Atharva Veda 19.47.2: Kanda 19, Anuvaka 5, Sukta 47, Mantra 2
Sukta 47
न यस्याः॑ पा॒रं ददृ॑शे॒ न योयु॑व॒द् विश्व॑म॒स्यां नि वि॑शते॒ यदेज॑ति । अरि॑ष्टासस्त उर्वि तमस्वति॒ रात्रि॑ पा॒रम॑शीमहि॒ भद्रे॑ पा॒रम॑शीमहि
ná yasyā́ḥ pāráṃ dadŕ̥śe ná yoyúvat víśvam asyā́ṃ ní víśate yád éjati | áriṣṭāsas ta urvi támasvati rā́tri pāráṃ aśīmahi bhadré pāráṃ aśīmahi
Of her no man hath seen the farther shore; nor doth she hold back: into her entereth all that stirreth. Through thee, O Wide One, O Night of darkness, may we attain the farther side; O gracious One, may we attain the farther side.
रात की कोई सीमा नहीं दिखती। वो किसी को रोकती नहीं। जो भी हिलता-डुलता है, सब उसमें समा जाता है। हे रात, तू बड़ी है और अंधेरी है। तुझसे हम पार तक पहुँच जाएँ। अच्छी जगह तक पहुँच जाएँ।
Rishi: Traditionally associated with Rātri-hymn seers (Atharvanic attribution; specific r̥ṣi varies by anukramaṇī tradition).
Devata: Rātri (Night), as protective and auspicious power.
Chandas: Mixed/irregular (late Atharvanic style; not strictly RV-classical in cadence).
Primary: shanta
Secondary: adbhuta
Sāyaṇa treats Rātri as a devatā whose ‘pāra’ is not perceptible (her limit is unknown), yet she receives all moving beings into her. ‘Ariṣṭāsaḥ’ is read as the desired condition of the sacrificer/household—unhurt by nocturnal dangers (theft, beasts, ill-omens). The double ‘pāram aśīmahi’ is a deliberate prayoga for safe passage through the night to auspicious dawn.
To pass the night without harm and reach the ‘far shore’ (dawn) in auspiciousness; general nocturnal protection for household and cattle.
Night-terror, insomnia, nocturnal anxiety; general vulnerability of cattle/household at night.
Pacification through invoking Night as protective container; reframing darkness as benevolent passage to dawn; promoting restful withdrawal.
Supports nidrā (sleep) as pillar of health; calming vāta (night anxiety) through śamana (pacification).
Sleep hygiene ritual; cognitive reframing of darkness; calming mantra for anxiety-related insomnia.
shantika
Household, travelers, cattle in byre
Safe passage through the dangerous interval of night; protection of household/cattle and attainment of auspicious dawn.
Deity-praise + crossing-metaphor (pāra) + refrain to ‘carry over’ the reciter into safety.
Nocturnal predators, thieves, unseen harms, nightmares
well-being, longevity through safe nights
Night is described as shoreless and all-absorbing: everything that moves enters into her. The speaker prays to reach the ‘far shore’ through her—safely crossing the dark night to the other side (dawn), in auspiciousness.
Night symbolizes the unconscious and the unknown where control is limited. The prayer reframes darkness as a passage, not an enemy: trust and surrender enable one to traverse fear and emerge renewed.
Every life contains periods of obscurity that cannot be ‘seen through’; safety comes from aligning with the rhythm of time—enduring the dark until the far shore appears.
- रात्रि (rātri)
- protective veil; the unknown; restorative dissolution
- तमस्वती (tamasvatī)
- depth of unknowing; womb-like concealment that can shelter
- उर्वि (urvī)
- vast container; spaciousness that can hold all beings and fears
- पार (pāra)
- dawn, resolution, completion; liberation from fear
- नि विशते (ni viśate)
- all experiences subside into rest; dissolution of activity
- अरिष्टासः (ariṣṭāsaḥ)
- intactness through transition; safe passage
- भद्रे (bhadre)
- night as benevolent mother rather than threat
Surrender into restorative darkness; trusting cyclical return of light.
ajna (night-vision/inner seeing)
Lengthened exhale (e.g., 4–6) to invite sleep; minimal effort.
A wide dark-blue mantle gently covering the body; stars as protective eyes; a thin line of dawn on the horizon as the ‘far shore’.
Hypnagogic calm; receptive awareness.
Chant softly 3 times, then sit in darkness for a minute, letting the mind ‘enter’ night without resistance.
Gentle, level tone; allow a soft cadence on the repeated ‘pāram aśīmahi’.
Sustain ‘urvi’ and ‘rātri’ with reverence; let ‘bhadre’ be tender and concluding.
Keep retroflex ṣ in ariṣṭāsaḥ., Do not rush consonant clusters in dadṛśe / ni viśate., Maintain long ā in pāram, aśīmahi.
Soft, lullaby-like, protective.
Works as a refrain chant; the repetition itself is the ‘crossing’ mechanism—each cycle carries the mind closer to rest.
3
Children fearful at night; night travel; safeguarding cattle; insomnia due to darkness anxiety.
At twilight and at bedtime; during night waking with fear.
Reduced night fear, smoother sleep onset, felt safety through the night.
If chronic insomnia/night terrors persist, seek clinical support; keep environment physically safe (locks, lighting).
Sandhi resolved as: यस्याः पारं ददृशे (no internal sandhi); न योयुवद् → न योयुवत् (final -d before voiced/soft per Vedic orthography; pada taken as योयुवत्); विश्वम् अस्याम् (anusvāra before vowel); अस्यां नि विशते (ni as separate upasarga); यदेजति → यत् एजति (t + e → de in saṃhitā); अरिष्टासस्त उर्वि → अरिष्टासः त उर्वि (visarga + t sandhi); तमस्वति रात्रि (separate padas); पारमशीमहि → पारम् अशीमहि (m + a sandhi).
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