Atharva Veda 4.3.6: Kanda 4, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 3, Mantra 6
Sukta 3
मू॒र्णा मृ॒गस्य॒ दन्ता॒ अपि॑शीर्णा उ पृ॒ष्टयः॑ । नि॒म्रुक्ते॑ गो॒धा भ॑वतु नी॒चाय॑च्छश॒युर्मृ॒गः
mūrṇā́ mṛgásya dántā ápiśīrṇā u pṛṣṭáyaḥ | nimrúkte godhā́ bhavatu nīcái āyáccha śayúr mṛgáḥ
Broken be the beast’s teeth, and crumbled, yea, his back-bones (strength). In the hidden low place let there be but a lizard; hold the beast down low—let him lie prone.
മൃഗത്തിന്റെ പല്ലുകൾ ഒടിയട്ടെ; അതിന്റെ പുറംഎല്ലുകൾ (ബലം) പോലും പൊടിഞ്ഞുപോകട്ടെ. മറഞ്ഞിരിക്കുന്ന താഴ്ന്ന സ്ഥലത്ത് ഗോധാ (പല്ലി) മാത്രമാകട്ടെ; മൃഗത്തെ താഴെ അമർത്തി പിടിക്കൂ—അവൻ കുനിഞ്ഞ് കിടക്കട്ടെ.
The meaning
What it says
May the beast’s teeth be broken and its backbones crumbled. In the hidden low place let there be only a lizard; hold the beast down—let it lie prone.
The inner meaning
Disarms the ‘biting’ faculty of fear/anger (teeth) and collapses its backbone (supporting strength). The psyche substitutes a harmless image (lizard) for the terrifying one, reducing arousal and restoring control.
The truth in it
Threat loses power when its weapons are neutralized and its image is re-scripted—from monstrous to manageable.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Rakṣoghna / Apotropaic (wild-beast neutralization; transformation/substitution)
Its aim
To render a dangerous beast harmless by breaking its biting power, weakening its strength, and forcing it into a low/hidden state—ideally transformed into (or replaced by) a harmless lizard.
Word by Word
Pada patha
मूर्णाः । मृगस्य । दन्ताः । अपिशीर्णाः । उ । पृष्टयः । निम्रुक्ते । गोधा । भवतु । नीचैः । आयच्छ । शयुः । मृगः ।
- मू॒र्णा
- the hornNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (वर्णनात्मक-वाक्ये विषयः)Root मू॒र्णा- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘मू॒र्णा’ = शृङ्ग/सीङ्ग, horn)
- मृ॒गस्य
- of the wild animalof the wild beast; of the game/animal (generic dangerous creature)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)Root मृग- (प्रातिपदिक)
- दन्ताः
- teethteeth; biting instrumentsNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole Kartā (वर्णनात्मक-वाक्ये विषयः)Root दन्त- (प्रातिपदिक)
- अपि॑शीर्णाः
- broken off / crumbledcrumbled away, fallen off; disintegrated (complete disablement)Adjective (past participle)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (दन्ताः इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role Kartā (विशेषणरूपेण)Root अपि-√शॄ (शॄ/शीर्ण ‘to break, crumble, fall off’) → शीर्ण (कृदन्त-भूतकृदन्त), उपसर्गः अपि
- उ
- and / indeedand; indeedIndeclinableनिपातः (समुच्चय/अनुनासिक-प्रयोगः)Root उ (निपात)
- पृ॒ष्टयः॑
- backs / ridges (of the back)backs/ridges; here the beast’s strength/upper body (to be weakened)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole Kartā (वर्णनात्मक-वाक्ये विषयः)Root पृष्ठ- (प्रातिपदिक)
- नि॒म्रुक्ते॑
- when/where (it is) sunk down / loweredin the low/hidden place; under-cover; in concealment (Sayana: adho-deśe)Adjective/Locative qualifierसप्तमी, एकवचन (अधिकरण-भावे; ‘when/where it is sunk/low’)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot नि-√म्रुच्/म्रुच् (वेद. ‘to slip down/withdraw’; ‘निम्रुक्त’ = ‘gone down, sunk, lowered’) → निम्रुक्त (कृदन्त-भूतकृदन्त), उपसर्गः नि
- गो॒धा
- the iguana / monitor-lizardiguana/large lizard; a harmless substitute creatureNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot गोधा- (प्रातिपदिक)
- भ॑वतु
- let it be / may it becomelet it become; may it beVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRoot √भू (भवति)
- नी॒चाय॑च्छ
- hold down / restrainVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRoot नी-√यम् (यच्छति ‘to restrain, hold back’; with उपसर्ग नी) → यच्छ (आज्ञार्थे)
- श॒युः
- lying down / couchinglying down; couching; remaining prone (immobilized state)Noun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (मृगः इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role Kartā (विशेषणरूपेण)Root शयु- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘one who lies/couches’, ‘lairing/lying’)
- मृ॒गः
- the wild animalthe beast; the dangerous animal (as target)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot मृग- (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- मूर्णा | मृगस्य | दन्ताः | अपिशीर्णाः | उ | पृष्टयः | निम्रुक्ते | गोधा | भवतु | नीचायच्छ | शयुः | मृगः । विशेषम्: ‘अपिशीर्णाः’ = अपि + शीर्णाः (उपसर्गयुक्त-भूतकृदन्त)
- ‘नीचायच्छ’ = नी + यच्छ (नी-उपसर्गः; संहितायां दीर्घ/स्वरचिह्न-भेदः वेदपाठानुसारः)
- ‘निम्रुक्ते’ सप्तमी-एकवचनरूपेण ‘स्थित्यधिकरण’ (when/where sunk/low) इति प्रयोगः।
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic tradition (not explicit in excerpt).
- Devata
- Mṛga/Vyāghra-class danger as adversary; godhā as counter-image; operative power is the charm’s coercion.
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira and Bhayankara
Sāyaṇa treats this as a ‘disarmament’ charm: teeth and bodily strength are to be shattered. The substitution ‘let it be a godhā’ is read as transforming the dangerous creature into a harmless form or relegating it to an inferior, concealed habitat; ‘nīcai āyaccha’ is an imperative of restraint—press it down, keep it prone.
Anukta (anonymous) Atharvanic seer in beast-neutralization charms
Stambhana (immobilization) and substitution imagery in rakṣoghna praxis
Embodies a key Atharvan technique: weaken the enemy’s ‘weapons’ (teeth/back) and replace the feared form with a lesser one (godhā), turning terror into triviality.
Stambhana-śakti (immobilizing power) with substitution-symbol (godhā)
Forces predatory chaos back into the ‘low/hidden’ realm; restores safe ecological and domestic order.
Calms panic and prevents harm by imagined disarmament/banishment of the predator.
Direct—neutralizes biting and strength; compels the beast to lie prone and withdraw.
4x8; strong parallelism (broken…crumbled…) then imperative lowering
Atharvanic ‘anatomical targeting’ within anuṣṭubh—common in charms that disable an adversary’s functional organs.
Heavy, crushing rhythm; many consonant clusters reinforce the sense of breaking/pressing down.
Somatic feel of ‘pressing down’—good for grounding and fear-reduction.
The priest recites while pressing downward with the palm or foot (enacting nīcai āyaccha).
He may touch the ground or a low spot (ditch/threshold) to designate ‘nimrukta’ (the hidden place).
A small figurine/mark representing a lizard may be shown to enact substitution (danger → harmless).
The rite ends with a boundary-marking act to keep the beast ‘down’ and away.
Kauśika Sūtra: charms for subduing wild animals and securing pasture/forest margins (rakṣā; edition-dependent numbering).
Atharvan as controller of animal-danger through sympathetic action: downward pressure + substitution imagery.
Recite when predators are near cattle-pen/fields; can accompany making noise/firelight though not mandated here.
Night watch; before entering forest/field edges; during livestock protection.
Householder or watchman; Atharvan priest for formal warding rite.
Used in rakṣā contexts for warding off beasts; specific Kauśika mapping depends on recension/edition.
Recited as a grounding visualization before going into risky outdoor areas (with practical precautions).
Godhā (lizard) as substitution-symbol; Anatomical ‘teeth/back’ as targeted weapons
The ‘godhā’ functions like a ritual substitute: the feared predator is rhetorically exchanged for a minor creature dwelling in crevices—symbolizing downgrading of threat and banishment to marginal spaces.
Not a named disease; addresses danger of animal attack and fear/panic response.
Teeth and back (pṛṣṭi/backbones) of the threatening beast.
Protective visualization: disarm (teeth), weaken (back), banish (hidden low place), substitute (lizard) to reduce threat-salience.
Mano-bhaisajya via bhaya-praśamana (pacifying fear); also rakṣā against external harm.
Phobia de-escalation through cognitive reappraisal/substitution; grounding techniques to reduce hyperarousal.
Wild beast (mṛga; contextually vyāghra-class predator).
Render a dangerous beast harmless by disabling its biting power and strength; force it into a low/hidden state; replace it with a harmless creature-image.
Anatomical imprecation + stambhana (lowering/pressing) + pratinidhāna (substitution: godhā for mṛga).
Animal attack, stalking danger near settlements.
Protection of cattle/people; safeguarding village perimeter.
- दन्त (danta)
- capacity to harm; sharpness of attack, biting speech, predation
- पृष्टि (pṛṣṭi)
- support-system of threat: momentum, confidence, enabling conditions
- निम्रुक्त (nimrukta)
- banishment to obscurity; removal from the social/mental foreground
- गोधा (godhā)
- harmless substitute; downgrading fear-object into minor, non-lethal presence
- नीचैः आयच्छ (nīcaiḥ āyaccha)
- stambhana—pressing down the threat’s rise; grounding
- शयुः (śayuḥ)
- immobilized danger; deactivated aggression
Disarm the ‘biting thought’: locate where fear ‘bites’ (jaw/teeth imagery) and soften it; then feel the spine relax (pṛṣṭi).
Mūlādhāra (grounding)
Long exhale while visualizing the threat lowering into the earth; inhale as stability returns.
Predator’s fangs crumble into dust; its body sinks low into a crevice; a small lizard remains—non-threatening, still.
Grounded vigilance turning into steadiness.
Pair recitation with feeling the feet and pelvic floor heavy; end with a brief silent pause to ‘seal’ the lowering.
Anuṣṭubh; keep the first half heavy and measured (breaking imagery), second half downward and calming (lowering).
Emphasize ‘dantāḥ’ and ‘pṛṣṭayaḥ’ as targeted organs; slow slightly on ‘nīcaiḥ’ to enact lowering.
Grave, grounding, steady; less ‘threatening’ than 4.3.5, more ‘pressing down’.
This is a classic Atharvan ‘disable + substitute’ move; chant with vivid imagery, not haste.
Fear of wildlife encounters, intimidation, or recurring ‘predatory’ social pressure.
Before entering areas with animal risk; when feeling ‘bitten’ by fear or harassment.
Grounded courage; reduced panic; traditional sense of warding/disarming danger.
Always follow real safety protocols around wildlife; do not approach animals relying on mantra alone.
Again non-botanical: the rite uses zoological substitution (godhā) and bodily ‘weapon’ disablement (teeth/back). This parallels medical logic: remove the agent’s capacity to harm rather than treat a wound after the fact.
The charm presumes a settled household/pastoral economy threatened by wildlife; priestly speech functions as a low-cost protective technology, accessible to domestic patrons without requiring martial force.
The transformation/substitution motif (‘let it be a lizard’) is more characteristic of AV’s applied magic than RV’s praise-poetry; the imperative ‘āyaccha’ in a coercive, practical register fits Atharvanic style.
Gopatha’s framework would treat the downward restraint and substitution as effects of brahman: the mantra ‘re-describes’ reality so that the dangerous mṛga is relegated to a low, concealed status, thereby neutralizing its agency within the sacrificer’s domain.
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