Atharva Veda 8.6.21: Kanda 8, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 6, Mantra 21
Sukta 6
प॒वी॒न॒सात् त॑ङ्ग॒ल्वा॒३च्छाय॑कादु॒त नग्न॑कात्। प्र॒जायै॒ पत्ये॑ त्वा पि॒ङ्गः परि॑ पातु किमी॒दिनः॑
pavī́nasāt taṅgálvāc chā́yakād utá nágnakāt | prajā́yai pátye tvā piṅgáḥ pári pātu kīmīdínaḥ ||
From wasting-sickness, from Taṅgalva, from the Shadow-one, and from the Naked-one— for offspring, for the husband, may Piṅga guard thee round about, from the kīmīdin devourers.
बिमारी से, तंगल्वा नाम के बुरी चीज़ से, छाया वाले से, और नंगा वाले से, बच्चे के लिए, पति के लिए, पिंगा तुम्हे चारों तरफ से बचाए उन बुरी चीजों से जो खा जाते हैं।
The meaning
What it says
A protective guardian Piṅga is asked to guard the woman round about—from wasting sickness, Taṅgalva, the Shadow-one, the Naked-one—and from kīmīdin ‘devourers,’ for the sake of offspring and the husband.
The inner meaning
Names and externalizes fears: the chant gives form to anxieties (wasting, shadow, exposure) so they can be bounded and expelled; Piṅga becomes the inner sentinel of vigilance and warmth.
The truth in it
Protection often begins by naming the threat and invoking a stable guardian principle; when fear is articulated, it becomes manageable and less consuming.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Bhaisajya (Healing) / Rakṣoghna (Demon-expelling) / Strīkarmāṇi
Its aim
Apotropaic protection of pregnancy and household fertility against named afflicters and ‘devourers’.
Word by Word
Pada patha
पवीनसात् । तङ्गल्वात् । छायकात् । उत । नग्नकात् । प्रजायै । पत्ये । त्वा । पिङ्गः । परि । पातु । किमीदिनः ।
- पवीनसात्
- from (the disease) pavīnasa (a wasting/consumptive ailment)from pavīnasa (a wasting/consumptive affliction; here a named malevolent condition/demon)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी-विभक्ति; एकवचनRole अपादानRoot पवीनस (प्रातिपदिक; रोग-नाम)
- तङ्गल्वात्
- from taṅgalva (a named ailment/affliction)from taṅgalva (a noxious being/ailment-name; a class of harmful agents)Nounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (पाठभेदानुसार); पञ्चमी-विभक्ति; एकवचनRole अपादानRoot तङ्गल्व (प्रातिपदिक; रोग/दोष-नाम)
- छायकात्
- from chāyaka (a named disease/affliction)from chāyaka (shadowy afflicter; ‘shadow’-demon causing harm)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी-विभक्ति; एकवचनRole अपादानRoot छायक (प्रातिपदिक; रोग/दोष-नाम)
- उत
- and alsoIndeclinableअव्ययRoot उत
- नग्नकात्
- from nagnaka (a named ailment/affliction)from nagnaka (the ‘naked’ one; a demon/evil influence so named)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी-विभक्ति; एकवचनRole अपादानRoot नग्नक (प्रातिपदिक; रोग/दोष-नाम)
- प्रजायै
- for offspring/progenyfor offspring; for successful issueNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी-विभक्ति; एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot प्रजा (प्रातिपदिक)
- पत्ये
- for the husband/lordNounपुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी-विभक्ति; एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot पति (प्रातिपदिक)
- त्वा
- you (as object)thee (the woman/pregnancy/amulet addressed)Pronounद्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- पिङ्गः
- Piṅga (the tawny one; a protecting being)Piṅga (a protective being/guardian; lit. tawny—often a named warder)Noun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्ताRoot पिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक; विशेषण/देवता-नाम)
- परि
- around; all aroundaround, on all sides (encircling protection)Indeclinable (preverb) / Adverbअव्ययRoot परि
- पातु
- may (he) protectmay he protect, guardVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचनRoot पा (धातु; रक्षणे)
- किमीदिनः
- of the kīmīdina (worm/parasite-like demon/affliction)from the kīmīdin (worm/parasite/demonic devourer; generic harmful creature)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root किमीदिन (प्रातिपदिक; राक्षस/कृमि-जन्य-दोष/भूत-नाम)
Sandhi Notes
- पवीनसात् | तङ्गल्वात् | छायकात् | उत | नग्नकात् | प्रजायै | पत्ये | त्वा | पिङ्गः | परि | पातु | किमीदिनः । मुख्य सन्धि:
- (1) तङ्गल्वा॒३च्छायकात् = तङ्गल्वात् + छायकात् (त् + छ → च्छ).
- (2) किमी॒दिनः॑—पद अन्ते षष्ठी एकवचन
- मन्त्र में ‘पिङ्गः … पातु’ के साथ ‘किमीदिनः’ सम्बन्ध-निर्देश (genitive of source/affliction) के रूप में।
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic tradition (specific r̥ṣi uncertain without ancillary indices).
- Devata
- Piṅga (guardian); secondarily the expulsion of pavīnasa/taṅgalva/chāyaka/nagnaka/kīmīdin.
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh (probable).
- Rasa
- Bhayankara and Vira
Sāyaṇa glosses the listed terms as names of grahas/rākṣasa-like afflicters that attack pregnancy and fertility. Piṅga is taken as a protective power (sometimes linked with a specific amulet/guardian spirit) invoked to encircle the woman/foetus. ‘kīmīdin’ is explained as a class of harmful ‘worm-like’ devourers, literal or demonic, that ‘eat’ vitality and embryos.
Atharvanic tradition (specific r̥ṣi uncertain without indices)
Garbha-rakṣā with demonological naming; apotropaic enumeration of afflicters and invocation of a guardian (Piṅga) for fertility and household continuity.
Illustrates Atharvan demonology in women’s rites: naming specific afflicters to constrain them, then installing a guardian presence around the vulnerable body.
Piṅga (guardian power)
A perimeter-guardian associated with warm radiance (piṅga), functioning like a watchman against devouring forces and wasting afflictions.
Protects fertility/pregnancy by warding wasting and devouring influences; supports vitality and warmth.
Encircling guard (pari-) against named afflicters and kīmīdin devourers.
4 pādas of ~8 syllables; first half enumerative (from X, from Y), second half dedicatory (for offspring/husband) + protective command.
Disease-name clusters can compress meter; AV anuṣṭubh often tolerates such lists for ritual specificity.
Incantatory catalog → sealing protection; the list functions like a diagnostic/banishing roll-call.
By naming, it ‘pins down’ the threats; the final pari pātu establishes a felt boundary.
Establish a protective boundary around the pregnant woman (by cord, circumambulation, or hand-gesture).
Recite the mantra naming specific afflicters to be excluded.
Invoke Piṅga as the encircling guardian; optionally touch the amulet/waistband while saying ‘pari pātu’.
Dismiss the named beings verbally (rakṣas-nirhāra) and seal with a final protective touch.
Kauśika Sūtra: pregnancy-protection and rakṣā-bandhana applications for AV 8.6 (edition-dependent numbering).
Atharvan priest as rakṣoghna operator: identifies hostile agents by name and installs a guardian power through mantra and boundary-making.
Recite for pregnancy protection; may be spoken while circling the woman clockwise or while touching a protective thread/band; dedicate explicitly ‘for offspring, for the husband’.
During pregnancy, especially when illness is near, during epidemics, or after ominous dreams; also at dusk/night if ‘shadow’ fears arise.
Atharvan priest can perform rakṣoghna rite; household recitation also plausible.
Protective prayer/recitation for prenatal wellbeing, paired with practical health measures.
protective guardian Piṅga (personified power); amulet/encircling protection (implied by pari-pātu)
Implied encircling protection; may accompany a band/thread in the 8.6 context
No explicit materia medica here; the ‘substance’ is the guardian presence (Piṅga) and the perimeter (pari) created by speech.
Pavīnasā (wasting), Taṅgalvā, Chāyaka, Nagnaka; kīmīdin devourers (demonic afflicters)
Implicitly pregnancy/uterine context; whole-body perimeter protection
Apotropaic expulsion by naming + invocation of guardian Piṅga to encircle and prevent ‘devouring’ of vitality/foetus.
Depletion/wasting suggests dhātu-kṣaya; protection aims at preserving bala/ojas; demonological framing overlaps with āgantuka causation.
Prenatal protection anxieties around infection, malnutrition, stress, domestic insecurity; ‘devourers’ parallel predatory stressors and health risks.
Pregnant woman (and by extension foetus and household)
All-around guarding of the pregnant woman for fertility and household continuity; banishment of named afflicters and devourers.
Enumerative banishing (from X…from Y…) + dedicatory intention (prajāyai patye) + encircling command (pari pātu).
Wasting illness, named demon-diseases, shadow/exposure forces, kīmīdin devourers
Offspring/fertility; household stability
- पवीनसा (pavīnasā)
- draining anxiety, depletion, chronic weakness
- तङ्गल्वा (taṅgalvā)
- entangling, obstructive force; knotting complications
- छायक (chāyaka)
- depression, hidden danger, unseen influence
- नग्नक (nagnaka)
- vulnerability, exposure, loss of protective covering
- प्रजायै (prajāyai)
- continuity of life-line; fertility intention
- पत्ये (patye)
- household stability; social support structure
- पिङ्गः (piṅgaḥ)
- warm protective radiance; watchful sentinel (dawn-like)
- परि पातु (pari pātu)
- encircling protection; perimeter defense
- किमीदिनः (kīmīdinaḥ)
- forces that ‘eat’ vitality—illness, fear, predation
Guarding the life-force from depletion; cultivating warm protective vigilance (piṅga radiance).
Svadhisthana
Warming, gentle breath (no force): slow inhale imagining tawny light; exhale releasing ‘shadow’ and ‘devourers’ outward beyond a boundary.
A tawny-gold guardian circling the body; shadowy figures dissolve at the perimeter; the womb glows steadily.
Protected alertness; warmth over fear.
Recite 7 or 21 times; end with a brief gratitude/grounding touch on the lower abdomen (if appropriate and comfortable).
Enumerative portion steady and even; slight emphasis on each disease-name; final pāda stronger on pari pātu.
Keep ‘prajāyai patye’ clearly separated as the intention clause; do not rush the list of afflicters.
Protective, slightly forceful on the banishing list; soothing on the intention clause.
If performed as a rakṣā, accompany with clockwise circumambulation (pari-) to embody ‘pari pātu’.
11 times
Pregnancy protection amid illness risk, exhaustion, fear of ‘evil influences,’ or household instability.
When feeling depleted; when exposed to sickness; at dusk/night if ‘shadow’ anxiety rises; before sleep.
Traditional apotropaic reassurance; strengthened sense of being guarded; motivational support for rest and nourishment.
Seek medical care for symptoms of wasting/infection; do not delay prenatal consultation. Avoid stigmatizing mental health as ‘demonic.’
No plant is specified; the operative ‘substance’ is classificatory naming of threats plus installation of a guardian (Piṅga). This reflects a medical-magical model where diagnosis is demonological taxonomy, and cure is perimeter-defense rather than ingestion.
Reproductive success (‘for offspring, for the husband’) is framed as a household good tied to the paty (male household head), while the woman is the protected site. The Atharvan specialist mediates unseen dangers through authoritative naming.
The piling of opaque afflicter-names (taṅgalva, chāyaka, nagnaka) is more typical of AV’s applied demonology than RV’s mythic register. The syntax is charm-like: ablatives of separation + protective optative.
Gopatha’s Atharvanic hermeneutic privileges correct nomination and exclusion of hostile forces; efficacy arises from mantra as juridical speech-act (naming, banning) coupled with a protective enclosure.
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