Atharva Veda 20.68.3: Kanda 20, Anuvaka 7, Sukta 68, Mantra 3
Sukta 68
अथा॑ ते॒ अन्त॑मानां वि॒द्याम॑ सुमती॒नाम्। मा नो॒ अति॑ ख्य॒ आ ग॑हि
áthā te ántamānāṃ vidyā́ma sumatīnā́m | mā́ no áti khyā́ ā́ gahi
And then may we know the nearest of thy kindly favours; pass us not by—come hither unto us.
अब हमें तेरी अच्छी बात समझ में आए। हमें छोड़ के मत जा, हमारे पास आ जा।
The meaning
What it says
A request to know (experience) the nearest/most immediate of the deity’s kindly favours, and a plea not to be passed by; an invitation to come to the patron.
The inner meaning
The mind asks for accessible grace—help that is close enough to be felt now. It also confronts the fear of being overlooked and reasserts worthiness to receive support.
The truth in it
Help often arrives where attention is steady and relationship is cultivated; sincere appeal for ‘near’ guidance reduces alienation and increases resilience.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Paustika / Soma-liturgical
Its aim
To secure preferential divine attention and prevent the deity from bypassing the patron’s rite; to obtain intimate favour (sumati).
Word by Word
Pada patha
अथ । ते । अन्तमानाम् । विद्याम । सुमतीनाम् । मा । नः । अति । ख्यः । आ । गहि ।
- अथ
- then; nowthen/now; transition to a further requestIndeclinableनिपात (अव्यय)Root अथ (निपात)
- ते
- to/for youthy/for thee; addressed to the deityPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी एकवचन (enclitic) — ‘of/for you’Role SampradānaRoot युष्मद्
- अन्तमानाम्
- of the nearest/most intimate (ones)of the nearest/most intimate; of those closest (favours/intentions) (sense: the innermost of thy benevolences)Adjective (used substantively)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitival) / Adhikaraṇa (in sense ‘among’)Root अन्तम (प्रातिपदिक; superlative of अन्त ‘near/end’)
- विद्याम
- knowledge; (saving) loremay we know; may we obtain knowledge/recognition (also: may we find out the right way)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot विद्या (प्रातिपदिक)
- सुमतीनाम्
- of good thoughts / good intentionsof good thoughts/favours; benevolent intentions (divine goodwill)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitival)Root सुमति (सु- + मति)
- मा
- do notdo not; prohibitive particleIndeclinableनिषेधार्थक अव्यय (prohibitive particle)Root मा (निषेध)
- नः
- usus; the sacrificersPronounद्वितीया/षष्ठी बहुवचन (enclitic) — here as object ‘us’Role KarmaRoot अस्मद्
- अति
- beyond; excessivelyover, beyond; excessively, pastIndeclinableअव्यय/उपसर्ग ‘over, beyond, excessively’Root अति (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- ख्यः
- proclaim/announce (do not over-proclaim us)pass by/overlook (from √khyā in sense ‘to go past/neglect’ in this construction)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole Kartā (implicit ‘त्वम्’)Root ख्या (धातु)
- आ
- hither; towardshither; toward usIndeclinableउपसर्ग ‘towards, hither’Root आ (उपसर्ग)
- गहि
- comecome!; imperative of arrivalVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; वैदिक रूप ‘गहि’ = ‘गच्छ’Role Kartā (implicit ‘त्वम्’)Root गम् (धातु)
Sandhi Notes
- अथ | ते | अन्तमानाम् | विद्याम् | सुमतीनाम् | मा | नः | अति | ख्यः | आ | गहि ।
- 1) ‘अथा॑’ → ‘अथ’ (अव्यय) + (स्वर/पदविराम)
- 2) ‘ते॒’ enclitic सर्वनाम ‘युष्मद्’ (षष्ठी/चतुर्थी एकवचन) — अर्थतः ‘ते’ = ‘तुभ्यम्/तव’
- 3) ‘अन्त॑मानां’ → ‘अन्तमानाम्’ (षष्ठी बहुवचन)
- 4) ‘वि॒द्याम॑’ → ‘विद्याम्’ (द्वितीया एकवचन)
- 5) ‘मा नो॒’ → ‘मा’ + ‘नः’ (निषेध + सर्वनाम)
- 6) ‘ख्य॒ आ’ → ‘ख्यः’ + ‘आ’ (लोट् रूप + उपसर्ग)
- 7) ‘आ ग॑हि’ → ‘आ’ + ‘गहि’ (उपसर्ग + लोट्)
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Rigvedic provenance
- Devata
- Soma-drinking deity (prob. Indra in context)
- Chandas
- Likely Anuṣṭubh (requires verification)
- Rasa
- Karuna and Shanta
Sayana reads ‘sumatī’ as the deity’s gracious disposition and ‘vidyāma’ as ‘prāpnuyāma/avagacchema’—may we attain or discern it. The prohibitive clause is a standard Soma-invitation safeguard: the god must not ‘go past’ to other sacrificers.
Unknown from excerpt; Rigvedic provenance (stotra diction)
Ritual persuasion (stuti + yācñā): securing preferential attention of the invited deity at the offering site.
Encodes the Atharvanic concern with ‘not being bypassed’—a domestic-magic anxiety translated into liturgical language: ensuring the rite ‘takes’ and the household is selected for blessing.
Indra (probable in context) / Soma-drinking invited power
Distributor of boons in response to correct offering and praise; chooser among patrons.
Psychic healing: counters despair and social/ritual exclusion; restores confidence and belonging.
Prevents ‘passing-by’—loss of opportunity, missed timing, failed rites.
4 x ~8; two padas of request/knowing, two of prohibition + invitation.
AVŚ 20 keeps RV cadence; the negative imperative ‘mā’ gives a charm-like snap within stotra meter.
Supplicatory, slightly urgent.
Creates intimacy—pulls the divine ‘closer’ by naming nearness and forbidding bypass.
Recite after initial invitation, as a retention request.
Synchronize with continued offering/serving so the deity remains oriented to the patron.
The negative injunction (‘mā…ati khyaḥ’) functions as apotropaic speech against ritual ‘loss’ of the deity’s presence.
Vaitāna Sūtra invitation/retention formulas; in domestic adaptation, used as a ‘do-not-depart’ (anapāyana) charm during offerings.
Brahman/Atharvan ensures the mantra is placed at the correct juncture (after invitation, before/with continued offering) to prevent ritual leakage of efficacy.
Used as a short ‘do not pass us by’ petition before household worship, meals, or when seeking timely help (appointments, negotiations).
At thresholds (dawn, before entering a meeting, before crossing a doorway).
Householder recitation; in formal setting, part of invitation sequence around offering.
Recite quietly before sending applications or making requests; pair with a small act of hospitality (water offering).
Soma-rite context (implicit)
No explicit substances; the operative medium is relationship through speech—‘sumati’ as a subtle substance of goodwill that ‘condenses’ into fortune.
A focused plea that reduces perceived helplessness; akin to a brief cognitive reframe: ‘help is near and available’.
Patron/household performing the offering.
Secure the closest, most immediate favour; prevent the deity’s attention from going elsewhere; ensure rite efficacy and patron-selection.
Binding-by-address: naming nearness (antamā) + prohibitive charm (mā…ati…) + direct invitation (ā gahi).
Missed opportunities, ritual failure, being ‘overlooked’ socially/economically.
General boon-access; success in petitions.
- अन्तमानाम् (antamānām)
- immediate, actionable grace; the next step rather than distant ideals
- सुमतीनाम् (sumatīnām)
- benevolent alignment; supportive circumstances; inner goodwill
- मा नः अति ख्यः (mā no ati khyaḥ)
- do not bypass our effort; remove neglect/exclusion
- आ गहि (ā gahi)
- presence; felt support; closeness of power
Cultivate ‘near grace’: feel support as present rather than distant.
Anāhata (belonging/trust)
Soft 6-6 breathing; recite on exhale, pause briefly after ‘mā’.
Visualize a warm light approaching and stopping at the heart-space, not passing beyond.
Supplicatory calm; receptive attention.
After recitation, identify one ‘nearest favour’ already available (a person, tool, or step) and act on it.
Maintain RV accent contours; keep ‘mā’ emphatic (prohibitive) without harshness.
athā | te | antamānām | vidyāma || sumatīnām || mā | no | ati | khyaḥ || ā | gahi ||
Warm, intimate, slightly pleading; end with inviting lift on ‘ā gahi’.
Effective as a ‘threshold charm’ (dvāra) even without Soma context—use when timing/opportunity feels fragile.
Feeling overlooked; seeking timely assistance, approval, or a ‘break’ in work/life.
Before requesting help; before interviews/meetings; when anxiety about missing an opportunity arises.
Greater calm and confidence; improved sense of connection; clearer noticing of immediate supports.
Pair with action—do not use as passive waiting; avoid framing others as enemies (this is not abhicāra).
Soma is implicit as the attractor; the mantra addresses the social-ritual risk that the ‘benefit’ of Soma-offering might be diverted. Thus the substance’s efficacy is managed by verbal ‘retention’ technology.
Competition among sacrificers is presupposed: the deity might ‘pass by’ to another rite. This reflects a landscape of multiple patrons and the need for priestly strategies to secure exclusive benefit.
The idiom ‘mā…ati…’ as a prohibitive retention formula is RV-familiar; AV 20 preserves it in a liturgical chain.
Gopatha’s concern with ‘anapāyana’ (non-departure) and correct sequencing would support this verse as a control-point: speech prevents the dissipation of the rite’s intended fruit.
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.
