Sukta 81
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition
Devata: Sūrya and Candra (dual)
Chandas: Triṣṭubh/Jagatī-like cadence (probable; requires metrical verification)
Este hino alinha o sacrificante com os movimentos pareados de Sūrya e Candra, apresentando seu curso de leste a oeste e sua renovação cíclica como fundamento de ṛta (ordem cósmica) e da estabilidade do calendário. Em seguida, aplica essa regularidade cósmica à prosperidade doméstica —especialmente ao momento de Darśa (lua nova)—, pedindo tornar-se «completo, em todos os lados» em riqueza, gado, descendência e em um aumento protegido.
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
सूर्याचन्द्रमसौ। पू॒र्वा॒प॒रं च॑रतो मा॒ययै॒तौ शिशू॒ क्रीड॑न्तौ॒ परि॑ यातोऽर्ण॒वम्। विश्वा॒न्यो भुव॑ना वि॒चष्ट॑ ऋ॒तूँर॒न्यो वि॒दध॑ज्जायसे॒ नवः॑
Sol e Lua: por arte maravilhoso (māyā) estes dois se movem de leste a oeste; como crianças brincando, circundam a cheia do oceano. Um contempla todos os mundos; o outro, dispondo as estações, nasce de novo.
Mantra 2
नवो॑नवो भवसि॒ जाय॑मा॒नोऽह्नां॑ के॒तुरु॒षसा॑मे॒ष्यग्र॑म्। भा॒गं दे॒वेभ्यो॒ वि द॑धास्या॒यन् प्र च॑न्द्रमस्तिरसे दी॒र्घमायुः॑
De novo e de novo te tornas novo ao nascer; és o sinal dos dias, e entre as auroras vais à frente. Ao avançar, distribuis aos deuses a sua porção segundo a ordem: ó Lua, estende para nós longa vida.
Mantra 3
सोम॑स्यांशो युधां प॒तेऽनू॑नो॒ नाम॒ वा अ॑सि । अनू॑नं दर्श मा कृधि प्र॒जया॑ च॒ धने॑न च
Tu és a porção de Soma, ó senhor dos combates; «Não diminuído» é, em verdade, o teu nome. Ó Darśa, faze-me não diminuído — com descendência e com riqueza.
Mantra 4
द॒र्शोऽसि दर्श॒तोऽसि॒ सम॑ग्रोऽसि॒ सम॑न्तः । सम॑ग्रः॒ सम॑न्तो भूयासं॒ गोभि॒रश्वैः॑ प्र॒जया॑ प॒शुभि॑र्गृहैर्धने॑न
Tu és Darśa; és visível; és inteiro, por todos os lados. Inteiro e por todos os lados eu possa tornar-me — com vacas, com cavalos, com descendência, com gado, com casas, com riqueza.
Mantra 5
यो॒३ऽस्मान् द्वेष्टि॒ यं व॒यं द्वि॒ष्मस्तस्य॒ त्वं प्रा॒णेना प्या॑यस्व । आ व॒यं प्या॑सिषीमहि॒ गोभि॒रश्वैः॑ प्र॒जया॑ प॒शुभि॑र्गृ॒हैर्धने॑न
Quem nos odeia, e a quem nós, por nossa vez, odiamos—a esse, tu, pelo sopro vital (prāṇa), faze-o inchar, faze-o avolumar-se. Mas a nós faze crescer aqui em plenitude com vacas e cavalos, com descendência, com gado, com casas e com tesouro.
Mantra 6
यं दे॒वा अं॒शुमा॑प्या॒यय॑न्ति॒ यमक्षि॑त॒मक्षि॑ता भ॒क्षय॑न्ति । तेना॒स्मानिन्द्रो॒ वरु॑णो॒ बृह॒स्पति॒रा प्या॑ययन्तु॒ भुव॑नस्य गो॒पाः
A quem os deuses, o Radiante, fazem crescer; a quem os Inesgotáveis, como inesgotáveis, consomem—com isso, que Indra, Varuṇa e Bṛhaspati, guardiões do mundo, nos façam prosperar aqui.
Inside Sukta 81
How it unfolds
- How it opens
Begins by portraying Sūrya and Candra moving by wondrous art from east to west, circling the ocean like playful children.
- What it asks
May the practitioner share in that cosmic completeness—becoming ‘complete and all-round’ with cattle, horses, offspring, livestock, houses, and wealth—through auspicious lunar timing (Darśa) and waxing nourishment.
- Where its power lies
The hymn grounds efficacy in ṛta: one luminary oversees the worlds while the other apportions seasons and is continually renewed, making increase orderly and dependable.
- How it closes
Ends by calling the world-guardians—Indra, Varuṇa, and Bṛhaspati—to bring increase to us through the undiminishing, radiant nourishment shared by the gods.
Famous verses
ṛtūm̐ anyo vidadhat jāyase navaḥ
samagro’si samantaḥ
bhuvanasya gopāḥ
Kind of hymn
Śānti (Cosmic order) / Paustika (Time-regulation for prosperity)
What it is for
Orderly seasons and auspicious lunar timing leading to ‘complete, all-round’ prosperity—cattle, horses, offspring, property, and inexhaustible nourishment.
Who it is for
Householders and ritual specialists (atharvaveda practitioners) performing new-moon/seasonal observances, prosperity rites, or calendric transition protections.
Also used as
- Śāntika (cosmic/household order)
- Kālika (time-regulation)
- Gṛhya-śānti (domestic welfare)
The deity
The Sun and Moon are treated as complementary regulators of perception and time: one ‘surveys the worlds,’ the other ‘sets the seasons’ and is ‘born anew.’ Their ordered revolutions establish ṛta, making prosperity possible through correct timing, especially at the new moon (Darśa) and waxing nourishment.
Powers of the deity
- Regulate day/night and lunar phases
- Establish and ‘apportion’ seasons (ṛtūn vidadhat)
- Enable renewal (jāyase navaḥ) and waxing increase (āpyāyana)
- Secure auspicious calendric transitions (darśa/amāvāsyā)
- Bestow completeness and wholeness (samagra/samanta) in household goods
- Provide guarded prosperity through Indra–Varuṇa–Bṛhaspati as ‘guardians of the world’
Why the deity is called
To synchronize the practitioner’s life and resources with cosmic time—so seasons remain orderly, transitions are auspicious, and prosperity waxes without diminution under divine protection.
The seer
- Atharvan (Atharvanic tradition; specific rishi not preserved/uncertain for this sukta)Atharvan. Śānti and paustika charms: time-regulation (ṛtu/kalā), renewal at lunar transitions (darśa), and prosperity-increase (āpyāyana) under divine guardianship.
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 7.79
- AV 7.80
- AV 7.82
- AV 6.128 (time/seasonal ordering themes, broadly Atharvanic)
Preparing for the rite
- Choose a liminal calendric moment: ideally Darśa (new moon) or a season-junction (ṛtu-sandhi).
- Perform basic śauca (cleanliness); settle the mind with a brief silent saṅkalpa for orderly time and prosperity.
- Prepare a simple offering setting: clean water, lamp/fire if available, and a small portion of ‘akṣita’ (uncooked grains) as a symbol of inexhaustible store.
The rite
- Recite the opening verses contemplating Sūrya–Candra’s ordered circuit and the establishment of seasons.
- At the Darśa-focused verse, state the personal petition for being samagra/samanta (complete, all-round) in specified goods.
- Conclude with the increase-formula invoking Indra–Varuṇa–Bṛhaspati as bhūvanasya gopāḥ to ‘cause us to wax’ (ā pyāyayantu).
What it needs
- Water for sipping/sprinkling (śānti)
- Akṣata (uncooked rice or grains) as ‘akṣita’ symbol
- Optional ghee and lamp/fire (for a simple offering)
When
Best at Darśa (new moon) or at seasonal transitions; also usable at month-beginnings or when seeking renewed increase after decline.
The main substance
Akṣata/‘akṣita’ (uncooked grains) as the emblem of undiminishing store and waxing increase
Amulets
- A small cloth bundle/pouch of akṣata kept in the household store-room (as a prosperity token)
How it is prepared
Rinse and dry uncooked grains; place a pinch in a clean bowl for offering and optionally tie a small portion in cloth as a household prosperity token during/after recitation.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is used to align one’s life and household with cosmic time—Sun, Moon, seasons, and the new-moon transition—so prosperity increases in an orderly, protected way.
Darśa marks a calendric reset. The hymn treats it as a moment of wholeness (samagra/samanta) and asks that same completeness to manifest as wealth, livestock, offspring, and stable home life.
Not necessarily. A simple śānti setting with clean water and a pinch of uncooked grains (akṣata) as a symbol of ‘akṣita’—undiminishing store—is sufficient for a basic prosperity recitation.
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