Sukta 13
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (Anukramaṇī attribution for AV 1.13 commonly places it in Atharvan/Angiras milieu; verse-level r̥ṣi not securely isolable here)
Devata: Tapas-bearing ‘Nāpāt’ (a fiery/ascetic power addressed as a personal agent; often interpreted in the orbit of Agni-like potency)
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (4 pādas of ~8 syllables; with Vedic metrical flexibility)
Mantras
Mantra 1
विद्युत्। नमस्ते अस्तु विद्युते नमस्ते स्तनयित्नवे । नमस्ते अस्त्वश्मने येना दूडाशे अस्यसि
Homage be unto thee, O Lightning; homage be unto thee, O Thunderer. Homage be unto thee, O Stone, wherewith thou hurlest (thy stroke) upon the dūḍāśa.
Mantra 2
नमस्ते प्रवतो नपाद्यतस्तपः समूहसि । मृडया नस्तनूभ्यो मयस्तोकेभ्यस्कृधि
Obeisance be to thee, O Offspring of the slopes, from whom thou gatherest up thy fervid might. Be gracious unto us for our bodies; make welfare for our children.
Mantra 3
प्रवतो नपान्नम एवास्तु तुभ्यं नमस्ते हेतये तपुषे च कृण्मः । विद्म ते धाम परमं गुहा यत् समुद्रे अन्तर्निहितासि नाभिः
From the descents, O Offspring, let homage be—yea, homage—unto thee. Homage we make to thy missile and to thy burning heat. We know thy highest station, that which is in the secret place: within the ocean thou art laid away, the navel (central hub).
Mantra 4
यां त्वा देवा असृजन्त विश्व इषुं कृण्वाना असनाय धृष्णुम्। सा नो मृड विदथे गृणाना तस्यै ते नमो अस्तु देवि
Thee whom the Gods, yea all of them, sent forth—fashioning thee a missile, bold to be hurled for smiting—be gracious unto us, while in the rite we hymn thee: to her, to thee, be reverence; homage be, O Goddess.
Frequently Asked Questions
He is a personified fiery potency—an ‘offspring’ associated with slopes/descents—who gathers tapas (burning heat). The hymn treats him as powerful and potentially dangerous unless honored and pacified.
It asks for mṛḍa (gracious relief) for the body (tanū) and welfare for children/offspring (toka), while ensuring the deity’s heat and weapon-force do not strike the household.
No specific substances are mentioned in the hymn. It primarily works through reverent namas, praise, and the redirection of ‘tapas’ and ‘missile’ power into protection; optional clean water may be used symbolically but is not required.