Atharva Veda 10.2.22: Kanda 10, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 2, Mantra 22
Sukta 2
केन॑ दे॒वाँ अनु॑ क्षियति॒ केन॒ दैव॑जनी॒र्विशः॑ । केने॒दम॒न्यन्नक्ष॑त्रं॒ केन॒ सत्क् क्ष॒त्रमु॑च्यते
kéna devā́ṃ ánu kṣiyati kéna daívajanīr víśaḥ | kéné́dam anyán nákṣatraṃ kéna sát kṣatrám ucyate
By what do Gods abide in ordered course? by what do the god-born peoples stand? By what is this other realm—the starry host—upheld? by what is rightful sovereignty called to be?
สิ่งใดเล่าทำให้เหล่าเทพดำรงอยู่ตามระเบียบ? สิ่งใดทำให้หมู่ชนผู้กำเนิดจากเทพยืนหยัด? สิ่งใดค้ำจุนแดนอื่นนี้—หมู่ดาวนักษัตร (nakṣatra)—ไว้? สิ่งใดทำให้ราชอำนาจอันชอบธรรม (kṣatra) ถูกขานนามให้ตั้งมั่น?
The meaning
What it says
A sequence of questions: by what do the gods dwell in order, the god-born peoples stand, the starry realm endure, and rightful sovereignty become established?
The inner meaning
When life feels ungrounded, the right move is inquiry rather than panic. The verse trains the mind to ask for the sustaining principle behind order in body (devas), society (viś), psyche’s ‘stars’ (guiding patterns), and leadership (kṣatra).
The truth in it
Stability—cosmic, social, and personal—requires a foundation. Asking ‘by what?’ is the beginning of wisdom; the Atharvan answer is operative meaning (brahman) rather than mere force.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Brahmavidya / Rajadharma legitimation (social-theological)
Its aim
To pose the foundational question of what sustains gods, people, astral order, and legitimate kingship—preparing the ritual-theological answer ‘Brahman’ in the next mantra.
Word by Word
Pada patha
केन । देवान् । अनु । क्षियति । केन । दैवजनीः । विशः । केन । इदम् । अन्यत् । नक्षत्रम् । केन । सत् । क्षत्रम् । उच्यते
- केन
- by whom? / by what?by what? by which agency/power? (ritual-philosophical interrogation of the operative cause)Pronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचनRole करण (प्रश्नार्थ-करणम्: ‘किसके द्वारा/किससे’)Root किम् (प्रातिपदिक) → क-
- देवान्
- the godsNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- अनु
- after; along; in accordanceafter, along, in accordance with (as ‘in dependence upon’ a sustaining principle)Indeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण)Root अनु
- क्षियति
- dwells; abidesdwells, abides, is established (is maintained in its station)Verbलट् (वर्तमान), प्रथम पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole अकर्मकRoot क्षि (क्षय/क्षि = निवासे/क्षये; यहाँ ‘निवास/अधिवास’ अर्थे)
- केन
- by whom? / by what?by what (agency)?Pronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करणRoot किम् → क-
- दैवजनीः
- divine-born; of divine origingod-born, of divine origin (peoples/clans regarded as sprung from the gods; ritually constituted communities)Adjective (used substantively)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (अगली क्रिया ‘क्षियति’ का कर्ता, ‘विशः’ के विशेषणरूपेण)Root दैवजनी (प्रातिपदिक; दैव + जनी ‘दैवी जननी/दैवी उत्पत्तिवाली’)
- विशः
- the clans/peoplesthe clans/settled folk (social body; the ‘people’ as a ritual constituency)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot विश् (प्रातिपदिक: ‘जन/कुल/प्रजा’)
- केन
- by whom? / by what?by what (agency)?Pronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करणRoot किम् → क-
- इदम्
- thisPronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (यहाँ ‘इदम् … नक्षत्रम्’ = प्रथमा)Role कर्तृ (अगली क्रिया ‘उच्यते’ के साथ वाक्यांश का विषय)Root इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अन्यत्
- other; anotherother, different (a further domain beyond the prior items)Adjective/Pronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (इदम् के साथ समन्वय: ‘इदम् अन्यत् नक्षत्रम्’)Root अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- नक्षत्रम्
- star; lunar mansionthe starry-constellation order (astral stations; calendrical/omenic framework)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (उच्यते का विषय)Root नक्षत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- केन
- by whom? / by what?by what (agency)?Pronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करणRoot किम् → क-
- सत्
- true; real; existentbeing, the real, the true (sat as ontic truth; also ‘rightly’ in a normative sense)Adjective (kṛdanta)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (यहाँ ‘सत् क्षत्रम्’ = प्रथमा)Role कर्तृ (उच्यते का विषय-समास/वाक्यांश)Root सत् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √अस् ‘to be’ → सत् ‘being, true’)
- क्षत्रम्
- sovereign power; dominion; kṣatrakṣatra: dominion, royal power, coercive sovereignty (political force)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (उच्यते का विषय)Root क्षत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- उच्यते
- is called; is saidis called, is said to be (is defined/recognized as such)Verbलट् (वर्तमान), कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive), प्रथम पुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपदRole — (कर्मणि: कर्ता अप्रकट; विषय = ‘नक्षत्रम्/क्षत्रम्’)Root वच् (√वच् ‘to speak, say’)
Sandhi Notes
- ‘सत् + क्षत्रम्’ → ‘सत्क्षत्रम्’ (त् + क्ष = त्क्ष)
- यहाँ पद-विभाग हेतु ‘सत्’ और ‘क्षत्रम्’ पृथक् लिए गए। ‘केनेदम’ = ‘केन + इदम्’ (स्वर-संधि: अ/ए + इ → ए; लिखित रूप ‘केनेदम्’)
- ‘केने॒दम॒न्यन्नक्ष॑त्रं’ में ‘अन्यत् + नक्षत्रम्’ → ‘अन्यन् नक्षत्रम्’ (त् + न → न्न; परसवर्ण/अनुनासिक-समायोजन के साथ)
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- As per AV 10.2 anukramaṇī tradition: Atharvanic speculative seer attribution.
- Devata
- Interrogative toward Brahman (implicit); domains invoked: Devas, Viś, Nakṣatra, Kṣatra.
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh-like (interrogative quatrain structure).
- Rasa
- Adbhuta and Shanta
Sāyaṇa reads the repeated ‘kena’ as a deliberate brahma-jijñāsā: an inquiry into the single sustaining cause. ‘Anu kṣiyati’ is glossed as ‘is established in dependence upon.’ ‘Daivajanīr viśaḥ’ are communities whose legitimacy is traced to divine ordinance (and thus to ritual). ‘Sat kṣatram’ is sovereignty that is ‘true/right’—legitimate rule grounded in dharma/brahman rather than mere force.
Atharvanic brahmavidyā seer-complex (AVŚ 10.2 anukramaṇī tradition)
Interrogative theology used to ground ritual and kingship; diagnostic questioning leading to brahman as the sustaining cause.
A mantra of sacred inquiry: it opens the space for brahman to be recognized as the force behind order—essential for both healing and governance.
Interrogative toward Brahman (implicit sustainer of devas, viś, nakṣatra, kṣatra)
Poses the foundational question that reveals the hidden support of cosmic and social order.
Indirect: restores orientation and reduces anxiety by turning distress into structured inquiry; supports ‘meaning-making’ as therapy.
Protects against illegitimate power and disorder by demanding the ground of legitimacy (sat).
4 pādas of ~8 syllables; question-driven cadence.
Sandhi compressions and emphatic ‘kena’ repetitions create punchy rhythm; some recensional variation in wording is common in such lists.
Sharp, probing, repetitive—like a diagnostic refrain.
Stimulates discernment; prepares mind for the ‘answer’ mantra(s) that follow.
Priest announces an inquiry-formula (praśna) to ‘open’ the rite.
Recites the mantra while indicating (with hand-gestures) the four domains: gods (upward), people (horizon), stars (sky-arc), kingship (toward the patron/king).
Immediately follows with the answering mantra (10.2.23) to ‘seal’ the causal identification.
In royal use: the patron touches the staff/weapon insignia at ‘kṣatram’ to bind power to sat (legitimacy).
Kauśika Sūtra: used in śānti and brahmavarcasa contexts as a ‘praśna-mantra’ preceding the brahman-identification; also suitable in rājakarmāṇi (royal rites) as a legitimation prelude. Exact numbering varies by recension/edition.
Brahman-priest as interrogator and validator: frames sovereignty and social order as dependent on brahman, not merely on force.
Recite before important decisions (marriage negotiations, property, starting a business) to orient choices toward what truly sustains order; also before community meetings to invoke legitimate speech and authority.
Before counsel/assembly; at night under stars for nakṣatra-orientation; new moon/full moon for calendric reflection.
Purohita may recite in rājakarman contexts to ground kṣatra in sat; householder can use privately for self-governance.
Use as a short inquiry-mantra before reacting in conflict: ask ‘by what is this held?’ then act from principle.
Nakṣatra (astral order as calendrical technology)
The ‘substance’ is order itself—astral/time structure and social legitimacy. The mantra treats governance and health as products of correct foundations.
Disorientation, anxiety from loss of control, social conflict undermining wellbeing; timing-related stress.
Cognitive reframe: converts chaos into inquiry about foundations; aligns practitioner with order (ṛta/brahman) before action.
Manas-śānti via sattva increase; helpful where vāta (restlessness) drives rumination—structured questioning steadies it.
Mindfulness-based inquiry, cognitive therapy ‘Socratic questioning,’ values-based leadership grounding.
Ruler/householder seeking right governance; individual seeking self-governance; community under disorder.
Identify and invoke the sustaining principle behind cosmic order, social stability, astral timing, and legitimate authority.
Interrogative summoning: repeated ‘kena’ compels revelation of the hidden support; a verbal ‘net’ cast to catch the cause.
Illegitimate authority, factional breakdown, loss of orientation/timing, chaotic impulses.
Stable polity/household; successful calendric planning; harmony between classes/roles.
- केन (kena)
- philosophical and therapeutic inquiry; diagnosis before treatment
- देवान् अनु क्षियति
- regulated functions (senses, energies) staying in their proper tracks
- दैवजनीः विशः (daivajanīr viśaḥ)
- social cohesion; inner community of faculties
- नक्षत्रम् (nakṣatram)
- orientation, timing, destiny-patterns; calendric intelligence
- सत् क्षत्रम् (sat kṣatram)
- legitimate authority—inner self-governance and outer rulership grounded in truth
Inquiry (vicāra): hold the question ‘kena?’ gently until the mind settles into its source.
Ājñā (discernment) with sahasrāra orientation (Paramesthin/brahman).
Box breathing (4–4–4–4) while mentally repeating ‘kena’ at each corner to stabilize attention.
A night sky of nakṣatras aligning into a coherent mandala; a central point (bindu) appears as the sustaining cause.
Open, investigative stillness—neither skeptical nor credulous.
Do not force an intellectual answer during recitation; let the question soften the mind, then follow with the brahman-affirming verse (e.g., 10.2.21) as completion.
Keep e in kena clear (not ‘kina’).; Articulate kṣ in kṣiyati and kṣatram distinctly.; Maintain nasalization in devām̐ if following a traditional phonetic style.
Let each ‘kena’ begin with a clean, slightly raised onset; keep the questions distinct and evenly spaced.
Micro-pause after each question segment; avoid rushing the final pāda to preserve interrogative force.
Clear, questioning, not plaintive; like formal inquiry in an assembly.
In Atharvanic use, interrogatives often precede a binding ‘answer’ mantra; pair recitation with the subsequent brahman-affirmation for closure.
9 times
Confusion about direction, leadership conflict, anxiety about timing (deadlines), loss of social cohesion.
Before making decisions; before confronting authority issues; when feeling scattered—use as a centering inquiry.
Improved discernment, calmer decision-making, orientation toward legitimate principles rather than impulse.
If anxiety is severe, combine with professional support; do not use inquiry to delay necessary action indefinitely.
None explicit; the operative ‘material’ is astral order (nakṣatra) as calendrical-ritual infrastructure. Atharvanic medicine and protection often depend on timing; this verse foregrounds the question of what grounds that timing.
It links ‘viś’ (people) and ‘kṣatra’ (rule) to a higher sustaining principle, implying that social cohesion and political authority require priestly-theological legitimation. The priest’s discourse becomes a technology of governance.
The systematic fourfold scope (gods–people–stars–kingship) and the explicit concern with ‘sat kṣatra’ (legitimate sovereignty) reflect Atharvanic social-theological elaboration beyond typical RV praise-hymn idiom.
Gopatha treats such interrogative-then-identificatory sequences as paradigmatic: the question establishes the field; the identification (brahman) effects control. Efficacy lies in correct causal naming, which is itself a ritual act.
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