Sukta 75
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (Anukramaṇī attribution not supplied in input)
Devata: Rudra (as protector) with implicit Āpaḥ (Waters) and cattle as beneficiaries
Chandas: Mixed/triṣṭubh-like cadence (edition-dependent); not securely determinable from input alone
This brief two-mantra hymn is a protective-prosperity charm for cattle: it secures cows on the way to pasture and at the watering place, and it fortifies the cowshed and household seat. Rudra is invoked not as a destroyer but as a vigilant guardian whose “missile” forms an apotropaic perimeter, while the Waters and benevolent Goddesses are asked to cleanse, anoint, and strengthen the herd and the owner’s domain.
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
अघ्न्याः। प्र॒जाव॑तीः सू॒यव॑से रु॒शन्तीः॑ शु॒द्धा अ॒पः सु॑प्रपा॒णे पिब॑न्तीः । मा व॑ स्ते॒न ई॑शत॒ माघशं॑सः॒ परि॑ वो रु॒द्रस्य॑ हे॒तिर्वृ॑णक्तु
यह गायें हैं, जो बच्चे देती हैं, चमकती हैं जैसे चारा खाने जाती हैं। साफ पानी पीती हैं जहाँ पानी मिलता है। चोर इनपे कभी हाथ न डाले, बुरी ज़बान वाला इन्हे कभी गाली न दे। रुद्र की बाण उनके आस-पास रक्षा करे।
Mantra 2
प॒द॒ज्ञा स्थ॒ रम॑तयः॒ संहि॑ता वि॒श्वना॑म्नीः । उप॑ मा देवीर्दे॒वेभि॒रेत॑ । इ॒मं गो॒ष्ठमि॒दं सदो॑ घृ॒तेना॒स्मान्त्समु॑क्षत
तुम्हे रास्ता पता है, तुम अच्छी हो, सब मिलकर रहती हो, हर तरह के नाम से बुलाई जाती हो। देवियाँ, भगवान के साथ यहाँ आओ। इस गौशाला को, इस बैठक को, घी से गीला करो। और हमें भी पूरा गीला करके मज़बूत करो।
Inside Sukta 75
How it unfolds
- How it opens
The hymn opens by addressing the cows as ‘aghnyāḥ’ (not-to-be-slain/inviolable), prosperous in offspring and shining as they go to good pasture, drinking pure Waters at a fair watering place.
- What it asks
May no thief or malicious reviler gain power over them; may protective goddesses come with the Gods and bedew the cowshed and household seat with ghee, strengthening the people and herd.
- Where its power lies
Protection is asserted through Rudra’s encircling ‘heti’ (missile/weapon) choosing its guard around the cattle—an explicit apotropaic shield—while sprinkling/unction confers tangible vigor and prosperity.
- How it closes
The hymn seals the rite by focusing on the consecrated locus—‘this cattle-stall, this seat’—and the act of full sprinkling (samukṣ-) that strengthens the practitioners and their domain.
Famous verses
परि वो रुद्रस्य हेतिः वृणक्तुइमं गोष्ठमिदं सदो घृतेनास्मान्त्समुक्षतKind of hymn
Paustika (Prosperity) / Raksha (Protection)
What it is for
Protection of cattle from theft and verbal/ritual hostility, safe access to pasture and water, and reinforcement of the cowshed and household stability with prosperity and strength.
Who it is for
Householders, herdsmen, and village communities maintaining cattle wealth; ritual specialists performing protective rites for livestock and cowsheds.
Also used as
- Raksha
- Shantika
The deity
Rudra functions here as a fierce guardian-force whose weapon becomes a protective cordon around valuable cattle; the Waters embody purity, safe drinking, and life-sustaining refreshment; the Goddesses represent track-knowing, auspicious guidance and cohesive divine support for the cowshed and the household.
Powers of the deity
- Averting theft, harm, and ill-intentioned speech (māghaśaṃsa)
- Establishing a protective perimeter (paritaḥ-rakṣā) through Rudra’s “heti” (missile/weapon)
- Purifying and sustaining through the Waters (āpaḥ)
- Strengthening and prospering the household and herd via unction/sprinkling with ghee (ghṛta)
Why the deity is called
To keep cows inviolable and safe at pasture and watering, and to consecrate the cowshed/seat with strengthening, prosperity-bringing sprinkling while enlisting fierce and gentle divine agencies together.
The seer
- Atharvanic seer (anonymous/unspecified in provided Anukramaṇī data)Atharvan. Rakṣā-paustika charms for safeguarding livestock and household prosperity, especially through boundary-protection, sprinkling/unction, and averting theft and hostile speech.
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 7.74
- AV 7.76
- AV 6.70
Preparing for the rite
- Clean the cowshed (goṣṭha) and prepare a safe watering spot; gather clean water and ghee.
- Seat the officiant/householder near the cattle-pen or at the household seat (sadas).
- Optionally mark a protective boundary around the herd/cowshed with sprinkled water (āpaḥ) as a purificatory prelude.
The rite
- Recite 7.75.1 while the cattle move toward pasture/water or while standing at the watering place, visualizing Rudra’s weapon forming a guard ‘round about’ the herd.
- Recite 7.75.2 at the cowshed/household seat, and sprinkle (samukṣ-) ghee (or ghee mixed with water) onto the cowshed area and toward the cattle/owner for strengthening.
- Conclude by silently reaffirming the boundary-protection and the cohesion of the divine helpers ‘with the Gods’ (devebhir).
What it needs
- Pure water (āpaḥ)
- Ghee (ghṛta)
- Pasture grass context (yavasa) / access to grazing
- Cowshed/cattle-pen space (goṣṭha)
When
At dawn or before taking cattle to pasture; and/or at the watering time; the second mantra is especially apt upon returning to the cowshed or during cowshed consecration.
The main substance
Ghee (ghṛta)
How it is prepared
Use clean ghee for sprinkling/unction; optionally thin with a small amount of clean water for easier aspersion. Sprinkle toward the cowshed boundary and the herd while reciting, keeping the water source and vessels ritually clean.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is used to protect cattle on the way to pasture and at the watering place, and to strengthen the cowshed and household seat through a protective invocation of Rudra and a ghee-sprinkling consecration.
In this hymn Rudra’s fierce power is redirected into guardianship: his “heti” (weapon/missile) is asked to stand around the herd as a deterrent to thieves and hostile forces.
The hymn itself points to clean water (āpaḥ) for purity and ghee (ghṛta) for sprinkling/strengthening; it is performed in relation to the pasture route, watering place, and the cowshed (goṣṭha).
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