Sukta 2
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (attributed to Atharvan/Angiras line in ancillary indices; specific r̥ṣi uncertain for this isolated verse)
Devata: Ātman / Atharvan as ritual progenitor
Chandas: Triṣṭubh-like cadence (as transmitted; exact metrical classification uncertain without full hymn context)
ഈ ഏകമന്ത്ര സൂക്തം യാഗത്തിന് ലിറ്റർജിക്കൽ “അധികാരം/അനുമതി” നൽകുന്നതുപോലെ പ്രവർത്തിക്കുന്നു; യാഗത്തിന്റെ യഥാർത്ഥ ഉറപ്പുകാരനായി ആത്മാവിനെ തിരിച്ചറിയിക്കുന്നു. ആദിമ യാജ്ഞിക പിതാവും ദേവബന്ധു (ദേവന്മാരുടെ ബന്ധു) യുമായ അഥർവൻ മുഖേന ആത്മാവിനെ ഒരേസമയം സ്തുതിക്കുന്നു. യാഗത്തെ മനസ്സിൽ ‘അറിയിച്ച’ (ചികേത) വ്യക്തിയിൽ നിന്ന് ഉടൻതന്നെയും ശരിയായ പ്രഖ്യാപനം/ഉച്ചാരണം വേണമെന്ന് ഇത് ആവശ്യപ്പെടുന്നു; അതിലൂടെ വാക്ക്, അന്തർദൃഷ്ടി, കർമ്മഫലസിദ്ധി എന്നിവ ശക്തമാകുന്നു. മനസ്/ആത്മാവിലെ ആന്തരിക സാക്ഷാത്കാരവും പുറമേയുള്ള ആചരണവും (വിധിയെ വാചാലമായി നടത്തൽ) തമ്മിൽ ബന്ധിപ്പിക്കുന്നതിലാണ് ഇതിന്റെ ശക്തി; അഥർവണിക നിയമ്യതയിൽ യാഗം മുന്നോട്ട് പോകുന്നതിന് ഇത് ഉറപ്പുനൽകുന്നു.
Kind of charm
Mantras
Inside Sukta 2
How it unfolds
- How it opens
Begins with “Ātman” and immediately identifies Atharvan as father and devabandhu, establishing sacred pedigree and inner principle.
- What it asks
Calls for the person who has understood the sacrifice with the mind to declare it at once—making knowledge audible and operative.
- Where its power lies
Asserts that true comprehension (manas + ciketa) is the criterion for effective proclamation, implying that such speech carries ritual force.
- How it closes
Ends with an urgent double deictic (“iha iha”)—a performative insistence that the proclamation and its efficacy occur ‘right here, right now.’
Famous verses
ya imaṃ yajñaṃ manasā ciketa
mātur garbhaṃ pitur asuṃ yuvānam
pra ṇo vocas tam iha iha bravaḥ
Kind of hymn
Paustika (Prosperity) / General liturgical (yajña-authorization)
What it is for
To validate the sacrifice by anchoring it in Atharvanic origin and Ātman as inner guarantor, producing clarity of ritual understanding and potency of spoken recitation/proclamation.
Who it is for
Adhvaryu/Hotṛ-like officiants, Atharvanic ritual specialists, and householders performing confirmatory recitations to ensure a rite is properly understood and efficacious.
Also used as
- General liturgical (yajña-authorization)
- Shantika (stabilizing/confirmatory tone)
The deity
Ātman here is the inner self as the living principle that underwrites sacrifice—figured as Atharvan: fatherly origin of rite, devabandhu (god-kin), simultaneously “mother’s embryo” and “father’s life-breath,” i.e., the immanent life-source present within generation and ritual continuity.
Powers of the deity
- Grants correct understanding of the sacrifice (yajña-cikitsā through manas)
- Authorizes and stabilizes ritual performance through lineage legitimacy (Atharvanic provenance)
- Empowers truthful, effective speech and proclamation (vāc-siddhi)
- Unifies inner realization and outer ritual action (Ātman–yajña concord)
- Supports prosperity and success by ensuring the rite is rightly known and rightly spoken
Why the deity is called
Invoked to certify that the ongoing yajña is correctly grasped and therefore effective, and to compel immediate proclamation by the competent knower so the rite proceeds with empowered speech and assured result.
The seer
- Atharvanic/Āṅgirasa lineage (specific r̥ṣi uncertain for this isolated verse)Atharvan. Ritual authorization, prosperity-ensuring liturgy (paustika), and mantraic validation through correct insight (manas) and efficacious speech (vāc) within Atharvanic sacrificial practice
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 7.1
- AV 7.3
- AV 1.1
- AV 2.1
Preparing for the rite
- Establish ritual cleanliness and mental composure (śauca and manas-prasāda) before recitation
- Seat the reciter facing the sacrificial space/fire (or the ritual locus) and recollect Atharvanic lineage
- Form the intention: “May the yajña be known rightly and spoken effectively.”
The rite
- Recite the verse once with clear articulation, emphasizing ‘ya i̱maṃ ya̱jñaṃ mana̍sā ci̱keta’ and ‘pra ṇo̍ voca’
- Optionally direct the final injunction (‘tam iha iha bravaḥ’) toward the designated competent speaker/lead reciter to prompt immediate proclamation
- Maintain a brief silence afterward to ‘seal’ the mental recognition into the rite before continuing the next ritual act
When
At the opening of a rite, or at a transition point when confirming the correctness/authority of the sacrifice and the lead reciter’s proclamation.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is used to authorize and strengthen a sacrifice by invoking Ātman/Atharvan as the rite’s inner and ancestral guarantor, and by prompting the competent knower to proclaim the rite effectively.
These images present Atharvan/Ātman as the immanent life-principle present in generation and continuity—showing that the sacrifice is grounded in living essence, not merely external procedure.
No. The verse works primarily through correct understanding (manas) and empowered speech (vāc); it is a confirmatory, liturgical mantra rather than a substance-based charm.
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