Atharva Veda 10.2.32: Kanda 10, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 2, Mantra 32
Sukta 2
तस्मि॑न् हिर॒ण्यये॒ कोशे॒ त्र्यऽरे॒ त्रिप्र॑तिष्ठिते । तस्मि॒न् यद् य॒क्षमा॑त्म॒न्वत् तद् वै ब्र॑ह्म॒विदो॑ विदुः
tásmin hiraṇyé kóśe try-àre trípratiṣṭhite | tásmin yád yákṣam ātmánvat tád vái brahmavído viduḥ ||
In that golden casket, three-spoked, established on three supports—in it, what wondrous Power is self-possessed, that verily the knowers of Brahman know.
उस सोना के डिब्बे में, जो तीन खंभों पर खड़ा है, उसमें एक चीज़ है जो खुद अपने आप में है। यह एक छुपी हुई ताकत है। जो लोग ब्रह्म को जानते हैं, सिर्फ वही इसे समझते हैं।
Rishi: Atharvanic speculative tradition (variable r̥ṣi lists).
Devata: Brahman/Ātman as ‘yakṣa’ (mysterious potency).
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (with scholastic/gnomic style)
Primary: adbhuta
Secondary: shanta
Sayana glosses the ‘golden sheath’ as the heart-seat wherein brahman/ātman abides. ‘Three-spoked’ and ‘thrice-established’ are read as triadic cosmological or psychophysical supports (often mapped to the three worlds or to speech, breath, and mind). ‘Yakṣa’ is not a goblin here but ‘that which is to be wondered at’—the mysterious brahman endowed with selfhood; its recognition is the mark of brahmavids.
To authorize brahman-knowledge as a protective and salvific force by locating the self-possessed ‘yakṣa’ (mysterious brahman) within the inner sheath.
Fear, fragmentation of attention, instability across mental states; ‘spiritual insecurity.’
Heart/interior (kośa) implied.
Insight-based stabilization: locating self-possessed power inside; triadic support as integrative frame.
Enhances sattva; pacifies vāta by providing inner ‘pratiṣṭhā’ (foundation).
Metacognitive anchoring; self-compassion/inner secure base; mindfulness of awareness itself.
shantika
The practitioner’s consciousness and sense of safety.
Secure the practitioner by identifying the inviolable inner yakṣa and the triadic supports of the inner sheath.
Protective vidyā: naming the inner structure and authorizing it through brahmavid discourse.
Existential dread, sensory dispersion, intrusive thoughts.
Within that golden casket—three-spoked and established on three supports—there is a wondrous Power (yakṣa) that is self-possessed (ātmanvat). That is what the knowers of Brahman know.
Points to a stable triadic structure (three spokes/supports) holding the psyche’s luminous center. The ‘yakṣa’ is the uncanny, numinous vitality of consciousness—autonomous, not dependent on external validation. Knowledge (vid) is itself protection: to know the inner power is to be less conquerable by fear.
Beneath changing roles and sensations there is a self-sustaining awareness. When recognized, it becomes a refuge; when ignored, we seek safety only outside and remain fragile.
- त्र्यऽरे (try-are)
- triadic order (e.g., waking-dream-sleep; three guṇas; three fires) stabilizing the inner vehicle
- त्रिप्रतिष्ठिते (tripratiṣṭhite)
- deep supports of life—body, breath, mind; or earth-atmosphere-heaven as inner pillars
- यक्षम् (yakṣam)
- the uncanny radiance of brahman—experienced as awe, not objectifiable
- आत्मन्वत् (ātmanvat)
- autonomous consciousness; inner sovereignty
- ब्रह्मविदः (brahmavidaḥ)
- those stabilized in insight; knowledge as protective armor
- कोश (kośa)
- inner chamber of awareness; protective enclosure
Rest as the ‘self-possessed’ awareness (ātmanvat yakṣa) inside the golden sheath; contemplate the three supports as posture-breath-attention.
Ajna (witness-awareness)
Gentle kumbhaka only if trained; otherwise smooth diaphragmatic breathing while repeating ‘ātmanvat’.
A three-spoked wheel of light turning slowly inside a golden chamber at the centerline; each spoke stabilizes a mind-state.
Witnessing (sākṣitva) with awe; integration of waking/dream/sleep as triadic spokes.
After chanting, sit for 3 minutes: (1) feel body, (2) feel breath, (3) observe mind—then rest as the knower.
Contemplative, slightly rising on yakṣam and settling on viduḥ.
Give clear separation: tasmin… kośe | try-are tripratiṣṭhite; then a softer, reverent tone for yakṣam ātmanvat.
Pronounce yakṣam with clear kṣ cluster., Keep retroflex ṭh in pratiṣṭhite., Do not blur brahmavido—keep the v sound distinct.
Quietly luminous, like teaching a secret; allow resonance on long vowels.
After 3 voiced repetitions, switch to silent mental repetition to enact the ‘inner kośa’ principle.
12
When you feel spiritually ungrounded, scattered, or fearful; before exams, decisions, or sleep transitions.
Before meditation; during stress breaks; at night to stabilize mind-states.
Greater inner security, reduced reactivity, steadier attention, and a sense of meaning.
Avoid breath retention if anxious or hypertensive; keep practice gentle.
पदच्छेदः: तस्मिन् | हिरण्यये | कोशे | त्रि-अरे (संहितायां त्र्यऽरे: इ + अ → य्, अवग्रहः) | त्रि-प्रतिष्ठिते | तस्मिन् | यत् | यक्षम् | आत्मन्वत् | तत् | वै | ब्रह्मविदः | विदुः । अन्यत्र विशेष-सन्धिः न।
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