Sukta 70
Rishi: Atharvanic/Angiras-type attribution (hymn-level tradition)
Devata: Agni (ghora), with Manyu (wrath) as operative power
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (probable; short pādas consistent with AV anuṣṭubh usage)
Ye ek mantra hai jo dusman ko bandhne ke liye banaya gaya hai. Isme Agni ko us darawne roop mein bulaya jata hai. Manyu yaani gussa ko bhi istemal kiya jata hai taakat ke liye. Mantra kehta hai ki us vyakti ke haath aur muh band ho jayenge. Uska yagya kamyab nahi hoga aur uska havis bigad jayega. Ye sab us shakti se hota hai jo Agni aur Manyu milke dete hain. Dusman ki puja ka asar khatam ho jata hai is mantra se. Iska maqsad sirf itna hai ki wo aage badh na paye.
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
शत्रुदमनम्। यत् किं चा॒सौ मन॑सा॒ यच्च॑ वा॒चा य॒ज्ञैर्जु॒होति॑ ह॒विषा॒ यजु॑षा । तन्मृ॒त्युना॒ निरृ॑तिः संविदा॒ना पु॒रा स॒त्यादाहु॑तिं हन्त्वस्य
Jo bhi yeh aadmi mann se ya bol se puja karta hai, uski puja mein aag laga do. Maran ki taakat uska kaam bigaad de. Uski puja kabhi poori na ho, sab bekaar ho jaye.
Mantra 2
या॒तु॒धाना॒ निरृ॑ति॒रादु॒ रक्ष॒स्ते अ॑स्य घ्न॒न्त्वनृ॑तेन स॒त्यम्। इन्द्रे॑षिता दे॒वा आज्य॑मस्य मथ्नन्तु॒ मा तत् सं पा॑दि॒ यद॒सौ जु॒होति॑
Buri aatma aur rakhshas uska sach jhooth bana de. Devta Indra ke saath milkar uska ghee bigaad de. Jo woh aadmi bhagwan ko chadha raha hai, woh kabhi poora na ho. Uski saari mehnat barbaad ho jaye.
Mantra 3
अ॒जि॒रा॒धि॒रा॒जौ श्ये॒नौ सं॑पा॒तिना॑विव । आज्यं॑ पृतन्य॒तो ह॑तां॒ यो नः॒ कश्चा॑भ्यघा॒यति॑
Do baaz jaise aasman se tezi se neeche aate hain. Woh dono mil ke dushman par hamla karte hain. Jo bhi humare khilaf bura irada rakhta hai, uski taakat tod do. Jaise baaz apne shikaar pe toot pade.
Mantra 4
अपा॑ञ्चौ त उ॒भौ बा॒हू अपि॑ नह्याम्या॒स्यऽम्। अ॒ग्नेर्दे॒वस्य॑ म॒न्युना॒ तेन॑ तेऽवधिषं ह॒विः
Main tumhari dono baazu peeche kar deta hoon. Tumhari shakti bandh deta hoon is aadmi ke upar. Agni bhagwan ke gusse se tumhe maar deta hoon. Tumhara balidan khatam ho gaya.
Mantra 5
अपि॑ नह्यामि ते बा॒हू अपि॑ नह्याम्या॒स्यऽम्। अ॒ग्नेर्घो॒रस्य॑ म॒न्युना॒ तेन॑ तेऽवधिषं ह॒विः
Main tumhare haath baandh deta hoon. Tumhara munh bhi baandh deta hoon. Agni ki gusse ki taakat se tumhein gira deta hoon. Yeh havan ki samagri se hota hai.
Inside Sukta 70
How it unfolds
- How it opens
The hymn opens by calling upon punitive forces (yātudhānas, Nirṛti, rākṣas) and Indra-directed Devas to disrupt the opponent’s ‘truth’ (success) and confound their ghee.
- What it asks
May the rival’s rite not reach completion; may their oblation be spoiled; may their agency be bound—arms restrained and mouth sealed.
- Where its power lies
The speaker declares efficacy through performative binding (‘I bind’) and through Agni’s ghorá Manyu as the striking power that ‘smote down’ the foe and their havis.
- How it closes
It seals by reiterating the binding and the decisive blow: the oblation is struck down and the opponent is rendered ineffective through Agni’s wrath.
Famous verses
mā tat saṃ pādi (let it not come to full accomplishment)
agner devasya manyunā (with the wrath of Agni the God)
agner ghorasya manyunā (with the dread wrath of Agni)
Kind of hymn
Abhicarika (Coercive/Counter-sorcery; binding and silencing)
What it is for
To restrain the enemy’s body and speech, reverse their power, and nullify their offering so their ritual goal fails.
Who it is for
Atharvanic practitioner or household ritualist facing hostile magic, rivalry in rites, litigation-like conflict, or a threatening person whose ‘speech and action’ must be checked.
Also used as
- Stambhana (paralysis/immobilization)
- Bandhana (binding)
- Vāk-nirodha (silencing)
- Yajña-vighna (obstructing an enemy rite)
The deity
Agni appears as a fierce enforcer whose wrath (Manyu) can ‘strike down’ an adversary’s ritual power; the hymn also mobilizes cosmic and anti-cosmic agents to invert the enemy’s truth/success into failure.
Powers of the deity
- Bandhana: binding and restricting bodily agency (arms) and speech (mouth)
- Stambhana/nirodha: immobilizing and silencing
- Havis-nāśa: striking down/confounding oblations (havis, ājya) so rites do not ‘come to completion’
- Viparīta-kriyā: reversal of the opponent’s intent and ritual efficacy
- Rakṣo-yātudhāna-preraṇa: deploying hostile beings as punitive agents under mantra-control
Why the deity is called
To harness Agni’s dread wrath as a decisive force that binds the adversary, voids their sacrificial success, and ensures the practitioner’s side prevails in a contest of rites and wills.
The seer
- Atharvan/Āṅgirasa (hymn-level tradition; specific r̥ṣi uncertain)Atharvan. Abhicārika counter-sorcery: binding (bandhana), silencing (mukha-nirodha), and ritual obstruction—spoiling an enemy’s offering so their act fails.
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 7.69
- AV 7.71
- AV 6.75
Preparing for the rite
- Identify the target (person, rival sacrificer, or personified hostile agency) and fix intention (saṅkalpa) to ‘bind and obstruct’.
- Prepare a simple havis/ājya offering (ghee or mixed oblation) for Agni; set a small fire or lamp as the Agni-seat.
- Take a binding cord/ligature (thread, grass-cord, or strip of cloth) to enact the verbal ‘nahyāmi’ (I bind).
The rite
- Recite the binding verses while physically tying knots in the cord, synchronizing each ‘api nahyāmi’ with a knot or tightening gesture.
- Perform a symbolic ‘reversal’ (apāñca) gesture—turning the hands/cord backward or turning away—to ritually invert the opponent’s force.
- Offer ājya/havis into the fire while stating that the opponent’s oblation is ‘struck down’ by Agni’s Manyu.
- Optionally place/retain the knotted cord as a fetter-charm (bandhana) in a secure place, or discard it where it signifies removal of the foe’s power.
What it needs
- Havis (general oblation)
- Ājya (ghee), especially where the enemy’s ghee-offering is targeted
- Binding cord/ligature (thread/cloth/grass-cord)
- Fire or lamp for Agni (or a substitute hearth)
When
Preferably at dusk/nightfall or at a liminal time (sandhyā), and especially when the opponent is performing/has performed an offering or when conflict is active.
The main substance
Ājya/havis (ghee-based oblation) with a binding cord as the operative implement
Amulets
- Knotted binding cord (bandhana-sūtra) retained as a fetter-charm
How it is prepared
Warm or ready ghee as ājya for offering; prepare a cord and tie knots in step with recitation, then offer ghee/havis into Agni while stating the opponent’s rite is obstructed.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is used to restrain a hostile person or force—binding their ability to act (arms) and speak (mouth)—and to prevent an opponent’s ritual offering from succeeding.
Agni is invoked in a fierce, punitive form, and Manyu (wrath) is the energizing power that ‘strikes down’ the opponent and nullifies their oblation.
No. The text’s implied essentials are a simple oblation (havis/ājya, typically ghee) and a binding cord to enact the mantra’s ‘I bind’ statements; the rest is gesture and recitation.
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