Atharva Veda 3.26.4: Kanda 3, Anuvaka 3, Sukta 26, Mantra 4
Sukta 26
ये॒३स्यां स्थोदी॑च्यां दि॒शि प्र॒विध्य॑न्तो॒ नाम॑ दे॒वास्तेषां॑ वो॒ वात॒ इष॑वः । ते नो॑ मृडत॒ ते नोऽधि ब्रूत॒ तेभ्यो॑ वो॒ नम॒स्तेभ्यो॑ वः॒ स्वाहा॑
yé ’syā́m stha udī́cyāṃ diśí pravidhyántaḥ nā́ma devā́s téṣāṃ vo vā́ta íṣavaḥ | té no mṛḍata té no ’dhí brūta tébhyo vo námas tébhyo vaḥ svā́hā ||
Ye who are stationed in this northern quarter—gods called the Piercing-forth—of you those arrows are Wind. Be gracious unto us; speak ye in authority over us. To you be reverence; to you be svāhā.
जिन देवता उत्तर दिशा में खड़े हैं, उनको प्रविध्यन कहते हैं। उनकी बाण हवा है। वो हमपे मेहरबानी करें, हमारे ऊपर बात करें। उनको नमस्ते, उनको स्वाहा।
The meaning
What it says
Invocation to the northern quarter’s guardians, the Pravidhyantaḥ (‘piercing-forth’), whose arrows are Wind; request for grace and authoritative speech; homage and svāhā.
The inner meaning
North as the zone of clarity and ascent is guarded by wind-like discrimination: breath and movement ‘pierce through’ stagnation, driving out intrusive thoughts and subtle contagion; authority here is the mind’s capacity to command its energies.
The truth in it
What disperses also protects: movement and breath prevent stagnation; a well-directed ‘wind’ is both cleanser and guardian.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Raksha/Apotropaic (Directional self-protection; disease-dispersal potential)
Its aim
To secure the northern quarter and enlist wind as a force that drives away threats and impurity.
Word by Word
Pada patha
ये । अस्याम् । स्थ । उदीच्याम् । दिशि । प्रविध्यन्तः । नाम । देवाः । तेषाम् । वः । वातः । इषवः । ते । नः । मृडत । ते । नः । अधि । ब्रूत । तेभ्यः । वः । नमः । तेभ्यः । वः । स्वाहा ।
- या
- which (fem.)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Adhikaraṇa (निर्देश/विशेषण-रूपेण दिक्-विशेषणम्)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → या-
- अस्याम्
- in thisPronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → अस्या-
- स्थ
- you are / you standare stationedVerbलट्, मध्यमपुरुष, बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot अस् (धातु)
- उदीच्याम्
- in the northernAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot उदीची (प्रातिपदिक)
- दिशि
- directionNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot दिश् (प्रातिपदिक)
- प्रविध्यन्तः
- hurling forth / shootingthe 'Piercing-forth' ones (those who strike/drive through; darting powers)Verbपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (वर्तमान-कर्तरि कृदन्तः)Role KartāRoot वि-व्यध् (धातु) + प्र (उपसर्ग) → प्रविध्य (वर्तमान-कृदन्त)
- नाम
- by name / namelyby nameIndeclinableअव्ययRoot नामन् (प्रातिपदिक) / अव्यय-प्रयोगः
- देवाः
- the godsgodsNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- तेषाम्
- of themPronounपुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी, बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → तेषाम्
- वः
- to you / youryourPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी, बहुवचन (enclitic)Role Sampradāna (दत्त-सम्बन्धः) / सम्बन्धRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → वः
- वातः
- windNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (नाम-सम्बन्धे) / विषयRoot वात (प्रातिपदिक)
- इषवः
- arrowsarrows, missiles (wind as directed expulsion)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole Kartā/प्रधाना (सम्बन्ध-वाक्ये)Root इषु (प्रातिपदिक)
- ते
- theythey/youPronounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → ते
- नः
- us / ourusPronounद्वितीया/षष्ठी, बहुवचन (enclitic)Role Karma (with मृडत)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → नः
- मृडत
- be gracious; show mercybe graciousVerbलोट्, मध्यमपुरुष, बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot मृड् (धातु)
- ते
- theythey/youPronounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → ते
- नः
- to us / for ususPronounद्वितीया/षष्ठी, बहुवचन (enclitic)Role Karma (with ब्रूत)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → नः
- अधि
- over; concerningoverIndeclinableअव्ययRoot अधि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- ब्रूत
- speak; declarespeakVerbलोट्, मध्यमपुरुष, बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot ब्रू (धातु)
- तेभ्यः
- to themto them/to youPronounपुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी/चतुर्थी, बहुवचनRole Sampradāna (नमस्-योगे) / Apādāna (वैकल्पिक)Root तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → तेभ्यः
- वः
- to you / yourto youPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी, बहुवचन (enclitic)Role सम्बन्ध / SampradānaRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → वः
- नमः
- obeisanceNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः)Role Karma/भाव (नमस्-प्रयोगः)Root नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- तेभ्यः
- to themto them/to youPronounपुं/नपुंसक, चतुर्थी, बहुवचनRole SampradānaRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → तेभ्यः
- वः
- to you / yourto youPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी, बहुवचन (enclitic)Role सम्बन्ध / SampradānaRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → वः
- स्वाहा
- svāhā (offering-acclamation)svāhāIndeclinableअव्यय (आहुत्यन्त-निपातः)Root स्वाहा (निपात/अव्यय)
Sandhi Notes
- ये॒३स्याम् → या + अस्याम् (यद्-प्रातिपदिकस्य स्त्री. प्रथमा ‘या’ + इदम्-सर्वनामस्य सप्तमी ‘अस्याम्’; संहितायां यास्याम्/येस्याम् इति दीर्घ/स्वर-वैदिकभेदः)
- स्थोदी॑च्यां → स्थ + उदीच्याम् (अ + उ → ओ)
- नाम॑ दे॒वाः → नाम + देवाः (सन्धि-रहित)
- ते नो॑ → ते + नः
- ते नोऽधि → ते + नः + अधि (नः + अधि → नोऽधि; अ-प्रगृह्य/अवग्रह)
- नम॒स्तेभ्यो॑ → नमः + तेभ्यः (विसर्ग-सन्धि: नमः तेभ्यः → नमस्तेभ्यः)
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic tradition (collective/anonymous)
- Devata
- Deities of the northern quarter called Pravidhyantaḥ; Vāta as their missile-force
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh-like (refrain-driven)
- Rasa
- Vira and Shanta
Sāyaṇa treats Vāta as a sweeping, dispersive power that can drive away contagion and hostile beings; as ‘arrows’ it is the quarter’s active expulsion. The ‘pravidhyantaḥ’ are glossed as those who ‘pierce’ or ‘shoot through’, dangerous if unpropitiated, protective when honored.
Anonymous Atharvanic collective (directional-guard formula)
Rakṣā and śānti through elemental weaponization; especially vāta-driven dispersal charms
Shows Atharvanic pragmatics: the same element that can cause disturbance (vāta) is ritually recruited as a disciplined defender.
Pravidhyantaḥ of the North; Vāta as their missile-force
Maintain the northern boundary by dispersing and driving away hostile agencies; keep channels open.
Supports clearing of congestion and ‘stuck’ conditions through metaphorical/ritual aeration.
Expels malign influences; scatters impurity before it can ‘settle’.
4 × ~8; proper-name expansion tolerated
Refrain anchors the chant; directional slotting (udīcyām diśi) is the variable.
Brisker feel due to vāta imagery; ‘piercing’ consonant clusters lend force.
Creates a sense of ventilation and expulsion; mentally ‘sweeps’ space.
Face north; indicate the quarter and boundary.
Recite AVŚ 3.26.4; optionally accompany with fanning (using a leaf/fan) or a breath-directed gesture to materialize ‘wind as arrows’.
Close with namas and svāhā to stabilize the ward.
Kauśika Sūtra: dik-rakṣā / ātmarakṣā (northern quarter; often coordinated with fanning/breath-wind symbolism).
Atharvan as expeller: he operationalizes ‘wind’ as a ritual vector for removing unseen harms.
Recite facing north; open a window/door briefly; fan the space or wave a cloth to ‘send out’ impurity.
Morning or whenever air feels stale/heavy; also during directional warding sequences.
Householder recitation is typical; priest optional for larger śānti rites.
General dik-rakṣā usage; often paired with circumambulation or boundary-touching acts in Kauśika practice (edition-dependent).
Use with intentional ventilation and brief breath practice.
Vāta (wind) as expulsive missile-force
Wind is the invisible carrier of both harm and cure; when ritually authorized, it becomes the purifier that prevents accumulation.
Stagnation-type afflictions; epidemic/contagion anxiety; ‘evil wind’ influences reframed as protective wind.
Dispersal and drying/clearing via wind; mantra directs vāta as a controlled expulsive agent.
Vāta is both doṣa and mover: here vāta is harnessed as regulated prāṇa to clear channels (srotas) rather than derange them.
Ventilation/airflow for indoor health; breathwork for anxiety and mental fog.
Household boundary; occupants
Secure the northern quarter; drive away threats by ‘piercing’ wind-force.
Directional naming + deity naming + elemental missile assignment (vāta) + refrain sealing with svāhā.
Settling impurity, unseen agents, oppressive atmosphere, fear of contagion
- उदीची दिशा (udīcī diś)
- clarity, ascent, vitality, the ‘upper’ current of life
- प्रविध्यन्तः (pravidhyantaḥ)
- penetrating protective force; cutting through obstruction
- वातः (vātaḥ)
- breath, prāṇa, dispersal of disease/evil, mobility
- इषवः (iṣavaḥ)
- targeted expulsion; swift removal
- अधि ब्रूत (adhi brūta)
- installing a governing ‘command’ over prāṇa and space
Directed prāṇa for clearing: ‘pierce through’ mental obstruction and expel intrusive impressions.
anāhata (air)
Nāḍī-śodhana (gentle alternate-nostril) or 1:2 exhale emphasis; avoid forceful practice if agitated.
A cool north wind sweeping through the home/body, carrying away dark specks beyond the boundary.
Alert clarity; lightly energized calm.
Recite 7 times while maintaining smooth nasal breathing; end with a quiet pause after svāhā.
Slightly more energetic rise on pravidhyantaḥ; maintain even cadence on refrain.
Emphasize vāta iṣavaḥ; keep refrain identical each time to preserve ‘seal’.
Bright, projecting but not harsh; imagine ‘sending’ sound forward like air.
If used for ‘clearing,’ synchronize a gentle outward hand-wave with vāta iṣavaḥ.
3 times
Stale/tense indoor atmosphere; mental fog; after illness in the home; before study or travel.
Morning or after airing the room; during a full directional protection sequence.
Sense of freshness, clarity, and protection; symbolic ‘dispersal’ of negativity.
If respiratory illness/asthma, keep breathwork gentle; mantra complements but does not replace medical care or ventilation standards.
No botanical is invoked; the mantra uses an environmental agent (wind) as the therapeutic/apotropaic medium, aligning with Atharvanic notions of ‘driving out’ (expulsion) rather than ‘curing by ingestion’.
The priest’s role is to convert ambivalent natural forces into controlled protections through correct address and closure; the lay household receives protection as a mediated benefit.
The operational metaphor ‘X is your arrows’ (substance-as-missile) and the quarter-by-quarter litany are characteristic of Atharvanic ritual language, less common in Ṛgvedic hymnody.
Atharvanic prose tends to validate efficacy through correspondences between speech and cosmic function; wind’s dispersive nature is a natural rationale for its use as a protective ‘projectile’ when properly invoked.
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