Sukta 43
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (unspecified here)
Devata: Darbha as empowered remedy; Manyu as the affliction addressed
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (probable)
अयं संक्षिप्तोऽथर्वणीयः सूक्तः दर्भतृणं प्रत्यक्षं भैषज्यं कृत्वा मन्युम् (क्रोधं/शत्रुतापं) शमयितुं शीतलीकर्तुं च समर्थयति—स्वान्तरे जातं वा परेषां मध्ये प्राप्तं वा। दर्भस्य प्रभावः विश्वधारणे प्रतिष्ठाप्यते—पृथिवीजातः, बहुमूलः, समुद्रे दृढप्रतिष्ठः। अन्ते शत्रोर्वाचिकान्यायुधानि बलात् निरस्तानि कृत्वा, निर्भयगमनं सामाजिकरक्षणं च साधयति।
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
मन्युशमनम्। अ॒यं द॒र्भो विम॑न्युकः॒ स्वाय॒ चार॑णाय च । म॒न्योर्विम॑न्युकस्या॒यं म॑न्यु॒शम॑न उच्यते
मन्युशमनम्। अयं दर्भो विमन्युकः स्वाय चारणाय च। मन्योर्विमन्युकस्यायं मन्युशमन उच्यते।
Mantra 2
अ॒यं यो भूरि॑मूलः समु॒द्रम॑व॒तिष्ठ॑ति । द॒र्भः पृ॑थि॒व्या उत्थि॑तो मन्यु॒शम॑न उच्यते
अयं यो भूरिमूलः समुद्रमवतिष्ठति, पृथिव्या उत्थितोऽयं दर्भः ‘मन्युशमन’ इति उच्यते।
Mantra 3
वि ते॑ हन॒व्यां श॒रणिं॒ वि ते॒ मुख्यां॑ नयामसि । यथा॑व॒शो न वादि॑षो॒ मम॑ चि॒त्तमु॒पाय॑सि
वि ते हनव्यां शराणिं वि ते मुख्यां नयामसि; यथावशो न वादिषो मम चित्तम् उपायसि।
Inside Sukta 43
How it unfolds
- How it opens
The hymn begins by naming the act—manyu-śamana—and presenting darbha as the remover of wrath for personal benefit and safe movement.
- What it asks
That anger be quieted and rendered ineffective, so conflict and harmful speech do not arise or prevail.
- Where its power lies
Darbha’s power is validated by cosmic imagery: earth-born, many-rooted, and firmly established even upon the sea—therefore able to steady volatile manyu.
- How it closes
The final verse performs the sealing move: the adversary’s ‘jaw-missile’ and ‘chief weapon’ are led away, leaving them unable to speak against the performer and drawing their mind toward the performer’s will.
Famous verses
manyuśamana ucyate
bhūrimūlaḥ … manyuśamana ucyate
yathāvaśo na vādiṣo
Kind of hymn
Bhaisajya / Paustika-leaning (pacification and social safety); also used in Manyu-śamana rites
What it is for
To quell wrath, prevent verbal aggression, and secure safe, conflict-free interaction—either by calming one’s own manyu or by neutralizing an opponent’s hostile speech.
Who it is for
Householders, travelers, mediators, and ritual specialists (atharvan priests) seeking anger-pacification and protection in tense social situations.
Also used as
- Shantika
- Paustika-leaning (social well-being/safety)
- Abhicarika (speech-disarming/subjugation element)
The deity
Darbha is treated as an empowered, earth-sprung plant-force whose rootedness and purity make it a stabilizer of volatile emotion and a ward against aggressive speech. Manyu is wrath—an afflicting, weapon-like surge that manifests as quarrel, insult, and social harm.
Powers of the deity
- Pacifies anger and mental heat (manyu-śamana)
- Stabilizes and ‘roots’ the mind, preventing escalation
- Protects the traveler/one who ‘goes forth’ from conflict
- Disarms hostile speech by removing its ‘jaw-missile’ and ‘chief weapon’
- Compels an adversary’s mind toward compliance (social control)
Why the deity is called
Invoked to cool and neutralize anger at its source and to render antagonistic speech powerless, ensuring untroubled social movement and personal safety.
The seer
- Atharvan (Atharvanic seer, unspecified)Atharvan. Bhaiṣajya and śāntika-style charms that pacify inner afflictions (anger, agitation) and regulate social danger through plant-powered apotropaic rites; also capable of speech-binding/subjugation formulas when needed.
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 6.42
- AV 6.44
- AV 6.45
Preparing for the rite
- Obtain clean darbha/kuśa blades (fresh or ritually purified).
- Seat the performer facing east or toward the party to be pacified; maintain silence and composure.
- Optionally sprinkle water over the darbha and the hands as a simple purification.
The rite
- Recite 6.43.1 while holding darbha as the designated manyu-pacifier, intending calm ‘for oneself and for going forth.’
- Recite 6.43.2 while touching the darbha to the chest/heart region (self) or presenting it toward the other party, emphasizing its many-rooted stability.
- Recite 6.43.3 as a speech-disarming act: gesture away from the mouth/jaw region (symbolically ‘leading away’ the opponent’s weapons), then conclude with a settling touch to one’s own chest or to the darbha bundle.
What it needs
- Darbha (kuśa) grass
- Water for sprinkling (optional)
When
Before travel, before a difficult meeting, during/after a quarrel, or whenever anger and hostile speech are anticipated.
The main substance
Darbha (kuśa) grass
Herbs
- Darbha/Kuśa (Desmostachya bipinnata)
Amulets
- A small darbha bundle (held in hand or kept on the person during travel/meeting)
How it is prepared
Gather darbha, rinse or sprinkle with clean water, and form a small bundle; hold it during recitation and use it for symbolic gestures of ‘leading away’ anger and hostile speech.
Frequently Asked Questions
To calm anger (manyu) and prevent quarrels—either within oneself or coming from others—especially when one must move among people or face a tense encounter.
Darbha is treated as a ritually potent plant: earth-born and deeply rooted, it symbolizes steadiness and is invoked as a practical carrier of calming power that ‘removes wrath.’
Both. The first two mantras emphasize pacification and stability, while the third explicitly ‘leads away’ the opponent’s verbal weapons, aiming to stop hostile speech and secure compliance.
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