Atharva Veda 7.14.4: Kanda 7, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 14, Mantra 4
Sukta 14
दमू॑ना दे॒वः स॑वि॒ता वरे॑ण्यो॒ दध॒द् रत्नं॒ दक्षं पि॒तृभ्य॒ आयूं॑षि । पिबा॒त् सोमं॑ म॒मद॑देनमि॒ष्टे परि॑ज्मा चित् क्रमते अस्य॒ धर्म॑णि
damū́nā deváḥ savitā́ váreṇyo dádhad rátnam dákṣaṃ pitṛ́bhya ā́yūṃṣi | píbāt sómaṃ mámadat enam iṣṭé parijmā́ cit kramate asyá dhármaṇi
House-dwelling Savitar, the god to be chosen, bestowing treasure, skill, and life-spans for the Fathers—may he drink the Soma, may he be gladdened in the wished-for offering: even the circling course moves on in his ordinance.
ഗൃഹവാസിയായ, വരണീയനായ ദേവൻ സവിതാവ്—പിതൃകൾക്കായി ധനം (രത്നം), ദക്ഷത, ആയുസ്സുകൾ എന്നിവ നൽകുന്നവൻ. അവൻ സോമം പാനം ചെയ്യട്ടെ; ഇഷ്ടമായ ഇഷ്ടിയിൽ അവൻ ആനന്ദിക്കട്ടെ. അവന്റെ ധർമ്മനിയമത്തിൽ ചുറ്റി സഞ്ചരിക്കുന്ന പഥവും മുന്നേറുന്നു.
Rishi: As in 7.14 (verify in anukramaṇī)
Devata: Savitar (with pitṛs as associated beneficiaries)
Chandas: Likely Triṣṭubh; confirm in critical edition
Primary: shanta
Secondary: adbhuta
Sāyaṇa highlights damūnā as Savitar’s accessibility in domestic space (not only lofty heaven). He ‘places’ ratna and dakṣa—wealth and capacity—while also granting āyus (longevity), here linked to the Fathers/lineage continuity. The Soma line is read as integrating Savitar into sacrificial exhilaration; ‘parijmā’ and ‘dharma’ underscore that cosmic regularity itself proceeds under Savitar’s ordinance, guaranteeing the rite’s reliability.
To secure domestic prosperity (treasure), competence (dakṣa), and longevity (āyus), with an explicit linkage to ancestral welfare and the stability of cosmic order.
General debility/short life-span (āyus-kṣaya) in a broad Atharvanic sense; not a specific named disease.
Strengthening life-force via alignment with cosmic rhythm and sacrificial reciprocity; ‘dakṣa’ as functional health (capacity) and ‘āyus’ as longevity.
Longevity (rasāyana) orientation; supports ojas through regularity and sattvic joy (Soma as archetype of rasa).
Lifestyle medicine: stable routines, social/ancestral belonging, and meaning-making linked to longevity and resilience.
mixed
Household and lineage (including pitṛs)
Domestic prosperity (ratna), competence (dakṣa), and longevity (āyus), extending benefits to ancestors/lineage; pacification through dharma-alignment.
Reciprocal offering logic (Soma/ iṣṭi) + cosmic-law assertion (‘even the wheel moves in his dharma’) to anchor stability.
Household disorder, incompetence/misfortune, premature decline, lineage anxiety
Wealth, skill/success, long life, ancestral welfare
Savitar, ‘house-dwelling’ and choice-worthy, bestows treasure, skill, and life-spans for the Fathers. May he drink Soma and rejoice in the desired offering; even the circling course moves in his ordinance.
The divine is not only cosmic but domestic (damūnā): order must inhabit the home. ‘Treasure-skill-lifespan’ are the three supports of flourishing—resources, competence, and time. Ancestors represent continuity and inherited strength; cosmic cycles (‘circling course’) reflect stable routines.
A well-ordered life integrates ancestry, daily offering, and cosmic rhythm; prosperity endures when aligned with lawful cycles and grateful reciprocity.
- दमूनाः (damūnāḥ)
- divinity present in the home; sacrality of daily life
- वरेण्यः (vareṇyaḥ)
- discernment in what we invite into life
- रत्नम् (ratnam)
- concentrated value; auspicious fortune
- दक्षम् (dakṣam)
- effective agency; ritual and worldly mastery
- आयूंषि (āyūṃṣi)
- continuity, longevity, time granted
- पितृभ्यः (pitṛbhyaḥ)
- lineage welfare; karmic continuity
- सोमम् (somam)
- sacramental joy; vital essence; reciprocal offering
- परिज्मा (parijmā)
- cosmic cycles; daily/seasonal rhythms
- धर्मणि (dharmaṇi)
- stability through ṛta-dharma alignment
Sanctifying the home-body as a temple where order (dharma) turns like a wheel without friction.
muladhara (home/ground), manipura (dakṣa/competence), sahasrara (svah/cosmic order)
Even-count breathing while visualizing a slow-turning golden wheel at the navel (manipura) regulated by sunlight.
A warm solar presence seated at the household hearth, extending threads of longevity to the lineage behind and ahead.
Stable, disciplined calm (sthira-śānta).
Recite 7 or 21 times weekly; follow with one act of household order (cleaning, reconciliation, routine-setting) as ‘dharma’ enactment.
Keep a dignified triṣṭubh gait; emphasize damūnāḥ and dharmaṇi as anchors; lengthen vowels clearly in āyūṃṣi.
Avoid swallowing consonant clusters in pari-jmā; maintain clear word boundaries around pibāt somam.
damūnāḥ: long ū, āyūṃṣi: nasalization on ṃ, pari-jmā: articulate j-m cluster without inserting vowel
Low, steady, ‘house-blessing’ timbre; end with firm closure on dharmaṇi.
Often effective as a ‘home-order’ śānti recitation: chant after cleaning or before shared meals to sacralize routine.
7
Household instability, desire for longevity and competence, ancestral remembrance, rebuilding routines.
Weekly; on new moon/ancestor days; before important family decisions; when seeking steadiness.
Greater sense of protected home, improved discipline/competence, continuity and calm.
If grief is acute, pair with supportive care; do not replace medical evaluation for illness/aging concerns.
पदच्छेदः (सन्धिविग्रहः): दमूना | देवः | सविता | वरेण्यः | दधत् | रत्नम् | दक्षम् | पितृभ्यः | आयूंषि | पिबात् | सोमम् | ममदत् | एनम् | इष्टे | परिज्मा | चित् | क्रमते | अस्य | धर्मणि । प्रमुख-सन्धयः: (1) वरेण्यो दधद् → वरेण्यः + दधत् (विसर्ग-सन्धिः; शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त ‘दधत्’). (2) दधद् रत्नं → दधत् + रत्नम् (त्/द्-परिवर्तनं पदान्ते; अनुस्वारः ‘रत्नम्’). (3) पितृभ्य आयूंषि → पितृभ्यः + आयूंषि (विसर्ग-लोपः पदसंहितायाम्). (4) पिबात् सोमं → पिबात् + सोमम् (अनुस्वारः). (5) ममददेनमिष्टे → ममदत् + एनम् + इष्टे (त् + ए → द्-आदेशः/संहितारूपम्; एनम् इष्टे इति पदसंयोगः).
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