Sukta 92

Kind of hymn

Rakṣā (Protection) / Saṃmanasya (Concord) adjunct

What it is for

Hatred and antagonism are expelled to a great distance, while auspicious concord and goodwill are stabilized within the group under Indra’s protective favor.

Who it is for

Householders, village/community leaders, ritual officiants, or any group seeking protection from enmity and restoration of harmony (e.g., after quarrels, during assemblies, before collective rites).

Also used as

• Rakṣā
• Saṃmanasya (concord)
• Apotropaic (dveṣa-nivāraṇa)

The deity

Indra here is praised not primarily as warrior alone but as Sutrāmā, the “good protector/one with good safeguard,” whose guardianship extends to social peace by removing animosity and granting auspicious goodwill.

Powers of the deity

• Protects and shelters the community (rakṣaṇa)
• Drives away hostility and malevolent intent (dveṣa-apayāna)
• Extends beneficent favor and right-mindedness (sumati)
• Establishes concord and kindly disposition among people (saumanasya)

Why the deity is called

To remove hatred even from afar and to place the group under Indra’s beneficent protection so that concord and kindly-minded unity prevail.

The seer

• Atharvanic seer (anukramaṇī-needed for precise name)Atharvan. Rakṣā and Śānti-oriented charms: warding off hostility, averting social discord, and securing the deity’s protective favor (sumati) for communal well-being.

Other hymns of this seer

• AV 7.92 (single-verse protection/concord charm)

Preparing for the rite

• Choose a clean, quiet place suitable for a brief śānti recitation (home, meeting place, or ritual space).
• Seat the participants facing east (or toward the household fire if present).
• Set an intention: removal of dveṣa (hostility) and establishment of saumanasya (goodwill).

The rite

• Recite AV 7.92.1 clearly, addressing Indra as Sutrāmā.
• On the phrase about driving hatred ‘far away’ (asmad ārāc cid… sanutar yuyotu), gesture outward (symbolically sending enmity away) or have the group collectively exhale outward.
• On the concluding wish for ‘bhadre saumanase’ (auspicious concord), have participants join hands or sit in a circle to embody unity and mutual goodwill.

When

As needed: before councils/assemblies, at the start of communal work or worship, after disputes, or when sensing hostility from outside.