Atharva Veda 6.121.2: Kanda 6, Anuvaka 13, Sukta 121, Mantra 2
Sukta 121
यद् दारु॑णि ब॒ध्यसे॒ यच्च॒ रज्ज्वां॒ यद् भूम्यां॑ ब॒ध्यसे॒ यच्च॑ वा॒चा। अ॒यं तस्मा॒द् गार्ह॑पत्यो नो अ॒ग्निरुदिन्न॑याति सुकृ॒तस्य॑ लो॒कम्
yád dā́ruṇi badhyáse yác ca rájjvāṃ yád bhū́myāṃ badhyáse yác ca vācā́ | ayáṃ tasmā́d gā́rhapatyo no agnír úd innayāti sukṛ́tasya lokám
Whatsoever thou art bound withal—in wood, and what in rope; whatsoever thou art bound on earth, and what by speech—this our household Agni, from that, leads thee up and out to the world of merit.
तू ज्या-ज्या बंधनाने बांधला आहेस—लाकडात, किंवा दोरीत; जमिनीवर बांधला आहेस, किंवा वाणी/शपथाने बांधला आहेस—त्या सर्वांतून आमचा हा गार्हपत्य अग्नी तुला वर उचलून बाहेर काढतो आणि सुकृताच्या (पुण्याच्या) लोकाकडे नेतो.
The meaning
What it says
Whatever binding exists—by wood, rope, earth, or even by speech—Agni Gārhapatya leads the bound one up and out to the world of merit.
The inner meaning
Release from internalized constraints: shame, vows, curses, or self-binding narratives (vāc-bandha). The household fire represents stable inner warmth and agency that ‘conducts’ one out of stuckness.
The truth in it
Liberation requires a transforming medium: the steady flame of disciplined life (home-fire) can convert every binding—material or verbal—into upward movement toward a better state.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Bhaisajya/Apotropaic (release) + Funerary-eschatological
Its aim
To release a person (living or deceased) from all forms of binding—material and verbal—and to conduct them upward to the sukṛta realm via household Agni.
Word by Word
Pada patha
यत् । दारुणि । बध्यसे । यत् । च । रज्ज्वाम् । यत् । भूम्याम् । बध्यसे । यत् । च । वाचा । अयम् । तस्मात् । गार्हपत्यः । नः । अग्निः । उत् । नयाति । सुकृतस्य । लोकम् ।
- यत्
- whatever / that whichwhatever; any instance of bindingPronounनपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम् (सम्बन्ध-समुच्चयार्थे)Role Karma (यद्…बध्यसे इत्यस्य) / सम्बन्धसूचकRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- दारुणि
- in/onto the woodin/with wood; wooden stock, post, or timber (binding apparatus)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्गे सप्तमी एकवचनम्Role AdhikaraṇaRoot दारु (प्रातिपदिक)
- बध्यसे
- you are bound / you bind yourselfthou art bound; passive of binding (constraint, captivity, ritual fetter)Verbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपदम्, मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role क्रियाRoot बन्ध् (धातु)
- यत्
- whateverPronounनपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role Karma / सम्बन्धसूचकRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- च
- andIndeclinableअव्ययम्Root च (निपात)
- रज्ज्वाम्
- in/with the ropewith a rope; cordage as binding mediumNounस्त्रीलिङ्गे सप्तमी एकवचनम् (वैदिक-रूपम्; लौकिके: रज्ज्वाम्/रज्जौ)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot रज्जु (प्रातिपदिक)
- यत्
- whateverPronounनपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role Karma / सम्बन्धसूचकRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- भूम्याम्
- on/in the earthin/on the earth; binding to the ground (immobilization, burial-like constraint)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्गे सप्तमी एकवचनम्Role AdhikaraṇaRoot भूमि (प्रातिपदिक)
- बध्यसे
- you are boundthou art boundVerbलट्, आत्मनेपदम्, मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role क्रियाRoot बन्ध् (धातु)
- यत्
- whateverPronounनपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role Karma / सम्बन्धसूचकRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- च
- andIndeclinableअव्ययम्Root च (निपात)
- वाचा
- by speech / with wordsby speech; binding through words—oath, curse, accusation, legal formulaNounस्त्रीलिङ्गे तृतीया एकवचनम्Role KaraṇaRoot वाच् (प्रातिपदिक)
- अयम्
- this (one)this; the present, visible agent (Agni here)Pronounपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- तस्मात्
- from thatfrom that; from such bindingPronounपुं/नपुंसकलिङ्गे पञ्चमी एकवचनम्Role ApādānaRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- गार्हपत्यः
- the Gārhapatya (household) [fire]the Gārhapatya (household) fire; domestic Agni as stable ritual centerAdjective (used substantively) / Noun-epithetपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role Kartā (अग्नेर् विशेषणम्) / समनाधिकरणम्Root गार्हपत्य (प्रातिपदिक) < गृहपति (तद्धित)
- नः
- ourfor us/ourPronounषष्ठी बहुवचनम् (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्बन्ध (Genitive)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अग्निः
- Agni; the fireAgni; fire as purifier, conveyor, releaserNounपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- उद्
- up, outIndeclinable (preverb)अव्ययम् (क्रियायोगे)Root उद् (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- इन्नयाति
- leads forth/up; carries outVerbलट्, परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role क्रियाRoot नी (धातु) with उपसर्ग उद्-; stem: उद्-नी-
- सुकृतस्य
- of good deed / of meritof merit; earned rewardNoun (abstract/result) / Adjective used substantivelyनपुंसकलिङ्गे षष्ठी एकवचनम्Role सम्बन्ध (Genitive)Root सुकृत (प्रातिपदिक; कृत-प्रत्ययान्त) < सु- + कृ
- लोकम्
- world; realmworld/realm; destinationNounपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- यद् दारुणि बध्यसे यत् च रज्ज्वाम् यद् भूम्याम् बध्यसे यत् च वाचा । अयम् तस्मात् गार्हपत्यः नः अग्निः उद् इन्नयाति सुकृतस्य लोकम् । मुख्य-सन्धयः:
- (1) यच्च → यत् + च (व्यञ्जनसन्धि: द् + च → च्च)
- (2) रज्ज्वां → रज्ज्वाम् (पाठे अनुस्वारः; पदे म्)
- (3) यच्च → यत् + च
- (4) तस्माद् → तस्मात् (पदपाठे त्; संहितायां द्-आदेशः)
- (5) अग्निरुदिन्नयाति → अग्निः + उद् + इन्नयाति (विसर्गसन्धि: ः + उ → रु/र्; तथा उद् + इ… संयोगः)
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic tradition (anukramaṇī attribution varies).
- Devata
- Agni Gārhapatya (household fire) as liberator and conductor.
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh-like (edition-dependent).
- Rasa
- Shanta and Adbhuta
Sāyaṇa enumerates binding modalities: physical (wood/rope/earth) and verbal (vācā—oath/curse/accusation). The gārhapatya Agni is the domestic liberator who ‘leads upward’ (ud-)—both purifying and conducting the person toward the sukṛta-loka. The verse thus bridges household ritual technology (fire) with eschatological ascent.
Anukramaṇī-variable / Atharvanic redactional attribution
Mocana (release) rites, household-fire (gārhapatya) theology, liminal/funerary conduction, undoing verbal bindings.
A hallmark Atharvan move: the domestic fire is not only ritual center but a liberating force that cancels bindings across material, terrestrial, and verbal planes.
Agni Gārhapatya
Mediates between human and divine; transforms impurity into purity; conducts offerings and, by extension, persons toward auspicious states.
Restores warmth/strength; counters ‘cold’ stagnation and fear; supports recovery through purification symbolism.
Guards the household boundary; neutralizes curses and binding speech; protects during transitions (illness, death, travel).
4 pādas of ~11 syllables; mantra syntax is enumerative, with a climactic ‘Agni leads up’ cadence.
List-like pādas (yad…yad…yad…yacca) may create minor metrical compression; performance often prioritizes clarity over strict count.
Incremental build (bindings named) → decisive release (udinnayāti).
Strong ‘lifting’ effect at ud-; suitable for rites of unbinding, recovery, or funerary transition.
Establish/approach the gārhapatya fire.
If an actual cord/knots are used, the priest touches or loosens them while reciting the fourfold ‘binding’ list.
For ‘vācā’ binding, the priest performs counter-speech: recitation as legal-magical annulment of hostile words/oaths.
With ‘úd innayāti’, he makes an upward gesture (lifting the cord/hand) or symbolically ‘raises’ the client’s status.
The rite ends with orientation toward the sukṛta-loka (aspirational closure).
Kauśika Sūtra: pāśa-mocana/unbinding rites; also employed in funerary leading with household fire (gārhapatya) motifs (edition-dependent).
Atharvan priest as domestic ritual engineer: he uses the gārhapatya as a technical device for purification, annulment of verbal constraints, and upward conveyance.
Recite facing the household fire (or lamp) while untying a knot/cord; for the ill, recite near the bed with a small flame as witness.
Dawn/evening at the hearth; during recovery; during funerary/ancestor transition moments.
Atharvan priest may coordinate unbinding with fire-offering; householder can perform simplified home rite.
Uncertain; broadly consistent with Kauśika mocana and śānti procedures using fire and untying gestures (exact sūtra mapping varies).
Chanted in front of a lamp as a ‘release’ prayer from constraints and harmful speech; paired with mindful letting-go.
Wooden binding-post/stock (dāru); Rope (rajjū); Earth-binding (bhūmi); Speech-binding (vāc); Gārhapatya fire (Agni)
Agni Gārhapatya explicitly invoked as liberating conductor.
Material bonds (wood/rope/earth) and immaterial bonds (speech) are treated as equivalent ‘substances’ that Agni can transmute; fire is the quintessential Atharvan cleanser and transition-engine.
Bondage-as-illness: paralysis/stagnation metaphors, curse/vow affliction, grief/fear constriction; also applicable in funerary release.
Purificatory and psychopompic: Agni burns/undoes bonds; mantra reclassifies all constraints as removable and conducts the person upward.
Agni as central to health; symbolic strengthening of jatharāgni and restoration of upward-moving vitality (udāna).
Recovery after immobilization/trauma; release from coercive control; reframing binding narratives; grief rituals supporting closure.
A bound person—patient, ritually constrained householder, or deceased needing release.
Undo bindings of every kind (physical restraints, earth-attachment, verbal curses/vows) and secure upward passage to sukṛta-loka.
Enumeration of binding media + invocation of household Agni as liberator/escort (netr̥).
Restraint, curse-speech, immobilizing fear, liminal dangers around death/illness.
Auspicious destiny, longevity/continuity through household order, good passage after death.
- दारु (dāru)
- rigid constraint; fixed patterns; punitive immobilization
- रज्जु (rajjū)
- social/relational entanglement; habitual ties
- भूमि (bhūmi)
- heaviness, depression, ‘stuck to the ground’; burial/earthly attachment
- वाच् (vāc)
- curse, vow, accusation, self-talk that binds
- गार्हपत्य अग्नि (gārhapatya agni)
- domestic continuity, purifier, guide between worlds, inner digestive/transformative power
- उद्-नय (ud-nay)
- psychopomp function; elevation from bondage to auspicious realm
Transform binding into upward movement through inner Agni (discipline, digestion, courage).
Manipura (Agni/transform) with support to Vishuddha (vāc purification).
Kapalabhati-light or gentle bhastrikā only if suitable; otherwise steady nāḍī-śodhana to stabilize fire and speech.
A warm flame at the navel dissolves cords around limbs and throat; the person rises lightly upward.
From tamasic heaviness (bhūmi-bandha) to udāna-like uplift.
Recite 7/21 times before a lamp; end with a vow of right speech (satya, ahiṃsā-vāc) to prevent re-binding.
Keep enumerations (yad…yacca…) evenly paced; lift pitch slightly on ud- in udinnayāti to mark ‘upward leading’.
Clear retroflex in gārhapatya; do not over-assimilate consonant clusters in rajjvām.
Warm, steady, hearth-like; end line with uplifted firmness.
Combine with a physical untying act (one knot per recitation) to enact mocana materially.
7 times
Feeling bound by circumstances, harsh words, vows, legal/moral pressure; recovery from immobilizing illness; end-of-life prayers.
At the home lamp/fire; during release rituals; after arguments to ‘unbind’ speech wounds.
Sense of liberation, restored agency, calmer household atmosphere; symbolic completion/closure in grief.
If used in funerary settings, be culturally sensitive; do not replace medical care for severe illness.
Instead of herbs, the verse foregrounds material technologies of constraint (wood/rope/earth) and the counter-technology of fire. The mantra ‘indexes’ each binding medium so the ritual can target all channels of harm.
‘Binding by speech’ implies enforceable oaths/accusations; the priestly specialist can ritually void or neutralize such constraints. The gārhapatya centers household authority and orthopraxy.
Agni as upward-conductor is old, but the explicit taxonomy of bindings (including vācā) is a distinctly Atharvanic expansion into juridical and magical domains.
Gopatha’s Atharvanic reasoning supports the idea that bonds exist across material and verbal planes; Agni, as brahman-empowered fire, can dissolve both when activated by correct mantra.
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