Sukta 21
Rishi: Atharvanic seer tradition for oṣadhi hymns (often anonymous/collective in later indices).
Devata: Oṣadhi (the herb) and Bhūmi/Pṛthivī as source of medicinal power.
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh tendencies with prose-like opening label; metrical classification varies due to the initial rubric-like phrase.
この短い治癒と滋養の讃歌は、毛髪を増やす薬草ケーシャヴァルダニー（keśavardhanī）の力を、植物と薬力の最高の支えである大地／プリティヴィー（Bhūmi/Pṛthivī）に根づかせる。大地の外皮（tvac）からその霊薬を「集め」取り、ついでその薬草を諸薬の第一として称揚し、最後に薬草たちを、豊かで無敵の働き手として呼びかけ、毛髪を強め増し育てるものとする。
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
केशवर्धनी औषधिः। इ॒मा यास्ति॒स्रः पृ॑थि॒वीस्तासां॑ ह॒ भूमि॑रुत्त॒मा। तासा॒मधि॑ त्व॒चो अ॒हं भे॑ष॒जं समु॑ जग्रभम्
「毛髪を増す草」ケーシャヴァルダニー（Keśavardhanī）は薬草なり。この三つの大地のうち、まことに土壌こそ最上。われはその表皮より、薬（bheṣaja）をことごとく取り得たり。
Mantra 2
श्रेष्ठ॑मसि भेष॒जानां॒ वसि॑ष्ठं॒ वीरु॑धानाम्। सोमो॒ भग॑ इव॒ यामे॑षु॒ दे॒वेषु॒ वरु॑णो॒ यथा॑
汝は薬のうち最勝、草木のうち最上なり。季節の巡りにおいてソーマ（Soma）がバガ（Bhaga）のごとく、また神々の中にてヴァルナ（Varuṇa）があるがごとし。
Mantra 3
रेव॑ती॒रना॑धृषः सिषा॒सवः॑ सिषासथ । उ॒त स्थ के॑श॒दृंह॑णी॒रथो॑ ह केश॒वर्ध॑नीः
汝らは豊かに施し、侵しがたく、成就を求めて励み、また成就をもたらす。汝らは髪を強めるもの、まことに髪を増し育てるもの。
Inside Sukta 21
How it unfolds
- How it opens
It begins with an identifying rubric-like statement—‘keśavardhanī auṣadhiḥ’—then grounds the remedy in a cosmology of ‘three earths,’ declaring Bhūmi the highest and the medicinal ‘skin’ (tvac) as the extractable locus of power.
- What it asks
To obtain and activate the hair-remedy so it truly strengthens and increases hair, functioning as a dependable medicine.
- Where its power lies
The herb is proclaimed the best of remedies and most excellent of plants; its reliability is asserted by likening its preeminence to Soma/Bhaga in due seasons and Varuṇa among the gods.
- How it closes
The hymn closes by direct address to the herbs as bountiful, unassailable, makers of success—explicitly naming them hair-strengtheners and hair-increasers.
Famous verses
keśavardhanī auṣadhiḥ
keśadṛṃhaṇīḥ … keśavardhanīḥ
Kind of hymn
Bhaisajya (Healing) / Paustika (Body-enhancement)
What it is for
Acquisition, consecration, and effective application of a hair-promoting herb so that hair becomes stronger and increases in abundance, with the remedy made ‘successful’ and dependable.
Who it is for
Householders, village healers/vaidya-like practitioners, and Atharvanic ritualists performing simple plant-based healing or enhancement rites for hair strength and growth.
Also used as
- Paustika
- Shantika
The deity
Oṣadhi is the living medicinal power resident in plants; here it is focused as keśavardhanī/keśadṛṃhaṇī, the hair-increasing and hair-strengthening force. Bhūmi/Pṛthivī is invoked as the highest ‘earth’ whose surface-skin yields the concentrated remedy, legitimizing the herb’s efficacy through cosmic grounding.
Powers of the deity
- Promotes hair growth (keśavardhana)
- Strengthens hair and roots (keśadṛṃhaṇa)
- Bestows ‘success’/effective working of the remedy (siddhi implied by sīsās-/‘to make succeed’)
- Provides unassailable protection and resilience (anādhṛṣa)
- Channels earth-derived vitality into the body (paustika nourishment)
Why the deity is called
To enthrone the hair-remedy as supreme among medicines, to draw its potency from the earth’s foundational power, and to ensure reliable, successful bodily results—especially thick, strong, abundant hair.
The seer
- Atharvanic oṣadhi-seer (collective/anonymous)Atharvan. Bhaiṣajya and paustika charms: herb-consecration, bodily strengthening, growth-promoting rites, and plant-based remedies anchored in earth-cosmology
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 6.16 (oṣadhi/bhaiṣajya complex, traditional grouping)
- AV 6.20 (adjacent bhaisajya material in the same kanda context)
- AV 8.7 (oṣadhi-praise and healing orientation, traditional atharvanic style)
Preparing for the rite
- Identify and gather the keśavardhanī herb (or its bark/skin layer, tvac) from clean ground; treat the collection as ‘taking the remedy from the earth’s skin’.
- Wash hands and prepare clean water; optionally set the herb on a small earthen surface or leaf-plate to emphasize Bhūmi as source.
- State the intention: hair-strengthening and hair-increase (keśadṛṃhaṇa/keśavardhana).
The rite
- Recite 6.21.1 while lifting/touching the herb and symbolically ‘collecting’ the medicine from the earth.
- Recite 6.21.2 to enthrone the herb as the best remedy, reinforcing its supremacy through Soma–Bhaga–Varuṇa comparisons.
- Recite 6.21.3 addressing the herbs as bountiful and unassailable; then apply the prepared herb (paste/oil/wash) to scalp or hair roots, or touch it to the head as a consecration gesture.
What it needs
- Keśavardhanī herb (and/or its tvac: bark/skin layer)
- Clean water (for washing or infusion)
- Optional carrier: oil, ghee, or a simple paste base (as locally customary)
- Optional earthen plate/clean soil as symbolic Bhūmi support
When
Preferably after bathing, in the morning; also suitable on auspicious grooming days or before a healing application cycle.
The main substance
Keśavardhanī (hair-increasing herb)
Herbs
- Keśavardhanī
- Keśadṛṃhaṇī (functionally named hair-strengthening herb-power; may overlap with the same plant in practice)
Amulets
- Optional: a small herb bundle tied in cloth as a head-talisman or kept with grooming tools (regional practice; not explicit in the verses)
How it is prepared
Use the fresh herb or its tvac (bark/skin layer) as paste (ground with a little water) or as a mild wash/infusion; consecrate by touching/lifting it during recitation, then apply to scalp/hair roots.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is used to consecrate a hair-promoting herb so it strengthens hair and increases growth, treating the remedy as an earth-derived power that can be made ritually effective.
Because the hymn grounds medicinal potency in the earth itself: Bhūmi is called the highest support, and the remedy is said to be taken from the earth’s outer layer—symbolizing concentrated, accessible healing power.
Traditionally it refers to keśavardhanī, a hair-increasing herb; in practice, a locally known hair-strengthening plant may be used, but the rite’s logic is to treat the herb (especially its ‘skin/bark’ layer) as the medicine empowered by the mantra.
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