Atharva Veda 3.16.5: Kanda 3, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 16, Mantra 5
Sukta 16
भग॑ ए॒व भग॑वाँ अस्तु दे॒वस्तेना॑ व॒यं भग॑वन्तः स्याम । तं त्वा॑ भग॒ सर्व॒ इज्जो॑हवीमि॒ स नो॑ भग पुरए॒ता भ॑वे॒ह
bhága evá bhágavāṃ astu devás ténā vayáṃ bhágavantaḥ syāma | táṃ tvā bhága sárva íj johavīmi sá no bhága puraetā́ bhavéhá
Bhaga indeed—let the god be the Fortunate One; thereby may we be fortunate. Thee, O Bhaga, do all men verily invoke again and again: be thou for us, O Bhaga, our leader in front, here.
భగనే—దేవుడు భగవాన్ (భాగ్యాధిపతి) కావుగాక. దానివల్ల మేము భాగ్యవంతులమై ఉండుదుము. ఓ భగ! నిన్నే అందరూ నిజంగా మళ్లీ మళ్లీ ఆహ్వానిస్తారు; ఓ భగ! ఇక్కడ మా కొరకు నీవు ముందుండి నడిపించే నాయకుడు (పురఏతా) కావుగాక.
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition
Devata: Bhaga
Chandas: Triṣṭubh
Primary: vira
Secondary: shanta
Sāyaṇa emphasizes the exclusivizing ‘eva’: Bhaga is singled out as the decisive factor in prosperity. ‘Johavīmi’ is taken as repeated invocation to ensure fixation of the result. ‘Puraetā’ is interpreted as the deity’s going-before in undertakings—clearing impediments, guiding to gain, and warding mishap in the immediate locale (‘iha’).
To make Bhaga precede the practitioner/patron in present undertakings, ensuring success, safe passage, and the securing of one’s share.
Indirect: reduces fear/uncertainty, supporting sattva and steadier vata; leadership imagery counters scatteredness.
Anxiety regulation through repeated affirmation and goal-priming; ‘leader in front’ as cognitive reframing for decision-making.
mixed
Individual practitioner/patron; immediate venture (‘iha’).
To make Bhaga precede the practitioner in current undertakings, ensuring safe passage, success, and receipt of one’s rightful share.
Affirmation (truth-claim) + iterative invocation (johavīmi) + installation of a ‘forerunner’ guardian (puraetā).
Bad omens, delays, misdirection, loss of opportunity, social/contractual disadvantage.
Successful ventures, negotiations, travel, and share-allotment.
Affirms Bhaga as the Fortunate god; by him may we be fortunate. All invoke Bhaga repeatedly; may he be our leader going before us here.
A psychological ‘installation’ of fortune as leadership: the practitioner places the principle of right allotment ahead of impulses, so decisions are guided by auspicious order rather than anxiety or greed.
When one aligns with a guiding principle that precedes action (ethics, right timing, right share), success becomes safer and more repeatable.
- भगवान् (bhagavān)
- the fully empowered principle of auspicious allotment
- तेन (tena)
- causal linkage: alignment produces like results
- जो॒हवीमि (johavīmi)
- iterative invocation; persistence as ritual force
- पुरएता (puraetā)
- protective leadership; clearing obstacles before they arise
- इह (iha)
- immediacy—fortune applied to the present concrete task
Visualize an auspicious intelligence walking one step ahead of you, clearing confusion and aligning outcomes with rightful share.
Ajna (guidance) with Manipura (initiative).
3 rounds of bhrāmarī (gentle) or steady ujjāyī to build confident steadiness before recitation.
Visualize a golden path opening ahead; obstacles dissolve before they form.
Decisive, protected readiness.
After chanting, take one deliberate step (literal or metaphorical) while holding ‘puraetā’ in mind—link mantra to embodied action.
Triṣṭubh with emphatic repetition; keep each ‘bhaga’ cleanly separated, avoiding slurring across word boundaries.
Peak stress on ‘bhagavān’ and ‘puraetā’; let ‘iha’ land firmly as the final anchoring deictic.
‘bhagavān’—nasalization on ‘vān’ (vā̃) as per Vedic phonetics., ‘puraetā’—keep the diphthong-like sequence clear (pura-etā), not puraitā., ‘johavīmi’—articulate ha-vī, not ha-bī.
Bright, leading, confident; not harsh.
As an apotropaic start-formula, odd repetitions (3/7/9) are traditional in many Atharvanic household settings, though not mandatory.
7
Starting new work, travel, interviews, negotiations, legal/contract steps, leadership responsibilities.
At the moment of commencement (leaving home, opening shop, beginning meeting).
Greater confidence, better situational awareness, fewer avoidable errors; felt protection and ‘right-share’ orientation.
Do not use as a substitute for due diligence; ‘leader in front’ also implies you must follow with integrity.
पदच्छेद (सन्धि-निरास): भगः एव भगवान् अस्तु देवः तेन वयम् भगवन्तः स्याम् । तम् त्वा भग सर्वः इत् जोहवीमि । सः नः भग पुरएता भव इह । मुख्य सन्धि/वैदिक-विशेष: (1) ‘भग॑ ए॒व’ = भगः + एव (विसर्ग-सन्धि: ḥ + e → e, लेखने विसर्ग लोप). (2) ‘भग॑वाँ’ = भगवान् (वैदिक नासिक्य/स्वरभेद). (3) ‘स्याम’ = स्याम् (पदान्त ‘म्’ लोप/अनुस्वार-पर्याय). (4) ‘सर्व॒ इज्जो॑हवीमि’ = सर्वः + इत् + जोहवीमि; ‘इज्’ लेखनं ‘इत्’ कणस्य वैदिक-रूप/उच्चारण-परिणाम. (5) ‘पुरए॒ता’ = पुरः + एता/एतृ-सम्बद्ध प्रातिपदिक ‘पुरएतृ’ का प्रथमा एकवचन रूप (वैदिक संधि में ‘पुरः’ का ‘पुर’).
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