Atharva Veda 7.41.2: Kanda 7, Anuvaka 5, Sukta 41, Mantra 2
Sukta 41
श्ये॒नो नृ॒चक्षा॑ दि॒व्यः सु॑प॒र्णः स॒हस्र॑पाच्छ॒तयो॑निर्वयो॒धाः । स नो॒ नि य॑च्छाद् वसु॒ यत् परा॑भृतम॒स्माक॑मस्तु पि॒तृषु॑ स्व॒धाव॑त्
śyénō nṛcákṣā divyáḥ supárṇaḥ sahásrapāc chatáyonir vayōdhā́ḥ | sá nō ní yacchād vásu yát parā́bhṛtam asmā́kam astu pitṛ́ṣu svadhā́vat
The Falcon, keen-eyed for men, the heavenly fair-winged, thousand-footed, of a hundred sources, giver of vigour—may he restore to us the good that hath been borne away; may what is ours be (safe) among the Fathers, rich in svadhā.
Sang Rajawali, tajam penglihatan bagi manusia, yang samawi, bersayap indah, berkaki seribu, bersumber seratus, pemberi tenaga—semoga ia mengembalikan kepada kami kebaikan yang telah dibawa pergi; semoga yang milik kami tetap selamat di kalangan Para Bapa (Pitṛ), kaya dengan svadhā.
The meaning
What it says
The divine falcon, ‘thousand-footed’ and ‘hundred-sourced,’ giver of vigor, should restore the treasure carried away; what is ours should remain safe among the Fathers, rich in svadhā.
The inner meaning
The psyche’s retrieving power reclaims dispersed resources (attention, confidence, livelihood) from loss and theft; ancestral conscience (pitṛ) stabilizes rightful ownership and continuity.
The truth in it
What is truly ours is safeguarded by right order and lineage-memory; recovery is not only retrieval but re-rooting in enduring values.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Apotropaic / Paustika (recovery and safeguarding of wealth)
Its aim
To recover stolen/removed valuables and to secure rightful possession under ancestral sanction.
Word by Word
Pada patha
श्येनः । नृचक्षाः । दिव्यः । सुपर्णः । सहस्रपात् । शतयोनिः । वयोधाः । सः । नः । नि । यच्छात् । वसु । यत् । पराभृतम् । अस्माकम् । अस्तु । पितृषु । स्वधावत् ।
- श्येनः
- the falcon (hawk)falcon; swift carrierNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot श्येन (प्रातिपदिक)
- नृचक्षाः
- man-seeing, having human-like sightkeen-eyed for men; watching over human affairsAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot नृ-चक्षस् (प्रातिपदिक; नृ + चक्षस्)
- दिव्यः
- heavenly, divineheavenly; of celestial origin/powerAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- सुपर्णः
- the fair-winged one (bird)fair-winged; Suparṇa (mythic bird-form)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot सुपर्ण (प्रातिपदिक; सु + पर्ण)
- सहस्रपात्
- thousand-footed (having a thousand steps/feet)thousand-footed; exceedingly swift/pervasive (hyperbolic epithet)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot सहस्रपाद् (प्रातिपदिक; सहस्र + पाद)
- शतयोनिः
- of a hundred wombs/birthplaceshundred-formed/having a hundred sources; manifold in origin/pathsAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot शतयोनि (प्रातिपदिक; शत + योनि)
- वयोधाः
- bestower/sustainer of vitality (life-strength)strength-giver; bestower of vigour/life-forceNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot वयो-धा (प्रातिपदिक; वयस् + धा/धातृ-भाव)
- सः
- hehe; that one (the falcon)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- नः
- to us / for usto us; for usPronounषष्ठी (सम्बन्धे) / चतुर्थी (सम्प्रदान) एकवचन-बहुवचनार्थे ‘our/to us’ (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्प्रदानRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- नि
- down, in; (as preverb)down; back, into our possession (preverb of restoration)Indeclinableउपसर्गRoot नि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- यच्छात्
- may he restrain/hold back; may he grant/securemay he give/restore; may he deliver into (our hands)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, ३ पुरुष, एकवचन; (नि + यच्छतु/यच्छात् वैदिक रूप)Role क्रियाRoot यम् (धातु) + नि (उपसर्ग)
- वसु
- wealth, good (treasure)good/wealth; valuable substance, treasureNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot वसु (प्रातिपदिक)
- यत्
- which (that)which; that whichPronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (सम्बन्धक)Role कर्मRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- पराभृतम्
- carried away/removed (taken off)carried off/removed away; taken elsewhere (stolen or lost)Participleनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle)Role कर्मRoot परा-भृ (धातु) → भृत (कृदन्त, क्त)
- अस्माकम्
- of us, ourour; belonging to usPronounषष्ठी, बहुवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अस्तु
- let it belet it be; may it remain/come to beVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, ३ पुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot अस् (धातु)
- पितृषु
- among the Fathers/ancestorsamong the Fathers; in the realm of ancestorsNounपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचनRole अधिकरणRoot पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- स्वधावत्
- endowed with svadhā (ancestral offering/food); with due oblationwith svadhā; endowed with ancestral oblation-power (proper to the Pitṛs)Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (विशेषणरूपेण)Role विशेषण (कर्म/वाक्य-फल)Root स्वधा (प्रातिपदिक) + वत् (तद्धित)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (सम्भाव्य): श्येनः | नृचक्षाः | दिव्यः | सुपर्णः | सहस्रपात् | शतयोनिः | वयोधाः || सः | नः | नि | यच्छात् | वसु | यत् | पराभृतम् | अस्माकम् | अस्तु | पितृषु | स्वधावत् ।
- 1) ‘स नो नि यच्छाद्’ इत्यत्र द्-आगम/विसर्गलोपादि वैदिक-सन्ध्यन्तरं
- मूलार्थे ‘नि + यम्’ (यच्छ-) लोट् 3sg.
- 2) ‘सहस्रपाच्छतयोनि-’ इत्यत्र पाठे ‘सहस्रपात् शतयोनिः’ इति पदविभागः
- ‘पात्’ (पाद्-प्रातिपदिकस्य प्रथमा एकवचन) वैदिकरूपम्।
- 3) ‘पराभृतम्’ = परा-उपसर्गपूर्वक √भृ क्त-कृदन्तम्, ‘यत्’ इत्यनेन सम्बन्धः।
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Suparṇa/Śyena complex (variable in Anukramaṇī)
- Devata
- Śyena/Suparṇa (with Pitṛs invoked as stabilizing authority)
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh (probable)
- Rasa
- Vira and Shanta
Sāyaṇa emphasizes restoration (ni-yacchāt) of parābhṛta vása—wealth removed by theft, loss, or hostile agency. The extravagant epithets (sahasrapāt, śatayonī) intensify the bird-agent’s capacity to traverse many routes and recover what is displaced. The Pitṛ clause is read as a safeguarding formula: property and lineage-right are to remain secured in ancestral sanction (svadhā).
Suparṇa/Śyena hymn-complex (ṛṣi varies)
Paustika recovery and safeguarding; invoking trans-realm courier to retrieve and re-seat wealth under ancestral sanction.
Recovery is sacralized: the ‘return’ is secured not only by force but by aligning with pitṛ-order (svadhā).
Śyena/Suparṇa with Pitṛs as stabilizing authority
Śyena retrieves and restores; Pitṛs serve as custodians of rightful continuity and ‘safe keeping’ beyond immediate human dispute.
Indirect: restores vigor (vayas) and reduces depletion from loss and fear.
Protects possessions from disappearance; places ‘ours’ under ancestral guardianship.
4 × ~11; heavy epithets may cause resolution.
Epithet stacking (sahasrapācchatayonir-) can compress syllables in recitation.
Incantatory accumulation → restitution command → stabilizing closure with pitṛ-clause.
Energizes retrieval intention, then ‘locks’ ownership through the ancestral formula.
The priest recites the mantra over water or a cord/amulet intended for the seeker.
He ties the cord on the patron (or places the amulet in the house) while uttering ní yacchāt to ‘bind back’ the lost wealth.
He performs a directional recitation toward the suspected quarter of loss/theft.
A concluding offering to the Pitṛs (svadhā-call) may be appended domestically to stabilize rightful ownership.
Kauśika Sūtra: rites for recovery of stolen goods and counteracting loss (general ‘hṛta-pratyānayana’ type applications; exact sūtra numbering varies by edition)
Atharvan priest as restorer of property (hṛta-pratyānayana), combining mantra, binding-technology (cord/amulet), and ancestral legitimation.
Recite when valuables are missing; optionally over a container/box meant to hold recovered goods; may be paired with pitṛ-tarpaṇa intention.
After discovering loss; also on amāvāsyā/pitṛ-days for ‘ancestral custody’ emphasis.
Householder recitation; Atharvan specialist may add protective binding/marking of storage place.
Use alongside practical recovery actions; keep as a ‘property protection’ recitation for lockers/home.
vasu (treasure/valuables); pitṛ/svadhā (ancestral power as juridical-sacral guarantee)
‘Vasu’ is both coin and virtue; ‘svadhā’ represents the enduring storehouse of lineage—what is placed there is not easily taken.
Supportive mantra for coping with theft/loss; can accompany practical recovery steps (reports, tracking) to reduce helplessness.
Lost property/wealth; household patrimony.
Restore stolen/removed valuables; secure rightful possession and long-term safeguarding under Pitṛ authority.
Epithets as empowerment + niyachchhād (restoration command) + pitṛ ‘custody clause’ (svadhāvat).
Theft, misplacement, dissipation, inheritance disputes (symbolically).
Wealth recovery, preservation, lineage continuity.
- सहस्रपात् (sahasrapāt)
- many pathways/means; unstoppable reach of the retrieving force
- शतयोनिः (śatayoniḥ)
- abundant origins/resources; resilience through multiple supports
- वयोधाः (vayodhāḥ)
- restoration of prāṇa, stamina, and agency
- वसु (vasu)
- material assets and inner capital (skills, merit)
- पराभृतम् (parābhṛtam)
- stolen, lost, alienated—also ‘taken by fate’
- पितृषु (pitṛṣu)
- ancestral jurisdiction, continuity, moral warranty
- स्वधावत् (svadhāvat)
- well-fed ancestral power; stable inheritance and blessing
Reclaim dispersed ‘vasu’ as attention and strength; feel it returning to a protected inner storehouse.
mūlādhāra (security/possession)
Box breathing 4-4-4-4 for steadiness before chanting.
A falcon retrieving a glowing seed (vasu) and placing it in an ancestral vault of light behind the heart/backline.
Firm, grounded resolve without agitation.
After chanting, sit silently and list concrete steps for recovery; treat that clarity as the ‘returned vasu’.
Steady mid-register; slight lift on epithets; decisive drop on ‘ni yacchād’.
Keep long compounds fluid; articulate ‘parābhṛtam’ clearly (loss/abduction term).
Firm, declarative, not rushed.
Many practitioners repeat the restitution segment ‘sa no ni yacchād…’ as a focused refrain.
21 times
Lost wallet/phone/documents; missing family heirloom; feeling ‘robbed’ of opportunity.
Immediately after loss; before searching; before filing reports; during pitṛ-related days if culturally appropriate.
Increased composure, sense of rightful return, and sustained effort until recovery or closure.
Avoid escalating conflict; do not use as justification for vigilante action.
No herb is present; the ‘technology’ is juridical-magical: restoration of property via a swift agent and ancestral sanction. Material supports (cord/amulet, water) function as carriers of the ní- preverb’s ‘bringing back’ semantics.
Property recovery is sacralized: rightful ownership is reinforced by Pitṛ authority (svadhā) and priestly mediation. This reflects a society where lineage and ritual legitimacy underpin economic claims.
The śyena mythic register is RV-archaic, but the explicit application to parābhṛta ‘carried-off’ wealth is characteristically Atharvanic, turning mythic mobility into a practical counter-theft charm.
Gopatha often frames Atharvanic rites as restoring disrupted order. Here, loss/theft is disorder; ní yacchāt is verbal re-ordering, and Pitṛ svadhā supplies the normative backing that makes restoration ‘stick’.
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