Atharva Veda 10.2.8: Kanda 10, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 2, Mantra 8

Sukta 2

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

म॒स्तिष्क॑मस्य यत॒मो ल॒लाटं॑ क॒काटि॑कां प्रथ॒मो यः क॒पाल॑म्। चि॒त्वा चित्यं॒ हन्वोः॒ पूरु॑षस्य॒ दिवं॑ रुरोह कत॒मः स दे॒वः

Recitation with translationAtharva Veda 10.2.8

IAST Transliteration

mastíṣkam asya yatamáḥ lalā́ṭaṃ kakā́ṭikāṃ prathamó yáḥ kapā́lam | citvā́ cityáṃ hánvor púruṣasya dívaṃ ruroha katamáḥ sá deváḥ

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Which is his brain, which his forehead, which his nape—who was the first that fashioned the skull? Having built the builded frame of the man from the two jaws, to heaven he mounted: which god was he?

Translation

Która jest jego mózgiem, które jego czołem, które jego karkiem, kto był pierwszym, który ukształtował czaszkę? Zbudowawszy zbudowaną postać człowieka z dwóch szczęk, wstąpił do nieba: który to był bóg?

The meaning

What it says

A questioning inventory of the head’s parts—brain, forehead, nape, skull—asking which god first fashioned the cranium and, having built the human frame from the jaws, ascended to heaven.

The inner meaning

The head is treated as a ritually “constructed” sanctuary: naming its parts stabilizes identity, cognition, and orientation. The interrogative ‘kaḥ’ functions as contemplative therapy—returning anxiety about injury/fragility to a sense of intelligible order.

The truth in it

Human embodiment is not random but patterned; reverent inquiry into the body’s architecture converts fear into awe, and awe into protection through alignment with cosmic craftsmanship.

What it is for

Kind of hymn

Bhaisajya (Healing) / Protective anatomy (head/brain)

Its aim

To protect the head (skull/brain/forehead/nape) from injury, disease, and malevolent attack by ritually reaffirming its divine construction.

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Word by Word

Pada patha

म॒स्तिष्क॑म् । अ॒स्य॒ । य॒त॒मः । ल॒लाट॑म् । क॒काटि॑काम् । प्र॒थ॒मः । यः । क॒पाल॑म् । चि॒त्वा । चि॒त्यम् । हन्वोः॑ । पूरु॑षस्य । दिव॑म् । रु॒रो॒ह॒ । क॒त॒मः । सः । दे॒वः

मस्तिष्कम्

brain, marrow (head-substance)brain/marrow of the head—vital interior substance (seat of cognition in later reading)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot मस्तिष्क (प्रातिपदिक)

अस्य

of him/itsof him/of this (person)—of the puruṣa under discussionPronounपुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole Sambandha (Genitive relation)Root इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

यत्

which (that)Pronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

तमः

the highest/uppermostAdjective (superlative)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole Viśeṣaṇa (of यत्)Root तम (प्रातिपदिक; superlative base)

ललाटम्

foreheadforehead—front of the head; locus of identity/markNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole Karma (apposition to यत्)Root ललाट (प्रातिपदिक)

ककाटिकाम्

(back/upper) part of the head; occiput/nape-regionnape/occiput (kakāṭikā)—back part of the head/neck-jointNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot ककाटिका (प्रातिपदिक)

प्रथमः

firstfirst—prime/foremost (in construction or precedence)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Viśeṣaṇa (of यः)Root प्रथम (प्रातिपदिक)

यः

who/whichwho/which—relative pronoun linking the makerPronounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (relative subject)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

कपालम्

skull, skull-bowlskull, skull-bone—cranial shell (also used in ritual contexts as ‘bowl’ imagery)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole Karma (predicate/apposition)Root कपाल (प्रातिपदिक)

चित्वा

having piled up/constructedhaving piled/constructed—like building an altar (cit- imagery applied to body)Verb (absolutive)क्त्वान्त (अव्ययीभाव-प्राय), ‘having piled/arranged’Role Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (prior action)Root √चि (चिनोति)

चित्यम्

a pile/altar (that which is to be piled)Noun/Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot चित्य (प्रातिपदिक; from √चि)

हन्वोः

of/in the two jawsof the two jaws—mouth-frame as base/thresholdNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी/सप्तमी, द्विवचन (Vedic form)Role Adhikaraṇa / SambandhaRoot हनु (प्रातिपदिक)

पूरुषस्य

of the man/personof the man/person (puruṣa)—the embodied humanNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole Sambandha (Genitive relation)Root पूरुष (प्रातिपदिक)

दिवम्

to heaven, the skyto heaven—upward to the celestial realmNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole Karma (goal as object)Root दिव्/द्यौ (प्रातिपदिक)

रुरोह

ascended, climbedhe mounted, ascended—climbed up (as on a built structure)Verbलिट् (परोक्स-भूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole Kriyā (main verb)Root √रुह् (रोहति)

कतमः

which one (of them)?which one?—which god in particular?Pronoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (interrogative subject)Root कतम (प्रातिपदिक; interrogative superlative)

सः

he/thatthat—he (the one just described)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (correlative)Root तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

देवः

god, deitygod—divine agent/architectNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā / Predicate nominativeRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• (1) मस्तिष्कम् + अस्य (anusvāra before vowel retained in saṃhitā; padapāṭha would separate).
• (2) यत् तमः ललाटम्: final -t of यत् remains before dental t- (no change).
• (3) ककाटिकाम् प्रथमो यः: no sandhi across pause.
• (4) चित्वा चित्यम्: simple juxtaposition.
• (5) हन्वोः पूरुषस्य: genitive/locative dual form हन्वोः kept.
• (6) दिवं रुरोह: no sandhi.
• (7) कत॒मः स दे॒वः: visarga sandhi not applied due to padic separation
• saṃhitā often shows s + d without assimilation here

Seer, deity and metre

Rishi

Atharvanic speculative seer (hymn-level attribution varies)

Devata

Kaḥ / the divine constructor (Prajāpati/Skambha); implicit: Puruṣa as constructed microcosm

Chandas

Triṣṭubh-like (scansion-dependent)

Rasa

Adbhuta and Shanta

Sayana's Commentary

The Seer

The Deity

The Metre

The Rite

In the Home

Substances

Healing Context

Magic Charm Layer

Symbols in this Mantra

Yogic Application

Chanting Notes

Practical Application

Scholarly Questions