Atharva Veda 20.39.3: Kanda 20, Anuvaka 4, Sukta 39, Mantra 3
Sukta 39
उद् गा आ॑ज॒दङ्गि॑रोभ्य आ॒विष्कृ॒ण्वन् गुहा॑ स॒तीः । अ॒र्वाञ्चं॑ नुनुदे व॒लम्
úd gā́ ā́jad áṅgirobhya āvíṣkṛṇván gúhā satī́ḥ | arvā́ñcaṃ nunude válam
Forth drave he the Cows; for the Angirases he made them manifest, though they abode in hiding-caves: hitherward he thrust away Vala.
అతడు గోవులను పైకి తోలాడు; గుహలలో దాగి ఉన్నవాటిని అంగిరసుల కొరకు వెల్లడించాడు. వల (Vala) ను ఇక్కడి నుండి దూరంగా తోసివేశాడు.
Rishi: Indra-Angiras complex (traditional RV attribution; AV 20 largely reuses RV material)
Devata: Indra (with Angirases as mythic assistants); Vala as the adversarial figure
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (as transmitted in AV 20 RV-derived strata; metrical exactness may vary by pada division)
Primary: adbhuta
Secondary: vira
Sayana takes the ‘cows’ as both literal cattle and figurative rays/wealth recovered by Indra with the Angirases. ‘Making manifest’ is the decisive act: what is ‘satīḥ’ (truly existent) is merely concealed in ‘guhāḥ’. ‘Vala’ is the enclosing obstruction; ‘nunude’ signals the expelling, protective force that restores possession to the yajamāna.
To recover and secure wealth (cattle, goods, light/fortune) by driving away the enclosing obstruction (Vala) and turning the gain ‘hitherward’ to the patron.
‘Hidden’ illness or undiagnosed cause; depletion framed as loss of ‘cows’ (nourishment/ojas).
Revelatory framing: bring the hidden cause into awareness; expel the encloser principle; restore flow of nourishment.
Supports dhātu-puṣṭi imagery (nourishment) and removal of āvaraṇa (enclosure/obstruction) that prevents proper distribution.
Diagnostic clarity and recovery of energy after burnout; addressing hidden stressors or deficits.
paustika
Vala (enclosing force) and circumstances of concealment/loss.
Recovery of wealth/cattle/fortune; revelation of what is hidden; expulsion of enclosing obstruction (Vala).
Narrative identification with myth: as Indra revealed the hidden cows, so the patron’s hidden goods/fortune are revealed and returned (arvāñcam).
Theft, loss, misplacement, obscuration of opportunity, ‘blocked luck’.
Cattle/wealth, household fortune, illumination (metaphorical light).
Indra drove forth the cows, making them manifest for the Angirases though hidden in caves; he thrust Vala away toward us (or away, bringing gain hither).
Hidden capacities (cows/light) are recovered when inner insight and disciplined effort (Angirases) cooperate with decisive force (Indra) to dispel the enclosing ‘Vala’—the habit of concealment and self-limitation.
What is truly ours—light, value, nourishment—often lies concealed behind enclosures; liberation is a revelation (āviṣkṛ) plus removal of the covering force.
- गाः (gāḥ)
- wealth, nourishment, light of understanding, recoverable life-energies
- अङ्गिरोभ्यः (aṅgirobhyaḥ)
- fiery seers/effortful insight; disciplined search and ritual intelligence
- आविष्कृण्वन् (āviṣkṛṇvan)
- bringing the hidden into consciousness; diagnosis and disclosure
- गुहाः (guhāḥ)
- unconscious, secrecy, loss, storage of blocked fortune
- वलम् (valam)
- the enclosing blockage: hoarding, constriction, occlusion of resources
- अर्वाञ्चम् (arvāñcam)
- drawing fortune back to the household/patron; reclamation
Uncovering the hidden: ask ‘what is enclosed?’—a belief, fear, or neglected resource—then open it with steady attention.
svadhisthana
Slow inhale imagining ‘opening the cave’; long exhale imagining Vala pushed away; 9 rounds then recite.
A cave in the lower abdomen/pelvis opens; warm light reveals calm white cows (vitality) walking outward toward you.
Curious, investigative, empowered.
Pair mantra with a practical ‘recovery action’ (search, budget review, medical check) to embody āviṣkṛṇvan (making manifest).
Anuṣṭubh-style even recitation; light RV accents retained on key nouns (gāḥ, aṅgirobhyaḥ, valam).
Give a slight lift on āviṣkṛṇvan; pause after guhā satīḥ to mark the ‘hidden’ state before the ‘thrusting away’.
आविष्कृण्वन्: ā-viṣ-kṛṇ-van (retroflex ṣ; consonant cluster), गुहाः: gu-hāḥ (long ā), वलम्: va-lam (clear v)
Narrative, clear, slightly bright on ‘revelation’ words.
Effective when paired with a physical ‘opening’ gesture (untying a knot, opening a lid) to enact the Vala-breaking symbolism.
27
Lost property, blocked finances, hidden problems, feeling ‘cut off’ from one’s own energy.
During searches; when starting a recovery plan; when needing clarity about what is concealed.
Improved focus and systematic retrieval; sense of unveiling; renewed access to resources/energy.
Avoid paranoia about ‘hidden enemies’; keep the work practical and evidence-based.
उद् गा → उत् गाः (उद् + √गै, लुङ् 3sg; final द् before ग becomes त्; aorist form appears as गाः). आ॑ज॒दङ्गि॑रोभ्यः → आजत् अङ्गिरोभ्यः (final -द्/-त् before vowel; padapāṭha separates). आ॒विष्कृ॒ण्वन् → आविष् + कृण्वन् (compound with verbal root √कृ ‘to make/do’). गुहा॑ स॒तीः → गुहाः सतीः (gen. sg. of गुहा + acc. pl. of सती).
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.
