Atharva Veda 20.26.2: Kanda 20, Anuvaka 3, Sukta 26, Mantra 2
Sukta 26
आ घा॑ गम॒द् यदि॒ श्रव॑त् सह॒स्रिणी॑भिरू॒तिभिः॑ । वाजे॑भि॒रुप॑ नो॒ हव॑म्
ā ghā́ gamad yádi śrávat sahasríṇībhir ūtíbhiḥ | vā́jebhir úpa no hávam
Hither, yea, let him come—if he but hear—with thousandfold succours; with winning strengths let him draw near unto our call.
वो हमारे पास आए। बस आवाज़ सुन ले, हज़ारों मदद लेकर आएगा। जीत की ताकत लेकर हमारी पुकार सुनने आएगा।
The meaning
What it says
A call for the deity (Indra by RV correspondence) to come here if he hears—bringing thousandfold aids and winning strengths—near to our invocation.
The inner meaning
The mind calls its own courageous capacity to ‘arrive’ when it becomes audible to itself (śravat: ‘if he hears’). ‘Thousand aids’ evokes many supports—skills, allies, habits—mobilized by a single clear call.
The truth in it
Help comes when the call is clear and consistent; abundance often appears as many small supports converging rather than a single miracle.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Paustika (Prosperity) / Devatā-āhvāna (Invocatory)
Its aim
To draw the deity (Indra, per RV parallel) toward the sacrificer with abundant protections and victorious gains.
Word by Word
Pada patha
आ । घा॑ । गम॒त् । यदि॑ । श्रव॑त् । सह॒स्रिणी॑भिः । ऊ॒तिभिः॑ । वाजे॑भिः । उप॑ । नः । हव॑म् ।
- आ
- hither; towards (prefix ‘to/near’)hither; toward the sacrificer (inviting approach)Indeclinableउपसर्ग (गत्यर्थ/आगमनार्थे)Root आ (उपसर्ग)
- घ
- indeed; surely (emphatic particle)Indeclinableनिपात (पादपूरण/उद्गार)Root घ (निपात)
- आ
- hither; towardshither; toward the sacrificer (inviting approach)Indeclinableउपसर्ग (गत्यर्थ/आगमनार्थे)Root आ (उपसर्ग)
- गमत्
- let (him/it) comelet him come; may he arrive (injunctive/optative force of invitation)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Root गम्
- यदि
- ifif; whenever (conditional opening for the deity’s hearing)Indeclinableसम्बन्ध/शर्त-निपातRoot यदि
- श्रवत्
- let (him/it) hearhe hears; hearkens (divine audition as prerequisite of aid)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Root श्रु
- सहस्रिणीभिः
- with thousandfold (feminine) [supports]with thousand-fold (aids); innumerable (hyperbolic abundance of protections)Adjective (f.)स्त्रीलिङ्गम्, तृतीया विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्Role KaraṇaRoot सहस्रिणी (प्रातिपदिक; सहस्र + -इनी)
- ऊतिभिः
- with helps; with protectionswith helps, succours, protections (ūtí as saving power)Noun (f.)स्त्रीलिङ्गम्, तृतीया विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्Role KaraṇaRoot ऊति (प्रातिपदिक)
- वाजेभिः
- with prizes/strengths (vigor, winning powers)with prizes, strengths, winning powers (vāja as victorious might and gain)Noun (m.)पुंलिङ्गम्, तृतीया विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्Role KaraṇaRoot वाज (प्रातिपदिक)
- उप
- near; up tounto; near (directional approach to the call)Indeclinableअव्यय (समीपार्थे ‘near, towards’)Root उप (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- नः
- of us; our / to us (contextually)of us; for us (the patron’s community as beneficiary)Pronounषष्ठी विभक्तिः (एन्क्लिटिक), बहुवचनम्Role SampradānaRoot अस्मद्
- हवम्
- invocation; callcall, invocation (háva as efficacious summons in rite)Noun (m.)पुंलिङ्गम्, द्वितीया विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot हव (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- आ | घ | आ | गमत् | यदि | श्रवत् | सहस्रिणीभिः | ऊतिभिः | वाजेभिः | उप | नः | हवम् ।
- 1) गमद् → गमत्: धातोः गम्-लोट् 3sg ‘गमतु’ इत्यस्य वैदिक-रूपे अन्त्यद्/त्-परिवर्तनं (पदपाठे ‘गमत्’)
- 2) श्रवत्: श्रु-लोट् 3sg (वैदिक रूप; ‘श्रवतु’)
- 3) सहस्रिणीभिरूतिभिः → सहस्रिणीभिः ऊतिभिः: विसर्ग-लोप/सन्धिः (भिः + ऊ-)
- 4) वाजेभिरुप → वाजेभिः उप: विसर्ग-लोप (भिः + उ-)
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- As in RV parallel tradition: attributed within Indra-hymn cycles (exact assignment varies by anukramaṇī for AV 20).
- Devata
- Indra (by RV correspondence of AV 20.26).
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh (by RV-style cadence; exact metrical tagging may vary).
- Rasa
- Adbhuta and Vira
Sāyaṇa glosses ūti as rakṣaṇa-sāhāyya (‘protective help’) and vāja as bala/annādi-lābha (‘strength and gain’). The particle ghā heightens certainty of arrival. The mantra is an āhvāna: efficacy depends on śravaṇa (the god’s ‘hearing’), hence the conditional yadi.
RV-derived; specific seer as per the RV parallel hymn in Indra cycles (varies by anukramaṇī traditions for AVŚ 20)
Devatā-āhvāna (invocation) for aid and victory; compact calling-formula suited to domestic and public rites
A classic Atharvanic ‘arrival’ formula: the efficacy hinges on making the deity ‘hear’ and then ‘come’ with layered protections—useful as a short, repeatable domestic charm.
Indra
Responds to invocation with protective succour and victory-force; turns hearing into presence.
Indirect: ‘ūtis’ can be construed as protections that restore strength in convalescence or fatigue, though not disease-specific here.
Strong: layered safeguards (ūtayaḥ) against misfortune; empowerment for success (vāja).
4 pādas of ~8 syllables
AVŚ 20 may show RV anuṣṭubh with slight resolution/lengthening; cadence remains brisk and portable for repeated japa.
Quick, summoning, functional—ideal for repeated calling.
Creates immediacy (‘come here’) and confidence through the hyperbole of ‘thousandfold aids’.
Prepare the offering-place (gārhapatya/āhavanīya in śrauta adaptation; or domestic fire in gṛhya adaptation).
Recite the mantra as an āhvāna while facing the deity’s quarter (typically east) and mentally ‘bringing’ the deity to the rite.
Accompany with oblation (ājya or simple offering) where the local prayoga prescribes, synchronizing ‘ā…gamad’ with the act of offering.
Conclude with a brief silent pause (upasthāna) to ‘seat’ the invoked power.
Atharvan/Brahman as invoker and guardian of correct recitation; ensures accent and timing so the āhvāna is ritually ‘heard’ (śravaṇa) and thus effective.
Morning invocation for protection and success before work, travel, study, or trade; can be recited at the threshold of the home.
Early morning or before setting out; also before beginning any task (ārambha).
Householder-led; simple enough for non-specialist recitation.
Brief pre-task mantra to gather attention and confidence.
No physical substances: the operative ‘substance’ is the call (hava) and the imagined arrival of layered protections (ūtayaḥ) as an invisible armor.
A short ‘support invocation’ usable as a coping mantra for anxiety or low confidence (supportive, not clinical).
The reciter/household undertaking
Draw Indra near with abundant protections and winning force; increase success-chances in undertakings.
Āhvāna (summoning) with conditional hearing (‘if he hears’)—a rhetorical device that sharpens the reciter’s clarity and attention.
General misfortune, failure, vulnerability due to lack of support
Success (vāja), gains, security through protection (ūti)
- ā gama(t)
- inviting presence; drawing power into the immediate situation
- śravat
- receptivity; the necessity of attuned attention (on both sides)
- sahasriṇībhir ūtibhiḥ
- abundant supports, layered safeguards, multiplicity of resources
- vāje-bhiḥ
- winning energy, competence, vigor, success-yielding force
- havaṃ
- intentional speech as operative power (vāc as pharmakon)
Summon protective strength: feel ‘help’ arriving as breath and posture align.
Manipura (confidence) with support at Anahata (felt support)
Inhale on ‘ā ghā gamad’, exhale on ‘up no havam’; keep breath smooth and audible.
Visualize a mantle of light layering around the body as ‘sahasriṇī ūtayaḥ’.
Invocatory devotion with practical readiness.
Repeat 27 or 54 times before important tasks; end by naming one concrete action step (vāja as competence, not only luck).
Anuṣṭubh: keep even, rhythmic; slight lift on ‘śravat’ and ‘sahasriṇībhir’.
Make ‘up no havam’ crisp—this is the ‘pull’ that draws the deity near.
Clear, inviting, not harsh; a ‘calling’ tone.
As a domestic charm, it can be whispered at the doorway before departure, treating the threshold as the ritual boundary where ‘arrival’ is enacted.
27 times
Starting new work, exams, travel, business meetings, seeking general protection and success.
Immediately before beginning; when feeling unsupported or scattered.
A felt increase in support, confidence, and readiness; steadier follow-through.
Do not substitute for practical preparation; mantra supports effort (vāja) rather than replacing it.
No botanical substance is named; the ‘substance’ is functionalized as divine ūtí (protective aid) and vāja (victorious potency). In Atharvanic logic, these are treated as quasi-material forces transferable through correct invocation.
The community (‘naḥ’) petitions a martial-prosperity deity through a specialist reciter. The hierarchy is implicit: efficacy is mediated by the priest’s mastery of accent and rite, while benefits accrue to the patron group.
The diction is thoroughly RV-like (āhvāna formulae; particles like ghā; ūtí, vāja). AV 20 largely preserves RV language with minimal Atharvanic innovation.
Gopatha tends to ground efficacy in brahman (sacral speech) and correct performance; for an āhvāna, ‘hearing’ (śravaṇa) is the ritual hinge—speech properly accented compels divine attention and thus aid.
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