Atharva Veda 4.33.2: Kanda 4, Anuvaka 4, Sukta 33, Mantra 2
Sukta 33
सु॒क्षे॒त्रि॒या सु॑गातु॒या व॑सू॒या च॑ यजामहे । अप॑ नः॒ शोशु॑चद॒घम्
su-kṣétriyā su-gātúyā vasū́yā ca yajāmahe | ápá naḥ śóśucat ághám ||
With good fields, with good ways of going, and with wealth we do sacrifice: away from us let the evil be burnt away.
良き田地と良き行路と富とをもって、われらは祭祀を行う。われらより悪しきものは退き、焼き尽くされよ。
The meaning
What it says
We sacrifice ‘with good fields, with good paths, and with wealth’; the refrain asks that evil be burnt away from us.
The inner meaning
Prosperity is framed as a triad: stable ground (kṣetra), safe movement (gātu), and resources (vasu). The psyche seeks conditions where life can grow and travel without obstruction; burning away ‘agha’ removes the hidden friction that ruins fields, roads, and finances.
The truth in it
Well-being depends on foundations, pathways, and means; obstacles must be cleared so that growth, mobility, and abundance can function together.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Paustika + Apotropaic (prosperity secured by removal of obstacles)
Its aim
Secure fertile land, safe passage, and wealth by burning away the obstructive ‘agha’.
Word by Word
Pada patha
सु-क्षेत्रिया । सु-गातुया । वसूया । च । यजामहे । अप । नः । शोशुचत् । अघम् ।
- सुक्षेत्रिया
- (O goddess) of good fields / well-protecting the fieldwith good fields/land; ‘field-blessing’ (invoking fertility and secure tenure)Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (यजामहे इत्यस्य कर्मपद-सम्बन्धेन ‘देवी/इष्टदेवता’ इत्यन्वयः)Role कर्मRoot सु-क्षेत्रि (प्रातिपदिक; सु + क्षेत्रि) अथवा सु-क्षेत्रिय (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
- सुगातुया
- (O goddess) of good paths / good guidancewith good paths/passages; good going (safe movement, successful access)Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot सु-गातु (प्रातिपदिक; सु + गातु ‘मार्ग/गमन’) अथवा सुगातु (विशेषण)
- वसूया
- (O goddess) rich in wealth / bestowing wealthwith wealth/for wealth (vasu-aiming; prosperity-seeking)Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot वसू (प्रातिपदिक; ‘वसु’/‘वसू’ = धन/सम्पत्ति) अथवा वसूय (विशेषण)
- च
- andIndeclinableअव्ययRoot च
- यजामहे
- we worship / we sacrificewe worship/sacrifice (perform the rite)Verbलट् (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचन, आत्मनेपदRole क्रियाRoot यज् (धातु)
- अप
- away, offawayIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्यय (अपसारणार्थक)Root अप
- नः
- of us / ourfrom usPronounषष्ठी (एन्क्लिटिक), बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- शोशुचत्
- let it burn away / let it consumeVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), तृतीयपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (आशीर्लिङ्ग/विधिलिङ्ग-छाया: ‘let it burn/consume’)Role क्रियाRoot शुच् (धातु) + सन् (इच्छार्थक/आवृत्त्यर्थक) → शोशुच्
- अघम्
- evil, sin, harmevil, misfortuneNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot अघ (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: सुक्षेत्रिया | सुगातुया | वसूया | च | यजामहे । अप | नः | शोशुचत् | अघम् ।
- 1) ‘सुक्षेत्रिया/सुगातुया/वसूया’—त्रयः स्त्रीलिङ्ग-प्रथमा-एकवचन विशेषणपदानि, एकस्य देवतापदस्य (अध्याहृत ‘देवी/इष्टा’) विशेषणत्वेन
- मन्त्रभाषायां स्त्रीलिङ्ग-आह्वानरूपेण कर्मत्वेन ‘यजामहे’ इत्यन्वयः।
- 2) ‘अप नः’—अव्यय ‘अप’ क्रियायाः (शोशुचत्) सह ‘अपसारण’ अर्थे
- ‘नः’ षष्ठी-सम्बन्धः (‘अस्माकम्’).
- 3) ‘शोशुचत्’—धातु शुच् (दीप्तौ/शोके) सन्-रूपेण (शोशुच्) लोट् 3sg
- ‘अघम्’ कर्म।
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic tradition (unspecified here)
- Devata
- Agni (implicit), with prosperity-aspects foregrounded
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh (to be verified)
- Rasa
- Shanta
Sāyaṇa-style construal: the sacrificers ‘yajāmahe’ with the intent (saṅkalpa) of securing kṣetra (productive land), gātu (safe routes/means), and vasu (wealth). The refrain expels the counter-force—agha—that obstructs these three domains (agricultural, logistical, economic).
Unknown (Atharvanic prosperity-apotropaic tradition)
Paustika rites integrated with apotropaic burning: securing land, travel, and wealth by removing agha as the underlying spoiler.
Shows the Atharvanic logic that prosperity is not only ‘added’ but also ‘unblocked’; the same fire that purifies also opens pathways and fields.
Agni (implicit through refrain) with prosperity-aspects foregrounded
Agni as purifier of obstacles so that kṣetra (land), gātu (paths), and vasu (wealth) become ‘su-’ (good, auspicious).
Removes obstructive ‘pollution’ that manifests as loss, stagnation, or repeated mishaps.
Guards livelihood foundations and travel safety by burning away unseen harms.
4 × ~8 with the same refrain as 4.33.1 functioning as a repeated pāda.
Prosperity lists (su-kṣetra, su-gātu, vasu) often compress; refrain stabilizes meter in performance.
Even, petitionary, practical.
Creates a ‘checklist blessing’: foundations, movement, resources—then seals by banishing agha.
At the household fire, recite while making a small offering (fuel or ghee).
Gesture outward on ‘apa naḥ’ to cast off impediments to land/roads/wealth.
Gesture inward on the prosperity terms (su-kṣetra, su-gātu, vasu) to ‘draw in’ auspiciousness.
Optionally perform at a threshold or field-edge when the practical aim is kṣetra-protection.
Kauśika Sūtra: kṣetra-paustika and śānti applications often pair prosperity-invocations with expulsion refrains.
Atharvan priest: calibrates the rite to the patron’s stated aim (kṣetra/gātu/vasu), and performs the directional apotropaic gestures as part of the mantra’s ‘technology’.
Recite when blessing a field, before travel, or when beginning a savings/household budget cycle; can accompany lamp-lighting and a small offering.
Before sowing/harvest; before departure; at dawn for ‘good ways’.
Householder may recite; Atharvan priest for formal field rites.
Recite before leaving home; sprinkle a few drops of water at the threshold after lighting a lamp (optional syncretic practice).
Agni (implied as the burning agent through the refrain); Kṣetra (field) as socio-economic substrate
Agni implied via ‘śośucat’ burning refrain
Soil and path are the two material supports of life—home base and transition; fire removes what corrupts them (pests, pollution, ill-omens in symbolic register).
Agha as obstacle-causing misfortune affecting livelihood (crop failure, travel mishaps, financial drain) and associated stress.
Ritual ‘burning away’ of the obstructive factor; reorientation toward auspicious supports (field/path/wealth).
Conceptual: removing āvaraṇa/obstruction to prāṇa and to sustainable routines; supports sattvic stability.
Practical anxiety reduction: focusing on controllables (home base, safe routes, budgeting) while performing a cleansing ritual for closure.
Householder/family; farmers; travelers
Secure good land, good travel/undertakings, and wealth by sacrificing and burning away agha.
Prosperity enumeration (su- triad) + apotropaic refrain; aligns social economy with sacred order via yajña.
Livelihood obstacles, travel dangers, chronic ‘bad luck’
Agriculture, safe movement, finances
- सुक्षेत्रिया (su-kṣetriyā)
- fertile foundations; stable livelihood base
- सुगातुया (su-gātuyā)
- safe transitions; auspicious opportunities; unobstructed progress
- वसूया (vasūyā)
- resourcefulness; capacity to attract and steward wealth
- यजामहे (yajāmahe)
- intentional investment; reciprocal alignment with order
- अप नः शोशुचद अघम्
- removal of systemic obstacles; cleansing of luck-field
Threefold stability: foundation (kṣetra), pathway (gātu), resource (vasu) — then release obstacles (agha).
Muladhara (foundation) + Svadhisthana (flow/movement)
Box breathing (4-4-4-4) to cultivate steadiness before travel/decisions.
A fertile field below, a clear road ahead, and a storehouse within; a small inner flame burns away dark knots on the path.
Calm, organized, prepared.
List your ‘field/path/wealth’ equivalents (home, schedule, resources); recite once per item; end with the refrain as a release.
Keep the list-items evenly paced; let the refrain be slightly stronger and identical each time.
Light stress on each ‘su-’ (su-kṣetriyā, su-gātuyā) to mark auspiciousness; then firm ‘apa naḥ’.
Household-prayer tone; clear and steady.
Use as a ‘working charm’: recite while touching soil (field) or stepping over the threshold (path), then glance at stored grain/coin (vasu) before the refrain.
9 times
Farming/gardening, job search, commuting safety, financial stabilization.
Before sowing, before leaving for a journey, or at the start of a new financial month.
Sense of protection in transit, improved focus on livelihood foundations, optimism and steadiness; traditional obstacle-removal.
Do not substitute for practical planning (safety checks, budgeting, medical care).
Again no herb; the operative medium is fire and the socio-material triad of field/road/wealth. The mantra maps prosperity onto spatial infrastructures (kṣetra, gātu), suggesting a ‘ritual logistics’ model rather than pharmacology.
It encodes agrarian settlement and mobility as ritual concerns, implying patrons with land claims and travel needs; priestly speech is positioned as a tool to manage risk in these economic spheres.
The compound-like prosperity epithets (su-kṣetra, su-gātu) are RV-compatible but here function as explicit desiderative program-items in a domestic rite, a typical Atharvanic pragmatization.
Within Gopatha’s broader frame, prosperity is stabilized by śānti that removes pāpmān/aghá; the mantra’s efficacy is tied to correct performance (yaj-) and Agni’s purificatory agency, though no direct citation is claimed.
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