Atharva Veda 20.57.9: Kanda 20, Anuvaka 6, Sukta 57, Mantra 9
Sukta 57
इन्द्र॑श्च मृ॒लया॑ति नो॒ न नः॑ प॒श्चाद॒घं न॑शत्। भ॒द्रं भ॑वाति नः पु॒रः
índraś ca mṛḷáyāti no ná naḥ paścā́d agháṃ naśat | bhadráṃ bhavāti naḥ púraḥ ||
And Indra is gracious unto us: let not evil overtake us from behind. Let auspicious good be ours in front.
इंद्र हम पे मेहरबानी करता है। हमारे पीछे कोई बुरा काम न आए। हमारे आगे अच्छा काम हो, यही दुआ है। इंद्र हमे रक्षा करे, कोई बला हमारे पीछे न आए।
The meaning
What it says
Indra is gracious to us; let evil not overtake us from behind. Let auspicious good be before us.
The inner meaning
A protective reorientation: release anxiety about what ‘chases’ you (past fears, guilt, unseen threats) and place attention on what leads you (clear aims, auspicious intention). Indra’s grace is the inner confidence that prevents backsliding into fear.
The truth in it
Well-being depends on directional awareness: protect the blind spot (behind) and cultivate a guiding good (ahead). Grace is experienced as forward-moving auspiciousness and reduced vulnerability to unseen harms.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Paustika (Prosperity) / Rakṣoghna (Apotropaic protection)
Its aim
To secure the sacrificer/household against misfortune and hostile forces, ensuring auspiciousness ahead and preventing harm from behind.
Word by Word
Pada patha
इन्द्रः । च । मृलयाति । नः । न । नः । पश्चात् । अघम् । नशत् । भद्रम् । भवाति । नः । पुरः
- इन्द्रः
- IndraIndra; the victorious lord who wards off foes and grants protectionNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- च
- andand; connective, adding Indra to the protective agencyIndeclinableअव्ययRoot च
- मृलयाति
- shows mercy (is gracious)shows mercy, is gracious; bestows appeasement and healing favorVerbलट् (वर्तमान); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRoot मृल् (धातु; मृलयति = अनुकम्पायाम्/सुखयितुम्)
- नः
- to us / for usto us/our; the sacrificer’s community as beneficiaryPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी; बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक रूप)Role सम्प्रदानRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- notnot; negation used apotropaicallyIndeclinableनिषेध-अव्ययRoot न
- नः
- of us / ourus; reiteration for emphatic protectionPronounषष्ठी; बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक रूप)Role सम्बन्धRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- पश्चात्
- from behind; afterwardsfrom behind/afterwards; the rear-guard, unseen dangerIndeclinableअव्यय (देश/कालवाचक)Role अधिकरणRoot पश्चात्
- अघम्
- evil; harmevil, sin, harm; concretely: misfortune, disease, hostile magicNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot अघ (प्रातिपदिक)
- नशत्
- may it not reach/assailmay it reach/attack; here negated: ‘let it not assail’Verbविधिलिङ्/आशीर्लिङ् (वेदिक प्रयोग: निषेध-प्रार्थना); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRoot नश् (धातु; नशति = नाशयति/नश्यति, ‘to reach/attack; to harm’)
- भद्रम्
- good; auspiciousnessthe auspicious, welfare; prosperity and safetyNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन (अत्र प्रथमा—वाक्यस्य विषयः)Role कर्तृRoot भद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- भवाति
- may it bemay it be; optative benediction establishing a protective stateVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ/आशीर्वाद); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRoot भू (धातु)
- नः
- for usfor us; the protected household/hostPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी; बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक रूप)Role सम्प्रदानRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- पुरः
- in front; beforein front/before; the forward path, future courseIndeclinableअव्यय (देशवाचक)Role अधिकरणRoot पुरस्/पुरः (अव्ययीभाव/अव्यय)
Sandhi Notes
- इन्द्रः च मृलयाति नः | न नः पश्चात् अघम् नशत् | भद्रम् भवाति नः पुरः ||
- 1) इन्द्र॑श्च = इन्द्रः + च (विसर्ग-सन्धि: ḥ + c → śc)
- 2) नो॒ = नः (एन्क्लिटिक सर्वनाम-रूप)
- 3) प॒श्चाद॒घं = पश्चात् + अघम् (त् + अ → द् (जश्त्व) : पश्चात् → पश्चाद्)
- 4) पु॒रः = पुरः (अव्यय, ‘अग्रे’)
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Traditionally RV-derived Indra hymn material (AV 20 is largely Ṛgvedic recensional); seer aligns with the RV source tradition for this verse.
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh (as adapted in AV 20 collections)
- Rasa
- Shanta
Sāyaṇa glosses mṛḷayāti as ‘anugṛhṇāti/śamayati’—Indra pacifies affliction; agha is taken as concrete calamity (vyādhi, ari-kṛta upadrava). The spatial pair paścāt/puraḥ is read as total protection—rear and fore—i.e., in all directions and times.
RV-derived (Indra praise tradition; exact ṛṣi not specified in AV 20 excerpt)
Directional protection formulas (front/back) and grace-invocation; concise apotropaic diction.
A minimal, highly usable rakṣā verse: Atharvanic power lies in compact directional reprogramming—closing the rear gate and opening the auspicious front.
Indra
Guardian of the sacrificer’s path; turns back misfortune and leads toward bhadra.
Soothes fear-based agitation; supports recovery from the sense of being pursued by danger.
Rear-guard protection; establishes auspicious forward field.
4 × 8 syllables (tight, aphoristic)
AV 20 delivery may slightly adjust pauses; sense-units often align with pāda breaks for charm-like clarity.
Balanced antithesis (behind vs. before) gives a clear protective geometry.
Creates immediate cognitive ‘reorientation’—a quick protective reset.
Seat the yajamāna facing east; establish a small protective boundary (pariṣecana) with water.
Recite the mantra as a benediction while touching the yajamāna’s shoulders/back (paścāt) and then the forehead/front (puraḥ), enacting the spatial semantics.
Conclude with a general śānti gesture (sprinkling or silent breath-control) to ‘seal’ the protection.
Kauśika Sūtra: general Indra-protection and śānti recitations (AV 20 is frequently deployed as ṛk-pariśiṣṭa style stotra in śānti/abhaya contexts; exact sūtra mapping varies by regional paddhati).
Atharvan/Brahman officiant as śānti-kartṛ: reciter who ‘binds’ protection through mantra and touch/sprinkling.
Recite at the doorway before leaving; or at bedtime to prevent ‘rear’ (unseen) troubles; can be spoken while touching the back of the head and then the forehead to mark behind/front.
Before travel, before sleep, at dawn when setting intentions.
Householder recitation; priest optional for larger protective rites.
Directional protection (dig-rakṣā) is common in Kauśika; specific citation for this AV 20 verse uncertain.
Use as a brief protective affirmation before commuting or entering risky environments.
No material substances: the charm operates purely through spatial-language (front/back) and divine grace—classic ‘vāc as pharmakon’.
Anxiety, hypervigilance, fear of misfortune; also general vulnerability to sudden setbacks.
Mantric cognitive shift: invokes grace, closes the ‘rear’ channel of fear, opens forward auspicious intent; stabilizes nervous system through rhythmic polarity.
Pacifies vāta (fear, restlessness) via reassurance and directional grounding.
Anxiety management, trauma-informed ‘safety orientation’ (front focus), reducing rumination about the past.
Household traveler, worker, student; anyone entering uncertain situations
To secure ongoing auspiciousness and prevent misfortune from ‘catching’ the person/household from behind.
Directional warding by verbal mapping: explicitly names rear threat and front good, thereby structuring the protective field.
Accidents, unseen hostility, bad luck, relapse into harmful patterns
Auspicious forward conditions (success, smooth progress)
- मृलयाति (mṛlayāti)
- Protective benevolence; relief from pressure and threat
- पश्चात् (paścāt)
- Blind spot; past karma/trauma; unseen attack route
- अघ (agha)
- Any degrading influence—accident, curse, despair, moral error
- पुरः (puraḥ)
- The path ahead; auspicious destiny shaped by right alignment
- भद्र (bhadra)
- Protective fortune; benevolent leading conditions
Safety field: feel protection behind; place intention and gratitude in front.
4-6 breathing (inhale 4, exhale 6) while mentally placing ‘agha’ behind and ‘bhadra’ ahead.
A shield at the back; a luminous path opening in front.
Calm confidence; forward-moving clarity.
Chant once, pause, then take three mindful steps forward to embody ‘bhadraṃ puraḥ’.
Simple anuṣṭubh recitation; keep clear stress on paścāt and puraḥ to mark directionality.
Slightly lower tone on ‘paścād aghaṃ’ (closing) and lift on ‘bhadraṃ… puraḥ’ (opening).
Gentle, reassuring, steady.
Effective as a threshold-charm (dvāra-rakṣā) precisely because of its spatial grammar.
7 times
Before travel, exams, important meetings; when feeling ‘pursued’ by problems or bad luck.
At the door before leaving; at night before sleep; after receiving bad news to reset orientation.
Reduced anxiety, improved sense of safety, clearer forward intention.
If persistent fear/trauma symptoms exist, use alongside professional support; mantra is supportive, not a sole treatment.
No explicit botanical is named; efficacy is achieved by spatial-totalizing language (rear/front) and Indra’s ‘mercy’ as a protective force, often ritually enacted by touch/sprinkling rather than herb-application.
Protection is mediated by the Atharvan priest’s recitation, implying a specialist who controls apotropaic speech; the household/yajamāna receives welfare through priestly technology rather than personal agency alone.
The diction is thoroughly Ṛgvedic (Indra, agha, bhadra, optative benediction). The compact apotropaic negation ‘ná naḥ … naśat’ is a typical Vedic protective formula rather than a later innovation.
Gopatha’s general theory treats Atharvanic mantras as operative speech (brahman) that ‘binds’ and ‘releases’ harm; this verse exemplifies śānti by delimiting harm spatially and installing bhadra as a forward-leading condition.
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