Atharva Veda 4.12.4: Kanda 4, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 12, Mantra 4
Sukta 12
म॒ज्जा म॒ज्ज्ञा सं धी॑यतां॒ चर्म॑णा॒ चर्म॑ रोहतु । असृ॑क् ते॒ अस्थि॑ रोहतु मां॒सं मां॒सेन॑ रोहतु
majjā majjñā sáṃ dhī́yatāṃ cármaṇā cárma rohatú | asṛ́k te ásthi rohatú māṃsáṃ māṃséna rohatú ||
Let marrow with marrow be set in union; with skin let skin grow whole. Let thy blood and bone grow whole; let flesh with flesh grow whole again.
Semoga sumsum bersatu dengan sumsum; dengan kulit, kulit menjadi pulih dan tumbuh sempurna. Semoga darahmu dan tulangmu pulih; semoga daging bersatu dengan daging dan menjadi utuh kembali.
Rishi: R̥bhu(s) (associated with the sukta’s craft/repair imagery; tradition varies within the hymn)
Devata: Rohiṇī (healing plant), with R̥bhu-craft paradigm in the background
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (dominant in the hymn; individual verses may vary by tradition)
Primary: shanta
Secondary: karuna
Sāyaṇa glosses rohatú as ‘saṃdhīyatām/saṃyojyatām’—a command that the severed constituents rejoin. The repeated instrumental ‘X with X’ is taken as a principle of homologic restoration: marrow restores marrow, flesh restores flesh, skin restores skin; the mantra is thus a verbal ‘suturing’ of bodily strata from within outward.
Re-knitting of a cut or fractured body: restoration of marrow, skin, blood, bone, and flesh after injury.
Trauma: cuts, wounds, fractures, tissue separation; post-injury recovery.
Marrow, skin, blood, bone, flesh (layered body).
Verbal ‘re-binding’ (saṃ-) plus growth-command (rohatu) addressed to bodily constituents; supports coagulation/union and regeneration in Atharvanic logic.
Resembles dhātu-repair sequencing (asthi/majja/māṃsa/rakta/tvak). Suggests strengthening of dhātu integrity and restoration after kṣata (injury).
Wound healing and fracture recovery: tissue approximation, hemostasis, collagen remodeling; also psychological integration after injury.
bhaisajya
Injured person; specifically the wounded site and its layers.
Re-knit separated tissues and restore bodily integrity after injury.
Enumerative repair spell: naming components to command their reunion; sympathetic pairing (X with X) + growth imperative (rohatu).
A repair-incantation for bodily injury: marrow is joined with marrow, skin grows with skin; blood and bone grow whole; flesh grows whole with flesh. The body is commanded to re-knit its layers.
The psyche is taught wholeness: what is split is re-united (saṃ-). The repeated pairing (X with X) restores identity and continuity—countering trauma’s sense of fragmentation.
Restoration happens by re-establishing rightful correspondences: like joins with like; integrity returns through patient, layered re-connection.
- मज्जा (majjā)
- deep vitality, core nourishment, hidden strength
- चर्म (carma) / त्वच् (implied)
- boundary, protection, personal integrity
- असृक् (asṛk)
- life-current, warmth, continuity of life
- अस्थि (asthi)
- structure, support, enduring form
- मांस (māṃsa)
- embodied substance, repairable matter
- सम् (sam)
- healing as re-binding; the ‘knot’ of restoration
- रोहतु (rohatu)
- regeneration; organic intelligence of repair
Somatic wholeness: attention moves from core (majja) to boundary (carma) with the intent of reunion.
Mūlādhāra (structure/bone) and Svādhiṣṭhāna (fluids/blood) with a stabilizing descent into embodied safety.
Slow breathing with body-scan; on each exhale, mentally repeat rohatu to ‘seal’ repair.
Golden threads knitting marrow, then skin; red light stabilizing blood; white light strengthening bone; warm flesh-toned light filling gaps.
Grounded, patient, restorative.
Keep imagery concrete and anatomical; avoid strain—this is ‘repair-time’ contemplation, best done lying down.
Even, steady recitation; maintain clear segmentation by pāda to mirror ‘layer-by-layer’ repair.
Give gentle emphasis to ‘saṃ’ and ‘rohatu’—they are the operative repair verbs.
majjā / majjñā: articulate the nasal cluster -jjñ- distinctly (not ‘gya’)., carmaṇā: keep ṇ retroflex; avoid flattening to n., asṛk: keep vocalic ṛ clear (uh-rik)., māṃsaṃ: nasalize āṃ lightly; do not over-nasalize.
Low, soothing, ‘suturing’ tone; avoid sharp consonantal attack.
Often paired with actual binding: recite on each wrap or knot to synchronize speech with repair action.
9
Cuts, post-surgical recovery (devotional support), sprains/fractures (alongside medical care), or any time one feels ‘broken’ after injury.
During dressing changes or while resting; best when mind is calm and body is supported.
Traditional: accelerated knitting and protection of tissues; experiential: reduced anxiety, stronger sense of bodily coherence.
Always prioritize proper wound cleaning, infection control, and professional care for deep wounds/fractures; avoid touching wounds unnecessarily.
पाठे ‘सं धी॑यताम्’ इति पदच्छेदः: ‘सम्’ (उपसर्गः) + ‘धीयताम्’ (धा-धातोः लोट्, कर्मणि). अन्यत्र विशेष-सन्धि-परिवर्तनं न आवश्यकम्। ‘असृक्’ पदान्त-क् युक्तं नपुंसकलिङ्ग-प्रातिपदिकम्।
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