Sukta 25
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (Kāma-charm attribution)
Devata: Kāma (Desire), personified as archer/force
Chandas: Mixed/irregular Atharvanic (prose-like opening tag + anuṣṭubh-like cadence)
AV 3.25 adalah himne vaśīkaraṇa yang digerakkan oleh Kāma, bertujuan menyalakan kerinduan gelisah pada sasaran, mematahkan perlawanan, dan memaksa ia mendekat, bertutur manis, serta melekat secara eksklusif. Hasrat dibingkai sebagai senjata—panah Kāma yang mengerikan—seraya memanggil kewibawaan pengikat Mitra–Varuṇa untuk mengacaukan tekad mandiri dan menempatkan orang itu di bawah kendali.
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
कामस्य इषुः। उ॒त्तु॒दस्त्वोत् तु॑दतु॒ मा धृ॑थाः॒ शय॑ने॒ स्वे। इषुः॒ काम॑स्य॒ या भी॒मा तया॑ विध्यामि त्वा हृ॒दि
Panah Kāma: biarlah penggoda itu menusukmu—menusukmu; jangan bertahan teguh di ranjangmu sendiri. Dengan panah Kāma—yang mengerikan itu—dengan itulah aku menembusmu di dalam hati.
Mantra 2
आ॒धीप॑र्णां॒ काम॑शल्या॒मिषुं॑ संक॒ल्पकु॑ल्मलाम्। तां सुसं॑नतां कृ॒त्वा कामो॑ विध्यतु त्वा हृ॒दि
Anak panah Kāma, berduri cinta, berbulu daun, bertunas dengan tekad yang teguh—setelah dibuat melengkung dengan baik—biarlah Kāma menembusmu di dalam hati.
Mantra 3
या प्ली॒हानं॑ शो॒षय॑ति॒ काम॒स्येषुः॒ सुसं॑नता । प्रा॒चीन॑पक्षा॒ व्योऽषा॒ तया॑ विध्यामि त्वा हृ॒दि
Panah Kāma yang tertekuk baik itu, yang mengeringkan limpa—bersayap ke depan, vyoṣā yang pedas—dengan itu aku menembus engkau di hati.
Mantra 4
शु॒चा वि॒द्धा व्योऽषया॒ शुष्का॑स्या॒भि स॑र्प मा । मृ॒दुर्निम॑न्युः॒ केव॑ली प्रियवा॒दिन्यनु॑व्रता
Tertikam oleh nyeri yang membakar dengan vyoṣā yang pedas, bermulut kering—merayaplah kepadaku: lembutlah, amarahmu ditundukkan; sepenuhnya milikku, manis tuturmu, patuh pada kehendakku.
Mantra 5
आजा॑मि॒ त्वाज॑न्या॒ परि॑ मा॒तुरथो॑ पि॒तुः । यथा॒ मम॒ क्रता॒वसो॒ मम॑ चि॒त्तमु॒पाय॑सि
Ke sini aku memanggilmu, wahai yang akrab, menjauh dari kaummu—menjauh dari ibu dan juga ayah—agar, wahai penolong tekadku, engkau datang kepada pikiranku, ya, kepada niatku.
Mantra 6
व्यऽस्यै मित्रावरुणौ हृ॒दश्चि॒त्तान्य॑स्यतम्। अथै॑नामक्र॒तुं कृ॒त्वा ममै॒व कृ॑णुतं॒ वशे॑
Wahai Mitra–Varuṇa, cerai-beraikanlah dari hatinya segala pikiran; lalu, setelah menjadikannya tanpa kehendak dan tanpa maksud, tempatkanlah dia—hanya milikku—di bawah kuasaku.
Inside Sukta 25
How it unfolds
- How it opens
Begins with the blunt performative tag ‘kāmasya iṣuḥ’—Kāma’s arrow—immediately establishing the hymn as a weaponized act rather than a gentle prayer.
- What it asks
That the target cannot remain firm in her own bed, but is pierced with longing, creeps/comes to the operator, becomes gentle, sweet-speaking, and obedient/exclusive.
- Where its power lies
The mantra speaks in the first-person coercive mode (‘therewith I pierce thee in the heart’), treating desire as an enforceable force and adding Mitra–Varuṇa’s binding sanction to override intention.
- How it closes
Concludes by asking Mitra–Varuṇa to cast apart the target’s thoughts and make her ‘mine only’ under control—an explicit sealing of vaśīkaraṇa.
Famous verses
kāmasya iṣuḥ
mamaiva kṛṇutaṃ vaśe
Kind of hymn
Strīkarmāṇi / Kāma (Love-compulsion); bordering on Abhicārika (coercive)
What it is for
To inflame longing, disrupt the target’s settled will, and compel approach and exclusive attachment under the operator’s control.
Who it is for
A ritual practitioner (Atharvanic operator) seeking love-compulsion/attraction, especially in contexts of resistance or separation.
Also used as
- Strīkarmāṇi
- Kāma / Vaśīkaraṇa
- Saṃmohana (bewildering/overpowering)
The deity
Kāma is personified as an archer-force whose ‘arrow’ pierces the heart and generates symptoms of longing (restlessness, dryness, burning). Mitra–Varuṇa appear as sovereign moral-binders who can ‘cast apart’ thoughts and impose control, lending juridical/contractual force to the compulsion.
Powers of the deity
- Pierces the heart to kindle obsessive longing
- Disturbs sleep and bodily ease, producing restlessness
- Draws the target physically toward the operator
- Softens anger and resistance; makes speech affectionate
- Enforces exclusivity (‘mine only’) and compliance
- Mitra–Varuṇa: separation of thoughts/intentions; binding and subjugation under vaśa
Why the deity is called
To weaponize desire as an irresistible impulse and, where desire alone is insufficient, to bind the target’s mind and intention through Mitra–Varuṇa’s constraining power.
The seer
- Atharvanic (collective/anonymous) — Kāma-charm attributionAtharvan. Strīkarmāṇi and Kāma/vaśīkaraṇa charms: inflaming longing, disturbing repose, compelling approach, softening anger, and enforcing exclusive attachment (often bordering on abhicāra).
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 3.24 (Kāma/vaśīkaraṇa cluster, traditional association)
- AV 6.130 (vaśīkaraṇa/attraction-type charm, Atharvanic style)
- AV 6.131 (love/attraction-type charm, Atharvanic style)
Preparing for the rite
- Choose a private place; maintain secrecy and single-pointed intent (ekāgratā).
- Prepare a symbolic ‘arrow’ (reed, small shaft, or kusha/reed substitute) to mime Kāma’s iṣu.
- If using vyoṣā, have a small pinch ready (as scent/taste-symbol rather than ingestion).
- Fix the target in mind (name/mental image) and orient toward the direction of the target’s dwelling if known.
The rite
- Recite 3.25.1 while miming the ‘piercing’ action toward the target (symbolic heart-aiming).
- Recite the middle verses to intensify restlessness and draw the target from her ‘own bed’ toward the operator.
- Recite 3.25.4 while presenting vyoṣā as a pungent irritant-symbol of longing (dry mouth/burning), commanding approach and soft speech.
- Recite 3.25.6 as the binding climax, petitioning Mitra–Varuṇa to sever independent thoughts and place the target in vaśa (control).
What it needs
- Symbolic arrow/reed (iṣu)
- Vyoṣā (pungent triad; typically dry ginger, black pepper, long pepper)
- Optional: a small thread/cord as a ‘binding’ token (Mitra–Varuṇa motif)
When
Traditionally performed at night or at liminal times (dusk/night) when longing and restlessness are ritually resonant; also when the target is presumed at rest (bed motif).
The main substance
Iṣu (symbolic ‘arrow’ of Kāma, often mimed with a reed/shaft)
Herbs
- Vyoṣā (dry ginger/śuṇṭhī, black pepper/marica, long pepper/pippalī)
Amulets
- Optional binding-cord/thread (symbolic of Mitra–Varuṇa’s bandhana)
- Optional small arrow-token carried/kept as a focus-object
How it is prepared
Keep the arrow-token purified (clean, unused) and handle it only for the rite; use a tiny amount of vyoṣā as scent/taste-symbol (not as medicine), presenting it during recitation to embody ‘burning/dry-mouth’ longing.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a love-compulsion hymn that treats desire as a forceful weapon. The verses aim to make the target restless, draw her to the operator, and enforce exclusive attachment.
Mitra–Varuṇa function as cosmic ‘binders’ who can restrain and re-order intentions. Here they are asked to break apart the target’s thoughts and place her under control, reinforcing coercion beyond mere attraction.
Vyoṣā is a pungent triad (commonly dry ginger, black pepper, and long pepper). The hymn uses its sensory qualities as a symbol for the bodily signs of longing—heat, dryness, and agitation—so the target ‘cannot stay put’ and comes seeking relief through union.
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