
Rishi: Atharvanic healer tradition (specific r̥ṣi not given in supplied excerpt).
Devata: Medicinal root / Kṛṣṇā (as plant-power) / healing efficacy personified.
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (probable; two 8-syllable pādas per half-verse in typical AV style).
Mantra 1
गण्डमालाचिकित्सा। अ॒प॒चितां॒ लोहि॑नीनां कृ॒ष्णा मा॒तेति॑ शुश्रुम । मुने॑र्दे॒वस्य॒ मूले॑न॒ सर्वा॑ विध्यामि॒ ता अ॒हम्
Of the red swellings, men say, ‘Black is the mother’: so have we heard. With the root of the divine Sage I cleave them all asunder, even those swellings.
Mantra 2
विध्या॑म्यासां प्रथ॒मां विध्या॑म्यु॒त म॑ध्य॒माम्। इ॒दं ज॑घ॒न्याऽमासा॒मा च्छि॑नद्मि॒ स्तुका॑मिव
I pierce of these the first; I pierce also the middle. This last of these I cut away, as one a tuft (is shorn).
Mantra 3
त्वा॒ष्ट्रेणा॒हं वच॑सा॒ वि त॑ ई॒र्ष्याम॑मीमदम्। अथो॒ यो म॒न्युष्टे॑ पते॒ तमु॑ ते शमयामसि
With Tvaṣṭṛ’s utterance I have driven apart thy jealousy. And moreover, whoso is wroth, O lord, him—yea, for thee—we do we pacify.
Mantra 4
व्र॒तेन॒ त्वं व्र॑तपते॒ सम॑क्तो वि॒श्वाहा॑ सु॒मना॑ दीदिही॒ह। तं त्वा॑ व॒यं जा॑तवेदः॒ समि॑द्धं प्र॒जाव॑न्त॒ उप॑ सदेम॒ सर्वे॑
By observance, O Lord of vows, well-prepared, shine here each day with gracious mind. Thee, O Jātavedas, when kindled, may we all, possessed of offspring, draw near and sit beside.
It targets gaṇḍamālā/apacit—glandular swellings described as “red swellings”—seeking to disperse and break them up through a medicinal root empowered by mantra.
Atharvavedic healing often treats illness as worsened by hostile social-psychic forces. The hymn therefore pacifies jealousy and anger to protect the patient and prevent relapse or misfortune.
The core cure centers on the root (mūla/Kṛṣṇā) and recitation. The closing Agni verse can be used as an additional household ‘seal’—especially where a domestic fire is maintained—but it is supportive rather than strictly required.
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