Atharva Veda 19.39.1: Kanda 19, Anuvaka 4, Sukta 39, Mantra 1
Sukta 39
कुष्ठनाशनम्। ऐतु॑ दे॒वस्त्राय॑माणः॒ कुष्ठो॑ हि॒मव॑त॒स्परि॑ । त॒क्मानं॒ सर्वं॑ नाशय॒ सर्वा॑श्च यातुधा॒न्यः
áitu devás trā́yamāṇaḥ kúṣṭho himávatas pári | takmā́naṃ sárvaṃ nāśaya sárvāś ca yātudhā́nyaḥ ||
Let the god Kuṣṭha come, a saviour, from about the Himavat. Destroy every Takmán-fever, and all the Yātudhānī demonesses.
（クシュタ滅除）救い護る神クシュタ（Kuṣṭha）よ、ヒマヴァト（Himavat）のあたりより来たれ。あらゆるタクマン（Takmán）の熱病を滅し、またすべてのヤートゥダーニー（Yātudhānī）の女鬼を滅ぼせ。
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (often transmitted under Atharvan/Angiras lineages for oṣadhi-sūktas; specific r̥ṣi attribution requires pada-anukramaṇī confirmation).
Devata: Kuṣṭha (oṣadhi as devatā); secondarily Takmán (as adversary) and Yātudhānīs (as adversaries).
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (predominant in AV healing charms; to be metrically verified per pāda).
Primary: vira
Secondary: adbhuta
Sāyaṇa treats Kuṣṭha as an oṣadhi endowed with devatā-status: ‘devaḥ’ because it is a divine remedy. ‘Trāyamāṇaḥ’ signals its protective function when applied/borne. ‘Himavataḥ pari’ indicates the herb’s celebrated Himalayan origin, hence superior efficacy. The mantra is both bhaiṣajya (against fever) and rakṣoghna (against yātudhāna-type afflictors), implying fever is demonically mediated.
To summon the Kuṣṭha herb’s protective power and annihilate all forms of fever (takmán) together with demonesses believed to generate or accompany illness.
Takmán (fever) in all forms; demonological co-factors (yātudhānī) that ‘bring’ illness.
Summoning the herb-deity from its potent source; imperative annihilation of fever and demonic accompaniments; likely paired with administration/fumigation/amulet use of the herb.
Jvara (fever) management; Himalayan drugs often classed as cooling/kapha-pitta balancing depending on identification; also bhūta-vidyā overlap for fever with delirium.
Febrile illnesses (viral/bacterial) and supportive psychological framing; ritual can reduce panic and improve caregiving adherence.
bhaisajya
Patient with fever; household threatened by contagion/night-harms.
Call in Kuṣṭha’s saving power; destroy fever and demonesses linked with illness.
Deity-summons (āhvāna) + imperative destruction; place-based potency (Himavat) as amplifying credential.
Takmán and yātudhānī forces.
The Kuṣṭha herb, personified as a saving god from the Himavat, is summoned to destroy all Takmán fevers and all Yātudhānī demonesses.
Fever and infection are imagined as hostile beings; the mind recruits a powerful ‘mountain medicine’ archetype—cool, stable, and ancient—to overcome heat, fear, and intrusive night-terrors.
Human cultures heal by linking medicine to place, story, and personhood; when treatment is experienced as an ally, recovery gains courage and coherence.
- कुष्ठः (kuṣṭhaḥ)
- embodied remedy; savior-ally; Himalayan potency
- देवः त्रायमाणः (devas trāyamāṇaḥ)
- medicine as divine protection, not merely material
- हिमवतस् परि (himavatas pari)
- cooling, purity, high-source authority; remote potency
- तक्मान (takmān)
- heat-demon; recurrent infection; inflammation and delirium
- यातुधान्यः (yātudhānyāḥ)
- nightly afflictions, wasting forces, contagion-personifications
Cooling rescue: feel a ‘Himalayan coolness’ descending through the body, especially head and torso, displacing fever-heat.
Maṇipūra (heat regulation)
Śītalī/śītkārī (if appropriate and safe) or slow cooling breath; avoid if contraindicated by condition.
White-blue mountain light entering the body; red/orange fever-forms dissolving and fleeing as yātudhānī silhouettes disperse.
From agitation to cooled steadiness.
Keep the mind allied with recovery: recite, then rest; let the ‘cool mountain’ image accompany sleep.
Clear, imperative delivery; slightly stronger lift on ‘aitu’ and ‘nāśaya.’
Divide commands cleanly: ‘aitu… kuṣṭhaḥ’ (arrival) then ‘takmānaṃ… nāśaya’ (destruction).
कुष्ठः: kuṣ-ṭhaḥ (retroflex ṣṭh cluster), त्रायमाणः: trā-ya-mā-ṇaḥ (long ā), हिमवतस्: hi-ma-va-tas, यातुधान्यः: yā-tu-dhā-nyāḥ
Steady and confident; not harsh.
If used with fumigation, recite on the wafting motion; if used as amulet, recite while tying three knots (triply sealing the protection).
21
Fever in the household; fear of night-worsening symptoms; need for protective reassurance during illness.
At first fever signs; at dusk/dawn; before sleep during febrile episodes.
Traditional fever-banishing confidence; psychological calming and supportive focus for caregiving.
High fever, dehydration, breathing difficulty, rash, or persistent symptoms require medical evaluation; do not self-administer herbs without safety confirmation.
पदच्छेदः (मुख्यः): ऐतु | देवः | त्रायमाणः | कुष्ठः | हि | हिमवतस् | परि | तक्ष्मानम् | सर्वम् | नाशय | सर्वाः | च | यातुधान्यः । 1) ‘हिमवतस् परि’ इति—‘परि’ अव्ययम्/उपसर्गवत्, ‘हिमवतस्’ (पञ्चमी) सह ‘from around/from’ इत्यर्थे। 2) ‘सर्वाश्च’ = ‘सर्वाः च’ (विसर्ग/दीर्घसन्धिः)। 3) ‘यातुधान्यः’ अत्र स्त्रीलिङ्ग-द्वितीया-बहुवचनरूपेण (यातुधानी-शब्दः) कर्मपदं; मन्त्रपाठेषु रूपभेदाः दृश्यन्ते।
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