Sukta 67
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (longevity benediction formula; specific r̥ṣi not securely individualized in common indices for this brief series)
Devata: Āyus (Life) / benedictive longevity (implicit)
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh-like benedictive pāda (short formula; often treated as a fixed āyuṣya refrain)
AV 19.67 हे संक्षिप्त आयुष्य-सूक्त आहे. यात ध्रुवपदासारख्या पुनरुक्त आशीर्वचनांद्वारे “शंभर शरदऋतू” हे पूर्ण आयुष्याचे मानक आदर्श म्हणून वारंवार मांडले आहे. याची प्रभावशक्ती लहान, उच्चारण्यास व आचरणास योग्य अशा इच्छांमध्ये आहे—पाहणे, जगणे, समृद्ध होणे—म्हणून दीर्घायुष्य केवळ कालावधी नसून अखंड प्राणशक्ती व फुलणारी समृद्धी आहे; आणि ती शंभर वर्षांच्या मापालाही ओलांडून विस्तारावी अशी शुभेच्छा व्यक्त होते.
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
दीर्घायुत्वम्। पश्ये॑म श॒रदः॑ श॒तम्
आम्हांस दीर्घायुष्य लाभो; आम्ही शंभर शरद्‌ऋतू (शंभर वर्षे) पाहू.
Mantra 2
जीवे॑म श॒रदः॑ श॒तम्
आम्ही शंभर शरद् (वर्षे) जगू देत.
Mantra 3
बुध्ये॑म श॒रदः॑ श॒तम्
आम्ही शंभर शरद् (वर्षे) जागृत व सचेत राहू देत.
Mantra 4
रोहे॑म श॒रदः॑ श॒तम्
आम्ही शंभर शरद् (वर्षे) वाढू-फुलू देत.
Mantra 5
पूषे॑म श॒रदः॑ श॒तम्
पूषणाच्या कृपेने आम्ही शंभर शरद्‌ऋतूंपर्यंत समृद्ध राहो.
Mantra 6
भवे॑म श॒रदः॑ श॒तम्
आपण शंभर शरद् (शंभर वर्षे) जगूया.
Mantra 7
भूये॑म श॒रदः॑ श॒तम्
आम्ही शंभर शरद् (वर्षे) जगू देत.
Mantra 8
भूय॑सीः श॒रदः॑ श॒तात्
तू शंभर शरद् (वर्षां)पेक्षा अधिक हो—तुझे वर्ष शंभराहून वाढोत.
Inside Sukta 67
How it unfolds
- How it opens
Begins with a direct bestowal of ‘dīrghāyutvam’ (long life), immediately tied to the vision of ‘a hundred autumns.’
- What it asks
May we live, see, and prosper through a full century of seasons—longevity with functioning senses and flourishing support.
- Where its power lies
The repeated, compact ‘śaradaḥ śatam’ formula acts as a performative seal: saying the full measure of years is treated as establishing it.
- How it closes
Ends by pushing beyond the norm—‘may you be greater than a hundred autumns’—a final superlative extension of life-span.
Famous verses
paśyema śaradaḥ śatam
pūṣema śaradaḥ śatam
bhūyasīḥ śaradaḥ śatāt
Kind of hymn
Paustika (Prosperity/Longevity)
What it is for
To confer and stabilize long life with intact faculties and enduring prosperity, framed as repeated blessings for a hundred autumns and beyond.
Who it is for
Householders seeking longevity and well-being for themselves or a beneficiary (child, patron, family member), and priests performing brief āyuṣya-benedictions in domestic rites.
Also used as
- Shantika
- Raksha (protective/āyuṣya)
The deity
Āyus is the personified principle of life-span and vital continuity; in this short series it functions as an implicit devatā behind set blessings for living, seeing, and thriving through the full term of years. Puṣṭi (nourishment/prosperity) appears as the life that is well-fed, well-supported, and steadily increasing.
Powers of the deity
- Extends and stabilizes life-span (āyuḥ)
- Sustains sensory faculties and bodily vigor across years (e.g., continued sight)
- Grants flourishing/prosperity (puṣṭi) throughout the life-term
- Protects against diminution of years and premature decline
- Allows ‘overflow’ longevity beyond the conventional hundred-year ideal
Why the deity is called
Invoked to secure a complete, undiminished life—“seeing a hundred autumns,” prospering through them, and (in the climactic wish) exceeding the hundred-year norm.
The seer
- Atharvanic (anonymous formulaic seer)Atharvan. Āyuṣya and paustika formulas: longevity benedictions, sense-function continuity (especially sight), and prosperity-through-life-span refrains used as protective and strengthening utterances.
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 19.66
- AV 19.68
- AV 19.69
Preparing for the rite
- Choose the beneficiary (self or other) and state the saṅkalpa for āyuṣ and puṣṭi.
- Maintain basic purity (ācamanam/clean posture); sit facing east or north if possible.
- Optionally begin with a brief śānti and remembrance of Āyus/Puṣṭi as the intended devatā.
The rite
- Recite the eight short mantras as blessings, either once each or in a small repetition cycle (e.g., 3/9/27 times) depending on custom.
- When blessing another, recite while placing the right hand lightly on the head/shoulder or while offering a verbal benediction at the close of a rite.
- Conclude with an explicit ‘āyuḥ-puṣṭi’ blessing (e.g., repeating the key refrain) and a silent intention for uninterrupted years.
What it needs
- None required (mantra-only benediction).
When
Any auspicious time; especially at birthdays/anniversaries, after recovery from illness, at household śānti, or as a closing benediction to rites.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a Vedic idiom for a full, ideal human life-span—years counted by the return of the autumn season—implying completeness and stability of life.
Primarily for general well-being and longevity (paustika/śānti): it blesses long life, continued functioning (like sight), and prosperity; it can also be recited after illness as a strengthening benediction.
No. This sūkta is essentially mantra-only: its short formulas are designed to function as direct spoken blessings, though some traditions may add it as a concluding benediction within a larger rite.
Ask anything about Sukta 67 of the Atharva Veda
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