Sukta 37
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (as per Anukramaṇī for 7.37)
Devata: Vāsaḥ (Garment) as charm-medium; Kāma/Manas implicitly
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (probable)
இந்த ஒரே-மந்திரத்தையுடைய அதர்வணச் வசீகரணச் சார்மத்தில் ‘வாஸஃ’ (உடை) என்பது நோக்கத்தின் உடல்-ஊடகமாகக் கொள்ளப்படுகிறது; ஆணின் கவனமும் அன்பும் பேச்சாளி/பெண்ணிடமே மட்டும் கட்டுப்பட வேண்டும் என்பதே நோக்கம். தன் உடையை அவன் மீது வைப்பதாலும்/அவனுக்குப் போர்த்துவதாலும், அவனுடைய மனஸ் மற்றும் காமத்தை போட்டிப் பெண்களிடமிருந்து—சமூகத்தில் ‘புகழ்பெற்ற’வர்களாகக் கருதப்படுபவர்களிடமிருந்தும் கூட—திருப்பி, தொடு-மந்திர (contact-magic) வழியாக ஒரேநபர் பற்றுதலை நிலைநாட்ட முயல்கிறது.
Kind of charm
Mantras
Inside Sukta 37
How it unfolds
- How it opens
Direct address to the charm-medium: “Vāsaḥ (Garment)…” establishing the object as an invoked power.
- What it asks
By laying the speaker’s garment upon the man, may he become “mine alone,” not inclined toward other women.
- Where its power lies
The efficacy is asserted through the performative act (dadhāmi) plus the stated result (yathā… kevalaḥ): deed + desired transformation.
- How it closes
A strong exclusivity clause: “not of other women, not even the famed among them,” functioning as the hymn’s sealing boundary.
Famous verses
yathāso mama kevalo ("so that he may be mine alone")
mama vāsasā ("with my garment")
Kind of hymn
Strīkarmāṇi (Women’s/erotic rites) / Vaśīkaraṇa (Subjugation/attraction)
What it is for
To secure a man’s exclusive attachment to the speaker and prevent other women—famous or otherwise—from gaining his interest.
Who it is for
A woman (or practitioner acting on her behalf) seeking to stabilize or monopolize a romantic/sexual relationship within an Atharvanic domestic-ritual setting.
Also used as
- Strīkarmāṇi (women’s/erotic rites)
- Vaśīkaraṇa (attraction/subjugation)
- Saṃgrahaṇa/Bandhana (binding, fixing affection)
The deity
Vāsaḥ is the personified garment/cloth functioning as a charm-medium: an intimate, body-adjacent object believed to retain and transmit personal presence and intention. In the background stand Kāma (desire) and Manas (mind), since the rite’s real target is the beloved’s attention and choice.
Powers of the deity
- Acts as a conduit for saṃsparśa (contact) magic—transferring intention through touch and wearing
- Draws and fixes affection/attention (ākarṣaṇa, bandhana) toward the practitioner
- Repels or eclipses rivals’ attraction and social influence
- Creates exclusivity (kevalatā)—single-minded attachment
Why the deity is called
Invoked because the garment is the operative instrument: by placing one’s own cloth upon/with the man, the practitioner seeks to ‘clothe’ him in her intention so he becomes hers alone.
The seer
- Atharvanic (Anukramaṇī attribution)Atharvan. Domestic charms (gṛhya-mantras) using everyday media—cloth, knots, touch, and spoken intention—for attraction, exclusivity, and interpersonal influence (vaśīkaraṇa/strīkarman).
Other hymns of this seer
- AV.7.36
- AV.7.38
- AV.6.130
Preparing for the rite
- Select a personal garment/cloth that has been worn by the practitioner (to carry her ‘own-ness’).
- Ensure privacy and minimal interruption; keep the cloth clean and intact (no tears).
- Form a clear intention: exclusivity and turning-away from rivals, not general harm.
The rite
- While holding the cloth, recite the mantra once (or in a small counted repetition, as customary in many Atharvanic charms).
- Place the garment upon the man’s body (or drape it over him) so that contact is established; alternatively, have him wear it briefly.
- Conclude by mentally ‘sealing’ the intention: “he is mine alone,” matching the mantra’s kevala claim.
What it needs
- Garment/cloth (vāsaḥ/vāsas) belonging to the practitioner
When
Traditionally suited to a private moment when the man can be touched or clothed—often at evening/night or before intimacy; perform when rivals’ influence is feared.
The main substance
Vāsaḥ / vāsas (garment, cloth)
Amulets
- The garment itself functions as the talisman/charm-medium
How it is prepared
Use a cloth worn by the practitioner; keep it uncut and unburnt. Employ it directly by draping/placing it on the man (or having him wear it briefly) during recitation.
Frequently Asked Questions
The hymn invokes Vāsaḥ, the garment/cloth, treating it as an active charm-medium that can carry the speaker’s intention through touch and wearing.
To make a man devoted to the speaker alone (kevala), and to prevent other women—even prominent or “famed” ones—from attracting him.
No. The central “substance” is the practitioner’s own garment; the rite works through recitation plus direct contact (placing/draping or briefly having him wear it).
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