Atharva Veda 2.32.5: Kanda 2, Anuvaka 4, Sukta 32, Mantra 5
Sukta 32
ह॒तासो॑ अस्य वे॒शसो॑ ह॒तासः॒ परि॑वेशसः । अथो॒ ये क्षु॑ल्ल॒का इ॑व॒ सर्वे॒ ते क्रिम॑यो ह॒ताः
hatā́so asya veśáso hatā́saḥ pári-veśasaḥ | átho yé kṣúllakā́ iva sárve té krímayo hatā́ḥ ||
Slain are his resident lodgers; slain are the encircling lodgers; yea, even those that are, as it were, but paltry—every one of those worms is slain.
Zabici są jego mieszkający goście; zabici są otaczający goście; tak, nawet ci, którzy są jakby tylko błahymi, każdy z tych robaków został zabity.
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (krimi-hymn seer as transmitted in the AV anukramaṇī; commonly attributed within Atharvan/Āṅgirasa circles)
Devata: Krimi-nāśana (the destructive power directed against the worms; implicitly the mantra’s own efficacy)
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (4 pādas of 8 syllables; typical of AV healing charms)
Primary: raudra
Secondary: vira
Sāyaṇa glosses veśasaḥ as those ‘dwelling’ within the man (antar-vasantaḥ krimayaḥ), and pariveśasaḥ as those that spread around or encompass (paritaḥ vyāptāḥ). The repetition of hatāsaḥ/hatāḥ is taken as mantraic ‘nigraha’—a performative slaying. kṣullakāḥ indicates the minute, easily overlooked varieties; the verse therefore aims at comprehensive destruction of all classes of krimi, gross and subtle.
Extermination/expulsion of internal and surrounding parasites (krimi) from the afflicted person; total apotropaic cleansing.
Krimi (worms/parasites; also broader infestation imagery)
Declarative annihilation + comprehensive scope (resident/encircling/tiny) to prevent loopholes; typically paired with purgative/cleansing measures in practice.
Krimi-roga (intestinal parasites, ectoparasites); emphasis on eradication aligns with krimighna measures and śodhana (cleansing).
Deworming/antiparasitic treatment; hygiene-driven prevention; also metaphor for eliminating ‘small but persistent’ stressors.
bhaisajya
Krimi as disease-agents.
Total extermination of all worms—internal and surrounding, large and small.
Performative verdict (‘slain’) + tripartite totalization (resident/encircling/tiny) to close ritual gaps.
Reinfestation from environment/contacts (‘pariveśasa’).
All ‘lodging’ worms are declared slain—those residing within, those encircling, even the tiny/insignificant ones: every krimi is killed.
Counters disgust and helplessness by asserting total victory: not only the obvious problem but the hidden and ‘minor’ irritants are neutralized.
Healing requires completeness: what seems small can perpetuate suffering; thoroughness—physical and psychological—breaks cycles of recurrence.
- क्रिमि (krimi)
- intrusive thoughts/agents that feed on life; hidden causes of decline
- वेशस (veśasa)
- an unwanted occupant; chronic condition taking up ‘rent’ in the body
- परिवेशस (pariveśasa)
- surrounding contamination; environmental/secondary infection
- हत (hata)
- decisive termination; ritual certainty that overrides fear
- क्षुल्लक (kṣullaka)
- the ‘minor’ neglected factor that still sustains disorder
Cleansing resolve: removing ‘feeders’—habits, cravings, intrusive loops.
Maṇipūra (digestive fire/cleansing)
Kapalabhāti-like imagery without force (gentle cleansing exhales) if appropriate; otherwise steady exhale emphasizing ‘hatāḥ’.
A ring of light around the body/bed; dark worm-shapes within and around are dissolved into ash.
Kriyā-oriented focus—purification and boundary setting.
Chant 11 or 21 times, then perform one concrete cleaning act (wash hands, clean space) to ‘seal’ the rite.
Keep the repeated ‘hatāsaḥ’ uniform; final ‘hatāḥ’ as the sealing cadence.
Two strong beats on ‘hatāsaḥ … hatāsaḥ’; slight lift on ‘atho’ to pivot to the ‘tiny ones’ clause.
veśasaḥ (śa, not sa), pariveśasaḥ (pari-veśa), kṣullakāḥ (kṣu- with kṣ cluster), krimayaḥ (ri short, clear m)
Sharp, percussive, ‘cleaning’ tone; avoid dragging vowels.
Often paired (in broader practice) with sweeping, fumigation, or washing—actions that match the ‘slain/cleared’ declaration.
Suspected parasites; household infestation anxiety; need for thorough cleansing mindset.
Alongside medical deworming and sanitation; during cleaning of bedding, children’s hygiene routines, pet-area cleaning.
Psychological certainty and disciplined thoroughness; traditional aim: krimi destruction and protection from recurrence.
Seek medical testing/treatment for parasitic infection; do not rely on mantra alone; avoid excessive cleansing that harms skin/health.
पदच्छेद (वेदपाठानुसार): हतासो अस्य वेशसो हतासः परिवेशसः । अथो ये क्षुल्लका इव सर्वे ते क्रिमयो हताः । 1) हतासो + अस्य → हतासो अस्य (स्वर-संधि नहीं; ओ + अ पर पदविराम/पद-सीमा के कारण संधि-रूप नहीं लिया गया)। 2) अथो = अथ + उ (निपात-संयोग; ‘अथ’ के साथ ‘उ’ का प्रचलित वैदिक रूप)। 3) क्रिमयो = क्रिमयः (वेद में विसर्ग-लोप/पदपाठ-भेद; संहिता-पाठ में प्रायः ‘क्रिमयो’)।
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