powers that cut or loosen bonds—so the patient is released from the disease’s grasp (both ‘upper’ and ‘lower’).
The ploughing set symbolizes cutting, turning, and uprooting; by saluting these implements, the rite borrows that ‘uprooting’ power to dislodge the kṣetriya malady and thrust it away.
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