Sukta 10
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (specific ṛṣi attribution for AV 5.10 varies by anukramaṇī; commonly treated as Atharvan/Angiras-type protective composition)
Devata: Aśmavarman (personified protective armour); implicitly the protective power resident in the charm
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh-like cadence (Atharvanic protective formula; mixed/prose-like anuṣṭubh in practice)
AV 5.10 is a rakṣā-hymn that “armours” the reciter with aśmavarman—stone-like, unpierceable protection—so hostile forces and attackers are deflected rather than reaching the body. Its verses ward threats direction-by-direction (including the zenith), creating a complete enclosure; the closing movement recalls and re-seats life-faculties (mind, breath, senses, speech) from their cosmic sources, stabilizing the person after fear, assault, or spirit-affliction.
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
आत्मरक्षा अ॒श्म॒व॒र्म मे॑ऽसि॒ यो मा॒ प्राच्या॑ दि॒शोऽघा॒युर॑भि॒दासा॑त्। ए॒तत् स ऋ॑च्छात्
यह मंत्र तुम्हे पत्थर की तरह बना देता है। जैसे कोई छता तुम्हे बचा ले। जो शक्स पूरब से आके तुमपे वार करे, वो तुम्हे छेद ना पाए। उसके ऊपर यह मंत्र पड़ेगा।
Mantra 2
अ॒श्म॒व॒र्म मे॑ऽसि॒ यो मा॒ दक्षि॑णाया दि॒शोऽघा॒युर॑भि॒दासा॑त्। ए॒तत् स ऋ॑च्छात्
तू मेरी पत्थर की कवच है। अगर कोई बुरा आदमी दक्षिण दिशा से आके मुझ पर हाथ उठाये, यह कवच उसे रोकेगी। वो इससे टकरायेगा और फिर देखेगा।
Mantra 3
अ॒श्म॒व॒र्म मे॑ऽसि॒ यो मा॑ प्र॒तीच्या॑ दि॒शोऽघा॒युर॑भि॒दासा॑त्। ए॒तत् स ऋ॑च्छात्
तू मेरी पत्थर की कवच है। अगर कोई बुरा आदमी पश्चिम दिशा से आके मुझ पर हाथ उठाये, यह कवच उसे रोकेगी। वो इससे टकरायेगा और फिर देखेगा।
Mantra 4
अ॒श्म॒व॒र्म मे॑ऽसि॒ यो मोदी॑च्या दि॒शोऽघा॒युर॑भि॒दासा॑त्। ए॒तत् स ऋ॑च्छात्
तू मेरी पत्थर की कवच है। अगर कोई बुरा आदमी उत्तर दिशा से आके मुझ पर हाथ उठाये, यह कवच उसे रोकेगी। वो इससे टकरायेगा और फिर देखेगा।
Mantra 5
अ॒श्म॒व॒र्म मे॑ऽसि॒ यो मा॑ ध्रु॒वाया॑ दि॒शोऽघा॒युर॑भि॒दासा॑त्। ए॒तत् स ऋ॑च्छात्
तू मेरी पत्थर की कवच है। अगर कोई बुरा आदमी स्थिरता से आके मुझ पर हाथ उठाये, यह कवच उसे रोकेगी। वो इससे टकरायेगा और फिर देखेगा।
Mantra 6
अ॒श्म॒व॒र्म मे॑ऽसि॒ यो मो॒र्ध्वाया॒ दि॒शोऽघा॒युर॑भि॒दासा॑त्। ए॒तत् स ऋ॑च्छात्
यह पत्थर मेरे लिए आर्मौर है जो मुझे बचाता है। जो कोई ऊपर से बुरी नज़र से आए, वो इस पत्थर से टकराएगा। मैं सेफ रहूँगा।
Mantra 7
अ॒श्म॒व॒र्म मे॑ऽसि॒ यो मा॑ दि॒शाम॑न्तर्दे॒शेभ्यो॑ऽघा॒युर॑भि॒दासा॑त्। ए॒तत् स ऋ॑च्छात्
तू मेरी पत्थर की सुरक्षा है। जो कोई बुरा इंसान चाहे दुनिया के किसी कोने से आके मुझपे हमला करे, यह मंत्र उसको वापस भेज देता है। वो अपनी जगह पे चले जाता है।
Mantra 8
बृ॒ह॒ता मन॒ उप॑ ह्वये मात॒रिश्व॑ना प्राणापा॒नौ। सूर्या॒च्चक्षु॑र॒न्तरि॑क्षा॒च्छ्रोत्रं॑ पृथि॒व्याः शरी॑रम्। सर॑स्वत्या॒ वाच॒मुप॑ ह्वयामहे मनो॒युजा॑
बड़े भगवान की शक्ति से मैं मन को बुलाता हूँ। साँस लेते और छोड़ते वक्त भी भगवान साथ है। सूरज से आँखें मिलती हैं, आसमान से कान, धरती से शरीर। सरस्वती से हम वाणी माँगते हैं जो मन की बात सुन सके।
Inside Sukta 10
How it unfolds
- How it opens
The hymn establishes the ‘aśmavarman’ as the reciter’s own armour—an intimate, worn protection rather than a distant plea.
- What it asks
That any ‘evil-lived’ assailant approaching from a given quarter be turned back/checked so the assault encounters the armour instead of the person.
- Where its power lies
By naming the quarters and repeating the encounter-formula (‘let him meet this’), the mantra claims a mechanically reliable deflection: harm is redirected onto the protective medium.
- How it closes
A final consolidation recalls mind, breath, senses, body, and speech from Sun, mid-air, Earth, and Sarasvatī—sealing protection by re-seating the person’s full integrity.
Famous verses
aśmavarma me ’si … etat sa ṛcchāt
yo mūrdhvāyā diśo … etat sa ṛcchāt
Kind of hymn
Rakṣoghna / Apotropaic (Protective charm; directional warding)
What it is for
To prevent harm by forcing any assault from any direction to ‘strike’ the stone-armour, while keeping the person’s mind, breath, senses, body, and speech firmly established.
Who it is for
Householders, travelers, warriors/guards, and ritual specialists seeking all-around protection; also for a patient weakened by fright, harassment, or perceived spirit-affliction.
Also used as
- Rakṣoghna (demon/hostility-smiting)
- Apotropaic directional warding (dik-bandhana)
- Bhaiṣajya-adjacent (recollection of faculties, post-shock stabilization)
The deity
Aśmavarman is the personified, mantra-empowered ‘armour’—hard as stone and ritually installed as a kavaca—standing between the beneficiary and incoming harm from any quarter. The hymn also treats mind, breath, senses, body, and speech as powers that can be ‘called back’ from their cosmic reservoirs to reconstitute wholeness.
Powers of the deity
- Directional repulsion and deflection of hostile approach (dik-bandhana)
- Neutralization of ‘evil-lived’ assailants (aghāyu) and malign influences
- Creation of an enclosing protective field (kavaca) including the upper quarter
- Recollection and stabilization of prāṇa/apāna, mind, senses, body, and speech
- Apotropaic ‘return-to-sender’ effect: the attack meets the armour, not the person
Why the deity is called
To install an unbreachable protective covering around the reciter and to restore/secure vital faculties so fear, injury, or spirit-attack cannot dislodge life-breath, perception, or speech.
The seer
- Atharvan/Āṅgiras-type seer (anukramaṇī varies)Atharvan. Apotropaic rakṣā-mantras, kavaca/amulet consecrations, directional warding against yātudhāna/rakṣas and human hostility; restoration of faculties after shock or possession-like disturbance.
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 5.9 (adjacent rakṣā context; attribution varies)
- AV 5.11 (protective/warding context; attribution varies)
- AV 2.11 (rakṣoghna-type protective composition; often Atharvanic in character)
Preparing for the rite
- Select or prepare a small stone/stone-like amulet to serve as ‘aśmavarman’ (clean, intact, ritually acceptable).
- Purify the performer and space (ācamanam; simple water sprinkling; establish calm, east-facing seat).
- Mentally map the quarters (south, etc.) as threat-vectors; set the intention that harm is deflected outward.
The rite
- Touch or bind the stone/amulet on the body (neck/upper arm/waist) while reciting the directional verses; gesture outward toward the named quarter as each is spoken.
- Optionally trace a protective circle (pari-lekhana) around the beneficiary or threshold while repeating the refrain-like ‘etat sa ṛcchāt’ sense: ‘let him meet this.’
- Conclude by reciting the faculty-recall verse (5.10.8) over the beneficiary’s head/heart, as a settling (pratiṣṭhā) of mind and breath.
What it needs
- Stone/pebble or stone amulet (aśmavarman)
- Binding thread/cord (for kavaca-style wearing)
- Water for purification (optional)
When
At daybreak or before travel/conflict; also immediately after a fright/attack or when protective enclosure is desired (any time, with calm focus).
The main substance
Aśmavarman (stone/stone-amulet used as kavaca)
Amulets
- Stone amulet/pebble (aśmavarman)
- Protective binding cord/thread (kavaca-bandhana)
How it is prepared
Wash and dry the stone; bind it with a clean cord and wear it on the body (neck/arm/waist). During recitation, touch the amulet and gesture toward each quarter to ‘install’ directional protection; end with the faculty-recall verse over head/heart.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a personified ‘stone-armour’: a mantra-empowered protective covering, often represented by a stone amulet worn or touched during recitation.
The directions are treated as channels from which danger can approach. Naming and sealing each quarter ritually creates an all-around enclosure so harm is deflected from every side, including from above.
After fear or attack, faculties can feel ‘scattered.’ The verse ritually recalls and re-establishes mind, prāṇa/apāna, sight, hearing, body, and speech from their cosmic sources to restore steadiness and wholeness.
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