Atharva Veda 2.10.4: Kanda 2, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 10, Mantra 4

Sukta 10

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

इ॒मा या दे॒वीः प्र॒दिश॒श्चत॑स्रो॒ वात॑पत्नीर॒भि सूर्यो॑ वि॒चष्टे॑ । ए॒वाहं त्वां क्षे॑त्रि॒यान्निरृ॑ त्या जामिशं॒साद् द्रु॒हो मु॑ञ्चामि॒ वरु॑णस्य॒ पाशा॑त्। अ॒ना॒गसं॒ ब्रह्म॑णा त्वा कृणोमि शि॒वे ते॑ द्यावा॑पृथि॒वी उ॒भे स्ता॑म्

Recitation with translationAtharva Veda 2.10.4

IAST Transliteration

imā́ yā́ devī́ḥ pradiśáś cátasro vā́ta-patnīr abhí sū́ryo vicáṣṭe | evā́háṃ tvāṃ kṣetríyān nír ṛtyā́ jā́mi-śaṃsād druhó muñcāmi váruṇasya pā́śāt | anā́gasaṃ bráhmaṇā tvā kṛṇomi śivḗ te dyā́vā-pṛthivī́ ubhé stā́m ||

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

These Goddesses, the four Directions, Wind-wedded, upon whom the Sun looketh forth with discerning eye,—even so do I release thee from kṣetriya, from baleful sorcery, from the kinsman’s slander, from treacherous wrong; I loose thee from Varuṇa’s noose. Guiltless with holy spell I make thee: gracious unto thee may Heaven and Earth, both twain, stand fast.

Translation

Wahai para Dewi ini—empat Penjuru, bersuami Angin—yang kepadanya Surya memandang dengan mata yang menembus; demikianlah aku melepaskan engkau daripada kṣetriya, daripada sihir yang mencelakakan, daripada fitnah kaum kerabat, daripada kezaliman yang khianat; aku melonggarkan engkau daripada jerat Varuṇa. Tanpa salah, dengan brahman (mantra suci) aku menjadikan engkau; semoga Dyāvā-Pṛthivī, Langit dan Bumi, kedua-duanya, menjadi śiva (membawa berkat) bagimu.

The meaning

What it says

The four divine Directions, ‘wind-wedded,’ watched by the Sun, are invoked as witnesses; the speaker releases the patient from kṣetriya affliction, from Nirṛti, from kin-slander, from treachery, and from Varuṇa’s noose; by brahman (spell) the patient is made guiltless, and Heaven-and-Earth are asked to be gracious and stable.

The inner meaning

Illness here is a knot of bodily distress and social-moral anxiety (curse, slander, betrayal). The psyche is ‘unbound’ by placing the person under universal surveillance (Sun) and cosmic order (Directions), then ritually declaring innocence and safety (anāgasa).

The truth in it

Suffering often binds together physiology, fear, guilt, and social rupture. Healing includes unbinding—restoring orientation (directions), clarity (sunlight), and belonging within law/order (Varuṇa) and the world-ground (Dyāvā-Pṛthivī).

What it is for

Kind of hymn

Bhaisajya (Healing) with apotropaic/expulsive elements

Its aim

To unbind a patient from kṣetriya-affliction and from socially/ritually generated harms (sorcery, kin-slander, treachery), construed as Varuṇa’s binding noose; to restore innocence and auspicious standing under Heaven-and-Earth.

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Word by Word

Pada patha

इ॒माः । याः । दे॒वीः । प्र॒दिशः । चत॑स्रः । वात॑-पत्नीर् । अ॒भि । सूर्यः । वि॒-चष्टे॑ । ए॒व । अ॒हम् । त्वाम् । क्षे॒त्रि॒यात् । निः । ऋ॒त्या । जा॒मि॒-शं॒सात् । द्रु॒हः । मु॒ञ्चा॒मि । वरु॑णस्य । पाशा॑त् । अ॒ना॒गसम् । ब्रह्म॑णा । त्वा । कृ॒णो॒मि । शि॒वे । ते॒ । द्यावा॑-पृथि॒वी । उ॒भे । स्ता॑म्

इमाः

thesePronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

याः

who/whichwhich (relative; specifying the invoked ones)Relative pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

देवीः

goddessesgoddesses; divine female powers (here: the quarters as deified protectresses)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot देवी (प्रातिपदिक)

प्रदिशः

directions/quartersthe (four) directions/quarters; spatial deities guarding the worldNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot प्रदिश् (प्रातिपदिक)

चतस्रः

fourAdjective (numeral)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot चतुर् (संख्यावाचक-प्रातिपदिक)

वातपत्नीः

the wind’s consorts (wind-wives)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot वातपत्नी (प्रातिपदिक; वात+पत्नी)

अभि

towards, upontoward, over, upon (in the sphere of)Indeclinableअव्ययRoot अभि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)

सूर्यः

the Sunthe Sun; all-seeing witness and purifierNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)

विचष्टे

beholds, looks uponbeholds distinctly, surveys (as witness of truth/ṛta)Verbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRoot √चक्ष् (चक्षँ दर्शने) + वि

एव

thus/indeedthus, in this very manner (performative particle of assurance)Indeclinableअव्ययRoot एव (निपात)

अहम्

IPronounउत्तमपुरुष, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

त्वाम्

youthee/you (the patient or the afflicted person addressed)Pronounमध्यमपुरुष, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

क्षेत्रियान्

field-born afflictions/diseases (kṣetriya)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot क्षेत्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)

निः

out, awayout, forth (expulsive force of the charm)Indeclinableअव्ययRoot निः (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)

ऋत्या

by/with the curse (ṛti)from ṛtí/ṛtyā: malignant witchcraft/hostile sorcery; also a demoness-like harming agencyNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करणRoot ऋति (प्रातिपदिक)

जामिशंसात्

from kin-slander/false accusation by a relativefrom slander/accusation by a kinsman (jāmi-); hostile speech within the householdNounपुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचनRole अपादानRoot जामिशंस (प्रातिपदिक; जामि+शंस)

द्रुहः

from deceit/hostilityfrom treachery, deceit, injurious hostility (druh- as a harming power)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचनRole अपादानRoot द्रुह् (प्रातिपदिक)

मुञ्चामि

I release, set freeI release, loosen, set free (as from bonds/disease)Verbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचनRoot √मुच् (मुचँ मोचने)

वरुणस्य

of Varuṇaof Varuṇa; lord of ṛta, binder of sinners, remover through confession/riteNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot वरुण (प्रातिपदिक)

पाशात्

from the noosefrom the noose/bond (Varuṇa’s punitive fetter; here: binding illness/guilt)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचनRole अपादानRoot पाश (प्रातिपदिक)

अनागसम्

guiltless, sinlesssinless, guiltless; freed from fault (ritually restored to innocence)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot अनागस् (प्रातिपदिक; अ-नागस्)

ब्रह्मणा

by sacred formula/prayerby brahman: sacred formula/prayer-power (mantric efficacy as operative force)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करणRoot ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)

त्वा

youthee (enclitic object; the patient)Pronounद्वितीया, एकवचन (एन्क्लिटिक)Role कर्मRoot त्वद्/युष्मद् (एन्क्लिटिक सर्वनाम)

कृणोमि

I make (you)I make, I render (performative transformation)Verbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचनRoot √कृ (डुकृञ् करणे)

शिवे

auspiciousauspicious, gracious (beneficent state; also ‘kindly’ as a blessing)Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचनRole कर्तृRoot शिव (प्रातिपदिक)

ते

for you/of youfor thee, to thee (dative of benefit)Pronounषष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

द्यावापृथिवी

Heaven-and-EarthNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन (समाहार-द्वन्द्व/युगल)Role कर्तृRoot द्यावापृथिवी (द्वन्द्व-प्रातिपदिक; द्यौः+पृथिवी)

उभे

bothAdjective/Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचनRole कर्तृRoot उभ (सर्वनाम/विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)

स्ताम्

let (them) bemay they stand/be (firmly established; confer stability and welfare)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, द्विवचनRoot √अस् (असँ भुवि)

Sandhi Notes

• देवीः प्रदिशश्चतस्रः → देवीः प्रदिशः चतस्रः
• वातपत्नीर्अभि → वातपत्नीः अभि
• सूर्यो विचष्टे → सूर्यः विचष्टे
• एवाऽहम् → एव अहम्
• क्षेत्रियान्निरृत्या → क्षेत्रियान् निः ऋत्या
• जामिशंसाद् द्रुहो → जामिशंसात् द्रुहः
• मुञ्चामि वरुणस्य पाशात् (no internal sandhi)
• अनागसं ब्रह्मणा → अनागसम् ब्रह्मणा
• द्यावापृथिवी उभे स्ताम् (pada separation maintained)

Seer, deity and metre

Rishi

Atharvanic tradition (often transmitted under Atharvan/Angiras lineages; specific r̥ṣi attribution depends on Anukramaṇī for AVŚ 2.10)

Devata

Pradiś (Directions) with Sūrya as witness; Varuṇa as the binder whose noose is loosened; Dyāvā-Pṛthivī as concluding benefactors

Chandas

Mixed/triṣṭubh-like cadence in Saunaka transmission (verify by pada-count in metrical analysis; not a strict anuṣṭubh)

Rasa

Shanta and Bhayankara

Sayana's Commentary

The Seer

The Deity

The Metre

The Rite

In the Home

Substances

Healing Context

Magic Charm Layer

Symbols in this Mantra

Yogic Application

Chanting Notes

Practical Application

Scholarly Questions