
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (exact r̥ṣi not specified in the provided excerpt)
Devata: Soma (as pāvaka/purifier)
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (probable; common for such expiatory verses)
Mantra 1
चिकित्सा। या ओष॑धयः॒ सोम॑राज्ञीर्ब॒ह्वीः श॒तवि॑चक्षणाः । बृह॒स्पति॑प्रसूता॒स्ता नो॑ मुञ्च॒न्त्वंह॑सः
Healing: the herbs which are Soma-ruled, many, of a hundredfold wisdom, brought forth by Bṛhaspati—let them release us from distress and harm.
Mantra 2
मु॒ञ्चन्तु॑ मा शप॒थ्या॒३दथो॑ वरु॒ण्याऽदु॒त। अथो॑ य॒मस्य॒ पड्वी॑शाद् विश्व॑स्माद् देवकिल्बि॒षात्
Let them release me from the oath-born curse, and also from Varuṇa’s (penalty), and further from Yama’s snare—yea, from every divine transgression.
Mantra 3
यच्चक्षु॑षा॒ मन॑सा॒ यच्च॑ वा॒चोपा॑रि॒म जाग्र॑तो॒ यत् स्व॒पन्तः॑ । सोम॒स्तानि॑ स्व॒धया॑ नः पुनातु
What, by the eye, by the mind, and what by speech we have overpassed—what (we have done) waking, what sleeping—Soma, by his own sustaining might, let him cleanse those (sins) from us.
Both together. The hymn treats suffering as linked with aṃhas/devakilbiṣa (harmful taint or offense) and seeks healing through herbal power plus ritual purification by Soma.
Varuṇa and Yama represent binding constraints—punitive fetters and the death-snare. The mantra asks to be released from these ‘bonds,’ a common Atharvanic way to speak about severe illness or fate-like affliction.
Prepare clean water or a mild herbal infusion, recite 6.96.1 over it, then sprinkle or sip while reciting 6.96.2–3, focusing on release from burdens and Soma’s cleansing of faults done by eye, mind, and speech in waking and sleep.
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