Atharva Veda 13.2.3: Kanda 13, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 2, Mantra 3
Sukta 2
यत् प्राङ् प्र॒त्यङ् स्व॒धया॒ यासि॒ शीभं॒ नाना॑रूपे॒ अह॑नी॒ कर्षि॑ मा॒यया॑ । तदा॑दित्य॒ महि॒ तत् ते॒ महि॒ श्रवो॒ यदेको॒ विश्वं॒ परि॒ भूम॒ जाय॑से
yát prā́ṅ pratyáṅ svadháyā yā́si śībháṁ nā́nārūpe áhanī kárṣi māyáyā | tád ādítya máhi tát te máhi śrávo yád éko víśvaṁ pári bhū́ma jā́yase ||
That thou, now eastward, now again westward, by thine own might goest swiftly, and by wondrous power drawest on the Day and Night of many forms—this, O Āditya, is great; great is thy glory, in that thou, alone, art born encompassing the whole earth.
सूरज, तुम अपनी शक्ति से पूरब से पश्चिम तेज़ चलते हो। अपनी माया से दिन और रात को खींचते हो। यह बड़ी बात है आदित्य। तुम अकेला हो और पूरी धरती को घेरे हुए हो।
The meaning
What it says
Sūrya goes swiftly eastward and westward by his own power; by māyā he draws on day and night of many forms. Great is his glory, born alone encompassing the whole earth.
The inner meaning
The psyche’s cycles (activity/rest, clarity/obscurity) are not random: a deeper intelligence ‘pulls’ them. Recognizing this reduces anxiety and builds trust in rhythm and renewal.
The truth in it
Time’s alternation is a crafted order: the one light appears as many phases, sustaining life through change while remaining whole.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Paustika / Rakṣoghna
Its aim
To magnify Āditya’s sovereign control of time (day/night) and space (earth), thereby stabilizing cosmic order for the patron and averting disorder.
Word by Word
Pada patha
यत् । प्राङ् । प्र॒त्यङ् । स्व॒धया॑ । यासि॑ । शीभ॑म् । नाना॑-रूपे । अह॑नी । कर्षि॑ । मा॒यया॑ । तत् । आ॒दित्य॑ । महि॑ । तत् । ते॒ । महि॑ । श्रवः॑ । यत् । एकः॑ । विश्व॑म् । परि॑ । भूम॑ । जाय॑से
- यत्
- that which / whenthat/wherein (as: inasmuch as; introducing the wondrous fact)Pronounनपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम् (सम्बन्धसूचकं ‘यत्’)Role सम्बन्ध/विशेषण-भावः; अनिर्दिष्ट-कारकःRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- प्राङ्
- facing forward / eastwardforward, eastward (toward the rising; ritual east)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम् (दिक्-विशेषणम्)Role विशेषणम्; कर्तृ-सम्बन्धःRoot प्राञ्च् (प्रातिपदिक; दिक्शब्द)
- प्रत्यङ्
- facing backward / westwardbackward, westward (toward setting; return-course)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम् (दिक्-विशेषणम्)Role विशेषणम्; कर्तृ-सम्बन्धःRoot प्रत्यञ्च् (प्रातिपदिक; दिक्शब्द)
- स्वधया
- by (your) own power / by inherent mightby thine own power/impulse (svadhā: inherent might; self-sustaining ordinance)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्गे तृतीया एकवचनम्Role करणRoot स्वधा (प्रातिपदिक)
- यासि
- you go / you movethou goest (thy course; regulated movement)Verbलट्, परस्मैपदम्, मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role क्रियाRoot या (धातु)
- शीभम्
- swiftlyIndeclinableअव्ययम्Role क्रियाविशेषणम्Root शीभ (प्रातिपदिक; अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोगः)
- नानारूपे
- of various formsof manifold forms (varied appearances; day and night as differing aspects)Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया द्विवचनम् (अहनी इति विशेष्यस्य)Role कर्मRoot नानारूप (प्रातिपदिक)
- अहनी
- day and night (the two: day & night)day and night (the paired temporal powers)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया द्विवचनम्Role कर्मRoot अहन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- कर्षि
- you draw / you pull alongthou drawest, dost drag along (as with reins; causing alternation)Verbलट्, परस्मैपदम्, मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role क्रियाRoot कृष् (धातु)
- मायया
- by (your) magic / wondrous powerby māyā, wondrous power/skill (divine artifice; not ‘illusion’ but effective craft)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्गे तृतीया एकवचनम्Role करणRoot माया (प्रातिपदिक)
- तत्
- thatPronounनपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role सम्बन्ध/अनुवादकःRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- आदित्य
- O Āditya (Sun)O Āditya (solar deity as member/essence of the Ādityas)Nounपुंलिङ्गे सम्बोधन एकवचनम्Role सम्बोधनRoot आदित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- महि
- great(ly)great, mighty (vast in power)Indeclinableअव्ययम्Role विशेषण-भावःRoot महि (अव्यय/निपात; ‘महद्’ से)
- तत्
- thatPronounनपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role अनुवादकःRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- ते
- of you / yourto thee/thy (belonging to thee)Pronounषष्ठी एकवचनम् (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- महि
- greatIndeclinableअव्ययम्Role विशेषण-भावःRoot महि (अव्यय/निपात)
- श्रवः
- fame / gloryfame, glory (renown as a power; also ‘heard-of’ potency)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ/विधेय (स्तुत्यर्थे)Root श्रवस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- यत्
- that which / becausethat (inasmuch as)Pronounनपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम् (सम्बन्धसूचकं)Role सम्बन्धRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- एकः
- alone / onealone, single (unique sovereign agent)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot एक (प्रातिपदिक)
- विश्वम्
- all / the wholeall, the whole universe (totality of beings and spaces)Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- परि
- aroundaround, encompassing (circumambient traversal)Indeclinableअव्ययम् (उपसर्गत्वेन ‘भू’/‘जन्’ इत्यादौ)Role क्रियाविशेषणम्Root परि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- भूम
- you are / you becomeearth (the ground-world; ritual field)Verbलट्, परस्मैपदम्, मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम् (वैदिक-रूपम्; ‘भवसि’ अर्थे)Role क्रियाRoot भू (धातु)
- जायसे
- you are born / you arisethou art born/arisen (daily re-arising; sunrise as birth)Verbलट्, आत्मनेपदम्, मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role क्रियाRoot जन् (धातु)
Sandhi Notes
- यत् | प्राङ् | प्रत्यङ् | स्वधया | यासि | शीभम् | नानारूपे | अहनी | कर्षि | मायया | तत् | आदित्य | महि | तत् | ते | महि | श्रवः | यत् | एकः | विश्वम् | परि | भूम | जायसे ।
- 1) ‘तदा॑दित्य’ = ‘तत् + आदित्य’ (तद् + अ- आरम्भे स्वर-सन्धिः; लेखने ‘तदा-’)
- 2) ‘एको॒’ = ‘एकः’ (विसर्ग-लोपः पदान्ते वैदिकपाठे)
- 3) ‘भूम’ वैदिक-प्रयोगः: ‘भू’ धातोः लट् मध्यम-एकवचनं, ‘भवसि’ अर्थे (पदपाठेषु ‘भूम’ इति रूपं दृश्यते)
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic solar-stuti seer tradition (general attribution).
- Devata
- Āditya/Sūrya.
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh-like (mixed).
- Rasa
- Adbhuta and Shanta
Sāyaṇa glosses svadhā as the sun’s self-impelling ordinance (not dependent on another agent). ‘Māyā’ is divine skill whereby the alternation and ‘drawing’ (kṛṣ) of day and night is effected. ‘Jāyase’ is interpreted as the sun’s daily ‘birth’ at sunrise, a cosmological event ritually mirrored in dawn rites.
Atharvanic solar-stuti seer (cycle attribution)
Śānti-paustika stabilization of time and space through Sūrya/Āditya theology; aligning household life with cosmic rhythm.
Transforms daily solar observation into metaphysics of rhythm: a domestic theology of trust in alternation, useful for pacifying fear and disorder.
Āditya/Sūrya
Regulator of time (day/night) and pervader of space (encircling earth); the craftsman of cycles through māyā.
Supports circadian harmony, steadies mental oscillations, restores confidence in renewal after darkness.
Pacifies disorder born of temporal confusion; protects by ensuring regular return of light and orientation.
4 pādas with triṣṭubh cadence; internal breaks around “nānārūpe ahanī karṣi māyayā”.
The descriptive middle can run heavy; chant with yati to preserve triṣṭubh swing.
Rolling, cyclical motion mirroring east-west alternation; climactic emphasis on “yadeko viśvaṃ…”.
Induces sense of rhythmic stability; good for settling agitation about change.
Recite at dawn or at the sandhyā (junction) to ‘bind’ the transition between night and day.
Offer water (arghya) facing the sun; optionally touch the eyes/forehead after viewing the sun to internalize ‘śravas’ (glory) as protective vigor.
Mark the household boundary by a brief circumambulation, conceptualizing the sun’s ‘paribhūma’ (encompassing) as a model for protective enclosure.
Kauśika Sūtra: sunrise (prātaḥ) recitations to secure svasti and regulate temporal transitions; used in prayogas for safe passage through ‘durgā’ times (twilight) in later Atharvanic ritual handbooks.
Atharvan as time-regulator (kāla-saṃyojaka): ensures auspicious transition at liminal times through mantra.
Recite at dawn and/or dusk to ‘seal’ transitions; useful at seasonal change or when household routine is disrupted.
Sunrise (prāṅ) and sunset (pratyaṅ) as embodied cues.
Householder; can be part of a simple sandhyā-like observance with water offering.
Use as a transition ritual: one recitation before work (day) and one before sleep (night) to stabilize rhythm.
Temporal alternation (ahani) as a ritually harnessed power; Māyā (divine craft) as operative principle
Solar fire implied as the mover of day.
Time itself becomes the ‘substance’ manipulated by divine craft; recitation seeks to harmonize personal time with cosmic time.
Sleep-wake disturbance (symbolic), anxiety related to unpredictability; tamas/rajas imbalance framed as disrupted rhythm.
Affirms lawful alternation of day/night; entrains mind to accept cycles and return to equilibrium.
Dinacaryā and ritu-caryā alignment; supports vāta regulation via regularity; strengthens tejas through solar contemplation.
Circadian entrainment, sleep hygiene mindset, cognitive reframing of change as rhythmic/ordered.
Pacify instability by invoking Āditya’s sovereign governance of cycles; secure orderly time-flow for household and patron.
Magnification (mahattva-kīrtana): praising the deity’s great control so that order is mirrored in the petitioner’s life.
Untimeliness, ominous irregularity, fear of darkness, ‘bad timing’ in undertakings.
Regular success, stable routine, long life through rhythm.
- प्राङ् / प्रत्यङ् (prāṅ/pratyaṅ)
- forward/backward movement of time; expansion/contraction of awareness
- स्वधया (svadhayā)
- intrinsic sovereignty; self-sustaining order
- अहनी (ahanī)
- dual phases of consciousness; waking/sleeping; manifest/latent
- नानारूपे (nānārūpe)
- multiplicity of experiences within one rhythm
- मायया (māyayā)
- divine craft; lawful transformation
- एकः (ekaḥ)
- non-dual source behind cycles
- परि भूम (pari bhūma)
- total pervasion; containment of the whole field
Observe alternation without clinging: day/night as inhalation/exhalation of the cosmos; rest in the ‘eka’ behind both.
ajna
alternate-nostril breathing (gentle) to mirror prāṅ/pratyaṅ; end with equalized breathing.
A golden sun-circle moves along an inner horizon; day/night waves pass through the mind while a steady point remains unchanged.
Equanimity amid change; sense of pervading witness.
Recite 7 times at dusk; then sit 10 minutes observing the urge to control time, letting it soften into trust.
Flowing triṣṭubh with a noticeable lift on “āditya” and “mahí”; broaden tone on “yadeko viśvaṃ…”.
Keep “yat prāṅ pratyaṅ…” as one rolling phrase; pause after “māyayā”; then deliver the final greatness clause with slower weight.
Warm, expansive, steady; slightly slower in the final pāda.
Especially effective at liminal times (sandhyā) where Atharvanic practice seeks to pacify boundary-instabilities; accompany with a small water offering (arghya).
7 times
Jet lag-like disruption, insomnia, seasonal affect shifts, anxiety during life transitions.
At dusk to release the day; at dawn to welcome ordered activity; before planning to reduce ‘time panic’.
Improved acceptance of cycles, steadier routine, calmer relationship to change and uncertainty.
For persistent sleep or mood disorders, combine with clinical care; do not replace treatment with mantra alone.
Again, no plant is named; the ‘medicine’ is cosmological regularity—day/night alternation—invoked as a stabilizing force against liminal dangers (especially at sandhyā).
Control of liminal time is ritualized; the specialist’s recitation domestically manages cosmic transitions, reinforcing the priest’s role as mediator of order for householders.
The prāṅ/pratyāṅ polarity and ‘kṛṣ’ (draw) for cosmic motion are RV-familiar; Atharvanic usage foregrounds practical liminality (sandhyā) and protective framing.
Gopatha’s tendency is to interpret cosmic processes as outcomes of brahman; the sun’s ‘svadhā’ becomes a paradigm for mantra’s self-effective power when properly deployed.
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