Sukta 99

Kind of hymn

Paustika / Śānti (securing household wealth and ritual space; anti-theft/apotropaic)

What it is for

To enclose and protect the altar-space and thereby prevent theft or loss of the sacrificer’s own people and wealth; to keep priestly seat, gold, and niṣka secure within the household/ritual domain.

Who it is for

Householders/yajamānas and ritual specialists establishing or guarding the vedi and associated valuables during sacrifice or domestic rites.

Also used as

• Śāntika
• Apotropaic (anti-theft/anti-loss)
• Ritual-space consecration

The deity

Vedi here is not merely a physical altar but the bounded, sacralized field of the rite—an ‘enclosed’ space that holds offerings, officiants, and the yajamāna’s fortune. Gold (hiraṇya) and niṣka function as auspicious, stabilizing wealth-signs within that protected sphere.

Powers of the deity

• To consecrate and define ritual boundaries (pari-staraṇa/pari-dhā)
• To avert theft, loss, and hostile appropriation of ‘one’s own’ (jāmi)
• To protect persons and property during liminal vulnerability (e.g., sleep)
• To stabilize prosperity and status through auspicious tokens (hiraṇya/niṣka)
• To seat and secure priestly function (Hotṛ-sadana) within the rite

Why the deity is called

Invoked to ‘spread and set’ the vedi as a protective perimeter so that no one robs the sacrificer’s own people/wealth, while affirming that the Hotṛ’s seat and golden niṣkas remain firmly in the yajamāna’s realm.

The seer

• Requires colophon consultation (Anukramaṇī not provided)Atharvan. Paustika-Śānti charms for securing ritual space, preventing theft/loss, and stabilizing household prosperity through consecrated objects (vedi, seats, gold/niṣka).

Other hymns of this seer

• AV 7.99 (single-mantra sukta); further attributions require the hymn colophon/Anukramaṇī for this kanda section.

Preparing for the rite

• Select and clean the ritual ground; mark the intended vedi area.
• Arrange the Hotṛ’s seat (hotṛ-sadana) in its proper place.
• Place or display hiraṇya/niṣka among the rite’s auspicious requisites (as appropriate to custom).

The rite

• While physically spreading (pari-stṛṇīhi) and setting/banking (pari-dhehi) the vedi, recite AV 7.99.1.
• Mentally (or verbally) designate the perimeter as ‘not-to-be-robbed’—protecting jāmi (one’s own).
• Conclude by fixing attention on the Hotṛ-seat and the niṣkas as secured prosperity within the yajamāna’s loka (domain).

What it needs

• Vedi materials/ground covering (as per rite)
• Hotṛ-sadana (priest’s seat)
• Hiraṇya (gold)
• Niṣka (gold ornament/token)

When

At the laying out and enclosing of the vedi; especially before the rite proceeds or when valuables/participants may be vulnerable (e.g., at night or when resting).

The main substance

Vedi (altar-space/ground covering)

Amulets

• Niṣka (gold token/ornament)
• Hiraṇya (gold piece)

How it is prepared

Prepare and clean the vedi area; physically spread and bank/define its perimeter while reciting the mantra. Place/seat the hotṛ-sadana and keep gold/niṣka within the bounded space as auspicious, guarded wealth-signs.