Sukta 35
Rishi: Traditionally associated with Viśvakarman hymnic material; specific Atharvavedic assignment varies by anukramaṇī tradition.
Devata: Viśvakarman (cosmic artificer; restorer of ritual integrity)
Chandas: Triṣṭubh-like cadence (mixed/irregular in Atharvan transmission; often treated as a pragmatic mantra rather than strict metrical poetry)
AV 2.35 é um hino a Viśvakarman usado para remediar o erro ritual (duriṣṭi/énas) e converter uma oferenda malograda numa sviṣṭi bem-sucedida e portadora de riqueza. O sacrifício é tratado como um corpo vivo —dotado de olho, boca, fala, audição e mente—, de modo que, se alguma parte for ferida, o Artífice cósmico pode refazê-lo inteiro. Seu poder é restaurador: ele chama de volta o que estava «perdido» (naṣṭa) —partes, gotas, prosperidade e bem-estar—, reintegrando o sacrificante e sua casa à ordem correta do rito.
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
विश्वकर्मा। ये भ॒क्षय॑न्तो॒ न वसू॑न्यानृ॒धुर्यान॒ग्नयो॑ अ॒न्वत॑प्यन्त॒ धिष्ण्याः॑ । या तेषा॑मव॒या दुरि॑ष्टिः॒ स्विऽष्टिं न॒स्तां कृ॑णवद् वि॒श्वक॑र्मा
Ó Viśvakarman! Aqueles que, devorando, não prosperaram em bens — esses Fogos, firmes em seus assentos (dhīṣṇyāḥ), que chamuscavam ao perseguir — qualquer rito mal executado (duriṣṭi) que neles houve por infortúnio: isso, para nós, que ele o transforme numa boa oferenda, num sacrifício «bem realizado» (sv-iṣṭi), Viśvakarman.
Mantra 2
य॒ज्ञप॑ति॒मृष॑यः॒ एन॑साहु॒र्निर्भ॑क्तं प्र॒जा अ॑नुत॒प्यमा॑नम्। म॒थ॒व्या॒ऽन्त्स्तो॒कानप॒ यान् र॒राध॒ सं न॒ष्टेभिः॑ सृजतु वि॒श्वक॑र्मा
Os Rishis chamaram isto de pecado: que o Senhor do Sacrifício, separado de sua porção, venha depois a sofrer com o seu povo. Essas gotas — essas pequenas partes que ele feriu e expulsou — que Viśvakarman, o Formador de tudo, as faça brotar de novo e as reúna ao que se perdeu.
Mantra 3
अ॒दा॒न्यान्त्सो॑म॒पान् मन्य॑मानो य॒ज्ञस्य॑ वि॒द्वान्त्स॑म॒ये न धीरः॑ । यदेन॑श्चकृ॒वान् ब॒द्ध ए॒ष तं वि॑श्वकर्म॒न् प्र मु॑ञ्चा स्व॒स्तये॑
Sem dar, embora se julgue bebedor de Soma, e, ainda que conheça o sacrifício, não firme no tempo devido — qualquer pecado que tenha cometido, por isso este homem está preso: a ele, ó Viśvakarman, solta-o por inteiro, para o bem-estar.
Mantra 4
घो॒रा ऋष॑यो॒ नमो॑ अस्त्वेभ्य॒श्चक्षु॒र्यदे॑षां॒ मन॑सश्च स॒त्यम्। बृह॒स्पत॑ये महिष द्यु॒मन्नमो॒ विश्व॑कर्म॒न् नम॑स्ते पा॒ह्य॑१स्मा॑न्
Reverência a esses Rishis terríveis, cujo olhar é agudo e cuja mente é verdade. Reverência a Bṛhaspati, ó poderoso, ó radiante; reverência, ó Viśvakarman; reverência a ti — protege-nos.
Mantra 5
य॒ज्ञस्य॒ चक्षुः॒ प्रभृ॑ति॒र्मुखं॑ च वा॒चा श्रोत्रे॑ण॒ मन॑सा जुहोमि । इ॒मं य॒ज्ञं वित॑तं वि॒श्वक॑र्म॒णा दे॒वा य॑न्तु सुमन॒स्यमा॑नाः
Com a fala, com a audição, com a mente eu ofereço a oblação: o olho do Sacrifício, seu primeiro começo e sua boca. A este Sacrifício, estendido e devidamente moldado por Viśvakarman, que venham os Deuses, benevolentes e de bom pensamento.
Inside Sukta 35
How it unfolds
- How it opens
Begins by addressing Viśvakarman in the context of misbehaving/afflicting fires and a rite that has not yielded goods (vasu).
- What it asks
May the ill-rite (duriṣṭi) arising from mishap be transformed into a well-offering (sviṣṭi), and may what was cut off or lost (shares/drops) be restored to the sacrificer and his people.
- Where its power lies
Viśvakarman is treated as the one who can refashion the sacrifice’s structure itself—rejoining its ‘parts’ and reversing exclusion, loss, and burning consequence.
- How it closes
Concludes by offering with the integrated faculties (vāc–śrotra–manas) and inviting the gods to come graciously to the Viśvakarman-spread sacrifice.
Famous verses
duriṣṭiḥ … svi'ṣṭiṃ naḥ tāṃ kṛṇavad viśvakarmā
saṃ naṣṭebhiḥ sṛjatu viśvakarmā
vācā śrotreṇa manasā juhomi
Kind of hymn
Paustika (Prosperity) / Apotropaic (Ritual-fault remediation)
What it is for
Neutralize the consequences of a faulty sacrifice, restore the sacrificer’s proper share and wellbeing, and secure a successful oblation that yields prosperity and divine favor.
Who it is for
Householders and ritualists (yajamāna/adhvaryu-like performers) facing signs of ritual failure—loss of share, misfire of offerings, anxiety of énas, or affliction traced to the fires.
Also used as
- Śāntika
- Prāyaścitta (ritual expiation)
- Apotropaic (fault-averting)
The deity
The cosmic artificer and master of form, invoked as the one who re-fashions what has been wrongly made in the rite—restoring integrity to the yajña and aligning it with ṛta (right order).
Powers of the deity
- Transforms duriṣṭi (ill-performed rite) into sviṣṭi (well-performed offering)
- Recalls and reattaches what is lost, scattered, or excluded from the sacrifice (naṣṭa, nirbhakta)
- Pacifies the scorching/afflicting aspect of the ritual fires (agni-dhiṣṇya)
- Restores prosperity (vasu), continuity of household/people (prajā), and auspicious participation of the gods
Why the deity is called
To repair ritual faults and sin/pollution (énas), stop the fires’ harmful consequence, and reconstitute the sacrifice so the gods approach in a benevolent mood and the sacrificer regains wealth and wholeness.
The seer
- Viśvakarman-related Atharvanic seers (anukramaṇī attribution varies)Atharvan. Prāyaścitta-like expiation and ritual-fault remediation; pacifying harmful heat of mismanaged fires; prosperity-restoration through reconstitution of the yajña.
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 2.35 (this hymn)
- Related Viśvakarman/yajña-siddhi material in Atharvanic collections (attributions vary by anukramaṇī)
Preparing for the rite
- Re-establish cleanliness and calm: wash hands/mouth; steady the mind (manas) and speech (vāc).
- Kindle or tend the household/ritual fire(s) with attention so they are no longer ‘scorching in pursuit’ (anv-atapyanta).
- Set aside a small corrective oblation (sviṣṭakṛt-style intention): ghee or simple havis as available.
- Mentally acknowledge the fault as duriṣṭi/énas and resolve to ‘refashion’ rather than abandon the rite.
The rite
- Recite the hymn facing the fire(s), addressing Viśvakarman as the refashioner of the rite.
- At 2.35.1, offer a small ghee oblation to symbolically convert duriṣṭi into sviṣṭi.
- At 2.35.2, gesture/offer with the intention of calling back the ‘lost drops/shares’ (stoka, naṣṭa) into the rite and into the sacrificer’s portion.
- At the concluding verse (e.g., 2.35.5), perform an invitation: ‘with speech, hearing, and mind I offer’—then conclude with a final oblation and silent assent.
What it needs
- Ritual fire(s) (agni; dhiṣṇya conceptually)
- Ghee (ājya) or simple havis/food offering
- Optional: clean water for sipping (ācamana) and sprinkling around the fire-space
When
Immediately upon noticing a ritual mistake, inauspicious sign, or interruption; also suitable at the close of an offering sequence as a corrective ‘seal’.
The main substance
Ghee (ājya) offered into the fire as a corrective oblation (sviṣṭi-intent)
How it is prepared
Warm/clarify ghee if needed; prepare a small measured portion for a corrective offering. Offer into a steady flame while reciting the central remediation verses, maintaining focused intention to ‘refashion’ the rite.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is used when a sacrifice goes wrong—errors, omissions, or inauspicious effects—described as duriṣṭi/énas, especially when the fires seem to ‘scorch’ and results (wealth, wellbeing) do not arise.
Agni is the working fire, but Viśvakarman is invoked as the cosmic craftsman who can re-form the rite’s structure—turning a flawed performance into a completed, acceptable offering (sviṣṭi).
Tend the fire, recite the hymn with steady attention, and offer a small ghee oblation with the intention of correcting the fault and ‘calling back’ what was lost; end by inviting the gods to approach in a kindly mood.
Ask anything about Sukta 35 of the Atharva Veda
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