Sukta 42
Sukta 2.42
Gṛtsamada (Bhārgava) (traditional attribution for this maṇḍala section)
Śakuni (omen-bird) / auspicious sign (a protective/apotropaic invocation)
Jagatī (long pādas typical of Jagatī)
अयं संक्षिप्तोऽपोत्प्रतिकारकः सूक्तः शकुनिं (निमित्तपक्षिणं) शुभं क्रोष्टुं गृहस्य पथिकस्य च रक्षणाय च आह्वयति। कविः प्रार्थयते यत् न कश्चित् हिंस्रः, न शस्त्रधारी आक्रमकः, न स्तेनः, न च दुष्टस्वरः कश्चन बलवान् प्रभुत्वं लभेत; तथा च समुदायः पवित्रे सभायां “बृहद्” (विस्तीर्णं, उन्नायकं वचः) वदेत्। एवं सूक्तं पक्षिणः स्वरं दिशानिमित्तं च विधिवत् आश्वासनरूपेण परिवर्त्य सुरक्षा, सम्यग्वाक्, सफलगमनं च सुनिश्चितं करोति।
Mantras
Mantra 1
कनिक्रदज्जनुषं प्रब्रुवाण इयर्ति वाचमरितेव नावम् । सुमङ्गलश्च शकुने भवासि मा त्वा का चिदभिभा विश्व्या विदत् ॥
जनुषः कनीक्रदन् प्रब्रुवाणः अरितेव नावं वाचम् इयर्ति। हे शकुने, सुमङ्गलः भव; मा त्वा विश्व्या काचिद् अभिभा विदत्।
Mantra 2
मा त्वा श्येन उद्वधीन्मा सुपर्णो मा त्वा विददिषुमान्वीरो अस्ता । पित्र्यामनु प्रदिशं कनिक्रदत्सुमङ्गलो भद्रवादी वदेह ॥
मा त्वा श्येन उद्वधीत्, मा सुपर्णः; मा त्वा इषुमान् वीरो अस्ता विदत्। पित्र्याम् अनु प्रदिशं कनीक्रदत्; सुमङ्गलो भद्रवादी वदेह।
Mantra 3
अव क्रन्द दक्षिणतो गृहाणां सुमङ्गलो भद्रवादी शकुन्ते । मा नः स्तेन ईशत माघशंसो बृहद्वदेम विदथे सुवीराः ॥
अव क्रन्द दक्षिणतो गृहेभ्यः सुमङ्गलो भद्रवादी शकुन्ते। मा नः स्तेन ईशत माघशंसो मा नः पापवाक् प्रभवतु। बृहद्वदेम विदथे सुवीराः॥
Inside Sukta 42
How it unfolds
- Where it opens
The hymn opens by sanctifying the bird’s cry as a purposeful, launched voice—like a boatman setting a boat in motion—and immediately asks for auspiciousness and immunity from hostile forces.
- Development
It expands into explicit protections: against raptors, seizure, the armed attacker, and adverse fate—directing the bird to cry along the ancestral/right course and to speak the good word.
- Climax
The decisive request: the bird should cry from the right side of the home, establishing the strongest auspicious directional omen while barring thieves and evil-voiced powers.
- Where it settles
It ends with a communal aspiration—speaking the Vast (Bṛhat) in the assembly and gaining ‘suvīra’ strength—linking protection to elevated speech and collective well-being.
The deity: Śakuni
- In the VedaAddressed as a bird whose cry and position (especially to the right of the dwelling) function as a bearer of good omen (sumaṅgala) and “speaker of the good word” (bhadravādī). The hymn treats the bird’s call as a meaningful sign that can be invoked, directed, and safeguarded from hostile interception.
- Cosmic functionTo mediate between human action and the surrounding world through omens—aligning direction, movement, and speech with auspicious order, and warding off dangers that threaten life, property, and ritual success.
- Inner significanceRepresents the intuitive “right-sign” in consciousness: the capacity to read life correctly, choose the favorable direction, and maintain protected, truthful, beneficent speech amid fear and interference.
The seer
- Gṛtsamada (Bhārgava)Bhṛgu/Bhārgava lineage (Gṛtsamada tradition within Maṇḍala 2) · Principal seer of much of Maṇḍala 2, renowned for hymns that combine sober ritual precision with protective and prosperity-seeking prayers, especially to Agni and allied powers.
Famous verses
sumaṅgalaś ca śakune bhavāsi
sumaṅgalo bhadravādī vadeha
bṛhad vadema vidathe suvīrāḥ
Attributes of the deity
- Auspiciousness (sumaṅgala)
- Right-sided/dakṣiṇa sign (favorable direction)
- Protective/apotropaic power
- Good speech (bhadravādī)
- Guidance for travel and household safety
- Resistance to hostile forces (predators, weapons, theft, evil speech)
Also by this seer
- Large portions of Rig Veda Maṇḍala 2 traditionally attributed to Gṛtsamada and the Gṛtsamada-Bhārgavas
- Notable Agni hymns in Maṇḍala 2 emphasizing the domestic fire (gārhapatya) and safe conveyance of offerings
- Protective and well-being oriented verses (rakṣoghna, śānti-like petitions) embedded across the maṇḍala’s ritual corpus
The rite, step by step
- Prepare a quiet space at the household threshold or near the sacred fire; establish a brief intention for protection and auspicious passage.
- Recite RV 2.42.1 while invoking the omen-bird as ‘sumaṅgala’ and requesting that no universal hostility overtake the sign or the journey.
- Recite RV 2.42.2 as a shielding formula against predators, violent threats, and misfortune; affirm ‘bhadravādī’ (good-speaking) as the desired tone of the sign.
- Recite RV 2.42.3 facing the right (dakṣiṇa) side of the dwelling/ritual space, explicitly requesting protection from theft and malign speech, and concluding with aspiration to speak the ‘Bṛhat’ in assembly.
- Optionally seal the rite with a short silent pause and a concluding oblation to Agni (common Vedic closure), dedicating the protection to household and companions.
Offerings
- Ghee (ājya) into the fire (if performed with Agni)
- A small water libation (ācamana/sprinkling) for purification (contextual, later practice-compatible)
- Grains or a simple food offering as a household auspiciousness token (non-Śrauta domestic usage)
Frequently Asked Questions
Śakuni is an omen-bird whose call and position are treated as meaningful signs. The hymn asks the bird to be auspicious (sumaṅgala) and to “speak good” (bhadravādī), bringing protection rather than fear.
In Vedic omen-symbolism, the right (dakṣiṇa) is generally favorable. The hymn requests the bird’s call from that side to establish a strong auspicious sign for the household and its activities.
It is primarily a protective and auspiciousness-invoking recitation—used before travel, at the home threshold, or near the fire—to ward off harm (including theft and hostile speech) and to steady the community in right, uplifting speech.
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