Atharva Veda 6.30.2: Kanda 6, Anuvaka 3, Sukta 30, Mantra 2
Sukta 30
यस्ते॒ मदो॑ऽवके॒शो वि॑के॒शो येना॑भि॒हस्यं॒ पुरु॑षं कृ॒णोषि॑ । आ॒रात् त्वद॒न्या वना॑नि वृक्षि॒ त्वं श॑मि श॒तव॑ल्शा॒ वि रो॑ह
yás te mádo ’vakeśó vikéśo yénābhihásyaṃ púruṣaṃ kṛṇóṣi | ārā́t tvád anyā́ vánāni vṛ́kṣi tváṃ śami śatá-valśā ví róha
That rapture of thine, O Śamī, which loosens and scatters the hair, whereby thou makest a man a thing for laughter—far from thee hew down the other forest-growths; but thou, O hundred-branched Śamī, spring forth and grow abroad.
ഹേ ശമീ! നിന്റെ ആ മദം (ഉന്മാദം/ഉല്ലാസം) മുടിയെ അഴിച്ചു ചിതറിക്കുകയും, അതിനാൽ നീ മനുഷ്യനെ പരിഹാസ്യനാക്കുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നതു—അത് നിന്നിൽ നിന്ന് ദൂരെയാകട്ടെ. നിന്നോടടുത്തുള്ള മറ്റു വനവളർച്ചകൾ ദൂരെയായി വെട്ടിമാറ്റുക; എന്നാൽ നീ, ഹേ ശതവൽശാ (നൂറു ശാഖകളുള്ള) ശമീ, മുളച്ചു പുറപ്പെട്ടു എല്ലാടവും വ്യാപിച്ചു വളരുക.
The meaning
What it says
Śamī’s ‘maddening rapture’ is described as loosening/scattering the hair and making a man laughable; other forest growths are to be cut down far away, while Śamī, the hundred-branched, is urged to grow and spread.
The inner meaning
Hair-dishevelment signifies loss of composure and social dignity; the charm weaponizes plant-power to derange an opponent’s status and coherence; clearing rival growths dramatizes exclusive installation of one dominating influence in the ritual field.
The truth in it
Social power can be ‘enchanted’ through symbols of order/disorder: what appears as mere foliage and hair becomes a grammar of reputation, control, and humiliation; environments are curated to amplify one force and silence others.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Abhicarika (Sorcery) / Apotropaic rivalry-control
Its aim
To activate the śamī’s maddening/deranging power so an opponent becomes ridiculous and is socially diminished; to ensure the śamī’s dominance by clearing rival growth.
Word by Word
Pada patha
यः । ते । मदः । अव-केशः । वि-केशः । येन । अभि-हस्यम् । पुरुषम् । कृणोषि । आ-रात् । त्वत् । अन्याः । वनानि । वृक्षि । त्वम् । शमि । शत-वल्शा । वि । रोह
- यः
- who (he who)which; the particular (power/quality) in questionPronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- ते
- of you/yourof thee; belonging to you (O śamī-tree)Pronounषष्ठी, एकवचनम् (सम्बन्धे)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- मदः
- intoxication, frenzy, exhilarationintoxicating might; exhilarating potency (magical ‘fury’ resident in the plant)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot मद (प्रातिपदिक)
- अवकेशः
- with hair hanging down / dishevelledwith hair let down; disheveling (causing loosened hair/unkemptness as a sign of possession or frenzy)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम् (मदः इति विशेष्यस्य)Role KartāRoot अवकेश (प्रातिपदिक)
- विकेशः
- with loosened hair / dishevelledhair-parting, hair-scattering; making the hair spread apart (a visible symptom/mark of the spell)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम् (मदः इति विशेष्यस्य)Role KartāRoot विकेश (प्रातिपदिक)
- येन
- by whichwhereby; by which instrument/powerPronounतृतीया, एकवचनम्Role KaraṇaRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अभिहस्यम्
- laughable, to be mockedto be laughed at; made ridiculous (apotropaic humiliation of the target)Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम् (पुरुषम् इति विशेष्यस्य भाव/गुणः)Role KarmaRoot अभि-हस्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √हस्)
- पुरुषम्
- a man, persona man; the human target/victimNounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
- कृणोषि
- you make, you renderthou makest; thou effectest (performative causation)Verbलट् (वर्तमान), मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्Role (क्रियापद) कर्म-सम्बन्धःRoot √कृ (करोति)
- आरात्
- from afar, awayfar away; at a distance (banishment/removal)Indeclinableअव्ययम्Role AdhikaraṇaRoot आरात् (अव्यय)
- त्वत्
- from youfrom thee; away from you (source of power)Pronounपञ्चमी, एकवचनम्Role ApādānaRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अन्या
- other, differentAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गे बहुवचनस्य (वनानि) विशेषणम्; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्Role KarmaRoot अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- वनानि
- forests, woodswoods, forest-growths; wild growth (as competing vegetation/powers)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्Role KarmaRoot वन (प्रातिपदिक)
- वृक्षि
- cut down!, fell!cut down! hew! (imperative: destroy/remove)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्Role (क्रियापद) कर्म-सम्बन्धःRoot √व्रश्च्/वृश्च् (to cut, fell)
- त्वम्
- youthou; you yourself (emphatic address)Pronounप्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- शमि
- O Śamī-treeO Śamī (Prosopis cineraria / śamī-tree; ritually potent wood)Noun (vocative)स्त्रीलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम्Role सम्बोधनRoot शमी (प्रातिपदिक)
- शतवल्शा
- O hundred-branched (many-branched)of a hundred shoots/branches; richly branched (index of fecund power)Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम् (शमि इति विशेष्यस्य)Role सम्बोधनRoot शत-वल्श (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
- वि
- apart, forth, widelyforth, apart; in full expansion (intensifier)Indeclinableअव्ययम् (उपसर्गः)Role क्रियाविशेषणम्Root वि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- रोह
- grow!, sprout!, rise!grow! spring up! (imperative: proliferate, thrive)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्Role क्रियापदRoot √रुह् (to grow, rise)
Sandhi Notes
- यः ते मदः अवकेशः विकेशः येन अभिहस्यम् पुरुषम् कृणोषि । आरात् त्वत् अन्या वनानि वृक्षि । त्वम् शमि शतवल्शा वि रोह । मुख्य-सन्धयः:
- (1) मदोऽवकेशः = मदः + अवकेशः (अः + अ → ओऽ)
- (2) येना॑भिहस्यम् = येन + अभिहस्यम् (अ-आगमः/स्वर-सन्धिः; न् + अ → ना)
- (3) त्वदन्या = त्वत् + अन्या (त् + अ → द् + अ; व्यञ्जन-सन्धिः)
- (4) वि रोह = वि + रोह (उपसर्ग-योगः; पृथक् पदत्वेन अपि पठ्यते)
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic/Angirasa tradition (ascribed generically in this plant-hymn complex)
- Devata
- Śamī (personified tree-power)
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh (probable, by cadence and length)
- Rasa
- Raudra and Hasya
Sāyaṇa takes mada as the śamī’s inherent tejas/ojas, a plant-power that can ‘derange’ (avakeśa/vikeśa) and render an adversary contemptible (abhihāsya). The imperatives are read as ritual commands: competing vanaspati are to be removed so that śamī’s efficacy is unobstructed; śatavalśā is praised as a sign of auspicious abundance and superior magical capacity.
Unknown (plant-hymn complex; Atharvanic/Angirasa coloring)
Abhicāra through vanaspati: using personified plant-power for rivalry-control, humiliation, and dominance within a contested social field.
This is the Angirasa edge of Atharvan tradition: the same vegetal potency that can protect is here sharpened into social weaponry—magic as reputational warfare.
Śamī (personified tree-power)
A vanaspati-deity whose branches ‘hold’ and distribute potency; as a boundary tree, Śamī mediates between wild forest forces and domestic control.
Protects by dominance: establishes a strong vegetal guardian that can repel or ridicule hostile persons.
11+11+11+11 (with strong mid-pāda breaks)
Atharvanic Triṣṭubh often tolerates irregular syllable counts in plant-charms; semantic punch outweighs strict metrical regularity.
Forceful, expansive; long pādas suit command to ‘clear’ and ‘spread’.
Builds aggressive momentum; suitable for outward-directed intention and ritual action (cutting/clearing).
Select a thriving śamī with many shoots (śatavalśā) near the settlement boundary or ritual ground.
Recite the mantra while touching the trunk/branches; identify the ‘mada’ as the operative force.
Clear or symbolically ‘hew’ competing brush/trees around it (or mark them for removal) to enact ārāt…vṛkṣi.
Conclude by sprinkling water or tying a fiber/cord on the śamī and reciting the final imperative ví róha to ‘make it grow’—i.e., to make its power prevail.
Kauśika-sūtra: śamī-karmāṇi context (exact sūtra numbering varies by edition; applied in rites employing śamī-wood for hostile/controlling acts).
Atharvan/Brahman officiant as controller of hostile and protective plant-powers; he performs the touching, recitation, and symbolic clearing as the karman.
If used domestically, it would be in rivalry/conflict contexts: planting/maintaining Śamī near boundary while ritually excluding other growth; ethically sensitive.
During disputes, competitive events, or when countering rival influence.
Angirasa-style practitioner; actions (clearing/planting) accompany recitation.
Generally not recommended for harm; can be reinterpreted as ‘cutting inner rival growths’ (habits) while cultivating one wholesome support.
Śamī (wood/tree); forest-growths/vanaspati as rival agencies
The ritual field is treated like a pharmacological ecology: remove competing ‘drugs’ (other plants) so one chosen power (Śamī) becomes the dominant active principle.
Hair (keśa) imagery as symptom/sign of derangement.
Social/psychological ‘hexing’ analogue: intent to induce embarrassment/disorganization in a rival (ethically problematic).
Opponent/rival (unnamed).
To activate Śamī’s deranging power so an opponent becomes ridiculous and socially diminished; to secure Śamī’s dominance by removing rival growths.
Personified-plant invocation + sympathetic disorder (hair scattering) + ecological monopolization (clearing other growths) + growth-command (vi roh).
Competing plant/forest agencies; rival charms; hostile social competition.
- शमी (śamī)
- a potent, ambivalent plant-power: protective yet capable of derangement/attack
- मद (mada)
- bewitchment, destabilizing influence, loss of restraint
- अवकेश / विकेश (avakeśa/vikeśa)
- unmaking of social persona; disorder made visible
- अभिहस्य (abhihasya)
- status-collapse; public shaming as magical outcome
- वनानि वृक्षि (vanāni vṛkṣi)
- remove rival agencies/omens; monopolize the ritual ecology
- शतवल्शा (śatavalśā)
- expansive reach; many-armed efficacy, pervasive influence
- वि रोह (vi roh)
- increase of spell-power; proliferation of protective/attacking network
Shadow-work reinterpretation: identify the ‘mada’ that dishevels the mind; remove competing distractions; cultivate one stabilizing support.
Brisk cleansing breaths (if appropriate) followed by steady nasal breathing to reassert order over ‘scattered hair’ mind.
Cut away tangled brush around a single strong tree; gather scattered strands into a braid of focus.
From scattered rajasic agitation to directed will (ekāgratā).
Ethically sublimate the verse: aim it at inner chaos and compulsions rather than at persons.
Keep ‘śamī’ with palatal ś.; Articulate ‘abhihasyaṃ’ (a-bhi-has-yaṃ) without swallowing h.; ‘śatavalśā’—keep retroflex ḷ/ś clusters clear depending on recension spelling.
More forceful projection; maintain clear consonants in keśa clusters; Atharvanic accents per Śaunaka text.
Strike emphasis on ‘mado’, ‘avakeśo vikeśo’, and imperative ‘vi roh’.
Firm, outward, ritually ‘cutting’ tone.
Traditionally paired with physical actions (clearing/plant handling); without rite, keep intention ethically restrained.
7 times
Conflict, rivalry, feeling socially undermined (traditional context); or modern ethical reinterpretation for breaking habits and distractions.
During boundary-setting work (cleaning space, removing clutter), or when cultivating one stabilizing practice while dropping competing pulls.
Sense of decisiveness; symbolic empowerment to remove ‘rival growths’ and grow one’s chosen support.
Avoid using with intent to harm or humiliate real persons; can reinforce hostility and obsession.
Śamī is not merely named but addressed as an agent with mada (potency). The verse couples botanical fecundity (śatavalśā, ‘hundred-shooted’) with social efficacy: the plant’s power manifests as derangement (hair-disorder) and public ridicule of the target. The clearing of ‘other woods’ frames plant-competition as competition of ritual agencies.
The mantra presumes a specialist who can weaponize plant-power to inflict reputational harm—an elite control over invisible causality. ‘Making a man laughable’ is a social sanction; it implies a community where honor/status are vulnerable to ritual manipulation mediated by Atharvanic expertise.
The direct imperative sequence (vṛkṣi…róha) and the concrete symptom-language (avakeśa/vikeśa) are characteristically Atharvanic in their pragmatic, bodily focus. Compounds like śatavalśā show productive descriptive compounding; the semantic use of mada as plant-ojas extends older ‘intoxication’ into a generalized magical potency.
Gopatha’s Atharvanic theology regularly grounds efficacy in brahman (formulated speech) yoked to dravya (substance). A plant addressed as a devatā-like power fits that model: the mantra ‘awakens’ the śamī’s tejas, while the karman (touching/clearing) provides the material channel through which the spoken brahman takes effect.
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