Atharva Veda 20.20.3: Kanda 20, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 20, Mantra 3
Sukta 20
अग॑न्निन्द्र॒ श्रवो॑ बृ॒हद् द्यु॒म्नं द॑धिष्व दु॒ष्टर॑म्। उत् ते॒ शुष्मं॑ तिरामसि
ágan índra śrávo br̥hád dyumnáṃ dadhiṣva duṣṭáram | út te śúṣmaṃ tirāmasi
There hath come, O Indra, mighty fame: assume thou glory unconquerable. Forth do we press beyond, by thy strong force.
ഹേ ഇന്ദ്രാ, മഹത്തായ ശ്രവ (കീർത്തി) വന്നെത്തിയിരിക്കുന്നു; നീ അജേയമായ ദ്യുമ്ന (തേജോമഹിമ) ധരിക്ക. നിന്റെ ശുഷ്മ (പരാക്രമം) കൊണ്ടു ഞങ്ങൾ മുന്നോട്ടു തള്ളിപ്പോയി തടസ്സങ്ങളെ അതിക്രമിക്കുന്നു.
The meaning
What it says
Indra’s great fame has arrived; he is urged to take up unconquerable splendour, and by his śuṣma (battle-force) the chanters “cross beyond” obstacles.
The inner meaning
The psyche invokes a decisive, confidence-giving power: let inner “glory” (self-trust, competence) become duṣṭara—hard to overcome—so fear and hesitation are outstripped.
The truth in it
When will and courage are aligned with a higher principle of order and strength, impediments become traversable; victory begins as an inner assumption of steadiness and radiance.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Paustika / Saṃgrāmika
Its aim
To secure invincible glory and to ‘cross beyond’ obstacles through Indra’s heightened śuṣma.
Word by Word
Pada patha
अग॑न् । इन्द्र॑ । श्रवः॑ । बृ॒हद् । द्यु॒म्नम् । द॒धिष्व । दु॒ष्टर॑म् । उत् । ते । शुष्म॑म् । ति॒रा॒म॒सि
- अगन्
- he went / he camehas come, has arrived (successful advent; arrival of power/renown)Verbलुङ् (aorist), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRoot गम् (धातु)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- श्रवः
- fame, renownNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot श्रवस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- बृहत्
- greatAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (श्रवः-विशेषण)Role कर्म (विशेषण)Root बृहत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- द्यु्म्नम्
- splendour, brillianceNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot द्यु्म्न (प्रातिपदिक)
- दधिष्व
- place, put on (for yourself)place (it) in thyself / assume (imperative middle: ‘put on, take up’)Verbलोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपदRoot धा (धातु)
- दुष्टरम्
- hard to overcome, formidablehard to overcome, unconquerable (invincible quality to be assumed)Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (द्यु्म्नम्-विशेषण)Role कर्म (विशेषण)Root दुष्टर (प्रातिपदिक; दु- + स्तॄ/तॄ ‘to cross’ से निष्पन्न ‘hard to cross’)
- उत्
- up, forthIndeclinableउपसर्ग (तिरामसि इत्यस्य)Root उत् (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- ते
- yourthy (belonging to Indra)Pronounषष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- शुष्मम्
- strength, mightforce, vehement might (battle-energy; protective aggression)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot शुष्म (प्रातिपदिक)
- तिरामसि
- we cross over, we overcomewe overpass, we surpass, we cross beyond (attain victory by exceeding obstacles/foes)Verbलट् (present), उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपदRoot तॄ (धातु; ‘to cross, overcome’)
Sandhi Notes
- अगन् | इन्द्र | श्रवः | बृहत् | द्यु्म्नम् | दधिष्व | दुष्टरम् | उत् | ते | शुष्मम् | तिरामसि ।
- 1) अग॑न्निन्द्र॒ = अगन् + इन्द्र (न् + इ → न्न्, संहितायाम् ‘अगन्निन्द्र’)
- 2) श्रवो॑ = श्रवः (विसर्गलोपः पदान्ते संहितायाम्)
- 3) बृ॒हद् द्यु॒म्नम् = बृहत् + द्यु्म्नम् (त् → द् परे घोषे ‘द्’)
- 4) उत् ते = उत् + ते (त् परे तकारे स्थिरः; उच्चारणे पृथक्)
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- RV-source tradition (to be confirmed per anukramaṇī).
- Devata
- Indra.
- Chandas
- RV-derived metre (to be confirmed).
- Rasa
- Vira and Adbhuta
Sayana reads ‘fame has come’ as the auspicious advent of success; Indra is urged to ‘assume’ invincible splendour, thereby enabling the sacrificers to ‘cross beyond’ (tirāmasi) impediments—enemies, dangers, and ritual obstructions.
Rigvedic source-seer (exact RV r̥ṣi to be confirmed by AV 20 anukramaṇī/source-hymn mapping)
Indra-stuti for victory and overcoming obstacles; martial/prosperity invocations adapted into AV 20’s saṃgrāmika-paustika register.
Represents the AVŚ 20 strategy: importing RV praise-poetry as efficacious speech for victory, prestige, and communal morale.
Indra
Breaker of obstructive forces; establisher of winning power (vāja) and expansive order through decisive action.
Indirect: restores vitality and morale (bala/ojas-like effect) by dispelling paralysis and dread.
Grants “duṣṭara” glory—invulnerability in contest; empowers crossing beyond dangers and constraints.
4 pādas of ~11 syllables (with RV-style resolution/caesura)
AVŚ 20 often preserves RV metrical shape but may show minor phonetic sandhi/recitational adjustments in transmission.
Driving, forward-thrusting cadence suited to “pressing beyond” (ut…tirāmasi).
Energizes resolve; produces an assertive, rallying tone that supports collective confidence before contest.
Recite while beginning a venture (departure, contest, or critical rite-step).
On ‘ut te śuṣmam’, the priest makes an elevating gesture (raising hand/ladle) to ‘lift’ force.
On ‘tirāmasi’, he leads the patron to step forward across a marked line/threshold, enacting ‘crossing beyond’ impediments.
Kauśika Sūtra: Indra-victory and obstacle-crossing mantras are used in success-rites and protective crossings; AV 20 verses serve as auxiliary recitations (paddhati-dependent).
Atharvan as director of liminal action: he times the mantra to the patron’s forward step, converting text into enacted victory.
Recited before competitions, disputes, journeys, or any high-stakes undertaking to ‘take on’ Indraic confidence.
At dawn or just before departure/engagement; optionally after ācamana and brief silence.
Householder or purohita may lead; group recitation increases saṃghāta (collective force).
Use as a short pre-performance invocation; pair with a simple offering of water/light if desired (non-mandatory).
No explicit materia; the ‘substance’ is dyumna/śuṣma—treated as quasi-tangible powers that can be ‘assumed’ (dadhisva) and used to ‘cross over’.
Not a clinical charm; functions as psychophysiological strengthening—reducing fear and fatigue through Indraic “force” imagery.
Bala/ojas augmentation by mantra as vāc-rasāyana (speech as tonic) in a broad sense.
Performance anxiety support; resilience priming before stressful events.
Patron/war-band/competitor seeking victory and prestige.
Secure unconquerable glory and the capacity to surpass obstacles through Indra’s heightened śuṣma.
Stuti + ādeśa (praise plus imperative command): the deity is praised as present and then directed to confer invincibility.
Defeat, obstruction, loss of status; “crossing” language also wards against being stuck in adversity.
Fame, success, social standing, winning power (vāja).
- श्रवः (śravas)
- earned reputation; the social/inner confirmation that one’s dharma is effective
- द्यु॒म्न (dyumna)
- clarity, excellence, victorious aura; “luminous competence”
- दु॒ष्टर (duṣṭara)
- invincibility; resilience against relapse and opposition
- शु॒ष्म (śuṣma)
- mobilized life-energy; courageous drive that breaks inertia
- ति॒रामसि (tirāmasi)
- transcending limits; surpassing blockages and thresholds
Invoke steadfast courage; visualize a luminous ‘dyumna’ mantle forming around the chest and head.
anahata
Moderate ujjayi-like slow inhale/exhale; emphasize the ‘ut’ as an upward lift on exhale.
See obstacles as a river crossed by a firm bridge of light (śuṣma).
Focused, fearless readiness (ekāgratā with heroic poise).
Chant 9 or 27 times before challenging tasks; end with a brief silent resolve (saṅkalpa) aligned to dharma.
Maintain retroflex in duṣṭara (ष्ट); Keep śr- cluster clear in śravo/śravas; Avoid flattening long vowels in dyūmna/śūṣma (as applicable in recitation tradition)
RV-style udātta/anudātta/svarita; keep udātta peaks on key vocatives/imperatives (índra, dadhíṣva).
Lean into imperatives: dadhíṣva; keep ‘ut’ crisp as a lift into the final phrase.
Firm, resonant, slightly elevated pitch to convey command and confidence.
Though RV-derived, AVŚ usage often frames it as practical efficacy (victory/obstacle-crossing) rather than purely liturgical praise.
9 times
Brief saṅkalpa (clear intention); Offer a small act of generosity (dāna) to align with Maghavan’s bounteous aspect; Grounding breath for 2–3 minutes
Before exams, negotiations, athletic contests, court matters, or any ‘obstacle-crossing’ moment.
Immediately before action; also during a slump in confidence.
Increased resolve, reduced hesitation, sense of protective momentum and social ‘glory’.
Not a substitute for preparation; avoid using for harmful intent or coercion beyond ethical boundaries.
The verse is non-botanical; its operative medium is ‘śravas’ and ‘dyumna’—social and luminous capital. In Atharvanic terms, these are quasi-substances transferable by rite, functioning analogously to a tonic.
Renown and invincibility are framed as gifts mediated by Indra and accessed through priestly command. The community’s success is not merely martial but reputational, implying a competitive polity of clans and patrons.
Lexemes śrávas, dyumná, śúṣma are RV staples; the imperative middle dadhiṣva is also RV-like. AV 20 preserves this archaic heroic register.
Gopatha’s logic: success is produced when the deity is properly ‘installed’ in a heightened state (here, ‘assume unconquerable glory’). The mantra is efficacious as a performative that configures divine disposition.
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