Atharva Veda 5.14.5: Kanda 5, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 14, Mantra 5
Sukta 14
कृ॒त्याः स॑न्तु कृत्या॒कृते॑ श॒पथः॑ शपथीय॒ते। सु॒खो रथ॑ इव वर्ततां कृ॒त्या कृ॑त्या॒कृतं॒ पुनः॑
kṛtyā́ḥ santu kṛtyā́kṛte śapáthaḥ śapathīyáte | súkho rátha iva vartatāṃ kṛtyā́ kṛtyā́kṛtaṃ púnaḥ
Let Kṛtyās be for the Kṛtyā-maker; let the oath-curse bind him who adjures. Smooth as a chariot let the Kṛtyā roll back again upon the worker of the Kṛtyā.
जो किसी पे बुरा काम करे, उसपे वही बुरा काम वापस आए। जो कसम खाके गलत काम करवाए, उसकी कसम उससे पकड़ ले। यह बुरा काम ऐसे चले जैसे गाड़ी सीधी सड़क पे चलती है। जो भी बुरा काम करे, उसपे वही चीज़ वापस गिरे।
The meaning
What it says
Let the kṛtyās belong to the kṛtyā-maker; let the oath-curse bind the one who adjures; like a smoothly rolling chariot, let the kṛtyā roll back again upon its worker.
The inner meaning
Speech is acknowledged as binding power: malicious vows and coercive oaths entangle the speaker. The psyche is stabilized by trusting that harmful speech-acts recoil; the ‘smooth chariot’ image removes anxiety about obstruction—justice moves reliably.
The truth in it
Words and intentions have consequences; coercive or deceitful speech binds the speaker. When order is invoked, harm returns with an impersonal momentum.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Abhicarika (Counter-sorcery; curse-reversal and rebound)
Its aim
To ensure that the sorcerer’s kṛtyā and any oath-curse recoil upon him swiftly and without obstruction.
Word by Word
Pada patha
कृत्याः । सन्तु । कृत्या-कृते । शपथः । शपथीयते । सुखः । रथः-इव । वर्तताम् । कृत्या । कृत्या-कृतम् । पुनः
- कृत्याः
- witchcrafts/evil charms (kṛtyā-s)kṛtyās (acts/entities of witchcraft; here as pluralized forces or repeated operations)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (आशीर्लिङ्ग-क्रियायाः कर्तृ/विषयः)Root कृत्या (प्रातिपदिक; √कृ + यत्/यā-प्रत्यय, ‘कृत्या’ = कृत-कार्य-स्वरूपा/अभिचार-क्रिया)
- सन्तु
- let (them) be / may (they) becomelet there be, let them become (injunctive/benedictive with retaliatory force)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ/आशीः), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot √अस् (भू/अस्)
- कृत्या-कृते
- for the doer/agent of the kṛtyā (the one who performed the charm)for the kṛtyā-maker (dative: as his portion)Noun (compound)पुंलिङ्ग (कृत-प्रातिपदिक), चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole सम्प्रदान (यस्य कृते/यस्य प्रति)Root कृत्या-कृत (समास/तत्पुरुष; कृत्या + कृत ‘कृत्या-कर्तृ/कृत्या-कारक’)
- शपथः
- an oath/curse (a binding imprecation)an oath-curse, imprecation (binding speech that brings consequence)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ/विषयः (द्वितीय-वाक्ये)Root शपथ (प्रातिपदिक)
- शपथीयते
- is put under an oath / is bound by an imprecationis sworn/adjured, is bound by oath-curse (the curse takes effect upon the curser)Verbलट्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपदRole क्रियाRoot शपथीय (नामधातु/denominative from शपथ) + √इ (आत्मनेपद)
- सुखः
- easy, smoothly-goingsmooth-running, easy (without obstruction; swift return)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (रथः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role विशेषण (कर्तृ-सम्बन्धी)Root सुख (प्रातिपदिक)
- रथः
- a chariotNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (वर्तताम् इत्यस्य)Root रथ (प्रातिपदिक)
- इव
- like, asIndeclinableउपमा-अव्ययRole सम्बन्ध/उपमानRoot इव
- वर्तताम्
- let it turn/roll on; let it proceedlet it turn/roll back, let it proceed (here: let it return upon its course)Verbलोट्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपदRole क्रियाRoot √वृत् (वर्तते)
- कृत्या
- the kṛtyā (evil charm)the kṛtyā (as a singular returning force)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (पुनरुक्त्या बलवचनम्)Role विषयः/उद्देश्य (पुनरुक्त-उच्चारण)Root कृत्या (प्रातिपदिक)
- कृत्या-कृतम्
- the kṛtyā-doer (the performer of the charm)the kṛtyā-maker (as the recipient of the rebound)Noun (compound)पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (पुनः इत्यनेन सह ‘पुनः (तं) प्रति’—प्रत्यावर्तन-विषयः)Root कृत्या-कृत (समास; कृत्या + कृत)
- पुनः
- back, again (in return)back, again (reversal completed)Indeclinableअव्यय (पुनरावृत्ति/प्रत्यावर्तनार्थ)Role क्रियाविशेषणRoot पुनः
Sandhi Notes
- कृत्याः | सन्तु | कृत्या-कृते | शपथः | शपथीयते | सुखः | रथः | इव | वर्तताम् | कृत्या | कृत्या-कृतम् | पुनः ।
- 1) ‘कृत्या॒कृते॑’ = ‘कृत्या-कृते’ (समास/ह्य्फेन-युक्त लेखन; सन्धि-परिवर्तन विशेषं नास्ति, केवलं पदसंयोगः).
- 2) ‘कृ॒त्या कृ॑त्या॒कृतं॒’ = ‘कृत्या | कृत्या-कृतम्’ (पुनरुक्ति + समास).
- 3) ‘शपथीयते’ नामधातु-रूपम्: शपथ + ईय (नामधातु-प्रत्यय) + लट् आत्मनेपद
- अर्थतः ‘शपथेन बध्यते/शपथं प्राप्नोति’ ।
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic seer (per Anukramaṇī tradition for AV 5.14)
- Devata
- Kṛtyā (as returning force); Śapatha (imprecation) as operative speech
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Raudra and Adbhuta
Sāyaṇa emphasizes the moral reflex: the curse rebounds upon the curser, the kṛtyā upon its maker. The chariot simile (‘sukho ratha iva’) is read as the unhindered, inevitable return of the hostile act to its origin, once the counter-rite is properly executed.
Atharvanic seer
Counter-curse poetics: turning hostile speech (śapatha) back upon the utterer; ensuring recoil through imagery of smooth motion and inevitability.
Highlights vāc as pharmakon: speech itself is the binding substance; the hymn weaponizes the moral reflexivity of language against the aggressor.
Kṛtyā and Śapatha (personified operative forces)
Forces that execute reciprocity: the created spell and the spoken oath become agents of consequence, enforcing return and self-binding.
Reduces fear by asserting inevitability of recoil; breaks the victim’s sense of being trapped under another’s words.
Deters further attacks by making the aggressor the endpoint of his own force.
4×8 (with proverbial, aphoristic feel)
Gnomic style: declarative optatives/imperatives suited for sealing a rite after extraction/transfer.
Rolling cadence matching vartatām; the ratha simile gives forward momentum to the verse.
Functions as a ‘seal’ (bandhana) to ensure the return is smooth and complete.
After detachment/expulsion actions, the priest recites this verse as the sealing formula (nigamana) to fix the reversal.
A forward-then-back rolling gesture (or turning motion) is performed to embody ‘vartatām’ (let it roll/turn back).
If an effigy or marked direction for the adversary is used, the priest points or casts a small remainder of the rite-material toward it to signify the completed return.
Kauśika Sūtra: kṛtyā-pratyāvartana / śapatha-pratiṣedha usage with AV 5.14 (edition-dependent numbering)
Atharvan priest as ‘sealer’ of efficacy: he finalizes the rebound logic so the hostile act is juridically reassigned to its author.
Recited as a concluding ‘locking’ verse after removal/transfer actions; may be spoken while turning away from the patient and symbolically ‘sending’ the force outward (a wheel/turn gesture).
After the main extraction rite; at the end of a protective sequence.
Atharvan officiant or householder seals the rite with declarative authority.
Kauśika Sūtra: kṛtyā/śapatha counter-rites (exact citation not supplied)
Used as a closing affirmation after cleansing/protection rituals.
Śapatha (oath-curse as binding speech-act); Chariot (ratha) as metaphor of swift rebound
Here the ‘substance’ is vāc itself: the curse is a bond. The chariot models frictionless inevitability—return is not merely hoped for; it is set in motion.
Curse-affliction and oath-based coercion (śapatha), experienced as fear, guilt, social threat, and stress symptoms.
Cognitive-ritual reversal: declares self-binding nature of malicious oaths; stabilizes victim by placing consequence on aggressor.
Manasika upadrava (fear/anxiety) affecting doṣas; śamana through mantra and assurance of protection.
Relief from intimidation/blackmail-like threats; reducing stress response by reframing power dynamics.
Kṛtyā-maker; the one who adjures (śapathīya)
Ensure kṛtyā and oath-curse recoil upon the sorcerer/adjurer swiftly and without obstruction.
Verbal binding (śapatha) plus kinetic simile (ratha) to ‘drive’ the return; a sealing proclamation after transfer.
Oath-curses, coercive vows, hostile verbal magic
- शपथ (śapatha)
- binding speech-act; self-entangling coercion
- शपथीयते (śapathīyate)
- reflexive binding—speech turns back on the speaker
- सुखो रथ इव (sukho ratha iva)
- unobstructed karmic recoil; swift return mechanism
- वर्तताम् (vartatām)
- cyclical return; inevitability
- पुनः (punaḥ)
- reversion to source; restoration
Release from fear of others’ words; cultivate trust in ethical reciprocity.
Vishuddha (speech) and Manipura (self-sovereignty)
Slow inhale on ‘sukho ratha iva’ (smoothness), long exhale on ‘vartatām… punaḥ’ (return).
A wheel of light rolling backward along a path, carrying away dark speech-knots from your space and returning them to their origin to dissolve.
Composed firmness; non-reactive confidence.
Commit to non-malicious speech yourself; the mantra’s logic is strongest when paired with personal śapatha-restraint (avoid reckless vows/curses).
Steady anuṣṭubh; give rolling continuity through ‘sukho ratha iva vartatām’.
Highlight ‘śapathaḥ’ and ‘vartatām’ as binding/rolling operators.
Declarative, sealing tone—less aggressive than 5.14.4, more judicial.
Best used as a concluding verse; accompany with a clockwise then counterclockwise hand-circle to symbolize ‘turning back’.
9 times
After experiencing threats, coercive vows, or ‘binding words’ from others; lingering fear after conflict.
As a closing seal after any cleansing/protection practice; also before public disputes or legal/negotiation settings (as inner fortification).
Calm certainty, reduced fear of curses, strengthened resolve to avoid harmful speech; traditional aim: recoil of kṛtyā/śapatha to sender.
Do not substitute for legal/medical action when needed; avoid using as justification to curse others—keep it protective and restorative.
Here the focus shifts from extraction to juridical closure: even if the herb mediates earlier transfer, this verse functions as the performative ‘binding’ that guarantees the return. Material handling and verbal sealing together constitute the technology of reversal.
It encodes a norm of retributive symmetry: harmful magic and false/hostile adjuration are socially condemned and ritually punishable. The priestly counter-rite becomes a mechanism for enforcing communal ethics without direct litigation.
The explicit reflexive curse logic (‘śapathaḥ śapathīyate’) is more characteristic of Atharvanic social-magic discourse than RV’s sacrificial praise. The metaphor of smooth chariot-return is conventional, but applied to kṛtyā-rebound it is distinctively AV.
Gopatha’s Atharvanic framework treats such sealing verses as essential to ‘fix’ (niyama) the result of a rite. The rebound is not automatic; it is ritually ratified by mantra, gesture, and correct closure.
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