Sukta 5
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (often transmitted under Atharvan/Angiras rubric for parṇa charms)
Devata: Parṇa (personified leaf/amulet) as operative power
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (probable; typical for AV social/amulet verses)
AV 3.5 ເປັນຄຳສົງເຜົາ parṇa/maṇi (ເຄື່ອງລວງໃບໄມ້) ທີ່ສ້າງວົງສັງຄົມທີ່ໃຫ້ການປ້ອງກັນ ແລະ ສະໜັບສະໜູນຮອບຕົວຜູ້ສວມ: ຜູ້ປົກຄອງ, ເຈົ້າໜ້າທີ່, ຊ່າງຝີມື, ທີ່ປຶກສາ, ແລະ ປະຊາຊົນອ້ອມຂ້າງ. ມັນຖືໃບໄມ້ເປັນພະລັງທາງເທບ ທີ່ປູກຝັງໄວ້, ເປັນພະລັງ "ລັບ" ທີ່ຢູ່ໃນ vanaspati (ຜູ້ເປັນເຈົ້າຂອງປ່າ), ເພື່ອສວມໄວ້ໃນຮ່າງກາຍເພື່ອຊີວິດ, ອິດທິພົນ, ແລະ ຄວາມປອດໄພ. ພະລັງຂອງຄຳສົງເຜົາບໍ່ໄດ້ເປັນພຽງການບັງຄັບ ແຕ່ເປັນ "ການຈັດວາງທາງສັງຄົມ": ເຮັດໃຫ້ກຸ່ມຕ່າງໆຫຼາຍກຸ່ມກາຍເປັນ upastī́n (ຜູ້ຕິດຕາມ/ຜູ້ສະໜັບສະໜູນ) ແລະ ເຮັດໃຫ້ສະພາບແວດລ້ອມເປັນສິ່ງທີ່ເອື້ອອຳນວຍ.
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
राष्ट्रस्य राजा राजकृतश्च / आयम॑गन् पर्णम॒णिर्ब॒ली बले॑न प्रमृ॒णन्त्स॒पत्ना॑न्। ओजो॑ दे॒वानां॒ पय॒ ओष॑धीनां॒ वर्च॑सा मा जिन्व॒त्वप्र॑यावन्
ກະສັດແຫ່ງອານາຈັກ, ແລະຜູ້ສ້າງກະສັດນຳ, ໄດ້ມາຮອດນີ້ແລ້ວ ເຄື່ອງລ້ຽວປອກໄມ້ນີ້, ເຂັ້ມແຂງ; ດ້ວຍພະະານຸພາບ ມັນປະທັບຄູ່ແຂ່ງລົງ. ດ້ວຍພະະານຸພາບຂອງທິດາ, ດ້ວຍນົມຂອງພືດພັນ, ດ້ວຍຄວາມສະຫງ່າຜ່າເທິດ, ຂໍໃຫ້ມັນຊຸກຍູ້ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າ, ບໍ່ລົ້ມເຫຼວ, ບໍ່ຈາກໄປ.
Mantra 2
मयि॑ क्ष॒त्रं प॑र्णमणे॒ मयि॑ धारयताद् र॒यिम्। अ॒हं रा॒ष्ट्रस्या॑भीव॒र्गे नि॒जो भू॑यासमुत्त॒मः
ໃນຂ້າພະເຈົ້າ, ພະພັນນະມະນີ, ຈົ່ງວາງພະລັງກະສັດ, ໃນຂ້າພະເຈົ້າ ຈົ່ງສະຫນັບສະຫນູນຄວາມຮັ່ງມີ. ໃນການຂັດຂວາງ ແລະ ການຮ່ວມກັນຂອງອານາຈັກ, ຂໍໃຫ້ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າ, ຜູ້ຊອບທໍາ, ຈົ່ງເປັນຜູ້ສູງສຸດ.
Mantra 3
यं नि॑द॒धुर्वन॒स्पतौ॒ गुह्यं॑ दे॒वाः प्रि॒यं म॒णिम्। तम॒स्मभ्यं॑ स॒हायु॑षा दे॒वा द॑दतु॒ भर्त॑वे
ສ່ວນປະກອບລັບທີ່ເປັນທີ່ຮັກ ເຊິ່ງບັນດາພະເທບໄດ້ວາງໄວ້ໃນພະຜູ້ເປັນເຈົ້າແຫ່ງປ່າ, ຂໍໃຫ້ບັນດາພະເທບ ຈົ່ງປະທານສ່ວນນັ້ນແກ່ພວກເຮົາ, ພ້ອມດ້ວຍຊີວິດ, ເພື່ອສົ່ງມາຄອງ.
Mantra 4
सोम॑स्य प॒र्णः सह॑ उ॒ग्रमाग॒न्निन्द्रे॑ण द॒त्तो वरु॑णेन शि॒ष्टः । तं प्रि॑यासं ब॒हु रोच॑मानो दीर्घायु॒त्वाय॑ श॒तशा॑रदाय
ໃບຂອງພະສົມ, ພ້ອມດ້ວຍພະລັງອັນເขັນ, ໄດ້ມາຮອດ, ປະທານໂດຍພະອິນທາ, ບັນຍັດໂດຍພະວະຣຸນ. ສ່ວນນັ້ນທີ່ເປັນທີ່ຮັກ, ສ່ວາສະຫວ່າງດ້ວຍຄວາມງາມຫຼາຍປະການ, ເປັນເພື່ອຊີວິດຍາວນານ, ເພື່ອຮ້ອຍລະດູ.
Mantra 5
आ मा॑रुक्षत् पर्णम॒णिर्म॒ह्या अ॑रि॒ष्टता॑तये । यथा॒हमु॑त्त॒रोऽसा॑न्यर्य॒म्ण उ॒त सं॒विदः॑
ພະພັນນະມະນີໄດ້ຂຶ້ນມາເພື່ອຂ້າພະເຈົ້າ, ເພື່ອຄວາມປອດໄພຈາກອັນຕະລາຍທັງປວງ, ເພື່ອວ່າຂ້າພະເຈົ້າຈະໄດ້ເປັນຜູ້ສູງກວ່າ, ສູງກວ່າໃນການຮ່ວມສັງຄົມຂອງພະອາຣະຍະມັນ, ແລະ ໃນຂໍ້ຕົກລົງ ແລະ ສັນຍາຕ່າງໆ.
Mantra 6
ये धीवा॑नो रथका॒राः क॒र्मारा॒ ये म॑नी॒षिणः॑ । उ॒प॒स्तीन् प॑र्ण॒ मह्यं॒ त्वं सर्वा॑न् कृण्व॒भितो॒ जना॑न्
ບັນດາຊ່າງຜູ້ສະຫຼາດ, ຊ່າງຕີເຫຼັກ, ແລະ ຜູ້ມີສະຕິປັນຍາ, ຂໍໃຫ້ໃບໄມ້ຊົງເຮັດໃຫ້ບັນດາຜູ້ນີ້ເປັນທີ່ພັກພາອາໄສຂອງຂ້ານ, ແລະ ໃຫ້ປວງຊົນທັງປວງທີ່ຢູ່ອ້ອມຂ້າງນີ້ເປັນຜູ້ຊ່ວຍເຫຼືອຂ້ານ.
Mantra 7
ये राजा॑नो राज॒कृतः॑ सू॒ता ग्रा॑म॒ण्यऽश्च॒ ये। उ॒प॒स्तीन् प॑र्ण॒ मह्यं॒ त्वं सर्वा॑न् कृण्व॒भितो॒ जनान्
ບັນດາກະສັດ, ແລະ ຜູ້ທີ່ກະສັດໄດ້ຕັ້ງໄວ້, ຜູ້ຂັບລົດແລະຫົວໜ້າບ້ານ, ແລະ ທຸກຜູ້ທີ່ຍືນຢູ່ໃກ້, ໃບໄມ້ເອີຍ, ຂໍໃຫ້ເຈົ້າເຮັດໃຫ້ປະຊາຊົນທັງໝົດຢູ່ອ້ອມຂ້າງເປັນຝ່າຍຂອງຂ້ອຍ.
Mantra 8
प॒र्णोऽसि तनू॒पानः॒ सयो॑निर्वी॒रो वी॒रेण॒ मया॑ । सं॒व॒त्स॒रस्य॒ तेज॑सा॒ तेन॒ बध्नामि त्वा मणे
ເຈົ້າເປັນໃບໄມ້, ຜູ້ປົກປ້ອງຮ່າງກາຍ, ເກີດໃນຕະກຸນດີ, ເປັນວີລະບຸລຸດ: ດ້ວຍວີລະບຸລຸດຄືຕົວຂ້ອຍເອງ, ດ້ວຍຄວາມສະຫວ່າງຂອງປີ, ດ້ວຍສິ່ງນັ້ນຂ້ອຍຜູກເຈົ້າໄວ້, ເຄື່ອງລັກ.
Inside Sukta 5
How it unfolds
- How it opens
The hymn frames the amulet as a ‘dear, secret maṇi’ deposited by the Gods in the vanaspati, establishing divine origin and legitimacy.
- What it asks
That the parṇa, when borne, make all persons around—especially rulers, officials, and skilled specialists—stand as attendants/supports (upastī́n) to the performer.
- Where its power lies
By naming social strata and professional groups, the mantra asserts comprehensive reach: no segment of society remains outside the amulet’s field of favor and protection.
- How it closes
The repeated refrain-like command to the Leaf—‘make all people round about my supports’—functions as the sealing cadence, fixing the social perimeter in place.
Famous verses
guhyaṃ… priyaṃ maṇim
upastīn… kṛṇv abhito janān
ye rājāno rāja-kṛtaḥ
Kind of hymn
Paustika (Prosperity/Influence) with apotropaic-social control elements
What it is for
To empower a parṇa-amulet that brings protection and long life, while aligning rulers, officials, specialists, and neighbors into a supportive ring around the performer/wearer.
Who it is for
Householders, travelers, petitioners at court, community leaders, or anyone seeking protection plus influence/acceptance among authorities and the local populace.
Also used as
- Rakṣoghna (protective charm)
- Saṃgrahaṇī / Vaśīkaraṇa-like social consolidation (winning support and attendance)
The deity
Parṇa is treated as an operative, personified amulet-power: a leaf that is not merely botanical matter but a “guhya maṇi” (secret jewel/amulet) placed by the Gods within the vanaspati, then worn to radiate protection and social magnetism.
Powers of the deity
- Creates a protective social perimeter by turning others into allies/attendants (upastī́n)
- Secures goodwill and compliance of political and local authorities (rājānaḥ, rāja-kṛta, sūta, grāmaṇī)
- Attracts support of key specialists (rathakāra, karmāra, manīṣi)
- Bestows longevity and life-force when borne on the person (sahāyuṣā… bhartave)
- Functions apotropaically as a shield against hostility and adverse intentions
Why the deity is called
Invoked so the wearer becomes socially “well-held” on all sides—protected, supported, and favored—by the surrounding community and its power-centers, through the divinely authorized leaf-amulet.
The seer
- Atharvanic (Parṇa-maṇi) transmitters; specific r̥ṣi not explicitly stated in this hymn’s excerptAtharvan. Paustika and rakṣoghna amulet-charms: empowering wearable vegetal maṇis (especially parṇa) for protection, longevity, and winning support/attendance (saṃgrahaṇa) from people and authorities
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 3.6 (related influence/conciliation patterns in the same kanda cluster)
- AV 6.133 (maṇi/amulet-type charm traditions)
- AV 19.31 (later Atharvanic maṇi/āyus-protection style material; thematic parallel)
Preparing for the rite
- Select a clean, intact parṇa (leaf) suitable for wearing or binding; ideally taken respectfully from a living vanaspati (tree/plant)
- Purify the performer and the amulet (simple washing; avoid impurity/anger before the rite)
- Prepare a binding (thread/cord) or a small pouch so the leaf/maṇi can be ‘borne’ (bhartave)
The rite
- Recite the sukta over the parṇa, treating it as a maṇi placed by the Gods in the vanaspati
- Bind or place the leaf on the body (arm/neck/garment) while repeating the support-formula that makes people ‘upastī́n’ on all sides
- Optionally, face the settlement/assembly and mentally enumerate social groups (officials, craftsmen, counselors) as the verses do, sealing the intention of universal support
What it needs
- Parṇa (leaf) as primary amulet
- Cord/thread or cloth pouch for wearing
- Clean water for simple purification (optional)
When
Preferably daytime, before entering an assembly, court, negotiation, travel, or any situation requiring public support; also suitable at dawn for general protection and āyus (life) intent.
The main substance
Parṇa (leaf) worn as Parṇamaṇi (leaf-amulet)
Herbs
- Vanaspati-source (tree/plant as the sacral matrix of the amulet; specific species not fixed in the cited verses)
Amulets
- Parṇamaṇi (leaf-amulet)
- Binding cord/thread or cloth pouch for bearing (bhartave)
How it is prepared
Take an intact leaf respectfully, keep it clean, recite the sukta over it, then bind/wear it on the body as the ‘maṇi’ endowed with divine placement and life-support (sahāyuṣā).
Frequently Asked Questions
Parṇa is a leaf treated as a personified amulet-power (parṇamaṇi). The hymn says the Gods placed this ‘secret, dear maṇi’ in the vanaspati, and it becomes effective when worn.
It aims to surround the wearer with support—turning rulers, officials, skilled workers, advisers, and neighbors into helpers—while also serving as a protective, life-strengthening charm.
By reciting the verses over a clean leaf and then bearing it on the body (bound with a cord or kept in a pouch), especially before entering assemblies, negotiations, travel, or situations needing protection and goodwill.
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