Sukta 33
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (specific ṛṣi not stated in the supplied excerpt)
Devata: Yákṣma (as disease-demon) / healing-extraction force of the Atharvan
Chandas: Noted in the Anukramaṇī for this hymn-cycle: mixed meters; this mantra is commonly treated as anuṣṭubh-like in cadence, but the excerpt indicates a metrical sequence across verses (5–7) and does not explicitly label v.1.
Mantras
Mantra 1
यक्ष्मविबर्हणम्। ५ उपरिष्टाद्विराड्बृहती, ६ उष्णिग्गर्भा निचृदनुष्टुप्, ७ पथ्यापङ्क्तिः। अ॒क्षीभ्यां॑ ते॒ नासि॑काभ्यां॒ कर्णा॑भ्यां छुबु॑का॒दधि॑ । यक्ष्मं॑ शीर्ष॒ण्यं ऽ म॒स्तिष्का॑ज्जि॒ह्वाया॒ वि वृ॑हामि ते
From thine eyes, from thy nostrils, from thine ears, from above the chin— The yákṣma that is head-ensconced, from the brain, from the tongue, I tear it forth from thee.
Mantra 2
ग्री॒वाभ्य॑स्त उ॒ष्णिहा॑भ्यः॒ कीक॑साभ्यो अनू॒क्याऽत्। यक्ष्मं॑ दोष॒ण्य॑१मंसा॑भ्यां बा॒हुभ्यां॒ वि वृ॑हामि ते
From thy neck, from thy shoulder-parts, from thy ribs, from thy spine,—the wasting-disease, the mischief-working one, with shoulders and with arms I rend away from thee, clean apart.
Mantra 3
हृद॑यात् ते॒ परि॑ क्लो॒म्नो हली॑क्ष्णात् पा॒र्श्वाभ्या॑म्। यक्ष्मं॒ मत॑स्नाभ्यां प्ली॒ह्नो य॒क्नस्ते॒ वि वृ॑हामसि
From thy heart, away from thee; from the klóman, from the hālīkṣṇa, from either flank— The yakṣma from the lower trunk, from the spleen, from thy liver, forth do we tear it out.
Mantra 4
आ॒न्त्रेभ्य॑स्ते॒ गुदा॑भ्यो वनि॒ष्ठोरु॒दरा॒दधि॑ । यक्ष्मं॑ कु॒क्षिभ्यां॑ प्ला॒शेर्नाभ्या॒ वि वृ॑हामि ते
From thine intestines, from thy rectum, from the bladder, from the belly—from off them—out of thy flanks, from the spleen, from the navel, I tear away the Yakṣma from thee.
Mantra 5
ऊ॒रुभ्यां॑ ते अष्ठी॒वद्भ्यां॒ पार्ष्णिभ्यां॒ प्रप॑दाभ्याम्। यक्ष्मं॑ भस॒द्यं॑१ श्रोणि॑भ्यां॒ भास॑दं॒ भंस॑सो॒ वि वृ॑हामि ते
From thy thighs, from thy bony members, from thy heels, from thy fore-feet; the yakṣma, seated in the rump— from the hips, seated in the buttock-seat, from the buttocks—apart from thee I tear it out.
Mantra 6
अ॒स्थिभ्य॑स्ते म॒ज्जभ्यः॒ स्नाव॑भ्यो ध॒मनि॑भ्यः । यक्ष्मं॑ पा॒णिभ्या॑म॒ङ्गुलि॑भ्यो न॒खेभ्यो॒ वि वृ॑हामि ते
From thy bones, from thy marrows, from thy sinews, from thy pulsating vessels—from thy hands, from thy fingers, from thy nails—thy wasting yákṣma do I rend away, plucking it forth from thee.
Mantra 7
अङ्गे॑अङ्गे॒ लोम्नि॑लोम्नि॒ यस्ते॒ पर्व॑णिपर्वणि । यक्ष्मं॑ त्वचस्य ऽ ते व॒यं क॒श्यप॑स्य वीब॒र्हेण॒ विष्व॑ञ्चं॒ वि वृ॑हामसि
In limb after limb, in hair after hair, which of thine is in joint after joint—thy cutaneous wasting-disease: that, all-pervading, we, with Kaśyapa’s vībarha, tear forth and rend away.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yakṣma is a wasting, debilitating illness treated as a demon-like presence that can lodge in organs, skin, joints, and the head. The hymn addresses it as something that can be forcibly removed.
It works like an exorcistic therapy: the verses name specific body locations and repeatedly declare “we tear it out,” using authoritative speech as the extracting instrument.
The cited verses do not require a plant medicine or object. The core method is recitation with focused attention on the body-parts named, often accompanied by a symbolic pulling-out gesture.
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