Atharva Veda Sukta 30
Kanda 5Anuvaka 3Sukta 3017 Mantras

Sukta 30

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (longevity charms frequently ascribed to Atharvan seers in ancillary lists)

Devata: Āyus/Asu (vital breath) with implicit opposition to Mṛtyu; Pitṛs as the avoided destination

Chandas: Mixed/Anuṣṭubh-like cadence (prose-like opening with metrical continuation)

AV 5.30 adalah mantra Atharvanik pemanjang usia yang menahan seseorang agar tidak meluncur menuju kematian dengan “mengikat erat” napas-hidup (asu) serta memanggil kembali daya-daya yang tercerai-berai. Himne ini secara tegas menutup jalan menuju Pitṛ (para leluhur yang telah wafat, tujuan bagi orang yang mati) dan memalingkan kekuatan-kekuatan yang memusuhi, termasuk bahaya yang diyakini dapat dikirim bahkan dari dalam lingkar kekerabatan. Daya mantranya dibingkai sebagai penyatuan kembali: napas, batin, penglihatan, kekuatan, dan kemantapan tubuh dihimpun serta dirangkai ulang, agar pasien tetap tinggal di sini, berdiri teguh di dunia orang hidup.

Kind of charm

Bhaishajya (healing)
Recitation with translationAtharva Veda 5.30

Mantras

Mantra 1

दीघायुष्यम्। आ॒वत॑स्त आ॒वतः॑ परा॒वत॑स्त आ॒वतः॑ । इ॒हैव भ॑व॒ मा नु गा॒ मा पूर्वा॒ननु॑ गाः पि॒तॄनसुं॑ बध्नामि ते दृ॒ढम्

Untuk umur panjang. Dari yang dekat bagimu, dari yang dekat; dari yang jauh bagimu, dari yang dekat. Di sinilah sungguh engkau berada; jangan pergi, jangan mengikuti yang terdahulu, para Pitṛ (Bapa Leluhur). Napasmu, hidupmu, kuikat erat bagimu.

Mantra 2

यत् त्वा॑भिचे॒रुः पुरु॑षः॒ स्वो यदर॑णो॒ जनः॑ । उ॒न्मो॒च॒न॒प्र॒मो॒च॒ने उ॒भे वा॒चा व॑दामि ते

Apa pun sihir (abhicāra) yang dilakukan seseorang terhadapmu—baik ia orangmu sendiri maupun orang asing—demi pelepasan ikatan dan pembebasan sepenuhnya, kepadamu kuucapkan mantra dua-lapis dengan ucapan.

Mantra 3

यद् दु॒द्रोहि॑थ शेपि॒षे स्त्रि॒यै पुं॒से अचि॑त्त्या । उ॒न्मो॒च॒न॒प्र॒मो॒च॒ने उ॒भे वा॒चा व॑दामि ते

Jika engkau telah berbuat pelanggaran dalam urusan anggota kelamin—terhadap perempuan atau terhadap laki-laki—karena kelengahan: demi pelepasan ikatan dan pembebasan sepenuhnya, kepadamu kuucapkan mantra dua-lapis dengan ucapan.

Mantra 4

यदेन॑सो मा॒तृकृ॑ता॒च्छेषे॑ पि॒तृकृ॑ताच्च॒ यत्। उ॒न्मो॒च॒न॒प्र॒मो॒च॒ने उ॒भे वा॒चा व॑दामि ते

Apa pun kesalahan yang tersisa—yang dibuat oleh ibumu dan yang dibuat oleh ayahmu—untuk pelepasan dan pembebasan sepenuhnya, kedua-duanya dengan ucapan kuucapkan bagimu.

Mantra 5

यत् ते मा॒ता यत् ते पि॒ता जा॒मिर्भ्राता॑ च॒ सर्ज॑तः । प्र॒त्यक् से॑वस्व भेष॒जं ज॒रद॑ष्टिं कृणोमि त्वा

Apa yang telah dilepaskan oleh ibumu, oleh ayahmu, oleh kerabat dan saudaramu—balikkanlah itu; berpautlah pada obat (bheṣaja): aku menjadikan engkau bertongkat usia tua.

Mantra 6

इ॒हैधि॑ पुरुष॒ सर्वे॑ण॒ मन॑सा स॒ह। दू॒तौ य॒मस्य॒ मानु॑ गा॒ अधि॑ जीवपु॒रा इ॑हि

Di sinilah engkau, wahai manusia, dengan segenap pikiranmu, bersama-sama. Jangan ikuti dua utusan Yama; kemarilah, di atas benteng-benteng kehidupan orang hidup.

Mantra 7

अनु॑हूतः॒ पुन॒रेहि॑ वि॒द्वानु॒दय॑नं प॒थः । आ॒रोह॑णमा॒क्रम॑णं॒ जीव॑तोजीव॒तोऽय॑नम्

Dipanggil kembali, datanglah lagi, wahai yang mengetahui, melalui jalan terbitnya; pendakian, pijakan yang teguh—itulah lintasan dari yang hidup menuju yang hidup.

Mantra 8

0 मा बि॑भे॒र्न म॑रिष्यसि ज॒रद॑ष्टिं कृणोमि त्वा । निर॑वोचम॒हं यक्ष्म॒मङ्गे॑भ्यो अङ्गज्व॒रं तव॑

Jangan takut; engkau tidak akan mati. Aku menjadikan engkau seorang yang tongkatnya adalah usia tua. Aku telah mengucapkan keluar yaksma (penyakit yang mengikis) dari anggota-anggota tubuhmu, demam yang berada pada persendianmu.

Mantra 9

अ॒ङ्ग॒भे॒दो अ॑ङ्गज्व॒रो यश्च॑ ते हृदयाम॒यः । यक्ष्मः॑ श्ये॒न इ॑व॒ प्राप॑प्तद् वा॒चा सा॒ढः प॑रस्त॒राम्

Wahai engkau: rasa nyeri yang meremukkan anggota, demam pada anggota, dan apa pun penyakit hati yang ada padamu—yakṣma, laksana elang, telah menyambarimu; oleh ucapan/mantra kami, setelah ditundukkan, biarlah ia diusir lebih jauh lagi.

Mantra 10

ऋषी॑ बोधप्रतीबो॒धाव॑स्व॒प्नो यश्च॒ जागृ॑विः । तौ ते॑ प्रा॒णस्य॑ गो॒प्तारौ॒ दिवा॒ नक्तं॑ च जागृताम्

Dua Rsi—Yang Membangunkan dan Yang Membuat Sadar Kembali—tanpa tidur dan berjaga: biarlah keduanya, para penjaga napas-hidupmu, berjaga atasmu siang dan juga malam.

Mantra 11

अ॒यम॒ग्निरु॑प॒सद्य॑ इ॒ह सूर्य॒ उदे॑तु ते । उ॒देहि॑ मृ॒त्योर्ग॑म्भी॒रात् कृ॒ष्णाच्चि॒त् तम॑स॒स्परि॑

Inilah Agni, yang patut didekati dan diduduki di sisinya; biarlah Surya terbit bagimu. Bangkitlah keluar dari jurang maut yang dalam—bahkan dari kehitaman—dari kegelapan yang melingkupimu.

Mantra 12

नमो॑ य॒माय॒ नमो॑ अस्तु मृ॒त्यवे॒ नमः॑ पि॒तृभ्य॑ उ॒त ये नय॑न्ति । उ॒त्पार॑णस्य॒ यो वेद॒ तम॒ग्निं पु॒रो द॑धे॒ऽस्मा अ॑रिष्टता॑तये

Hormat kepada Yama; hormatlah kepada Mṛtyu (Kematian); hormat kepada para Pitṛ (Leluhur), dan kepada mereka yang menuntun pergi. Barangsiapa mengetahui jalan penyeberangan yang menyelamatkan, ia menempatkan Agni di depan bagi orang ini, demi keselamatan yang tak tersakiti.

Mantra 13

ऐतु॑ प्रा॒ण ऐतु॑ मन॒ ऐतु॒ चक्षु॒रथो॒ बल॑म्। शरी॑रमस्य॒ सं वि॑दां॒ तत् प॒द्भ्यां प्रति॑ तिष्ठतु

Biarlah prāṇa (napas-hidup) kembali; biarlah manas (pikiran) kembali; biarlah cakṣus (penglihatan) kembali, dan juga bala (kekuatan). Tubuh orang ini—utuh, aku mengenalinya—biarlah itu berdiri teguh di atas kedua kakinya.

Mantra 14

प्रा॒णेना॑ग्ने चक्षु॑षा॒ सं सृ॑जे॒मं समी॑रय त॒न्वा॒३सं बले॑न । वेत्था॒मृत॑स्य॒ मा नु गा॒न्मा नु भूमि॑गृहो भुवत्

Dengan napas, wahai Agni, dan dengan penglihatan, satukanlah orang ini dalam tatanan yang selaras; hidupkanlah dia dengan tubuh dan dengan kekuatan. Engkau mengetahui jalan keabadian (amṛta): jangan biarkan ia kini pergi; jangan biarkan rumah-tanah (kubur) menjadi tempat tinggalnya.

Mantra 15

मा ते॑ प्रा॒ण उप॑ दस॒न्मो अ॑पा॒नोऽपि॑ धायि ते । सूर्य॒स्त्वाधि॑पतिर्मृ॒त्योरु॒दाय॑च्छतु र॒श्मिभिः॑

Jangan biarkan napasmu merosot turun, dan jangan biarkan hembusan-bawahmu (apāna) ditimpakan kepadamu. Matahari, penguasa tuanmu, akan menarikmu naik dari Maut dengan sinar-sinarnya.

Mantra 16

इ॒यम॒न्तर्व॒दति जि॒ह्वा ब॒द्धा प॑निष्प॒दा। त्वया॒ यक्ष्मं॒ निर॑वोचं श॒तं रोपी॑श्च त॒क्मनः॑

Mantra ini berbicara dari dalam; lidah terikat, melangkah dengan jejak yang tersembunyi. Dengan engkau aku telah mengucapkan dan mengusir yakṣma (penyakit susut/consumption), seratus penyakit yang merayap, dan demam (takman).

Mantra 17

अ॒यं लो॒कः प्रि॒यत॑मो दे॒वाना॒मप॑राजितः । यस्मै॒ त्वमि॒ह मृ॒त्यवे॑ दि॒ष्टः पु॑रुष जज्ञि॒षे। स च॒ त्वानु॑ ह्वयामसि॒ मा पु॒रा ज॒रसो॑ मृथाः

Dunia ini paling dicintai para Dewa, tak terkalahkan. Untuk siapa engkau di sini ditetapkan bagi Mṛtyu (Kematian), wahai manusia—baginya engkau dilahirkan. Dan dari dia itulah kami memanggilmu kembali: janganlah engkau mati sebelum usia tua.

Inside Sukta 30

How it unfolds

  1. How it opens

    Begins with an explicit āyuṣya-intent (‘for long life’) and a directional summoning—calling help from near and far—followed immediately by the command to remain here.

  2. What it asks

    Do not go away; do not follow the ‘former ones’ (the Pitṛs). The practitioner binds the patient’s asu firmly and calls back the departing faculties to re-enter the body.

  3. Where its power lies

    The hymn asserts operative control over life’s components: prāṇa, mind, sight, and strength can be summoned and reinstalled, and hostile dispatches can be turned back by mantra and medicine.

  4. How it closes

    Ends in bodily consolidation and steadiness—recognizing the body as whole and establishing it ‘standing on its feet,’ sealing recovery as stability in the realm of the living.

Famous verses

ihaiva bhava mā nu gāḥ … asuṃ badhnāmi te dṛḍham
Verse 5.30.1Programmatic core of the sukta: the ‘stay here’ command, explicit refusal of the Pitṛ-path, and the central act of asu-bandhana (binding the life-breath).Read verse 5.30.1 →
pratyak sevasva bheṣajam … jarad-aṣṭiṃ kṛṇomi tvā
Verse 5.30.5Introduces pratyāvartana logic—turning back harm thought to be ‘sent forth’ even by close relations—and couples it with adhesion to medicine and the longevity ideal (old-age staff).Read verse 5.30.5 →
aitu prāṇa aitu mana aitu cakṣur atho balam
Verse 5.30.13Revivification verse: recalls breath, mind, sight, and strength and reconstitutes bodily integrity, culminating in the patient’s ability to stand—an embodied marker of cure.Read verse 5.30.13 →

Kind of hymn

Bhaisajya (life-prolongation) / protective longevity charm

What it is for

Avert imminent death, prevent departure to the Pitṛs, and restore/secure long life by re-binding the life-breath and reintegrating breath, mind, sight, and strength.

Who it is for

Household priest/atharvan practitioner, healer, or family officiant performing bedside protection for a dangerously ill, fainting, or death-marked patient.

Also used as

  • Shantika (death-averting pacification)
  • Paustika (strengthening/āyuṣya)
  • Pratyāvartana (reversal of sent harm)

The deity

Āyus/Asu is the personified continuity of life—breath as the carrier of vitality and conscious presence—invoked here as something that can be held, recalled, and stabilized within the patient. The hymn presumes an adversarial pull of Mṛtyu (Death) and the ancestral realm (Pitṛ-loka) as the ‘elsewhere’ the patient must not follow.

Powers of the deity

  • Binds and stabilizes life-force so it does not depart
  • Recalls prāṇa, manas, cakṣus, and bala when they have ‘gone out’ or weakened
  • Repels deathward influences and breaks ominous trajectories
  • Restores bodily integrity and the capacity to stand/act in the living world
  • Reverses sent harm (pratyāvartana), including socially/kin-mediated affliction

Why the deity is called

To keep the patient ‘here’ (ihaiva bhava), prevent the life-breath from going after the Fathers, and reconstitute the full set of vital faculties as a practical victory over imminent death.

The seer

  • Atharvanic seer (Atharvan tradition; individual name variably given/left generic in ancillary lists)Atharvan. Bhaiṣajya and āyuṣya-prayoga: longevity charms, breath-binding (asu-bandhana), recall of prāṇa and faculties, and apotropaic reversal of impending death-signs.

Other hymns of this seer

  • AV 5.29
  • AV 5.31
  • AV 4.13
  • AV 6.70

Preparing for the rite

  • Seat or lay the patient facing east or toward the household fire/light; steady the head and chest for unobstructed breathing.
  • Prepare a clean binding-cord (thread, grass-cord, or strip of cloth) to symbolize asu-bandhana; optionally consecrate it with water.
  • If medicine is used, place the bheṣaja nearby (herbal draught, ghee-mixture, or simple ‘healing substance’ per local tradition) and keep a vessel of water for sprinkling.

The rite

  • Recite the opening with explicit ‘here remain’ injunctions while gently tying the cord on the wrist/upper arm/waist as the ‘binding of asu’.
  • Perform recall-formulas over the patient’s head/heart: call back prāṇa, manas, cakṣus, and bala; touch or gesture to the eyes, chest, and limbs when reciting their return.
  • Where harm is suspected from social/kin sources, recite the reversal verse (pratyak) while symbolically turning away (a small turning gesture, or turning the cord/hand outward).
  • Conclude with stabilizing recitation aimed at bodily wholeness and standing; assist the patient to sit/stand briefly if appropriate as embodied confirmation.

What it needs

  • Binding-cord/thread (bandhana)
  • Water for sprinkling/ācamana
  • Bheṣaja (medicine) as available: herbal decoction, ghee, or healing paste
  • Optional protective amulet-knot made from the same cord

When

Ideally at the first appearance of death-signs (fainting, breath irregularity, delirium) or during a crisis at dawn or before sunset; may be repeated over several days until recovery stabilizes.

The main substance

Bandhana (binding-cord/thread) used as the physical counterpart to ‘binding’ the asu

Herbs

  • Bheṣaja (unspecified medicinal preparation as per local materia medica)

Amulets

  • Cord-knot/amulet made from the binding thread
  • Protective wrist/arm tie consecrated with recitation

How it is prepared

Consecrate a clean cord with sprinkling water and recitation; tie it while speaking the asu-binding lines. If administering medicine, give it immediately after the ‘cleave to the medicine’ verse, then continue with the recall of faculties.

Frequently Asked Questions

It is a ritual and verbal act of stabilizing the person’s life-breath so it does not ‘slip away’ toward death. Practically, it is often paired with tying a cord as a symbolic anchor for vitality.

In Atharvavedic healing language, going to the Pitṛs implies dying and joining the ancestral realm. The hymn blocks that destination by commanding the patient to remain here among the living.

Primarily it is for life-threatening weakness or collapse, but it also addresses ‘sent harm’ and ominous influences. It functions as both healing and protective stabilization when death feels near.

Ask anything about Sukta 30 of the Atharva Veda

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