Atharva Veda 3.21.4: Kanda 3, Anuvaka 3, Sukta 21, Mantra 4
Sukta 21
यो दे॒वो वि॒श्वाद् यमु॒ काम॑मा॒हुर्यं दा॒तारं॑ प्रतिगृ॒ह्णन्त॑मा॒हुः । यो धीरः॑ श॒क्रः प॑रि॒भूरदा॑भ्य॒स्तेभ्यो॑ अ॒ग्निभ्यो॑ हु॒तम॑स्त्वे॒तत्
yó devó viśvā́d yám u kā́mam āhúr yáṁ dātā́ram pratigṛhṇántam āhúḥ | yó dhī́raḥ śakráḥ paribhū́r adā́bhyaḥ tébhyo agníbhyo hútam astv etát
The god whom from every side they call ‘Desire,’ whom they call the Giver that receiveth in return; who is wise, mighty, an over-lord, unconquerable—to those Fires let this oblation be offered.
Jis devta ko sab taraf se 'ichcha' kehte hain. Jise sab daata kehte hain, jo le kar bhi deta hai. Jo samajhdar hai, balwan hai, sabka malik hai, jise koi hara nahi sakta. Un sab agni ko yeh havan samarpit ho.
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (variable)
Devata: Agni (as Kāma/Dātṛ; functional epithets)
Chandas: Triṣṭubh-like (mixed)
Primary: adbhuta
Secondary: shanta
Sāyaṇa notes the epithets as functional: Agni is ‘kāma’ insofar as he is the object and fulfiller of aims through sacrifice; he is ‘dātṛ’ as boon-bestower, yet ‘pratigṛhṇan’ because he receives the offering and returns fruit (phala) in reciprocity. ‘Adābhya’ underscores apotropaic invulnerability: the invoked fire cannot be thwarted by hostile beings.
To obtain desired goods and secure invulnerable protection by establishing reciprocal exchange with Agni as giver-and-receiver.
Conceptual link to strengthening jatharāgni and balancing desire-driven rajas (non-therapeutic).
Ritual framing for impulse control and goal-setting; gratitude/exchange mindset for financial stress (non-clinical).
mixed
Obtain desired goods (kāma) and establish invulnerable protection through reciprocal offering to Agni as giver-and-receiver.
Homa with intentional naming (kāma/dātṛ/pratigṛhṇant) to ‘program’ the exchange; refrain to plural fires for distributed guardianship.
Loss of wealth, instability, deception, failed exchange/transactions.
Wealth, successful reciprocity (gifts, trade, patronage), fulfillment of wishes.
Agni is praised as the deity called Kāma (Desire) from every side, also called the Giver who receives back (reciprocal exchange); he is wise, mighty, an over-lord, unconquerable; oblation is offered to the Fires.
Desire is not rejected but refined: when desire is entrusted to the inner fire, it becomes purposeful aspiration. The ‘giver-who-receives’ mirrors psychological reciprocity—what one feeds (habits, intentions) returns as character and fortune.
Prosperity and protection arise through right exchange: offerings (effort, gratitude, restraint) return as stability, resources, and invulnerability to chaos.
- काम (kāma)
- directed aspiration; motivational energy that must be ‘cooked’ into dharma
- दातारम् (dātāram)
- the source of boons—fire as transformer that ‘gives’ outcomes
- प्रतिगृह्णन्तम् (pratigṛhṇantam)
- law of reciprocity; offerings return as merit, cohesion, protection
- धीरः (dhīraḥ)
- stable discernment that makes desire non-destructive
- शक्रः (śakraḥ)
- effective power; capacity to actualize intention
- अदाभ्यः (adābhyaḥ)
- invulnerability through integrity and disciplined exchange
Observe desire as energy; offer it into a steady inner flame so it becomes aspiration rather than craving.
manipura
Exhale-offering practice: on each exhale, imagine placing ‘kāma’ into fire; on inhale, receive steadiness.
A two-way stream: golden offering into a red-gold flame; returning as a cool protective aura around the skin.
Sattvic motivation—bright, non-compulsive.
State a wish, then state the reciprocal dharmic action you will take; recite to bind both sides of the exchange.
Keep ‘kāma’ and ‘dātāram’ clearly articulated; refrain as steady anchor.
Do not blur conjuncts in ‘pratigṛhṇantam’; keep nasal + aspirate clean.
prati-gṛhṇantam: retroflex ‘ṇ’ in gṛhṇ-; keep ‘ṛ’ vocalic, adābhya: long ‘ā’ in second syllable, paribhūḥ: lengthen ‘ū’
Warm, inviting tone (prosperity) with firm closure on the offering line.
Best used with an explicit saṅkalpa of ‘right exchange’; Atharvanic efficacy is tied to precise intention + offering.
5
Seeking resources, support, successful transactions, or fulfillment of a wish without inviting instability.
Before giving/receiving gifts, signing agreements, beginning a venture, or making a vow.
Clearer desire, improved reciprocity in relationships and finances, steadier sense of safety.
Avoid framing as greedy extraction; pair with a concrete act of giving (dāna) to match ‘pratigraha’.
पदच्छेदः (सम्भाव्य): यः देवः विश्वात् यम् कामम् आहुः | यम् दातारम् प्रतिगृह्णन्तम् आहुः | यः धीरः शक्रः परिभूः अदाभ्यः | तेभ्यः अग्निभ्यः हुतम् अस्तु एतत् || मुख्य-सन्धयः: (1) कामम्+आहुः → काममा॒हुः (अ + आ = आ; म्-परसवर्ण/अनुस्वार-प्रयोगः) । (2) आहुः+यम् → आहुर्यम् (विसर्गस्य रेफादेशः: उः + य → उर्य) । (3) प्रतिगृह्णन्तम्+आहुः → प्रतिगृह्णन्तमा॒हुः (अ + आ = आ) । (4) अदाभ्यः+तेभ्यः → अदाभ्यस्तेभ्यः (विसर्गस्य स्-आदेशः: अः + त → अस्त) । (5) तेभ्यः+अग्निभ्यः → तेभ्योऽग्निभ्यः (अः + अ → ओऽ; अवग्रह) । (6) हुतम्+अस्तु → हुतमस्तु (म् + अ → म) ।
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