Sukta 16
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (seer not securely individualized for this single verse in common indices)
Devata: Lead as apotropaic power (material devatā) under the authority of Varuṇa, Agni, and Indra; functional devatā: yātucātana (expulsion of yātu).
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (4 pādas of ~8 syllables; Atharvanic anuṣṭubh with minor irregularities possible)
AV 1.16 é um hino apotropaico conciso que transforma o chumbo (sīsa) num meio carregado de mantra para expulsar yātu — feitiçaria hostil e aflição demoníaca. Enquadra a autoridade do encanto sob Varuṇa, Agni e Indra, e afirma que o «isto» (idam) fortalecido — o amuleto/remédio preparado — vence Viṣkandha, os devoradores (attriṇ) e as ninhadas de Piśāca. O hino culmina numa ameaça protetora: qualquer ser que prejudique o gado, os cavalos ou os homens deve ser ritualmente «perfurado» com chumbo, para que não se torne matador de heróis.
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
शत्रुबाधनम्। येऽमावा॒स्यां॒३ रात्रि॑मु॒दस्थु॑र्व्रा॒जम॒त्त्रिणः॑ । अ॒ग्निस्तु॒रीयो॑ यातु॒हा सो अ॒स्मभ्य॒मधि॑ ब्रवत्
Esmagamento do inimigo. Os que, na noite de lua nova, se ergueram — devoradores — contra o curral do gado: Agni, o Quarto, matador do yātu (feitiçaria), proferiu sobre nós o seu decreto.
Mantra 2
सीसा॒याध्या॑ह॒ वरु॑णः॒ सीसा॑या॒ग्निरुपा॑वति । सीसं॑ म॒ इन्द्रः॒ प्राय॑च्छ॒त् तद॒ङ्ग या॑तु॒चात॑नम्
Com chumbo, Varuṇa o pronunciou; com chumbo, Agni se aproxima para ajudar. Chumbo Indra me concedeu: isso, em verdade, é o expulsor do yātu (feitiçaria).
Mantra 3
इ॒दं विष्क॑न्धं सहत इ॒दं बा॑धते अ॒त्त्रिणः॑ । अ॒नेन॒ विश्वा॑ ससहे॒ या जा॒तानि॑ पिशा॒च्याः
Isto vence Viṣkandha; isto afugenta os Devoradores. Por meio disto eu os subjuguei a todos: toda a ninhada nascida dos Piśāca, quaisquer que tenham vindo a nascer.
Mantra 4
यदि॑ नो॒ गां हंसि॒ यद्यश्वं॒ यदि॒ पूरु॑षम्। तं त्वा॒ सीसे॑न विध्यामो॒ यथा॒ नोऽसो॒ अवी॑रहा
Se feres a nossa vaca, se o nosso cavalo, se um dos nossos homens, a ti traspassaremos com chumbo, para que tu, ó tu, não sejas o matador dos nossos heróis.
Inside Sukta 16
How it unfolds
- How it opens
The hymn begins by establishing the charm’s legitimacy: lead is ‘spoken’/authorized by Varuṇa and supported by Agni, and bestowed by Indra.
- What it asks
Make the lead-charm a yātu-expeller—drive away Viṣkandha, devourers, and all Piśāca-born broods that cause wasting, obstruction, or attack.
- Where its power lies
Repeated ‘idam’ asserts demonstrable efficacy: ‘this’ (the empowered remedy) overcomes and drives away the hostile agencies; the speaker claims comprehensive subjugation of them.
- How it closes
A conditional protective threat seals the rite: if the hostile being harms cow, horse, or man, it is to be ‘pierced with lead’ so it becomes avīra-han—no slayer of heroes.
Famous verses
tad aṅga yātucātanam
avīrahā
Kind of hymn
Abhicarika (Counter-sorcery / Apotropaic)
What it is for
Neutralize and drive out yātu, Viṣkandha, attriṇ, and Piśāca-derived harms; prevent further injury to cattle, horses, and household members by sealing/protecting with lead.
Who it is for
Householders, healers/exorcists (Atharvanic practitioners), and protectors of herds/settlements facing suspected sorcery, spirit-attack, or wasting/obstructive illness.
Also used as
- Rakṣoghna
- Bhaiṣajya
The deity
Lead is treated as a materially embodied protective force: a dense, binding, ‘sealing’ substance that can bar entry, repel spirits, and serve as a projectile/needle of ritual aggression. The hymn situates this material power within the legitimizing sovereignty of Varuṇa, the protective approach of Agni, and the bestowal/strength of Indra.
Powers of the deity
- Expels yātu (hostile sorcery) and rakṣas-like agencies
- Overcomes Viṣkandha-type obstructive affliction
- Drives away attriṇ (‘devourers’) and Piśāca-broods (possession/wasting agents)
- Functions as a sealing/binding amulet material
- Serves as a ritual ‘piercing’ instrument against a hostile being
Why the deity is called
To authorize and animate a lead-based charm so it becomes an effective yātu-expeller protecting livestock, horses, and people from demonic attack and sorcerous harm.
The seer
- Atharvanic seer (anonymous/collective attribution for AV 1.16 in common indices)Atharvan. Rakṣoghna and yātucātana charms—mantra-driven protection using amulets/metals to repel sorcery, possession, and obstructive illness (e.g., Viṣkandha).
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 1.1
- AV 1.2
- AV 1.14
- AV 1.15
- AV 1.17
Preparing for the rite
- Obtain a small piece of lead (sīsa) suitable for an amulet, pellet, or fastening weight; clean it and set it aside as the hymn’s main medium.
- Prepare a cord/thread (for tying) or a small pouch/cloth (for carrying) to hold the lead; optionally prepare a pointed implement if the rite is framed as ‘piercing’ the hostile agent.
- Establish a protected space: sit facing east or north; keep a small fire or lamp if available (Agni’s proximity aligns with the hymn’s language).
The rite
- Recite the hymn’s four mantras over the lead, treating the repeated ‘idam’ as the now-empowered remedy/object.
- Tie or fasten the lead as an amulet on the patient/householder, or attach it to the cattle-stall/threshold; alternatively carry it when moving through risky spaces.
- In the aggressive-protective mode (vidhyāmaḥ), perform a symbolic ‘piercing’—touch the lead to a stake/arrow/needle and direct the act toward the quarter associated with the afflicting agent, intending cessation of harm (not literal violence).
What it needs
- Lead (sīsa)
- Cord/thread or pouch for amulet use
- Optional: small fire/lamp (Agni), water for purification
When
At onset of suspected sorcery/possession or recurring harm to livestock/people; also at dusk/nightfall when rakṣas/piśāca activity is ritually anticipated.
The main substance
Lead (sīsa)
Amulets
- Lead pellet/strip worn or tied as an amulet
- Lead piece attached to stall/threshold (protective fastening)
- Cord/thread or pouch to carry the charm
How it is prepared
Clean and dedicate a small lead piece; recite the sukta over it to ‘charge’ it, then tie/wear/carry it or place it at a vulnerable boundary. In the ‘piercing’ mode, touch the lead to a pointed implement and perform a symbolic strike toward the perceived source of harm.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is used to repel yātu—hostile sorcery and spirit-attack—and to protect cattle, horses, and people from afflictions like Viṣkandha and Piśāca-type ‘devourers.’
Lead is treated as a sealing, protective material that can be mantra-empowered into an amulet and, ritually, into a ‘piercing’ counter-force that blocks and drives away harmful agencies.
The verses foreground lead rather than naming a specific plant; the practical tradition typically uses a mantra-charged object (‘idam’) as the medium, with lead as the primary substance.
Ask anything about Sukta 16 of the Atharva Veda
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.
