Atharva Veda 2.12.3: Kanda 2, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 12, Mantra 3
Sukta 12
इ॒दमि॑न्द्र शृणुहि सोमप॒ यत् त्वा॑ हृ॒दा शोच॑ता॒ जोह॑वीमि । वृ॒श्चामि॒ तं कुलि॑शेनेव वृ॒क्षं यो अ॒स्माकं॒ मन॑ इ॒दं हि॒नस्ति॑
idám índra śṛṇuhi somapa yát tvā hṛdā śócátā jóhavīmi | vṛścā́mi táṃ kúliśenēva vṛ́kṣaṃ yó asmā́kaṃ mána idáṃ hinásti ||
Hear this, O Indra, Soma-drinker: for thee, with heart aflame in sorrow, I incessantly invoke. I hew him down, as with the thunderbolt an axe felleth a tree—him who assaileth this our mind.
Ouve isto, ó Indra, bebedor de Soma: a ti, com o coração ardendo de dor, eu invoco sem cessar. Eu o abato, como com o machado do raio se derruba uma árvore — aquele que fere esta nossa mente.
The meaning
What it says
The speaker calls Indra, Soma-drinker, with a sorrowing heart. The attacker of “our mind” is to be cut down like a tree felled by the thunderbolt/axe (kuliśa/vajra).
The inner meaning
Indra is the archetype of decisive will. The mantra converts grief and agitation into focused agency: intrusive mental harm is not negotiated with but severed at the root. The ‘tree’ is the enemy’s standing power (habit, obsession, curse-knot) that must be cut down.
The truth in it
When the mind is violated, compassion alone is not always sufficient; clarity sometimes requires decisive severance—ending the feed-lines of harmful influence.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Abhicarika (counter-sorcery / hostile-force neutralization)
Its aim
To destroy or decisively disable the agent who harms the client’s mind (bewitchment, mental oppression, hostile intent), by invoking Indra’s thunderbolt-power as a model of felling.
Word by Word
Pada patha
इदम् । इन्द्र । शृणुहि । सोमप । यत् । त्वा । हृदा । शोचता । जोहवीमि । वृश्चामि । तम् । कुलिशेन । इव । वृक्षम् । यः । अस्माकम् । मनः । इदम् । हिनस्ति ।
- इदम्
- this (utterance/thing)this (present utterance/act; the operative spell now being performed)Pronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraIndra (the smiter; invoked as the decisive breaker of hostile force)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole SampradānaRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- शृणुहि
- hear!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot श्रु (धातु)
- सोमप
- O Soma-drinkerSoma-drinker (epithet stressing Indra’s readiness to be roused and empowered)Noun (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole SampradānaRoot सोमप (प्रातिपदिक; सोम + प ‘पिबति’)
- यत्
- that whichsince/that (introducing the ground of the appeal; ‘because I call thee…’)Pronoun (relative)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- त्वा
- youthee (Indra as the direct recipient of the urgent invocation)Pronounद्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- हृदा
- with (my) heartwith the heart (inward intention; heartfelt, efficacious resolve)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot हृद् (प्रातिपदिक)
- शोचता
- burning, grievingburning, grieving, in distress (the heated, pained heart that intensifies the spell)Participle (adjectival)पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (सह ‘हृदा’)Role KaraṇaRoot शुच् (धातु) → शोचत् (वर्तमान-कृदन्त)
- जोहवीमि
- I repeatedly invoke/callI repeatedly call upon (iterative, insistent invocation; magical ‘pressing’ by voice)Verbलट् (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; वेदिक-आवृत्त्यर्थ (intensive/iterative sense)Role क्रियाRoot ह्वे/ह्वा (धातु) (वेदिक: जॊहवी- = पुनःपुनः आह्वान)
- वृश्चामि
- I cut offI cut off, I hew down (performative threat; verbal act aligned with ritual severing)Verbलट् (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot व्रश्च् (धातु)
- तम्
- him/that (one)that one (the hostile agent—sorcerer, rival, or malign influence)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- कुलिशेन
- with a thunderbolt/axewith the thunderbolt/axe (Indra’s vajra; also concretely an axe-like implement in rite)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot कुलिश (प्रातिपदिक)
- इव
- like, asas, like (simile establishing the model-action: felling a tree)Indeclinableउपमानार्थक-अव्ययRole सम्बन्ध/उपमाRoot इव (अव्यय)
- वृक्षम्
- a treeNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot वृक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
- यः
- whoPronoun (relative)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अस्माकम्
- of us, ourof us/our (the client group—household, lineage, or community under protection)Pronounषष्ठी, बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध/षष्ठीRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- मनः
- mindmind, intention, mental power (seat of will; target of hostile ‘injury’/bewitchment)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot मनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- इदम्
- thisPronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- हि
- indeed, forIndeclinableनिपात (हेतौ/निश्चये)Role सम्बन्ध/निपातRoot हि (अव्यय)
- हिनस्ति
- injures, harmsinjures, strikes, harms (to smite mentally; includes bewitching, confusing, depressing)Verbलट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot हिंस् (धातु)
Sandhi Notes
- इदम् इन्द्र शृणुहि सोमप यत् त्वा हृदा शोचता जोहवीमि । वृश्चामि तम् कुलिशेन इव वृक्षम् यः अस्माकम् मनः इदम् हि हिनस्ति । मुख्य-सन्धयः:
- (1) इदमि॑न्द्र → इदम् + इन्द्र (म् + इ → मि)
- (2) सोमप॒ यत्: संधि नहीं (पदविराम)
- (3) य॒स््माकं॒ → यः + अस्माकम् (विसर्ग-लोप/सन्धि: यः अ… → यो अ…)
- तृतीया-सम्बन्ध (हृदा + शोचता ‘शोचत्’)
- (5) कुलि॑शेनेव → कुलिशेन + इव (न + इ → नेव)
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic/Angirasa tradition (specific r̥ṣi attribution varies by anukramaṇī; requires recension-specific index for AVŚ 2.12)
- Devata
- Indra (Somapa; vajra-bearer, destroyer of hostile powers)
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh (11-syllable cadence; typical of Indra-invocation with martial imagery)
- Rasa
- Vira and Raudra
Sayana takes the opening ‘idam’ as the present mantra/act offered to Indra for immediate intervention. ‘Somapa’ underscores Indra’s habitual readiness for heroic smiting when roused. ‘Hṛdā śocatā’ is not mere emotion but the inner heat that sharpens the efficacy of the prayer. The enemy is defined functionally (‘he who injures our mind’), allowing application against any bewitcher, rival, or malignant influence producing mental disturbance. ‘Kuliśa’ is Indra’s vajra; the simile licenses a concrete ritual imagination of felling—total removal, not mere restraint.
Unknown (Atharvan/Angirasa protective-imprecatory voice)
Indra-invocation for counter-sorcery; martial imagery to neutralize psychic attack.
The seer channels Indra’s vajra as ethical force: a ritualized ‘cutting’ that restores sovereignty of mind.
Indra
Breaker of obstructive/demonic forces; champion who restores flow, courage, and order when attacked.
Rapid relief from fear and mental oppression through empowerment; ‘healing’ as restoration of courage and clarity.
Cuts down hostile agencies; shields the community’s mental field.
4 pādas of ~11 syllables; strong caesura typical of martial invocations
Atharvanic triṣṭubh may show slight syllable elasticity; the simile pāda often carries emphatic weight.
Driving, elevated cadence suitable for command and forceful imagery.
Builds intensity; culminates in the ‘felling’ image that psychologically severs fear.
Prepare a designated striking/cutting implement (axe, stone, or vajra-substitute) and a wooden stake or branch representing the hostile agent.
Seat the client facing the ritual ground; the Atharvan priest stands to the north/east (per local śākhā practice) and establishes intention: removal of ‘manohimsa’ (mental injury).
Recite the mantra once or thrice with emphatic stress on vṛścā́mi (‘I cut down’).
At the utterance ‘kúliśenēva vṛ́kṣam’, strike or cut the representative wood (or symbolically notch it), enacting the felling image.
Dispose of the cut piece away from the dwelling (boundary/unclean place), signifying expulsion of the hostile force; conclude with a brief appeasing oblation or water-sprinkling for mental settling.
Kauśika Sūtra: general Indra-vajra model for abhicaric ‘cheda/bheda’ acts (exact sutra number requires the practitioner’s Kauśika edition cross-index for AVŚ 2.12; commonly aligned with rites of cutting/striking a hostile person’s ‘bala’ using an axe/stone while reciting the mantra).
Atharvan/Brahman as apotropaic operator: he performs the performative utterance, directs the symbolic ‘cutting,’ and transfers Indra’s vajra-agency onto the implement and act.
Recited when a household member is mentally harassed, frightened, or feels ‘hexed’; can accompany symbolic cutting (touching an axe/stone, or cutting a twig) to enact the simile.
At the onset of attack/anxiety; before confronting an aggressor; morning for empowerment.
Atharvan specialist or strong-voiced householder; the rite benefits from confident delivery.
Use as a ‘courage mantra’ before stressful events; pair with grounding and practical safety measures.
kuliśa/vajra (thunderbolt as divine weapon; often mapped to an axe/stone implement); tree (vṛkṣa) as the enemy’s standing vitality to be cut down
The thunderbolt/axe is discernment made lethal to harm; the tree is entrenched negativity—cutting it implies removing roots, not trimming symptoms.
Mental affliction from hostile influence: fear, intrusive thoughts, oppression, bewitchment affecting manas.
manas (mind)
Empowerment and decisive ‘cutting’ visualization; invoking Indra’s vajra archetype to break the perceived source of harm.
Vāta-driven anxiety and manovaha-srotas disturbance; daivavyapāśraya for graha/bhūta-like affliction patterns.
Panic/rumination under social threat; assertive boundary action; cognitive ‘cutting off’ of triggers.
yo asmākaṃ mana idaṃ hinasti
Destroy/disable the agent harming the mind; restore dominance and safety to the client/community.
Uccāṭana-like destruction imagery (felling) + repeated invocation (johavīmi) to empower the strike.
Sorcery, hostile intention, psychic harassment, destabilizing speech.
- इन्द्र (indra)
- sovereign will; breaker of obstructions; protector against hostile powers
- सोमप (somapa)
- energized clarity; sacrificial empowerment behind action
- हृदा शोचता (hṛdā śocatā)
- pain transmuted into prayer-force; emotional fuel disciplined by mantra
- जोहवीमि (johavīmi)
- insistence; sustained attention as magical force
- कुलिश (kuliśa) / वज्र (vajra)
- cutting discernment; sudden liberating strike
- वृक्ष (vṛkṣa)
- rooted hostile vitality; entrenched pattern to be felled
- मनस् (manas)
- collective mental sovereignty; seat of intention and peace
Vajra-like discernment: cut the root of intrusive thought and return to sovereign attention.
maṇipūra (will) / ājñā (discernment)
Kapalabhāti (mild) or sharp exhale on vṛścāmi; then settle into slow breathing.
A lightning-vajra descending through the crown to the navel, severing a dark ‘vine’ attached to the mind; the vine falls like a felled tree.
Focused, energized (sattva with controlled rajas).
Invoke strength without hatred; after chanting, take one concrete protective action (rest, boundary, counsel).
Triṣṭubh benefits from clear udātta peaks; keep the simile pāda (kuliśeneva vṛkṣam) strongly marked.
Pause after somapa; crescendo toward vṛścāmi; final relative clause as the identifying target.
Strong, forward, unwavering; not shouted, but ‘struck’ like a command.
Best used when the practitioner can remain steady; if chanting increases agitation, switch to slower protective verses (e.g., Viśve Devāḥ type) and resume later.
21 times
When facing intimidation, mental harassment, or spiraling fear that feels ‘imposed’ from outside.
Before difficult conversations, legal disputes, or entering hostile spaces; during acute rumination to ‘cut’ the loop.
Increased courage, reduced intrusive pressure, sense of decisive protection.
Avoid using this to inflame aggression; pair with de-escalation and safety planning; seek professional help for severe anxiety/trauma.
No curative herb is named; instead, the operative ‘substance’ is a weapon-image (kuliśa/vajra) and a vegetal proxy (vṛkṣa). The rite commonly externalizes the enemy into wood, so that cutting the wood performs the desired severance of hostile agency. The botanical element functions as a manipulable stand-in for the opponent’s vitality/standing-power.
The client’s vulnerability is framed as ‘injury to the mind,’ while the remedy is mediated through a specialist (Atharvan/Brahman) who can compel divine martial power via correct speech and enactment. The hymn presumes a social world of rivalry and bewitchment, where protection is secured through priestly technology—authoritative mantra plus controlled symbolic violence.
The diction is largely RV-compatible (Indra, Somapa, kuliśa, vṛkṣa), but the Atharvanic hallmark is the explicit performative first-person threat ‘vṛścāmi’ directed at an unnamed human/agent defined by harm-function (‘yo … hinasti’). The focus on mental harm (manas) as a target of hostile action is especially characteristic of Atharvanic pragmatic religiosity.
Gopatha Brahmana generally legitimizes Atharvanic mantras by grounding them in brahman (sacral speech) and in correspondences between utterance and act: what is spoken as ‘cutting’ is made real through ritual enactment and divine alignment (Indra’s vajra as paradigmatic force). While it does not necessarily cite this exact verse, its framework supports the mantra’s efficacy as a speech-act that harnesses Indra’s smiting power against hostile, disordering influences.
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