Atharva Veda 2.33.1: Kanda 2, Anuvaka 4, Sukta 33, Mantra 1
Sukta 33
यक्ष्मविबर्हणम्। ५ उपरिष्टाद्विराड्बृहती, ६ उष्णिग्गर्भा निचृदनुष्टुप्, ७ पथ्यापङ्क्तिः। अ॒क्षीभ्यां॑ ते॒ नासि॑काभ्यां॒ कर्णा॑भ्यां छुबु॑का॒दधि॑ । यक्ष्मं॑ शीर्ष॒ण्यं ऽ म॒स्तिष्का॑ज्जि॒ह्वाया॒ वि वृ॑हामि ते
akṣī́bhyāṃ te nā́sikābhyāṃ kárṇābhyāṃ chubúkād ádhi | yákṣmaṃ śīrṣaṇyàṃ mastíṣkāj jihvā́yā ví vṛhāmi te
From thine eyes, from thy nostrils, from thine ears, from above the chin— The yákṣma that is head-ensconced, from the brain, from the tongue, I tear it forth from thee.
मैं तुम्हारे आँखों से, नाक से, कानों से, ठोड़ी के ऊपर से यह बिमारी निकाल रहा हूँ। जो बिमारी सर में बैठी है, दिमाग में, जीभ में, मैं उसे तुमसे फाड़ के बाहर करता हूँ।
The meaning
What it says
The healer enumerates sensory openings—eyes, nostrils, ears, above the chin—then declares: the head-seated yakṣma is torn out from the brain and tongue.
The inner meaning
Yakṣma is the fog that dulls perception and speech. The mantra restores clear seeing, breathing, hearing, and truthful expression by ‘extracting’ the obstructive presence from the head and language-center.
The truth in it
Illness often feels like an occupying force. Naming the loci of suffering and asserting removal restores coherence and hope, which supports recovery.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Bhaisajya (Healing)
Its aim
Expulsion of yákṣma (consumption/wasting disease), specifically cranial/head-seated manifestations affecting sensory organs and speech/taste.
Word by Word
Pada patha
अक्षीभ्याम् । ते । नासिकाभ्याम् । कर्णाभ्याम् । छुबुकात् । अधि । यक्ष्मम् । शीर्षण्यम् । मस्तिष्कात् । जिह्वायाः । वि । वृहमि । ते ।
- अक्षीभ्याम्
- from (the) two eyesfrom (thy) two eyes; as seats/doors of disease to be purgedNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति; द्विवचनRole अपादानRoot अक्षि (प्रातिपदिक)
- ते
- of you / yourof thee, thy; the patient as ritual subjectPronounषष्ठी-विभक्ति; एकवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- नासिकाभ्याम्
- from (the) two nostrilsfrom (thy) two nostrils; channels of breath where yákṣma may lodgeNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति; द्विवचनRole अपादानRoot नासिका (प्रातिपदिक)
- कर्णाभ्याम्
- from (the) two earsfrom (thy) two ears; apertures to be cleared of afflictionNounपुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति; द्विवचनRole अपादानRoot कर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
- छुबुकात्
- from the chinfrom the chin/jaw-region; lower face as a locus of swelling/consumptionNounपुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी-विभक्ति; एकवचनRole अपादानRoot छुबुक (प्रातिपदिक)
- अधि
- upon; over; from uponfrom upon, away from; indicating removal from a surface/seatIndeclinableअव्ययRoot अधि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- यक्ष्मम्
- disease (yakṣma/consumption)yákṣma, wasting disease/consumption (incl. phthisis); a demon-like morbid entity to be torn outNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot यक्ष्म (प्रातिपदिक)
- शीर्षण्यम्
- (the) head-situatedseated in the head; ‘head-placed’ yákṣma (cranial form)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन (यक्ष्मम् इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्मRoot शीर्षण्य (प्रातिपदिक; शीर्षन्-सम्बद्ध विशेषण)
- मस्तिष्कात्
- from the brainfrom the brain/marrow of the head; the innermost seat of the maladyNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी-विभक्ति; एकवचनRole अपादानRoot मस्तिष्क (प्रातिपदिक)
- जिह्वायाः
- from the tonguefrom the tongue; organ of speech/taste, also a site of disease-signsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी-विभक्ति; एकवचन (वैदिके -आः = पञ्चमी/षष्ठी एकवचन)Role अपादानRoot जिह्वा (प्रातिपदिक)
- वि
- apart; away (intensifier/separator)apart, asunder; intensifier of violent extractionIndeclinableअव्ययRoot वि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- वृहामि
- I tear out / I removeVerbलट् (वर्तमान); उत्तमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole कर्तृRoot √वृह् (वृहँ उच्छेदने/निर्मोचने)
- ते
- of you / from youfrom thee/for thee; marking the patient as beneficiary and locus of extractionPronounषष्ठी-विभक्ति; एकवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- अक्षीभ्याम् ते नासिकाभ्याम् कर्णाभ्याम् छुबुकात् अधि । यक्ष्मम् शीर्षण्यम् मस्तिष्कात् जिह्वायाः वि वृहामि ते । मुख्य-सन्धयः:
- (1) छुबुका॒दधि॑ = छुबुकात् + अधि (त् + अ → द्, वैदिक-सन्धि)
- (2) शीर्ष॒ण्यं ऽ म॒स्तिष्का॑त् = शीर्षण्यम् + मस्तिष्कात् (म् + म् संयोग; अवग्रहः पदविभागसूचकः)
- (3) जि॒ह्वाया॒ वि = जिह्वायाः + वि (विसर्ग/आः-समाप्तेः परे व्यञ्जने पदसन्धिः; संहितायां दीर्घस्वर-प्रतीति)
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic tradition
- Devata
- Yákṣma (as disease-demon) / healing-extraction force of the Atharvan
- Chandas
- Noted in the Anukramaṇī for this hymn-cycle: mixed meters; this mantra is commonly treated as anuṣṭubh-like in cadence.
- Rasa
- Vira and Karuna
Sāyaṇa glosses yákṣma as a wasting, demon-like disease to be expelled by forcible ‘uprooting’ (vṛh-). The enumeration of sense-openings and cranial loci is taken as a diagnostic map: the mantra targets yákṣma wherever it has ‘taken seat’ (adhi/śīrṣaṇya), especially in the head (mastिष्क). The verb is performative: the Atharvan’s utterance itself is the act of extraction.
Atharvanic healing seer (hymn yakṣma-vibarhaṇa cycle; specific named ṛṣi depends on anukramaṇī tradition)
Yakṣma-expulsion through anatomical enumeration and extraction formulae (√vṛh), typical Atharvanic therapeutic diction.
The Atharvan healer speaks as an extractor of intrusive forces, mapping the body as a ritual landscape and reclaiming it organ by organ.
Yakṣma (personified disease) opposed by Atharvanic healing power
Yakṣma embodies wasting and obstruction of life-functions; it is treated as an alien occupant to be expelled from the body’s gateways and centers.
Extraction (vi-vṛh) restores sensory clarity and speech/taste; the mantra functions as a ‘ritual surgery’ of words.
Creates a protective claim over sense-gates so the disease cannot re-seat itself.
Anuṣṭubh-like (within a mixed-meter hymn sequence per anukramaṇī notes)
4 pādas with ~8-syllable cadence; anatomical lists may cause minor metrical elasticity
List-style pādas (organ enumerations) are characteristic; reciters maintain beat by slightly quicker delivery of enumerated nouns.
Scanning, diagnostic rhythm followed by a decisive extraction cadence.
Guides attention through the head region; supports a felt sense of clearing and release.
Seat the patient facing east; the Atharvan priest stands to the patient’s right.
Touch (sparśa) sequentially the eyes, nostrils, ears, chin, crown/head, and tongue region while reciting the mantra, matching each anatomical mention to a tactile gesture.
Perform a symbolic ‘plucking out’ motion (as if uprooting a plant) away from the head and mouth at the words ví vṛhāmi, casting the extracted evil toward the north or into a prepared disposal spot.
Conclude with a cleansing act (sprinkling/wiping) to seal the removal and prevent re-entry through the apertures named.
Kauśika Sūtra: yákṣma-nāśana (consumption-expulsion) procedures; exact sūtra number requires collation with the Kauśika yákṣma-karmāṇi section for AVŚ 2.33.
Atharvan/Brahman as healer-exorcist: he maps the disease onto bodily loci, then effects removal through touch and the performative utterance.
Recite while gently touching/hovering over eyes, nose, ears, crown, and throat/tongue region (without discomfort); can be done at bedside.
Morning and evening during convalescence; before food to reawaken taste/appetite.
Householder-healer or Atharvan specialist; calm but firm delivery to support patient confidence.
KauśS: yakṣma-bhaiṣajya applications commonly pair such verses with touch, amulet, or medicated preparations (exact numbering varies by edition).
Use as a structured body-scan chant alongside medical care for chronic disease; supports relaxation and symptom tracking.
No plant is named; the ‘substance’ is the patient’s embodied awareness. By naming organs, the mantra turns attention into a diagnostic lamp and extraction into a re-ordering act.
Yakṣma—wasting/consumption; here cranial/head manifestations affecting senses and speech/taste.
Eyes, nostrils, ears, chin region, head, brain, tongue.
Ritual extraction: identifying seats of disease and ‘tearing out’ the entity; often paired with touch/gesture over listed parts.
Kṣaya/rajayakṣmā spectrum (wasting), plus head-region symptoms; tongue and sense-organs indicate agni, rasa, and prāṇa pathways being impaired.
Supportive framing for chronic illness with ENT/neurological or fatigue symptoms; also psychosomatic ‘brain fog’ and speech/taste disturbance.
Yakṣma disease-entity
To expel head-seated yakṣma from sensory and speech centers.
Anatomical enumeration + performative extraction verb (√vṛh); often accompanied by tactile tracing from face to crown.
Relapse into sensory dullness, headache-like heaviness, loss of appetite/taste.
- यक्ष्म (yakṣma)
- chronic depletion, depressive heaviness, identity as ‘the sick one’
- वि वृहमि (vi vṛhāmi)
- active therapeutic removal; separating self from illness
- मस्तिष्क (mastiṣka)
- seat of cognition; where ‘fog’ must be cleared
- जिह्वा (jihvā)
- speech, taste, vitality; the interface of nourishment and expression
- अक्षि/नासिका/कर्ण (akṣi/nāsikā/karṇa)
- gateways of perception—where disorder enters and must be cleansed
Head-clearing and reclaiming sensory presence; disentangling identity from illness.
Ājñā (clarity), Viśuddha (speech/taste)
Slow nāḍī-śodhana (alternate nostril) if comfortable; otherwise steady nasal breathing while mentally tracing organs named.
A dark knot in the head dissolves; cool white light clears eyes/ears/nose; tongue becomes rosy and luminous (renewed taste).
Quiet determination with compassionate self-care.
Chant moderately, then sit in silence 2–3 minutes observing sensory inputs without strain.
Steady, even chant; slight lift on organ names to ‘mark’ locations; firm cadence on vi vṛhāmi.
Keep clear segmentation: akṣībhyāṃ… nāsikābhyāṃ… karṇābhyām…; emphasize yakṣmám and ví vṛhāmi.
Steady, reassuring, with a decisive finish on ‘vi vṛhāmi te’.
Often used as part of a sequence covering the whole body; the power lies in comprehensive ‘mapping’ and removal.
11 times
Chronic fatigue/wasting with head symptoms; loss of taste, sinus/ear heaviness (traditional framing).
During recovery routines; before meals to support appetite; when ‘brain fog’ feels dominant.
Sense of clearing and separation from illness; supports calm breathing and attentive self-care.
Seek medical evaluation for persistent neurological/ENT symptoms, weight loss, fever, or severe headache; avoid pressing on painful areas.
No plant, herb, or amulet is named in this verse; the therapeutic technology is somatic and verbal. The ‘substance’ is effectively the body itself (sense-openings, brain, tongue) treated as a landscape of seats (adhi) from which yákṣma is uprooted. In Atharvanic logic, the extraction-gesture substitutes for a pharmacological carrier: the mantra operationalizes cure through performative speech plus tactile mapping.
The patient is grammatically objectified (te…te) while the officiant speaks in the first person (vṛhāmi), foregrounding priestly agency. Healing is not merely domestic care but a specialized Atharvanic competence: the expert controls dangerous liminal zones (eyes/ears/nose/mouth) where malevolent forces enter, reinforcing the ritual specialist’s authority over bodily and social vulnerability.
The diction is characteristically Atharvanic in its clinical-anatomical cataloguing and in treating disease as an entity to be physically ‘torn out’ (vṛh- with ví). While RV has expulsion formulas, AV intensifies the body-part inventory and the quasi-surgical performative. The compound/adjectival śīrṣaṇya ‘head-seated’ reflects a diagnostic localization more typical of AV’s medical register than RV’s broader cosmic framing.
In Gopatha’s Atharvanic theology, efficacy (siddhi) arises from correct application (yathāvidhi) of mantra with corresponding act (karman), especially where the mantra names the locus of harm. This verse exemplifies that principle: naming apertures and inner seats authorizes the priest to ‘seize’ the disease there and remove it. Gopatha’s general stance—mantra as a form of brahman-power that binds and releases—fits the extraction verb ví vṛhāmi as a paradigmatic act of release-by-formula.
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