Sukta 57
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (Anukramaṇī attribution for this late book is often generalized; consult Śaunakīya anukramaṇī for precise assignment).
Devata: Duṣvapnya (ill-dream) as the target; implicit protective power of the Atharvanic mantra.
Chandas: Mixed/late Atharvanic; approximates Anuṣṭubh cadence but not strictly regular.
अयं संक्षिप्तोऽथर्वणीयो मन्त्रः दुःस्वप्न्यं—रात्रौ स्वप्नेषु जातं अमङ्गल-बलं स्वप्नावशेषं च—लक्ष्यीकृत्य तद् विधिना “समाहृत्य” मणिवद् बन्धनं विमोच्य रोगिणो गृहस्य वा देहात्/गृहात् परतो नयति। अत्र मङ्गल-स्वप्न-निमित्तानि धार्याणि विविच्य, अमङ्गल-स्वप्नान् शत्रवेऽसपिण्डाय च प्रेषयति, तथा अमङ्गल-शकुन-पक्षि-प्रादुर्भावेषु रक्षां मुद्रयति।
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
दुःष्वप्ननाशनम्। यथा॑ क॒लां यथा॑ श॒फं यथ॒र्णं सं॒नय॑न्ति । ए॒वा दु॒ष्वप्न्यं॒ सर्व॒मप्रि॑ये॒ सं न॑यामसि
दुःस्वप्ननाशनम्। यथा कलां यथा शफं यथार्णं संनयन्ति, एवाऽस्माभिः दुःस्वप्न्यं सर्वम् अप्रिये सं नयामसि।
Mantra 2
सं राजा॑नो अगुः॒ समृ॒णाम्य॑गुः॒ सं कु॒ष्ठा अ॑गुः॒ सं क॒ला अ॑गुः । सम॒स्मासु॒ यद् दु॒ष्वप्न्यं॒ निर्द्वि॑ष॒ते दु॒ष्वप्न्यं॑ सुवाम
सं राजानो अगुः, समृणाम्यगुः, सं कुष्ठा अगुः, सं कला अगुः। समस्मासु यद् दुःस्वप्न्यं, निर्द्विषते दुःस्वप्न्यं सुवाम।
Mantra 3
देवा॑नां पत्नीनां गर्भ॒ यम॑स्य कर॒ यो भ॒द्रः स्व॑प्न । स मम॒ यः पा॒पस्तद् द्वि॑ष॒ते प्र हि॑ण्मः । मा तृ॒ष्टाना॑मसि कृष्णशकु॒नेर्मुख॑म्
यो भद्रः स्वप्नो देवानां पत्नीनां गर्भः, यमस्य करकृतः, स मम भवतु। यः पुनः पापः स्वप्नः, तं वयं द्विषते प्र हिण्मः। मा कृष्णशकुनेर्मुखमसि, मा च तृषितानां पीडितानां मुखमसि।
Mantra 4
तं त्वा॑ स्वप्न॒ तथा॒ सं वि॑द्म॒ स त्वं स्व॒प्नाश्व॑ इव का॒यमश्व॑ इव नीना॒हम्। अ॒ना॒स्मा॒कं दे॑वपी॒युं पिया॑रुं वप॒ यद॒स्मासु॑ दु॒ष्वप्न्यं॒ यद् गोषु॒ यच्च॑ नो गृ॒हे
तं त्वां स्वप्न तथा सम्यग्विद्मः। त्वं स्वप्नाश्व इव, अश्व इव कायं वहसि; तथापि त्वां नयामि अधोऽपि दूरम्। अनास्माकं देवपीयुं पियारुं वप, यदस्मासु दुṣ्वप्न्यं, यद्गोषु, यच्च नो गृहे—तत्सर्वं निष्कासयितुम्।
Mantra 5
अ॒ना॒स्मा॒कस्तद् दे॑वपी॒युः पिया॑रुर्नि॒ष्कमि॑व॒ प्रति॑ मुञ्चताम्। नवा॑र॒त्नीनप॑मया अ॒स्माकं॒ ततः॒ परि॑ । दु॒ष्वप्न्यं॒ सर्वं॑ द्विष॒ते निर्द॑यामसि
तदनास्माकं भवतु। देवपीयुः पियारुः तन्निष्कमिव प्रतिमुञ्चताम्। नवारत्न्या (नवग्रन्थ्या) तदपमाय अस्माकं ततः परि। दुṣ्वप्न्यं सर्वं द्विषते निर्दयामसि।
Inside Sukta 57
How it unfolds
- How it opens
Begins with a practical Atharvanic simile-magic: as tangible things are gathered and contained, so the duṣvapnya is gathered up and conveyed away (19.57.1).
- What it asks
Let auspicious dreams remain with the client; let evil dreams be driven out and transferred to the dviṣant (hater), not allowed to become an inauspicious omen (19.57.3).
- Where its power lies
The hymn asserts efficacy through performative verbs of control—collecting (saṃ-nī), driving forth (pra-hiṇ), removing (apa-maya), and casting out (nir-day)—backed by liminal authority (Yama) and a releasing protector (Piyāru).
- How it closes
Concludes by declaring ‘not ours’ and completing the expulsion: the nightmare-evil is unfastened, removed from the household’s sphere, and decisively sent to the hater (19.57.5).
Famous verses
eva duḥṣvapnyaṃ sarvam … saṃ nayāmasi
yaḥ pāpastad dviṣate pra hiṇmaḥ
duṣvapnyaṃ sarvaṃ dviṣate nirdayāmasi
Kind of hymn
Bhaisajya (Healing) / Apotropaic (Duṣvapna-nāśana)
What it is for
Removal of nightmare-affliction from the person/household, retention of auspicious dream-omens, and expulsion of evil dreams beyond the client’s boundary—ideally onto an enemy/non-kin locus.
Who it is for
Householders, ritual specialists, and healers dealing with recurring nightmares, ominous dreams, or fear of dream-omens affecting health, luck, or household safety.
Also used as
- Shantika (appeasement/averting inauspiciousness)
- Apotropaic (rakṣā/duṣvapna-nāśana)
- Transfer/expulsion rite (harm sent to dviṣant ‘hater’)
The deity
Duṣvapnya is the personified inauspicious dream-power that clings to a person and threatens to ripen into misfortune; Svapna is the dream-domain that can be sorted into auspicious/inauspicious; Yama marks the liminal, death-adjacent crafting of dreams; Piyāru functions as a releasing/protective agency in the unfastening and removal.
Powers of the deity
- Creates or carries ominous dream-impulses that can mature into harm
- Can be collected/contained and ritually transferred to a designated recipient
- Can be “unfastened” like a bound affliction (niṣka-model) and removed from one’s sphere
- Allows discrimination: auspicious dreams are retained as benefit, evil dreams expelled
- Operates through semiotic vehicles such as śakuna (omen-bird) imagery
Why the deity is called
To neutralize and relocate the harmful portion of dream-experience (duṣvapnya) while preserving auspicious dreams, using Atharvanic speech as the decisive protective instrument.
The seer
- Atharvanic (general late-book attribution)Atharvan. Apotropaic and bhaiṣajya-style charms for removing unseen afflictions (nightmares, ominous signs, liminal dangers) and transferring harm away from the client.
Other hymns of this seer
- AVŚ 19.56 (duṣvapna-related charm cluster, late Atharvanic style)
- AVŚ 19.58 (adjacent late-book protective material; attribution often generalized in this section)
Preparing for the rite
- Identify the afflicted person and the immediate household space to be protected (sleeping area/threshold).
- Prepare a simple apotropaic implement: a cord with nine knots (navāratnī) and/or an amulet-model object (niṣka or its substitute).
- If available in local practice, set aside ‘piyāru’ as a protective releasing agent (plant/substance name preserved in the text; exact identification varies by tradition).
- Establish the intended ‘recipient’ of the expelled harm as the dviṣant (hater/foe) or a symbolic outside locus (beyond the boundary, crossroads, or away from kin).
The rite
- Recite the hymn over the afflicted person, focusing on the verbal acts of ‘gathering up’ (saṃ-nī) and ‘casting out’ (nir-day).
- Mimic collection/containment gestures while reciting: as one gathers a portion/hoof/wave-mass, so the ill-dream is gathered and moved away (19.57.1).
- Perform an unfastening action like loosening a niṣka-amulet while reciting the release formula (19.57.5).
- Use the nine-knotted cord to ‘remove away’ (apa-maya) from the client’s sphere—circling or touching the body/bed area, then moving the cord outward toward the boundary.
- Verbally sort dreams: claim the auspicious dream for the client and drive the evil dream to the hater; explicitly reject ominous śakuna-mouth imagery (19.57.3).
What it needs
- Navāratnī (nine-knotted cord) or cord marked with nine knots
- Niṣka (amulet/neck-ornament) or a substitute ornament to model ‘unfastening’
- Piyāru (as named protective agent; plant/substance per local Atharvanic tradition)
When
At dawn after a disturbing dream, or at bedtime as a preventative; especially after repeated nightmares in a household.
The main substance
Navāratnī (nine-knotted cord)
Herbs
- Piyāru (textual name; identification varies by region/commentarial tradition)
Amulets
- Niṣka (neck-amulet) or a substitute ornament used for the ‘unfastening’ model
- Knotted cord (nine knots) used as an apotropaic remover
How it is prepared
Tie nine distinct knots in a clean cord; keep it near the sleeping place. During recitation, touch/circle the afflicted person or bed area with the cord, then move it outward beyond the household boundary, symbolically carrying the duṣvapnya away; accompany with an unfastening gesture using a niṣka or substitute.
Frequently Asked Questions
It treats nightmares as a removable harm: the mantra gathers the bad dream-force, loosens it like an amulet, and sends it away from the person and home, while keeping good dreams as favorable signs.
This is a common Atharvanic transfer-logic: harm is not merely dissolved but relocated outside one’s kin-sphere, to a hostile or symbolically external recipient, so it cannot return to the household.
The text highlights these as ritual models—knots for ‘binding/removing’ and niṣka for ‘unfastening.’ Traditions often substitute a simple cord and any small ornament, focusing on the gesture and the mantra’s intent.
Ask anything about Sukta 57 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.
