Atharva Veda 3.2.4: Kanda 3, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 2, Mantra 4
Sukta 2
व्याऽकूतय एषामि॒ताथो॑ चि॒त्तानि॑ मुह्यत । अथो॒ यद॒द्यैषां॑ हृदि तदे॑षां॒ परि॒ निर्ज॑हि
vyā́kūtaya eṣām itā́tho cittā́ni muhyata | átho yád adyá eṣā́ṃ hṛdí tád eṣā́ṃ pári nírjahi
Their purposes—thus!—and moreover their thoughts, let them be confounded; and further, whatsoever to-day is in their heart, that from them drive forth and expel away.
Tujuan-tujuan mereka - begitu! - dan lagi pikiran-pikiran mereka, biarlah dibingungkan; dan lagi, apa pun yang hari ini ada dalam hati mereka, itu dari mereka halau keluar dan usir jauh.
Rishi: Atharvanic/Angirasa attribution typical for AV counter-charm material (specific r̥ṣi for AVŚ 3.2 requires hymn-header collation).
Devata: Indeterminate; the operative power is the mantra itself as a mohana/apākaraṇa charm directed against human adversaries.
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (probable; requires metrical verification against full hymn context).
Primary: raudra
Secondary: vira
Sāyaṇa takes vyākūtayaḥ as the adversaries’ saṅkalpāḥ (hostile resolves) and cittāni as their inward counsels; muhyata is an imprecatory injunctive/imperative for producing moha (bewilderment) so that their undertaking miscarries. The clause ‘yad adya eṣāṃ hṛdi’ is read as the presently operative malice; ‘pari nirjahi’ is glossed as a forcible apākaraṇa—an expulsion of that intent from its locus (hṛd), preventing harm to the sacrificer.
To confuse and neutralize the hostile intentions and counsels of adversaries, and to expel their present malice from the heart so their harm fails.
Heart (hṛd) metaphorically as seat of malice
Conflict de-escalation by disrupting harmful planning; metaphorically akin to reducing coordinated harassment/hostile intent.
abhicarika
Human adversaries (unnamed)
Confuse adversaries’ counsels and expel their present malice from the heart so their harm fails.
Mohana (bewilderment) + apākaraṇa (expulsion) directed at ākūti/citta; time-binding with ‘adya’.
Plots, hostile counsel, coordinated aggression
May their plans and thoughts be confounded; whatever is in their heart today—drive it out and expel it from them.
Hostile counsel is neutralized by disrupting coherence: the spell targets the adversary’s executive intention (ākūti) and present affective charge (hṛd), rendering it ineffective.
Harm depends on organized intention; when intention is scattered, aggression collapses. Protection can work by dissolving the adversary’s coordination rather than by physical force.
- आकूतयः (ākūtayaḥ)
- strategic will; the ‘plotting’ faculty
- चित्तानि (cittāni)
- mental currents that feed action
- मुह्यत (muhyata)
- loss of coherence; mohana as counter-weapon
- अद्य (adya)
- the immediate activation of harm—time-specific neutralization
- परि निर्जहि (pari nirjahi)
- complete extraction of malice from the heart-mind complex
Boundary-setting: recognize external hostility without internalizing it; dissolve the ‘hook’ of malice.
Maṇipūra (will/agency) with protective containment at Anāhata.
Short, steady exhale on muhyata; then long exhale on pari nirjahi (release).
Alert, protected, non-reactive.
Recite 3 or 7 times; then sit 2 minutes observing thoughts—do not feed retaliatory imagery; return to one clear intention for right action.
Keep a crisp rise on imperatives (muhyata, nirjahi).
Stress vy-ākūtayaḥ and pari nirjahi as the two ‘action’ poles (confound → expel).
Split vyā-’kūtayaḥ cleanly; avoid swallowing the glottal break., Pronounce nir-jahi with clear jih (not jahĩ)., Maintain retroflex ṭ in ākūti (kū-ti) with long ū.
Low, firm, controlled; avoid shouting (keeps intention precise).
Abhicāra-style delivery is traditionally restrained and focused; secrecy and directional facing may be observed.
7
Facing manipulation, gossip, hostile planning, or adversarial negotiations.
Before entering contested spaces; after receiving hostile messages; before legal/administrative meetings.
Reduced fear; sense that hostile coordination weakens; clearer personal boundaries.
Avoid using to fuel paranoia or unjust aggression; pair with ethical reflection and practical safety steps.
पदच्छेद (सम्भाव्य): व्याकूतयः | एषाम् | इत | अथो | चित्तानि | मुह्यत | अथो | यत् | अद्य | एषाम् | हृदि | तत् | एषाम् | परि | निर्जहि । 1) ‘व्याऽकूतयः’ = ‘व्याकूतयः’ (अवग्रहः: आ-स्वर-सन्धि/प्रगृह्य-चिह्न). 2) ‘एषामि॒ताथो॑’ पाठः = ‘एषाम् इत अथो’ (म् + इ → मि; पदान्त-मकारस्य स्वर-सन्धिः). 3) ‘यद॒द्यैषां॑’ = ‘यत् अद्य एषाम्’ (त् + अ → द्; तथा ‘अद्य + एषाम्’ में स्वर-सन्धि से ‘अद्यैषाम्’). 4) ‘तदे॑षाम्’ = ‘तत् एषाम्’ (त् + ए → द्).
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Atharva Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
