Atharvaveda Kanda 7 Anuvaka 5 in Modern Hindi

Various Rishis

Kanda 710 Suktas26 Mantras

Anuvaka 5

Securing wholeness and advantage through lunar-fertility powers, divine physicians, and victory-guarding alliances

Kinds of charm

Paushtika (prosperity): 4Bhaishajya (healing): 3Shantika (pacifying): 2Abhicharika (against foes): 1

Suktas in Anuvaka 5

Sukta 41

This brief two-mantra hymn invokes the Suparṇa/Śyena—the swift, keen-sighted divine bird—as a beneficent carrier who overcomes wastelands, waters, and lower spaces to arrive auspiciously in alliance with Indra. It functions as a protective “successful conveyance” charm: ensuring safe arrival of a desired power/boon and restoring goods that have been carried off, with the stability of ancestral (Pitṛ) sanction.

Rishi: Traditionally associated with Suparṇa/Śyena hymn-complexes (specific ṛṣi ascription varies) | Devata: Suparṇa/Śyena (with Indra as allied power) | 2 Mantras

Sukta 42

AV 7.42 is a compact two-verse healing and purification charm that calls on the paired powers Soma and Rudra as divine physicians. It asks them to drive away wandering affliction (disease/evil influence), banish Nirṛti (calamity/destruction) to a far distance, and loosen the binding force of enas (committed guilt) believed to cling to the body and household. The hymn’s power lies in its double action: expulsion of misfortune and internal unbinding of sin as a tangible, bodily constraint.

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (specific ṛṣi ascription varies by Anukramaṇī) | Devata: Soma-Rudra (dual); with Nirṛti and Enas as targeted afflictions | 2 Mantras

Sukta 43

This one-verse hymn addresses Vāc (Speech) as a power that can manifest as both auspicious and inauspicious, and asks that her gracious form prevail. It reflects Atharvanic mantra-theory by locating multiple “voices” within a person and seeking disciplined release of sound so that utterance becomes protective rather than harmful.

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition | Devata: Vāc (Speech) | 1 Mantras

Sukta 44

This one-verse Atharvavedic charm invokes the paired might of Indra and Viṣṇu as unconquered conquerors, securing victory while preventing total defeat or loss. It also frames prosperity as an orderly, divinely sanctioned “threefold distribution” of a “thousand” (booty, cattle, strength, or resources), set in motion by their competitive energy.

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition | Devata: Indra and Viṣṇu | 1 Mantras

Sukta 45

This brief two-mantra hymn is a social-healing charm that treats īrṣyā (jealousy/envy) as a burning, harmful force and calls in a bheṣaja (remedy) to neutralize it. The speaker “fetches” the counter-agent from afar—symbolically from the shared human sphere and even from Sindhu—then commands the jealousy to be drawn out and quenched like a firebrand, restoring social peace and protection to the client.

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition | Devata: Bheṣaja (remedy) / personified counter-agent to Īrṣyā | 2 Mantras

Sukta 46

This brief Atharvavedic domestic hymn invokes Sinīvālī as the divine patroness of conception, safe childbirth, and the stable establishment of progeny within the household. Through simple āhuti-offerings and direct praise, it seeks to remove barrenness, secure “many offspring,” and align marital prosperity (a worthy pati) with fertility and thriving success (rādhas).

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (hymn to Sinīvālī; seer attribution varies in ancillary lists) | Devata: Sinīvālī | 3 Mantras

Sukta 47

This brief Paustika hymn invokes Kuhū—the auspicious lunar power associated with the new-moon night—to make the sacrifice effective and to “assign” comprehensive, choice-filled wealth to the sacrificer. Through repeated calling (johavīmi) and the request that she accept the havis, the sukta aims at rāyas-poṣa (increase of prosperity) and the gift of a vigorous hero-son (vīra). Its power lies in aligning domestic offering with Kuhū’s receptive, fertility-bearing aspect so that abundance and lineage are secured together.

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (seer attribution uncertain/variable) | Devata: Kuhū | 2 Mantras

Sukta 48

This brief Atharvanic hymn invokes Rākā, the full-moon power of restoration and fertility, to “stitch” what has been pierced or cut and to make the body whole again. In the same breath it asks her to grant a vigorous hero-son and prosperity, presenting lunar wholeness as the model for bodily integrity and household increase.

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (hymn addressed to Rākā; specific ṛṣi attribution varies by anukramaṇī lists) | Devata: Rākā (full-moon goddess; fertility and restoration) | 2 Mantras

Sukta 49

AV 7.49 invokes the Devapatnīs—the consorts of major gods—as a collective protective force to “guard us onward” in onset, contest, and prize-winning. By summoning both unnamed and specifically named divine women (Indrāṇī, Agneyī, Varuṇānī, Aśvinī), the hymn seeks sheltering peace (śarma) and the activation of auspicious order, including right timing (ṛtu) for women, within a cosmic enclosure spanning earth and waters.

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (as per anukramaṇī) | Devata: Devapatnīs (consorts of the gods, collective) | 2 Mantras

Sukta 50

This hymn is a victory-and-prosperity charm that gathers advantage from all quarters, breaks hostile contrivances, and secures precedence in royal/competitive settings. It couples Indra Puruhūta’s conquering force with the all-supporting powers (viśve), while also drawing in Bhaga as the distributor of fortune, so that wealth and winnings come “into the hand.” It explicitly targets misfortune: evil-minded plots, hunger, and the opponent’s ‘made’ advantage (kṛta), turning them into the patron’s gain.

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (Anukramaṇī attribution for this victory/prosperity section; varies by ancillary lists) | Devata: Indra (puruhūta) with ‘All’ (viśve) as supporting powers | 9 Mantras

Deities of Anuvaka 5

IndraPuruhūta
Victor/protector; breaker of hostile contrivances
In 1 hymn
Indra-VishnuIndra-Viṣṇu
Victory-bringers; prevent total defeat and secure ordered prosperity
In 1 hymn
Soma-Rudra
Healers/purifiers; physicians who drive off affliction
In 1 hymn
SinivaliSinīvālī
Fertility/childbirth patroness; establisher of progeny
In 1 hymn
KuhuKuhū
Prosperity-giver; assigns wealth and makes sacrifice effective
In 1 hymn
RakaRākā
Restorer/healer; repairs injury and supports fertility
In 1 hymn
DevapatnisDevapatnīs (consorts of the gods)
Protectors/escorts; guard onward in contest and prize-winning
In 1 hymn
VachVāc (Speech)
Regulator of auspiciousness; ensures gracious speech prevails
In 1 hymn
Suparna / ShyenaSuparṇa / Śyena (divine bird)
Messenger/guide; brings auspicious alliance and overcomes obstacles
In 1 hymn

Inside Anuvaka 5

The theme

Securing wholeness and advantage through lunar-fertility powers, divine physicians, and victory-guarding alliances

Threads through it

Conception, safe childbirth, and establishment of progeny (Sinīvālī)
Restoration/repair of bodily injury and fertility (Rākā)
Ritual efficacy and wealth-allotment at the new moon (Kuhū)
Healing and purification by divine physicians (Soma–Rudra)
Victory, precedence, and breaking hostile plots (Indra; Indra–Viṣṇu)
Social pacification: neutralizing jealousy (īrṣyā)
Protective escort by goddesses/consorts (Devapatnīs)
Mantra-discipline: auspicious speech over inauspicious speech (Vāc)
Auspicious arrival/transport and overcoming obstacles (Suparṇa/Śyena)

Who it serves

Household and public life: conception and childbirth rites, recovery from wounds/afflictions, ensuring ritual success and prosperity, winning contests/royal favor, and stabilizing social harmony and protection on the way.

What it heals

Wandering affliction/disease and impuritySukta 7.42
Wounds, piercings/cuts, bodily rupture; need for making the body wholeSukta 7.48
Jealousy/envy (īrṣyā) causing social heat and harmSukta 7.45
Infertility/difficulty conceiving; safeguarding pregnancy and childbirthSukta 7.46
Need for protection and safe onward movement in contest/travel/undertakingsSukta 7.41, 7.49
Threat from hostile plots/contrivances; risk of defeat or loss in competitionSukta 7.44, 7.50

Frequently Asked Questions

What unifies the hymns of Atharvaveda 7.5?

They coordinate healing and restoration (Soma–Rudra, Rākā), fertility and lineage (Sinīvālī), prosperity via lunar timing (Kuhū/Rākā), and protective-victorious power (Indra, Indra–Viṣṇu, Devapatnīs).

Which sūktas are most directly “medical” (bheṣaja/bhaiṣajya) in this anuvāka?

AV 7.42 treats affliction through Soma–Rudra as physicians, AV 7.48 repairs piercing/cutting and restores wholeness through Rākā, and AV 7.45 applies a remedy against the social illness of jealousy (īrṣyā).

How do the lunar goddesses function here (Kuhū, Sinīvālī, Rākā)?

Kuhū (new-moon power) is invoked to make the rite effective and allot wealth; Sinīvālī supports conception and safe childbirth; Rākā (full-moon power) restores what is damaged and strengthens fertility and well-being.

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