Sukta 12
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (house-consecration hymn; r̥ṣi attribution varies by anukramaṇī)
Devata: Gṛha/Śālā and the consecrated house-timbers (with Ṛta/Virāj as sacral power)
Chandas: Triṣṭubh-like cadence (domestic benedictive style; exact metrical classification varies by pada division)
AV 3.12 は家屋奉献（安宅）の讃歌であり、ṛta（宇宙秩序）と光輝ある秩序（virāj）によって儀礼的に「造り上げられた」ものとして、śālā（広間／住まい）を安定し、慈しみ深く、繁栄する生活空間として据える。柱と棟木（棟の梁）が堅固に立ち、家を悩ます者や敵を退け、「百の秋」すなわち長寿を、富と無傷の子孫とともに確保するよう祝福する。
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
शालानिर्माणम्। इ॒हैव ध्रु॒वां नि मि॑नोमि॒ शालां॒ क्षेमे॑ तिष्ठाति घृ॒तमु॒क्षमा॑णा । तां त्वा॑ शाले॒ सर्व॑वीराः सु॒वीरा॒ अरि॑ष्टवीरा॒ उप॒ सं च॑रेम
ここに、まさにここに、われは堅固なる広間（śālā）を据え置く。安穏のうちに彼女が立ち、酥油（ghṛta）に潤されんことを。おお広間よ、われらは汝に近づき、汝の内を行き来せん——あらゆる勇子を備え、善き勇子を備え、害に損なわれぬ子らを備えて。
Mantra 2
इ॒हैव ध्रु॒वा प्रति॑ तिष्ठ शा॒लेऽश्वा॑वती॒ गोम॑ती सू॒नृता॑वती । ऊर्ज॑स्वती घृ॒तव॑ती॒ पय॑स्व॒त्युच्छ्र॑यस्व मह॒ते सौभ॑गाय
ここに、まさにここに、堅く立て、おお広間よ——馬に富み、牛に富み、温和なる真実の言葉（sūnṛtā）に富め。力と養いに富み、酥油（ghṛta）に富み、乳に富め。大いなる幸運のために高くそびえ立て。
Mantra 3
ध॒रु॒ण्य॒ऽसि शाले बृ॒हच्छ॑न्दाः॒ पूति॑धान्या । आ त्वा॑ व॒त्सो ग॑मे॒दा कु॑मा॒र आ धे॒नवः॑ सा॒यमा॒स्पन्द॑मानाः
汝は担い支える者、おお広間よ。汝は広き韻律をもち、清められた穀粒に富む。汝のもとへ子牛が来たれ、若き子が来たれ。夕べには乳牛らが汝のもとへ来たれ——家へ帰るとき、震えず、恐れず。
Mantra 4
इ॒मां शालां॑ सवि॒ता वा॒युरिन्द्रो॒ बृह॒स्पति॒र्नि मि॑नोतु प्रजा॒नन्। उ॒क्षन्तू॒द्ना म॒रुतो॑ घृ॒तेन॒ भगो॑ नो॒ राजा॒ नि कृ॒षिं त॑नोतु
この広間を、サヴィタル（Savitar）、ヴァーユ（Vāyu）、インドラ（Indra）、ブリハスパティ（Bṛhaspati）—子孫を知る者たち—が、しかと据え定めよ。マルット（Maruts）は水とギー（ghṛta）とをもってこれに灌ぎそそげ。われらの王バガ（Bhaga）は、われらのために田の耕作を広げ、増益をもたらせ。
Mantra 5
मान॑स्य पत्नि शरणा स्योना दे॒वी दे॒वेभि॒र्निमिता॒स्यग्रे॑ । तृणं॒ वसा॑ना सु॒मना॑ अस॒स्त्वमथा॒स्मभ्यं॑ स॒हवी॑रं र॒यिं दाः॑
マーナサ（Mānasa）の貴婦よ、避難処にして安らぎの座よ。女神よ、神々によって初めに測られ、築き定められたものよ。草（tṛṇa）を衣としてまとい、善意に満ち、害なき者よ。さればわれらに、勇士（子）を伴う財（rāyí）を授けたまえ。
Mantra 6
ऋ॒तेन॑ स्थूणा॒मधि॑ रोह वंशो॒ग्रो वि॒राज॒न्नप॑ वृङ्क्ष्व॒ शत्रू॑न्। मा ते॑ रिषन्नुपस॒त्तारो॑ गृ॒हाणां॑ शाले श॒तं जी॑वेम श॒रदः॒ सर्व॑वीराः
ṛta（宇宙の正序）によって柱の上に登れ。おお棟木よ、輝き現れて、敵どもを断ち切り、払い捨てよ。家を取り囲む者どもが汝を害さぬように。広間において、われらはすべての勇士を伴い、百の秋を生きよ。
Mantra 7
एमां कु॑मा॒रस्तरु॑ण॒ आ व॒त्सो जग॑ता स॒ह। एमां प॑रि॒स्रुतः॑ कु॒म्भ आ द॒ध्नः क॒लशै॑रगुः
この家へ、若き少年が来た。子牛も、動くものすべてと共に来た。この家へ、あふれる壺が来た。凝乳も、瓶々を従えて来た。
Mantra 8
पू॒र्णं ना॑रि॒ प्र भ॑र कु॒म्भमे॒तं घृ॒तस्य॒ धारा॑म॒मृते॑न॒ संभृ॑ताम्। इ॒मां पा॒तॄन॒मृते॑ना॒ सम॑ङ्ग्धीष्टापू॒र्तम॒भि र॑क्षात्येनाम्
女よ、この満ち満ちた壺を運び出せ—その酥油の流れは、amṛta（不死の甘露）によって正しく集められたもの。amṛtaによって守護者たちに塗り油せよ。祭祀と施与の功徳（iṣṭāpūrta）が彼女を周囲から守護する。
Mantra 9
इ॒मा आपः॒ प्र भ॑राम्यय॒क्ष्मा य॑क्ष्म॒नाश॑नीः । गृ॒हानुप॒ प्र सी॑दाम्य॒मृते॑न स॒हाग्निना॑
この水をわたしは捧げ持ち来たる——yakṣma（病魔）なきもの、yakṣmaを滅するもの。家々に近づき、そこに坐す。甘露（amṛta）とともに、またアグニ（Agni）とともに。
Inside Sukta 12
How it unfolds
- How it opens
The hymn begins by ‘placing’ the hall here and now as dhruvā—firm and safe—envisioned as glistening/bedewed with ghṛta and fit for unharmed, heroic offspring to dwell and move within.
- What it asks
May the house be a refuge and kindly goddess, granting wealth with heroes; may its timbers stand under ṛta and radiance, and may all hostile forces be expelled from the dwelling.
- Where its power lies
The ridge-beam, mounted ‘by ṛta’ upon the pillars and shining with virāj, is commanded to sever enemies—turning the very architecture into an active apotropaic agent.
- How it closes
The blessing culminates in the classic domestic seal: ‘may we live a hundred autumns’ in the hall, surrounded by all our heroes (healthy progeny/retainers), unharmed by besetters.
Famous verses
ihaiva dhruvāṃ ni minomi śālām
devebhir nimitā asi agre
śataṃ jīvema śaradaḥ sarvavīrāḥ
Kind of hymn
Paustika (House-consecration/Prosperity) with Apotropaic (Protective) elements
What it is for
Firm establishment of a newly built or newly occupied house; removal of hostility and occult/visible threats; bestowal of prosperity, safety, and long life with thriving progeny.
Who it is for
Householders, builders/ritual specialists (Atharvanic priest), and families performing gṛhapratiṣṭhā or first-entry rites for a new dwelling.
Also used as
- Shantika (pacificatory domestic settling)
- Apotropaic/Protective (rakṣā-oriented)
- Gṛhya (house-establishment and consecration)
The deity
The dwelling is invoked as a living, goddess-like refuge—measured out by the gods—while its structural members (posts and ridge-beam) are treated as sacral supports of order. Ṛta provides right placement and stability; Virāj supplies radiance, expansion, and auspicious sovereignty within the household space.
Powers of the deity
- Stabilizes and “roots” the house firmly on the site
- Consecrates posts and ridge-beam as protective, enemy-cutting supports
- Repels upasattāraḥ (household-besetters: hostile humans/spirits, ill-wishers)
- Confers kṣema (security), rayi (wealth), and sarvavīratā (full complement of living, unharmed offspring/retainers)
- Extends lifespan and continuity of the lineage (“hundred autumns”)
Why the deity is called
To enthrone the hall as a tutelary power, bind cosmic order (ṛta) into the building’s frame, and ensure that the completed structure becomes a protected, prosperous, long-enduring seat of family life.
The seer
- Atharvanic seer (anukramaṇī-variant attribution)Atharvan. Paustika and gṛhya benedictions: consecrations of spaces/objects, protective boundary-setting, and prosperity charms that bind ṛta (cosmic order) to domestic life.
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 3.11 (adjacent domestic/protective material in the same kanda)
- AV 6.91 (house/settlement prosperity themes, Atharvanic style)
- AV 7.53 (protective/benedictive domestic orientation, Atharvanic tradition)
Preparing for the rite
- Select an auspicious, clean site and complete basic construction so posts (sthūṇā) and ridge-beam (vaṃśāgra/vaṃśogra) are ready to be set.
- Sweep and purify the hall-space; lay fresh grass (tṛṇa) in the interior or at key points as a seat/covering of auspiciousness.
- Prepare ghṛta (ghee) for anointing/sprinkling; keep clean water available for light sprinkling if customary.
- Establish a calm, non-hostile boundary: restrict entry of outsiders during the rite and maintain silence/recitation focus.
The rite
- Recite the opening verses while mentally/ritually ‘setting’ the śālā in place as dhruvā (steadfast).
- Anoint or symbolically ‘bedew’ the hall/threshold and key timbers with ghṛta while reciting prosperity lines (e.g., 3.12.1).
- Touch or gesture toward posts and ridge-beam during the ṛta/virāj verse (e.g., 3.12.6), commanding the ridge-beam to ‘cut off’ foes and preventing harm from besetters.
- Circumambulate the interior (or move through it) as the hymn requests free, safe movement within the hall; conclude with a longevity/progeny blessing for the residents.
What it needs
- Ghṛta (ghee) for anointing/sprinkling
- Tṛṇa (fresh grass/thatch) for auspicious covering/seat
- House-posts (sthūṇā) and ridge-beam (vaṃśāgra/vaṃśogra) as the main consecration ‘supports’
- Optional: clean water for sprinkling; lamp/fire as household auspicious light
When
At the setting of the main timbers (especially ridge-beam) and/or at first entry into the finished hall; preferably in the bright fortnight and daylight hours.
The main substance
Ghṛta (ghee) used to ‘bedew’/anoint the hall and sanctify the timbers
Amulets
- Consecrated house-timbers themselves (posts and ridge-beam) treated as protective supports
- Grass (tṛṇa) used as auspicious covering/seat within the hall
How it is prepared
Warm and clarify ghṛta; keep it in a clean vessel. Lay fresh grass in the hall/at thresholds; during recitation, lightly anoint or symbolically touch key structural points (posts, ridge-beam, threshold) while voicing the protective commands.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is used to consecrate a newly built or newly occupied house/hall, making it stable, safe, and prosperous, while driving away enemies and harmful ‘besetters’ of the home.
The hymn treats the main timbers as sacral supports: once installed under ṛta (right order) and virāj (radiant power), the structure itself becomes a protector that ‘cuts off’ hostility.
The core rite relies on domestic substances—especially ghee and fresh grass—plus the house-timbers being installed. The ‘amulet’ effect is chiefly the consecrated architecture and the spoken blessing.
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