Atharva Veda 5.15.3: Kanda 5, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 15, Mantra 3
Sukta 15
ति॒स्रश्च॑ मे त्रिं॒शच्च॑ मे ऽपव॒क्तार॑ ओषधे । ऋत॑जात॒ ऋता॑वरि॒ मधु॑ मे मधु॒ला क॑रः
tísraś ca me tríṁśac ca me ’pavaktā́ra oṣadhe | ṛtájāta ṛtā́vari mádhu me madhulā́ karáḥ
Three for me, and thirty for me—O Herb—(be) repellers. Born of Ṛta, O guardian of Ṛta: make for me honey, make (me) honey-sweet.
हे जड़ी-बूटी, तीन और तीस बीमारियाँ मेरे से दूर कर। तू सच से पैदा हुई है, सच की रक्षा करती है। मेरी लाइफ को मीठी बना, जैसे शहद हो।
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (ṛṣi attribution varies by anukramaṇī for this hymn-group)
Devata: Oṣadhi (Herb), with Ṛta as legitimating cosmic principle
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh-like cadence (Atharvanic; mixed/irregular in enumerative refrains)
Primary: shanta
Secondary: adbhuta
Sāyaṇa takes Oṣadhi as a sentient healing power. The numerals are not mere counting but ‘saṅkhyā-bala’: numerical reinforcement of the herb’s apavāraṇa (warding-off). ‘Apavaktāraḥ’ are those that turn away (apavak-) hostile influences—disease, evil speech, and sorcery. ‘Ṛtajāta/Ṛtāvari’ certify the herb’s unfailing truth-grounded efficacy. ‘Madhu’ is both literal sweetness (often realized via honey/pleasant sap) and figurative sweetness—pacification of harshness, pain, and inimical forces.
To empower a medicinal herb as a repeller of disease and hostile influences, and to ‘sweeten’ (pacify) the patient’s condition and social/ritual environment.
Non-specific disease and hostile influences (rakṣas, evil eye, contagion in Atharvanic idiom).
Apotropaic repulsion (apavaktāraḥ) + pacifying nourishment/sweetness (madhu) legitimized by ṛta.
Madhu is a key anupāna and yogavāhī in later Ayurveda; ‘sweetening’ aligns with pitta-pacifying and wound-healing uses (interpretive).
Immune support + stress reduction/social soothing; honey as demulcent in throat irritation (context-dependent).
mixed
Patient, household space, and the administered herb.
To multiply protective repellers through the herb and to induce a ‘honeyed’ pacified condition in the patient and environment.
Enumerative amplification (numbers) + cosmic legitimation (ṛta) + sweetening charm (madhu) to shift both body and atmosphere.
Disease, malign influences, ritual/social hostility.
O Herb: ‘three and thirty’ for me be repellers. Born of Ṛta, guardian of Ṛta—make honey for me; make me honey-sweet.
The enumerations function as a magical amplification: many layers of defense are invoked. ‘Honey-sweet’ is not only taste but temperament—softening irritation, hostility, and the roughness of disease into harmony.
True healing repels harm and restores sweetness: protection and reconciliation are two sides of well-being—immunity without bitterness.
- ओषधि (oṣadhi)
- personified medicine-intelligence; nature’s curated antidote
- अपवक्तारः (apavaktāraḥ)
- protective forces that deflect disease, curses, and hostile beings
- ऋतजात (ṛtajāta)
- legitimized by cosmic order; medicine as truth-aligned efficacy
- ऋतावरि (ṛtāvari)
- a protective boundary that keeps order intact—like a medicinal ‘seal’
- मधु (madhu)
- pacification, concord, pleasant speech, nutritive vitality
- मधुला (madhulā)
- a healed condition: gentle, non-irritated, socially harmonious
Establishing a protective boundary (ṛta) and cultivating sweetness (madhu) in breath and speech.
Viśuddha (speech/sweetness) and Anāhata (harmony) as interpretive links.
Cooling, gentle breathing (śītali/śītkārī-inspired, if suitable) to support ‘sweetening’ and pacification.
A ring of light (ṛta) around the body; inside, honey-gold warmth coating the throat and chest.
Calm vigilance—protected yet soft.
After recitation, speak one deliberate kind sentence (even mentally) to embody madhulā—sweetness as medicine.
Let the number-phrases be slightly marked, then soften into the madhu refrain; emphasize ṛta- in ṛtajāta/ṛtāvari.
Keep the refrain identical each time for charm-effect: ṛtajāta ṛtāvari | madhu me madhulā karaḥ.
ṛta: vocalic ṛ (not ‘rita’)., apavaktāraḥ: keep vakt- cluster clear; final -ḥ lightly aspirated., madhulā: retroflex ḷ? (here lā with long ā; keep syllables ma-dhu-lā).
Soothing, protective, lullaby-like on the refrain.
Refrain-stability is itself the ‘magic’: keep melody and pacing consistent across repetitions to build the repelling boundary.
12
Recurring minor ailments; stress-linked symptoms; household atmosphere feels tense or ‘unlucky’.
Before taking herbal support; before sleep to pacify; before difficult conversations to cultivate ‘sweet speech’.
Calming, protective mindset; enhanced sense of immunity and harmony; reduced irritability.
Honey is not for infants; consider diabetes/allergy and medical advice; avoid unverified herbs.
पदच्छेदः (सन्धि-विग्रह): तिस्रः च मे | त्रिंशत् च मे | अपवक्तारः ओषधे | ऋतजात ऋतावरि | मधु मे | मधुला करः। 1) तिस्रश्च = तिस्रः + च (विसर्ग-सन्धि: ः + च → श्च). 2) त्रिंशच्च = त्रिंशत् + च (त् + च → च्च). 3) मे ऽपवक्तारः = मे + अपवक्तारः (अवग्रहः: ए + अ → एऽ).
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