Atharva Veda 19.13.5: Kanda 19, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 13, Mantra 5
Sukta 13
ब॒ल॒वि॒ज्ञा॒यः स्थवि॑रः॒ प्रवी॑रः॒ सह॑स्वान् वा॒जी सह॑मान उ॒ग्रः । अ॒भिवी॑रो अ॒भिष॑त्वा सहो॒जिज्जैत्र॑मिन्द्र॒ रथ॒मा ति॑ष्ठ गो॒विद॑म्
balavijñāyáḥ sthaviráḥ pravī́raḥ sáhasvān vājī́ sáhamāna ugráḥ | abhivī́ro abhiṣátvā sahojíj jáitram indra rátham ā́ tiṣṭha govídam
Knowing strength, stout, rich in heroes; mighty, prize-winning, overpowering, fierce—more than heroic, having smitten, winning by might: O Indra, mount the conquering chariot, the cow-winning.
Znający siłę, potężny, bogaty w bohaterów; możny, zdobywający nagrody, przemagający, straszliwy, ponad bohaterski, uderzywszy, zwyciężając przez moc: o Indro, wsiądź na zwycięski rydwan, zdobywający krowy.
The meaning
What it says
Indra is praised as strength-knower, stout, hero-rich, mighty and prize-winning; he is urged to mount the conquering, cow-winning chariot.
The inner meaning
Calling the ‘victory-drive’ to take the seat of agency (the chariot): vigor is guided by discernment of strength (balavijñāyaḥ), turning effort into gain rather than exhaustion.
The truth in it
Prosperity follows disciplined power: when leadership mounts the ‘vehicle’ of action, courage becomes productive and resources are won.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Paustika-tinged Abhicarika (victory aimed at booty/prosperity)
Its aim
To enthrone Indra upon the patron’s chariot/war-effort so that victory yields cattle and wealth.
Word by Word
Pada patha
बलविज्ञायः । स्थविरः । प्रवीरः । सहस्वान् । वाजी । सहमानः । उग्रः । अभिवीरः । अभिषत्वा । सहोजित् । जैत्रम् । इन्द्र । रथम् । आ । तिष्ठ । गोविदम् ।
- बलविज्ञायः
- knower of strength / discerning strengthknower of strength; discerning power (tactical/physical might)Adjective (bahuvrīhi/compound epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (विशेषणरूपेण इन्द्रस्य)Root बल-विज्ञाय (प्रातिपदिक; ‘बल’ + ‘विज्ञाय’)
- स्थविरः
- steadfast, firm, mightystout, firm; stable in forceAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (विशेषणरूपेण)Root स्थविर (प्रातिपदिक)
- प्रवीरः
- having eminent heroes; very heroichaving eminent heroes; rich in champions (or ‘foremost hero’)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (विशेषणरूपेण)Root प्र-वीर (प्रातिपदिक)
- सहस्वान्
- powerful, strongpossessing might; full of conquering energyAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (विशेषणरूपेण)Root सहस्वत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- वाजी
- swift; prize-winning; steed-likeprize-winner/steed-possessor; victorious racer (martial success)Adjective/Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (विशेषणरूपेण)Root वाजिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- सहमानः
- enduring, overcomingoverpowering; prevailing against resistanceParticiple (present)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (विशेषणरूपेण)Root सह् (धातु) → सहमान (वर्तमान कृदन्त, शतृ)
- उग्रः
- fierce, formidablefierce; terrible in onsetAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (विशेषणरूपेण)Root उग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- अभिवीरः
- pre-eminently heroic; hero over (others)over-heroic; excelling in heroism, facing heroesAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (विशेषणरूपेण)Root अभि-वीर (प्रातिपदिक)
- अभिषत्वा
- having pressed/impelled (upon), having assailedhaving smitten/overpowered; after striking down (foes)Gerund (absolutive)क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय; कालः—पूर्वकर्मRole कर्तृ-क्रियाविशेषण (पूर्वकर्म)Root अभि-षु/सव् (धातु; ‘to press/impel’) → अभिषत्वा (क्त्वान्त अव्यय)
- सहोजित्
- conquering by strength and vigorwinning by might; conqueror through forceAdjective (compound epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (विशेषणरूपेण)Root सहस्-ओजस्-जित् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘strength+vigor+conquering’)
- जैत्रम्
- victorious (thing); victory, triumphvictorious, pertaining to conquest; the winning (chariot/force)Adjective (used substantively)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (आ-तिष्ठ इत्यस्य)Root जैत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraO Indra; vocative invocationNoun (vocative)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- रथम्
- chariotchariot; vehicle of victory and royal powerNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (आ-तिष्ठ इत्यस्य)Root रथ (प्रातिपदिक)
- आ
- unto, onto; hitherunto, onto; hither/onto (imperative preverb)Indeclinable (preverb)उपसर्गः (तिष्ठ धातोः सह)Role क्रियाविशेषणRoot आ (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- तिष्ठ
- mount! stand! take your place!mount/stand; take your stationVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot स्था (धातु) → तिष्ठ (लोट्)
- गोविदम्
- cow-finding; winning cattle (as booty)cow-winning; bringing cattle as spoil/wealth (booty and prosperity)Adjective (used as epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म/विशेष्य-विशेषणभावः (रथम्—गोविदम्, ‘cow-finding’ chariot)Root गो-विद (प्रातिपदिक; ‘finder/knower of cows’)
Sandhi Notes
- बलविज्ञायः | स्थविरः | प्रवीरः | सहस्वान् | वाजी | सहमानः | उग्रः | अभिवीरः | अभिषत्वा | सहोजित् | जैत्रम् | इन्द्र | रथम् | आ | तिष्ठ | गोविदम् ।
- 1) ‘सहोजिज्जैत्रम्’ इत्यत्र संहितायां ज्+ज् → ‘ज्ज’ (सहोजित् + जैत्रम् → सहोजिज्जैत्रम्)
- 2) ‘रथमा तिष्ठ’ इत्यत्र ‘रथम् आ’ (अं + आ) संहितायां ‘रथमा’ इति दृश्यते (अनुस्वार-लोप/परिवर्तनः पदसंहितानुसारः)
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic tradition
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh-like / mixed
- Rasa
- Vira and Adbhuta
Sayana takes ‘govidam’ as the concrete fruit of victory—cattle as wealth and social capital. The imperative ‘ā tiṣṭha’ is treated as a direct ritual summons: Indra is invited to ‘enter’ the chariot/enterprise of the patron, making the vehicle a locus of divine presence.
An Atharvanic redactional voice (ṛṣi not individually specified for this verse in common indexing)
Paustika-tinged victory charms: winning cattle/wealth through Indra’s martial prosperity function
Shows Atharvanic pragmatism: victory is not abstract glory but tangible ‘go’—sustenance, status, and continuity.
Indra
Bestower of victorious momentum that converts conflict into resources (cattle/booty) and secures the patron’s prosperity.
Protects the patron’s enterprise by placing ‘jaitra’ (conquering) force at the center of action (ratha).
4 pādas, ≈11 syllables each with Atharvanic elasticity; imperative cadence in the closing pāda (ā tiṣṭha)
Late Atharvanic triṣṭubh often compresses compounds and epithets; the vocative ‘indra’ anchors the command
Rising propulsion; ends in a clear imperative suited to ritual ‘installation’
Creates a felt ‘mounting’ of confidence; good for pre-action mobilization.
The patron’s chariot is prepared; reins and yoke are touched with darbha or the priest’s hand.
The priest recites the mantra facing the chariot, inviting Indra to ‘mount’ it (ā tiṣṭha).
A protective mark (tilaka/uncting) may be placed on the chariot-pole; the mantra is repeated.
If cattle-raiding/booty is the aim, the priest gestures toward a cow or cow-image while saying ‘govidam’ to fix the desired result.
The patron mounts; the priest concludes with a short benediction for safe return and spoil.
Kauśika Sūtra: chariot/weapon consecration within victory rites invoking Indra (rubrical).
Atharvan as installer of divine agency into the vehicle of action; ensures the chariot becomes ritually ‘Indra-borne’.
Used to bless a vehicle/undertaking (journey, trade mission, legal contest) where ‘victory’ equals secure livelihood.
At departure; after harnessing; before negotiations/competition
Householder or Atharvan priest recites while touching the vehicle/standard or reins (symbolically).
Recite before important exams, negotiations, competitions—framing ‘go’ as legitimate prosperity (income, food security).
chariot (ratha); cattle (go) as spoil/wealth
The chariot is the operational body (project/army/household venture); cattle signify nourishment, liquidity, and social prosperity—‘win the means to live’.
Motivational priming for goal-directed performance; leadership visualization (‘mount the chariot’) to reduce hesitation.
Rivals/obstacles to success (implicit)
To seat Indra’s conquering power upon the patron’s campaign/enterprise so victory yields cattle/wealth.
Imperative invitation (ā tiṣṭha) + epithet stacking to ‘attract’ the deity into the vehicle/operation.
Failure, loss of morale, fruitless exertion
Cattle-wealth (go), prizes (vāja), spoils of victory
- बलविज्ञायः (balavijñāyaḥ)
- strategic intelligence; measured force
- स्थविरः (sthaviraḥ)
- stability under pressure
- प्रवीरः (pravīraḥ)
- support network; competent allies
- वाजी (vājī)
- momentum; competitive excellence
- उग्रः (ugraḥ)
- intensity harnessed, not chaotic
- सहोजित् (sahojit)
- capacity to overcome resistance
- रथ (ratha)
- embodied agency; life-direction
- गोविदम् (govidam)
- wealth, nourishment, social capital
‘Indra on the chariot’ visualization: place courageous clarity at the seat of decision-making.
maṇipūra
4-4-8 breathing to stabilize intensity; chant on exhale, pause at ‘indra ratham’
Confident, forward-moving attention without agitation
Before action, sit upright; imagine reins as senses under control; let ‘balavijñāyaḥ’ mean choosing the minimum effective force.
Triṣṭubh-like; lift pitch on imperatives (आ तिष्ठ) and on ‘इन्द्र’ vocative
Keep compounds crisp; do not blur ‘go-vidam’—two clear members
Bright, rallying, but controlled
If used for prosperity aims, conclude with a śānti line to ‘seal’ gains without provoking hostility.
9 times
Seeking success that supports livelihood (job search, business pitch, competitive opportunity).
Before initiating the key step (meeting, travel, launch).
Courage, strategic strength, and a sense of auspicious traction toward material stability.
Avoid using with exploitative intent; interpret ‘cow-winning’ as ethical gain and nourishment.
The verse is non-medical; its ‘substance’ is the chariot and cattle as economic targets. The mantra functions as an installation formula, relocating efficacy from herbs to vehicles and spoils.
Cattle as the explicit prize (‘govidam’) reflects a pastoral-wealth economy and the legitimacy of raiding/war for redistribution. The priest’s invocation sacralizes acquisition, aligning martial extraction with divine sanction.
The epithet style is RV-like, but the direct imperative to mount the chariot reads as a pragmatic Atharvanic deployment. ‘Jaitra’ as a functional adjective (‘conquering’) is typical of operational charm diction.
Gopatha’s logic of ‘invitation’ and ‘installation’ of deities through mantra supports reading ā tiṣṭha as a performative summons. The promised fruit (go) fits the Atharvanic linkage of rite to tangible social goods.
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