Atharva Veda 20.127.14: Kanda 20, Anuvaka 13, Sukta 127, Mantra 14
Sukta 127
उप॑ नो न रमसि॒ सूक्ते॑न॒ वच॑सा व॒यं भ॒द्रेण॒ वच॑सा व॒यम्। वना॑दधिध्व॒नो गि॒रो न रि॑ष्येम क॒दा च॒न
úpa no na ramasi sū́ktena vácasā vayáṃ bhadréṇa vácasā vayám | vánād adhidhvánō gíro ná riṣyema kadā́ cana ||
Draw near and take delight in us through well-spoken speech—through auspicious speech, even we. From the forest, from the over-roaring voices, may we never at any time be harmed.
हमारे पास आओ और हमारी अच्छी बातों से खुश हो। हम भी अच्छी बात करते हैं। जंगल की आवाज़ें, तेज़ आवाज़ें, इन सब से हम कभी ना टकलें।
The meaning
What it says
An invitation to draw near and delight in the worshippers through well-spoken, auspicious speech; a prayer that no harm come from the forest or from loud/over-roaring voices (ominous sounds).
The inner meaning
Right speech (sūkta, bhadra vāc) pacifies inner ‘wildness’—fear responses triggered by unknown noises and threats. The ‘forest’ symbolizes the unconscious/uncultivated mind; ‘roaring voices’ are intrusive thoughts, panic, rumor, or hostile talk.
The truth in it
Auspicious, truthful, well-formed speech is itself a protective technology: it attracts support, stabilizes community, and neutralizes fear of the unknown.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Rakṣoghna (Protective) / Śānti (Pacification)
Its aim
To attract divine favor through correct/auspicious speech and to avert harm arising from wilderness and ominous/hostile sounds.
Word by Word
Pada patha
उप । नः । नः । रमसि । सूक्तेन । वचसा । वयम् । भद्रेण । वचसा । वयम् । वनात् । अधिध्वनः । गिरः । न । रिष्येम । कदा । चन ।
- उप
- near; towards (prefix/particle)near, towards; invitation for divine approachIndeclinableनिपात/उपसर्ग (अव्यय)Root उप (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- नः
- to us / for usto us/our; dative of benefitPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी? बहुवचन (enclitic ‘नः’ = gen./dat. pl.)Role SampradānaRoot अस्मद्
- न
- notnot; negationIndeclinableनिषेध-अव्ययRoot न (निषेध)
- रमसि
- you delight / you take pleasurethou delightest/takest pleasure; deity’s favorable reception of praiseVerbलट्, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRoot रम्
- सूक्तेन
- with a well-spoken hymnwith well-spoken hymn; efficacious, correctly formed utteranceNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot सूक्त (सु-उक्त)
- वचसा
- with speech/wordby speech/word; mantra as operative instrumentNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot वचस्
- वयम्
- wewe; the ritual community/patronsPronounप्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot अस्मद्
- भद्रेण
- with auspicious (good)with auspicious, beneficent; speech that brings welfareAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (वचसा इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role KaraṇaRoot भद्र
- वचसा
- with speech/wordby speech; reiteration of verbal technologyNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot वचस्
- वयम्
- wewe; repeatedPronounप्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot अस्मद्
- वनात्
- from the wood/forestfrom the wood/forest; locus of danger (wild, raiders, spirits)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचनRole ApādānaRoot वन
- अधि
- over; upon (prefix/particle)Indeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्ययRoot अधि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- धिध्वनः
- of the resounding soundNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन (ध्वनः = ‘of the sound’)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot धि-ध्वन (ध्वन्/ध्वन्)
- गिरः
- songs; praisessongs/voices; also cries, utterances (including hostile/ominous)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot गिर्
- न
- like; asnot; negationIndeclinableउपमार्थक-अव्ययRoot न (उपमा)
- रिष्येम
- may we not be harmed / may we not suffermay we be harmed/perish; ‘let us not suffer injury’Verbविधिलिङ् (optative), उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपदRoot रिष्
- कदा
- ever; at any timeever, at any timeIndeclinableकालवाचक-अव्ययRole AdhikaraṇaRoot कदा
- चन
- even; at allat all (with kádā); strengthening ‘never’Indeclinableनिपात (emphatic with negation)Root चन
Sandhi Notes
- (1) उप॑ नो न रमसि॒ → उप + नः + न + रमसि.
- (2) सूक्ते॑न॒ वच॑सा → सूक्तेन + वचसा (no further split).
- (3) व॒यं भ॒द्रेण॒ वच॑सा व॒यम् → वयम् + भद्रेण + वचसा + वयम्.
- (4) वना॑दधिध्व॒नो → वनात् + अधि + ध्वनः
- अधि + ध्वनः → अधिध्वनः
- ‘वनात्’ before vowel gives written ‘वना॑द…’.
- (5) गि॒रो न रि॑ष्येम → गिरः + न + रिष्येम.
- (6) क॒दा च॒न → कदा + चन (idiom: ‘कदा चन’ = ‘never/at any time at all’ with negation)
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- To be specified per Anukramaṇī for 20.127 (RV-derived).
- Devata
- Indra (contextually) or the addressed deity of the hymn; protective/pacifying function foregrounded
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh (verify in Anukramaṇī)
- Rasa
- Shanta and Adbhuta
Sāyaṇa emphasizes sūkta/bhadra-vacas as ‘faultless’ and ‘auspicious’ mantra-speech that attracts the deity and neutralizes inauspicious sound-omens. ‘From the forest’ is glossed as dangers issuing from wilderness (beasts, robbers, rakṣas), while ‘adhidhvana’ and ‘giraḥ’ include ominous noises and hostile cries; the mantra converts sonic threat into protected silence by invoking divine favor.
RV-source r̥ṣi for AVŚ 20.127 (Anukramaṇī-dependent)
Protective pacification through vāc: using correct speech as both offering and shield, especially for travel/forest-edge dangers and ominous auditory portents.
Highlights a core Atharvan premise: vāc is pharmakon—speech both invokes the deity and reorganizes danger into harmlessness.
Indra (contextual guardian deity of the hymn)
Approached through praise; grants protection in liminal spaces and quiets harmful forces signaled by ominous sounds.
Soothes fear and agitation; supports psychological steadiness.
Pacifies dangers arising from wilderness and hostile/ominous sound; grants safe passage and social harmony through auspicious speech.
4 × ~8; first half with parallelism (sūktena vacasā… bhadreṇa vacasā…)
Parallel phrasing functions like a śānti-formula; the doubling strengthens ‘speech as shield’.
Lulling and repetitive; mantra-like refrains soften the auditory field it references.
Creates a ‘sonic canopy’—replacing threatening sounds with auspicious cadence.
Recite at the edge of settlement or before travel through forested routes.
Perform a brief śānti: sprinkle water in the four directions while reciting the second hemistich.
If responding to an omen (loud cries, tumult), recite facing the source of sound, then turn back toward the hearth/center to ‘bring’ safety inward.
Seal with a concluding benediction over the household or travelers.
Kauśika Sūtra: śānti and rakṣā rites against ominous sounds/forest dangers.
Atharvan as śānti-priest: diagnoses sonic/forest omens, applies mantra as pacifying counter-sound, and ritually re-centers space.
Recite before entering forest/pasture, at night when unsettling sounds arise, or before sleep to pacify the soundscape of the home.
Evening/night; before travel; during storms or periods of alarming noises.
Householder recitation is appropriate; a specialist may incorporate into broader śānti.
Use as a calming chant during anxiety episodes; pair with quiet environment and mindful listening.
No physical substances; the medium is acoustic: mantra replaces ‘adhidhvana’ with ‘bhadra vāc’, turning sound from threat into protection.
Fear/anxiety states; sleep disturbance due to ominous sounds (traditional framing).
Śānti through regulated speech and attention; replacing threatening auditory stimuli with ordered mantra sound.
Manas-śamana; vāta-pacifying effect via steady rhythm and breath.
Anxiety management, noise-related hypervigilance, grounding through paced recitation/breath.
The reciters/community; the threatening soundscape (forest, roaring voices).
Attract divine favor through auspicious speech; avert harm from wilderness and ominous/hostile sounds.
Speech-offering (sūkta/bhadra vāc) as appeasement; apotropaic re-framing of sound by mantra-sound.
Ominous portents, hostile cries, fear-triggering noises, dangers of liminal spaces.
- सूक्त (sūkta)
- ordered language aligning mind with r̥ta; therapeutic articulation
- भद्र वचस् (bhadra vacas)
- non-harming communication; blessing-speech that creates safety
- वन (vana)
- uncertain terrain; liminal zones; the unintegrated psyche
- अधिध्वनः गिरः (adhidhvanaḥ giraḥ)
- ominous portents, hostile shouts, rumor, intrusive noise/thought
- न रिष्येम (na riṣyema)
- resilience; immunity to fear and external disturbance
Śuddha-vāc: cultivating auspicious speech and non-reactive listening.
viśuddha (speech/hearing)
Sama-vṛtti (equal inhale/exhale) synchronized to pāda cadence.
A gentle blue-white dome of sound around the body/home; forest noises dissolve into mantra rhythm.
Pratyāhāra from threatening sound; steady witnessing.
Chant 9–27 times; then maintain a brief vow of bhadra-vāc (no harsh speech) for the day/night.
RV-style accentuation in AV 20; keep the parallel phrases evenly balanced.
Mark the double ‘vacasā vayam’ with identical weight; do not rush ‘adhidhvanaḥ giraḥ’.
Soft but clear; soothing, as if ‘replacing’ ominous sounds.
Best used as an aural śānti: chant audibly at first, then reduce to a whisper/mental recitation to stabilize hearing and mind.
27 times
Fear from unsettling sounds, travel through uncertain places, social tension where harsh speech escalates risk.
Before sleep; during storms; when hearing alarming noises; before entering remote areas.
Calm, improved sleep, reduced reactivity; more auspicious communication and perceived safety.
If anxiety is severe or persistent, seek professional support; avoid using mantra to ignore real physical danger.
No botanical agent appears; the stanza is explicitly metalinguistic—speech (vacas) is the medicine. The ‘counter-omen’ is achieved by producing sūkta/bhadra sound to neutralize adhidhvana/giraḥ.
It elevates the ritual specialists’ correct speech as a public good: protection from wilderness and rumor/tumult is mediated by liturgical competence, reinforcing priestly authority in managing communal anxiety.
The vocabulary is RV-compatible; the Atharvanic inflection is the explicit omenology of sound and the practical framing of mantra as a pacifying technology.
Gopatha’s doctrine of brahman as world-ordering speech supports the idea that auspicious utterance can ‘overwrite’ inauspicious sound. The stanza exemplifies mantra as sonic governance.
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