Sukta 85
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (often transmitted under Atharvan/Angiras rubric; specific r̥ṣi attribution requires pada-anukramaṇī confirmation)
Devata: Varana/Vanaspati as divine healer; secondarily ‘the Gods’ as expellers of yákṣma
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (probable; to be confirmed against metrical scansion in a critical edition)
AV 6.85 — краткое целительное заклинание, направленное на изгнание yákṣma (истощения/чахотки) и на предотвращение его возвращения посредством установления вокруг больного защитной «оградительной» границы. Оно соединяет силу растения (Varana как Vanaspati) с властной мощью божественной Речи (Индра–Митра–Варуна и все Боги) и с очищающим, сдерживающим жаром Агни Вайшванары. Мифологическая аналогия (сдерживание Вритрой Вод) используется, чтобы «сдержать» распространение и движение болезни в теле.
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
यक्ष्मनाशनम्। व॒र॒णो वा॑रयाता अ॒यं दे॒वो वन॒स्पतिः॑ । यक्ष्मो॒ यो अ॒स्मिन्नावि॑ष्ट॒स्तमु॑ दे॒वा अ॑वीवरन्
Уничтожительница чахотки: пусть Варана — этот бог, Владыка лесных деревьев — отразит её. Чахотка, что вошла в этого человека, — её боги изгнали прочь и удержали вдали.
Mantra 2
इन्द्र॑स्य॒ वच॑सा व॒यं मि॒त्रस्य॒ वरु॑णस्य च । दे॒वानां॒ सर्वे॑षां वा॒चा यक्ष्मं॑ ते वारयामहे
Словом Индры, словом Митры и Варуны, да и речью всех богов — мы отвращаем от тебя чахотку и отталкиваем её.
Mantra 3
यथा॑ वृ॒त्र इ॒मा आप॑स्त॒स्तम्भ॑ वि॒श्वधा॑ य॒तीः । ए॒वा ते॑ अ॒ग्निना॒ यक्ष्मं॑ वैश्वान॒रेण॑ वारये
Как Вритра остановил эти воды, текущие во все стороны, и удержал их, — так же я огнём, Агни-Вайшванарой, отвращаю от тебя чахотку и отталкиваю её.
Inside Sukta 85
How it unfolds
- How it opens
Begins by naming the charm as ‘yakṣma-nāśana’ and calling Varana/Vanaspati to repel the affliction already lodged in the patient.
- What it asks
That the yákṣma which has entered the person be driven out and held at a distance by the combined agency of plant-deity and the Gods’ authoritative speech.
- Where its power lies
The hymn asserts efficacy through coalition (Indra–Mitra–Varuṇa and all Gods) and through a mythic precedent of restraint (Vṛtra checking the Waters), transferred to restraining disease.
- How it closes
Concludes with Agni Vaiśvānara as the final enforcer who wards off yákṣma—an energetic seal of purification and boundary-making.
Famous verses
yakṣmanāśanam
agninā … vaiśvānareṇa vāraye
Kind of hymn
Bhaisajya (Healing) / Apotropaic
What it is for
Immediate expulsion of yákṣma and durable prevention of its re-entry through warding and purification.
Who it is for
Healer-priest (atharvan/vaidya) reciting for a patient; householders seeking protective healing for a sick family member.
Also used as
- Apotropaic
- Shāntika
The deity
Varana is invoked as a personified forest-lord (vanaspati) whose medicinal and protective potency repels yákṣma; the Gods’ vāc functions as a juridical/commanding force to banish the affliction; Agni Vaiśvānara embodies purifying inner fire and boundary-enforcement within the body.
Powers of the deity
- Repels and banishes yákṣma (wasting disease)
- Creates a protective perimeter against relapse (vāray- ‘to ward off’)
- Empowers healing through plant-medicine and amuletic presence
- Authorizes the expulsion by divine Speech (vāc) of the Gods
- Purifies and stabilizes through Agni Vaiśvānara (heat, digestion, cleansing)
- Constrains harmful movement by mythic analogy (as Vṛtra ‘checked’ the Waters)
Why the deity is called
To drive out the yákṣma that has ‘entered’ the patient, to keep it at a distance, and to seal the body’s borders with plant-power, divine decree, and purifying fire.
The seer
- Atharvanic transmitter (Atharvan/Āṅgirasa rubric; specific r̥ṣi to be confirmed by pada-anukramaṇī)Atharvan. Bhaiṣajya and apotropaic charms: expulsion of disease-entities (yákṣma), consecration of plant-substances (vanaspati), and protective warding through mantra (vāc).
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 6.84 (adjacent healing/warding context; attribution to be confirmed)
- AV 6.86 (adjacent healing/warding context; attribution to be confirmed)
Preparing for the rite
- Obtain Varana (varaṇa) material (leaf/twig/bark/wood) suitable for touch/amulet use, keeping it ritually clean.
- Prepare a quiet space near the patient; if feasible, kindle a small fire for Agni/Vaiśvānara association.
- Seat the patient facing east or toward the fire; ensure calm breathing and minimal disturbance during recitation.
The rite
- Recite 6.85.1 while touching the patient (especially chest/upper body) with Varana or placing it nearby as a protective presence.
- Recite 6.85.2 as a formal ‘warding decree,’ emphasizing vāc (authoritative speech) to command the disease away.
- Recite 6.85.3 while gesturing toward the fire or warming the hands near it, invoking Agni Vaiśvānara to ‘check’ and repel yákṣma, like the Waters were checked in the Vṛtra myth.
- Optionally tie/attach Varana as an amulet after the final verse to symbolize the completed boundary (vāraṇa/varaṇa as warding).
What it needs
- Varana (varaṇa) leaf/twig/bark/wood (primary)
- Ritual fire or lamp (Agni)
- Water for sipping/sprinkling (optional, as a controlled ‘āpas’ counterpoint)
- Thread/cord for fastening a small Varana piece as an amulet (optional)
When
Preferably at dawn or early morning; may be repeated for three days or until symptoms abate, especially when the patient is calm and fasting/lightly fed.
The main substance
Varana (varaṇa) as vanaspati (leaf/twig/bark/wood used medicinally/amuletically)
Herbs
- Varana (varaṇa)
Amulets
- Small piece of Varana tied on a cord/thread (protective warding token)
How it is prepared
Use a clean Varana twig/leaf/bark; optionally dry and tie a small piece in cloth or directly on a cord to wear/attach near the patient after recitation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yákṣma is a wasting, consuming illness (often compared with chronic consumption). In this hymn it is treated as an intrusive affliction that can be expelled and kept away by mantra and protective substances.
Vanaspati means “lord of the forest/plant,” a way of personifying a powerful medicinal tree as a divine healer. The hymn asks Varana-as-Vanaspati to actively repel the disease and guard the patient.
It uses a mythic example of restraint—Vṛtra ‘checking’ the Waters—to symbolize stopping the disease’s spread and movement. Agni Vaiśvānara is then invoked to perform that restraining, purifying action in the patient.
Ask anything about Sukta 85 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.
