Sukta 22
Rishi: Atharvanic/Āṅgirasa milieu (hymn-type typical of Angirasic royal charms; precise anukramaṇī attribution varies)
Devata: Indra
Chandas: Triṣṭubh-like (requires metrical verification)
AV 4.22 ເປັນຄຳອວຍພອນລາຊະວົງທີ່ອະທິຖານຕໍ່ອິນທະຣ໌ ໃຫ້ເພີ່ມພະລັງຂອງກະສັດກຊັດຕະຣິຍຜູ້ອຸປະຖໍາ, ເຮັດໃຫ້ພຣະອົງເປັນພຣະສຸລະພາບຜູ້ດຽວໃນບັນດາວົງສະກົນ, ແລະ ປາບປາມ ຫຼື ຈັບຜູກຄູ່ປີ້ມທຸກຄົນ. ມັນປະສົມຄຳອວຍພອນທີ່ມາຈາກສະຫວັນແລະແຜ່ນດິນ ກັບພິທີບັງຄັບທາງການເມືອງ: ສັດຕູຖືກປາບ, ຝ່າຍຄ້ານຖືກປາບປາມ, ແລະ ຊັບພະຍາກອນຂອງສັດຕູຖືກດຶງເຂົ້າມາຢູ່ໃນການຄວບຄຸມຂອງກະສັດ.
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
अमित्रक्षयणम्। इ॒ममि॑न्द्र वर्धय क्ष॒त्रियं॑ म इ॒मं वि॒शामे॑क वृ॒षं कृ॑णु॒ त्वम्। निर॒मित्रा॑नक्ष्णुह्यस्य॒ सर्वां॒स्तान् र॑न्धयास्मा अहमुत्त॒रेषु॑
ເພື່ອການທຳລາຍສັດຕູ. ບັນດາກຊັດຕະຣິຍະຂອງຂ້າພະເຈົ້ານີ້, ພຣະອິນທຣະ, ຂໍໃຫ້ພຣະອົງເພີ່ມພູນຄວາມສາມາດ; ຈົ່ງເຮັດໃຫ້ຄົນຜູ້ນີ້ເປັນພຸດຜູ້ດຽວໃນບັນດາປະຊາຊົນ. ຈົ່ງຕີສັດຕູຂອງເຂົາອອກໄປ, ທຸກໆຄົນ, ຈົ່ງນຳພວກເຂົາມາຢູ່ພາຍໃຕ້ເຂົາ; ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າຕັ້ງເຂົາໃນຕຳແໜ່ງສູງສົ່ງໃນການແຂ່ງຂັນຕໍ່ໄປ.
Mantra 2
एमं भ॑ज॒ ग्रामे॒ अश्वे॑षु॒ गोषु॒ निष्टं भ॑ज॒ यो अ॒मित्रो॑ अ॒स्य। वर्ष्म॑ क्ष॒त्राणा॑म॒यम॑स्तु॒ राजेन्द्र॒ शत्रुं॑ रन्धय॒ सर्व॑म॒स्मै
ຈົ່ງມອບສ່ວນທີ່ດີທີ່ສຸດໃຫ້ເຂົາໃນໝູ່ບ້ານ, ໃນບັນດາມ້າ, ໃນບັນດາໂຄນາຍ; ຜູ້ໃດເປັນສັດຕູຂອງເຂົາ, ຄົນຜູ້ນີ້ຈົ່ງເປັນຍອດເດັ່ນໃນບັນດາຜູ້ມີອຳນາດ, ພຣະລາຊາ. ພຣະອິນທຣະ, ຈົ່ງນຳສັດຕູມາຢູ່ພາຍໃຕ້ເຂົາ, ນຳທັງໝົດມາຢູ່ພາຍໃຕ້ເຂົາ.
Mantra 3
अ॒यम॑स्तु धन॑पति॒र्धना॑नाम॒यं वि॒शां वि॒श्पति॑रस्तु॒ राजा॑ । अ॒स्मिन्नि॑न्द्र॒ महि॒ वर्चां॑सि धेह्यव॒र्चसं॑ कृणुहि॒ शत्रु॑मस्य
ຂໍໃຫ້ບຸກຄົນນີ້ເປັນຜູ້ນໍາແຫ່ງຄວາມຮັ່ງມີ ທ່າມກາງຜູ້ຮັ່ງມີທັງຫຼາຍ; ຂໍໃຫ້ບຸກຄົນນີ້ເປັນຜູ້ນໍາຂອງບັນດາຊົນເຜົ່າ ແລະ ເປັນກະສັດ. ໃນຕົວຂອງລາວ, ອິນທຣະເຈົ້າ, ຂໍໃຫ້ທ່ານປະທານຄວາມສະຫງ່າລາສີອັນຍິ່ງໃຫຍ່; ຂໍໃຫ້ທ່ານເຮັດໃຫ້ສັດຕູຂອງລາວບໍ່ມີຄວາມສະຫງ່າລາສີ.
Mantra 4
अ॒स्मै द्यावा॑पृथिवी॒ भूरि॑ वा॒मं दु॑हाथां घर्म॒दुघे॑ इव धे॒नू। अ॒यं राजा॒ प्रि॒य इन्द्र॑स्य भूयात् प्रि॒यो गवा॒मोष॑धीनां पशू॒नाम्
ເພື່ອລາວ, ຂໍໃຫ້ສະຫວັນ ແລະ ແຜ່ນດິນ, ດັ່ງດຽວກັບໂຄນອ່ອນສອງໂຕທີ່ໃຫ້ນໍາອົມ, ປະທານຄວາມດີຫຼາຍຫຼວງ. ຂໍໃຫ້ກະສັດອົງນີ້ເປັນທີ່ຮັກຂອງອິນທຣະ; ເປັນທີ່ຮັກຂອງປສູ, ຂອງພືດສະຫມຸດຊັ້ນສູງ, ແລະ ຂອງສັດທົ່ງນາ.
Mantra 5
यु॒नज्मि॑ त उत्त॒राव॑न्त॒मिन्द्रं॒ येन॒ जय॑न्ति॒ न प॑रा॒जय॑न्ते । यस्त्वा॒ कर॑देकवृ॒षं जना॑नामु॒त राज्ञा॑मुत्तमं मा॑न॒वाना॑म्
ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າຕ່າງລົດຂອງທ່ານ, ອິນທຣະຜູ້ຊະນະທຸກສິ່ງ, ຜູ້ທີ່ດ້ວຍລາວ ມະນຸດຊະນະ ແລະ ບໍ່ຖືກຊະນະ; ຜູ້ທີ່ເຮັດໃຫ້ທ່ານເປັນໂຕຜູ້ດຽວຂອງບັນດາປະຊາຊົນ, ເປັນກະສັດທີ່ສູງສົດ, ເປັນຜູ້ຍິ່ງໃຫຍ່ໃນບັນດາມະນຸດ.
Mantra 6
उत्त॑र॒स्त्वमध॑रे ते स॒पत्ना॒ ये के च॑ राज॒न् प्रति॑शत्रवस्ते । ए॒क॒वृ॒ष इन्द्र॑सखा जिगी॒वां छ॑त्रूय॒तामा भ॑रा॒ भोज॑नानि
ທ່ານເປັນຜູ້ຍິ່ງໃຫຍ່; ຢູ່ພາຍໃຕ້ທ່ານແມ່ນຄູ່ແຂ່ງຂອງທ່ານ - ຜູ້ໃດກໍຕາມ, ກະສັດເຈົ້າ, ທີ່ເປັນສັດຕູຕໍ່ທ່ານ. ໂຕຜູ້ດຽວ, ໝູ່ຂອງອິນທຣະ, ຜູ້ຊະນະ: ຂໍໃຫ້ນໍາເອົາສິ່ງຂອງຜູ້ທີ່ປະສົງຈະເປັນສັດຕູມານີ້.
Mantra 7
सिं॒हप्र॑तीको॒ विशो॑ अद्धि॒ सर्वा॑ व्या॒घ्रप्र॑ती॒कोऽव॑ बाधस्व॒ शत्रू॑न्। ए॒क॒वृ॒ष इन्द्र॑सखा जिगी॒वां छ॑त्रूय॒तामा खि॑दा॒ भोज॑नानि
ດ້ວຍໜ້າຂອງສິງໂຕ, ຈົ່ງກືນກິນບັນດາຊົນເຜົ່າທັງຫມົດ; ດ້ວຍໜ້າຂອງເສືອ, ຈົ່ງທຸບຕີສັດຕູໃຫ້ລົ້ມລົງ. ໂຕຜູ້ດຽວ, ໝູ່ຂອງອິນທຣະ, ຜູ້ຊະນະ: ຈົ່ງດຶງເອົາສິ່ງຂອງຜູ້ທີ່ປະສົງຈະເປັນສັດຕູມານີ້.
Inside Sukta 22
How it unfolds
- How it opens
Begins with an explicit aim—‘for the wasting of foes’—and immediately addresses Indra to enlarge the patron kṣatriya and make him the sole bull among the people.
- What it asks
Indra is asked to strike down and subdue every enemy, place all rivals under the king, and secure his ‘upper’ standing in ongoing and future contests.
- Where its power lies
The hymn repeatedly frames sovereignty as Indra-backed inevitability: the king becomes lion/tiger-faced in terror, ‘Indra’s friend,’ victorious, and able to drain hostile provisions.
- How it closes
Closes with a final intimidation-and-extraction formula: the empowered ruler overawes peoples, crushes foes, and draws in the enemy’s resources as spoils/provisions.
Famous verses
eka vṛṣaṃ ("sole bull")
dyāvāpṛthivī ... dhe̱nū ("Heaven-and-Earth like two milch-kine")
siṃhapratīko ... vyāghrapratīkaḥ
Kind of hymn
Abhicārika / Rājakarman (Royal/Political Subjugation)
What it is for
Install and amplify a ruler’s dominance, destroy/subdue all enemies, overawe factions into unity, and secure prosperity (cattle, plants, provisions) under the king’s rule.
Who it is for
Royal chaplains (atharvan/ purohita), political patrons (kṣatriya), and ritual specialists performing enthronement-support, victory rites, or suppression of rebellion.
Also used as
- Rājakarman
- Paustika
- Aparājita/Vijaya (victory)
The deity
Indra is invoked as the paradigmatic victor and giver of kṣatra—sovereign force that conquers rivals, stabilizes rule, and secures prosperity; Dyāvāpṛthivī function as the universal sources that ‘milk’ abundance for the rightful king.
Powers of the deity
- Increases kṣatra (royal power) and martial prowess
- Shatters, expels, and subdues enemies (amitra-kṣayaṇa)
- Confers singular dominance and charisma (eka-vṛṣa motif)
- Secures victory and the upper position in contests
- Attracts wealth/provisions from hostile parties
- Grants prosperity in cattle, herbs, and livestock through cosmic assent
Why the deity is called
To empower a chosen king as Indra’s ally—unrivaled among the people—while annihilating or binding opponents and ensuring abundance and legitimacy for his reign.
The seer
- Atharvanic/Āṅgirasa seer (anukramaṇī attributions vary)Angiras. Rājakarman and abhicārika charms for enthronement-support, enemy-subjugation, intimidation, and securing popular cohesion under a single ruler
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 4.8
- AV 4.19
- AV 6.87
- AV 6.88
Preparing for the rite
- Select a ritually clean space oriented to the east or toward the seat of rule (sabha/royal enclosure).
- Purify the officiant and patron with water (ācamana; sprinkling) and establish a protective boundary (rakṣā).
- Seat the patron on a raised place/seat symbolizing ‘upper position’ (uttara), optionally with weapons or insignia nearby.
- Prepare offerings appropriate to Indra (ghee, soma-substitute, or simple oblations) and arrange prosperity tokens (milk/curds, grain, cattle-symbols).
The rite
- Recite the hymn over the patron, emphasizing commands to Indra to ‘increase’ and ‘smite forth’ enemies.
- At key lines (e.g., ‘eka vṛṣa’), touch the patron’s shoulders/arms or royal emblem to ‘fix’ sovereignty.
- Perform oblations to Indra with ghee while naming opponents as ‘amitra’ (generalized if necessary).
- Conclude by affirming the patron’s supremacy in future contests and by a final sprinkling/blessing for popular and economic support.
What it needs
- Water for purification and sprinkling
- Ghee for oblations (or lamp/fire offering if a full homa is not possible)
- Milk/curds or symbolic ‘warm-milking’ prosperity items (reflecting dhenu imagery)
- Royal insignia/seat; optionally lion/tiger emblems as intimidation-symbols
When
Preferably before a campaign, assembly, election/enthronement, or at dawn on an auspicious tithi; also usable when factional opposition rises.
The main substance
Ghee (for Indra oblations) or consecrated water (for royal sprinkling)
Herbs
- Oṣadhi (general ‘healing/prosperity plants’ as a class rather than a single named herb)
Amulets
- Royal insignia/standard (dhvaja) as a sovereignty-token
- Lion/tiger emblem or marked cloth/cord as a fear-and-dominance token
How it is prepared
Consecrate water by recitation, then sprinkle the patron and the seat; offer ghee into fire (or lamp) while reciting the victory/subjugation lines, and finally touch/mark the insignia with the ‘eka-vṛṣa’ formulas.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is used to strengthen a ruler’s authority, defeat or bind opponents, and stabilize rule by invoking Indra’s conquering power along with prosperity and legitimacy.
The “sole bull” metaphor declares singular dominance: one leader stands foremost among the people, with rivals reduced to subordination under Indra’s backing.
Both. Alongside enemy-subjugation, it asks Heaven-and-Earth to ‘milk’ abundance and seeks goodwill from cattle, plants, and livestock—economic foundations of a stable reign.
Ask anything about Sukta 22 of the Atharva Veda
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