Atharva Veda 3.9.2: Kanda 3, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 9, Mantra 2
Sukta 9
अ॒श्रे॒ष्माणो॑ अधारय॒न् तथा॒ तन्मनु॑ना कृ॒तम्। कृणोमि॒ वध्रि॒ विष्क॑न्धं मुष्काब॒र्हो गवा॑मिव
aśleṣmā́ṇo adhārayán tathā́ tán manúnā kṛtám | kṛṇómi vádhri víṣkandhaṃ muṣkābarhó gávām iva
They, being free from phlegm, held it in check—so was that wrought by Manu. I now effect (the like), O Vadhri: (I smite) Viṣkandha, as one (drives off) the muṣkābarha of cattle.
जिन्होंने बलगम से आज़ाद थे, वोहने उसे कंट्रोल किया। मनु ने ऐसा ही किया था। अब मैं भी वही करता हूँ, वध्रि। मैं विष्कन्ध को मारता हूँ, जैसे गायों का वोह बड़ा भार हटाया जाता है।
The meaning
What it says
Recalling a precedent: those free from phlegm restrained it—so it was done by Manu. The speaker now performs the same, addressing Vadhri, and strikes/expels Viṣkandha as one drives off a cattle-affliction (muṣkābarha).
The inner meaning
Ancestral authority as medicine: the psyche is stabilized by ‘Manu did it first’; the healer’s confidence becomes part of the cure. The disease is treated as an entity that can be checked, restrained, and expelled through will and correct naming.
The truth in it
Healing often requires both technique and legitimacy: when treatment is framed within trusted lineage and clear diagnosis (naming), the patient’s system ‘permits’ recovery more readily.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Bhaiṣajya (Healing) / Veterinary medicine (probable overlap)
Its aim
To restrain phlegmatic disorder and to expel/strike the disease-agent Viṣkandha, with precedent traced to Manu.
Word by Word
Pada patha
अ-श्लेष्माणः । अधारयन् । तथा । तत् । मनुना । कृतम् । कृणोमि । वध्रि । विष्कन्धम् । मुष्क-अबर्हः । गवाम् । इव
- अश्लेष्माणः
- (they) free from phlegm / non-phlegmatic (ones)without phlegm / (those) who removed phlegm (text allows: ‘non-phlegmatic’ or ‘phlegm-lessening’; therapeutic target is śleṣman)Adjective/Nounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role KartāRoot अ-श्लेष्मन् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘श्लेष्मन्’ = कफ/श्लेष्मा; उपसर्ग ‘अ-’ = अभाव/निषेध) अथवा ‘अश्लेष्म’ (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
- अधारयन्
- they held/maintained/sustainedthey held off, they checked, they restrained (stopping the morbid flow/obstruction)Verbलङ् (अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्Role Kriyā (मुख्यक्रिया)Root √धृ (धारणे) + उपसर्ग ‘अधि-’
- तथा
- thus, in that mannerso, in that manner (model for present action)Indeclinableअव्ययम्Role Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)Root तथा (अव्यय)
- तत्
- that (thing)that (the precedent act/cure)Pronounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- मनुना
- by Manu (as an authority/agent-instrument)by Manu (primeval authority; archetypal ritualist/physician)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, तृतीया, एकवचनम्Role KaraṇaRoot मनु (प्रातिपदिक)
- कृतम्
- done, made, performeddone, effected (established as efficacious precedent)Participle (verbal adjective)नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम् (तत् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role Karma (तत्-सम्बद्धम्)Root √कृ (करणे) → कृत (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त)
- कृणोमि
- I make/doI do/make (I now effect the same cure)Verbलट् (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role Kriyā (मुख्यक्रिया)Root √कृ (करणे)
- वध्रि
- a binding/strap; a band (for fastening)O Vadhri (address to a person/patient; or a named affliction—textually debated)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्गः (वैदिके), द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot वध्रि (प्रातिपदिक; ‘वध्रि’ = बन्ध/पट्ट/बन्धन-रज्जु/पट्टिका इत्यर्थे वैदिकप्रयोगः)
- विष्कन्धम्
- the Viṣkandha (disease/demon of obstruction)viṣkandha (a disease/demon, often ‘obstruction/paralysis’ type; Atharvanic nosology)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot विष्कन्ध (प्रातिपदिक; रोग/अवरोध/ग्रह-स्वरूपः—विशेषतः ‘विष्कन्ध’ नाम व्याधिः/ग्रहः)
- मुष्काबर्हः
- the ‘mūṣkābarha’ (a creature/being with tufted hair; used as a simile-agent)Noun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role Kartā (उपमान-कर्तृ/उपमेय-निर्देशः)Root मुष्काबर्ह (प्रातिपदिक; समासः: मुष्क- + बर्ह ‘पुच्छ/रोम/केश-गुच्छ’ → ‘मुष्काबर्ह’)
- गवाम्
- of cowsof cows/cattle (bovine reference; suggests veterinary applicability)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, बहुवचनम्Role Sambandha (genitive relation)Root गो (प्रातिपदिक)
- इव
- like, asIndeclinableअव्ययम्Role Upamā-marker (उपमा-सूचक)Root इव (अव्यय)
Sandhi Notes
- अश्लेष्माणः | अधारयन् | तथा | तत् | मनुना | कृतम् | कृणोमि | वध्रि | विष्कन्धम् | मुष्काबर्हः | गवाम् | इव ।
- 1) ‘तन्मनुना’ = ‘तत् मनुना’ (व्यञ्जन-सन्धि: त् + म → त्म्)
- 2) ‘मुष्काबर्हो गवामिव’ = ‘मुष्काबर्हः गवाम् इव’ (विसर्ग-सन्धि: -ः + ग- → -ो; तथा ‘गवाम् इव’ में पदसंयोग)
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic tradition (exact r̥ṣi attribution varies by anukramaṇī for AV 3.9)
- Devata
- Manu (as archetypal authority) and the anti-disease force directed against Viṣkandha
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh (probable)
- Rasa
- Vira and Raudra
Sāyaṇa links the cure to śleṣman (phlegm) as a morbid principle to be restrained. Manu is invoked as primordial authority whose therapeutic act is paradigmatic. ‘Viṣkandha’ is treated as a named disease-agent (often obstructive/crippling). The bovine simile indicates either that the disease is common in cattle or that the expulsion is imagined as removing a hanging/tufted burden; ‘Vadhri’ is taken as the addressed patient (or, in some traditions, a name connected with the afflicted).
Anukramaṇī-variant / Atharvanic tradition (unnamed for AVŚ 3.9 unit)
Bhaiṣajya against Viṣkandha (binding/obstructive disease), including veterinary analogies and mythic precedent (Manu).
Encodes a key Atharvanic strategy: convert illness into a removable agent (Viṣkandha) and empower the operator by anchoring action in primordial precedent (Manu).
Manu (authorizing archetype) and the anti-Viṣkandha force (disease-expelling power)
Manu represents the primordial establishment of order—here, the ordering of the body’s internal fluids and the restraining of pathological excess; the expelling force functions as a ritual ‘antibody’.
Targets phlegmatic congestion and binding/obstructive syndromes attributed to Viṣkandha.
Prevents re-attachment of the ‘binder’ by establishing a precedent of restraint (dhāraṇa).
4 pādas of ~8 syllables; proper names may create slight irregularity.
Disease-name Viṣkandha often carries heavy consonant clusters; recitation keeps it crisp to ‘strike’ the agent.
Compact and percussive; suited to ‘smite/drive off’ action.
Creates a sense of technical efficacy—restrain, then expel—supported by lineage authority.
The priest recites while performing a ‘checking/holding’ action (adhārayat): binding a thread, pressing a limb, or symbolically ‘stopping’ the morbid principle.
He invokes Manu as precedent, then addresses the patient by name (here ‘Vadhri’) to personalize the cure.
On ‘viṣkandham’, he performs an expulsion/striking gesture (as if knocking off a burden), optionally toward a boundary or onto a discardable token.
Kauśika Sūtra: Viṣkandha/śleṣman-related healing rites (general rubric; numbering varies by edition)
Atharvan as therapeutic operator: he applies precedent-authority (Manu) and enacts restraint plus expulsion against a named disease-agent.
Recite while massaging or stroking the affected area (if stiffness), or while performing a symbolic ‘untying’; for cattle, recite near the herd while making a driving-away gesture.
At first signs of heaviness/congestion or immobilizing pain; dawn is favored for ‘unblocking’.
Atharvan healer; householder may perform with practical care (warmth, movement).
KauśS includes bhaiṣajya procedures for Viṣkandha and related obstructive ailments (edition-dependent); likely paired with physical actions (stroking, loosening knots, boundary gestures).
Use as a motivational recovery recitation alongside physiotherapy/breathing and medical care.
The key ‘substance’ is śleṣman—both literal mucus and symbolic stagnation. The mantra’s action is to ‘hold it’ (containment) and then remove the binding agent (Viṣkandha) that makes stagnation stick.
Śleṣman-related (phlegm/congestion) and Viṣkandha (binding/obstructive disorder; sometimes paralysis/cramp-like in AV imagination); also a cattle ailment (muṣkābarha) as analogue.
Dhāraṇa (holding in check) + abhicar-like striking language against personified disease; precedent invocation (Manu) to authorize efficacy.
Śleṣman aligns with kapha; Viṣkandha’s ‘binding/obstruction’ resonates with srotorodha and vāta-kapha interaction (stiffness, heaviness, blockage).
Congestive conditions with stiffness/immobility; also psychosomatic ‘frozen’ states—treated via confidence, mobilization, and decongestion (while seeking medical evaluation).
Patient (possibly named/addressed as Vadhri) and/or livestock.
To restrain phlegm and expel/strike Viṣkandha, restoring normal function; by analogy, to drive off cattle affliction.
Mythic precedent (Manu) + direct address + naming and striking the disease-agent + analogy to a known husbandry action (driving off cattle ailment).
Rebinding, obstruction, relapse of the ‘binder’ disease.
Cattle health (indirect prosperity via veterinary wellbeing).
- a-śleṣmāṇaḥ
- freedom from heaviness/stagnation; clarity of channels
- adhārayan
- containment of pathology; restoring boundaries
- Manu
- archetypal authority; the first successful healer/organizer of order
- Vadhri
- the vulnerable one addressed directly; personalization of cure
- Viṣkandha
- the ‘binder’ that knots movement and vitality
- muṣkābarha
- a familiar veterinary analogy used to make expulsion imaginable and actionable
Unbinding and decongesting: ‘I restrain stagnation; I release the knot’.
viśuddha (mucus/throat congestion symbolism) and maṇipūra (mobilizing heat)
Kapalabhāti (gentle, if appropriate) or bhrāmarī for congestion; finish with slow nasal breathing to ‘hold in check’ reactivity.
A sticky gray mass (śleṣman) contained and then drained; a dark knot labeled ‘Viṣkandha’ loosens and falls away.
Active, clearing, mobilizing.
Pair with warming measures and mindful movement; keep the mind in ‘I can act now’ rather than ruminating on illness.
Pronounce viṣ-kandha with clear break; do not blur ṣk; Maintain retroflex in muṣkā-; Keep long ā in śleṣmāṇo (if recited with length) consistent with your śākhā’s tradition
Crisp emphasis on Viṣkandha (as ‘target-word’) and on kṛṇomi (operator’s action).
Keep first half explanatory; make the second half percussive—especially ‘kṛṇomi…viṣkandham’.
Clear, slightly sharper consonants; confident tone.
Traditionally paired with a physical ‘unbinding’ action (loosening a cord, stroking away), matching the semantic of removing a binder.
9 times
Congestion with heaviness, stiffness, or a ‘bound’ feeling; traditional livestock ailment contexts.
During early symptoms; before therapeutic movement/breathing; during caregiving touch.
Sense of clearing and mobilization; symbolic expulsion of obstruction; supports adherence to practical treatment.
Avoid forceful breathing practices if fever, hypertension, or acute respiratory distress; seek veterinary/medical care for serious symptoms.
No explicit herb appears; the therapeutic logic is humoral (śleṣman) plus demonological (Viṣkandha). The mantra functions as a ‘restraint’ and ‘expulsion’ operator, potentially paired in practice with unmentioned remedies (water, binding thread, fumigation) in the Kauśika tradition.
Invoking Manu authorizes the healer’s act through primordial lineage, reinforcing priestly legitimacy. Addressing the patient by name suggests individualized ritual care within a community where the Atharvan specialist holds curative authority.
The explicit disease-name Viṣkandha and the phlegm-focus (śleṣman) reflect Atharvanic medicalization beyond RV’s dominant praise idiom. The veterinary imagery (gávām) indicates a pragmatic extension of ritual speech into animal health.
Gopatha tends to ground Atharvanic cures in authoritative precedent and correct performance: Manu as archetype guarantees that the act is ‘already proven.’ The mantra’s efficacy is construed as replication of that primordial successful restraint and removal.
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