Atharva Veda 11.2.26: Kanda 11, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 2, Mantra 26
Sukta 2
मा नो॑ रुद्र त॒क्मना॒ मा वि॒षेण॒ मा नः॒ सं स्रा॑ दि॒व्येना॒ग्निना॑ । अ॒न्यत्रा॒स्मद् वि॒द्युतं॑ पातयै॒ताम्
mā nó rudra takmánā mā viṣéṇa mā naḥ sáṃ srā divyénāgnínā | anyátrā́smád vidyútam pātayaitā́m
Smite us not, O Rudra, with Fever; smite us not with Poison; consume us not with the heavenly Fire. Hurl thou this lightning elsewhere, away from us.
हे रुद्र, हमें बुखार से मत मारो। ज़हर से भी हमें मत छूना। आग से हमें मत जलाना। बिजली को इधर से हटा के किसी और तरफ गिरा दो।
The meaning
What it says
A plea to Rudra not to strike ‘us’ with fever (takman), poison (viṣa), or heavenly fire; a request to cast the lightning (vidyut) elsewhere away from the sacrificer/community.
The inner meaning
The verse externalizes sudden illness and catastrophe as ‘Rudra’s agencies’—making fear speakable and negotiable. It trains the mind to petition the overwhelming (disease, toxicity, disaster) with humility and clarity, redirecting panic into structured supplication.
The truth in it
Human vulnerability to acute harm (infection/fever, toxins, lightning/fire) is real; resilience begins by acknowledging danger, seeking protection, and reorienting destructive forces away from oneself and one’s community.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Bhaisajya (Healing) / Apotropaic (Rudra-pacification)
Its aim
To avert fever, poisoning, and lightning/fire sent by Rudra; to redirect the dangerous strike away from the sacrificer’s domain.
Word by Word
Pada patha
मा । नः । रुद्र । तक्मना । मा । विषेण । मा । नः । सम् । स्राः । दिव्येन । अग्निना । अन्यत्र । अस्मत् । विद्युतम् । पातय । एताम् ।
- मा
- do notnot; a prohibitive particle used in deprecatory prayer (warding-off formula)Indeclinableनिषेधार्थक अव्ययRoot मा (निषेध) अव्यय
- नः
- to us / ourus; our persons/household (the sacrificer’s party)Pronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी, बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक ‘नः’)Role SampradānaRoot अस्मद्
- रुद्र
- O RudraO Rudra (Bhava/Śarva); the ambivalent lord who both smites and healsNoun (proper) / Vocativeपुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन, एकवचनRoot रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- तक्ष्मना
- with fever (tákman)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot तक्ष्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- मा
- do notnot (repeated for intensified apotropaic force)Indeclinableनिषेधार्थक अव्ययRoot मा (निषेध) अव्यय
- विषेण
- with poisonwith poison/venom; also ‘toxic affliction’ sent by divine agencyNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot विष (प्रातिपदिक)
- मा
- do notnotIndeclinableनिषेधार्थक अव्ययRoot मा (निषेध) अव्यय
- नः
- to ususPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी, बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक ‘नः’)Role SampradānaRoot अस्मद्
- सं
- together; completely (prefix)Indeclinable (prefix)उपसर्ग (सम्यक्/समवायार्थ)Root सम् (उपसर्ग) अव्यय
- स्राः
- may you not strike/afflictmayest thou strike down/overwhelm (injure, smite); Rudra’s harmful actVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRole Kartā (अध्याहृतः ‘त्वम्’ = रुद्रः)Root स्रै/स्रा (धातु) + लोट्
- दिव्येन
- with the heavenlyheavenly, celestial; of divine origin (esp. lightning/fire from the sky)Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (अग्निना सह विशेषणम्)Role KaraṇaRoot दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- अग्निना
- with firewith fire; here ‘sky-fire’ (lightning) as Rudra’s weaponNounपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- अन्यत्र
- elsewhereelsewhere; away from us (directional displacement of danger)Indeclinableदेश/विभागवाचक अव्ययRole AdhikaraṇaRoot अन्यत्र (अव्यय)
- अस्मद्
- from usPronounपञ्चमी, बहुवचनRole ApādānaRoot अस्मद्
- विद्युतम्
- lightningthe lightning-flash; a visible sign of Rudra’s celestial weaponNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot विद्युत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- पातय
- cause to fall; hurlcause to fall, hurl down; redirect the strike to another locusVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRole Kartā (अध्याहृतः ‘त्वम्’ = रुद्रः)Root पत् (धातु) + णिच् (पातय) + लोट्
- एताम्
- this (her/it)this (fem. acc.); i.e., this lightning (the present threatening bolt)Pronoun (demonstrative)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot एतद्
Sandhi Notes
- मा | नः | रुद्र | तक्ष्मना | मा | विषेण | मा | नः | सं | स्राः | दिव्येन | अग्निना | अन्यत्र | अस्मद् | विद्युतम् | पातय | एताम् ।
- 1) ‘मा नः’ इत्यत्र ‘नः’ एन्क्लिटिक सर्वनामरूपं (षष्ठी/चतुर्थी बहुवचन) — अर्थतः ‘अस्मान्/अस्मभ्यं’ (to us) ग्रहणीयम्।
- 2) ‘सं स्रा’ → ‘सं स्राः’ (लोट्, म.पु. एक.) इति पदरूपनिर्णयः
- ‘सं’ उपसर्गः पृथक् पदम्।
- 3) ‘अन्यत्रास्मद्’ → ‘अन्यत्र | अस्मद्’ (पञ्चमी) इति विग्रहः।
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic tradition (Rudra-śānti seer not uniquely fixed for this single verse in common indices)
- Devata
- Rudra (Bhava/Śarva aspect), with takman/vidyut as his agencies
- Chandas
- Mixed; predominantly Triṣṭubh-like cadence in this section (as transmitted in AV 11.2)
- Rasa
- Bhayankara and Shanta
Sāyaṇa takes Rudra as the wielder of multiple ‘weapons’—takman (fever), viṣa (poison), and divya-agni (lightning). The repeated mā is an apotropaic restraint-formula (niṣedha) addressed to the deity. ‘Pātaya’ is interpreted as a deliberate diversion of the bolt to a different place (anyatra), preserving the yajamāna’s household and cattle.
Atharvanic transmitters (Rudra-śānti stratum in AVŚ 11.2)
Śāntika pacification of Rudra and his dangerous agencies; bhaiṣajya logic that treats fever/poison as personified forces to be redirected/appeased.
Embodies the Atharvan approach to crisis: address the terrifying directly, name its forms (fever, poison, lightning), and negotiate safety through reverent speech.
Rudra (as wielder of takman, viṣa, divya-agni/vidyut)
Controller of sudden afflictions and atmospheric fire; both destroyer and (when pacified) protector who redirects harm.
By being propitiated, withdraws fever/poison; grants ‘non-striking’ (an-āghāta) safety.
Deflects lightning and catastrophic fire; averts acute systemic affliction.
4 pādas of ~11; strong anaphora with ‘mā… mā… mā…’
Mantric ‘prohibitive chain’ (mā) is an Atharvanic intensifier; last pāda becomes a directional command.
Incantatory and urgent: repeated prohibitives create a protective wall; final line releases tension by sending danger away.
Useful in moments of fear: repetition steadies breath and installs a felt barrier against harm.
The Atharvan priest seats the yajamāna facing a ritually ‘safe’ direction; establishes a small domestic fire.
Recites the mantra as a niṣedha (prohibitive) while making a protective gesture (parimārjana/pariṣecanam) around the patient/household boundary.
If lightning/thunder is present, the priest performs a directional ‘sending away’ (anyatra-prayoga), pointing outward from the dwelling and symbolically casting the danger beyond the settlement.
Concludes with a śānti act: sprinkling water and/or touching the head/heart region of the afflicted to ‘cool’ takman and neutralize viṣa.
Kauśika Sūtra: Rudra-śānti / takman-śānti context (exact sūtra-number varies by edition; commonly placed among Rudra-pacification and fever-removal prayogas).
Atharvan/Brahman as śānti-kartṛ: restrains Rudra’s harm through mantra, redirects the ‘weapon,’ and seals the household boundary.
Recite during fever outbreaks, suspected poisoning, or storms; accompany with practical actions (cooling care, antidote protocols, moving indoors).
At onset of fever; immediately after suspected toxin exposure (while seeking help); during thunderstorm approach.
Atharvan priest may perform śānti with offerings and protective boundary; householder may recite as immediate protection.
Rudra-śānti and takman/abhaya applications are common in Kauśika frameworks; exact sūtra linkage for AVŚ 11.2 verses depends on the ritual dossier used by the edition.
Use as a protective prayer during severe weather alerts and when caring for someone with high fever, alongside medical guidance.
takman (fever personified); viṣa (poison/venom); divya agni (celestial fire/lightning); vidyut (lightning)
divya agni (celestial fire) and vidyut (lightning) explicitly; fire as both physical hazard and fever-heat
Heat is doubled: fever-heat (takman) and sky-fire (divya agni/vidyut). The mantra seeks a ‘cooling’ outcome not by describing coolness, but by removing the heat-source from the sacrificer’s sphere.
Takman (fever); poisoning/venom exposure; injury risk from lightning/fire
Śānti (pacification) + apotropaic redirection: addressing Rudra as agent-controller and commanding displacement of vidyut ‘elsewhere’.
Fever (jvara) and toxic states (viṣa) are major Ayurvedic categories; the mantra aligns with cooling/pacifying strategies and removal/avoidance of toxins; ‘divya agni’ maps to heat/aggravation and external burn hazards.
Prayer/ritual coping alongside practical measures: fever management and medical care; poison control; lightning safety protocols.
Rudra as controller; the harmful agencies (takman, viṣa, vidyut)
Avert fever, poison, and lightning/fire harm by pacifying Rudra and redirecting the strike away.
Prohibitive apotropaic formula (mā…) + deity-address + directional displacement command (anyatra… pātaya)
Acute illness, envenomation/toxicity, lightning/fire disaster
- Rudra (रुद्र)
- unpredictable destructive power in nature and body; crisis-force that must be pacified
- takman (तक्मन्)
- burning affliction; acute systemic disturbance
- viṣa (विष)
- toxicity—physical and moral/relational
- divya agni (दिव्य अग्नि)
- lightning/fire from above; sudden catastrophe
- vidyut (विद्युत्)
- instant strike; shock; fate-like event
- anyatra (अन्यत्र)
- ritual redirection; displacement of harm
Pacify the inner storm: meet fear of illness/disaster with reverent clarity; cultivate ‘non-striking’ safety.
Anahata (fear regulation) and Ajna (clear command/visualization)
Lengthen exhale; softly repeat ‘mā’ on exhale to downshift arousal; end with a fuller exhale on ‘anyatra’.
A lightning bolt redirected to open ground; fever as red heat leaving the body; poison as dark liquid drained away; a protective dome around the home.
Alert calm under threat.
Do one slow recitation, then sit silently for 1–2 minutes focusing on cool breath at nostrils; repeat only if it steadies the mind, not to escalate panic.
Prohibitives ‘mā’ should be clearly separated; maintain even pitch to avoid frantic delivery; final command ‘pātaya’ slightly emphasized.
Threefold ‘mā’ forms a tripartite seal; pause lightly between clauses; give a clean downward cadence at the end to signal ‘sending away’.
Low, steady, supplicatory; not loud unless used in storm-ritual context.
In Atharvan practice, pair with immediate practical protections (storm shelter, cooling measures); mantra is a ‘shield,’ not a replacement for action.
High fever in household; fear of poisoning/venom; thunderstorms/lightning risk; anxiety about sudden catastrophe.
At first sign of fever; while arranging medical care; during storm warnings; after near-miss lightning events as a calming śānti.
Reduced fear, strengthened sense of protection, clearer focus for taking correct actions; traditional framing of acute dangers as redirectable.
Seek urgent medical care for high fever, poisoning, or snakebite; do not delay treatment.
No explicit herb appears in this verse; instead, the ‘substance’ is conceptualized as pathogenic agencies (takman, viṣa) and celestial fire. The therapeutic logic is apotropaic displacement: the mantra functions as a verbal technology to redirect and cool/neutralize affliction rather than administer materia medica.
The household’s safety is negotiated through a specialist (Atharvan/Brahman) who can address Rudra directly and manage dangerous liminal forces (disease, poison, lightning). The yajamāna’s protection is framed as a legitimate entitlement mediated by priestly speech-acts.
The piling of prohibitives (mā…mā…mā) and the pragmatic ‘send it elsewhere’ (anyatra…pātaya) reflects Atharvanic operational style—more explicitly performative and situational than many RV praise-hymns, though the Rudra-address and weapon imagery are RV-continuous.
Gopatha’s general theory treats Atharvanic mantras as effective through correct application (prayoga) and containment of dangerous powers; Rudra-śānti material is typically framed as pacifying a deity whose ‘weapons’ manifest as disease and atmospheric violence, with efficacy hinging on proper recitation and boundary-making.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
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.
