Atharva Veda 7.9.4: Kanda 7, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 9, Mantra 4
Sukta 9
परि॑ पू॒षा प॒रस्ता॒द्धस्तं॑ दधातु॒ दक्षि॑णम्। पुन॑र्नो न॒ष्टमाज॑तु॒ सं न॒ष्टेन॑ गमेमहि
pári pū́ṣā parástād hástaṃ dadhātu dákṣiṇam | púnar no naṣṭám ā́jatu sáṃ naṣṭéna gamemahi
Let Pūṣan from beyond set his right hand round about; let him bring back to us what is lost: with the lost restored may we go together.
पूषन आगे से अपना दायाँ हाथ फैला दे। जो हमारा खो गया है वो वापस ला दे। फिर हम उस चीज के साथ साथ चलेंगे।
The meaning
What it says
A request that Pūṣan, approaching “from beyond,” place his right hand protectively all around and restore what has been lost, so the community can proceed together once wholeness is regained.
The inner meaning
The psyche calls for a guiding, shepherding intelligence to “encircle” the scattered mind and retrieve what has gone missing—confidence, orientation, memory, or belonging—so one can move forward without inner fragmentation.
The truth in it
What is lost can be recovered when guidance, protection, and right action (dakṣiṇa) re-establish order; restoration is not merely retrieval but reintegration into a shared path.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Bhaisajya (Restoration) / Raksha (Recovery of lost property)
Its aim
Recovery of lost persons/cattle/property; re-establishing wholeness and safe onward movement under divine guidance.
Word by Word
Pada patha
परि । पूषा । परस्तात् । हस्तम् । दधातु । दक्षिणम् । पुनः । नः । नष्टम् । आजतु । सम् । नष्टेन । गमेमहि
- परि
- around; all aroundaround, encompassing; as a protective encirclementIndeclinableअव्यय (उपसर्ग/क्रियाविशेषण)Root परि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- पूषा
- Pūṣan (the god Pūṣā)Pūṣan (as guardian and restorer of what is lost)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot पूषन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- परस्तात्
- from afar; from beyondfrom beyond, from the farther side; also ‘on all sides beyond’Indeclinableअव्ययRole AdhikaraṇaRoot परस्तात् (अव्यय)
- हस्तम्
- handhand; emblem of grasping, leading, and retrievalNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot हस्त (प्रातिपदिक)
- दधातु
- may he place; let him putlet him place, set, lay upon (establish protection)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRoot धा (धातु)
- दक्षिणम्
- right (hand)right (auspicious, skilful, protective)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (हस्तम् इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role KarmaRoot दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
- पुनः
- againagain, backIndeclinableअव्ययRoot पुनः (अव्यय)
- नः
- for us; ourfor us, ourPronounषष्ठी (सम्बन्धे), बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक रूप)Role SampradānaRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- नष्टम्
- what is lostlost (property, cattle, person; whatever has gone missing)Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot नष्ट (√नश्/नश् ‘to be lost, perish’ इत्यस्य क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
- आजतु
- may he bring/restore (to us)let him drive/bring hither (cause to come back)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRoot आ + जम् (धातु) / आ + जन् (धातु) — वैदिक रूप
- सम्
- together; completelytogether, in conjunction; into reunionIndeclinableअव्यय (उपसर्ग)Root सम् (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- नष्टेन
- with the lost (thing); by means of what was lostwith the lost (thing/person) restoredNoun/Adjective (instrumental use)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot नष्ट (√नश् + क्त)
- गमेमहि
- may we go/attain; may we come tomay we go, proceed; may we attain (a state of reunion/wholeness)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ/विधिलिङ्-सदृश प्रार्थना), आत्मनेपद, उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचनRoot गम् (धातु)
Sandhi Notes
- संधिः न विशेषः (इकारान्त अव्यय + पूषा)
- त् + ह → त् ह (विसर्गादि/अनुस्वारादि परिवर्तन नहीं)
- उ + द → उ द (संधि नहीं)
- पुनः + नः → पुनर् नः (विसर्गस्य र्-आदेशः)
- नष्टम् + आजतु → नष्टम् आजतु (मकारान्त + अ-आदिः; लेखन में संयोग)
- सम् + नष्टेन → सं नष्टेन (म् + न → ंन)
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- As per AV 7.9 anukramaṇī tradition (variable)
- Devata
- Pūṣan
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh (probable; to be confirmed)
- Rasa
- Shanta and Adbhuta
Sāyaṇa emphasizes Pūṣan as ‘naṣṭānām ānetā’—the bringer-back of lost goods (notably cattle) and the leader who takes by the right hand. ‘pári…hastaṃ dadhātu’ is read as a protective grasp/encirclement; ‘ājatu’ is causative bringing-back, enabling reunion (‘saṃ…gamemahi’).
Anukramaṇī attribution variable/uncertain for AVŚ 7.9 (often treated as Atharvanic/anonymous in practical charms)
Path-protection and recovery charms (lost cattle/property/persons); guidance of travel and reuniting what is separated.
Embodies the Atharvan domestic concern for restoring order in household economy—cattle, goods, and persons—through divine guidance and protective enclosure.
Pūṣan
A solar guardian who oversees roads, boundaries, and safe returns; he ‘finds’ and reunites what is separated and ensures onward movement.
Restorative in a psychosomatic sense—reduces fear and disorientation; supports recovery of vitality and social functioning after loss.
Encircling protection (‘pari’) against misdirection, theft, and dangers of liminal spaces (roads, margins, ‘beyond’).
4 pādas × ~8 syllables (with Atharvanic sandhi/quantitative looseness possible)
Minor irregularities typical of AV practical verses (accented compounds and enclitics may shift counts).
Compact, directive cadence suited to ‘command/request’ speech-acts.
Creates a firm protective ‘ring’ through repetition of pari/naṣṭa—psychologically reinforcing retrieval and safe regrouping.
At the place where loss is discovered, the priest marks a small protective circle (paridhi) or traces a boundary line, enacting ‘pari’.
He touches the patron’s right hand (dakṣiṇa-hasta) while reciting ‘hastaṃ dadhātu dakṣiṇam’, symbolically placing Pūṣan’s grasp upon the seeker.
The mantra is recited facing the direction where the lost item/person is presumed to have gone (‘parastāt’), as a directional summons.
A search-party is ritually ‘sent’ only after the recitation; upon return, the mantra may be repeated to seal reunion (‘saṃ naṣṭena’).
Kauśika Sūtra: rites for recovery of lost cattle/property frequently deploy Pūṣan ‘naṣṭa’ formulas (to be linked to the project’s Kauśika concordance for AV 7.9.4).
Atharvan priest as recovery-technician: he performs directional summoning and protective hand-imposition, authorizing the search and ritually ‘binding’ the return.
Recite while searching, at threshold/road junctions, or when assembling family/cattle; may be paired with circumambulation of pen/house as ‘pari’ enactment.
At the start of the search; at dawn or before setting out on the road.
Householder recitation; optionally an Atharvan priest (brahman) to formalize the charm.
General AV Kauśika usage: retrieval/protection charms for lost cattle/property (exact sūtra citation varies by school/edition)
Use as a focused intention-prayer before practical recovery steps (calls, search, community coordination).
No material substance is named; the operative ‘substance’ is Pūṣan’s right hand as a living amulet—protection conceptualized as touch, enclosure, and guidance.
Not medical; functions as restoration of loss (economic/social integrity), which indirectly reduces stress and fear.
Indirect: supports sattva (mental steadiness) and reduces rajas/tamas arising from loss and panic.
Anxiety/acute stress after loss; grounding and orientation practices used alongside practical search/recovery efforts.
What is lost (naṣṭa) and the household/community that seeks reunion
Recovery of lost property/persons/cattle and re-establishment of safe collective movement under divine guidance.
Invocation of a boundary (‘pari’) plus retrieval command (‘punar…ājaṭu’)—a verbal ‘binding and bringing-back’ spell.
Misfortune on roads, theft, confusion, separation
Cattle/wealth continuity; household stability
- पूषा (Pūṣā/Pūṣan)
- Inner guide who finds the lost, restores direction, and ensures safe passage
- परस्तात् (parastāt)
- Help arising from beyond one’s immediate grasp—transcendent perspective, unseen protection
- दक्षिण हस्त (dakṣiṇa hasta)
- Skillful, auspicious agency; the ‘right’ means and right conduct that secures outcomes
- परि…दधातु (pari…dadhātu)
- Protective boundary; containment of anxiety and sealing of vulnerability
- नष्टम् (naṣṭam)
- Disowned parts of life/identity; dispersed resources; broken continuity
- सं…गमेमहि (saṃ…gamemahi)
- Reintegration, social cohesion, restored trajectory
Recollection and reintegration—‘bringing back’ scattered attention.
ājñā (orientation/clarity)
Slow nasal breathing with brief pause after inhale; mentally repeat ‘pari…punar…saṃ’ as a three-step cycle (encircle → retrieve → reunite).
A golden right hand drawing a protective circle around you and gently returning the ‘lost’ (a light) to the heart-center.
Grounded, vigilant calm (sattvic steadiness).
Chant 11 or 27 times before travel or decision-making; end with a brief silence to ‘feel’ the regained wholeness.
Atharvanic recitation with udātta/anudātta/svarita as marked; keep the cadence even across pādas.
Emphasize ‘pūṣā’, ‘dakṣiṇam’, ‘punar’, ‘naṣṭam’, ‘saṃ’. Do not over-pause mid-compound.
Steady, directive, protective (neither harsh nor hurried).
If used as a ‘search charm,’ recite facing the direction of travel; optionally perform a small circumambulation to enact ‘pari’.
11 times
Lost item/person/pet/cattle; feeling ‘off-path’ or scattered after a setback.
Before starting the search; at crossroads/threshold; before travel to ensure safe return.
Greater clarity, coordinated effort, reduced panic; culturally framed support for recovery and safe regrouping.
Not a substitute for immediate practical measures (reporting, medical/emergency action).
No plant is invoked; the operative ‘substance’ is the right hand as a ritual instrument. The mantra turns bodily gesture (touching/leading hand) into a retrieval technology, aligning search-action with divine agency.
Loss (especially of cattle/property) is treated as a ritually manageable crisis. The priest’s role in legitimating the search and guaranteeing reunion indicates institutional control over economic vulnerability.
Pūṣan as restorer of the lost is an RV theme; AV intensifies it into a practical domestic spell. The compact imperatives (‘dadhātu…ājatu’) suit Atharvanic karman-oriented diction.
Gopatha’s emphasis on mantra as ‘bringing-to-be’ supports the retrieval logic: the spoken imperative is treated as causative force that compels reunion, especially when paired with embodied enactment (right-hand touch).
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