Atharva Veda 2.29.2: Kanda 2, Anuvaka 3, Sukta 29, Mantra 2
Sukta 29
आयु॑र॒स्मै धे॑हि जातवेदः प्रजां त्व॑ष्टरधि॒निधे॑ह्य॒स्मै। रा॒यस्पोषं॑ सवित॒रा सु॑वा॒स्मै श॒तं जी॑वाति श॒रद॒स्तवा॒यम्
ā́yur asmái dhéhi jātavedaḥ prajā́ṃ tváṣṭar adhinídhehy asmái | rāyás póṣaṃ savitárā́ suvāsmái śatáṃ jī́vā́ti śarádas tavā́yám ||
Bestow on this man his life, O Jātavedas; and, O Tvaṣṭṛ, set progeny firmly upon him. Impel for him, O Savitar, the thriving increase of wealth: may this man live a hundred autumns under thy favour.
Kurniakanlah kepadanya umur panjang, wahai Jātavedas; dan wahai Tvaṣṭṛ, tegakkanlah zuriat dengan teguh atas dirinya. Gerakkan baginya, wahai Savitar, pertambahan kekayaan yang subur: semoga orang ini hidup seratus musim luruh di bawah perkenan-Mu.
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (exact r̥ṣi attribution for this individual verse is not explicit in the provided excerpt; commonly treated as Atharvan/Angiras-type benediction).
Devata: Agni (Jātavedas), Tvaṣṭṛ, Savitar (composite benedictive invocation).
Chandas: Triṣṭubh-like cadence (benedictive pādas; exact metrical classification may vary by pada-counting in recensional analysis).
Primary: shanta
Secondary: adbhuta
Sāyaṇa takes āyus as a transferable ‘vital tenure’ to be ‘placed’ (dhehi) by Agni Jātavedas, the ritual mediator who knows all births and conveys the prayer. Tvaṣṭṛ is invoked as the shaper of bodies and reproductive power; adhinidhehi is glossed as ‘establish securely’ (adhi = over, ni-dhā = to set down), i.e., fix prajā upon the sacrificer so it does not ‘slip away’ through miscarriage, barrenness, or untimely death. Savitar’s function is pravartaka/prasavitr̥—the impeller who causes rāyas-poṣa (wealth’s increase) to arise and move toward the beneficiary. ‘Hundred autumns’ is the conventional fullness of human life; the deictic ayam identifies the present ritual client.
To secure long life, stable progeny, and the flourishing increase of wealth for the named ritual beneficiary.
General wasting, life-threatening decline, infertility/childlessness (as a feared condition), and misfortune affecting longevity.
Benedictive ‘installation’ (adhi-nidhā) of vitality and progeny; rekindling Agni-like life-fire; Savitar’s regulated impetus to restore growth and fortune.
Āyuṣya and rasāyana logic: sustaining ojas/tejas through balanced agni; fertility as śukra/garbha-sthairya supported by right ‘formation’ (tvaṣṭṛ).
Convalescence and preventive health framing: supporting recovery, reproductive health, and socioeconomic stability as determinants of well-being.
paustika
Named beneficiary (householder/patient).
Secure long life, stable progeny, and thriving increase of wealth for the beneficiary.
Triadic divine commissioning (Agni–Tvaṣṭṛ–Savitar) + performative speech-act of bestowal (‘dhehi’, ‘nidhehi’, ‘suvā’).
Premature death, lineage-break, poverty/decline.
Longevity, fertility, household wealth.
A benediction asking Agni Jātavedas to bestow life, Tvaṣṭṛ to ‘set’ progeny firmly, and Savitar to impel prosperity; the beneficiary is wished a full hundred autumns of life under divine favor.
Stabilizing the three pillars of a household psyche: vitality (āyus), generativity/continuity (prajā), and confident forward motion in livelihood (rāyas-poṣa). The prayer ‘installs’ these as enduring inner endowments rather than momentary luck.
Human flourishing is multi-dimensional: life-force, continuity of care/lineage, and sustainable abundance must be harmonized; when aligned with cosmic order (ṛta), longevity becomes ‘seasonal’—maturing like recurring autumns rather than burning out.
- आयुः (āyus)
- vital coherence; the thread that holds body-mind together
- जातवेदः (jātavedas)
- inner fire that remembers origins; transformative intelligence that safeguards life
- त्वष्टृ (tvaṣṭṛ)
- form-giving power—healthy embodiment, fertility, and proper ‘design’ of life
- अधिनिधेहि (adhi-nidhehi)
- psychic/biological implantation; making blessings stable (not fluctuating)
- रायस्पोषम् (rāyas-poṣam)
- nourishing prosperity—resources that actually sustain, not merely accumulate
- सवितर् (savitar)
- the initiating force behind right action, timing, and growth
- शतम् शरदः (śataṃ śaradaḥ)
- complete, ripened life-cycles; longevity with maturity and harvest
Triadic stabilization: inner fire (Agni), formative intelligence (Tvaṣṭṛ), and right impulse/timing (Savitar).
Manipura (Agni/tejas) with support to Svadhisthana (generativity).
Moderate nāḍī-śodhana, ending with a steady exhale on each imperative verb (dhehi/nidhehi/suvā).
A warm flame at the navel, a golden artisan-light shaping wholeness in the pelvis, and sunrise-light expanding livelihood around the heart.
Grounded, future-stable resolve (saṅkalpa).
Recite slowly 9 or 27 times while holding a clear intention for longevity, fertility/creative continuity, and sustainable prosperity.
Simple Atharvanic recitation with clear udātta on marked syllables; keep imperatives (dhehi, nidhehi, suvā) slightly emphasized.
Let each deity-vocative (jātavedaḥ, tvaṣṭar, savitar) carry a respectful lift; soften the closing blessing ‘śataṃ jīvāti śaradaḥ’.
Maintain retroflex ṭ in tvaṣṭṛ; do not simplify to ‘tvastar’., Keep long vowels distinct: āyuḥ, prajāṃ, śatam, śaradaḥ., Articulate conjunct ‘dhy’ in adhi-nidhehi with clean aspiration.
Steady, benedictive, warm chest resonance.
Well-suited to being spoken over an offering-fire or over the crown/heart of the beneficiary as a ‘setting’ (nidhā) of blessings.
9
Seeking longevity after illness; prenatal/fertility blessings; stabilizing household prosperity.
Morning (Savitar) or at dusk by a lamp/fire; during recovery, anniversaries, or before major life transitions.
A sense of protection and renewed vitality; strengthened resolve toward health, family continuity, and sustainable livelihood.
Not a substitute for medical care in serious illness or infertility; use as supportive practice alongside treatment.
पदच्छेदः: आयुः अस्मै धेहि जातवेदः | प्रजाम् त्वष्टः अधि निधेहि अस्मै | रायः पोषम् सवितरः आ सुव अस्मै | शतम् जीवाति शरदः तव अयम् || 1) आयुः + अस्मै: विसर्गः परे स्वरादौ यथावत् (उच्चारणे ‘आयुरस्मै’). 2) त्वष्टः + अधि: विसर्गः परे स्वरादौ (उच्चारणे ‘त्वष्टरधि’). 3) निधेहि + अस्मै: संहितायां ‘निधेह्यस्मै’ (इ/ई + अ → य्-आगमः). 4) सवितरः + आ: विसर्गः परे स्वरादौ (उच्चारणे ‘सवितरा’). 5) सुव + अस्मै: संहितायां ‘सुवा॒स्मै’ (अवग्रह-लोपः; व् + अ संयोगः). 6) तव + अयम्: संहितायां ‘तवायम्’ (अ + अ → आ).
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