Sukta 68
Rishi: Traditionally Atharvanic/Angirasa milieu (hymn to Sarasvatī; specific r̥ṣi varies by anukramaṇī)
Devata: Sarasvatī
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (probable; requires metrical check)
AV 7.68 സരസ്വതീദേവിയെ അഭിസംബോധന ചെയ്യുന്ന ഒരു സംക്ഷിപ്ത സ്തുതിയാണ്; അംഗീകരിക്കപ്പെടുന്ന ഹവിർഅർപ്പണം നടത്താനും സന്തതിയിലൂടെ ഗൃഹവംശത്തിന്റെ തുടർച്ച ഉറപ്പാക്കാനും ഇത് ഉപയോഗിക്കുന്നു. സരസ്വതിയുടെ ദിവ്യ ‘നിയമങ്ങൾ/വിധാനങ്ങൾ’ ഗൃഹസമൃദ്ധിയുമായി ബന്ധിപ്പിക്കുന്നതായും ഇത് പറയുന്നു. പിതൃകൾക്ക് സമർപ്പിക്കുന്ന അർപ്പണം തന്നെയാണ് കർമ്മം നടപ്പാകുന്ന ‘മുഖം’ എന്നു വ്യക്തമായി ചേർത്തുപറഞ്ഞ്, ദേവിയുടെ അനുഗ്രഹദൃഷ്ടിയുടെ കീഴിൽ നിലനിൽക്കണമെന്ന അപേക്ഷയോടെ കർമ്മം സമാപിപ്പിക്കുന്നു.
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
सरस्वती। सर॑स्वति व्र॒तेषु॑ ते दि॒व्येषु॑ देवि॒ धाम॑सु । जु॒षस्व॑ ह॒व्यमाहु॑तं प्र॒जां दे॑वि ररास्व नः
ഹേ സരസ്വതി ദേവി, നിന്റെ ദിവ്യ വ്രതങ്ങളിൽ, നിന്റെ സ്വർഗീയ ധാമങ്ങളിൽ—യഥാവിധി അർപ്പിച്ച ഹവ്യ-ആഹുതിയിൽ നീ പ്രസന്നയാകുക. ഹേ ദേവി, ഞങ്ങൾക്ക് പ്രജ (സന്താനം) നല്കുക.
Mantra 2
इ॒दं ते॑ ह॒व्यं घृ॒तव॑त् सरस्वती॒दं पि॑तॄ॒णां ह॒विरा॒स्यं॑१ यत्। इ॒मानि॑ त उदि॒ता शंत॑मानि॒ तेभि॑र्व॒यं मधु॑मन्तः स्याम
ഹേ സരസ്വതി, ഘൃതസമൃദ്ധമായ ഈ ഹവ്യം നിനക്കുള്ളതാണ്; ഇത് പിതൃകളുടെ ഹവിരാസ്യം (അർപ്പണത്തിന്റെ മുഖം) ആകുന്നു. നീ പ്രസിദ്ധീകരിച്ച ഈ അത്യന്തം ശന്തമമായ ദാനങ്ങളാൽ—ഞങ്ങൾ മധുമന്തരാകട്ടെ, സമൃദ്ധിയാൽ മധുരമുള്ളവരാകട്ടെ.
Mantra 3
शि॒वा नः॒ शंत॑मा भव सुमृडी॒का स॑रस्वति । मा ते॑ युयोम सं॒दृशः॑
ഹേ സരസ്വതി, ഞങ്ങൾക്കായി ശിവാ, അതി-ശന്തമാ, സുമൃഡീകാ (അത്യന്തം കരുണാമയി) ആയിരിക്കണമേ. നിന്റെ സന്ദൃശ് (അനുകൂല ദൃഷ്ടി/സന്നിധി) മുതൽ ഞങ്ങൾ വേർപെടരുതേ.
Inside Sukta 68
How it unfolds
- How it opens
Sarasvatī is addressed in her divine seats and ordinances, invited to take pleasure in the duly offered oblation.
- What it asks
Grant progeny (prajā) and confer gracious boons that make the household ‘honeyed’—sweet with prosperity.
- Where its power lies
The hymn frames efficacy through correct offering (āhuta) empowered by Sarasvatī’s vrata and reinforced by the Pitṛ-mediated ‘mouth of offering.’
- How it closes
A final plea for Sarasvatī to be most benign and compassionate, and for the worshipper not to be parted from her favorable sight (saṃdṛś).
Famous verses
प्र॒जां दे॑वि ररास्व नःपितॄ॒णां ह॒विरा॒स्यं॑मा ते॑ युयोम सं॒दृशः॑Kind of hymn
Paustika (Prosperity/Fertility) with liturgical-theurgical orientation
What it is for
Acceptance of the oblation, acquisition of progeny, and ‘sweet’ prosperity, with the blessing stabilized so it does not withdraw after the rite.
Who it is for
Householders (gṛhasthas), especially couples seeking children/lineage continuity, and domestic priests/officiants performing prosperity rites.
Also used as
- Śāntika (benediction/continuity of favor)
- Pitṛ-related domestic cult (ancestral linkage through offering)
The deity
Sarasvatī here is the goddess of auspicious order, inspired speech and rite, and the life-giving flow that sustains lineage—approached as a heavenly power who “dwells in divine seats” and governs effective observance (vrata).
Powers of the deity
- Accepts and perfects oblations (havis)
- Bestows progeny and lineage-continuity (prajā)
- Grants boons that yield sweetness/prosperity (madhumat)
- Maintains benign presence and protective regard (śivā, sumṛḍīkā)
- Mediates ritual benefit in connection with the Pitṛs (havir-āsya motif)
Why the deity is called
To delight Sarasvatī with a ghee-rich offering so that she grants progeny and lasting prosperity, and to ensure the rite remains efficacious through continued divine favor and Pitṛ-connection.
The seer
- Atharvanic/Āṅgirasa milieu (r̥ṣi varies by anukramaṇī)Atharvan. Paustika domestic rites: fertility/progeny, household prosperity, and ensuring deity-acceptance of havis; often coupled with Pitṛ-satisfaction motifs.
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 7.68 (Sarasvatī hymn)
- Related Sarasvatī invocations in Atharvavedic domestic-prosperity contexts (anukramaṇī attributions vary by recension)
Preparing for the rite
- Clean the offering place; establish a calm, auspicious setting (śānti)
- Prepare havis with ghṛta (ghee) as the enriching element
- Mentally intend progeny/lineage continuity and the maintenance of Sarasvatī’s favorable sight
The rite
- Offer the ghee-rich havis while reciting 7.68.1 to invite Sarasvatī’s delight and request progeny
- Recite 7.68.2 emphasizing ghṛta and the Pitṛ ‘mouth of offering’ to integrate ancestral satisfaction with prosperity
- Conclude with 7.68.3 as a benedictive seal, asking not to be separated from Sarasvatī’s presence and regard
What it needs
- Havis (food oblation)
- Ghṛta (ghee)
When
Auspicious domestic occasions connected with fertility/prosperity (e.g., household offerings; times chosen for śubha/puṇya observance).
The main substance
Ghṛta (ghee) in havis/oblation
How it is prepared
Enrich the havis with ghṛta and offer it in a simple domestic oblation while reciting the three mantras in sequence, ending with the benediction to ‘seal’ continued favor.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is primarily a paustika hymn: to have the oblation accepted by Sarasvatī and to obtain progeny and lasting household prosperity.
The hymn treats the offering as connected to the Pitṛs as a ‘mouth of offering’ (havir-āsya), suggesting that prosperity and lineage are secured when the rite aligns divine favor with ancestral continuity.
No. The text itself emphasizes a ghee-rich havis (ghṛtavat) and a concluding benediction; it does not prescribe herbs or amulets in these three verses.
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