Sukta 19
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (often transmitted under Atharvan/Āṅgirasa provenance for protective charms; specific r̥ṣi attribution varies by anukramaṇī tradition).
Devata: Indra (as protector and deflector of weapons); secondarily the ‘missiles’ as the object being controlled.
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (probable; short protective verses in AV Book 1 are predominantly anuṣṭubh—confirmable against padapāṭha/anukramaṇī tables).
Este breve hino apotropaico é um encanto de desvio de armas: pede que arqueiros hostis e «superperfuradores» não consigam encontrar o sujeito ritual, e que todos os projéteis se desviem e caiam inofensivos. O sukta devolve a agressão inimiga contra si mesma ao ordenar às flechas — divinas e humanas — que errem a pessoa protegida e, em vez disso, atinjam os adversários. Indra (e, num verso, Rudra como arqueiro) é invocado como o controlador divino das trajetórias, fazendo da proteção uma questão de comando sagrado, e não de simples esquiva.
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
शत्रुनिवारणम्। मा नो॑ विदन् विव्या॒धिनो॒ मो अ॑भिव्या॒धिनो॑ विदन्। आ॒राच्छ॑र॒व्या ऽ अ॒स्मद्विषू॑चीरिन्द्र पातय
Que não nos encontrem os que trespassam; que não nos encontrem os que trespassam em excesso. Esses dardos‑mísseis—para longe, bem longe: faze‑os, ó Indra, desviarem‑se de nós e lança‑os por terra.
Mantra 2
विष्व॑ञ्चो अ॒स्मच्छर॑वः पतन्तु॒ ये अ॒स्ता ये चा॒स्याः । दैवी॑र्मनुष्येषवो॒ ममा॒मित्रान् वि वि॑ध्यत
Que as flechas, voltadas para todos os lados, se afastem de nós — as já disparadas e as que estão apontadas contra ela. Ó dardos divinos e humanos, traspassai, traspassai os meus inimigos.
Mantra 3
यो नः॒ स्वो यो अर॑णः सजा॒त उ॒त निष्ट्यो॒ यो अ॒स्माँ अ॑भि॒दास॑ति । रु॒द्रः श॑रव्य ऽ यै॒तान् ममा॒मित्रा॒न् वि वि॑ध्यतु
Seja ele dos nossos ou estranho, parente do clã ou mesmo alguém da casa—quem quer que nos ataque com malícia: que Rudra, o portador de flechas, trespasse estes meus inimigos, trespasse-os de lado a lado.
Mantra 4
यः स॒पत्नो॒ योऽस॑पत्नो॒ यश्च॑ द्वि॒षन् छपा॑ति नः । दे॒वास्तं सर्वे॑ धूर्वन्तु॒ ब्रह्म॒ वर्म॒ ममान्त॑रम्
Quem for rival, ou quem ainda não for rival, e quem, odiando, nos amaldiçoe—que todos os deuses juntos o esmaguem: em mim está o Brahman, como armadura por dentro.
Inside Sukta 19
How it unfolds
- How it opens
The hymn opens with a refusal of access: ‘Let not the piercers find us’—a direct blocking of the enemy’s aim and awareness.
- What it asks
Missiles are ordered to go ‘far away’ and to swerve aside from the protected person; arrows are told to fly off in all directions away from the client.
- Where its power lies
The speech-act is framed as command over trajectories: divine authority (Indra/Rudra) makes weapons fall, miss, and reverse onto foes—mantra becomes the controlling technology.
- How it closes
The verses culminate in the decisive reversal—‘pierce, pierce through my enemies’—sealing protection by transferring the threat back to its source.
Famous verses
ā́rāc charavyā́ asmad-viṣū́cīr indra pātaya
daivīr manuṣyeṣavo mama amitrān vi vidhyata
rudraḥ śaravya etān mama amitrān vi vidhyatu
Kind of hymn
Abhicarika / Apotropaic (protective counter-magic against assault)
What it is for
Incoming missiles and hostile intent fail to find the target; weapons are diverted, neutralized, and symbolically redirected toward adversaries.
Who it is for
Householders, travelers, warriors/guards, and ritual clients facing threat of attack, ambush, or weapon-like sorcery.
Also used as
- Apotropaic (Rakṣā)
- Protective counter-assault/weapon-averting charm
- Household security against visible and hidden enemies
The deity
Indra functions here as the martial protector who governs battle-fate: he makes hostile weapons veer away, fall, and lose their mark. The ‘arrows/missiles’ (śaravyāḥ, śaravaḥ, iṣavaḥ) are treated as quasi-personal forces that can be commanded, redirected, and neutralized; Rudra appears as the archetypal archer who can pierce the enemies when protection requires reversal.
Powers of the deity
- Deflects and turns aside incoming weapons and hostile magic
- Prevents enemies from locating or ‘finding’ the protected person
- Commands the flight and fall of missiles (divine/human)
- Reverses harm back onto assailants and plotters
- Grants battlefield-style protection to the household/ritual client
Why the deity is called
To secure immediate protection from assault by ensuring that hostile agents cannot ‘hit the mark’—their missiles are made to swerve away, drop, and (when ritually warranted) strike the enemies instead.
The seer
- Atharvan/Āṅgirasa (protective-charm transmission; specific r̥ṣi varies by anukramaṇī)Atharvan. Apotropaic and counter-magic charms (rakṣā/abhicāra): warding off assault, deflecting weapons, and turning back hostile intent through mantra as a ‘verbal missile’.
Other hymns of this seer
- AVŚ 1.1 (rakṣā/protection cluster, Atharvanic provenance)
- AVŚ 1.2 (protective/repelling charm tradition)
- AVŚ 1.16–1.18 (short rakṣā-style verses in the same early-book milieu)
Preparing for the rite
- Choose a protected locus (threshold, courtyard, bedside, or travel departure point).
- Perform ācamana and a brief protective resolve (saṅkalpa) naming the person to be shielded.
- Mark a boundary (mentally or with a simple line of dust/ashes) as a rakṣā-perimeter.
- If available, keep a protective thread/amulet or a small bundle symbolizing ‘missiles turned away’ (e.g., a reed/grass piece) near the client.
The rite
- Recite the four mantras facing the perceived direction of danger; at key words like ‘ārāt’ (“far away”) gesture outward as if pushing away missiles.
- Make a ‘turning-aside’ motion (rightward sweep) to symbolize deflection; optionally repeat the first mantra three times for reinforcement.
- Conclude by touching the head/heart of the client (or one’s own) as a sealing act of protection.
What it needs
- No strict substance required (mantra-centered charm)
- Optional: rakṣā-thread/amulet (maṇi/talisman), darbha/kusha grass, ash/dust for boundary mark, water for sprinkling
When
Before travel, at dusk/night watch, prior to entering contested space, or immediately upon sensing threat/hostility.
The main substance
None required (mantra is primary); optional rakṣā-amulet or protective thread
Amulets
- Rakṣā-thread (protective cord)
- Darbha/kuśa bundle as a boundary-marker
- Small talisman pouch (maṇi-baddha) if customary in the practitioner’s lineage
How it is prepared
If using an amulet: tie a clean thread with three knots while reciting 1.19.1; keep it on the right arm/neck. If marking a boundary: trace a simple perimeter line and recite 1.19.1 while gesturing outward (‘ārāt’) to project the deflection.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is used as a protective charm to prevent attackers and their weapons (literal or symbolic) from finding or striking the person, and to divert the harm away.
Indra is the primary protector who makes missiles swerve and fall; Rudra appears as the archer-power who can pierce hostile forces, completing the ‘deflect and reverse’ logic of the charm.
No specific herb or offering is required in the text; the hymn works primarily through recitation and protective intention, though some traditions add a simple rakṣā-thread or boundary-marking as a support.
Ask anything about Sukta 19 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.
