Sukta 16
Rishi: Vratya (mythic/cosmic subject; traditional attribution varies in ancillary lists)
Devata: Vratya / Prāṇa-functions (here Apāna) as cosmic principle
Chandas: Prose-like Atharvanic style (not a strict ṛgvedic meter; often treated as mixed/anuṣṭubh-adjacent in later catalogues)
AV 15.16 meneruskan spekulasi tentang Vratya dengan memetakan apāna Vratya (nafas yang bergerak ke bawah) kepada realiti utama ritual dan kalendar, lalu menukar fisiologi menjadi kosmologi. Dengan mengisytiharkan unsur seperti Amāvāsyā (malam bulan baharu), Yajña (korban), dan Dakṣiṇā (upah/derma kepada pendeta) sebagai “anggota apāna” Vratya, himne ini mensakralkan waktu ambang, tindakan ritual, dan pemberian wajib sebagai fungsi kosmik yang hakiki. Kekuatan himne ini bersifat mengintegrasikan: ia mengabsahkan kedudukan Vratya dalam tertib korban Brahmanis, sambil menegaskan bahawa nafas itu sendiri ialah penggerak upacara dan legitimasi sosial.
Mantras
Mantra 1
तस्य॒ व्रात्य॑स्य ।योऽस्य प्रथ॒मोऽपा॒नः सा पौ॑र्णमा॒सी
Daripada Vrātya itu, nafas Apāna yang pertama—dialah Paurṇamāsī, bulan purnama.
Mantra 2
तस्य॒ व्रात्य॑स्य ।योऽस्य द्वि॒तीयो॑ऽपा॒नः साष्ट॑का
Daripada Vratya itu: nafas Apāna-nya yang kedua—itulah Aṣṭakā.
Mantra 3
तस्य॒ व्रात्य॑स्य ।योऽस्य तृ॒तीयो॑ऽपा॒नः सामा॑वा॒स्या
Daripada Vratya itu: nafas Apāna-nya yang ketiga—itulah malam Bulan Baharu (Amāvāsyā).
Mantra 4
तस्य॒ व्रात्य॑स्य । योऽस्य चतु॒र्थोऽपा॒नः सा श्र॒द्धा
Daripada Vratya itu: nafas Apāna-nya yang keempat—itulah Śraddhā (iman/kepercayaan suci).
Mantra 5
तस्य॒ व्रात्य॑स्य । योऽस्य पञ्च॒मोऽपा॒नः सा दी॒क्षा
Tentang Vrātya itu: yang kelima daripada nafas Apāna-nya—itulah Dīkṣā (penahbisan/konsekrasi).
Mantra 6
तस्य॒ व्रात्य॑स्य । योऽस्य ष॒ष्ठोऽपा॒नः स य॒ज्ञः
Tentang Vrātya itu: yang keenam daripada nafas Apāna-nya—itulah Yajña (korban suci/ritus persembahan).
Mantra 7
तस्य॒ व्रात्य॑स्य । योऽस्य सप्त॒मोऽपा॒नस्ता इ॒मा दक्षि॑णाः
Daripada Vratya itu: yang merupakan yang ketujuh baginya—Apāna, nafas yang mengalir ke bawah—itulah upah persembahan kepada para imam ini.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here the Vratya is treated as a cosmic figure, not only a social category. The hymn speaks of the Vratya’s inner breaths (especially apāna) as identical with major ritual and temporal powers.
The sukta uses bandhu logic: inner physiology mirrors outer cosmos. By saying a particular apāna ‘is’ Amāvāsyā or ‘is’ Yajña, it makes liminal time and sacrifice part of a single cosmic-bodily system that can be ritually affirmed.
It means the priestly fee is presented as a necessary, power-bearing element of the rite—cosmically grounded rather than optional. Giving dakṣiṇā becomes a sacral act that completes and legitimates the ritual order.
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