Atharva Veda 2.9.4: Kanda 2, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 9, Mantra 4
Sukta 9
दे॒वास्ते॑ ची॒तिम॑विदन् ब्र॒ह्माण॑ उ॒त वी॒रुधः॑ । ची॒तिं ते॒ विश्वे॑ दे॒वा अवि॑द॒न् भूम्या॒मधि॑
devā́s te cītím avidan brahmā́ṇa uta vīrúdhaḥ | cītíṃ te víśve devā́ avidan bhū́myā́m ádhi ||
The Gods discovered for thee thy gathered store of power; the Brahmans too, and the Plants. Thy gathered store of power—all the Gods discovered it, upon the Earth.
దేవులు నీకోసం నీ ‘చితి’ని (సంచిత శక్తి/ఔషధ-సంపద) కనుగొన్నారు; బ్రాహ్మణులూ, అలాగే వీరుధ్ (ఔషధి-వృక్షౌషధులు) కూడా. నీ ఆ చితి—సర్వ దేవులూ—భూమ్యామధి (భూమిపై) కనుగొన్నారు.
The meaning
What it says
The verse declares that the ‘cīti’—a gathered, stored potency—belonging to the addressed remedy/person was discovered (and thus authorized) by the Gods, by the Brahmans (ritual experts), and by the Plants themselves, on/within the Earth.
The inner meaning
Healing power is not improvised; it is ‘remembered’ and reactivated through recognized lineages of knowledge (divine insight, priestly articulation, botanical intelligence). The psyche is reassured that the remedy is legitimate, time-tested, and rooted (bhūmi), which strengthens compliance, hope, and the felt sense of safety.
The truth in it
Efficacy arises when nature’s resources, human expertise, and a larger order of meaning align. What is ‘discovered’ and ‘stored’ becomes usable power when it is acknowledged, named, and placed in its proper source-context.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Bhaisajya (Healing) / Paustika (Prosperity) (herb- and power-accumulation register)
Its aim
To authenticate and activate the inherent ‘stored’ potency of the addressed remedy by asserting its discovery and sanction by gods, ritualists, and plants, thereby making it effective for cure/protection.
Word by Word
Pada patha
दे॒वाः । ते॒ । ची॒तिम् । अ॒वि॒द॒न् । ब्र॒ह्माणः॑ । उ॒त । वी॒रुधः॑ । ची॒तिम् । ते॒ । विश्वे॑ । दे॒वाः । अ॒वि॒द॒न् । भू॒म्याः॑ । अ॒धि॑ ।
- देवाः
- the godsthe Gods; the divine powers invoked as authoritative discoverers and guarantors of efficacyNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- ते
- thosethy/for thee; referring to the addressed healing-agent (plant/amulet/medicine) whose potency is being establishedPronounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (देवाः इत्यस्य विशेषण/अन्वय)Root तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- चीतिम्
- the funeral-pile; the piled-up (fire/altar)the ‘cīti’; a gathered/laid-up store, i.e., the collected virtue/accumulated healing power (also: the prepared ‘pile’ or ‘collection’ as a ritualized deposit of force)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot चिति (स्त्री-प्रातिपदिक)
- अविदन्
- found; came to knowthey found, discovered, came upon; (magically) they ascertained and made manifest its hidden powerVerbलङ् (अनद्यतनभूत), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचनRoot √विद् (विदँ) ‘जानने/लाभे’
- ब्रह्माणः
- the Brahmans; the sacred-speakersthe Brahmans/possessors of brahman; ritual experts whose speech-power (brahman) ‘finds’ and activates the remedyNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (अविदन् इत्यस्य सहकर्तृ/समुच्चितकर्तृ)Root ब्रह्मन् (नपुं/पुं; अत्र पुं-प्रातिपदिक ‘ब्रह्मा/ब्राह्मण/ब्रह्मविद्’)
- उत
- and alsoand also; an additive particle extending the chain of authoritative witnessesIndeclinableसमुच्चयार्थक अव्ययRoot उत
- वीरुधः
- the plants; herbsthe plants/herbs; vegetal powers, conceived as living agents of cure and protectionNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (समुच्चितकर्तृ)Root वीरुध् (स्त्री-प्रातिपदिक)
- चीतिम्
- the funeral-pile; the piled-up (fire/altar)the cīti; the same accumulated potency, reiterated for emphasis and ritual fixationNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot चिति (स्त्री-प्रातिपदिक)
- ते
- your; of youthy/for thee; again marking the addressed substance as bearer of the cītiPronounषष्ठी, एकवचन (सामान्यतः ‘तव/ते’ = ‘thy/your’)Role सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- विश्वे
- allall, the whole company; totality of divine assentAdjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- देवाः
- the godsthe Gods; the entire pantheon as confirmers of the remedy’s provenanceNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- अविदन्
- found; came to knowfound/discovered; repeated to strengthen the performative claimVerbलङ् (अनद्यतनभूत), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचनRoot √विद् (विदँ) ‘जानने/लाभे’
- भूम्याम्
- on/in the earthNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole अधिकरणRoot भूमि (स्त्री-प्रातिपदिक)
- अधि
- upon; overupon, over, from; indicating location/source: ‘upon the earth’ / ‘from the earth’Indeclinable (preverb/preposition)उपसर्ग/उपपद (सप्तमी-संबन्धे)Role अधिकरण (स्थानीय-सम्बन्ध सूचक)Root अधि
Sandhi Notes
- देवाः ते चीतिम् अविदन् ब्रह्माणः उत वीरुधः । चीतिम् ते विश्वे देवाः अविदन् भूम्याम् अधि । Sandhi:
- (1) दे॒वास्ते॑ = देवाः + ते (विसर्ग-लोपः, सन्ध्यनुसारः)
- (2) ची॒तिम॑विदन् = चीतिम् + अविदन् (म् + अ → मव्, अनुस्वार/मकार-सन्धि)
- (3) दे॒वा अवि॑दन् = देवाः + अविदन् (विसर्ग-लोपः)
- (4) भूम्या॒मधि॑ = भूम्याम् + अधि (म् + अ → म + अ, संहितायां ‘मधि’ इव दृश्यते)
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic/Angirasa tradition (sūkta-level attribution varies by anukramaṇī; commonly treated as Atharvanic healing speech)
- Devata
- Vīrudh (Plants) and Devāḥ (the Gods collectively); Bhūmi as implicit source-deity
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh (4 pādas of ~8 syllables; Atharvanic anuṣṭubh with minor metrical looseness)
- Rasa
- Shanta and Adbhuta
Sāyaṇa glosses cīti as a ‘collection/accumulation’ of efficacy (saṃcaya) belonging to the addressed remedial agent; ‘the Gods found it’ signifies its divine authorization and primordial discovery. ‘Brahmāṇas’ are invoked as those who, by brahman (sacred formulation), recognize and operationalize that power; ‘vīrudhas’ indicates that the vegetal realm itself participates as a knowing/manifesting agency. ‘On/from the earth’ grounds the remedy’s origin in Bhūmi, the repository of medicinal virtues.
Atharvanic (sūkta-level attribution variable in Śaunakīya anukramaṇī)
Bhaiṣajya speech that ‘authenticates’ remedies by tracing them to divine/ritual/natural discovery; establishing prāmāṇya (authority) of the cure.
The Atharvan seer functions as a mediator who re-links a patient and a remedy to their primordial source, making cure a restoration of right relation rather than mere intervention.
Vīrudh/Oṣadhī (Plants) with Viśve Devāḥ; Bhūmi implicit
Plants are the Earth’s therapeutic agency; the All-Gods represent universal validation; Bhūmi is the generative ground where potency is ‘found’ and held.
Confers and concentrates bheṣaja-śakti (medicinal efficacy) through vegetal vitality and sanctioned discovery.
Protects by legitimizing the remedy against doubt, misuse, or ritual error; ‘earth-rooted’ stability counters disorder.
4 pādas ~8 syllables each (with mild Śaunakīya looseness)
Possible resolution/hiatus around cītim-avidan; oral cadence favors semantic emphasis over strict syllable closure.
Even, declarative, juridical—suited to ‘certifying’ statements.
Builds confidence through repetition of ‘cītiṃ te’ and ‘avidan’; feels like a formal attestation (pramāṇa-vākya).
Prepare the remedial substance (typically an herb/plant-product or an amulet compounded with vegetal elements).
Place it upon the earth (or touch it to the ground) to ritually mark ‘bhūmyām adhi’—its terrestrial source and stability.
Recite the mantra over the substance, treating it as directly addressed (‘te’).
Lift the substance and apply according to the larger rite: either bind as an amulet on the patient, or administer as a medicinal preparation, while maintaining silence or controlled speech except for the mantra.
Conclude with a sealing act: a final touch to the patient’s head/heart or a binding-knot, to ‘fix’ the cīti (stored potency) in the intended locus.
Kauśika Sūtra: general bhaiṣajya/auṣadhi-karmāṇi framework (exact sūtra mapping for AVŚ 2.9 requires recension-specific concordance; commonly applied in herb/amulet activation sequences where mantras ‘authorize’ the substance before binding or administration).
Atharvan/Brahman officiant as mantra-technologist: he ‘discovers’ (avidat) and stabilizes the remedy’s power through correct recitation, handling, and placement; he functions as guarantor of brahman and ritual exactitude.
Recite while grinding herbs, preparing a decoction, or touching the medicine to the patient; optionally touch earth/soil to mark the Bhūmi-source.
At the start of preparation and at first administration (prāśana/anulepana).
Household healer or purohita recites as certifying speech; patient hears for reassurance.
KauśS: general oṣadhi/bhaiṣajya applications (exact sūtra varies by edition; used as an ‘efficacy-assertion’ while preparing/administering herbs).
Use as a brief ‘sanctification’ mantra before herbal tea/medicine, with mindful grounding.
vīrudh (medicinal plants/herbs); bhūmi (Earth as source-matrix of remedies); cīti (accumulated ‘store’ of power; conceptual substance)
The remedy is framed as an Earth-born accumulation of power, ‘recognized’ by three validating domains—cosmos (devāḥ), culture/rite (brāhmaṇāḥ), and nature (vīrudhaḥ).
Efficacy-by-authorization: asserting that the remedy’s potency is discovered and sanctioned by cosmic, ritual, and botanical authorities; this ‘turns on’ the medicine in Atharvanic logic.
General oṣadhi-pramāṇa motif: establishing dravya-guṇa-karman as trustworthy; aligns with the Ayurvedic insistence on proper identification (saṃjñā), source (deśa), and lineage of knowledge (guru/āgama).
Treatment adherence and placebo/nocebo modulation via trust, legitimacy, and narrative authority; also parallels evidence/validation discourse (who ‘discovered’ and verified a remedy).
Patient and/or the medicinal preparation being administered
To authenticate and activate the stored potency (cīti) of the remedy/person by invoking discovery by gods, ritualists, and plants upon the Earth.
Pramāṇīkaraṇa (authorizing proclamation) + saṃskāra-by-speech (vāc as pharmakon).
Doubt, ritual mishandling, and loss of efficacy; implicitly against unseen impediments to cure
- cīti
- concentrated potency; accumulated therapeutic power; ‘charge’ of a remedy made real by recognition and rite
- devāḥ
- cosmic sanction; the sense that healing is supported by a wider order than the individual
- brāhmaṇāḥ
- authorized speech and technique; correct articulation that ‘releases’ efficacy
- vīrudhaḥ
- living pharmacopeia; vegetal intelligence; nature’s self-healing principle
- bhūmi
- matrix of embodiment; the stable source from which remedies arise; groundedness and containment
Grounding in Bhūmi and trusting the body’s restorative intelligence through the ‘stored potency’ image.
mūlādhāra (ground/earth stability)
Slow nasal breathing with a brief pause after exhale to feel ‘settling’ into earth-support.
A luminous green-gold ‘heap’ of energy rising from earth into the medicine, then diffusing through the body.
Śānta, steady attention (dhāraṇā on stability and trust).
Chant once to ‘authorize’ the remedy, then sit quietly for 1–2 minutes feeling weight, support, and confidence before taking medicine.
Simple Atharvanic recitation; keep udātta on accented syllables as in Śaunakīya tradition; avoid singing-style elongations.
Emphasize cī́tim and ávidan (attestation words); keep bhūmyā́m ádhi as a grounded cadence.
Steady, declarative, ‘certifying’ tone.
Best used as a saṃskāra-vākya over the medicine: speak toward the substance, then toward the patient.
3 times
Starting a course of herbal treatment; loss of confidence in a remedy; needing ‘grounded’ assurance in recovery.
Before preparing or consuming medicine; before applying herbal paste/oil; at the first dose of the day.
Strengthened trust, steadier mind, and a felt sense of supported efficacy; improved adherence and calm.
Not a substitute for medical diagnosis; ensure correct herb identification and safe dosage.
The verse constructs vegetal medicine as a bearer of ‘cīti’—an accumulated, quasi-material potency. By declaring that gods, brahmans, and plants themselves ‘found’ this cīti, the mantra functions as an authorization protocol: it converts a mere plant into a ritually certified agent whose efficacy is socially and cosmically guaranteed. The repeated cīti and avidan act as performative reinforcement, ‘fixing’ the power into the substance at the moment of handling.
Authority is layered: (1) devāḥ as ultimate validators; (2) brahmāṇas as human specialists who mediate divine power through brahman; (3) vīrudhas as natural agents. The brahmanical class is positioned as indispensable for recognition and activation of efficacy, reflecting a ritual economy in which expert speech and correct procedure legitimize and monetize healing power.
The lexeme cīti is Rigvedic but here is deployed in a distinctly Atharvanic, quasi-technical sense of ‘stored potency’ rather than primarily a ‘pile/collection’ in sacrificial contexts. The collocation of devāḥ + brahmāṇas + vīrudhas as parallel ‘finders’ is stylistically Atharvanic, foregrounding practical efficacy and natural agents (plants) more explicitly than typical RV hymnody.
Gopatha’s Atharvanic theology regularly treats brahman (formulated speech) as a force that secures and transfers power, and it elevates Atharvanic rites as effective in domestic and apotropaic domains. In that frame, ‘discovery’ (avidan) is not mere cognition but the ritual making-manifest of a pre-existent potency placed in the world (notably in earth and plants). Thus the sukta’s claim aligns with Gopatha’s view that correct Atharvanic recitation and handling unlock terrestrial remedies as instruments of protection and cure.
Ask anything about this verse
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.
