Atharva Veda 16.6.5: Kanda 16, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 6, Mantra 5
Sukta 6
उ॒षा दे॒वी वा॒चा सं॑विदा॒ना वाग् दे॒व्यु॑१षसा॑ संविदा॒ना
uṣā́ devī́ vācā́ saṃvidānā́ vāk devī́ uṣásā saṃvidānā́ |
Dawn, the Goddess, in concord with Speech; and Speech, the Goddess, in concord with Dawn.
उषा देवी और वाणी देवी साथ में हैं। दोनों एक दूसरे के साथ मिलकर काम करती हैं। सुबह और बोलने की शक्ति, दोनों मिलके आती हैं।
The meaning
What it says
Uṣas (Dawn) and Vāc (Speech) are invoked as mutually aligned divine forces, each “in concord” (saṃvidāna) with the other.
The inner meaning
Clarity of mind at the day’s threshold is stabilized by disciplined speech; when inner awakening (dawn) and expression (speech) agree, confusion, rumor, and hostile suggestion lose footing.
The truth in it
When awareness and articulation are harmonized, truth becomes protective: right perception joined to right speech dispels harm more effectively than force alone.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Abhicarika (protective counter-charm) with Daivya/Devata-invocation elements
Its aim
To enlist Dawn and Speech as allied forces to dispel and carry off hostile influences.
Word by Word
Pada patha
उषाः । देवी । वाचा । सं-विदाना । वाक् । देवी । उषसा । सं-विदाना ।
- उषाः
- Dawn (Uṣas)Uṣas (Dawn), personified (bringer of light; dispeller of evil)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot उषस्- (प्रातिपदिक)
- देवी
- goddess; divineNoun/Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्तृ (उषाः का विशेषणम्)Root देवी- (देव- + ङीप्; प्रातिपदिक)
- वाचा
- with speech; by speechwith Vāc (Speech); by speech-power (mantric potency)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति; एकवचनRole करणRoot वाच्- (प्रातिपदिक)
- संविदाना
- conversing; coming into mutual understandingin concord/compact; mutually agreeing; conjoined in purpose (ritual alliance)Verb (participle)स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन; वर्तमानकालिकः आत्मनेपदीयः वर्तमानकृदन्तःRole कर्तृ (उषाः/देवी के साथ)Root √विद् (विदँ ज्ञाने) + सम्; वर्तमानकाले शतृ/शानच्-प्रत्यय (आत्मनेपद) → संविदान-
- वाक्
- Speech (Vāk)Vāc (Speech) as a goddess; the mantra-power itselfNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot वाच्- (प्रातिपदिक)
- देवी
- goddess; divineNoun/Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्तृ (वाक् का विशेषणम्)Root देवी- (देव- + ङीप्; प्रातिपदिक)
- उषसा
- with Dawn; by/along with Uṣaswith Uṣas (Dawn); in companionship with dawn’s powerNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति; एकवचनRole करण/सह (सहभावार्थे: ‘उषसा सह’)Root उषस्- (प्रातिपदिक)
- संविदाना
- conversing; being in mutual accordin concord; acting in mutual understanding (cooperative efficacy)Verb (participle)स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन; वर्तमानकालिकः आत्मनेपदीयः वर्तमानकृदन्तःRole कर्तृ (वाक्/देवी के साथ)Root √विद् (विदँ ज्ञाने) + सम्; वर्तमानकाले शतृ/शानच्-प्रत्यय (आत्मनेपद) → संविदान-
Sandhi Notes
- उषाः देवी वाचा संविदाना | वाक् देवी उषसा संविदाना।
- 1) उषा + देवी → उषा देवी (विसर्ग/स्वरचिह्न सहित पाठ: उषाः देवी)।
- 2) वाग् देवी: वाक् + देवी → वाग् देवी (क् → ग्, घोषसन्धि)।
- 3) देव्य् + उषसा: देवी + उषसा → देव्युषसा (ई + उ → यु; यण्-सन्धि)।
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic tradition (exact r̥ṣi attribution varies by anukramaṇī/edition)
- Devata
- Uṣas and Vāc (dual devatā)
- Chandas
- Likely Anuṣṭubh (two balanced cola; may be stylistically formulaic)
- Rasa
- Shanta and Adbhuta
Sayana takes Uṣas and Vāc as mutually reinforcing powers: dawn dispels darkness/evil, while speech (mantra) effects the banishment. ‘Saṃvidānā’ indicates a ritual ‘agreement’—their combined operation ensures the expulsion and protection succeed.
Anukramaṇī-varied / Atharvanic transmitters (Śaunakīya tradition)
Protective and counter-charm formulae; devatā-sandhi (linking allied powers) through concise parallel diction.
Represents the Atharvan habit of making protection through concord: binding beneficent cosmic principles into a single operative force.
Uṣas and Vāc (dual devatā)
Uṣas opens the day and reveals; Vāc gives form, command, and efficacy to intention. Together they manifest revelation that acts.
Indirect: stabilizes cognition and reduces fear/mental agitation by invoking clarity and truthful articulation.
Apotropaic: speech empowered by dawn’s revelation unmasks and repels hidden hostility, gossip, and sorcery.
4 pādas × ~8 syllables (stylistically compressed; Atharvanic liturgical parallelism may loosen strict counts)
Mantra is essentially a paired hemistich-repetition; accent and sandhi often carry more weight than strict metrical regularity in AV charms.
Even, antiphonal, ‘locking’ cadence—suited to binding two powers into concord.
Produces a sense of alignment and sealing; best felt as a steady recitation that ‘joins’ dawn-brightness to speech-authority.
Perform the recitation at a liminal time (ideally dawn) to align with Uṣas’ domain.
Recite while facing east, establishing the ‘arrival of light’ as a protective condition.
Accompany with a calming/ordering gesture (placing the hand on the head/heart) to ‘settle’ speech and breath, then proceed to expulsion verses.
Kauśika Sūtra: protective recitations invoking deities allied to Vāc; used within expulsion/averting sequences (edition-dependent numbering).
Atharvan priest as synchronizer of time (dawn) and speech (mantra), ensuring the rite is performed under auspicious cosmic alignment.
Recite at daybreak at the threshold/doorway, or before speaking in an assembly to neutralize hostile talk and stabilize truth.
Brahma-muhūrta or sunrise; especially after troubled night or social conflict.
Householder may recite; a purohita may integrate into a broader śānti for household discord.
Morning recitation as a ‘speech-fastening’ vow: speak only what aligns with clarity and goodwill that day.
No material substance is named: the operative ‘substance’ is vāc itself, empowered by the liminal force of dawn. The charm exemplifies Atharvanic word-medicine.
Psychic protection via cognitive clarity and truthful speech; counters harmful suggestion and social/magical aggression.
Supports sattva (clarity) and vāg-indriya discipline; can be paired with morning dinacaryā for mental hygiene.
Grounding/centering practice for anxiety driven by social threat, rumor, or intrusive thoughts; speech-mind coherence akin to cognitive reframing.
Hostile influences conveyed through words, secrecy, or night-bound fear.
To enlist Dawn and Speech as allied expelling powers, making the counter-charm ‘authorized’ and effective.
Devatā-yoking (saṃvidāna): pairing two cosmic principles so their combined agency carries away harm.
Ill-wishing, slander, covert sorcery, and confusion at liminal times (night-to-day).
- उषाः (uṣāḥ)
- Awakening, clarity, renewal; the mind’s first light that exposes hidden threats
- वाक् (vāk) / वाचा (vācā)
- Mantric utterance, truth-bearing expression; the pharmakon of words (healing/protective potency)
- संविदाना (saṃvidānā)
- Ritual “alignment” or coherence—joining powers so the charm becomes authoritative and effective
Unify inner awakening (uṣas) with truthful expression (vāc): ‘May my perception and speech agree.’
Viśuddha (throat) with support from Ājñā (clarity/insight).
Gentle nāḍī-śodhana before recitation; exhale on ‘saṃvidānā’ to feel ‘sealing’.
A rosy-gold light rising behind the forehead while a clear blue radiance steadies the throat.
Sattvic alertness at liminal time (dawn).
Recite 9 or 27 times at sunrise; keep a vow of non-harmful speech for the day to complete the mantra’s ‘concord’.
AV recitation with clear udātta marking on key nouns; keep even pitch steps to emphasize parallelism.
Stress the lexical cores: uṣā́, devī́, vācā́ / vā́k, devyúṣasā́; let saṃ-vidā́nā carry a ‘closing’ fall.
Clear, bright, ‘morning’ tone; not forceful—authoritative through steadiness.
Treat as a ‘binding’ formula: the power is in exact parallel wording and the felt concord between clauses.
9 times
Facing slander, hostile talk, or fear of covert opposition; preparing for an important conversation.
At sunrise; before entering a meeting; after waking from uneasy sleep and before speaking about it.
Greater clarity, reduced reactivity, and protective authority in speech; dampening of hostile influence.
Do not use as a license for harsh speech; the charm works best with restraint and truthfulness.
The verse substitutes cosmic/linguistic agencies for materia medica: dawn (light) and speech (mantra) are the ‘active ingredients.’ This reflects an Atharvanic model where efficacy can be temporal (dawn) and performative (utterance), not only pharmacological.
By elevating Vāc as a goddess, it legitimizes priestly speech as a cosmic force. The specialist’s utterance is framed not as mere human talk but as participation in divine Speech allied with Dawn.
The explicit pairing and near-chiasmus (Uṣas-with-Vāc / Vāc-with-Uṣas) is a ritual-technical style common in AV. RV hymns to Uṣas exist, but AV more readily harnesses Uṣas in functional, protective sequences.
Gopatha frequently theorizes Vāc as the vehicle of brahman-power; coupling Vāc with a cosmic regularity (dawn) matches its tendency to ground ritual success in both correct speech and correct cosmic correspondence.
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.
