Atharva Veda 19.39.1: Kanda 19, Anuvaka 4, Sukta 39, Mantra 1
Sukta 39
कुष्ठनाशनम्। ऐतु॑ दे॒वस्त्राय॑माणः॒ कुष्ठो॑ हि॒मव॑त॒स्परि॑ । त॒क्मानं॒ सर्वं॑ नाशय॒ सर्वा॑श्च यातुधा॒न्यः
áitu devás trā́yamāṇaḥ kúṣṭho himávatas pári | takmā́naṃ sárvaṃ nāśaya sárvāś ca yātudhā́nyaḥ ||
Let the god Kuṣṭha come, a saviour, from about the Himavat. Destroy every Takmán-fever, and all the Yātudhānī demonesses.
കുഷ്ഠനാശനം। ഹിമവതിന്റെ ചുറ്റുപാടിൽ നിന്നു രക്ഷകനായ ദേവൻ കുഷ്ഠൻ ഇവിടെ വരട്ടെ. എല്ലാ തക്മാൻ-ജ്വരവും നശിപ്പിക്ക; എല്ലാ യാതുധാന്യഃ (രാക്ഷസീ/ദൈത്യസ്ത്രീകൾ)യെയും കൂടി നശിപ്പിക്ക.
The meaning
What it says
The Kuṣṭha herb, personified as a saving god from the Himavat, is summoned to destroy all Takmán fevers and all Yātudhānī demonesses.
The inner meaning
Fever and infection are imagined as hostile beings; the mind recruits a powerful ‘mountain medicine’ archetype—cool, stable, and ancient—to overcome heat, fear, and intrusive night-terrors.
The truth in it
Human cultures heal by linking medicine to place, story, and personhood; when treatment is experienced as an ally, recovery gains courage and coherence.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Bhaisajya (Healing) / Rakshoghna (Demon-expelling)
Its aim
To summon the Kuṣṭha herb’s protective power and annihilate all forms of fever (takmán) together with demonesses believed to generate or accompany illness.
Word by Word
Pada patha
ऐतु । देवः । त्रायमाणः । कुष्ठः । हिमवतस् । परि । तक्मानम् । सर्वम् । नाशय । सर्वाः । च । यातुधान्यः
- ऐतु
- let (him/it) comelet (him/it) come; an invitatory imperative bringing the healing power into proximityVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Root इ (धातु)
- देवः
- the godthe god; here the deified medicinal agent (Kuṣṭha-plant) acting with divine efficacyNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- त्रायमाणः
- protecting, savingprotecting, saving; functioning as an apotropaic guardian against disease and demonsParticiple (Adjective)वर्तमानकृदन्तः (शतृ), पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (देवस्य विशेषणम्)Root त्रा (धातु)
- कुष्ठः
- Kuṣṭha (the healing herb; also ‘leprosy’ by later usage)Kuṣṭha (a famed Himalayan medicinal herb); also personified as a divine healerNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (ऐतु इत्यस्य)Root कुष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
- हि
- indeed, forIndeclinableनिपातःRoot हि
- हिमवतस्
- from the Himavant (Himalaya)from the Himavat (Himalaya); marking provenance and heightened potency (mountain-born)Noun/Adjective (used as noun)पुंलिङ्गः, पञ्चमी, एकवचनम् (हिमवत्-शब्दः)Role अपादानRoot हिमवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- परि
- from around; forth fromfrom around/from; indicating origin and also ritual encircling/protective pervasionIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्ययम्Root परि
- तक्ष्मानम्
- fever (Takṣman)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot तक्ष्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- सर्वम्
- entire, allall, entire; totalizing scope (all fevers, all forms)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम् (तक्ष्मानम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्म (विशेषणरूपेण)Root सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- नाशय
- destroy! drive away!destroy, drive out; operative verb of eradication in healing charmVerbलोट्, मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Root नश्/नाशय (णिजन्त-धातु: नश् → नाशयति)
- सर्वाः
- all (of them)all (fem. pl.); here qualifying the demonesses/witch-like beingsAdjective (used substantively)स्त्रीलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्Role कर्मRoot सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- च
- andand; conjoining disease-removal with demon-expulsionIndeclinableसमुच्चयार्थक-निपातःRoot च
- यातुधान्यः
- witches, sorceresses (yātudhānīs)yātudhānī-s (female yātudhāna: witch/demoness); hostile beings causing wasting/fever, to be repelledNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्Role कर्मRoot यातुधानी (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- ऐतु | देवः | त्रायमाणः | कुष्ठः | हि | हिमवतस् | परि | तक्ष्मानम् | सर्वम् | नाशय | सर्वाः | च | यातुधान्यः ।
- 1) ‘हिमवतस् परि’ इति—‘परि’ अव्ययम्/उपसर्गवत्, ‘हिमवतस्’ (पञ्चमी) सह ‘from around/from’ इत्यर्थे।
- 2) ‘सर्वाश्च’ = ‘सर्वाः च’ (विसर्ग/दीर्घसन्धिः)।
- 3) ‘यातुधान्यः’ अत्र स्त्रीलिङ्ग-द्वितीया-बहुवचनरूपेण (यातुधानी-शब्दः) कर्मपदं
- मन्त्रपाठेषु रूपभेदाः दृश्यन्ते।
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic tradition (often transmitted under Atharvan/Angiras lineages for oṣadhi-sūktas; specific r̥ṣi attribution requires pada-anukramaṇī confirmation).
- Devata
- Kuṣṭha (oṣadhi as devatā); secondarily Takmán (as adversary) and Yātudhānīs (as adversaries).
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh (predominant in AV healing charms; to be metrically verified per pāda).
- Rasa
- Vira and Adbhuta
Sāyaṇa treats Kuṣṭha as an oṣadhi endowed with devatā-status: ‘devaḥ’ because it is a divine remedy. ‘Trāyamāṇaḥ’ signals its protective function when applied/borne. ‘Himavataḥ pari’ indicates the herb’s celebrated Himalayan origin, hence superior efficacy. The mantra is both bhaiṣajya (against fever) and rakṣoghna (against yātudhāna-type afflictors), implying fever is demonically mediated.
Atharvanic tradition (oṣadhi-sūkta style; specific r̥ṣi per anukramaṇī not provided here)
Bhaiṣajya oṣadhi-invocation, takmán (fever) expulsion, rakṣoghna demon-banishing.
A classic Atharvan pattern: summon a named herb from a potent geography, then command disease-demons to be destroyed—medicine and exorcism fused.
Kuṣṭha (oṣadhi-devatā)
A mountain-born healer power that cools, protects, and drives out fever-demons and their retinue.
Anti-fever (takmán) and protective against wasting/possession-type afflictions; restores vitality by ‘destroying’ the agent.
Rakṣoghna against yātudhānī forces, especially night-associated harms.
4 × 8 (imperative commands suit anuṣṭubh).
Occasional overfull pādas in AV oṣadhi hymns due to proper names (yātudhānyāḥ) and compounds.
Commanding, medicinal; alternates invocation (‘aitu…’) with destruction (‘nāśaya…’).
Energizes decisive treatment; supports confidence in remedy efficacy.
The Atharvan priest procures/holds Kuṣṭha (or an amulet containing it).
Facing the patient, he recites the mantra as an āhvāna (invocation) to ‘bring’ the herb’s deity.
He applies the herb by touch or fumigation, or binds it on the body (commonly at arm/neck), while repeating the destructive command ‘nāśaya’.
A protective circumambulation/encircling gesture may accompany ‘pari’, marking the patient as ritually enclosed against takmán and yātudhānīs.
Kauśika Sūtra: general bhaiṣajya/takman-nāśana and oṣadhi-prayoga sections.
Atharvan/Brahman as bhaiṣajya-kartṛ: invoker of the oṣadhi-devatā, applier/binder of the substance, and verbal executor of expulsion (uccāraṇa as karman).
Administer Kuṣṭha in a traditional form (paste, fumigation, amulet bundle) while reciting; sweep the patient’s body lightly with the herb-bundle and cast away to the threshold to ‘send out’ takmán.
At fever onset; repeated at dusk and dawn; especially at night if delirium/night-terror is feared.
Family healer; priest optional for extended rakṣā rites.
Use as supportive prayer/visualization alongside medical fever care (hydration, monitoring, antipyretics as advised).
Kuṣṭha (Himalayan medicinal herb, personified); Himavat (source-territory conferring potency)
Implied: oṣadhi may be worn/tied or used in fumigation/infusion depending on rite.
The herb’s geography is part of its power: the mountain stands for coolness, purity, and remoteness from contamination—ideal antidote to fever-heat and demonic intrusion.
Takmán (fever) in all forms; demonological co-factors (yātudhānī) that ‘bring’ illness.
Summoning the herb-deity from its potent source; imperative annihilation of fever and demonic accompaniments; likely paired with administration/fumigation/amulet use of the herb.
Jvara (fever) management; Himalayan drugs often classed as cooling/kapha-pitta balancing depending on identification; also bhūta-vidyā overlap for fever with delirium.
Febrile illnesses (viral/bacterial) and supportive psychological framing; ritual can reduce panic and improve caregiving adherence.
Patient with fever; household threatened by contagion/night-harms.
Call in Kuṣṭha’s saving power; destroy fever and demonesses linked with illness.
Deity-summons (āhvāna) + imperative destruction; place-based potency (Himavat) as amplifying credential.
Takmán and yātudhānī forces.
- कुष्ठः (kuṣṭhaḥ)
- embodied remedy; savior-ally; Himalayan potency
- देवः त्रायमाणः (devas trāyamāṇaḥ)
- medicine as divine protection, not merely material
- हिमवतस् परि (himavatas pari)
- cooling, purity, high-source authority; remote potency
- तक्मान (takmān)
- heat-demon; recurrent infection; inflammation and delirium
- यातुधान्यः (yātudhānyāḥ)
- nightly afflictions, wasting forces, contagion-personifications
Cooling rescue: feel a ‘Himalayan coolness’ descending through the body, especially head and torso, displacing fever-heat.
Maṇipūra (heat regulation)
Śītalī/śītkārī (if appropriate and safe) or slow cooling breath; avoid if contraindicated by condition.
White-blue mountain light entering the body; red/orange fever-forms dissolving and fleeing as yātudhānī silhouettes disperse.
From agitation to cooled steadiness.
Keep the mind allied with recovery: recite, then rest; let the ‘cool mountain’ image accompany sleep.
Clear, imperative delivery; slightly stronger lift on ‘aitu’ and ‘nāśaya.’
Divide commands cleanly: ‘aitu… kuṣṭhaḥ’ (arrival) then ‘takmānaṃ… nāśaya’ (destruction).
Steady and confident; not harsh.
If used with fumigation, recite on the wafting motion; if used as amulet, recite while tying three knots (triply sealing the protection).
21 times
Fever in the household; fear of night-worsening symptoms; need for protective reassurance during illness.
At first fever signs; at dusk/dawn; before sleep during febrile episodes.
Traditional fever-banishing confidence; psychological calming and supportive focus for caregiving.
High fever, dehydration, breathing difficulty, rash, or persistent symptoms require medical evaluation; do not self-administer herbs without safety confirmation.
The mantra performs an āhvāna that converts a pharmacological item (Kuṣṭha) into an agentive deity (‘devaḥ’). The plant’s Himalayan provenance functions as a credential of potency; the speech-act ‘nāśaya’ operationalizes the remedy as both medicine and weapon against personified fever.
Efficacy is mediated by a specialist (Atharvan/Brahman) who controls access to potent substances and authoritative speech. Illness is framed as both natural (fever) and social-cosmic (demonic assault), reinforcing the priest’s role as protector of household/community boundaries.
The Atharvanic tendency to personify diseases (takmán) and demonize etiologies (yātudhānī) is more programmatic than in much of the RV. The imperative ‘nāśaya’ and the direct operational style typify AV charm-language: concise, performative, and outcome-driven.
Gopatha’s Atharvanic theology regularly grounds efficacy in brahman (ritual speech) and in the devatā-status of ritual implements/substances. This verse exemplifies that logic: the herb is ‘deva’, and the mantra’s command is the mechanism by which the unseen cause of fever is compelled to depart.
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