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Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (anonymous/collective in many AV apotropaic pieces)
Devata: Brahman (mantra-power) personified; secondarily Vāta/Antarikṣa as loci
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (probable; requires padic verification across editions)
Here “Brahman” means the effective power of sacred speech—the potency of mantra and rite—treated as something that can wander and be summoned back.
They are named as likely ‘resting places’ for dispersed potency. By identifying the hiding places, the chant ritually compels the power to return to the performer.
When a recitation or rite feels ineffective—after interruption, mistake, fear, or a sense that protection has weakened—this verse is used to recall and reattach the departed mantra-power.
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