Atharva Veda 3.18.1: Kanda 3, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 18, Mantra 1
Sukta 18
वनस्पतिः। इ॒मां ख॑ना॒म्योष॑धिं वी॒रुधां॒ बल॑वत्तमाम्। यया॑ स॒पत्नीं॒ बाध॑ते॒ यया॑ संवि॒न्दते॒ पति॑म्
vanaspátiḥ | imā́ṃ khanā́my óṣadhiṃ vīrudhā́ṃ bálavattamām | yayā́ sapatnī́ṃ bā́dhate yayā́ saṃvíndate pátim
O Lord of plants! This herb I dig up, strongest of the creeping growths—wherewith one drives away the rival wife, wherewith one wins and finds the husband.
హే వనస్పతీ! నేను ఈ ఓషధిని తవ్వి తీస్తున్నాను—వీరుధాలలో అత్యంత బలవంతమైనది. దీనితో సపత్నిని (పోటీ భార్యను) తొలగిస్తారు; దీనితో భర్తను గెలిచి కనుగొని పొందుతారు.
The meaning
What it says
Addressing Vanaspati, the speaker digs up a powerful herb, strongest among creepers, used to drive away a rival wife and to obtain/win the husband.
The inner meaning
Attachment insecurity and rivalry are managed through a tangible ritual act (digging and possessing an herb), converting relational anxiety into a controllable procedure that promises exclusivity and agency.
The truth in it
Desire for secure love can turn into coercion. The text preserves a social reality where ritual technology is used to negotiate power in intimate relationships—inviting ethical reflection.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Strīkarmāṇi (Women’s Rites) / Abhicārika (Rival-subduing)
Its aim
To expel a co-wife/rival and to obtain exclusive marital possession of the husband.
Word by Word
Pada patha
वनस्पतिः । इमाम् । खनामि । ओषधिम् । वीरुधाम् । बलवत्-तमाम् । यया । सपत्नीम् । बाधते । यया । सम्-विन्दते । पतिम्
- वनस्पतिः
- O lord of the forest / O tree (address)lord of the forest/plant; the plant as a potent ‘tree-spirit’ and source of efficacyNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole सम्बोधन/प्रस्तावना (विषय-निर्देश) / कर्तृ-सूचक (सन्दर्भतः)Root वनस्-पति (प्रातिपदिक)
- इमाम्
- this (herb)this (plant); the specific herb being ritually extractedPronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- खनामि
- I dig upI dig up; ritual uprooting to seize the plant’s powerVerbलट्, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रिया (कर्तृ-व्यापार)Root √खन् (खनन) धातु
- ओषधिम्
- the medicinal herbherb/medicinal plant; here a charm-plant for rivalry and marriageNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (इमाम्—विशेष्य)Root ओषधि (प्रातिपदिक)
- वीरुधाम्
- of the creeping plants / of plantsof the creeping plants; class of herbs with spreading, ‘binding’ forceNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी) — ‘among/of the plants’Root वीरुध् (प्रातिपदिक)
- बलवत्तमाम्
- the strongest / most powerfulthe most powerful; maximally efficacious for the intended karmanAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (ओषधिम् इति विशेषणम्)Role कर्म-विशेषणRoot बलवत् (प्रातिपदिक) + तमप् (सुपरलटिव)
- यया
- by which (herb)by which; instrumental relative—this herb’s specific powerPronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करणRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- सपत्नीम्
- a rival wife / co-wifeco-wife/rival woman; the competing claimant in marriageNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot सपत्नी (प्रातिपदिक)
- बाधते
- (she/it) repels, overcomesdrives away, presses back; magical repulsion/subjugationVerbलट्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपदRole क्रियाRoot √बाध् (पीडन/निवारण) धातु
- यया
- by whichby which; second specification of effectPronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करणRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- संविन्दते
- (she/one) finds, obtainsVerbलट्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपदRole क्रियाRoot सम् + √विद् (लभ/प्राप्ति) धातु
- पतिम्
- a husbandhusband; the desired male partner as social resource and statusNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot पति (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- वनस्पतिः | इमाम् खनामि ओषधिम् वीरुधाम् बलवत्तमाम् | यया सपत्नीम् बाधते | यया संविन्दते पतिम् ।
- 1) खनामि+ओषधिम्: इ/ओ संयोगः—पदपाठे पृथक्।
- 2) बाधते/संविन्दते: आत्मनेपद-प्रयोगः
- ‘यया’ तृतीया-करणेन औषधिः साधनरूपेण।
- 3) वीरुधाम् षष्ठी-बहुवचनं ‘ओषधिम्’ इत्यस्य सम्बन्ध-निर्देशः (वीरुधां मध्ये/वीरुधानां)।
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic seer (often anonymous/Angirasa in anukramaṇī for such charms; varies).
- Devata
- Oṣadhi/Vanaspati (plant-power) as operative deity
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh (typical for compact domestic charms)
- Rasa
- Shringara and Bhayankara
Sāyaṇa treats the opening as invoking the plant’s presiding power (vanaspati) to authorize extraction. The herb is ‘bálavattamā’ because it accomplishes two linked aims: repelling the sapatnī (female rival) and securing the pati (husband). The digging-up is not mere collection but seizure of indwelling śakti for a strī-karman.
Anukramaṇī-unspecified Atharvanic seer (anonymous)
Strīkarmāṇi and domestic plant-charms: attraction, rivalry management, and relational control via oṣadhi rites.
Shows Atharvan domestic magic at its most intimate: plant-power mediates household tensions and marital security.
Vanaspati / Oṣadhi-śakti (plant-power)
Channels Earth’s hidden potency into social outcomes; plants serve as intermediaries between desire and destiny.
Indirect—relieves distress of rivalry/abandonment by providing ritual reassurance; not biomedical healing here.
Protects marital bond (as conceived in the text) by repelling a competitor.
4×8; compact, domestic-charm cadence with clear instrumental clauses (yayā…yayā…).
Parallel relative clauses (yayā…yayā…) create a ‘two-function’ charm listing typical of Atharvan praxis.
Practical, incantatory, procedural.
Feels like activating a tool: naming, extracting, and declaring functions produces a sense of immediate operability.
Identify the specified herb (traditionally with ‘creeping’ habit) in an auspicious place.
Facing the appropriate direction (often toward the rival’s quarter in Atharvanic practice), the operator digs up the plant while reciting the mantra.
The root is kept intact (to preserve ‘strength’) and is carried as an amulet or used in fumigation/unction depending on local prayoga.
A binding act may follow: tying the herb in the hair/garment of the wife, or placing it under the bed/threshold to ‘hold’ the husband and repel the rival.
Conclude with a dismissal gesture (casting clods/plant-fragments away) symbolizing the rival’s removal.
Kauśika Sūtra: strī-karmāṇi / sapatnī-nivāraṇa (rival-expulsion) rites employing an uprooted herb (edition-dependent numbering).
Atharvan priest instructs and times the uprooting, recites/oversees mantra-application, and ensures the act is framed as legitimate ritual technology rather than private aggression.
Dig the herb with a prescribed implement; keep it on the person (hair-braid, waistband, or amulet pouch) or place in bedding/threshold depending on local rite tradition.
Night or dawn on an auspicious lunar day; often with silence/liminality to ‘capture’ potency.
Often performed by the woman/householder; a specialist may prescribe timing and handling rules.
General: Kausika’s strīkarman/vaśīkaraṇa and oṣadhi-handling procedures (digging at auspicious time, binding on body, etc.; exact sūtra varies).
Best approached as historical anthropology; if adapted, reinterpret as self-confidence and relationship-harmony work rather than coercion.
oṣadhi (a specific charm-herb, unnamed here); earth (as the medium from which power is extracted by digging)
Implicit: the dug-up herb is typically carried, tied, or applied as a charm-object.
Digging converts earth’s latent potency into a portable social force; the ‘creeper’ suggests subtle, pervasive influence in domestic space.
Relationship anxiety and rivalry dynamics; ritual object as coping mechanism (note: ethical concerns about coercive intent).
Sapatnī (rival/co-wife); indirectly the husband’s attention/choice.
To drive away a rival woman and secure the husband’s attachment/return.
Herb-extraction (khanana) + functional declaration (relative clauses) + likely tying/wearing/anointing in associated rite.
Marital displacement, competition, loss of status in household.
Household stability (social prosperity)
- वनस्पति (vanaspati)
- sovereign of vegetal power; nature as ritual ally
- ओषधि (oṣadhi)
- embodied mantra; portable agency; ‘green’ enchantment
- खनामि (khanāmi)
- extraction of hidden potency; drawing power from earth
- वीरुधाम् (vīrudhām)
- subtle, insinuating forces; quiet but strong influence
- बलवत्तमा (balavattamā)
- dominant efficacy; superiority over rivals
- सपत्नी (sapatnī)
- threat to exclusivity; social competition
- पतिम् संविन्दते (patim saṃvindate)
- reclaiming attachment; securing commitment
Transform possessiveness into secure attachment; examine craving and fear beneath rivalry.
Svādhiṣṭhāna (desire/relationship energy)
Cooling breath (śītalī/slow nasal) to reduce reactive jealousy before any recitation.
A green vine of calm rises from earth to the pelvis/heart, not to bind another, but to stabilize one’s own dignity and clarity.
Honest, self-soothing, boundary-aware.
Use as contemplative text: practice non-harming (ahiṃsā) and communication; redirect the ‘herb power’ into self-cultivation and relationship repair.
Clear, practical delivery; emphasize khaṇāmi (action) and the two yayā clauses (functions).
Pause after oṣadhim; then deliver vīrudhāṃ balavattamām as a single ‘power’ unit.
Focused, intent, not harsh.
Given coercive aims, traditional ethical restraint is advised; in app-context, present with clear cautions and prefer harmonizing alternatives.
5 times
Jealousy, fear of abandonment, relationship insecurity.
As a study text to understand Atharvan domestic magic; if recited devotionally, reinterpret intention toward harmony and self-stability.
Grounding through ritualized intention; insight into one’s desires and fears; potential calming if reframed non-coercively.
Do not use to manipulate others; prioritize consent, counseling, and communication; avoid escalating domestic conflict.
The mantra explicitly narrates the technical act (‘I dig up’) that transfers potency from earth to operator. The herb’s ‘creeping’ nature (vīrudh) iconically supports binding/appropriative aims: it spreads, clings, and thus becomes a material analogue for securing the husband and dislodging the rival.
Marriage is treated as a contested resource; the charm presumes polygyny or at least rival claimants. The rite encodes women’s agency (or agency on their behalf) but channels it through Atharvanic expertise and sanctioned plant-lore, reflecting both domestic competition and priestly mediation.
The pragmatic first-person performative (‘khanāmi’) and explicit social target (‘sapatnī’) are characteristically Atharvanic, foregrounding domestic conflict more directly than most RV hymns. The relative-correlative structure (yayā… yayā…) is a common charm-formula specifying instrument and effect.
Gopatha tends to rationalize Atharvanic efficacy as arising from correct identification of the ‘devatā’ (here plant-power) and correct handling (grahaṇa). The uprooting act is a paradigmatic ‘seizing’ of power, aligning with Gopatha’s emphasis on controlled acquisition and deployment of sacred force.
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