Atharva Veda 18.4.49: Kanda 18, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 4, Mantra 49
Sukta 4
आ प्र च्य॑वेथा॒मप॒ तन्मृ॑जेथां॒ यद् वा॑मभि॒भा अत्रो॒चुः । अ॒स्मादेत॑म॒घ्न्यौ तद् वशी॑यो दा॒तुः पि॒तृष्वि॒हभो॑जनौ॒ मम॑
ā́ prá cyavethām ápa tán mṛjethāṃ yád vām abhibhā́ átrocuḥ | asmā́d etám aghnyau tád vaśī́yo dātúḥ pitṛ́ṣv ihá bhojanau máma ||
Move ye forth, and wipe away that stain—what hostile speech men here have uttered against you twain. From this man drive ye it away, O Aghnyā pair; make that more subject to control—ye two, my partakers here, and with the Fathers, of the giver.
आगे बढ़ो और वो दाग साफ कर दो। लोगों ने तुम दोनों के बारे में बुरी बातें कही थी, वो मिट जाओ। इस आदमी से वो दूर कर दो। तुम दोनों मेरे साथ हो और पितरियों के साथ भी, दान देने वाले का हिस्सा ले रहे हो।
Rishi: AV 18 funeral corpus (variable).
Devata: Aghnyā (dual cows as sacred/pure); apotropaic force against Abhibhā (hostile speech).
Chandas: Triṣṭubh-like.
Primary: shanta
Secondary: bhayankara
Sāyaṇa treats the dual address as to a pair of ritual cows (aghnyā), frequently employed in Pitṛ contexts as offering-vehicles/markers of purity; the mantra removes ‘abhibhā’—injurious speech/curse—spoken at the rite. ‘Mṛjethām’ is ritual cleansing; ‘vaśīyaḥ’ is the neutralization of the evil into a manageable state. ‘Bhojanau’ indicates their function as ‘eaters/receivers’ of the offering, securing the patron’s (dātṛ’s) connection to Pitṛs.
To expel and cleanse away hostile utterance/slander/curse affecting the rite, using a dual protective pair (likely cows) as purifiers and carriers.
Affliction by curse/slander (abhibhā), ritual contamination anxiety, psychosomatic agitation from hostile social environment.
Apotropaic cleansing: externalizes harm as ‘stain’ and commands its removal; installs a sense of control (vaśīyaḥ).
Manasika doṣa aggravation (rajas/tamas) from krodha and social conflict; purification supports sattva and steadies prāṇa.
Stress reduction after harassment/slander; boundary-setting and reputational harm coping rituals.
shantika
The mourner/householder (‘this man’) and the ritual space.
Remove hostile speech-curse from the person/rite; restore purity and controllability of harmful influence.
Imperative expulsion + cleansing command + enlistment of sacral purifiers (Aghnyā) who ‘carry’ the offering economy across worlds.
Slander, curse, verbal malediction, ritual sabotage.
The speaker urges a sacred dual pair (Aghnyā, likely two cows) to move forth and wipe away the ‘stain’ of hostile utterances spoken against them; they are asked to drive that away from the man and render it controllable, as the speaker’s partakers here and with the Fathers of the giver.
Purification from social/ritual toxicity: slander and hostile speech are treated as a contaminant that can cling to persons and rites. The ‘pure pair’ externalizes and removes shame, blame, and curse from the bereaved household.
Words can wound like poisons; communities heal when malign speech is ritually neutralized and purity is re-established through trusted symbols of innocence and nourishment.
- ā pra cya-vethām
- Expulsion of impurity; pushing negativity out of the ritual space
- mṛjethām
- Purificatory removal of moral-ritual stain (doṣa) caused by speech
- abhibhāḥ
- Curse, slander, psychic attack via words
- aghnyā (dual)
- Inviolable purity, nourishing protection, dharmic innocence as cleanser
- vaśīyaḥ
- Taming the curse: converting wild harm into manageable residue
- bhojanau
- Ritual reciprocity: the purifiers share offerings here and in Pitṛ realm, bridging worlds
Purifying one’s relationship to speech: release resentment, refuse internalization of slander.
vishuddha
Exhale-focused practice with gentle ‘ha’ release (silent) to symbolize wiping-away.
Visualize two luminous white cows circling the space, absorbing dark ‘speech-smoke’ and dissolving it into light.
Clear, boundary-aware calm (śuddhi).
Before difficult family gatherings, chant once slowly, then maintain a vow of measured speech (mauna-lite) for a short period.
Keep imperatives crisp with clear udātta lifts on marked syllables; maintain forward-driving intonation on ā pra and apa.
Slightly emphasize abhibhāḥ to ‘name’ the threat, then soften on mṛjethām to enact cleansing.
cya-vethām: pronounce cy as palatal cluster, not ‘ch’, mṛjethām: ṛ + j is clear, avoid ‘mir’, abhibhā: bh is aspirated, aghnyau: gh is aspirated; nyā as palatal nasal + long ā
Clear, directive, but not harsh; end with a settling cadence.
Best paired with an actual cleansing act (sprinkling/sweeping) to align word and deed (substance-action paradigm).
1
Funeral/śrāddha conducted amid family conflict, gossip, accusations, or fear of ‘evil speech.’
Before beginning offerings; or immediately after a disruptive argument to ritually ‘reset’ the space.
De-escalation, restored dignity of the rite, reduced anxiety about curses or ill-omens.
Do not use to justify avoidance of accountability; pair with ethical speech and reconciliation where possible.
पदच्छेदः (resolved): आ | प्र | च्यवेथाम् | अप | तत् | मृजेथाम् | यत् | वाम् | अभिभाः | अत्र | ऊचुः | अस्मात् | एतम् | अघ्न्यौ | तत् | वशीयः | दातुः | पितृषु | इह | भोजनौ | मम । प्रमुख-सन्धयः: (1) मृजेथाम् + यद् → मृजेथां यद् (अनुस्वार/नासिक्य-लेखन-भेद). (2) वाम् + अभिभाः → वामभिभाः (मकार-परसवर्ण/संयोग). (3) अभिभाः + अत्र → अभिभा अत्र (आ-प्रगृह्य/पदपाठ-प्रकारेण विच्छेद). (4) अत्र + ऊचुः → अत्रोचुः (अ + ऊ → ओ). (5) अस्मात् + एतम् → अस्मादेतम् (त् + ए → द् + ए; पदान्त-व्यञ्जन-सन्धि). (6) एतम् + अघ्न्यौ → एतमघ्न्यौ (म् + अ → म्). (7) तत् + वशीयः → तद् वशीयः (त् + व → द् व). (8) पितृषु + इह → पितृष्विह (उ + इ → वि).
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