Atharva Veda 2.13.5: Kanda 2, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 13, Mantra 5
Sukta 13
यस्य॑ ते॒ वासः॑ प्रथमवा॒स्यं॑१ हरा॑म॒स्तं त्वा॒ विश्वे॑ऽवन्तु दे॒वाः । तं त्वा॒ भ्रात॑रः सु॒वृधा॒ वर्ध॑मान॒मनु॑ जातन्तां ब॒हवः॒ सुजा॑तम्
yásya te vā́saḥ prathamavāsyàṃ harā́mas táṃ tvā víśve ’vantu devā́ḥ | táṃ tvā bhrā́taraḥ su-vṛ́dhā vardhámānam ánu jātantāṃ bahávaḥ su-jā́tam
Whose first vesture, even thy earliest garment, we take up—may all the Gods befriend and guard thee. Thee, waxing ever, may thy brothers, good increasers, follow with birth in multitude—well-born.
Jubah “vāsas” pertamamu—pakaianmu yang paling mula—kami angkat; semoga semua Dewa berkenan dan melindungimu. Engkau yang terus bertumbuh; semoga saudara-saudaramu, para penambah yang baik, mengikuti kelahiranmu dalam jumlah banyak—yang terlahir mulia.
The meaning
What it says
At the taking up of the subject’s first garment, the Viśve Devāḥ are asked to guard them. May ‘brothers’—good increasers—follow with many births, the well-born one growing ever.
The inner meaning
Clothing here is identity and social belonging: the first vesture marks entry into protected human community. The charm aims at secure attachment, kin-support, and flourishing continuity (lineage, siblings, allies).
The truth in it
To be ‘clothed’ is to be held by community and order: protection and prosperity arise when the individual is wrapped in care, recognition, and auspicious continuity.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Paustika (Prosperity) / Saṃskāra-adjacent (consecratory protection)
Its aim
To consecrate and protect the subject at the moment of first vesting, securing divine guardianship and the increase of kin/offspring (lineage multiplication and social thriving).
Word by Word
Pada patha
यस्य । ते । वासः । प्रथम-वास्यम् । हरामः । तम् । त्वा । विश्वे । अवन्तु । देवाः । तम् । त्वा । भ्रातरः । सु-वृधाः । वर्धमानम् । अनु । जातन्ताम् । बहवः । सु-जातम् ।
- यस्य
- whosewhose; of which (introducing the consecratory relation)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → य-
- ते
- to/for you; yourto/for thee; thy (address to the recipient of the rite)Pronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी; एकवचनRole सम्प्रदान (to/for you) / सम्बन्ध (your)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- वासः
- garment, clothinggarment, clothing; ritually potent vesture (protective covering)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्म (object of हरामः)Root वासस् (प्रातिपदिक) अथवा √वस् (आच्छादने) से निष्पन्न
- प्रथमवास्यम्
- the first-to-be-worn (first garment)first-wearing, first garment; inaugural vestment (marking new status/renewal)Adjective (compound)नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole विशेषण (of वासः) / कर्मRoot प्रथम (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक) + वास्य (√वस्/वास्; ‘to clothe’, ‘fit to be worn’)
- हरामः
- we take away, removewe take/receive (ritually take up, assume, or put on as an act of consecration)Verbलट्; उत्तमपुरुष; बहुवचनRole क्रिया (we take away/remove)Root √हृ (हरणे) — लट्
- तम्
- himhim/that (the person so vested; the consecrated subject)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्म (object of अवन्तु)Root तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- त्वा
- youthee (direct address; the beneficiary/subject of the mantra)Pronounद्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्म (object of अवन्तु)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- विश्वे
- all (the gods)all (collectively); the totality (of divine powers)Adjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (subject of अवन्तु)Root विश्व (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
- अवन्तु
- may (they) protectmay they aid, protect, favour (apotropaic safeguarding)Verbलोट्; प्रथमपुरुष; बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot √अव् (रक्षणे) — लोट्
- देवाः
- the godsthe gods; divine agencies invoked for protection and increaseNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (apposition to विश्वे)Root देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- तम्
- himhim/that (resuming the consecrated subject)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्म (object of जातन्ताम्)Root तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- त्वा
- youthee (again, emphatic address)Pronounद्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्म (object of जातन्ताम्)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- भ्रातरः
- brothersbrothers; agnatic kin (social support and lineage-continuity)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (subject of जातन्ताम्)Root भ्रातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- सुवृधाः
- well-thriving, very prosperouswell-increasing, good-growers; those who promote thriving (auspicious kin)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole विशेषण (of भ्रातरः)Root सु- (उपसर्ग) + वृध (प्रातिपदिक; ‘thriving, increasing’)
- वर्धमानम्
- growing, increasinggrowing, increasing; in a state of augmentation (desired prosperity/strength)Participleपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्म (qualifying ‘tam tvā’)Root √वृध् (वर्धने) — शानच् (वर्तमान कृदन्त) → वर्धमान
- अनु
- after, along, in accordanceafter, along, in succession; in due sequence (following the subject’s growth)Indeclinableअव्ययRole उपपद/क्रियाविशेषणRoot अनु (अव्यय)
- जातन्ताम्
- may (they) be born/come into being (after you); may they follow in birthlet them be born/come to birth; let them arise (as offspring/companions in succession)Verbलोट्; प्रथमपुरुष; बहुवचन; आत्मनेपदRole क्रियाRoot √जन् (जन्मनि) — लोट्, आत्मनेपद (आशीर्लिङ्/विधिलिङ्-समकक्ष प्रयोग)
- बहवः
- manymany; numerous (multiplication of kin/offspring)Adjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (subject of जातन्ताम्; in apposition to भ्रातरः)Root बहु (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
- सुजातम्
- well-born, of good birthwell-born; of good birth (legitimate, auspiciously generated)Adjective/Participleपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole विशेषण (of तम्/त्वा)Root सु- + जात (√जन्; क्त-प्रत्यय) → सुजात
Sandhi Notes
- यस्य ते वासः प्रथम-वास्यम् हरामः, तम् त्वा विश्वे अवन्तु देवाः । तम् त्वा भ्रातरः सुवृधाः वर्धमानम् अनु जातन्ताम् बहवः सुजातम् ।
- 1) विश्वेऽवन्तु = विश्वे + अवन्तु (ए + अ → एऽ)
- समास/संयोग—प्रथम + वास्यम् (विशेषण-सम्बन्ध)
- 3) वर्धमानमनु = वर्धमानम् + अनु (म् + अ → म-अ; लेखन में संधि-समास नहीं, केवल संयोग)
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic/Angiras-type attribution typical for domestic-prosperity formulae.
- Devata
- Viśve Devāḥ (All the Gods); secondarily the kin-group as social ‘agents’ of increase.
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh (probable; requires metrical verification against pada-counting in the received text).
- Rasa
- Shringara and Shanta
Sāyaṇa takes vāsas/prathamavāsyam as the inaugural cloth assumed in a rite of transition (a protective, auspicious covering). harāmas is construed as a ritual ‘taking up/putting on’ performed by the officiants. víśve devāḥ are invoked as universal guardians to avert harm at the liminal moment of first vesting. bhrātaraḥ is read socially and ritually: the agnates/kinsmen are to ‘follow’ (anu) the subject’s increase with the arising of many well-born (su-jāta) successors—i.e., prosperity expressed as lineage-continuity and communal reinforcement.
Ātharvaṇa (anonymous domestic-prosperity seer for AVŚ 2.13)
Paustika blessings and saṃskāra-adjacent protections (clothing, growth, kin-increase, divine guardianship).
Shows Atharvan domestic religiosity: prosperity is kinship + divine shelter; a simple household action (first clothing) becomes a consecration of life-trajectory.
Viśve Devāḥ
Collective divinity that stabilizes transitions and life-stages; they ‘cover’ the person with auspiciousness as the garment covers the body.
Guards the vulnerable during liminal moments (first vesture), wards evil eye/ill-omens, supports growth and social flourishing.
4 pādas of ~8 syllables; AV phrasing may slightly expand with compounds like prathama-vāsyam.
Domestic blessings often prioritize semantic fullness over strict metrical tightness; recitation naturally pauses at ritual actions (lifting garment).
Gentle, blessing-like cadence with supportive repetition of ‘taṃ tvā’.
Soothing and consecratory; reinforces belonging and auspicious growth.
Prepare a new or inaugural garment (prathamavāsyam) for the beneficiary.
The Atharvan priest (or household officiant under Atharvanic direction) ritually takes up the garment while reciting the mantra.
The garment is then placed upon/around the beneficiary as a protective covering.
A concluding act of blessing is performed, directing the wish toward divine protection (víśve devāḥ) and toward kin-based increase (bhrātaraḥ… bahavaḥ sujātam).
Kauśika Sūtra: clothing/vesture (vāsas) consecration context; exact sutra number requires recension-specific cross-indexing.
Atharvan/Brahman as ritual technologist: he effects the transfer of auspiciousness into the garment through mantra-recitation and controlled handling (grahaṇa/āropaṇa), framing the vesture as an apotropaic and prosperity-bearing device.
At the moment of first dressing (newborn/infant) or first ceremonial clothing; elders lift the garment, recite, then place it on the child.
Auspicious day-moment (morning), after bathing; can be paired with blessing by family and offering at household fire/lamp.
Not strictly required; family elder can perform; Atharvan priest may be invited for formal saṃskāra context.
Likely aligned with Kauśika domestic saṃskāra-adjacent protections involving clothing/child welfare in AV praxis (edition-specific citation required).
Use during naming-day clothing, first day of school outfit, or any ‘new beginning’ garment as a blessing of protection and social support.
Vāsas (garment/cloth; inaugural vesture)
Cloth is a portable boundary: it warms, covers, and signals social inclusion. As ‘first vesture’ it becomes a ritual skin—an amulet of belonging and auspicious growth.
Ritual support for early childhood development and family bonding; symbolic ‘secure attachment’ practice.
The child/recipient at first vesting (or any person at a new life-stage marked by new clothing).
Consecrate the first garment; secure divine protection and kin/lineage increase; promote thriving growth.
Consecratory handling of cloth + invocation of collective divine guardians + blessing of multiplicative kinship (bhrātaraḥ… bahavaḥ).
Ill-omens at transitions, vulnerability of infancy/early growth, social misfortune.
Lineage/kin increase, social flourishing, auspicious growth.
- vāsaḥ (वासः)
- social identity, protection, dignity; the ‘skin’ of community
- prathama-vāsyam (प्रथमवास्यम्)
- initiation into life-stages; first protective layer bestowed by elders
- harāmaḥ (हरामः)
- ritual handling/consecration; transferring guardianship through touch
- avantu (अवन्तु)
- divine guardianship as ongoing shelter
- bhrātaraḥ su-vṛdhāḥ (भ्रातरः सुवृधाः)
- kin-network; supportive companions; multiplying prosperity
- vardhamānam (वर्धमानम्)
- life-force expansion; thriving in body and fortune
- bahavaḥ (बहवः)
- abundance—of kin, allies, opportunities
- sujātam (सुजातम्)
- auspicious constitution and destiny; socially affirmed legitimacy
Receiving protection; cultivating gratitude for community and lineage.
anāhata (heart)
Gentle coherent breathing (5–6 breaths/min) while repeating ‘viśve ‘vantu devāḥ’.
Soft, safe, connected.
As you put on clothing, feel it as a ‘mantle of protection’; dedicate the day’s actions to growth without harm, and to being a ‘su-vṛdh’ for others.
Blessing intonation: keep Vedic accents but soften delivery; emphasize ‘avantu devāḥ’ and ‘vardhamānam’.
Pause with the ritual action: lift garment on ‘harāmaḥ’, then place it as you say ‘avantu’.
Warm, gentle, blessing tone.
This is a classic domestic ‘touch + speech’ consecration: the efficacy is imagined to enter through the handled garment as much as through the words.
3 times
First clothing of a child; new clothing for a new phase (school, marriage preparation, recovery return to normal life).
While lifting/folding the new garment before wearing; ideally morning in a calm setting.
Sense of divine and familial protection; auspicious framing of growth, social support, and flourishing.
Avoid social pressure around fertility/‘many births’—interpret as abundance of support and community if needed.
No botanical drug is named; the operative ‘substance’ is textile (vāsas). The garment functions like an Atharvanic amulet: a material carrier of protection and prosperity, activated by the mantra at the liminal moment of first wearing.
Protection is sought from the universal pantheon (víśve devāḥ), but the realized prosperity is articulated through agnatic solidarity (bhrātaraḥ) and legitimate reproduction (su-jātam). The verse presumes a household/lineage order in which male kin and ‘good birth’ are central indices of social flourishing.
The diction is broadly RV-compatible (víśve devā́ḥ; optative avantu), but the domestic-ritual focus on first vesture (prathamavāsyam) is characteristically Atharvanic in its attention to everyday objects as charged media. The repeated táṃ tvā is a pragmatic, incantatory reinforcement typical of Atharvanic style.
In Gopatha’s general Atharvanic theory, efficacy arises from correct deployment of mantra with a material support (here, the garment) at a transition-point, aligning human action with divine guardianship. While no specific Gopatha passage is cited here, the logic matches its recurrent framing: mantra + rite (karman) + auspicious substance yields protection and increase.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Atharva Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
