Atharva Veda 20.39.2: Kanda 20, Anuvaka 4, Sukta 39, Mantra 2
Sukta 39
व्य॑१न्तरि॑क्षमतिर॒न्मदे॒ सोम॑स्य रोच॒ना। इन्द्रो॒ यदभि॑नद् व॒लम्
ví antárikṣam atiran máde sómasya rocanā́ | índro yád abhinad válam
Forth through the mid-air they passed, in Soma’s rapture, to the shining realms—when Indra clave the Vala fastness.
Przebyli przez przestworza niebios, w uniesieniu Somy, do lśniących krain, gdy Indra rozłamał twierdzę Vali.
The meaning
What it says
They passed through mid-air in Soma’s exhilaration to shining realms—when Indra split the Vala enclosure.
The inner meaning
Joy/energy (Soma) propels one beyond the ‘in-between’ zone (antarikṣa: doubt, liminality) into clarity (rocanā), once the inner ‘Vala’ (sealed fear/constraint) is broken.
The truth in it
Breakthrough requires both force and uplift: courage plus a sustaining joy. When enclosure is broken, movement becomes possible and the luminous goal is reached.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Saṃgrāmika (Breakthrough/Victory) with mythic-apotropaic force
Its aim
To effect a ‘breakthrough’—crossing barriers and opening confined goods/fortune—by aligning the rite with Indra’s Vala-splitting paradigm.
Word by Word
Pada patha
वि । अन्तरिक्षम् । अतिरन् । मदे । सोमस्य । रोचना । इन्द्रः । यत् । अभिनत् । वलम् ।
- वि
- apart, asunder (prefix)apart, forth (marker of opening/clearing; dispersal of obstruction)Indeclinableउपसर्ग (prefix)Root वि (उपसर्ग) / प्रादि
- अन्तरिक्षम्
- the mid-air, atmospheremid-air, atmosphere (cosmic space to be opened/cleared)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot अन्तरिक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
- अतिरन्
- they passed over / crossedthey crossed/overpassed (from √tṝ; successful passage through a barrier)Verbलुङ् (अorist); प्रथमा बहुवचन; परस्मैपदRoot अति + √ऋ (ऋ गतौ) / √रि- (गतौ) (धातु)
- मदे
- in intoxication, in exhilarationin exhilaration, in intoxication (ritual ecstasy from soma; energizing condition)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot मद (प्रातिपदिक)
- सोमस्य
- of SomaNounपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी एकवचनRoot सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
- रोचना
- the shining lights / radiant realmsbright realms/lights (luminous spaces; manifestations of order and success)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचनRole KartāRoot रोचना (प्रातिपदिक; √रुच् ‘to shine’)
- इन्द्रः
- IndraNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- यत्
- when; thatwhen/that (relative marker introducing the paradigmatic deed)Indeclinableअव्यय (सम्बन्ध/कालवाचक: ‘when/that’)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अभि
- towards, against (prefix/adverb)Indeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्ययRoot अभि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- अभिनत्
- he roared against / thundered athe split, he broke open (from √bhid/√nad; decisive rupture of enclosure)Verbलुङ् (अorist); प्रथमा एकवचन; परस्मैपदRoot अभि + √नद् (नद् शब्दे) (धातु)
- वलम्
- Vala (the cave/enclosure; demon/obstruction)Vala (the enclosing demon/cave; archetype of confinement of wealth/light)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot वल (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- वि + अन्तरिक्षम् + अतिरन् + मदे + सोमस्य + रोचना। इन्द्रः + यत् + अभि + अभिनत् + वलम्।
- 1) व्यन्तरिक्षम् = वि + अन्तरिक्षम् (इ/अ संधि: इ + अ → य)
- 2) यदभिनद् = यत् + अभिनत् (त् + अ → द + अ; पदान्त-त् का घोषीकरण; लिखित रूप ‘अभिनद्’ वैदिक/पदपाठ-परम्परा में ‘अभिनत्’ धातुरूप से सम्बद्ध)
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Ṛgvedic provenance.
- Devata
- Indra (with Soma as empowering adjunct)
- Chandas
- Ṛgvedic praise-meter; exact meter requires full stanza context.
- Rasa
- Adbhuta and Vira
Sāyaṇa links ‘made somasya’ to Indra’s soma-drinking that empowers the Vala-splitting. ‘Rocanā’ are luminous regions attained after the obstruction is broken. ‘Vala’ is the enclosing power; the myth is a template for overcoming confinement (of cattle, light, or fortune).
Unknown (Rigvedic source within AV Śaunaka 20)
Mythic breakthrough formulas (Vala-splitting) used for victory, release of goods, and crossing impediments.
Transforms a cosmic liberation myth into a portable rite for ‘crossing the mid-space’ of obstacles in household life.
Indra
Opens the closed stronghold; enables passage to luminous realms; converts exhilaration into effective action.
Supports release from constrictive states (psychosomatic tightness, breath/energy stagnation) by ‘opening’ inner enclosures.
Protects journeys and transitions; breaks hostile bindings.
4 × ~11; strong mid-line lift on antarikṣam atiran; second half resolves with the decisive abhinat.
AV delivery may heighten the verb abhinat as the operative ‘cut’ word; slight lengthening before it can dramatize the split.
Transit rhythm → sudden strike.
Somatic sense of moving through a barrier, then release.
State the intended ‘crossing’ (atir-)—e.g., passing danger, winning a contest, overcoming illness.
Recite the mantra while stepping forward across a threshold or line (enacting ‘atiran’).
At ‘vi’ perform a parting action (separating two items, opening a knot, or untying a cord) to materialize the ‘splitting.’
At ‘abhinad valam’ strike lightly on a stone/doorpost with a staff (non-destructive) as a symbolic ‘cleaving’ of obstruction.
Kauśika Sūtra: barrier-breaking and prosperity/victory rites commonly enact ‘opening’ gestures; Indra-Vala myth is used as a charm-template (AV 20 stutis as reinforcing recitation).
Atharvan: choreographs threshold-crossing and opening actions; maintains the myth-to-effect transfer (itihāsa-as-technology).
Recite before journeys, new ventures, or when a household project is stalled; optionally accompany with a symbolic ‘opening’ act (untie a knot, open a door).
Morning or just before undertaking the blocked task; also at liminal times (new moon/first day of work).
Householder recitation; specialist may add direction-facing and boundary rites.
Use as a ‘breakthrough’ mantra before difficult emails, negotiations, or creative blocks.
Soma (as energizing sacrament); Vala (as symbolic enclosure/obstacle)
Soma stands for uplift/ojas-like vigor; Vala for the sealed condition. The mantra is an ‘opening medicine’ through vāc and visualization.
Constriction/stagnation patterns (symbolic): anxiety ‘tightness’, lethargy, blocked breath/energy; secondarily ‘blocked prosperity’.
Energize (Soma) + visualize crossing the liminal space + invoke Indra’s cleaving of enclosure; supports a felt unbinding and forward movement.
Relieving āvaraṇa (occlusion) and kapha-tamas stagnation; Soma as ojas-support (in symbolic register).
Stress-related ‘stuck’ states; motivational paralysis; transition anxiety.
Obstacles (Vala-like enclosure) rather than a person; can be applied against rival ‘hoarding’ conditions.
Create breakthrough in blocked situations; open sealed resources; ensure successful passage/transition.
Mythic transit + strike: narrate passage, then perform the cleaving by speech-act (abhinat).
Delays, blockages, binding spells (conceptually), travel/transition risks.
Release of confined wealth/opportunity; success after stalemate.
- अन्तरिक्ष (antarikṣa)
- liminal transition; uncertainty; the zone between intention and result
- मदे सोमस्य (made somasya)
- energized confidence; devotional uplift; activated vitality
- रोचना (rocanā)
- clear outcomes; insight; luminous success
- वल (vala)
- sealed blockage; hoarding; psychological fortress of fear
- अभिनत् (abhinat)
- decisive cut-through; opening the closed
Transition practice: move from ‘in-between’ to ‘shining’ by breaking the inner fortress.
Maṇipūra (decisive force)
3 rounds of kapalabhāti (gentle) or strong exhale-only breaths, then quiet breathing with mental repetition of abhinad valam.
A bright path across sky-space; a dark enclosure ahead; a single strike opens it and light pours out.
Mobilized courage with uplifted affect.
Keep the mind on motion (atiran) and completion (rocanā); end by taking one concrete action to ‘cross’.
Clear retroflex ṇ in rocanā (if regional), and dental vs retroflex distinctions.; Keep somásya with clean sibilant.; Do not elide final -m in antarikṣam.
RV-style; slight lift on atiran and a decisive drop/strike on abhinat.
Pause after rocanā; deliver indro yad abhinad valam as the operative clause.
Buoyant in the first half; forceful and clipped on abhinat.
Pair with a physical ‘cut’ gesture (hand slicing) at abhinat to embody the cleaving.
11 times
Stalled projects, bureaucratic delays, creative blocks, fear before transitions.
Before starting; at the moment you feel ‘stuck’; before travel or a major decision.
Increased momentum, reduced fear, clearer path to action; symbolic opening of opportunities.
Avoid over-arousal if prone to anxiety; keep breath practices gentle.
Soma (a plant-based sacrament in older ritual) is the energizer enabling the breakthrough; even where actual soma is absent in later domestic contexts, ‘soma’ functions as a symbolic stimulant of efficacy.
It encodes a model where access to ‘rocana’ (success, luminous order) is achieved through Indraic power mediated by ritual intoxication and priestly recitation—privileging those with ritual resources.
The Vala myth and the lexicon (rocanā, made somasya) are strongly Ṛgvedic; Atharvanic reuse shows conservatism and intertextual borrowing rather than new charm-diction.
Gopatha supports efficacy via paradigmatic precedent: a primordial successful ‘opening’ is reactivated by mantra. The rite works because it re-performs Indra’s archetypal victory in microcosm.
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