Atharva Veda 4.12.5: Kanda 4, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 12, Mantra 5
Sukta 12
लोम॒ लोम्ना॒ सं क॑ल्पया त्व॒चा सं क॑ल्पया॒ त्वच॑म्। असृ॑क् ते॒ अस्थि॑ रोहतु छि॒न्नं सं धे॑ह्योषधे
lóma lómnā sáṃ kalpaya tvácā sáṃ kalpayā tvácam | asṛ́k te ásthi rohatú chinnáṃ sáṃ dhehy oṣadhe ||
Hair with hair do thou adjust; with skin do thou adjust the skin. Let thy blood and bone grow whole: set thou together what is cut, O Herb.
രോമം രോമത്തോടു ചേർത്ത് ക്രമപ്പെടുത്തുക; ചർമ്മം ചർമ്മത്തോടു ചേർത്ത് ക്രമപ്പെടുത്തുക. നിന്റെ രക്തവും അസ്ഥിയും വീണ്ടും വളർന്ന് പൂർണ്ണമാകട്ടെ; ഹേ ഔഷധേ, മുറിഞ്ഞതു ചേർത്ത് ഒന്നാക്കി സ്ഥാപിക്ക.
Rishi: R̥bhu(s) / Atharvanic tradition (hymn-level attribution varies)
Devata: Oṣadhi (Rohiṇī as chief healing plant)
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh
Primary: shanta
Secondary: vira
Sāyaṇa takes kalpaya as ‘saṃyojaya/saṃsthāpaya’—make the parts correspond and re-fit. The herb is directly apostrophized as the operative healer who ‘places together’ (saṃ-dhā) the severed (chinna) tissues; the verse extends the layered repair outward to hair and skin.
Closure of a cut wound and reconstitution of external coverings (hair/skin) along with deeper structures (blood/bone).
Cuts/lacerations; tissue separation; wound closure; supportive fracture recovery (blood/bone).
Hair, skin, blood, bone; the cut site (chinna).
Sympathetic matching (hair-to-hair, skin-to-skin) + direct command to the herb to reunite the severed; reinforces manual approximation and dressing.
Supports tvak and rakta integrity; aligns with kṣata healing and dhātu-sandhāna (rejoining tissues).
Wound edge approximation, suturing/bandaging; promoting conditions for epithelialization and bone healing; psychological ‘re-integration’ after injury.
bhaisajya
The wound and the injured person.
Close the wound and restore coverings; strengthen blood and bone; command the herb-force to rejoin severed tissue.
Direct address to oṣadhi + performative imperatives (saṃ kalpaya/saṃ dhehi) synchronized with physical treatment.
The speaker addresses the healing power to adjust hair with hair and skin with skin, to let blood and bone grow whole, and commands the herb to set together what is cut (chinnaṃ saṃ dhehi).
Restoration begins at the boundary: hair/skin symbolize identity and safety. The herb is invoked as an intelligent agent that ‘knows’ how to reunite what is severed—mirroring the mind’s need to reintegrate after rupture.
Healing is re-connection: the severed is made continuous again through a guiding intelligence—whether nature’s biology, skilled care, or sacred speech.
- लोम (loma)
- outer vitality, personal ‘aura’/boundary texture
- त्वच्/त्वचा (tvac/tvacā)
- protective interface; integrity and immunity
- सं कल्पय (saṃ kalpaya)
- re-ordering; re-establishing correct pattern
- छिन्न (chinna)
- trauma, discontinuity, rupture
- सं धेहि (saṃ dhehi)
- binding/knitting; decisive closure
- ओषधे (oṣadhe)
- personified vegetal healer; nature as physician
Rejoining: contemplate continuity of the body’s boundary and the return of intact form.
Mūlādhāra (bone/structure) and Anāhata (coherence/repair through prāṇa).
Soft breaths; on inhale mentally ‘align’; on exhale mentally ‘bind’ (saṃ dhehi).
Edges of a cut drawing together; a green-gold herbal light sealing the seam; bone-white lattice strengthening beneath.
Focused, steady, embodied.
Use short, repeated recitation during practical care; afterward rest in silent visualization of the sealed boundary (tvac).
Firm imperatives; slight lift on ‘saṃ kalpaya’ and a decisive cadence on ‘saṃ dhehi oṣadhe’.
Emphasize saṃ (joining) and the final vocative oṣadhe (activation of herb-power).
loma lomnā: keep long ō in loma and articulate lomnā with clear nasal., tvacā tvacam: keep c as ‘ch’ sound (palatal), not ‘k’., chiṇṇam: ensure retroflex ṇ and gemination (ṇṇ)., oṣadhe: keep ṣ retroflex; final -e clear.
Focused, slightly more forceful at the final command; otherwise calm.
Synchronize the final pāda with the physical act of tying/setting (bandage knot, splint fastening) to embody saṃ-dhā.
7
First aid for minor cuts; supportive prayer during suturing/bandaging; recovery from skin injuries.
After cleaning the wound; during dressing; repeat briefly rather than long sessions.
Traditional: faster closure and protection; experiential: steadier hands, reduced panic, stronger sense of repair.
Seek medical attention for deep/dirty wounds, uncontrolled bleeding, suspected fracture, or infection signs; do not apply unverified herbs to open wounds.
पदच्छेदः: लोम | लोम्ना | सम् | कल्पय | त्वचा | सम् | कल्पय | त्वचम् | असृक् | ते | अस्थि | रोहतु | छिन्नम् | सम् | धेहि | ओषधे। 1) ‘सं’ उपसर्गः पदपाठे ‘सम्’ इति (परे क-वर्गे ‘ं’ अनुस्वारः)। 2) ‘धेहि’ = √धा (लोट्, 2sg) विशेषरूपम्। 3) ‘लोम लोम्ना’ इति पुनरुक्तिः—प्रथमं ‘लोम’ (निर्देश/सम्बन्ध), ततः करण-तृतीया ‘लोम्ना’।
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