Atharva Veda 1.17.3: Kanda 1, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 17, Mantra 3
Sukta 17
श॒तस्य॑ ध॒मनी॑नां स॒हस्र॑स्य हि॒राणा॑म्। अस्थु॒रिन्म॑ध्य॒मा इ॒माः सा॒कमन्ता॑ अरंसत
śatáśya dhamánīnām sahásrasya hirā́ṇām | asthurín madhyamā́ imā́ḥ sākám ántā́ araṃsata
Of a hundred are the channels, of a thousand the golden (threads): these, bone-bearing, the middle members—together with the ends—have duly set themselves in order.
Daripada seratus ialah saluran-saluran (dhamanī), daripada seribu benang-benang emas: yang bertulang ini, anggota-anggota pertengahan—bersama hujung-hujungnya—telah tersusun dengan sepatutnya.
The meaning
What it says
The body’s channels are enumerated (hundreds), likened to golden threads (thousands); the central, bone-bearing parts and the extremities ‘set themselves in order’.
The inner meaning
A re-integration script: scattered sensations (pain, weakness, dislocation) are gathered into a coherent body-map; the mind affirms alignment from core to periphery.
The truth in it
Health is organized connectivity—when pathways, supports, and endpoints coordinate, life-force moves without obstruction or excess.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Bhaisajya (Healing) / Apotropaic bodily-integration charm
Its aim
To restore and secure the proper arrangement of bodily channels, central members, and extremities—countering dislocation, fracture, or systemic derangement by ‘setting’ the body in order.
Word by Word
Pada patha
श॒तस्य॑ । ध॒मनी॑नाम् । स॒हस्र॑स्य । हि॒राणा॑म् । अस्थु॒रि॑न् । म॒ध्य॒माः । इ॒माः । सा॒क॒म् । अन्ताः॑ । अ॒रं॒स॒त॒ ।
- शतस्य
- of a hundredof a hundred; a complete, auspicious totality (hyperbolic fullness of channels/parts)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)Root शत (प्रातिपदिक)
- धमनीनाम्
- of the vessels/veinsof the dhamanīs, ‘channels’/tubes (veins, ducts); the vital conduits whose right ordering secures life and healthNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)Root धमनी (प्रातिपदिक)
- सहस्रस्य
- of a thousandof a thousand; an intensified totality (innumerable multiplicity, magical plenitude)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)Root सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- हिराणाम्
- of the veins (hiras)of the ‘golden’ (things/threads/ornaments); i.e., bright, auspicious, life-giving elements; also suggestive of amuletic brillianceNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)Root हिरा (प्रातिपदिक; ‘हिरा’ = शिरा/vein; AV usage)
- अस्थुरिन्
- bony; having bonesbone-possessing; ‘bony’ (having firm supports), implying structural stability of the bodyAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन (विशेषण-रूपेण, कर्तृपदस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ (as qualifier of the subject)Root अस्थुरिन् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘having bones/with bones’)
- मध्यमाः
- the middle (ones)the middle ones; the medial parts (central members/sections), crucial for integrity and functionAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (subject)Root मध्यम (प्रातिपदिक)
- इमाः
- thesePronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (subject; appositional to मध्यमाः)Root इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- साकम्
- togethertogether, in concert; in proper conjunction (ritual and physiological ‘joining’)Indeclinableअव्यय; सहार्थे (with/together)Role सह (associative/companionship)Root साकम् (अव्यय)
- अन्ताः
- the ends/outer partsthe ends, extremities, terminal parts; boundaries whose correct placement prevents disorderNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (co-subject with मध्यमाः/इमाः)Root अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
- अरंसत
- were set in order / became well-arrangedthey fitted/settled themselves rightly; they were properly arranged (successful ‘setting’ as in a charm that makes parts cohere)Verbलुङ् (अorist); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; बहुवचनRole क्रिया (predicate)Root रंस् (धातु; ‘to be pleased/fit, to agree, to be in order’)
Sandhi Notes
- शतस्य | धमनीनाम् | सहस्रस्य | हिराणाम् | अस्थुरिन् | मध्यमाः | इमाः | साकम् | अन्ताः | अरंसत ।
- 1) ‘अस्थुरिन्मध्यमाः’ इति संहितायां न् + म → न्म (अनुस्वार/नासिक्य-सन्धि)
- पदे ‘अस्थुरिन् | मध्यमाः’।
- 2) ‘साकम् अन्ताः’ इत्यत्र विसर्ग/स्वर-सन्धि न दृश्यते
- पदे पृथक्।
- 3) ‘धमनीनां’ ‘हिराणाम्’ इत्यत्र दीर्घस्वर-चिह्नाः (॒/॑) स्वर-चिह्नाः, पदच्छेदे रूपं न बदलति।
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic seer (traditionally Atharvan/Angiras-associated; hymn-level attribution varies in ancillary lists)
- Devata
- Bodily order/wholeness (implicit); the ‘channels’ and structural integrity personified as a healing power
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh (probable; short pāda structure consistent with AV anuṣṭubh usage)
- Rasa
- Shanta and Adbhuta
Sāyaṇa takes dhamanī as the body’s vital conduits (nāḍī-prāya), and reads the numerals (hundred, thousand) as indicating vast completeness rather than arithmetic. ‘Golden’ is glossed as auspicious/bright constituents (hiraṇya-sadṛśa-tejas), suggestive of life and well-being; the verse asserts that the body’s middle parts and extremities are ‘rightly set’ (araṃsata) by the mantra’s ordering power—an apotropaic stabilization against dislocation, fracture, or internal derangement.
Atharvanic healer-seer (variable anukramaṇī)
Bodily-integration charms: setting bones, restoring channel order, amuletic ‘gold-thread’ protection.
Represents the Atharvan concern with microcosmic order: the body as a ritual field whose components can be ‘re-seated’ by vāc.
Saṃsthāpanā-śakti (power of re-setting/ordering) of the dhamanīs and limbs
Recomposes the person as a properly jointed cosmos: center and ends aligned under a single order.
Supports recovery from dislocation/fracture-like states and systemic derangement by affirming alignment and integrity.
Prevents ‘slippage’—recurrent displacement, weakness, or invasive disorder traveling through channels.
4 × ~8; compact enumerative style
Numeral-heavy diction can compress; cadence often used for ‘setting’ formulas.
Measured, counting-like rhythm—supports visualization of ordered networks.
Induces a cognitive ‘inventory’ of the body, promoting felt coherence and stability.
Seat the patient on a clean, level place; establish a protective boundary (rakṣā) by sprinkling water around.
Touch (sparśa) the patient’s central region (madhyama—trunk) and then the extremities (antāḥ—hands/feet) in sequence while reciting the mantra.
If treating a suspected dislocation/fracture, perform a gentle ‘setting’ gesture: press and align the affected limb while repeating the final verb araṃsata (‘have set in order’).
Optionally bind a bright metal/golden-colored thread or small hiraṇya piece as an amulet, to ‘fix’ the ordered state invoked by the verse.
Conclude with a sealing act: a final touch to the head/heart region and a short silent pause, letting the ‘settling’ (araṃs-) take effect.
Kauśika Sūtra: bodily ‘setting/firming’ (saṃdhāna-sthāpana) applications; commonly grouped with healing recitations over the patient’s limbs and joints (exact sūtra number varies by edition).
The Atharvan/Brahman officiant acts as healer-exorcist: reciter of the mantra, toucher/aligner of limbs, and binder of the stabilizing amulet; he ensures correct sequence (middle → ends) to mirror the verse’s anatomy.
Recite while applying splints/bandages or tying a protective thread; also during convalescence to ‘re-seat’ strength.
After injury and during recovery; especially at re-bandaging.
Atharvan healer or knowledgeable elder; may coordinate with physical setting/splinting.
KauśS: healing rites involving hiraṇya/threads and bodily ‘setting’ (general locus; exact mapping depends on edition).
Use as supportive recitation during physiotherapy/rehab sessions (non-substitutive).
hiraṇya (gold/golden amulet imagery); dhamanī (channels/veins as a physiological-symbolic substrate); asthi (bone; structural integrity)
Hiraṇya (gold) strongly suggests gold thread/foil amulet used in many Atharvan contexts.
Gold symbolizes incorruptible continuity; the body is imagined as woven with protective brilliance that holds parts in correct relation.
Dislocation, fracture, systemic derangement of channels; post-injury instability (broadly)
Dhamanī (channels), asthi (bones), madhyamāḥ (central parts), antāḥ (extremities)
Saṃsthāpana through enumeration + golden-thread imagery (amuletic integrity) + re-alignment of core and extremities.
Sandhāna (union) and bhagna-cikitsā motifs; vāta-related ‘disordering’ countered by stabilization and ‘setting’.
Rehabilitation framing: restoring alignment, proprioception, and confidence in bodily integrity (adjunct to medical treatment).
Disorder of channels/limbs; the condition conceptualized as misalignment or disarray.
To ‘set’ the body’s pathways and structure into proper order from center to extremities.
Enumerative cosmology (counting channels) + hiraṇya-imagery (amuletic overlay) + saṃsthāpana declaration (“araṃsata”).
Relapse, instability, wandering pain/weakness moving through pathways.
- धमनीनाम् (dhamanīnām)
- pathways of flow—blood, breath, nerve-like communication; also life’s ‘routes’
- हिराणाम् (hirāṇām)
- vital brilliance; incorruptible integrity; amuletic protection woven into the body
- अस्थुरिन् (asthurin)
- structural truth; the supportive framework that must be ‘set’
- मध्यमाः (madhyamāḥ)
- core stability; torso/central governance
- अन्ताः (antāḥ)
- limbs, outlets, and interfaces with the world—action and sensation
Body-as-mandala integration; center-to-periphery alignment.
Maṇipūra (core organization) and Mūlādhāra (structural stability)
Dirgha śvāsa (three-part breath) emphasizing steady expansion through ‘channels’.
Visualize golden filaments running through the body; bones align; extremities ‘click’ into place around a stable core.
Somatic coherence and grounded clarity.
Chant slowly while scanning from spine/torso outward to hands/feet; end each pāda with a felt ‘settling’.
Even, counting-like recitation; keep numerals clear and unhurried.
Stress śatasya / sahasrasya; slightly lengthen hiraṇām; articulate asthurin distinctly.
Warm, reassuring, steady.
Well-suited to being spoken while tying a protective thread or during careful physical ‘setting’ actions.
5 times
Recovery from injury, weakness, post-illness instability; feeling ‘out of alignment’.
During bandaging/splinting, rehab exercises, or morning grounding practice in convalescence.
Sense of bodily coherence; traditional support for stabilization and orderly recovery.
Not a substitute for fracture care; seek imaging/medical evaluation when needed.
No explicit herb is named; the operative ‘substance’ is anatomical (dhamanī, asthi) and metallic-auspicious (hiraṇya). The charm functions as a verbal ‘setting’ (araṃs-) that ritually re-orders the body; when paired with practice, a bright thread/metal amulet can externalize the hiraṇya motif, making the invoked ‘golden’ vitality materially present.
The verse presumes a specialist who can speak efficacious speech over the body’s hidden interior (channels, bones). Such knowledge—half physiological, half magical—supports the Atharvan priest’s social role as domestic healer and protector, mediating between household vulnerability (injury, disorder) and ritual control (mantra + touch + binding).
The anatomical emphasis on dhamanī as a network of ‘channels’ is more characteristic of Atharvanic healing diction than of typical RV praise-poetry. The numerals ‘hundred’ and ‘thousand’ function as formulaic totalizers (a common Vedic idiom), while araṃsata (‘they have fitted/settled’) reflects a technical ‘making-right’ semantics well-suited to charms of re-integration.
In Gopatha’s Atharvanic theology, efficacy rests on mantra as a force that establishes order (ṛta-like regularity) against disruption. A verse that explicitly states ‘they have set themselves in order’ aligns with that framework: the spoken form is not mere description but a performative act that compels bodily constituents—middle and ends, channels and supports—to assume their proper arrangement.
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