Sukta 79
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (Commonly Atharvan/Āṅgiras-type for paustika charms)
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (probable; standard for many AV domestic charms)
AV 6.79 is a compact household prosperity charm addressed to Nabhasaspati, the ‘Lord of the Cloud,’ who is imagined as the divine controller of rain-born nourishment. The hymn asks for ūrj (vital food-energy) to be established within the home, for freedom from want (asamāti), and for a stable share in “thousandfold thriving.” Its power lies in linking domestic well-being to the cosmic storehouse of rain and abundance, drawing that plenitude into the gṛha as a guarded, enduring condition.
Kind of charm
In this hymn
Addressed to
Mantras
Mantra 1
ऊर्जःप्राप्तिः। अ॒यं नो॒ नभ॑स॒स्पतिः॑ सं॒स्फानो॑ अ॒भि र॑क्षतु । अस॑मातिं गृहेषु॑ नः
बादल के भगवान हमें हर तरफ से बचाएं। हमारे घर में कोई कमी न रहे, सब कुछ मिले।
Mantra 2
त्वं नो॑ नभसस्पत ऊर्जं॑ गृ॒हेषु॑ धारय । आ पु॒ष्टमेत्वा वसु॑
बादल के भगवान, हमारे घर में खाना राखना। हमें अच्छा खाना मिले, और धन भी आए।
Mantra 3
देव॑ संस्फान सहस्रापो॒षस्ये॑शिषे । तस्य॑ नो रास्व॒ तस्य॑ नो धेहि॒ तस्य॑ ते भक्ति॒वांसः॑ स्याम
भगवान, आप बहुत बड़े हैं, हज़ारों लोगों को खिलाते हैं। वो खाना हमें भी दीजिए। हम आपके भक्त रहें।
Inside Sukta 79
How it unfolds
- How it opens
The hymn opens by presenting Nabhasaspati as present and active—‘this Lord of the Cloud’—and immediately asks him to guard the household on all sides.
- What it asks
That ūrj be maintained within the houses, puṣṭi and vasu come in, and asamāti (want) be set away from the home.
- Where its power lies
Nabhasaspati/Saṃsphāna is declared ‘lord of thousandfold thriving,’ implying inexhaustible capacity to supply and multiply prosperity.
- How it closes
The conclusion seeks not only a gift but establishment—‘give to us, set for us’—ending with the desire to be enduring sharers in the deity’s prosperity.
Famous verses
asamātiṃ gṛheṣu naḥ
ūrjaṃ gṛheṣu dhāraya
sahasrāpoṣasya īśiṣe
Kind of hymn
Paustika (Prosperity) / Gṛhya-protective
What it is for
To stabilize household nourishment (ūrj), invite thriving and wealth (puṣṭi, vasu), and ensure freedom from want (asamāti) through the guardianship of Nabhasaspati.
Who it is for
Householders (gṛhastha), family heads managing stores and food-security, and domestic ritualists seeking steady prosperity and protection of the home.
Also used as
- Gṛhya-protective
- Śāntika (pacificatory, scarcity-averting)
Powers of the deity
- Guards the household on all sides (protective perimeter around the gṛha)
- Establishes ūrj (nourishing vitality) within the home
- Removes asamāti (want, lack, scarcity) from domestic life
- Attracts puṣṭi (thriving, increase) and vasu (wealth, goods)
- Dispenses “thousandfold” prosperity and grants a stable share to devotees
Why the deity is called
He is invoked to bring rain-derived plenitude into the domestic sphere—so nourishment is held fast in the house, scarcity is excluded, and the family becomes a rightful sharer in enduring prosperity.
The seer
- Atharvanic (Ātharvaṇa) seerAtharvan. Paustika and gṛhya-protective charms: securing food, wealth, thriving (puṣṭi), and warding off household scarcity through concise Anuṣṭubh-style petitions
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 6.78 (adjacent paustika/domestic prosperity material; traditional Atharvanic milieu)
- AV 6.80 (neighboring domestic/benefit-oriented charm complex; Atharvanic style)
- AV 3.12 (Puṣṭi-themed prosperity hymn; commonly grouped in paustika discussions)
Preparing for the rite
- Clean a small domestic space (near the hearth/store-room threshold) and sit facing east or north.
- Set an intention: ‘ūrj and puṣṭi in the house; removal of asamāti.’
- Optionally prepare a simple offering of water (as rain-symbol) or cooked grain as a prosperity token (not mandated by the text).
The rite
- Recite 6.79.1 as a protective encirclement prayer for the house (abhi rakṣatu), mentally ‘sealing’ the dwelling against want.
- Recite 6.79.2 while touching (or looking toward) the household stores/food area, asking the deity to ‘hold’ nourishment in the home (gṛheṣu dhāraya).
- Recite 6.79.3 as the formal request for a share in thousandfold thriving, concluding with a resolve to be ‘bhaktivāṃsaḥ’ (participants/sharers) in that prosperity.
What it needs
- None required by the hymn text
- Optional: water vessel (rain-symbol)
- Optional: a small portion of grain/food as a prosperity marker
When
At the start of household management cycles (new moon/full moon days, beginning of a new store, after harvest), or whenever scarcity is feared; also suitable at morning recitation for daily food-security.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nabhasaspati is the personified ‘Lord of the Cloud,’ a power that governs rain and the abundance that comes from it—food, thriving, and household well-being.
It asks for the home to be guarded, for steady food-energy and supplies to remain in the house, and for scarcity or want to be kept away.
No. The hymn itself mentions no required substances; it can be recited as a spoken domestic charm. Some practitioners optionally keep a vessel of water or a little grain nearby as a symbol of rain and nourishment.
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