Sukta 4
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (anonymous/collective in many AV protective verses)
Devata: Ādityas (Aṁśa, Bhaga, Varuṇa, Mitra, Aryaman, Aditi) and the Maruts
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (probable; AV book 6 commonly uses anuṣṭubh in short apotropaic stanzas)
AV 6.4 ఒక సంక్షిప్త రక్షణ సూక్తం. ఇది ప్రభావవంతమైన “దైవ వాక్యం” (daivyaṃ vacaḥ)ను నిర్మించి, పఠించే వానిని త్వష్టృ, పర్జన్య, బ్రహ్మణస్పతి, ఆదిత్యులు, మరుతులు వంటి విశ్వదేవతల బహుస్థర రక్షణలో నిలుపుతుంది. దీని ప్రయోజనం అపోత్రోపాయికం: విసిరిన ద్వేషాన్ని, దుష్శకునాలను, సమీపంలోని శత్రుత్వ ఉనికిని తిప్పికొట్టడం; అలాగే రక్షణ పరిధిలో భాగంగా కుమారులు, సోదరులు వంటి బంధుత్వ-సామాజిక భద్రతను బలపరచడం.
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
त्वष्टा॑ मे॒ दैव्यं॒ वचः॑ प॒र्जन्यो॒ ब्रह्म॑ण॒स्पतिः॑ । पु॒त्रैर्भ्रातृ॑भि॒रदि॑ति॒र्नु पा॑तु नो दु॒ष्टरं॒ त्राय॑माणं॒ सहः॑
త్వష్టా నాకు దైవ వచనాన్ని ప్రసాదించుగాక; పర్జన్యుడు (మరియు) బ్రహ్మణస్పతి కూడా. అదితి ఇప్పుడు మమ్మల్ని రక్షించుగాక—పుత్రులతో, సోదరులతో—రక్షించే, దుష్టరం (అతిక్రమించలేని) సహస్సు (బలం)తో.
Mantra 2
अंशो॒ भगो॒ वरु॑णो मि॒त्रो अ॑र्य॒मादि॑तिः॒ पान्तु॑ म॒रुतः॑ । अप॒ तस्य॒ द्वेषो॑ गमेदभि॒ह्रुतो॑ यावय॒च्छत्रु॒मन्ति॑तम्
అంశ, భగ, వరుణ, మిత్ర, అర్యమన్, అదితి మరియు మరుతులు—వారు మమ్మల్ని కాపాడుగాక. అతనినుండి ద్వేషం తొలగిపోవుగాక—అతనిపై విసిరిన ద్వేషమూ దూరమవుగాక. అతి సమీపంలో ఉన్న శత్రువును నీవు తరిమివేయి.
Mantra 3
धि॒ये सम॑श्विना॒ प्राव॑तं न उरु॒ष्या ण॑ उरुज्म॒न्नप्र॑युछन्। द्यौ॒३ष्पित॑र्या॒वय॑ दु॒च्छुना॒ या
మా ధీ (ప్రార్థన) కొరకు, ఓ అశ్వినౌ, మీరు ఇద్దరూ కలిసి రండి; మమ్మల్ని ముందుకు నడిపించండి; ఓ విశాల-బలవంతులారా, అచ్యుతులారా, విస్తారమైన రక్షణతో మమ్మల్ని కాపాడండి. ఓ ద్యౌః పితా (ఆకాశ-తండ్రి), దాడిచేసే దుష్శకునం/అమంగళాన్ని దూరం చేయి.
Inside Sukta 4
How it unfolds
- How it opens
The hymn opens by crafting efficacy itself: Tvaṣṭṛ is asked to grant ‘divine utterance’, supported by Parjanya and Brahmaṇaspati, and Aditi is requested to guard the group with saving, hard-to-overpass strength.
- What it asks
A comprehensive warding: the Ādityas and Maruts protect, hatred is made to depart from the aggressor/targeting source, the nearest enemy is driven away, and ill-omen is expelled.
- Where its power lies
Protection is ‘wide’ and ‘unfailing’ (uruṣyā… aprayuchan), and the saving force is described as duṣṭara—difficult to cross—signaling a sealed defensive perimeter.
- How it closes
The final movement turns to swift rescuers (Aśvins) and the cosmic Father (Dyauḥ Pitṛ) to banish duḥśunā, completing the expulsion and stabilizing auspiciousness.
Famous verses
daivyaṃ vacaḥ
apa tasya dveṣo gamet
yāvaya duḥśunā
Kind of hymn
Abhicarika / Apotropaic (counter-sorcery; enemy-aversion)
What it is for
To establish a fortified divine guard around the client, expel projected hatred and ill-omens, and push away the closest hostile agent while stabilizing the household through empowered speech and protective might.
Who it is for
Householders and Atharvanic practitioners performing quick counter-hostility and warding rites—especially when facing immediate enmity, social friction, or ominous signs.
Also used as
- Shantika
- Bhaisajya
- Paustika
The deity
A coalition of order-maintaining and rescuing powers: the Ādityas embody cosmic law, social contracts, and distributive fortune; the Maruts provide storm-like warding force; Tvaṣṭṛ ‘fashions’ effective speech; Parjanya brings life-giving protection; Brahmaṇaspati guarantees mantra-authority; the Aśvins and Dyauḥ Pitṛ add swift rescue and paternal shielding.
Powers of the deity
- Repel malice/hatred (dveṣas) and hostile intent
- Drive away the nearest enemy and immediate danger
- Avert ill-omens and malign influences (duḥśunā)
- Grant ‘divine utterance’—mantra that works (daivyaṃ vacaḥ)
- Provide wide, unfailing protection (uru- + aprayuchan)
- Strengthen household/kin solidarity as a protective perimeter
- Restore order and safety through ṛta-like guardianship
Why the deity is called
They are invoked as a deliberately broad protective net: speech is empowered (Tvaṣṭṛ/Brahmaṇaspati), shelter is widened and made unfailing (Aśvins/Maruts), and hostility is legally/cosmically ‘sent away’ under Ādityan oversight (Aditi and her sons).
The seer
- Anonymous Atharvanic seer (collective Atharvanic tradition)Atharvan. Short apotropaic and śānti charms: protection from hostility (dveṣas), countering ill-omens (duḥśunā), and empowering speech/mantra (vacas) for immediate practical efficacy.
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 6.2
- AV 6.3
- AV 6.5
- AV 6.6
Preparing for the rite
- Choose a clean, quiet spot (threshold/courtyard or near the household fire).
- Perform simple ācamana and mental saṅkalpa: ‘for protection and removal of hostility/ill-omen’.
- If desired, mark a protective boundary by sprinkling clean water around the reciter/client (optional, inferred common AV practice).
The rite
- Recite 6.4.1 to ‘forge’ and authorize the mantra-power (vacas) and request Aditi’s saving strength with kin support.
- Recite 6.4.2 naming the Ādityas and Maruts; explicitly project the command: ‘let hatred depart; drive away the nearest enemy’.
- Recite 6.4.3 as rescue-seal: call the Aśvins for wide, unfailing protection and ask Dyauḥ Pitṛ to expel the duḥśunā (evil-omen).
- Optionally repeat the whole triad 3 or 9 times for reinforcement in urgent situations (common Atharvanic repetition logic).
What it needs
- None required by the text
- Optional: clean water for sprinkling; a protective thread/cord as a non-textual aid
When
At the first perception of hostility/ominous signs; also suitable at dawn or before entering a contested social encounter.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is used for protection—especially to push away hostility, projected hatred, and the closest immediate enemy, and to avert evil-omens affecting a person or household.
The hymn builds a ‘complete shield’: Tvaṣṭṛ and Brahmaṇaspati empower the mantra, the Ādityas enforce order and safety, the Maruts add forceful warding, and the Aśvins/Dyauḥ Pitṛ complete rescue and omen-removal.
No. The text itself does not require substances; it works primarily through recitation and intention. Some traditions may add clean water sprinkling or a protective thread as optional supports.
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