Atharva Veda 13.3.26: Kanda 13, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 3, Mantra 26
Sukta 3
कृ॒ष्णायाः॑ पु॒त्रो अर्जु॑नो॒ रात्र्या॑ व॒त्सोऽजायत । स ह॒ द्यामधि॑ रोहति॒ रुहो॑ रुरोह॒ रोहि॑तः
kṛṣṇā́yāḥ putró árjuno rā́tryā vatsó’jāyata | sá ha dyā́m ádhi rohati rúho ruroha róhitaḥ
Of Kṛṣṇā was born a son, Arjuna; of Night a calf was generated. He verily mounteth upon the heaven: the Climber hath climbed—Rohita hath arisen.
കൃഷ്ണയിൽ നിന്ന് പുത്രൻ അർജുനൻ ജനിച്ചു; രാത്രിയിൽ നിന്ന് ഒരു കിടാവ് ഉത്ഭവിച്ചു. അവൻ സത്യമായി ദ്യൗവിൽ കയറുന്നു; കയറുന്നവൻ കയറി—രോഹിതൻ ഉദിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു.
The meaning
What it says
A mythic/narrative statement: from Kṛṣṇā a son Arjuna is born; from Night a calf is generated. He climbs onto heaven; the Climber has climbed—Rohita has arisen.
The inner meaning
The psyche moves from obscurity (rātrī) to emergence (rohi-ta ‘reddening’). ‘Birth’ imagery encodes a daily and existential pattern: out of darkness, a new force is generated that can ascend. Naming Rohita as already arisen installs confidence in recovery and success.
The truth in it
Emergence is lawful: every night contains the seed of dawn. When the rising principle is invoked, one aligns with the inevitability of renewal.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Paustika (Prosperity) / Apotropaic (Protective) (cosmic legitimation of ascent and dispelling darkness)
Its aim
To effect ‘rising’—the overcoming of darkness/obstruction; to secure auspicious emergence (light, success, recovery) by invoking Rohita’s accomplished ascent.
Word by Word
Pada patha
कृष्णायाः । पुत्रः । अर्जुनः । रात्र्याः । वत्सः । अजायत । सः । ह । द्याम् । अधि । रोहति । रुहः । रुरोह । रोहितः ।
- कृष्णायाः
- of KṛṣṇāNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी-सम्बन्धः)Root कृष्णा (प्रातिपदिक)
- पुत्रः
- sonson; the generated/emanated offspring (mythic production establishing potency)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- अर्जुनः
- ArjunaArjuna; ‘the bright/white one’ (name; also suggestive of whitening/clearing as a curative-apotropaic trope)Noun (Proper name)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृ (पुत्रः इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषण/समनाधिकरण)Root अर्जुन (प्रातिपदिक)
- रात्र्याः
- of the Night (Rātrī)of Night (Rātrī; the nocturnal power, often protective yet fear-bearing)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी-सम्बन्धः)Root रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
- वत्सः
- calfcalf; young of cattle (a fertility/renewal emblem; also a ‘dear one’ in ritual diction)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot वत्स (प्रातिपदिक)
- अजायत
- was born / came to bewas born; came into being (effective emergence—siddhi through origination)Verbलुङ् (अङ्गभूत-आगमयुक्तः); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; आत्मनेपदRole (अकर्मक) कर्तृ-क्रियाRoot √जन् (जायते) / √जन्
- सः
- hehe; that one (the just-mentioned power/being)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- ह
- indeed / verilyindeed, verily (emphatic particle; strengthens the narrative assertion)Indeclinableनिपात (अन्वर्थ-प्रयोगः/उद्गारार्थः)Root ह (निपात)
- दिवम्
- heaven, the skyNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole अधिकरण (अधि-योगे कर्मवत्/आश्रय-स्थानार्थः)Root दिव्/द्यौ (प्रातिपदिक: दिव्-)
- अधि
- upon, overupon, over, up to (preverb indicating ascent/overcoming)Indeclinableउपसर्गः/अव्ययम्Root अधि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- रोहति
- climbs, mountsmounts, ascends, grows up (roha-: rising/growth; also metaphor for healing ‘rising’ from affliction)Verbलट्; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole कर्तृ-क्रियाRoot √रुह्
- रुहः
- the climber / one who mountsthe climber/ascender; ‘growth’ (a nominal form from √ruh, marking the power of ascent)Noun (agent noun)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक: रुह् + अ (क्विप्/कृदन्त-निर्माणः), ‘one who climbs’)Role कर्तृ (समनाधिकरणः सः इत्यस्य)Root √रुह्
- रुरोह
- climbed / has climbedhe has ascended; he climbed (perfect; accomplished ascent—ritually: accomplished efficacy)Verbलिट् (परिपूर्ण-भूत/परोक्श-भूत); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole कर्तृ-क्रियाRoot √रुह्
- रोहितः
- having ascended / mountedRohita; ‘the Red One’ (solar/auroral figure; also a named being whose rising dispels darkness/evil)Adjective/Participleपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) ‘mounted/ascended’Role कर्तृ (समनाधिकरणः सः इत्यस्य)Root √रुह् → रोहित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- कृष्णायाः | पुत्रः | अर्जुनः | रात्र्याः | वत्सः | अजायत | सः | ह | दिवम् | अधि | रोहति | रुहः | रुरोह | रोहितः । सन्धि-विशेषः:
- (1) वत्सोऽजायत = वत्सः + अजायत (विसर्गस्य ओऽ-आदेशः, अवग्रहः)
- (2) द्यामधि = दिवम् + अधि (मकारस्य लोपः, अनुस्वार/संयोग-सरलीकरण; पाठभेदेषु ‘द्याम्’ इति रूपं प्रचलितम्)
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Traditionally associated with Rohita/Sūrya cycle seers in AVŚ 13 (Angiras/Atharvanic attribution varies by anukramaṇī traditions).
- Devata
- Rohita (solar/auroral power), with Rātrī as the contrasted field.
- Chandas
- Mixed/irregular (late Atharvanic narrative style; not a strict single-meter anuṣṭubh).
- Rasa
- Adbhuta and Vira
Sāyaṇa treats the verse as mythic etiology: from Kṛṣṇā/Rātrī arises a being whose very nature is ascent (√ruh), culminating in Rohita, the red (solar/auroral) power. The repeated √ruh-forms are taken as deliberate intensifiers: the mantra ‘makes rise’ (ārohaṇa) what is to overcome darkness, fear, or obstruction; Rohita’s emergence is read as the victorious manifestation of light/order over nocturnal peril.
Rohita/Sūrya-cycle seer(s) (anukramaṇī-dependent; often Angiras-linked in Rohita narratives)
Cosmic legitimation charms: using solar/auroral myth to secure ascent, success, and the overcoming of darkness and obstruction.
Angiras-style power: not domestic grooming but cosmic force—Rohita’s ascent becomes a template for victory over hidden threats.
Rohita (solar/auroral power) with Rātrī as contrasted field
To rise, redden, and mount the heavens—turning darkness into ordered light; to guarantee cyclical renewal.
Restores vitality and clears depressive ‘darkness’; supports recovery by aligning with dawn-like resurgence (symbolic medical function).
Dispels nocturnal dangers and hidden harms; protects against stagnation and failure-to-rise.
Mixed/irregular narrative cadence (late Atharvanic style)
Short narrative clauses followed by emphatic repetition (ruho ruroha rohitaḥ).
Repetitive verbal play (roh-/ruh-) functions as sonic magic; strict meter is secondary.
Incantatory escalation—repetition mimics the act of climbing/rising.
Builds momentum and certainty; useful for energizing recitation at dawn or before action.
The Atharvan priest prepares a sunrise-facing station (east), establishing a clean, elevated spot.
At dawn or at the transition from night to day, he recites the mantra to ‘raise’ (ārohayati) the intended good—health, fortune, or release from a binding condition.
The recitation is paired with a gesture of upward lifting (ud-āharaṇa) of the hand or of a token object (e.g., a staff/amulet), miming ascent.
The rite concludes with a brief silent gaze toward the reddening horizon (Rohita), sealing the identification of the patient/beneficiary with the rising power.
Kauśika Sūtra: Rohita/Sūrya-oriented prayoga sections (general application; exact sūtra-number requires recension-specific cross-indexing to AVŚ 13.3–13.4 Rohita cycle).
Atharvan/Brahman officiant as apotropaic technician: he times the utterance to liminal night–day transition and performs the mimetic ‘ascent’ gesture to transfer Rohita’s victorious rising to the beneficiary.
Recite at dawn facing east; can be used before travel, exams, negotiations, or during recovery to ‘call the rise.’
Pre-sunrise to sunrise; also at the end of a difficult night (literal or metaphorical).
Often self-recited; Atharvanic household head may employ as protective uplift charm.
KauśS contains Rohita-related prayogas for protection/prosperity in some traditions (exact citations edition-dependent).
Morning recitation paired with sunlight exposure and intention-setting.
Rohita (personified red light/solar force); Night (Rātrī) as the adversarial/protective field to be mastered
Solar fire (Rohita) implicit as tejas.
The ‘substance’ is light itself—Rohita as red tejas. The calf signifies nourishment and future increase: rising is not only illumination but prosperity.
Darkness-states: lethargy, depression-like heaviness, post-illness weakness; also ‘failure to thrive’ metaphorically.
Energizing autosuggestion via dawn-ascent; sound-pattern (roh-) entrains upward affect; invokes solar physiology (wakefulness, circadian alignment).
Tamas reduction; kapha-sluggishness countered by sūrya/tejas; dinacaryā alignment with sunrise.
Circadian entrainment, morning light exposure benefits; motivational priming for recovery/goal pursuit.
The reciter/patient/undertaking needing uplift.
To cause ‘rising’—successful emergence, recovery, and ascent—by affirming Rohita’s accomplished climb.
Mythic birth + performative repetition (roh-) as verbal enactment of ascent.
Nocturnal fear, hidden obstruction, stagnation, inauspicious delay.
Success, vigor, cattle/wealth symbolism (vatsa).
- कृष्णा (kṛṣṇā)
- fertile darkness; hidden matrix from which clarity is born
- अर्जुन (arjuna)
- brightness born from darkness; clarified capacity
- रात्रि (rātrī)
- obscuration, fear, incubation, protective concealment
- वत्स (vatsa)
- new vitality, nourishment, future wealth; tender life-force
- रोहित (rohitaḥ)
- auroral/solar ascent; victorious recovery; the ‘already-risen’ power
- रुहः/रोहति (ruhaḥ/rohati)
- upward striving; overcoming inertia and obstruction
Dawn-rise contemplation: ‘the climber in me has climbed.’
Maṇipūra (tejas, will) and Ājñā (clarity).
Sūrya-bhedana (gentle) or simply 10 slow breaths while visualizing upward movement; avoid strain.
A red-gold light rising from the navel to the brow, like dawn climbing the sky; darkness receding behind.
Energized clarity moving out of tamas.
Use at daybreak for 7 days during low-mood or recovery phases; pair with practical steps (sleep timing, morning walk).
Let the roh-/ruh- repetitions be clearly articulated and slightly rising in pitch/energy across the sequence.
Mark the cadence: rohati | ruho ruroha | rohitaḥ—each phrase a step upward.
Bright, forward resonance; not shouted.
A classic place for sonic magic: the repeated root roh-/ruh- should feel like verbal ‘climbing.’
7 times
After a period of darkness: illness recovery, grief heaviness, failure, or stagnation; also before important undertakings.
At dawn or when needing an ‘uplift’ reset; especially after sleepless nights.
Energizing clarity, renewed hope, and a sense of inevitable emergence.
If mood symptoms are severe/persistent, combine with professional care; avoid using as a substitute for sleep/medical treatment.
No explicit herb appears; the ‘substance’ is cosmological—Rohita as red light. In Atharvanic therapeutics, such cosmic substances function analogously to drugs: the mantra transfers the property ‘rising/clearing’ (√ruh) to the patient, as if administering a non-material pharmakon.
Efficacy is mediated by the Atharvan priest’s timed recitation and mimetic action; the specialist controls liminal transitions (night→day) and thereby controls protection and success. The mythic genealogy authorizes priestly technique by embedding it in cosmic precedent.
The dense paronomasia on √ruh (rohati/ruhaḥ/ruroha/rohitaḥ) is characteristically Atharvanic in its incantatory intensification. The narrative-cosmic style and emphatic particle usage align with later Vedic mantra rhetoric rather than early RV hymn structure.
Gopatha frequently rationalizes Atharvanic power through correspondences (bandhu) between cosmic processes and ritual acts. This verse’s ‘ascent’ is readily framed as a bandhu: as Rohita rises over night, so the rite raises the sacrificer/patient over affliction and social peril.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Atharva Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
