Sukta 22
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (often anonymous/Angiras-type attribution in AV healing hymns)
Devata: Āpas (Waters), with Marutic/cloud agencies implied
Chandas: Mixed; predominantly Triṣṭubh-like cadence in Saunaka book 6 hymnic style
អធិកថា អវ ៦.២២ គឺជាឃាមៈមន្ត្រស្តីពីឱសថនៃទឹក ដែលចាត់ទុកទឹក ជាពិសេសទឹកភ្លៀងដែលមានកម្លាំងមរុត ជាឱសថដ៏មានជីវិតដែលបើក ធ្វើឲ្យសើម និងផ្សះផ្សាផែនដីនិងរាងកាយ។ វាភ្ជាប់អត្តសញ្ញាណទឹកក្នុងលោក ជាមួយនឹងការព្យាបាលជាក់ស្តែង៖ ទឹកបំប៉នរុក្ខជាតិដោយទឹករស បង្កើនអាហារូបករ និងលាងសម្អាតភាពស្ងួតនិងការរំខាន។ ដោយសរសើរការធ្លាក់ចុះតាមលំដាប់របស់ទឹក និងអំណាចធ្វើឲ្យផ្អែមល្ហែម ឃាមៈនេះចាត់ទុកការជាសះស្បើយជាការស្តារឡើងវិញនូវលំហូរត្រឹមត្រូវ ក្នុងដី រុក្ខជាតិ និងមនុស្ស។
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
भैषज्यम्। कृ॒ष्णं नि॒यानं॒ हर॑यः सुप॒र्णा अ॒पो वसा॑ना॒ दिव॒मुत् प॑तन्ति । त आव॑वृत्र॒न्त्सद॑नादृ॒तस्यादिद् घृ॒तेन॑ पृथि॒वीं व्यूऽदुः
ឱសថនេះគឺ៖ មហាជនដ៏ខ្មៅដែលនាំចុះក្រោម ពួកសត្វស្លាបពណ៌ទឹកក្រូចដ៏ស្រស់ស្អាត ស្លៀកសម្លៀកបំពាក់ជាទឹក ហោះឡើងទៅកាន់ស្ថានសួគ៌។ ពួកគេបានហ៊ុំព័ទ្ធកន្លែងអង្គុយនៃសណ្ដានច្បាប់ ហើយបន្ទាប់មក ដោយប្រើប្រេងសម្អាត ពួកគេបានបើកនិងធ្វើឲ្យផែនដីមានជីវជាតិនៅគ្រប់ទិសទី។
Mantra 2
पय॑स्वतीः कृणुथा॒प ओष॑धीः शि॒वा यदेज॑था मरुतो रुक्मवक्षसः । ऊर्जं॑ च॒ तत्र॑ सुम॒तिं च॑ पिन्वत॒ यत्रा॑ नरो मरुतः सि॒ञ्चथा॒ मधु॑
ធ្វើឲ្យរុក្ខជាតិទាំងឡាយមានទឹកដូងគ្រប់គ្រាន់ ហៃទឹកទាំងឡាយអើយ ដែលជាទឹកដ៏សប្បុរស នៅពេលដែលអ្នករំកិលការពារ ហៃពួកមរុតដែលមានដើមទ្រូងពណ៌មាស។ នៅទីនោះ អ្នកបង្កើនទាំងអាហារូបករណ៍និងការអនុគ្រោះដ៏ល្អ នៅទីដែល ហៃពួកមរុតដ៏ក្លាហាន អ្នកចាក់ច្រោះនូវភាពផ្អែមល្ហែម។
Mantra 3
उ॒द॒प्रुतो॑ म॒रुत॒स्तां इ॑यर्त वृ॒ष्टिर्या विश्वा॑ नि॒वत॑स्पृ॒णाति॑ । एजा॑ति॒ ग्लहा॑ क॒न्येऽव तु॒न्नैरुं॑ तुन्दा॒ना पत्ये॑व जा॒या
ឱសថនៃទឹកទាំងឡាយ៖ ទឹកទាំងនោះហូរលឿន ហូរលឿនទាំងថ្ងៃនិងយប់។ ខ្ញុំដែលមានសេចក្ដីប្រាថ្នាដ៏ប្រសើរ ហៅទឹកទាំងឡាយដ៏ទេវតាមកទីនេះ។
Inside Sukta 22
How it unfolds
- How it opens
The hymn opens by declaring the rite itself as ‘bhaiṣajya’ and depicts tawny, fair-winged agencies clad in waters rising and moving within the cosmic order (ṛta).
- What it asks
Waters are asked to make plants sap-rich and benign; Marutas are urged to pour sweetness and nourishment where their rain falls.
- Where its power lies
The waters’ descent is portrayed as world-renewing—opening and moistening the earth ‘with ghṛta,’ thus asserting that rightly-invoked moisture restores life and potency.
- How it closes
It ends by commanding the Marutas to send the rain that fills low places, using a vivid social image of agitation to be pressed down/regulated—closing as a stabilization of harmful restlessness through directed rain and speech.
Famous verses
bhaiṣajyam
Kind of hymn
Bhaisajya (Healing) / Apām-bhaiṣajya (Waters as remedy)
What it is for
To summon healing waters/rain that moisten and restore, to make plants sap-rich and benign, and to stabilize wellbeing by aligning the environment and body with ṛta-driven circulation.
Who it is for
Householders and village healers (Atharvanic practitioners) seeking recovery from wasting/dryness, strengthening of medicines and crops, and general restoration of vitality in person and land.
Also used as
- Paustika
- Shantika
The deity
Āpas are the purifying, life-bearing waters—rain, rivers, and ritual water—conceived as a benevolent medicine that carries sweetness (madhu), sap (pāyas), and orderly vitality (ṛta). The Marutas appear as the energizing, wind-and-cloud powers that “set the waters in motion,” making rain descend and plants become potent.
Powers of the deity
- Purify and cleanse (removing dryness, impurity, and disorder)
- Restore vitality by moistening and ‘opening’ the earth/body
- Enrich herbs with sap and medicinal potency
- Increase nourishment (ūrj) and auspicious favor (sumati)
- Drive and distribute rain to low-lying places and fields
Why the deity is called
Invoked to bring medicinal rain and holy moisture that revitalizes land and patient, strengthens herbs, and re-establishes beneficial flow and sweetness in life.
The seer
- Anonymus Atharvan (Angiras-type attribution in Book 6 healing corpus)Atharvan. Bhaiṣajya charms centered on purification and rejuvenation through waters, rain, and herb-sap (apām/varṣa/oṣadhi-linked remedies), often integrating Marutic storm-agency as the activator of healing flow.
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 6.21 (adjacent healing/apotropaic context, often grouped in Saunaka Book 6 clusters)
- AV 6.23 (neighboring short charm-style hymn in the same bhaiṣajya milieu)
- AV 1.2 (waters/purification theme; broader Atharvanic apām usage, tradition-level attribution)
Preparing for the rite
- Collect clean water (preferably rainwater or water drawn in a ritually clean manner) in a new or cleansed vessel.
- Prepare a small measure of ghṛta (ghee); keep simple herbal sprigs (oṣadhi) at hand as representatives of plant-medicine.
- Seat the patient (or place the medicinal water) facing an auspicious direction; maintain silence/cleanliness before recitation.
The rite
- Recite 6.22.1 over water and a touch of ghṛta, symbolically ‘opening/moistening’ what is dry or obstructed.
- Recite 6.22.2 while sprinkling (prokṣaṇa) the patient and/or the herbs, requesting sap, nourishment, and sweetness.
- Recite 6.22.3 to impel beneficial rain and to steady restless impulses; conclude by offering a final sprinkle and a small anointing with ghṛta if appropriate.
What it needs
- Water (āpaḥ), ideally rainwater
- Ghee (ghṛta)
- Herbs/plant sprigs (oṣadhīḥ) as medicinal proxies
- Optional: honey/sweet essence (madhu) as symbolic sweetness
When
Best performed at the onset of rains, after first thunderclouds, or at dawn; also suitable whenever dryness/wasting or need for herb-potency is ritually addressed.
The main substance
Water (āpaḥ), especially rainwater (vṛṣṭi)
Herbs
- Oṣadhīḥ (general medicinal plants; any locally efficacious healing herbs may be represented)
How it is prepared
Keep water in a clean vessel; optionally mix a few drops of ghṛta (and, if used, a trace of madhu) while reciting, then sprinkle the patient/herbs and anoint lightly with ghṛta.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is used to invoke waters—especially rain—as a healing force that restores moisture, strengthens vitality, and increases the medicinal potency of herbs.
The Marutas are the storm-and-cloud powers that set rain in motion; the hymn treats them as the active agencies that help the waters descend with sweetness and nourishment.
No specific plant is named here; ‘oṣadhīḥ’ is generic. Practitioners typically use locally known healing herbs or simple sprigs as representatives while sprinkling or preparing medicinal water.
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