Atharva Veda 7.20.3: Kanda 7, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 20, Mantra 3
Sukta 20
अनु॑ मन्यतामनु॒मन्य॑मानः प्र॒जाव॑न्तं र॒यिमक्षी॑यमाणम्। तस्य॑ व॒यं हेड॑सि॒ मापि॑ भूम सुमृडी॒के अ॑स्य सुम॒तौ स्या॑म
ánu manyatām anumányamānaḥ prajā́vantaṃ rayím ákṣīyamāṇam | tásya vayáṃ héḍasi mā́pi bhūma sumṛḍīké asyá sumatáu syām ||
Let her, consenting, give assent—(granting) wealth undiminishing, and a man rich in offspring. In her displeasure may we not at all be found; in her kindly mercy, in her gracious thought, may we abide.
Biarlah dia, dengan persetujuan, memberi perkenan—menganugerahkan kekayaan yang tidak susut dan seorang lelaki yang kaya zuriat. Dalam kemurkaan atau ketidaksenangannya janganlah kami sekali-kali didapati; dalam belas kasihnya yang lembut, dalam fikiran budinya yang baik, semoga kami bernaung.
The meaning
What it says
May Anumati, consenting, grant assent, giving undiminishing wealth and a man rich in offspring; may we not fall into her displeasure (heḍas), but abide in her kindly mercy and gracious thought.
The inner meaning
A two-sided domestic theology: prosperity needs both blessing and non-offence. The mantra trains carefulness—seeking increase while maintaining humility, ritual correctness, and relational harmony with the invoked power.
The truth in it
Blessings endure when one avoids the conditions that generate backlash—care, respect, and alignment keep prosperity from turning into loss.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Paustika with apotropaic (avoidance of divine wrath) shading
Its aim
To obtain undiminishing wealth and progeny while averting any offence (heḍas) from the invoked power
Word by Word
Pada patha
अनु । मन्यताम् । अनुमन्यमानः । प्रजावन्तम् । रयिम् । अक्षीयमानम् । तस्य । वयम् । हेडसि । मा । अपि । भूम । सुमृडीके । अस्य । सुमतौ । स्याम् ।
- अनु
- after; in accordance within accordance; ‘in assent’ to the desired boonIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्ययRoot अनु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- मन्यताम्
- let him think/deemlet (her) think/approve; optative/jussive of consentVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपदRoot √मन् (मन्यते) ‘to think, deem’
- अनु
- after; in accordance within accordance; ‘in assent’ to the desired boonIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्ययRoot अनु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- मन्यमानः
- thinking; deemingParticiple (Adjective) / Verb-derivedप्रथमा, एकवचन, पुल्लिङ्ग (शतृ-प्रत्ययः; आत्मनेपद-परम्परा)Role KartāRoot √मन् (मन्यते) + शतृ (वर्तमान कृदन्त)
- प्रजावन्तम्
- (one) possessing offspringendowed with progeny; the desired state of the patronAdjectiveद्वितीया, एकवचन, पुल्लिङ्गRole KarmaRoot प्रजा-वत् (प्रजा + वत्) ‘having offspring’
- रयिम्
- wealthwealth, substance; prosperity in cattle/goodsNounद्वितीया, एकवचन, पुल्लिङ्गRole KarmaRoot रयि (m.) ‘wealth, property’
- अक्षीयमाणम्
- not diminishing; undiminishing (lit. diminishing—here in prayerful/negated sense by context)Participle (Adjective) / Verb-derivedद्वितीया, एकवचन, पुल्लिङ्गRole KarmaRoot √क्षि (क्षीयते) ‘to waste away, diminish’ + शानच् (वर्तमान कृदन्त)
- तस्य
- of him/thatof her/of that (deity/boon); referring to Anumati’s spherePronounषष्ठी, एकवचन, पुं/नपुंसकRole सम्बन्ध (genitive relation)Root तद् (सर्वनाम)
- वयम्
- wewe; the ritual community/patron’s householdPronounप्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- हेडसि
- in (his) wrath/angerin wrath/offence; in the deity’s anger or punitive reactionNounसप्तमी, एकवचन, नपुंसकलिङ्गRole AdhikaraṇaRoot हेडस् (n.) ‘wrath, anger, offense’
- मा
- do notnot; prohibitive particleIndeclinableनिषेध (prohibitive particle)Root मा (निषेध-अव्यय)
- अपि
- even; alsoeven, at all; intensifier with prohibitionIndeclinableअव्ययRoot अपि (अव्यय)
- भूम
- may we be; let us becomemay we be; (injunctive/optative) ‘may we fall’—here negatedVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे), उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद (वैदिक रूप: ‘भूम’ = ‘भवाम’)Root √भू (भवति) ‘to be, become’
- सुमृडीके
- in (his) graciousness; in kindly protectionin good mercy/benign protection; ‘easy to appease’ aspectAdjectiveसप्तमी, एकवचन, पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसक (स्थानीय-विशेषण; ‘अस्य’ इत्यनेन सम्बद्धम्)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot सुमृडीक (adj.) ‘very gracious/merciful’ (सु- + मृडीक)
- अस्य
- of this one; of himof her/of this (goddess); Anumati as protectorPronounषष्ठी, एकवचन, पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकRole सम्बन्ध (genitive relation)Root इदम्/अयम् (सर्वनाम; ‘अस्य’)
- सुमतौ
- in (his) good favor; in benevolent intentionin good thought/favour; benevolent intention of the deityNounसप्तमी, एकवचन, स्त्रीलिङ्ग (वैदिक/छान्दस रूप: -औ for -आम्/-आयाम् loc.)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot सुमति (f.) ‘good will, favor, good thought’
- स्याम
- may we beVerbविधिलिङ् (सम्भावना/आशीः), उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचन (छान्दस संक्षेप: ‘स्याम’ for ‘स्यामः’)Root √अस् (to be) / (छान्दस: optative of √अस्)
Sandhi Notes
- अनु | मन्यताम् | अनु | मन्यमानः | प्रजावन्तम् | रयिम् | अक्षीयमाणम् | तस्य | वयम् | हेडसि | मा | अपि | भूम | सुमृडीके | अस्य | सुमतौ | स्याम।
- 1) ‘मन्यतामनु’ = मन्यताम् + अनु (म् + अ → म् अ; संहितायां अवग्रहः न दृश्यते)
- 2) ‘अनुमन्यमानः’ = अनु + मन्यमानः (उपसर्ग-संयोग)
- 3) ‘रयिमक्षीयमाणम्’ = रयिम् + अक्षीयमाणम् (म् + अ → म् अ)
- 4) ‘मापि’ = मा + अपि (स्वर-संयोग; संहितायां दीर्घ/गुण-परिवर्तनं न, केवलं संयोगः)
- 5) ‘सुमृडीके अस्य’ संहितायां ‘सुमृडीकेऽस्य’ इति अवग्रह-सम्भावना (ए + अ → एऽ)
- 6) ‘स्याम’ छान्दस-लोपः: स्याम(ः)
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic tradition
- Devata
- Anumati (and her ‘sumatī/sumṛḍīka’ aspect)
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta and Karuna
The verse couples two ‘non-decaying’ goods: prajā and akṣīyamāṇa rayi. ‘Héḍas’ is the danger of ritual fault provoking divine offence; hence the protective request to remain in ‘sumṛḍīka/sumatī’—the goddess’s appeased, favourable disposition.
Unknown (Atharvanic tradition; Anumati continuation)
Paustika with apotropaic shading: securing sustainable wealth/progeny while averting heḍas through correct relation to the invoked power.
Balances desire and restraint: Atharvanic prosperity is not mere acquisition but maintenance of auspicious relation—avoiding the ‘anger’ of conditions.
Anumati
The sanctioning power that permits increase; also the gatekeeper whose displeasure signals misalignment with order and rite.
Heals fear of divine displeasure by prescribing alignment and seeking mercy; supports emotional safety in household rites.
Apotropaic: explicitly guards against heḍas; keeps prosperity from ‘burning’ into reversal.
4 × 8; longer compounds create a slightly rolling cadence.
Though anuṣṭubh, the sentence runs across pādas; recitation often marks meaning-pauses rather than strict metrical pauses.
Supplicatory and cautionary; prosperity request followed by protective plea.
Cultivates humility and steadiness; reduces ‘fear of mistake’ by naming and averting heḍas.
Recite during or immediately after the āhuti, as a ‘safety clause’ against ritual error.
Perform a brief appeasement gesture: sprinkling water around the fire or touching the ground, directing ‘heḍas’ away.
Conclude by facing the household space (or patron) while uttering the final pāda to ‘seat’ the favour (sumatī) upon them.
Kauśika Sūtra: prosperity rites where mantras to Anumati accompany offerings and appeasement formulas (edition-dependent placement)
Atharvan priest as ritual risk-manager: he neutralizes ‘heḍas’ (offence/wrath) through correct sequencing and appeasement acts
Recite after offerings, as a ‘closing’ prayer to seal benefits and avert backlash; useful after major purchases, harvest storage, or conception rites.
After āhuti; also at month’s start (new plans) to seek ‘undiminishing’ resources.
Householder recitation is appropriate; priest may add expiatory gestures if a rite felt flawed.
KauśS: prosperity rites with appeasement clauses; exact mapping requires edition concordance for Anumati sequence.
Used as a ‘sustainable prosperity’ affirmation: gain without harm, growth without reversal.
havis/āhuti (implied continuation of offering context)
Implied continuation of offering context (āhuti/havis).
Prosperity is imagined as a ‘non-leaking vessel’ (akṣīyamāṇa rayi). The real ‘substance’ is the deity’s favorable thought (sumati), which stabilizes material outcomes.
Ritual/psychological distress linked to fear of misfortune, ‘divine displeasure,’ or chronic instability of resources.
Pacification (śānti) through explicit avoidance of heḍas and invocation of sumṛḍīka/sumati; stabilizes hope and reduces anxiety.
Promotes sattvic reassurance; indirectly supports ojas by reducing chronic stress.
Coping prayer for uncertainty (financial/fertility stress); resilience framing—seeking sustainable outcomes and avoiding self-sabotage.
Household/patron; the ritual relationship itself.
Obtain sustainable wealth and progeny under Anumati’s assent, while averting her displeasure and staying within her benevolent favor.
Double-bind charm: boon request + explicit apotropaic clause (‘mā api bhūma heḍasi’) + anchoring in mercy (sumṛḍīka/sumati).
Heḍas (backlash), ritual error, inauspicious reversal of gains.
Undiminishing wealth (rayi) and progeny (prajā).
- अनु मन्यताम् (anu manyatām)
- divine ‘yes’ aligning with human intention
- अनुमन्यमानः (anumanyamānaḥ)
- state of being sanctioned; frictionless progress
- रयि (rayi)
- resources that sustain life and ritual
- अक्षीयमान (akṣīyamāṇa)
- sustainable prosperity; non-leaking fortune
- प्रजावन्त (prajāvanta)
- continuity, support, creative abundance
- हेडस् (heḍas)
- backlash from misalignment; consequence of offence
- सुमृडीक (sumṛḍīka)
- protective grace that softens fate
- सुमति (sumati)
- benevolent orientation of the power toward the household
Sustainable abundance: desire aligned with non-offence; resting in ‘sumati’ (benevolent mind).
Anāhata (grace/mercy) and Svādhiṣṭhāna (creative continuity).
Gentle breath with longer exhale on ‘māpi bhūma’; inhale as ‘sumṛḍīke… sumatau’.
Visualize wealth as a full pot (pūrṇa-kumbha) that does not leak; a soft protective veil around it labeled sumṛḍīka.
Humble confidence; prosperity-with-conscience.
After recitation, make one concrete dharmic act (repair, apology, donation) to embody ‘avoid heḍas’.
Maintain gentle rise on ‘anu manyatām’; soften and slow on ‘māpi bhūma’; brighten on ‘sumṛḍīke… sumatau’.
Treat ‘heḍasi’ as the caution-point; pause briefly after it, then resolve with ‘sumṛḍīke’.
Reverent, steady, slightly hushed on the apotropaic line.
Good as a sealing mantra after any prosperity rite; the ‘mā…’ clause functions like a verbal protective knot.
11 times
Keep a small gratitude/donation practice; Review budgets/health plans (practical ‘akṣīyamāṇa’ support); Simple expiation: apology, restitution, or extra offering if a rite was interrupted
Family planning, stabilizing finances, starting ventures, after rituals where one fears ‘something went wrong’.
After offerings/prayers; at the end of a household ritual; when seeking sustainable (akṣīyamāṇa) outcomes.
Sense of protected prosperity; reduced anxiety about backlash; strengthened intention for ethical, stable growth.
Do not interpret misfortune as ‘divine anger’ in a harmful way; seek practical remedies and support alongside prayer.
Again, no herb is specified; the operative ‘substance’ is the undiminishing rayi conceptualized as a stable resource. The mantra functions as a prophylactic against loss (kṣaya) and against divine ‘heḍas,’ paralleling medical prevention rather than cure.
The fear of ‘heḍas’ presumes a system where ritual correctness polices access to prosperity. The priest’s competence mediates the household’s security, reinforcing specialist authority.
The collocation akṣīyamāṇa rayi is RV-style; the explicit concern with heḍas and remaining in sumatī is also RV-attested but here deployed in a domestic-prosperity frame typical of Atharvanic pragmatics.
Gopatha’s logic would treat ‘heḍas’ as arising from misfit between act and word; the mantra repairs that fit by explicitly requesting continued divine favour, thereby ‘closing’ the rite against backlash.
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