Atharva Veda 14.2.23: Kanda 14, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 2, Mantra 23
Sukta 2
उप॑ स्तृणीहि॒ बल्ब॑ज॒मधि॒ चर्म॑णि॒ रोहि॑ते । तत्रो॑प॒विश्य॑ सुप्र॒जा इ॒मम॒ग्निं स॑पर्यतु
úpa str̥ṇīhi balbajám ádhi cármaṇi róhite | tátrópavíśya suprájā imám agním saparyatu ||
Spread thou the balbaja-strewing upon the hide, O Red One. Thereon, when she hath sat her down, let the well-offspringed woman do reverence unto this Agni.
लाल चमड़े के ऊपर घास बिछा दो। फिर इस औरत को वहाँ बैठना है जो अच्छे बच्चे जनती है। बैठ के अग्नि भगवान की पूजा करो।
The meaning
What it says
Spread the balbaja strewing upon the hide, O Red One. There, having sat down, let the well-offspringed woman honor this Agni.
The inner meaning
Creating a ritually ‘insulated’ seat establishes psychological safety for the bride: she is placed on a prepared base, then connected to the household’s sacred center (Agni). The ‘Red One’ (rohiṭe) marks auspicious vitality and protection.
The truth in it
Stable foundations and reverence for a sustaining center (shared values) allow new life-phases to root and flourish.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Strīkarmāṇi (Women’s Rites) / Vivāha (Marriage)
Its aim
To seat the bride on an auspicious, protected base and establish her reverent relation to the household fire, thereby securing fertility and domestic stability.
Word by Word
Pada patha
उप । स्तृणीहि । बल्बजम् । अधि । चर्मणि । रोहिते । तत्र । उपविश्य । सुप्रजाः । इमम् । अग्निम् । सपर्यतु ।
- उप
- near, towards; (as preverb)near, upon; as ritual direction: ‘close at hand/over it’ (placing/arranging for auspicious contact)Indeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्यय (अविकारी)Root उप (उपसर्ग) / उप (अव्यय)
- स्तृणीहि
- spread (strew)spread, strew (imperative); lay out the ritual bedding/covering to establish a consecrated seatVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRoot √स्तॄ (स्तृणाति) ‘to strew/spread’
- बल्बजम्
- balbaja-grass (a kind of grass used for bedding/covering)balbaja-grass/reed (a strewing plant); an auspicious, protective litter used to form a pure, warding layerNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot बल्बज (प्रातिपदिक)
- अधि
- upon, onupon, on top of; indicates superposition in the riteIndeclinableअव्यय (अविकारी)Root अधि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- चर्मणि
- on the hide/skinon the hide/skin; the prepared leather as ritual seat/grounding surfaceNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot चर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) ‘hide, skin’
- रोहिते
- on the red (hide)O ‘Rohitā’ (the red one); vocative of the red cow/hide—redness as auspicious, life-bearing, and apotropaicAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (चर्मणि इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot रोहित (प्रातिपदिक) ‘red; (also) a red animal’
- तत्र
- therethere, in that place (on that prepared seat/spot)Indeclinableअव्यय (अविकारी)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot तत्र (अव्यय)
- उपविश्य
- having sat down (near)having sat down near/on; taking the prescribed seated posture for the domestic riteVerbक्त्वान्त (अव्ययकृदन्त), पूर्वकालRoot उप-√विश् (विशति) ‘to sit’
- सुप्रजाः
- (they) having good progenyshe who has good offspring; the bride/wife as ‘well-progenied’ (a performative wish)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (कर्तृपदम्)Role KartāRoot सु-प्रजा (प्रातिपदिक) ‘having good offspring’
- इमम्
- thisPronounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अग्निम्
- Agni; the fireAgni, the household fire; purifier, witness, and protector in marriageNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- सपर्यतु
- let them honor/worshiplet her honor/serve with reverence; perform worship/attendance to secure efficacyVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), तृतीयपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपदRoot √सपऱ्/सपऱ्य् (सपर्यति) ‘to honor, worship, attend’
Sandhi Notes
- उप | स्तृणीहि | बल्बजम् | अधि | चर्मणि | रोहिते | तत्र | उपविश्य | सुप्रजाः | इमम् | अग्निम् | सपर्यतु ।
- 1) ‘तत्रो॑प॒विश्य॑’ = तत्र + उपविश्य (स्वर-सन्धि/संहितायां संयोगः)
- 2) ‘इ॒मम॒ग्निं’ = इमम् + अग्निम् (अनुस्वार/व्यञ्जन-सन्धि: म् + अ → म + अ; संहितायां एकपदवत् उच्चारणम्)
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Traditionally assigned within the AV marriage corpus (often Atharvanic/Angirasic attribution in ancillary lists); specific r̥ṣi varies by anukramaṇī tradition.
- Devata
- Agni (as gṛhapati-witness and rakṣohā)
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh (dominant in domestic/marriage verses; as transmitted here)
- Rasa
- Shanta
Sāyaṇa takes the verse as a direct ritual injunction in the marriage-sequence: balbaja is strewn as a purifying and protective layer upon the (red) hide-seat; the bride, seated there, performs saparyā to the household Agni. ‘Su-prajā’ is both descriptive and optative—speech-act to secure fertility.
Anukramaṇī-dependent within AVŚ 14.2 vivāha corpus; specific ṛṣi varies by tradition.
Domestic installation rites: preparing the bridal seat and linking her to gṛhya Agni for protection and fertility.
Material culture as ritual technology: right objects and right words create a protected microcosm for transition.
Agni (gṛhapati-witness; rakṣohā in the sequence)
Mediator who domesticates cosmic power into household order; witness of marriage; purifier and guardian against hostile beings.
Supports vitality and ‘digestive’ transformation in a broad symbolic sense; stabilizes life-transition stress.
Rakṣas-slaying protection around the bride and the new household space.
4 × 8 (as transmitted)
Imperative-heavy domestic anuṣṭubh; object-names (balbaja, carman) anchor the meter with practical specificity.
Measured and instructive—like a ritual rubric in verse.
Guides action-step-by-step: spread → seat → worship, synchronizing speech with movement.
Prepare a hide (preferably ‘red’/from a red cow per tradition) as the bride’s seat near the domestic fire.
Strew balbaja-grass upon the hide as a purificatory and protective layer.
Seat the bride upon the prepared place.
Have her perform saparyā to the kindled Agni (gesture of reverence/attendance; offerings as locally prescribed).
Kauśika Sūtra: Vivāha-karman (marriage section; seating the bride on hide with strewing and worship of Agni).
Atharvan/Brahman officiant directs the seating and recitation, ensuring correct placement (up/adhi) and that the bride’s first domestic act is reverence to Agni.
Physically spread balbaja on a hide near the household fire; seat the bride; prompt/perform Agni reverence.
During the bride’s formal seating/installation in the groom’s home or at the marriage fire sequence.
Officiant coordinates materials and recitation; family women may assist in spreading and seating.
KauśS vivāha: bride-seating on hide with strewing; Agni worship (general; edition-dependent).
Symbolic home-welcoming: preparing a clean seat/space and lighting a lamp as Agni-analogue.
balbaja (strewing grass/reed); carman (hide/skin seat); Agni (household fire)
Agni (household fire) invoked as the sacred center
Balbaja + carman create layered protection (soft + tough). Agni is the living purifier that makes the seat not merely comfortable but ritually safe.
Ritual vulnerability of the bride (fear, spirit-attack, impurity contact) rather than a named disease
Protective installation: insulating materials + Agni worship to ward off unseen harms and stabilize fertility prospects.
Conceptual parallel to protective postpartum/liminal care—warmth, insulation, and controlled ‘agni’ as wellbeing principle (not a direct medical prescription).
Stress buffering during major transitions; creating a safe, supportive environment for mental wellbeing.
Bride (installation) and household space (consecration)
To prepare an auspicious protected seat for the bride and establish her reverence/connection to household Agni, supporting fertility and stability.
Substance-action paradigm: strewing + hide-seat as apotropaic base; mantra as procedural command; worship as sealing.
Rakṣas/hostile influences, inauspicious contact with ground/impurity during liminality
Fertility (suprajā) and domestic stability
- बल्बज (balbaja)
- auspicious cushioning; insulating layer against impurity/hostile contact
- चर्मन् (carman)
- protective boundary; ‘second skin’ for the bride in a liminal moment
- रोहित (rohita)
- life-force, auspicious heat, bridal vitality; also protective redness against harm
- अग्नि (agni)
- household center, witness, transformer, protector
- सुप्रजा (suprajā)
- fertility ideal; continuity and blessing of lineage
- सपर्य (saparya)
- alignment with the home’s sacred order
Establishing a protected inner ‘seat’ before entering new commitments.
Mūlādhāra (seat/foundation)
Grounding breath: slow inhale imagining a stable base; exhale offering to inner Agni at the navel/heart.
Layers of protective fabric beneath you; a steady flame before you; warmth spreading without agitation.
Settled, receptive, secure.
Before difficult conversations or new beginnings, create a physical seat and light a candle; recite once to ‘prepare the ground’.
Recite with clear imperatives (upa stṛṇīhi…); keep ‘rohiṭe’ slightly emphasized as the addressed vocative.
Coordinate speech with action: speak ‘upa stṛṇīhi’ while spreading; pause before ‘tatro’ as she sits.
Instructional yet gentle; steady volume.
Atharvanic domestic verses often function as performative rubrics—best done simultaneously with the ritual act.
1 times
Welcoming a bride/new family member; setting up a protected ‘starting point’ in a new home.
At home-entry ceremonies, housewarming, or before beginning shared domestic life routines.
Sense of safety, belonging, and auspicious continuity; psychological grounding during transition.
Avoid fertility-shaming implications of ‘suprajā’; interpret as a general blessing for flourishing.
Balbaja functions as a ritual ‘interface layer’: a strewing plant that marks and protects the seat. The mantra’s imperatives (‘spread’, ‘sit’, ‘honor’) bind material arrangement to desired outcomes—purity, warding, and fertility—so the plant is not decorative but an apotropaic substrate.
The bride’s agency is framed within priest-directed domestic liturgy: she acts (saparyā) but under instruction. Agni is the central household authority; the rite encodes the woman’s incorporation into the husband’s ritual economy through first service to the fire.
The diction is strongly procedural (imperatives, locatives, adverbs of placement), typical of Atharvanic domestic pragmatics. ‘Saparyatu’ continues older cultic vocabulary, while the explicit material choreography (balbaja on hide) is more Gr̥hya-leaning than many RV hymns.
Gopatha’s Atharvanic theology repeatedly grounds efficacy in correct domestic performance and Agni’s role as purifier and rakṣas-slayer. This verse’s efficacy is thus construed as arising from proper seating/ordering plus Agni-relation, not from praise alone.
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