Atharva Veda 2.24.7: Kanda 2, Anuvaka 3, Sukta 24, Mantra 7
Sukta 24
अर्जु॑नि॒ पुन॑र्वो यन्तु या॒तवः॒ पुन॑र्हे॒तिः कि॑मीदिनीः । यस्य॒ स्थ तम॑त्त॒ यो वः॒ प्राहै॒त् तम॑त्त॒ स्वा मां॒सान्य॑त्त
árjuni púnar vo yantu yātávaḥ púnar hetíḥ kímīdinīḥ | yásya sthá tám atta yó vaḥ práhāit tám atta svā́ māṁsā́ny atta
O Arjunī, back let the sorcerers go—back, too, the missile, back the Kīmīdinī devourers. Whose ye are, him devour; he who hath sent you forth—him devour; devour your own flesh.
O Ardźuni, niech czarownicy powrócą - niech też pocisk wróci, niech wrócą pożeraczki Kimīdinī. Czyj jesteś, tego pożeraj; kto was wysłał - jego pożeraj; pożerajcie wasze własne ciało.
The meaning
What it says
Arjunī is invoked; the yātavaḥ, the hostile missile (heti), and the Kīmīdinī devourers are commanded to return and devour their owner and sender, consuming their own flesh.
The inner meaning
Calling Arjunī functions as summoning an inner ‘protector’—steadfastness, clarity, and resilience. The mantra converts vulnerability into defended presence and reverses the imagined vector of harm.
The truth in it
Protection often begins by invoking a stabilizing principle (a name, a virtue, a guardian) and refusing to internalize hostility.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Abhicarika (counter-sorcery / apotropaic reversal)
Its aim
To repel yātu-sorcery and flesh-eating demonesses, reversing the attack so that the commissioned agents devour their sender/owner instead of the patient.
Word by Word
Pada patha
अर्जुनि । पुनः । वः । यन्तु । यातवः । पुनः । हेतिः । किमीदिन्यः । यस्य । स्थ । तम् । अत्त । यः । वः । प्र-अहैत् । तम् । अत्त । स्वा । मांसानि । अत्त
- अर्जुनि
- O Arjunī (a plant/name)O Arjunī (a female power/name invoked as a repellent; taken as a tutelary/plant- or tree-power in Atharvanic usage)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, संबोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधन (address)Root अर्जुनि- (प्रातिपदिक; संबोधन-रूप)
- पुनः
- again, backback, again (i.e., ‘return!’—a banishing/reversal formula)Indeclinableअव्ययRole क्रियाविशेषणRoot पुनः (अव्यय)
- वः
- of you (pl.)you (pl.; addressed to the hostile beings)Pronounषष्ठी (genitive), बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (possessor)Root युष्मद्
- यन्तु
- let (them) go/comelet (them/you) go; depart (injunctive/jussive of √yā, used for expulsion)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot या (धातु)
- यातवः
- the goers; wanderers (esp. hostile beings)Yātus, sorcerers/demonic assailants (harm-working beings; ‘witchcraft-doers’)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot या (धातु) → यातु- (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) यातवः
- पुनः
- again, backback, again (reiterated for force; ‘back with you!’)Indeclinableअव्ययRole क्रियाविशेषणRoot पुनः (अव्यय)
- हेतिः
- missile/weapon; (here) hostile strokemissile/weapon; hostile stroke (personified ‘attack’ to be turned back)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot हेति- (प्रातिपदिक)
- किमीदिनीः
- the Kīmīdinīs (harmful beings/demons; lit. ‘what-eaters/biters’)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot किमीदिनि- (प्रातिपदिक)
- यस्य
- whosePronounषष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot यद्
- स्थ
- you are / you standyou are (2nd pl. of √as; identifying their affiliation)Verbलट्, मध्यमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद (वैदिक रूप ‘स्थ’ = ‘स्थ’/‘स्थः’)Role क्रियाRoot अस् (धातु)
- तम्
- him/that onehim, that one (the proper target/owner of the demons)Pronounद्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot तद्
- अत्त
- eat!eat, devour! (imperative of √ad; command of retaliatory devouring)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot अद् (धातु)
- यः
- whoPronounप्रथमा, एकवचन, पुंलिङ्गRole कर्तृRoot यद्
- वः
- to you (pl.)you (pl.; the demons/sorcerers addressed)Pronounचतुर्थी (dative), बहुवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot युष्मद्
- प्राहैत्
- has sent forth/has hurled (at you)Verbलुङ्/आorist (वैदिक), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot प्र + हा (धातु) / वैदिक ‘प्राह’ (परस्मै) + एत्
- तम्
- him/that onehim, that one (the sender of the harm)Pronounद्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot तद्
- अत्त
- eat!eat, devour! (repeat imperative; intensification)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot अद् (धातु)
- स्वा
- one’s ownyour own (proper, belonging to you; reflexive possessive—‘your own [flesh]’)Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole विशेषण (of ‘मांसानि’)Root स्व- (प्रातिपदिक)
- मांसानि
- flesh (pieces of flesh)fleshes, pieces of flesh (the substance of devouring; metonym for life-body)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot मांस- (प्रातिपदिक)
- अत्त
- eat!eat, devour! (final imperative; climactic coercion)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot अद् (धातु)
Sandhi Notes
- ‘अर्जु॑नि’ (सम्बोधन) + ‘पुनः’ + ‘वः’ + ‘यन्तु’ + ‘यातवः’ । ‘पुन॑र्हे॒तिः’ = ‘पुनः हेतिः’ (विसर्ग-लोप/रेफ-सन्धि) । ‘कि॑मीदिनीः’ स्वतंत्र पद। ‘यस्य स्थ’ में ‘स्थ’ वैदिक मध्यम-बहुवचन ‘अस्’ का रूप (क्लासिकल ‘स्थ/स्थः’)। ‘यो वः प्राहै॒त्’ में ‘प्राहैत्’ = ‘प्र + हा’ (हिंसागत्यर्थ/प्रेषणे) का वैदिक भूत/आओरिस्ट-रूप
- संधि से ‘प्राह’ + ‘एत्’ जैसा संयोग। ‘स्वा मां॒सानि’ = ‘स्वा मांसानि’ (दीर्घ/स्वर-चिह्न वैदिक)।
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic (traditionally Atharvan/Angiras lineage for such apotropaic verses; specific r̥ṣi attribution depends on Anukramaṇī)
- Devata
- Arjunī (protective power) with yātavaḥ/kīmīdinīḥ as the addressed hostile agents
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh (probable; requires full metrical verification against padapāṭha accents and syllable count)
- Rasa
- Vira and Shanta
Sāyaṇa takes the address ‘Arjunī’ as an Atharvanic protective power invoked to drive back yātus and kīmīdinīs. The repeated ‘punaḥ’ is explained as pratiprasava/pravartana—turning the assault back upon its source. ‘Heti’ is the hostile stroke (śastra/āyudha) conceived as a quasi-personal agent. ‘Yasya stha’ identifies the demons’ true ‘owner’ (the one with whom they are in league), and the imperatives ‘atta’ are coercive: the devourers are compelled to consume the sender (and, failing that, their own flesh), a standard Atharvanic reversal/retaliation trope.
Atharvan/Āṅgiras (apotropaic refrain tradition)
Protective invocation of named powers (e.g., Arjunī) and pratyāvartana mechanics against yātu/kīmīdin forces.
Represents Atharvanic ‘white’ protection: the invoked name stands as a luminous counter-current that turns back devouring darkness.
Arjunī (protective power/name) with yātavaḥ/hetí/kīmīdinīḥ as coerced hostile agents
A stabilizing protective principle that clarifies and repels; stands against devouring and projectile harms.
Supports recovery by halting ‘devouring’ processes and restoring integrity (symbolic).
Primary: repulsion and reversal of hostile agencies.
4×8; vocative arjunī precedes stable refrain.
Vocative may create initial extra weight; handled by a short pause after arjunī.
Steady, forceful refrain with a bright ‘opening call.’
Invokes a protector, then executes reversal—felt as ‘call then command’.
The Atharvan priest prepares a protective boundary for the patient/household (typically by sprinkling water and/or tracing a line around the locus).
Facing the direction associated with the perceived assailant, he recites the mantra as a ‘returning’ (punaḥ) formula, conceptually sending the hostile beings back.
A symbolic ‘dispatch’ is performed: the priest gestures outward (or casts away a small clod/ash/grass-tuft) to embody the expulsion of yātus and kīmīdinīs.
He then performs the reversal act: naming (or mentally fixing) the sender, he recites the ‘yásya… tám atta’ clauses to bind the devourers to their origin.
Concluding, he seals the rite with a protective recitation over the patient (and, where prescribed, a final sprinkling), preventing re-entry of the hostile agents.
Kauśika Sūtra: counter-sorcery (yātu-pratiṣedha / kīmīdinī-pratiṣedha) section; precise sūtra numbering varies by edition (Keśava/Caland).
Atharvan/Brahman as apotropaic technician: identifies the hostile agency, performs expulsion and reversal (pratyāvartana), and ritually ‘reassigns’ the demons to their sender through mantra-command.
Recited for household protection, especially when feeling spiritually ‘attacked’ or drained; can be spoken over a protective thread or at the threshold (traditional extension).
Morning for ‘bright’ protection; also evening for sealing the home.
Householder; optionally assisted by family elder; emphasis on clear diction and intention.
Kauśika: rakṣoghna/pratyāvartana usage for yātu/kīmīdin (exact citation to be fixed by hymn rubric).
A protective chant framed as invoking clarity and returning negativity to its source (non-harmful framing).
Arjunī (invoked protective power; possibly linked in later tradition with a plant/tree-force); hetí (missile/weapon as personified harm); kīmīdinīḥ (devouring demonesses as the targeted agents)
Though the verse itself names Arjunī rather than an herb, later Indian traditions often read such names as plant-powers. Here Arjunī functions primarily as a luminous protective ‘name-amulet’ in speech.
Bewitchment-like wasting/gnawing afflictions (kīmīdinīḥ) and general hostile projection (yātu/heti).
Flesh (māṃsa) as total bodily substance.
Invocation of protective name + pratyāvartana recoil; strengthens patient’s confidence and perceived shielding.
Āgantuka/bhūta model; ‘bright protective’ counterbalances tamas-like devouring imagery; no direct doṣa targeting in the verse.
Protective affirmation anchored in a ‘guardian symbol’; supportive practice for anxiety and stress from perceived hostility.
Hostile agents; implicit human perpetrator.
Counter-sorcery: send back the yātu-agents, hostile stroke, and devourers to consume their sender/owner.
Vocative invocation (Arjunī) + refrain pratyāvartana + coercive devouring imperative.
Curses, envy, psychic attack, devouring afflictions.
- अर्जुनि (arjunī)
- clarity, protective brightness; possibly plant/tree-force in later semantic fields; a guardian-name that stabilizes
- यातवः (yātavaḥ)
- malign influences, envy, intrusive forces
- हेतिः (hetíḥ)
- projected attack; curse as projectile
- किमीदिनीः (kīmīdinīḥ)
- wasting/consuming affliction
- पुनः (punaḥ)
- reversal, restoration of rightful order
Invoke ‘white clarity’ (arjunī) as a protective field; return intrusive thoughts outward.
anāhata (if reading arjuna-association/steadiness)
Even breathing; exhale with firm intention on punaḥ and atta; finish with 3 slow cooling breaths.
A white protective sheath around the body; incoming dark darts curve away and return to the horizon.
Clear, defended calm.
Keep the practice ethically clean: visualize neutralization and return, not vengeance; cultivate inner clarity after the chant.
Chant with clear udātta per padapāṭha; keep arjunī as a distinct opening call.
Light touch on enclitics; weight on yātavaḥ, hetiḥ, kīmīdinīḥ, yantu, atta.
Bright, firm, not harsh.
If used as a ‘white protection’ variant within the hymn, keep tone more vīra/śānta than raudra—same commands, less heat.
7 times
Feeling energetically depleted, targeted by envy, or needing spiritual ‘clearing’ and protection.
Morning to set protection; after social conflict; before entering difficult environments.
Greater confidence, calmer mind, traditional protection framing.
Avoid using as a substitute for addressing real interpersonal issues; seek help for persistent anxiety or medical symptoms.
The verse hinges on ‘Arjunī’ as an invoked protective potency. Even if Arjunī is not explicitly a plant here, Atharvanic diction often treats named powers as quasi-material ‘substances’ (auṣadhi/devatā overlap). The mantra operationalizes that potency through iterative ‘punaḥ’ (reversal) and imperative ‘atta’ (coercion), functioning like a verbal amulet that redirects predation. If Arjunī is read as a tree/plant-force (cf. later identifications with arjuna), the botanical becomes the stable, beneficent counter-agent against mobile, predatory beings (kīmīdinīs).
Agency is distributed across (1) an expert ritualist who can diagnose ‘sent’ harm, (2) hostile specialists (yātus) imagined as commissioning demonic agents, and (3) the vulnerable household/patient. The mantra presumes a social world where harm can be subcontracted through occult means and where the Atharvan priest’s authority lies in reversing that contract—reassigning the demons to their ‘owner’ and punishing the sender. This reflects a competitive ritual economy and the legitimization of priestly counter-magic as protective governance.
The diction is characteristically Atharvanic in its direct coercive imperatives (‘atta’ repeated) and its demonological taxonomy (‘kīmīdinīḥ’). Compared to many Rigvedic hymns, the style is less laudatory and more juridical/performative: it issues commands and reallocates culpability (‘yásya sthá’). The repeated ‘punaḥ’ as a technical reversal marker is also more typical of Atharvanic apotropaic speech-acts than of Rigvedic praise-poetry.
The Gopatha Brāhmaṇa generally frames Atharvanic mantras as efficacious through correct application (yukti) and the priest’s knowledge of correspondences—speech as a binding force that can redirect entities and outcomes. In that logic, this verse works because it (a) names the hostile classes, (b) performs ‘return’ (punaḥ) as a verbal act of reversion, and (c) fixes a target via relative clauses (‘whose ye are… who sent you…’), thereby compelling the agents to follow the redefined ritual-legal relation. A precise GB passage linkage would require edition-specific cross-referencing to the counter-sorcery discussions.
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