Sukta 65
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (plant-hymn complex)
Devata: Apāmārga (plant-deity/medicine as personified agent)
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (probable)
अयं संक्षिप्तोऽपामार्गसूक्तः प्रतिशाप-शौचमन्त्ररूपः। अत्रापामार्गः सजीवो धर्मशोधकः शक्तिरिव सम्बोध्यते, यः परैः कृतान् शापान् प्रतिहन्ति, अन्तःस्थितं च शमलं निवारयति। त्रिष्वनुष्टुभःसु अपामार्गो बाह्यशापान् अपहर्तुं, स्वकृतदोषान् प्रक्षालयितुं, तथा च दुष्ट-बन्धक-संस्पर्शजन्यां मलिनतां दूषणं च निराकर्तुं प्रार्थ्यते।
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
दुरितनाशनम्। प्र॒ती॒चीन॑फलो॒ हि त्वमपा॑मार्ग रु॒रोहि॑थ । सर्वा॒न् मच्छ॒पथाँ अधि॒ वरी॑यो यावया इ॒तः
प्रतीचीनफलो हि त्वमपामार्ग, रुरोहिथ। सर्वान् मच्छपथान् अधि वरीयो यावयेतः।
Mantra 2
यद् दु॑ष्कृ॒तं यच्छम॑लं॒ यद् वा चेरि॒म पा॒पया॑ । त्वया॒ तद् वि॑श्वतोमु॒खापा॑मा॒र्गाप॑ मृज्महे
यद् दुष्कृतं यच्छमलं यद् वा पापया चेरिम, त्वया विश्वतोमुखापामार्ग तद् वयं सर्वतः मृज्महे।
Mantra 3
श्या॒वद॑ता कुन॒खिना॑ ब॒ण्डेन॒ यत् स॒हासि॒म। अपा॑मार्ग॒ त्वया॑ व॒यं सर्वं॒ तदप॑ मृज्महे
श्या॒वद॑ता कुन॒खिना॑ ब॒ण्डेन॒ यत् स॒हासि॒म। अपा॑मार्ग त्वया व॒यं सर्वं॒ तदप॑ मृज्महे॥
Inside Sukta 65
How it unfolds
- How it opens
Apāmārga is hailed by its distinctive ‘backward-fruited’ sign and addressed as a sprouting, living agent of durita-nāśana (evil-destruction).
- What it asks
Drive away all curses leveled against me; cleanse us from ill-done deeds, stain, and evil practice; wipe off all taint from dangerous companionship and binding forces.
- Where its power lies
The plant is declared ‘stronger and better’ (varīyas), effective in pushing harm away and in wiping impurity completely (apa mṛjmahe).
- How it closes
Each verse seals the act with expulsion/cleansing verbs—yāvaya (‘drive away’) and apa mṛjmahe (‘we wipe away’)—ending in total removal from the performer/patient.
Famous verses
pratīcīna-phalo hi tvam … sarvān macchapathān … yāvayā itaḥ
viśvatomukhā … apāmārgāpa mṛjmahe
apāmārga tvayā vayaṃ sarvaṃ tad apa mṛjmahe
Kind of hymn
Bhaisajya / Abhicarika-śānti (Counter-curse; evil-removal)
What it is for
Neutralize external imprecations, cleanse inner fault and ritual stain, and remove acquired defilement from dangerous contacts, restoring safety and purity.
Who it is for
Householders, healers (vaidya-like Atharvanic practitioners), and ritual specialists treating a patient afflicted by curses, social pollution, or suspected binding/witchcraft.
Also used as
- Abhicarika-śānti (counter-curse)
- Prāyaścitta (expiatory cleansing)
- Rakṣoghna (protective/anti-demonic tendency, implicit)
The deity
Apāmārga is invoked as a purifying, repelling, and unbinding medicinal force; its “backward-fruited” nature is poetically linked to reversing and driving back harm, curses, and moral impurity.
Powers of the deity
- Repels and returns curses and hostile speech (śapatha)
- Cleanses moral/ritual stain (śamala) and wrongdoing (duṣkṛta)
- Removes contamination from association with harmful persons/forces
- Unbinds constriction and hostile “binding” (bandha) influences
- Protects the patient by establishing a stronger counter-force (varīyas)
Why the deity is called
To make Apāmārga the active expeller and cleanser—driving away curses directed at the patient and wiping off sin, impurity, and sorcerous taint from body and social field.
The seer
- Atharvanic seer (anonymous plant-hymn complex)Atharvan. Bhaiṣajya and śānti charms using personified medicinal plants for curse-removal, expiation (prāyaścitta), and decontamination from sorcery/binding.
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 4.17 (Apāmārga-related cleansing/counter-charm complex, tradition-dependent)
- AV 6.139 (plant/medicine hymn cluster, Atharvanic healing style)
- AV 2.31 (general bhaiṣajya/śānti type in Atharvanic register)
Preparing for the rite
- Collect fresh Apāmārga (whole plant or sprigs), preferably from a clean place; avoid torn or trampled specimens.
- Prepare a small quantity for sweeping/brush-like use, or for rubbing as a cleansing medium.
- Seat the patient facing east or north; establish a simple protective boundary (clean ground, water for sipping/sprinkling).
The rite
- Recite 7.65.1 while gesturing outward and away from the patient, symbolically ‘driving’ curses from the space.
- Recite 7.65.2 while rubbing or sweeping the patient lightly with Apāmārga, visualizing removal of stain and wrongdoing.
- Recite 7.65.3 while repeating the wiping/sweeping action, specifically intending removal of contamination from harmful associates and binding forces; discard the used plant away from the dwelling.
What it needs
- Apāmārga (Achyranthes aspera) sprigs/whole plant
- Water for sprinkling or sipping (optional, supportive)
When
When curse-affliction, fear of hostile speech, or ritual/moral impurity is felt; often at a liminal time (dawn/dusk) or before re-entering domestic rites.
The main substance
Apāmārga (Achyranthes aspera)
Herbs
- Apāmārga
How it is prepared
Use fresh sprigs as a wiping/sweeping implement; optionally crush lightly to release sap for gentle rubbing, then discard the used material away from the home as the ‘carried-off’ impurity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Apāmārga is a medicinal plant (Achyranthes aspera) spoken to as a personified power that can repel harm and cleanse impurity, acting like a living purifier.
It targets three linked troubles: curses or hostile speech aimed at a person, inner moral/ritual “stain,” and contamination picked up through contact with harmful or binding influences.
A practitioner recites the verses while sweeping or rubbing the patient lightly with Apāmārga, intending that curses and impurities are wiped off and driven away, then the used plant is discarded outside.
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