Atharva Veda 4.19.4: Kanda 4, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 19, Mantra 4
Sukta 19
यद॒दो दे॒वा असु॑रां॒स्त्वयाग्रे॑ नि॒रकु॑र्वत । तत॒स्त्वमध्यो॑षधेऽपामा॒र्गो अ॑जायथाः
yád adó devā́ ásurāṁs tváyā́gre nír akurvata | tátas tvám ádhy oṣadhe ’pāmā́rgo ajāyathāḥ ||
When yonder, in the beginning, the Gods by thee thrust forth the Asuras, thence wast thou born, O Herb, as Apāmārga.
Gdy tam, na początku, bogowie dzięki tobie odpędzili Asurów, wtedy z tego, o Zioło, zrodziłeś się jako Apamarga.
The meaning
What it says
In the primordial time, the gods used ‘thee’ to thrust out the asuras; from that act the herb was born as Apāmārga.
The inner meaning
The psyche authorizes its cleansing capacity by recalling an archetypal victory: expulsive discernment precedes order. Naming apāmārga as born from expulsion makes the practitioner confident to remove inner and outer ‘asuric’ pressures (addiction, despair, intrusive thoughts).
The truth in it
Cleansing and boundary-making are primordial acts: order is established by decisive removal of what negates life. Remedies gain power when rooted in a story of successful expulsion.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Rakṣoghna / Abhicārika-counter (protective expulsion)
Its aim
To legitimate apāmārga as the divinely sanctioned expulsive herb for driving out hostile beings/forces (Asura-type, rākṣasa-type, sorcery).
Word by Word
Pada patha
यत् । अ॒दः । दे॒वाः । असु॑रान् । त्वया॑ । अग्रे॑ । निः । अ॒कु॒र्व॒त॒ । ततः॑ । त्वम् । अधि॑ । ओ॒ष॒धे॒ । अ॒पा॒मा॒र्गः । अ॒जा॒य॒था॒ः ।
- यत्
- which/that (what)when/that which—introducing the mythic precedent (itihāsa-like ground)Pronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (सम्बन्धसूचक)Role Karma (यत्-तत् सम्बन्धे ‘that which’)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अदः
- that (yonder/that thing)that (deed) there—referring to the primordial actPronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole Karma (यत्-तत् सम्बन्धे ‘that’)Root अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- देवाः
- the godsthe gods—authorized cosmic agents of orderNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- असुरान्
- the AsurasAsuras—hostile powers; paradigmatic adversariesNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot असुर (प्रातिपदिक)
- त्वया
- by you / with youby thee/with thee—through your agency (the herb as instrument/ally)Pronoun(त्वद्-शब्दः) त्रिलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole Karaṇa (सहायक/साधन-भावे) / सहकर्ताRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अग्रे
- in front; at the beginningat first; in the beginning—primordially, before later arrangementsNoun (used adverbially)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (अव्ययीभावः ‘in front/at first’)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- निर्
- out, away (forth)Indeclinable (prefix)उपसर्गः (क्रियायोगे)Root निस्/निर् (उपसर्ग)
- अकुर्वत
- they made/didthey made/did—performed the expulsion (ritual-cosmic action)Verbलङ् (अनद्यतनभूत), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot कृ (धातु)
- ततः
- then; from thatthence—thereupon, as consequenceIndeclinableअव्यय (अपादान/काल/क्रमसूचक)Role Adhikaraṇa (क्रम/काल-निर्देश) / हेतु-क्रमRoot ततः (तद्-प्रभव अव्यय)
- त्वम्
- youthou—direct address to the plantPronounत्रिलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अधि
- upon; overupon; over—marking emergence/establishmentIndeclinableउपसर्गः/अव्ययम् (स्थान-सम्बन्धे ‘upon/over’)Root अधि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- ओषधे
- O herb/medicinal plantO herb—vocative; the plant as a personified powerNoun (vocative)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधन (address) / (प्रयोगे) Adhikaraṇa-सम्बन्धःRoot ओषधि (प्रातिपदिक)
- अपामार्गः
- Apāmārga (Achyranthes aspera)Apāmārga—‘wiper-away’ (etymologically: that which wipes off/expels), a plant used for expulsion ritesNoun (proper/common plant-name)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (अजायथाः इत्यस्य कर्ता) / विधेय-नामRoot अपामार्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
- अजायथाः
- you were born; you arosethou wast born—origin-myth conferring authority and efficacyVerbलङ् (अनद्यतनभूत), आत्मनेपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot जन् (धातु)
Sandhi Notes
- यद् + अदः
- असुरान् + त्वया + अग्रे (त्वयाग्रे)
- निर् + अकुर्वत (निरकुर्वत)
- त्वम् + अधि + ओषधे (त्वमध्योषधे; ध्वन्यात्मक संधि: अधि + ओषधे → अध्योषधे)
- ओषधे + अपामार्गः (ओषधेऽपामार्गो: ए/ओ + अ → ’ (अवग्रह), तथा ‘अपामार्गः’ का विसर्ग-लोप/ओ-आदेशः पदान्ते ‘अपामार्गो’)
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic tradition
- Devata
- Apāmārga (oṣadhi) with Asura-expelling power
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira and Shanta
Sayana reads the verse as an etiological charter: apāmārga’s very birth is from a primordial expulsion of Asuras, hence its intrinsic capacity to ‘wipe away’ hostile forces. The myth supplies a precedent (pūrva-kṛta) that guarantees present ritual success.
Atharvanic tradition (apāmārga cycle seer)
Mythic chartering of herbal rites: establishing apāmārga’s authority for expulsion of hostile beings/forces and counter-sorcery.
Provides the mythic ‘license’ (itihāsa-like charter) that turns a plant into a sanctioned ritual weapon against chaos.
Apāmārga (asura-expelling herb-power)
Instrument of the gods’ primordial boundary-making; carries archetypal expulsion power into domestic ritual settings.
Yes, chiefly as cleansing/expulsive support against afflictions framed as intrusive or contaminating.
Strong counter-sorcery and rakṣā through expulsion template (nirākaraṇa).
4 pādas × ~8 syllables; narrative charter compressed into a ritual present.
The demonstrative ‘yad ado’ gives a deictic, myth-pointing tone typical of Atharvanic charter verses.
Mythic and decisive; the verb nir-akurvata carries expulsive punch.
Establishes authority (gods did it) → transfers that authority to the herb in the present rite.
The priest identifies the target of expulsion (patient, house, cattle-shed, or food-store).
Holding apāmārga, he recites the origin-verse to ‘activate’ its Asura-expelling pedigree.
He performs outward sweeping motions from center to periphery (body outward; house interior to threshold), depositing sweepings outside the boundary.
The plant is discarded beyond the settlement line or at a liminal spot, completing the ‘nir’ (outward) action.
Kauśika Sūtra: apāmārga used in nir-ākaraṇa/apanayana rites (expelling evil; edition-dependent numbering)
Atharvan as expulsion-operator (apanetṛ): he aligns present action with divine precedent through recitation and sweeping/throwing gestures.
Recite while sweeping outward from the center to the threshold; or while placing apāmārga at entry points to ‘thrust out’ negativity.
At liminal times (sunset/nightfall), after quarrels, after visits by suspected hostile persons, or when moving in.
Householder can perform; Atharvan priest for formal counter-sorcery framing.
Kauśika: apāmārga-based nirākaraṇa (expulsion) and rakṣā rites (often with sweeping/strewing; exact sūtra varies).
Use as a ‘decluttering’ and boundary-setting rite: clean, discard, and ventilate while reciting.
Apāmārga (expulsive herb); Mythic expulsion as a template for ritual expulsion
Mythic expulsion act as ‘subtle substance’—a template transferred into the herb
The herb’s identity is its function: it is literally ‘the wiper-away,’ born from the gods’ first boundary-making; using it reenacts cosmic order at home.
Afflictions attributed to hostile agencies (asura-type), including sorcery, recurring disturbances, contamination illness (general).
Charter-myth empowers the herb as legitimate expulsive agent; psychological mechanism: increases confidence and decisive action in cleansing rites.
Apāmārga later associated with cleansing (śodhana) applications; here primarily ritual expulsion and protection.
Behavioral ‘reset’ rituals for home hygiene and stress; symbolic narrative that supports agency in removing harmful patterns.
Hostile agencies (asura-type), curses, disturbances affecting person/household.
Authorize and activate apāmārga as the divinely sanctioned expulsive herb for driving out hostile forces and countering sorcery.
Mythic precedent (agre) + naming-birth (apāmārgo ajāyathāḥ) + expulsion verb (nir-akurvata) to pattern the rite.
Asuric/rākṣasic intrusion, occult attack, persistent ‘bad atmosphere,’ contamination influences.
- अग्रे (agre)
- archetypal time; foundational pattern for ritual repetition
- देव (deva)
- ordering faculties: clarity, ethics, health-supporting forces
- असुर (asura)
- anti-order forces: chaos, obstruction, harmful drives, hostile agencies
- निरकुर्वत (nir-akurvata)
- ritual expulsion; decisive boundary enforcement
- ओषधे (oṣadhe)
- living medicine addressed as agent
- अपामार्ग (apāmārga)
- the principle of removal—sweeping away impurity, sorcery, and affliction
Expulsion of inner asuras: identify one harmful pattern and consciously ‘thrust it out’ with breath and clear intent.
Maṇipūra (decisive power) and Ājñā (discernment).
Strong exhale with ‘nir-’ feeling (e.g., 10 controlled expulsive breaths), then settle into slow breathing.
A bright line at the threshold of the body/home; dark forms are pushed beyond it and dissolve.
Clean, decisive, unburdened.
Recite 12 times while performing one concrete removal act (trash out, wipe surfaces, end a harmful habit cue).
Narrative-deictic opening (‘yad ado’) followed by firm expulsion verb; keep the second half (birth as apāmārga) as a clear naming climax.
Punch ‘nir-akurvata’; then soften into the naming: ‘apāmārgo ajāyathāḥ’.
Authoritative, cleansing, not aggressive.
Most effective when paired with outward sweeping motion (from inside to outside), embodying nirākaraṇa.
12 times
Need to ‘clear out’ negativity, persistent disturbances, conflict residue, or suspected occult pressure; also as a prelude to healing rites.
During home cleansing, after arguments, after illness in the house, before important domestic rites involving food and guests.
Traditional: expels hostile forces; practical: reinforces agency, cleanliness, and psychological closure.
Avoid attributing serious mental/medical issues solely to ‘asuras’; seek professional help when needed.
The mantra supplies an origin-myth that encodes the plant’s function: apāmārga is ‘born’ from expulsion, therefore it expels. This is a classic Atharvanic strategy: botanical efficacy is anchored in cosmogonic/agonistic narrative.
By attributing efficacy to divine collaboration (‘the gods by thee’), the verse elevates the priest’s plant-rite into a sanctioned technology. The household’s dependence on such rites implies recognized specialists who control access to protective knowledge.
The explicit etiological naming (‘thence wast thou born as Apāmārga’) is more typical of Atharvanic functional hymns than RV praise-poetry, foregrounding pragmatic etymology and ritual charter over cosmological speculation.
Gopatha’s Atharvanic hermeneutic often treats such myths as ‘proof’ (pramāṇa) for karman: the earlier divine act authorizes the present domestic rite, making the mantra a bridge between primordial victory and current expulsion.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Atharva Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
