Atharva Veda 5.13.3: Kanda 5, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 13, Mantra 3
Sukta 13
वृषा॑ मे॒ रवो॒ नभ॑सा॒ न त॑न्य॒तुरु॒ग्रेण॑ ते॒ वच॑सा बाध॒ आदु॑ ते । अ॒हं तम॑स्य॒ नृभि॑रग्रभं॒ रसं॒ तम॑स इव॒ ज्योति॒रुदे॑तु॒ सूर्यः॑
vṛ́ṣā me rávo nábhasā ná tanyátuḥ ugréṇa te vácasā bādhé ā́d u te | aháṁ tamasyá nṛ́bhir àgrabhaṁ rásam támasas iva jyótiḥ úd etu sū́ryaḥ ||
Bull-strong is my roar, as thunder from the cloud: with fierce speech I drive it off from thee. I, with men, have seized the sap from darkness: as light from gloom let the Sun arise.
എന്റെ ഗർജ്ജനം വൃഷഭ-ബലമുള്ളത്, മേഘത്തിൽ നിന്നുള്ള ഇടിമുഴക്കുപോലെ; ഉഗ്രവചനത്താൽ ഞാൻ അതിനെ നിന്നിൽ നിന്ന് അകറ്റുന്നു. ഞാൻ പുരുഷന്മാരോടൊപ്പം അന്ധകാരത്തിൽ നിന്ന് രസം പിടിച്ചെടുത്തു; ഇരുട്ടിൽ നിന്ന് വെളിച്ചം ഉയരുന്നതുപോലെ സൂര്യൻ ഉദിക്കട്ടെ.
Rishi: Atharvanic (per anukramaṇī tradition for AV 5.13).
Devata: Functional: the Sun/light as healing power; adversarial: darkness/poison.
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (probable).
Primary: vira
Secondary: adbhuta
Sayana emphasizes the performative force of ‘rava’—the recited mantra likened to thunder that terrifies and disperses the venomous agency. ‘tamasyā rasa’ is read as the life-essence obscured by poison; the rite ‘seizes’ it back. The closing simile makes recovery a cosmic dawn: the patient’s return to vitality is homologized to sunrise.
To repel poison by sonic/mantric force and to restore the patient’s ‘rasa’ (vital essence), figured as light returning after darkness.
Snakebite/poisoning with associated fear, collapse, ‘darkness’ (faintness, confusion) imagery.
Sonic/mantric repulsion + communal support + restorative visualization of light/sunrise to reclaim rasa and stabilize recovery.
Rasa restoration and reversal of tamas (heaviness/obscuration) imagery; supports sattva increase. Sun imagery aligns with agni and circadian regulation in later Ayurvedic/yogic thought.
Crisis intervention: strong reassurance + social support; light exposure and orientation aiding recovery from shock; guided imagery for anxiety reduction.
bhaisajya
Poison/darkness as adversary; patient as beneficiary.
Drive off poison/affliction through thunderous voice; retrieve vitality from ‘darkness’; invoke sunrise as recovery and renewed life.
Simile-based empowerment (roar like thunder) + expulsive command + retrieval motif (seizing rasa) + solar invocation (udetu sūryaḥ).
Faintness, fear, lingering toxicity, ‘dark’ relapse.
The speaker declares his roar bull-strong like thunder; with fierce speech he drives the affliction away. With men he has seized the rasa from darkness; as light from gloom, let the Sun arise.
The ‘roar’ is the empowered voice that breaks paralysis. Darkness signifies collapse, fear, and the obscuring effect of poison; rasa is the reclaimed vitality. The rising Sun is recovery—return of clarity, warmth, and orientation after crisis.
In moments of danger and despair, courageous voice and collective support (‘with men’) help retrieve life-essence from darkness. Recovery is the return of light—physiological and psychological.
- vṛṣā
- vital strength, virility of will, unyielding life-force
- ravaḥ
- sonic medicine; assertive proclamation of health
- tanaytu (tanyatu)
- cosmic authority; shock that dislodges poison
- ugreṇa vacasā
- incantatory force; boundary and expulsion
- tamasi
- collapse, unconsciousness, toxicity, fear
- rasa
- recovered vitality and coherence
- jyotiḥ
- healing clarity; restored function
- sūryaḥ
- life-restorer, witness, circadian-regulator, renewal
From tamas to jyotis: reclaim vitality through voice, breath, and light-visualization; lean on sangha/community support.
Manipura (power/heat), Anahata (support), Ajna (light/clarity).
Bhrāmarī (humming) or voiced exhale to embody rava; then quiet nasal breathing while visualizing sunrise.
A thunderclap dispersing dark poison-cloud; a golden sun rising within the chest/head; rasa as warm nectar flowing through limbs.
Energized clarity transitioning to luminous steadiness.
When overwhelmed, use a strong voiced chant for a few rounds, then sit facing natural light; end with silent attention on inner sunrise.
Start with a slightly heightened, resonant opening on vṛṣā me ravo; allow a natural decrescendo toward the final petition udetu sūryaḥ.
Emphasize sonic words (ravaḥ, tanyatu) and the turning-point phrase (tamasa iva jyotiḥ).
vṛṣā: vocalic ṛ and retroflex ṣ., tanyatu: clear palatal ny., jyotiḥ: pronounce jyo as consonant cluster, not jee-yo.
Resonant and chest-voiced at start, then bright and uplifting; avoid shouting that strains the throat.
This verse benefits from call-and-response support: healer chants, helpers affirm quietly—embodying nṛbhiḥ (with men/people).
7
During acute illness fear, shock, or recovery from poisoning/trauma; when someone feels ‘in darkness’ and needs uplift plus strength.
After immediate safety steps are taken; at dawn or in the morning light is especially resonant, but any time works in crisis.
Increased courage, reduced panic, renewed hope and orientation; supportive group coherence.
If patient is medically unstable, prioritize emergency care; keep environment calm. For voice practices, avoid strain in respiratory illness.
पदच्छेद (सम्भाव्य): वृषा मे रवः | नभसा न तन्यतुः | उग्रेण ते वचसा बाधे आ अदु ते | अहं तमस्य नृभिः अग्रभं रसम् | तमसः इव ज्योतिः उदेतु सूर्यः || प्रमुख-सन्धयः: (1) बाध॒ आदु॑ → बाधे आ अदु (ए + आ = ए आ; पदविभागेन पृथक्) (2) ज्योति॒रुदे॑तु → ज्योतिः उदेतु (विसर्ग-सन्धि: ः + उ → र्) (3) तम॑स इव → तमसः इव (षष्ठी-एकवचन ‘तमसः’ + इव; पदपाठे विसर्गः)
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