Atharva Veda 20.46.1: Kanda 20, Anuvaka 5, Sukta 46, Mantra 1
Sukta 46
प्र॒णे॒तारं॒ वस्यो॒ अच्छा॒ कर्ता॑रं॒ ज्योतिः॑ स॒मत्सु॑ । सा॒स॒ह्वांसं यु॒धामित्रा॑न्
praṇetā́raṃ vásyo ácchā kártāraṃ jyótiḥ samátsu | sāsahvā́ṃsaṃ yudhā́ amítrān
Hither to the Leader unto the better good; to the Doer, the Light in battles; to him who overcometh the foes by fight.
वो जो हमे अच्छे काम पे ले के जाता है, उसकी तरफ जाओ। वो रोशनी है लड़ाई में, दुश्मनों को हराने वाला।
Rishi: Rigvedic source attribution (Indra hymn tradition)
Devata: Indra
Chandas: RV-derived (likely Triṣṭubh segmental phrasing)
Primary: vira
Secondary: shanta
Indra is ‘pranetṛ’ as the one who leads the sacrificer to welfare and across peril; ‘jyotis’ is his manifest splendour in conflict. ‘Sāsahvāṃsam’ marks him as already victorious, hence fit to be invoked for present conquest of amitra-s.
To draw Indra near as guiding commander and luminous power in conflict, ensuring the defeat of enemies.
Decision-making under stress; ‘bring light to the battle’ as cognitive clarity and situational awareness.
mixed
Enemies/rivals; obstacles requiring leadership and decisive action
Summon Indra as guiding commander and luminous power to overcome enemies and secure welfare through victory.
Devata-āhvāna (hither-calling) with epithets; jyotis-imposition (bringing light into battle-space)
Confusion, misdirection, being overwhelmed by hostility
Welfare (vasyaḥ), success in contests, protection of status
An invocation drawing Indra near as leader toward the better good, as doer and light in battles, as conqueror who overcomes enemies by fight.
Call the guiding faculty (praṇetā) that leads toward what is truly beneficial (vasyaḥ). In conflict, seek ‘light’ (jyotis) as discernment, not mere force; overcome inner ‘foes’ (amitra) through disciplined effort.
True leadership is luminous action: guidance toward the better, clarity in struggle, and the capacity to overcome hostility without losing direction.
- प्रणेतारम् (praṇetāram)
- inner compass; strategic intelligence; protector-guide
- वस्यः (vasyaḥ)
- long-term welfare over short-term gain
- कर्ता (kartā)
- effective agency; capacity to manifest results
- ज्योतिः (jyotiḥ)
- discernment, visibility, truth in crisis
- समत्सु (samatsu)
- high-pressure tests; life-conflicts
- अमित्रान् (amitrān)
- hostile patterns: sabotage, envy, inner resistance
Invite inner leadership and luminous discernment in conflict.
ajna
Inhale imagining light (jyotis) filling the brow; exhale directing it forward as a path.
A bright path opens through a dark battlefield; foes dissolve at the edge of light.
Clear, directive awareness; resolute calm.
Ask one question after chanting: ‘What is vasyaḥ—the better good—here?’ Then choose the next right action.
Maintain a summoning rise on praṇetāram…acchā; sustain jyotis with a resonant tone.
Clear breaks after praṇetāram and kartāram; treat jyotis as the pivot-word.
praṇetāram: keep retroflex ṇ and long ē., acchā: double cch with aspiration-like release., jyotiḥ: pronounce jyo- as a diphthong-like glide; final ḥ audible but light.
Clear, directive, ‘calling’ tone rather than aggressive shouting.
Because this is a partial verse in AV20, reciters often repeat it as a compact āhvāna-formula to ‘bring the leader-light’ into the space.
12
Needing guidance and clarity during conflict—family, workplace, legal, or personal crisis.
Before decisive action; when feeling confused or morally pressured.
Improved discernment, steadier courage, and a sense of guided action.
Pair invocation with ethical reflection; do not outsource responsibility—use as clarity support, not fatalism.
पदच्छेद (सम्भाव्य): प्रणेतारम् | वस्यः | अच्छा | कर्तारम् | ज्योतिः | समत्सु | सासह्वांसम् | युधा-मित्रान् । 1) प्रणेतारम्: प्रणेता + अम् (द्वितीया-एकवचन) → प्रणेतारम् (दीर्घस्वर-प्रगृह्य/पदपाठ-चिह्न सहित). 2) युधामित्रान्: युधा (अव्यय) + मित्रान् (द्वितीया-बहुवचन) का संहितापाठ में संयोग; अर्थतः ‘युधा’ विशेषणवत्/उपपदवत् ‘मित्रान्’ को विशेषयति (‘युद्धे मित्रान्’).
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Atharva Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
