Atharva Veda 2.29.4: Kanda 2, Anuvaka 3, Sukta 29, Mantra 4
Sukta 29
इन्द्रे॑ण द॒त्तो वरु॑णेन शि॒ष्टो म॒रुद्भि॑रु॒ग्रः प्रहि॑तो न॒ आग॑न्। ए॒ष वां॑ द्यावापृथिवी उ॒पस्थे॒ मा क्षु॑ध॒न्मा तृ॑षत्
índreṇa dattó váruṇena śiṣṭó marúdbhir ugráḥ práhito na ā́gan | eṣá vā́m dyāvāpṛthivī upásthe mā́ kṣúdhān mā́ tṛ́ṣat ||
Bestowed by Indra, ordered by Varuṇa, fierce, by the Maruts sent forth, it hath come unto us. This (charge) is in your lap, O Heaven and Earth: let it not hunger, let it not thirst.
Darowana przez Indrę, rozkazana przez Warunę, groźna, przez Marutów posłana, przybyła do nas. Ta opieka spoczywa w waszym łonie, O Niebo i Ziemia: niech nie łaknie, niech nie pragnie.
The meaning
What it says
A consecrated ‘charge’ comes—given by Indra, commanded by Varuṇa, sent by the fierce Maruts. Placed in the lap of Heaven and Earth, it is adjured: let it not hunger, let it not thirst.
The inner meaning
Installing a protective program in the psyche/body: authority (Indra), moral order (Varuṇa), and mobilizing force (Maruts) deliver a safeguard. The ‘lap of Heaven-and-Earth’ is the felt ground of safety; from it arises freedom from anxious scarcity (hunger/thirst).
The truth in it
Security is both cosmic and practical: when power, order, and vitality cooperate, basic needs are met and fear of deprivation subsides.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Bhaisajya (Healing) / Paustika (Prosperity)
Its aim
To install a consecrated protective agency so that hunger and thirst do not afflict the beneficiary (patient/household), ensuring bodily sustenance and stability.
Word by Word
Pada patha
इन्द्रेण । दत्तः । वरुणेन । शिष्टः । मरुद्भिः । उग्रः । प्रहितः । नः । आगन् । एषः । वाम् । द्यावा-पृथिवी । उपस्थे । मा । क्षुधन् । मा । तृषत्
- इन्द्रेण
- by/with Indraby Indra; by the lord of force—i.e., empowered/commissioned with victorious potencyNounपुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति; एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- दत्तः
- givengiven, bestowed; ritually ‘conferred’ as a protective gift/chargeVerb (Participle)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन (कर्मणि भूतकृदन्तः)Root दा (धातु) → दत्त (कृदन्त, क्त)
- वरुणेन
- by/with Varuṇaby Varuṇa; by the upholder of ṛta—granting lawful, binding protection (pāśa-warding)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति; एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot वरुण (प्रातिपदिक)
- शिष्टः
- instructed/ordainedinstructed, directed, ordained; ‘set in order’ under sacred rule (niyoga)Verb (Participle)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन (कर्मणि भूतकृदन्तः)Root शास् (धातु) → शिष्ट (कृदन्त, क्त)
- मरुद्भिः
- by/with the Marutsby the Maruts; by the storm-host—supplying fierce, driving-away (apahāra) powerNounपुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति; बहुवचनRole KaraṇaRoot मरुत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- उग्रः
- fierce, mightyfierce, formidable; possessing sharp apotropaic force against harm and wantAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचनRole KartāRoot उग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- प्रहितः
- sent forth, dispatchedsent forth, dispatched; launched as a messenger/agent of protection (preṣita)Verb (Participle)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन (कर्मणि भूतकृदन्तः)Root प्र-हि (धातु) → प्रहित (कृदन्त, क्त)
- नः
- for us / of usto/for us; for our household/community as beneficiaries of the ritePronounषष्ठी विभक्ति; बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक)Role SampradānaRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- आगन्
- camehas come (aor.); has arrived effectively—i.e., the protective agency has reached its targetVerbलुङ् (अोरिस्ट); प्रथम् पुरुष; एकवचनRole KartāRoot आ-गम् (धातु)
- एषः
- this (one)this (one/thing); this present protective entity (often the amulet/herb/charge in hand)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचनRole KartāRoot एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- वाम्
- of/for you twoof you two; belonging to the divine pair addressed (Dyāvā-Pṛthivī)Pronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी; द्विवचन (एन्क्लिटिक)Role SampradānaRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- द्यावापृथिवी
- Heaven-and-EarthHeaven-and-Earth; the cosmic parents whose lap is the stable locus of safety and nourishmentNoun (Dual compound)स्त्रीलिङ्ग (द्वन्द्व/इतरेतरयोग); प्रथमा विभक्ति; द्विवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot द्यावा-पृथिवी (समास; प्रातिपदिक)
- उपस्थे
- in the lap/bosomin the lap/bosom; the protective ‘seat’ or sheltering emplacementNounपुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot उपस्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
- मा
- do notdo not; prohibitive particle used as a warding commandIndeclinableनिषेध (prohibitive particle)Root मा (निषेध-अव्यय)
- क्षुधन्
- be hungryhunger (or ‘may he/it hunger’); here: may hunger not afflict (us/this one)Verbलोट् (वेदिक निषेध-लोट्); मध्यम पुरुष; एकवचनRole KartāRoot क्षुध् (धातु)
- मा
- do notdo not; second warding prohibitionIndeclinableनिषेध (prohibitive particle)Root मा (निषेध-अव्यय)
- तृषत्
- be thirstythirst (or ‘may he/it thirst’); here: may thirst not afflict (us/this one)Verbलोट् (वेदिक निषेध-लोट्); मध्यम पुरुष; एकवचनRole KartāRoot तृष् (धातु)
Sandhi Notes
- इन्द्रेण दत्तः वरुणेन शिष्टः मरुद्भिः उग्रः प्रहितः नः आगन् । एषः वाम् द्यावापृथिवी उपस्थे । मा क्षुधन् मा तृषत् । विशेष-सन्धि/रूप-टिप्पणी:
- (1) ‘आगन्’ = आ-गम् धातोः लुङ् (अोरिस्ट) 3एक
- संहितायां ‘न॒ आग॑न्’ इति नः + आगन् (एन्क्लिटिक ‘नः’ परतः) ।
- (2) ‘द्यावापृथिवी’ समासरूपेण द्विवचन-प्रथमा (द्यावा + पृथिवी) ।
- (3) ‘मा क्षुधन्/मा तृषत्’—वेदिके निषेध ‘मा’ सह लोट्-प्रयोगः
- ‘क्षुधन्’ इति क्षुध् धातोः लोट् 2एक (वेदिक रूप), ‘तृषत्’ तृष् धातोः लोट् 2एक ।
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic tradition (specific ṛṣi attribution varies by anukramaṇī for this hymn-unit)
- Devata
- Dyāvā-Pṛthivī (Heaven and Earth), with Indra, Varuṇa, and the Maruts as empowering authorities
- Chandas
- Mixed; predominantly Triṣṭubh-like cadence in the first pāda sequence with a shorter closing prohibition (edition-dependent scansion)
- Rasa
- Shanta and Vira
Sāyaṇa construes ‘eṣaḥ’ as the present protective implement/agency (commonly an amulet, herb, or consecrated object) that is ‘given’ by Indra (strength), ‘enjoined’ by Varuṇa (ṛta and restraint), and ‘sent’ by the Maruts (driving-away force). ‘In the lap of Dyāvā-Pṛthivī’ marks secure emplacement and cosmic legitimation. The closing prohibitions are apotropaic: hunger and thirst are treated as afflicting powers to be excluded from the patient/household (or from the consecrated object that sustains them).
Unknown/Anukramaṇī-variant (Atharvanic protective deployment)
Protective installation rites preventing deprivation and instability; commissioning a ‘sent’ protective agency (often amulet-like).
Illustrates Atharvanic logic of ‘authorized protection’: blessings are not vague wishes but a transmitted, commanded force placed into a locus (dyāvāpṛthivī-upastha).
Dyāvāpṛthivī with Indra, Varuṇa, Maruts as empowerers
Indra provides potency, Varuṇa provides lawful containment, Maruts provide mobilizing protection; Heaven-and-Earth provide the stable ‘seat’ for the charge.
Supports recovery by preventing depletion and ensuring access to sustenance/hydration; reduces stress-driven ‘burning’ and weakness.
Wards off hunger/thirst (literal and symbolic), guarding household supplies and bodily stability.
First segment triṣṭubh tendency; closing ‘mā kṣudhan mā tṛṣat’ functions as compact apotropaic refrain
Atharvanic charms often end with short prohibitions that override metrical regularity for performative force.
Authoritative arrival → secure placement → sharp protective prohibition.
Feels like sealing an amulet: a firm ‘arrival’ followed by a locking command.
Prepare the protective medium (amulet/charged substance) associated with the hymn’s performance.
Recite the mantra while presenting/placing the object as ‘arrived’ (ā́gan) for the beneficiary.
Seat or place the object (or the beneficiary) upon a ritually defined ‘lap’/support (often a prepared seat, earth-contact, or domestic locus), verbally identifying it with Dyāvā-Pṛthivī’s upastha.
Utter the prohibitions ‘mā kṣudhān, mā tṛṣat’ as explicit warding commands, sealing the rite.
Conclude with customary protective gestures (touching/tying/binding, as appropriate to the object), maintaining the object on the person or in the dwelling.
Kauśika Sūtra: application within the AV 2.29 complex (protective/paustika deployment; exact sūtra numbering varies by edition—consult Bloomfield’s Kauśika for the karman keyed to AV 2.29).
The Atharvan/Brahman officiant consecrates and ‘dispatches’ the protective agency through mantra, performs the placement (upastha) act, and seals the apotropaic prohibitions against hunger and thirst.
Recite while placing a blessed item (food vessel, water pot, or amulet) in a central household spot; or over a child/patient to prevent depletion.
Before travel, during drought/scarcity anxiety, or when caring for a weak person.
Elder/priest performs the ‘placement’ (upastha imagery) and speaks the prohibitions as the seal.
Used as a household prayer for food/water sufficiency and for patients with poor intake.
Consecrated protective object (e.g., amulet/mani or charged substance implied by ‘eṣaḥ’); Cosmic ‘lap’ of Heaven-and-Earth as ritual emplacement (symbolic locus)
Implied by ‘eṣaḥ’ as a delivered ‘charge’—often interpretable as a consecrated object/mani in Atharvanic praxis.
Implicit via ‘tṛṣ’ (thirst) and the broader sustenance frame; not explicitly āpaḥ here.
Protection is object-like: it can arrive, be placed, and then function as a barrier against depletion; Heaven-and-Earth are the ultimate container ensuring continuity.
Starvation/dehydration states; convalescent weakness; also anxiety of scarcity affecting appetite and vitality.
Consecrated protection is ‘sent’ and then ‘seated’ in the cosmic lap; the final prohibitions act as a verbal barrier against depletion.
Prevention of dhātu-kṣaya (tissue depletion) and vāta-aggravated dryness; maintaining kleda (moisture) and bala (strength).
Food security and hydration support; stress reduction around scarcity; supportive care preventing undernourishment.
Beneficiary and/or household stores/food supply.
Pacify and prevent hunger and thirst from afflicting the beneficiary/household; stabilize sustenance.
Commissioning lineage of authority (Indra→Varuṇa→Maruts) + emplacement in dyāvāpṛthivī + apotropaic negation (‘mā…mā…’).
Deprivation, famine-like conditions, wasting, anxiety-driven depletion.
Food and water sufficiency; stability of provisions.
- दत्तः (dattaḥ)
- authorized empowerment; a gift that becomes a protective resource
- शिष्टः (śiṣṭaḥ)
- alignment with law/discipline; protection through right order (ṛta)
- उग्रः (ugraḥ)
- active defense; force that repels deprivation and destabilization
- प्रहितः (prahitaḥ)
- deployed protection—like an amulet ‘activated’ and dispatched
- उपस्थे (upasthe)
- containment, shelter; the body/world as a holding field
- क्षुध् (kṣudh)
- scarcity, depletion, anxious craving
- तृष् (tṛṣ)
- dryness, lack, unmet need; also psychic ‘burning’
Cultivating a felt sense of being held by Earth-and-Sky; releasing scarcity fear.
Muladhara (security) and Anahata (being held).
Box-breath (4-4-4-4) with silent ‘mā kṣudhan’ on hold, ‘mā tṛṣat’ on exhale.
A protective sphere seated at the lower abdomen, anchored to earth and open to sky; dryness and hunger dissolve at its boundary.
Safety and sufficiency (saṃtoṣa).
Recite 7 times while touching the ground (or sitting grounded), then drink water mindfully to embody ‘no thirst’.
Authoritative rise on the lineage of empowerment; clipped, sealing cadence on the final prohibitions.
Give weight to ‘ugraḥ prahitaḥ’; then slow slightly before ‘upasthe’; finish with firm, short ‘mā kṣudhan mā tṛṣat’.
Commanding but not harsh; final words crisp.
The closing ‘mā…mā…’ functions as the apotropaic seal; avoid elongating it melodically—keep it decisive.
7 times
Household anxiety about provisions; patient not eating/drinking; travel or seasonal scarcity periods.
Before meals or when placing food/water stores; during caregiving to encourage intake and stability.
A sense of safety and sufficiency; supportive ritual framing for nourishment and hydration.
Address practical causes of poor intake (medical evaluation, hydration plans, food access).
No explicit plant is named in this verse; instead, ‘eṣaḥ’ functions as a deictic placeholder for the charged medium (often an amulet or prepared substance in Atharvanic praxis). The mantra supplies the object with a triadic authorization—Indra (force), Varuṇa (normative binding/ṛta), Maruts (expulsive violence)—so that it operates as a sustenance-protecting talisman against the quasi-demonic conditions of hunger and thirst.
Efficacy is framed as deriving from high divine authorities and mediated by correct ‘ordination’ (śiṣṭa) and dispatch (prahita), implying a specialist operator who knows how to install protection within cosmic order. Hunger and thirst are not merely economic facts but ritually addressable afflictions, suggesting a household religion where the priestly expert manages vulnerabilities of subsistence through sanctioned speech-acts.
The diction is largely Rigvedic (Indra/Varuṇa/Maruts; aorist ā́gan; prohibitive mā + injunctive-like forms). The Atharvanic tendency appears in the pragmatic deictic ‘eṣaḥ’ as a ritual object-in-hand and in the direct apotropaic prohibitions against embodied privations (kṣudh, tṛṣ), foregrounding domestic-magical application more explicitly than many RV parallels.
The Gopatha Brāhmaṇa generally rationalizes Atharvanic mantras as effective through correct brahman (sacred formulation), proper deployment (prayoga), and alignment with cosmic supports (notably Dyāvā-Pṛthivī as foundational stability). In that frame, this verse’s efficacy rests on (1) authoritative divine commissioning, (2) emplacement in the cosmic ‘lap’ (a stability trope), and (3) the performative negation of hunger/thirst as hostile forces removable by brahman.
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