Atharva Veda 5.21.10: Kanda 5, Anuvaka 3, Sukta 21, Mantra 10
Sukta 21
आदि॑त्य॒ चक्षु॒रा द॑त्स्व॒ मरी॑च॒योऽनु॑ धावत । प॒त्स॒ङ्गिनी॒रा स॑जन्तु॒ विग॑ते बाहुवी॒र्येऽ
ādítya cákṣur ā́ datsva marī́cayo ’nú dhāvata | patsáṅginīr ā́ sajantu vígate bāhúvīrye
O Āditya, bestow hither sight; let the rays run on in pursuit. Let the foot-attending powers attach themselves to us, when the foe’s arm-might is gone away.
ହେ ଆଦିତ୍ୟ, ଆମକୁ ଏଠାରେ ଦୃଷ୍ଟି ଦାନ କର; ତୋ ମରୀଚି (କିରଣ) ଅନୁସରି ଧାଉନ୍ତୁ। ଶତ୍ରୁର ବାହୁ-ବୀର୍ୟ ନିବୃତ୍ତ ହେଲେ, ପଦସଙ୍ଗିନୀ ଶକ୍ତିମାନେ ଆମ ସହିତ ଯୁକ୍ତ ହେଉନ୍ତୁ।
The meaning
What it says
The speaker asks Āditya (the Sun) to grant sight; the rays are urged to pursue; and ‘foot-attending powers’ are asked to attach to the speaker when the enemy’s arm-strength has departed.
The inner meaning
Clarity (cákṣus) is requested as the primary battlefield asset: awareness, vigilance, and discernment. The ‘rays pursuing’ symbolize focused attention that does not let threats hide. When the opponent’s ‘arm-might’ is gone, one’s supportive faculties ‘attach’—stability returns.
The truth in it
Vision—literal and ethical—precedes effective action. When awareness is bright, hidden dangers are exposed and hostile power wanes.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Abhicarika (battle-aid) with protective/paustika undertone (securing one’s own faculties)
Its aim
To obtain solar sight/watchfulness and to have pursuing rays/attendants harry the enemy until his arm-strength departs
Word by Word
Pada patha
आदित्य । चक्षुः । आ । दत्स्व । मरीचयः । अनु । धावत । पत्संगिनीः । आ । सजन्तु । विगते । बाहु-वीर्ये ।
- आदित्य
- Āditya (the Sun)O Āditya (Sun as Aditya); solar power invoked for sight and radianceNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot आदित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- चक्षुः
- eye; sighteye, sight; faculty of perception (also ‘watchfulness’ in battle)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot चक्षुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- आ
- towards; untohither, unto; prefix of bestowalIndeclinableअव्ययRoot आ (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- दत्स्व
- give (you should give)give! bestow! (imperative; request for empowering vision)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; वैदिक संक्षिप्त रूप (देहि/ददातु इत्यर्थे)Root दा (दाने) + त्वा (लोट् मध्यम-एकवचन परस्मैपद; वैदिक रूप)
- मरीचयः
- rays (sunbeams)rays; solar beams as agents that pursue/driveNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot मरीचि (प्रातिपदिक)
- अनु
- after; alongafter, along; in pursuitIndeclinableअव्ययRoot अनु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- धावत
- they run; they speedrun, rush; chase down (the enemy/evil)Verbलट्, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद (वैदिक)Root धाव् (गतिशुद्ध्योः)
- पत्सङ्गिनीः
- foot-attending/foot-clinging (f.)Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot पत्सङ्गिनी (प्रातिपदिक; पाद/पत् + सङ्गिनी)
- आ
- towards; togetherhither; toward us/our sideIndeclinableअव्ययRoot आ (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- सजन्तु
- let them attach/joinlet them attach/join; let them ally themselves (secure support)Verbलोट्, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपदRoot सञ्ज् (सङ्गे/समवाये)
- विगते
- when departed/removedwhen gone away, when removed; after the departure/cessation (of enemy strength)Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (अधिकरणे)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot विगत (वि + गम्; कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
- बाहुवीर्ये
- in arm-strength; in the power of the armsarm-strength, might of arms; martial power (of the foe) to be made to departNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot बाहुवीर्य (प्रातिपदिक; बाहु + वीर्य)
Sandhi Notes
- चक्षुः + आ → चक्षुरा (विसर्गलोपः, उ/ः + आ → उरा). ‘मरी॑च॒योऽनु॑’ इति: मरीचयः + अनु → मरीचयोऽनु (विसर्गस्य ‘ओऽ’ आदेशः). अन्ते ‘वी॒र्येऽ’ इति अपूर्णः पाठः
- सामान्यतः ‘वीर्ये’ इति सप्तमी-एकवचनम्, परतः स्वरादौ ‘ऽ’ (अवग्रह) दृश्यते।
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic tradition
- Devata
- Āditya (Sun); secondarily Marīcayaḥ (rays) as agents
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta and Vira
Sāyaṇa takes Āditya as the giver of cákṣus—both literal vision and strategic ‘seeing’ (battle-awareness). The marīcayas are personified pursuers that ‘run after’ and harry the enemy. patsáṅginīḥ are explained as attendants that accompany the marching (either rays accompanying the host or supportive forces that keep pace), joining the sacrificer’s side once the opponent’s bāhuvīrya is ‘dislodged’ (vigata).
Atharvanic anonymous (Śaunaka AV 5.21)
Protective battle-aid through solar vigilance; securing faculties (sight/awareness) as a form of rakṣā.
Atharvanic integration of ‘battle’ and ‘healing’: the Sun grants not only victory but the restoring of right perception and supportive powers.
Āditya (Sūrya) with Marīcayaḥ
All-seeing regulator of ṛta; revealer of what is hidden; sustainer of life and order through light.
Restores vision/clarity; purifies by exposure; supports recovery of faculties after fear or confusion.
Prevents ambush and concealment; weakens enemy force by removing cover and secrecy.
Anuṣṭubh (approx.; text appears defective/elliptical in final pāda as provided)
4 × ~8, with possible truncation or transmission variant in pāda 4
Atharvanic manuscripts sometimes preserve elliptical endings in pragmatic charms; sense is carried by key lexemes (cakṣuḥ, marīcayaḥ, bāhuvīrya).
Brighter, more expansive than the previous two; less percussive, more ‘illuminative’ cadence.
Invokes alert calm; shifts from aggressive sound to luminous vigilance.
Facing east (solar quarter), the priest recites invoking Āditya; a brief gaze-rite may be performed (looking toward the sun’s direction without staring directly).
At ‘marīcayo ’nú dhāvata’, the priest (or king) steps forward a few paces, enacting pursuit.
At ‘ā́ sajantu’, allies/attendants symbolically ‘join’ by touching the officiant or the drum; the rite concludes with a gesture of ‘removal’ at ‘vígate bāhúvīrye’ (casting away enemy strength).
Kauśika Sūtra: AVŚ 5.21 employed in martial rites; this verse used when seeking ‘cákṣus’ (battle-watchfulness) and pursuit of the enemy (edition-dependent placement).
Atharvan priest as tactical-protective officiant: secures perceptual power (cákṣus) and ritually initiates pursuit/harrying of the enemy.
Recite at sunrise for clarity and protection; adapted for students/exams and for those traveling.
Dawn/sunrise; before setting out; before watch-duty.
Householder may recite facing the Sun; Atharvan priest if integrated into a larger rakṣā rite.
KauśS solar/protection applications (general); exact sūtra depends on recension/edition
Sun-facing morning recitation with safe eye practices (do not stare at the sun); treat as ‘clarity mantra’.
Āditya (Sun) as source of cákṣus; Marīcayaḥ (solar rays) as pursuing agents
Solar fire/light (implicit tejas)
Light is the operative ‘substance’: tejas as both knowledge and protection; rays behave like agents that hunt down what hides.
Impaired sight/obscuration (literal or metaphorical); also ‘hidden harms’ (adṛṣṭa-type threats) in a battle/protection frame.
Eyes (cakṣuḥ)
Solar bestowal of cakṣus + exposure/pursuit by rays; restoration of supportive faculties when threat-power wanes.
Sūrya-tejas and ālocaka pitta (visual faculty); light as a purifier and regulator of perception.
Vision/attention training; circadian light exposure supporting alertness; psychological ‘situational awareness’ under stress.
Hostile opponent’s strength (bāhuvīrya) and any concealed threat.
To gain solar sight and vigilant pursuit of threats, culminating in the enemy’s loss of arm-power and the attachment of supportive forces to the practitioner.
Invocation of solar faculty-transfer (cakṣur ā datsva) + ‘pursuit’ command to rays + adhesion of attendants (ā sajantu) once threat wanes.
Ambush, confusion, loss of vigilance, concealment of danger.
- आदित्य (āditya)
- Illumination, truth, surveillance, moral clarity
- चक्षुः (cakṣuḥ)
- Discernment, situational awareness, insight
- मरीचयः (marīcayaḥ)
- Probing attention; healing light; pursuit that leaves no hiding place
- अनु धावत (anu dhāvata)
- Relentless clarity chasing away concealment and fear
- पत्संगिनीः (patsaṅginīḥ)
- Supportive powers that ‘keep pace’: allies, endurance, momentum, protective attendants
- बाहुवीर्य (bāhuvīrya)
- Capacity for harm; coercive power that must be made to ‘depart’
Dawn-clarity: invite inner light to ‘see through’ confusion and threat.
Ājñā (discernment)
Gentle sūrya-bhedana (right-nostril inhale) in moderation; exhale softly on ‘cakṣur ā datsva’.
Golden rays enter the forehead/eyes as cooling clarity, then radiate outward to expose and dissolve hidden threats.
Bright, vigilant calm.
Practice at dawn; keep eyes relaxed; visualize rays pursuing not people but obscurations—fear, deception, and confusion.
Follow udātta marks; keep ‘आदित्य’ and ‘चक्षुः’ clearly articulated; allow a slightly longer pause after pāda 2.
Clear, bright, slightly uplifted tone; less harsh than battle verses.
If the final pāda is textually uncertain in a given tradition, keep intention fixed on ‘enemy strength departing’ and ‘supports attaching’.
7 times
Need for clarity, vigilance, and protection—travel, examinations, leadership decisions, or navigating deception.
At dawn; before important decisions; when feeling mentally ‘in the dark’.
Improved clarity and confidence; reduced susceptibility to hidden threats; steadier perception.
For eye disease, treat as devotional support only—seek medical care; avoid unsafe sun-gazing.
Again non-botanical: solar radiance is the ‘subtle substance’ supplying cákṣus and pursuit. The hymn’s technology is cosmological (sun/rays) rather than herbal.
It aligns royal/military success with priest-mediated access to cosmic resources (Āditya’s sight), reinforcing the priest’s role as provider of strategic faculties, not merely healing.
The imperative ‘cákṣur ā́ datsva’ is a direct functional petition; patsáṅginīḥ is a specialized, somewhat opaque formation suggestive of Atharvanic lexical creativity or local technical jargon.
Gopatha would interpret the acquisition of cákṣus as a brahman-enabled faculty (not merely physiological), and the rays’ ‘pursuit’ as a sanctioned extension of cosmic order into human conflict when properly ritualized.
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