Deities of Anuvaka 5
- IIndra
Protector-destroyer and giver of victory/wealth; sovereign power activated by stotra
In 9 hymns
- SSuryaSūrya (Sun)
Restorer, dispels darkness, reorients sight and vitality; allied to Indraic overcoming
In 1 hymn
Anuvaka 5
Indraic victory-through-praise: mantra as the operative force that breaks opposition and converts divine power into vāja (winning power), cattle-wealth, and public renown
Kinds of charm
Paushtika (prosperity): 6Abhicharika (against foes): 2Bhaishajya (healing): 1Shantika (pacifying): 1
Suktas in Anuvaka 5
Sukta 41
This brief Atharvavedic hymn compresses a Rigvedic heroic myth-cycle into a three-verse charm: Indra’s “unopposed” victory with Dadhīci’s bones becomes a template for crushing obstructive forces. It then pivots to motifs of successful recovery—finding the hidden Horse’s head and tracing the Cow’s secret name—so the performer may retrieve what is concealed (strength, prosperity, ritual success) and restore fertility and order.
Sukta 42
AV 20.42 is a compact Indra-hymn drawn from the Rigvedic battle corpus, recited as a victory-charm that yokes cosmic forces (Heaven-and-Earth) to Indra’s roaring advance. It joins protective mantra-enclosure (through consecrated Vāc) with martial escalation (Indra roused by Soma), aiming to make opponents tremble and to secure unfaltering support for the practitioner’s side.
Sukta 43
AV 20.43 is a compact Indra-sūkta that welds enemy-breaking force to wealth-retrieval and wealth-attraction. It commands Indra to shatter haters and oppressive powers, to recover valuables even if hidden in hollows or stony places, and to bestow “coveted wealth” as the assured aftermath of victory.
Sukta 44
AV 20.44 is a short Indra-stuti (RV-borrowing) that enthrones Indra as samrāj, the sovereign power who makes praise effective and turns it into śravas (renown) and vāja (victory/booty). Across three compact verses it moves from proclamation of Indra’s lordship to the claim that all hymns find delight and success in him, ending in a direct call for triumph in contest and acquisition. In Atharvanic reuse it functions as a liturgical booster for authority, fame, and competitive success.
Sukta 45
AV 20.45 is a short Rigvedic-style Indra-stotra adopted into the Atharvaveda’s liturgical collection, aiming to make the community’s spoken hymn “fit” (samatas) so that it effectively draws Indra’s help. It petitions Indra as lord of gifts and victorious power to stand up for the singers in a public contest (vāja), granting prosperity, protection, and the boon of sūnṛtā—gracious, truthful, auspicious speech.
Sukta 46
This brief Indra-hymn draws the god near as the battlefield leader and luminous doer who turns contests toward “the better good.” It asks Indra to carry the chanter safely over dangers—like a boat across perilous waters—and to overpower all haters and hostile forces. The sukta’s power lies in aligning victory, safe passage, and welfare (vāja/svasti/sुम्न) under Indra’s guidance.
Sukta 47
AV 20.47 is a RV-derived solar-liturgical hymn that harnesses the Sun’s (and allied Indraic) power to reverse darkness, obstruction, and hostile forces, restoring right orientation, sight, and vitality. It frames healing and protection as a cosmic “turning back” (pratyak) of harm under the revealing gaze of Sūrya, while also invoking the Vṛtra-slaying paradigm to break blockages and release life-giving light.
Sukta 48
AV 20.48 is a prosperity-and-prestige hymn that “anoints” the beneficiary with várchas—radiant presence, authority, and public renown—through the consecratory force of mantra (gíraḥ/Vāc). Using cow-and-calf nourishment imagery and a cosmic itinerary from Mother (earth) to Father (heavenly light), it situates personal splendour within the stable order of day, dawn, and luminous stations, so that vitality and reputation continually increase.
Sukta 49
AV 20.49 is a Rigveda-derived Indra-stuti that channels Indra’s victorious force into concrete prosperity—especially swift acquisition of “vāja” (winning power/prize) and cattle-wealth. The hymn praises Indra as radiant, bounteous, and harm-overcoming, and treats inspired speech (vāc) and praise (gīr) as the vehicle that secures divine assent and material increase.
Sukta 50
AV 20.50 is a brief but forceful Indra-stuti that treats “fresh praise” (navya stuti) as the ritual engine that repeatedly renews Indra’s favor. The hymn emphasizes that Indra’s might is inexhaustible—no praise can fully reach it—yet precisely this excess justifies continual recitation to hasten his arrival and secure aid for the offerer aligned with ṛta.
Deities of Anuvaka 5
Inside Anuvaka 5
The theme
Indraic victory-through-praise: mantra as the operative force that breaks opposition and converts divine power into vāja (winning power), cattle-wealth, and public renown
Threads through it
- Enemy-breaking and removal of obstruction (vṛtra/haters)
- Wealth-retrieval and wealth-attraction (booty, valuables, cattle)
- Royal sovereignty and social ascendancy (samrāj, śravas, vārchas)
- Safe passage across dangers; protection in contests
- Solar reversal of darkness and restoration of right orientation/sight
- Soma-liturgy setting: inviting Indra’s concrete presence at the pressing/filter outflow
Who it serves
Addresses situations of rivalry, litigation/competition, raids or loss of property, public reputation and leadership, travel through hazards, and restoring clarity/energy when ‘darkness’ (literal or figurative) prevails.
What it heals
- Fear, danger, and vulnerability in conflict or high-stakes competitionSukta 20.43, 20.46, 20.49, 20.50, 20.51, 20.52
- Loss of wealth/property; inability to secure winnings, cattle, or resourcesSukta 20.43, 20.44, 20.49, 20.51
- Low vitality, gloom, ‘darkness’ (loss of clarity/energy), impaired orientation or sightSukta 20.47
- Weak public standing; lack of radiance/authority (vārchas) and renown (śravas)Sukta 20.44, 20.48
Frequently Asked Questions
They treat praise (stotra/gīr/Vāc) as a working power that draws Indra’s presence, breaks obstruction, and turns divine force into victory (vāja), wealth, and renown.
Sukta 20.47 centers on the Sun’s liturgical power to reverse darkness and hostile blocking forces, restoring right orientation, sight, and vitality.
Sukta 20.48 explicitly ‘anoints’ vārchas and prestige through mantra, while 20.44 and 20.51 emphasize turning effective praise into śravas (renown) and concrete gains.
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