Atharva Veda 4.21.4: Kanda 4, Anuvaka 3, Sukta 21, Mantra 4
Sukta 21
न ता अर्वा॑ रे॒णुक॑काटोऽश्नुते॒ न सं॑स्कृत॒त्रमुप॑ यन्ति॒ ता अ॒भि। उ॒रु॒गा॒यमभ॑यं॒ तस्य॒ ता अनु॒ गावो॒ मर्त॑स्य॒ वि च॑रन्ति॒ यज्व॑नः
ná tā́ arvā́ reṇukakā́ṭo 'śnute ná saṃskṛtatrám úpa yanti tā́ abhí | urugāyám abháyaṃ tásya tā́ ánu gā́vo mártasya ví caranti yájvanaḥ
No horse—Reṇukakāṭa—overtakes them; no well-laid snare comes up against them. Under the Wide-going One’s fearlessness, after him, the cows of the mortal sacrificer range abroad unhindered.
రేణుకకాట అనే గుర్రమైనా వాటిని అందుకోలేడు; బాగా అమర్చిన ఉచ్చు/వల కూడా వాటికి వ్యతిరేకంగా చేరదు. ‘ఉరుగాయ’ (విస్తృతగామి) యొక్క నిర్భయత ఆశ్రయంలో, అతని వెనుక, యజమాన మానవుని గోవులు అడ్డంకుల్లేకుండా సంచరిస్తాయి.
The meaning
What it says
No swift horse—Reṇukakāṭa—catches up with the cows; no well-prepared snare reaches them. Under Urugāya’s (Indra’s) fearlessness, the cows of the mortal sacrificer roam freely after him.
The inner meaning
Speed and strategy (the raider’s horse; the laid trap) symbolize both external aggression and internal compulsions that ‘overtake’ one’s stability. ‘Abhaya’ is a cultivated field-condition: when the mind rests in wide, unconfined confidence (urugāya), one’s energies (cows) move unobstructed.
The truth in it
True security is not mere confinement but protected freedom. When protection is rooted in a larger order, life can range widely without being seized by panic, pursuit, or hidden traps.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Rakṣā/Apotropaic protection within Paustika cattle-prosperity
Its aim
To prevent pursuit, ambush, and seizure of cattle, and to authorize safe free-grazing under divine protection.
Word by Word
Pada patha
न । ताः । अर्वाः । रेणुककाटः । अश्नुते । न । संस्कृतत्रम् । उप । यन्ति । ताः । अभि । उरुगायम् । अभयम् । तस्य । ताः । अनु । गावः । मर्तस्य । वि । चरन्ति । यज्वनः
- न
- notIndeclinableनिषेध (negation)Root न
- ताः
- those (f.)those (cows)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole KartāRoot तद्
- अर्वाः
- mares / swift maresthe horse (as raider’s mount; swift attacker)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole Kartā (apposition to ताः)Root अर्वा
- रेणुककाटः
- the ‘reṇukakāṭa’ (a named pest/creature; lit. ‘dust-biter’ type)Reṇukakāṭa (a named hostile being/raider/demon in Sayana’s line; a specific threat-name)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole Karma (object of अश्नुते)Root रेणुककाट
- अश्नुते
- attains / reaches / getsreaches; attains; overtakes (negated: cannot catch them)Verbलट्; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; आत्मनेपदRoot अश् (अश्नुते)
- न
- notIndeclinableनिषेधRoot न
- संस्कृतत्रम्
- the prepared/ordered state; proper arrangement (lit. ‘well-made-ness’)well-prepared contrivance/ambush; ‘arranged attack’ (a set-up for seizure)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole Karma (object of यन्ति)Root संस्कृतत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- उप
- towardstoward; against; nearIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्यय (directional: ‘towards’)Root उप
- यन्ति
- go / comethey go/come (i.e., hostile approaches do not come upon them)Verbलट्; प्रथमपुरुष; बहुवचन; परस्मैपदRoot या (याति)
- ताः
- those (f.)themPronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole KartāRoot तद्
- अभि
- towards / againstagainst; uponIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्यय (directional: ‘towards, against’)Root अभि
- उरुगायम्
- the far-extending/wide-going one (epithet; ‘wide-striding’)wide-going; far-striding (epithet of Indra/Vishnu; here protective vastness)Adjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole Karma (object of implied motion/approach)Root उरुगाय (प्रातिपदिक)
- अभयम्
- fearlessness / safetyfearlessness; safety; a protected stateNoun/Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole Karma (object/complement: ‘fearlessness’)Root अभय
- तस्य
- of him/itof him/of that (protector—Indra as ‘wide-going’)Pronounपुं/नपुंसक; षष्ठी; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root तद्
- ताः
- those (f.)those (cows)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole KartāRoot तद्
- अनु
- after / alongafter; in accordance with; under (under the protection of)Indeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्यय (following)Root अनु
- गावः
- cowsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole Kartā (apposition to ताः)Root गो
- मर्तस्य
- of a mortal / of the manof the mortal (the human patron)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root मर्त (प्रातिपदिक)
- वि
- apart / widelyapart; widely; freely (unhindered ranging)Indeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्यय (apart, widely)Root वि
- चरन्ति
- wander / move about / grazethey roam; graze; move aboutVerbलट्; प्रथमपुरुष; बहुवचन; परस्मैपदRoot चर्
- यज्वनः
- of the sacrificer / worshipperof the sacrificer (whose rite secures protection)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचन (Vedic gen. in -नः)Role सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root यज्वन्
Sandhi Notes
- (1) ता अर्वाः → ताः अर्वाः (visarga before vowel)
- (2) काटोऽश्नुते → काटः अश्नुते (o’ = अः + अ)
- (3) सं॑स्कृत॒त्रमुप॑ → संस्कृतत्रम् उप (final -म् before vowel)
- (4) यन्ति॒ ता अ॒भि → यन्ति ताः अभि
- (5) उरुगायमभयम् → उरुगायम् अभयम्
- (6) तस्य॒ ता अनु॒ → तस्य ताः अनु
- (7) गावो॒ मर्त॑स्य → गावः मर्तस्य
- (8) Note Vedic genitive form यज्वनः = यज्वन् + षष्ठी एकवचन
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic tradition
- Devata
- Indra (Urugāya) as protector
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira and Adbhuta
Sayana takes ‘Reṇukakāṭa’ as a specific named danger (human raider or demonic assailant) emblematic of swift seizure; the ‘horse’ signals speed of attack. ‘Saṃskṛtatra’ is an arranged device/ambush for capture. ‘Urugāya’ is read as Indra (or a wide-striding protector) whose ‘abhaya’ is a protective field within which the sacrificer’s cattle may graze freely.
Atharvanic tradition (anonymous)
Rakṣā-mantras for cattle ranging/free-grazing; naming threats and neutralizing them through abhaya-field creation
Shows Atharvan technique of ‘domestic sovereignty’: the herd is granted safe mobility, not merely kept; divine ‘wide-striding’ becomes the household’s protective territory.
Indra (Urugāya)
Indra expands safe space (uru) and suppresses hostile pursuit; his ‘abhaya’ is the protective canopy under which wealth circulates.
Prevents pursuit, ambush, and capture; establishes fearlessness as an active shield.
4×11 (with possible Atharvanic resolutions around compound clusters like saṃskṛta-)
Proper-name opacity (reṇukakāṭa) can affect recitational segmentation; keep pāda cadence intact.
Kinetic first half (pursuit/trap) resolving into open, spacious cadence (urugāya/abhaya).
Moves from threat-imagery to spacious safety, entraining the listener from alertness into confident release.
Before releasing cattle to pasture, the priest recites the first hemistich while facing outward from the stall, projecting the prohibition toward the directions.
He then recites ‘urugāyám abháyam…’ while leading the herd a short distance, ritually placing them ‘within’ the protector’s fearlessness.
If theft is suspected, the mantra is repeated at the pasture boundary, with a gesture of ‘closing’ (hand sweep) at ‘saṃskṛtatrám’ to nullify traps/ambush.
Kauśika Sūtra: go-rakṣā and boundary/pasture protection rites using named-enemy negations (edition-dependent citation).
Atharvan as security-operator: he deploys named-threat countermeasures and establishes a divine ‘safe zone’ for grazing.
Recite when opening the pen and turning cows toward pasture; optionally trace a protective line at the gate and gesture outward ‘wide space’ (uru).
Dawn release; also before moving herds to distant grazing.
Householder recitation; purohita may add an offering to Indra or a boundary rite.
Used in cattle-ranging protection contexts in Kauśika’s paustika/rakṣā materials (exact numbering varies).
As a ‘safe travel’ prayer for valuable assets/vehicles; pair with route planning and security.
horse (arvā) as raiding-speed symbol; named threat: Reṇukakāṭa; protective ‘fearlessness’ (abhaya) as ritual field
The horse and snare represent two modes of loss—overt chase and covert capture. Indra’s ‘abhaya’ is the counter-substance: an atmosphere of protected mobility.
Anxiety regulation: ‘abhaya’ functions like a cognitive safety cue, supporting calmer decision-making under threat.
Cows of the yajvan; the household’s movable wealth.
Authorize safe free-grazing and prevent capture by pursuit or traps.
Threat-denial plus ‘field installation’ of abhaya under Indra’s epithet; naming the pursuer to ritually delimit it.
Raiders (horse pursuit), snares/ambushes (saṃskṛtatram).
Herd expansion, grazing freedom, stable dairy/ritual supply.
- अर्वा (arvā)
- raiding speed; predatory momentum; chase-response
- रेणुककाट (reṇukakāṭa)
- personalized threat; the ‘known danger’ given a name to control it ritually
- संस्कृतत्र (saṃskṛtatram)
- premeditated harm; hidden systems of capture (social/psychological)
- अभय (abhaya)
- protective atmosphere; pacified nervous system; ritual immunity
- उरुगाय (urugāya)
- expansive sovereignty; space-making protection
- वि चरन्ति (vi caranti)
- unhindered functioning; healthy circulation of life-force
- यज्वन् (yajvan)
- one whose prosperity is ritually/ethically anchored
Abhaya as spacious awareness: letting energies move without being caught by fear-patterns.
muladhara
Lengthened exhale (e.g., 4–6) to install ‘abhaya’ before chanting.
A broad, luminous corridor across the pasture; snares dissolve; pursuers slow and stop at the boundary.
Open vigilance—awake yet uncontracted.
Chant while sensing ‘wide space’ around the body and home; cultivate non-reactivity to ‘chase’ impulses and ‘trap’ thoughts.
Maintain Vedic accents; let ‘abháyam’ carry a gentle lift as the turning-point word.
Do not rush proper name reṇukakāṭa; keep it within pāda rhythm; pause lightly after snare-clause.
Expansive, steady, slightly uplifting on ‘urugāyam/abhayam’.
Best paired with a simple outward hand-gesture (space-making) at ‘urugāyam abhayaṃ’ to embody the ‘wide-going’ protection.
11 times
Letting valuables/assets move freely (grazing, transport, open operations) while minimizing risk of interception.
Before opening gates, starting a journey, or releasing resources into wider circulation (market, pasture).
Sense of protected freedom; traditional confidence against pursuit/ambush dynamics.
Combine with situational awareness; avoid complacency in real security contexts.
No plant is used; the operative ‘substance’ is spatial: pasture, boundary, and the imagined protective field (abhaya). The mantra engineers safe mobility—allowing cattle to ‘vi caranti’ without converting mobility into vulnerability.
It presupposes organized predation (mounted pursuit, ambush), indicating contested resources. The sacrificer’s ritual capacity is presented as a practical security advantage, reinforcing the patron-priest alliance in managing risk.
The epithet ‘urugāya’ is RV-familiar, but the explicit naming of a threat-agent (Reṇukakāṭa) and the focus on ambush mechanics (‘saṃskṛtatra’) are more Atharvanic in their concrete, quasi-forensic specificity.
Gopatha often rationalizes Atharvanic protection as the mantra’s capacity to delimit and repel danger through correct naming and directional deployment. This verse exemplifies that: it blocks pursuit and traps, then positively installs ‘abhaya’ as a protective condition for grazing.
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