Atharva Veda 4.13.6: Kanda 4, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 13, Mantra 6
Sukta 13
अ॒यं मे॒ हस्तो॒ भग॑वान॒यं मे॒ भग॑वत्तरः । अ॒यं मे॑ वि॒श्वभे॑षजो॒ऽयं शि॒वाभि॑मर्शनः
ayáṃ me hásto bhágavān ayáṃ me bhágavattaraḥ | ayáṃ me viśvábheṣajo ’yáṃ śivā́bhimarśanaḥ
This hand of mine is blessed; this hand of mine is yet more richly blessed. This is my universal medicine; this is a touch of auspicious healing.
मेरा यह हाथ भगवान का है, और यह हाथ तो और भी भगवान का है। यह हाथ हर बीमारी के लिए दवा है, यह हाथ लगाने से अच्छा होता है।
The meaning
What it says
The speaker consecrates their hand: it is blessed, more blessed, a universal medicine, and an auspicious healing-touch.
The inner meaning
The healer’s agency is unified—confidence, compassion, and skill are gathered into the hand. Touch becomes a focused conduit for intention, reducing fear and organizing the patient’s sense of being cared for.
The truth in it
Healing is transmitted through competent, benevolent contact. The ‘hand’ symbolizes embodied care: what we do with presence becomes medicine.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Bhaisajya (Healing)
Its aim
Consecration of the healer’s hand as a universal remedy; enabling curative touch/laying-on of hands.
Word by Word
Pada patha
अ॒यम् । मे॒ । हस्तः॑ । भग॑वान् । अ॒यम् । मे॒ । भग॑वत्-त॒रः । अ॒यम् । मे॒ । वि॒श्व-भे॒ष॒जः । अ॒यम् । शि॒व-अ॒भि॒म॒र्श॒नः ।
- अयम्
- this (one)this (present, immediate; deictic empowerment of the hand here-now)Pronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- मे
- for me / of memy (the healer’s own hand as consecrated instrument)Pronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी, एकवचनम् (enclitic)Role SampradānaRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- हस्तः
- handNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot हस्त (प्रातिपदिक)
- भगवान्
- fortunate, blessed, possessing powerfortunate, possessed of bhaga; endowed with beneficent power (auspicious, prosperity-bearing)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- अयम्
- this (one)thisPronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- मे
- for me / of memyPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी, एकवचनम् (enclitic)Role SampradānaRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- भगवत्तरः
- more blessed / more powerfulmore ‘bhagavat’; most auspicious/powerful (comparative intensification of beneficence)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक) + तर (तद्धित-प्रत्यय; comparative)
- अयम्
- this (one)thisPronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- मे
- for me / of memyPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी, एकवचनम् (enclitic)Role SampradānaRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- विश्वभेषजः
- universal medicine; healer of allall-medicine; universal remedy (hand as panacea, able to treat diverse afflictions)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot विश्व- (प्रातिपदिक) + भेषज (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
- अयम्
- this (one)thisPronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- शिवाभिमर्शनः
- auspicious touch; healing/benign strokingNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot शिव (प्रातिपदिक) + अभिमर्शन (प्रातिपदिक; action-noun; समास)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: अयम् मे हस्तः भगवान् | अयम् मे भगवत्तरः | अयम् मे विश्वभेषजः | अयम् शिवाभिमर्शनः ||
- 1) मे इति अस्मदः षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-एकवचनस्य निपातवत् (enclitic) रूपम्
- विश्वभेषजः + अयम् → विसर्गस्य ‘ओ’ आदेशः (विसर्ग-सन्धिः) तथा अवग्रहः।
- 3) समासाः: विश्वभेषजः (कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-प्रायः: ‘विश्वं भेषजं यस्य/यः’), शिवाभिमर्शनः (तत्पुरुषः: ‘शिवम् अभिमर्शनम्’/‘शिवेन अभिमर्शनम्’ इत्यर्थ-प्रायः; ‘अभिमर्शन’ = स्पर्शन/मर्दन)
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic tradition (anukramaṇī attributions vary)
- Devata
- Hasta (the Hand) as empowered healing agency; Bhaiṣajya
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta and Adbhuta
Sayana treats ‘hasta’ as the consecrated instrument of the Atharvan, ‘bhagavān’ as endowed with bhaga (good fortune/dispensing power). ‘Viśvabheṣaja’ is explained as capable of curing all diseases when empowered by mantra. ‘Śivābhimarśana’ is the auspicious laying-on of hands—touch itself becomes the therapeutic rite.
Anukramaṇī-variable (Atharvanic healing line)
Consecration of therapeutic touch (hasta-mantras); bedside healing and protective laying-on of hands.
A signature Atharvanic doctrine: the body of the healer—especially the hand—can be ritually empowered as bhaiṣajya, making care itself sacramental.
Hasta (the Hand) as Bhaiṣajya; Bhaga (auspicious allotment) as enabling potency
Transforms human action into a channel of order and restoration; mediates between mantra and body through touch.
Soothes, stabilizes, and ‘applies’ medicine through contact; supports recovery and pain relief in Atharvanic framing.
Creates an auspicious seal against affliction when the hand is laid on the body or traced over the limbs.
4×8; parallel demonstratives (ayaṃ me…) create incantatory insistence.
Highly formulaic, suited to ritual consecration; repetition functions as ‘charging’ the hand.
Steady, mantra-like, reassuring; repetitive cadence induces trust.
Builds a progressive intensification (blessed → more blessed → universal medicine → auspicious touch) that ‘loads’ the hand with potency.
The healer ritually prepares (washing hands; optional silent consecration).
Recite 4.13.6 while displaying the right hand (or both hands) before touching the patient.
Perform abhimarśana: stroke or press the afflicted area with the consecrated hand, maintaining the mantra’s cadence.
Kauśika Sūtra: healing by abhimarśana (touch) with AVŚ 4.13 mantras (general application; exact sūtra numbering varies by edition).
Atharvan-healer: performs manual therapy as a mantra-act; ensures correct accent and controlled touch.
Before touching the patient, the healer recites over their own right hand (sometimes both), then lays it on the patient’s head, chest, or afflicted area; can be used by caregivers at home.
Immediately before therapeutic touch; repeated at each visit/session.
Healer or family caregiver as mantra-agent; priest optional—Atharvanic domestic healing is often household-executable.
Kauśika: yakṣma and general bhaiṣajya rites employing abhimarśana (touch) with hasta-mantras (sequence context around AVŚ 4.13).
Used as a mindful caregiving ritual: wash hands, recite, then apply gentle supportive touch.
hand (hasta) as ritual-therapeutic instrument; bhaga (auspicious allotment) as an invisible potency
The hand replaces external materia medica: it is the ‘container’ and ‘carrier’ of medicine. Auspiciousness is treated as a transferable substance through touch.
General healing; used adjunctively for yakṣma and other afflictions in the sequence.
Hand (hasta) explicitly; implied application to patient’s body.
Consecration of healer’s hand as therapeutic instrument; touch as delivery system for bhaiṣajya and śiva (auspiciousness).
Supports snehana/sparśa-based care, marma-oriented gentle touch, and ojas-building reassurance; aligns with satvavajaya (mind-support) aspects.
Therapeutic touch, bedside manner, reassurance, and placebo/meaning response; also parallels manual therapy and caregiving touch.
Patient’s affliction broadly; yakṣma sequence context
To empower the healer’s hand as a universal remedy and auspicious curative touch for application to the patient.
Self-consecration (ātmābhimantraṇa) + tactile application (abhi-marśana) as operative act.
Fear, relapse, malign influences thought to cling to the body
- hasta
- Instrument of therapy, skill, and transmission of protective power
- bhagavān / bhagavattara
- In-dwelling auspicious allotment; efficacy and grace increasing
- viśvabheṣaja
- All-purpose remedy: integrated healing capacity beyond a single drug
- śivābhimarśana
- Non-violent, soothing contact that restores wholeness
Bring awareness into the palm; cultivate karuṇā (care) and steadiness; let touch be conscious and healing.
anahata
Inhale into the heart; exhale through the palm while chanting ‘ayaṃ me…’.
A warm light gathers in the palm, then flows gently into the patient, smoothing roughness and restoring color.
Calm, benevolent presence.
Chant 8 times over the hand after washing; then place the hand lightly for 1–3 minutes with steady breathing; end with silent gratitude and release.
Even, soothing Atharvanic chant; allow the repeated ‘ayaṃ me’ to set a steady pulse.
Slightly emphasize viśva-bheṣajaḥ and śivābhi-marśanaḥ as the functional peaks.
Soft, warm, intimate—appropriate for bedside proximity.
Traditional efficacy increases when paired with cleanliness (hand-washing) and intentional touch; the mantra ‘charges’ the hand as instrument.
8 times
Caregiving, bedside support, anxiety in patient, need for gentle non-pharmacological comfort alongside treatment.
Before laying on hands, massage, or supportive touch; before sleep in illness; during convalescence.
Traditional empowerment of touch; increased calm, trust, and perceived relief; supportive recovery atmosphere.
Maintain hygiene; avoid touch where medically contraindicated (infectious precautions, acute injury) and respect consent.
The verse substitutes the hand for an herb: the ‘universal medicine’ is not a plant but a consecrated bodily instrument. This reflects an Atharvanic therapeutic model where efficacy can be carried by touch, breath, amulet, or herb—here, the hand is the carrier-medium.
Healing is monopolized by a specialist whose body is ritually authorized. The phrase ‘my hand’ asserts proprietary ritual capacity; the patient’s cure depends on access to the Atharvan’s consecrated agency.
The deictic repetition (ayám…ayám…ayám) and the nominal compound viśvabheṣaja are typical of Atharvanic practical style, emphasizing immediacy and totalizing cure. The comparative bhagavattara is a rhetorical intensifier common in later Vedic registers.
Gopatha’s Atharvanic theology supports the idea that bodily acts (touch) become efficacious when yoked to brahman (mantra). The hand is thus a ritual implement, not merely anatomical, and its ‘blessedness’ is a function of correct Atharvanic deployment.
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