Atharva Veda 20.6.4: Kanda 20, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 6, Mantra 4
Sukta 6
इन्द्र॒ सोमाः॑ सु॒ता इ॒मे तव॒ प्र य॑न्ति सत्पते । क्षयं॑ च॒न्द्रास॒ इन्द॑वः
índra sómāḥ sutā́ imé táva prá yanti satpate | kṣáyaṃ candrā́sa índavaḥ
Indra, these Soma-drops, pressed for thee, go forth to thee, O Lord of the good; the brightening drops (bring) a settled home.
इंद्र के लिए सोम निकाला गया है। यह सब इंद्र के पास जा रहा है। इंद्र अच्छा मालिक है। यह सोम चमक रहा है और घर बसा देता है। सब ठीक कर देता है।
The meaning
What it says
Indra, these Soma drops, pressed for you, go forth to you, O lord of the good; the bright drops bring a settled home (kṣayam).
The inner meaning
When one offers refined vitality (Soma) to the inner sovereign (Indra), energy returns as stability—‘a settled home’: groundedness, secure identity, sustained life-structure.
The truth in it
Right offering and right relationship to power yield settlement and continuity; brightness (clarity) supports stable dwelling—externally and within.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Paustika (Prosperity) / Bhaisajya-adjacent (soma as stimulant/medicine)
Its aim
To convey soma to Indra so that the sacrificer gains kṣaya—stable dwelling, settlement-security, and prosperity.
Word by Word
Pada patha
इन्द्र । सोमाः । सुताः । इमे । तव । प्र । यन्ति । सत्पते । क्षयम् । चन्द्रासः । इन्दवः ।
- इन्द्र
- O IndraIndra; primary recipient of soma, empowered thereby to grant victory and goodsNoun (proper)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन; एकवचनRole सम्बोधन (address)Root इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- सोमाः
- Soma-draughtssoma-draughts; pressed intoxicant as divine stimulant and ritual medicineNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
- सुताः
- pressed, expressedpressed; ritually expressed and thus ‘made potent’ for offeringAdjective (past passive participle)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचन (सोमाः इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ (विशेषणरूपेण)Root √सु (सुते) → सुत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
- इमे
- thesethese; the present, tangible libations at handPronounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (सोमाः इत्यस्य पुनर्निर्देशः)Root इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- तव
- of you, yourthy; belonging to Indra as rightful consumerPronounषष्ठी; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive relation)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → त्वद्
- प्र
- forth, forwardforth; indicating directed movement toward the deityIndeclinableअव्ययRole क्रियाविशेषण (गत्यर्थ-प्रवृत्तिः)Root प्र (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- यन्ति
- go, proceedgo, proceed; the offering’s ritual ‘journey’ to the godVerbलट् (वर्तमान); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot √या (याति)
- सत्पते
- O lord of the good / true lordO lord of the good/true (or of the virtuous); Indra as patron of right order and beneficenceNoun (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन; एकवचनRole सम्बोधन (address)Root सत्पति (प्रातिपदिक; सत् + पति)
- क्षयम्
- to the abode, homedwelling, home, secure abode; also ‘possession/settlement’ as prosperity-goalNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्म (गन्तव्य/प्राप्तव्य-रूपेण)Root क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
- चन्द्रासः
- bright, shiningbright, gladdening; soma as luminous/joy-giving, enhancing auspiciousnessAdjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचन (इन्दवः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ (विशेषणरूपेण)Root चन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्दवः
- drops (of Soma)drops; soma-drops as discrete efficacious units of offeringNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot इन्दु (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: इन्द्र | सोमाः सुताः इमे | तव | प्र | यन्ति | सत्पते | क्षयम् | चन्द्रासः | इन्दवः ।
- 1) ‘सोमाः सुताः’ इति विसर्ग-सन्धिः न
- केवलं पदसंयोगः।
- 2) ‘चन्द्रासः’ = चन्द्र + आसः (प्रथमा बहु), ‘इन्दवः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्।
- 3) ‘क्षयम्’ द्वितीया एकवचनः—गमनक्रियायाः गन्तव्य/प्राप्तव्यत्वेन कर्मवत् प्रयोगः।
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Ṛgvedic seer attribution (requires RV parallel identification for precision).
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Likely Anuṣṭubh or Triṣṭubh-class depending on RV source; needs RV parallel confirmation.
- Rasa
- Shanta and Vira
Sāyaṇa glosses soma as the pressed oblation that invigorates Indra; ‘going forth’ is the offering’s reaching the deity through the rite. satpati is read as ‘lord of the good/true men’ (satām patiḥ) or ‘lord of good rites.’ kṣaya is prosperity: stable residence, household security, and continuance of lineage—an Atharvanic desideratum even in Ṛgvedic diction.
Unknown (Ṛgvedic provenance; exact seer requires RV parallel identification)
Soma-to-Indra liturgy linking offering to concrete boon (kṣaya: settlement).
The seer articulates a key Atharvanic aim—kṣaya (stable dwelling)—as the fruit of correct energizing exchange with the divine.
Indra
Recipient of Soma; empowered to grant victory, rain, cattle, and secure settlement; breaker of obstacles that prevent stable living.
Indirect: Soma-Indra dynamic supports vigor, recovery, and morale; Soma as tonic, Indra as strength.
High: grants ‘kṣaya’ as protected settlement; wards threats by strength and sovereignty.
Uncertain (likely anuṣṭubh or triṣṭubh-class in RV source; needs RV parallel confirmation)
Two pāda-like segments in AV transmission; complete RV stanza needed for exact scansion.
AVŚ 20 may preserve wording but resegment lines; chant with balanced phrasing, emphasizing ‘kṣayam’ as cadence point.
Offering-flow rhythm: movement toward Indra, then settling into ‘home.’
From energizing uplift (candrāsaḥ) to grounding assurance (kṣayam).
Press/prepare the soma (or its Atharvanic substitute where applicable).
At the moment of offering or presentation, recite the mantra to ‘send’ the drops to Indra.
Conclude with a wish/intent for kṣaya (secure dwelling), aligning household prosperity with the offering.
Kauśika Sūtra: soma/Indra recitations used as strengthening and success-formulas; AV 20 material often functions as śrauta-style stotra/śastra adjunct in domestic adaptation (exact sutra locus requires śākhā-specific mapping).
Atharvan/Brahman: ensures correct timing of recitation at offering-presentation; frames the prosperity-intent (kāma) and averts mis-offering.
Use in house-consecration, before signing leases/land matters, or when praying for stability after relocation; optionally recite while offering milk/water (as Soma-substitute) into a lamp or into clean water.
New moon/full moon household observances; also before moving in or after disturbances.
Householder can recite; purohita may integrate into a protective homa for settlement (kṣaya-prārthanā).
Recite as a ‘settling’ mantra after travel or during housing insecurity, paired with practical planning.
Soma (pressed libation); Indu (soma-drops)
Soma is both medicine and sacrament: distilled vitality offered upward returns as stability downward. ‘Bright drops’ signify purified, non-toxic power—energy that settles rather than agitates.
Convalescence/weakness (conceptual) and ‘unsettledness’ (restlessness, insecurity).
Tonic uplift (Soma) combined with stabilizing sovereignty (Indra) yields grounded recovery and a sense of safe abode.
Rasāyana logic (Soma as essence); supports ojas (conceptually) and vāta stabilization via ‘settlement’ (kṣaya).
Recovery routines that combine energizing nutrition with stability/safety: improved sleep, reduced hypervigilance, better adherence to healthy habits.
Householder/patron seeking stability, property security, and flourishing.
To secure stable dwelling/settlement (kṣaya) and prosperity by delivering the Soma offering to Indra.
Exchange formula: ‘pressed drops go to you’ → boon ‘kṣaya’; brightness as auspicious efficacy marker.
Displacement, instability, loss of home/ground, misfortune affecting settlement.
Home, land, continuity of livelihood, household security.
- सोमाः सुताः (somāḥ sutāḥ)
- refined essence extracted by effort; distilled joy/strength
- प्र यन्ति (pra yanti)
- directed intention; devotion as vector
- सत्पते (satpate)
- inner authority aligned with truth and excellence
- चन्द्रासः इन्दवः (candrāsaḥ indavaḥ)
- clarifying vitality; luminous nourishment
- क्षयम् (kṣayam)
- secure base, stability, lasting prosperity; inner ‘homecoming’
‘Settled home’ (kṣaya) as inner base: stabilize attention after energizing practices.
muladhara
Lengthened exhale (1:2 ratio) to promote settling; gentle nāḍī-śodhana.
Bright Soma-drops descending into the pelvis/feet as cool-gold light, forming a stable foundation; Indra above as protective sovereignty.
Grounded confidence (calm strength).
Recite 9 times at night to ‘return home’ inwardly; follow with a body-scan to anchor the sense of dwelling.
Recite with clear rise on invocative ‘indra’; let ‘kṣayam’ land as the final grounding cadence.
Pause after ‘satpate’; emphasize ‘candrāsaḥ’ with brightness in tone; end firmly on ‘kṣayam’.
Warm, steady, settling.
Atharvanic reinterpretation: Soma may be substituted symbolically (milk/water) in domestic settings; the operative aim is kṣaya—secure dwelling.
9 times
Seeking housing stability, after relocation, during financial insecurity, when craving groundedness during life transitions.
Evening recitation; before discussing home/land matters; after travel to ‘settle.’
Sense of security, grounded confidence, motivation to build stable routines; culturally framed prayer for home-protection and prosperity.
Do not substitute mantra-use for legal/financial due diligence; avoid overuse of stimulants if pairing with ‘Soma’ symbolism.
Soma is both offering and pharmacological metaphor: its ‘brightness’ (candrāsaḥ) indexes exhilaration and auspicious vitality. The mantra linguistically ‘dispatches’ the substance, treating it as an agent that produces kṣaya (settled prosperity).
Prosperity is articulated as stable residence (kṣaya), a household-centered goal. The priestly mediation of soma to Indra encodes dependence of domestic security on ritual expertise and divine patronage.
The verse is characteristically Ṛgvedic in lexicon (indu, soma, satpati). Its presence in AV 20 illustrates Atharvavedic compilation rather than linguistic innovation.
Gopatha’s efficacy model emphasizes correct offering and intention: soma, when properly ‘sent’ by mantra, yields concrete goods (kṣaya). The verse exemplifies the causal chain: correct pressing → correct recitation → divine reception → prosperity.
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