Sukta 23
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (anonymous)
Devata: Āpas (divine Waters)
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh-like (shorter, incantatory)
AV 6.23 é um encanto de cura conciso que invoca as Águas divinas como remédio sempre disponível—correndo de dia e de noite—para purificar, arrefecer e restaurar. A água não é tratada apenas como substância, mas como poder ritualmente «entretecido», que de imediato afrouxa e expulsa a aflição; e encerra colocando o rito sob o sagrado impulso de Savitar, para que Águas e Ervas atuem benignamente em prol do bem-estar.
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
अपां भैषज्यम्। स॒स्रुषी॒स्तद॒पसो॒ दिवा॒ नक्तं॑ च स॒स्रुषीः॑ । वरे॑ण्यक्रतुर॒हम॒पो दे॒वीरुप॑ ह्वये
O remédio das Águas: velozes correm essas águas — velozes de dia e velozes de noite. Eu, com desígnio escolhido, chamo para cá as Águas divinas.
Mantra 2
ओता॒ आपः॑ कर्म॒ण्याऽमु॒ञ्चन्त्वि॒तः प्रणी॑तये । स॒द्यः कृ॑ण्व॒न्त्वेत॑वे
Entretecidas estão as Águas no ato ritual: daqui que soltem (o mal) para o conduzir para fora; que de imediato o façam partir.
Mantra 3
दे॒वस्य॑ सवि॒तुः स॒वे कर्म॑ कृण्वन्तु॒ मानु॑षाः । शं नो॑ भवन्त्व॒प ओष॑धीः शि॒वाः
Sob o impulso do deus Savitar, que os homens realizem a obra; e que as Águas e as Ervas (oṣadhī) sejam para nós bem-estar — benignas e propícias.
Inside Sukta 23
How it unfolds
- How it opens
The hymn begins by naming water itself as the remedy and calling the swift-flowing divine Waters near.
- What it asks
That the Waters, pervading the rite, release the affliction from here and make it depart immediately.
- Where its power lies
Waters are ‘woven into’ the ritual act and therefore operationally effective—able to loosen and expel the ill at once.
- How it closes
Under Savitar’s impulse the work is rightly done; Waters and Herbs are invoked to become śivāḥ—benign, welfare-bringing.
Famous verses
apāṃ bhaiṣajyam
amuñcantv itaḥ… sadyah kṛṇvantu etave
śaṃ no bhavantv apa oṣadhīḥ śivāḥ
Kind of hymn
Bhaisajya (Healing) / Apām-bhaiṣajya
What it is for
Summon and activate the divine Waters to purify and heal, causing the illness/inauspiciousness to be released and depart at once, and securing welfare through the combined benignity of waters and medicinal herbs.
Who it is for
Atharvanic healer/priest, household ritual practitioner, or anyone performing a simple purification-and-healing rite for a patient or afflicted space.
Also used as
- Shantika
- Apotropaic purification (rakṣā/pariśuddhi)
The deity
Āpas are the personified sacred Waters—swift, purifying, life-sustaining, and ritually pervading—invoked as a living remedy. Savitar functions as the divine impeller who authorizes correct human performance, while Oṣadhīs (herbs) join the Waters as complementary healing agencies.
Powers of the deity
- Purification of body/space and removal of contamination
- Cooling, soothing, and pacifying febrile or inflamed conditions
- Immediate loosening and expulsion of disease/evil influence
- Ritual pervasion (“woven-in” to the act) that makes the rite effective
- Bestowal of śam (welfare, well-being) and śivá (benign auspiciousness)
Why the deity is called
To call the Waters as a ready medicine at any time, have them release and drive away the affliction from the patient, and ensure that the rite—performed under Savitar’s impulse—yields benign welfare through Waters and Herbs.
The seer
- Anonymous Atharvanic seer (collective healing tradition)Atharvan. Bhaiṣajya (healing) and śānti-style purification charms, especially water-based remedies for cleansing, cooling, and driving out disease/inauspiciousness
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 6.24 (Āpas/Oṣadhi-oriented healing continuum, traditional association)
- AV 6.91 (Waters-themed healing/purification, broad Atharvanic stratum)
- AV 1.5 (Oṣadhī-sūkta, frequently linked in ritual logic to water-and-herb therapeutics)
Preparing for the rite
- Draw or prepare clean water (preferably flowing or freshly collected) in a clean vessel.
- Seat the patient facing the practitioner; keep the space ritually clean and quiet.
- If herbs are used, place them near the water or steep them lightly (as appropriate to local practice).
The rite
- Recite 6.23.1 to invoke the divine Waters as the remedy, emphasizing their constant availability (day/night).
- Recite 6.23.2 while touching/sprinkling the patient (or the affected area) with the water, intending the ‘release’ and ‘departure’ of the affliction.
- Recite 6.23.3 to place the rite under Savitar’s impulsion and to seal welfare: may Waters and Herbs be śivāḥ (benign).
What it needs
- Water (āpaḥ)
- Optional medicinal herbs (oṣadhīḥ) suitable to the complaint
- Clean vessel; optional sprinkling implement (kuśa/hand)
When
Any time of need; explicitly effective by day and by night (divā naktam).
The main substance
Water (āpaḥ)
Herbs
- Oṣadhīs (medicinal herbs suited to the ailment; unspecified in this sukta)
How it is prepared
Use clean, preferably fresh water; optionally steep or infuse appropriate herbs and employ the water for sipping, washing, or sprinkling while reciting the mantras.
Frequently Asked Questions
It calls the divine Waters as a healing remedy and asks them to release and drive away illness or harmful influence immediately, bringing welfare through water and herbs.
To stress that the Waters’ healing availability is continuous—effective at any time, not limited to a particular hour or occasion.
Savitar authorizes and impels the correct performance of the rite, and the herbs (oṣadhīs) are invoked alongside the Waters so that both act benignly and support complete well-being.
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