Atharva Veda 2.34.3: Kanda 2, Anuvaka 4, Sukta 34, Mantra 3
Sukta 34
ये ब॒ध्यमा॑न॒मनु॒ दीध्या॑ना अ॒न्वैक्ष॑न्त॒ मन॑सा॒ चक्षु॑षा च । अ॒ग्निष्टानग्रे॒ प्र मु॑मोक्तु दे॒वो वि॒श्वक॑र्मा प्र॒जया॑ संररा॒णः
yé baddhyámānam ánu dī́dhyānā anváikṣanta mánasā cákṣuṣā ca | agníṣ ṭā́n ágre prá mumoktu devó viśvákarmā prajáyā saṃrarāṇáḥ ||
They who, intent in thought, pursued the man in bonds, watching him with mind and with the eye,—may Agni, the God, first of all unloose those; and may Viśvakarman, guarding him, (save him) with progeny.
ผู้ใดติดตามชายผู้ถูกมัดนั้นด้วยความคิดอันจดจ่อ เฝ้ามองเขาด้วยใจและด้วยตา—ขอให้เทพอัคนี (Agni) เป็นผู้คลายพันธนาการเหล่านั้นก่อนเป็นอันดับแรก; และขอให้วิศวกรรมัน (Viśvakarman) ผู้พิทักษ์เขา คุ้มครองเขาด้วยบุตรหลาน (prajā) ให้รอดพ้น.
The meaning
What it says
Those who pursue a man being bound, tracking him with intent mind and watchful eye—may Agni first loosen those (bindings/watchers), and may Viśvakarman guard him and secure him through progeny.
The inner meaning
The ‘bonds’ are constrictive patterns (fear, shame, compulsions) intensified by the pressure of others’ scrutiny (‘mind and eye’). Agni is the inner heat of discernment that burns through coercion; Viśvakarman is the integrative power that restores a life-structure—belonging, continuity, and the will to live (prajā).
The truth in it
Constraint is sustained not only by restraints but by surveillance and internalized gaze. Liberation begins with purifying clarity (Agni) and completes with reconstruction of a supportive world (Viśvakarman) that can carry life forward.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Bhaisajya / Apotropaic (bond-release; counter-sorcery)
Its aim
To undo binding (physical fetters or magical constraint), repel hostile watchers (mind/eye), and restore the client’s safety and generative prosperity (progeny).
Word by Word
Pada patha
ये । बध्य॑मानम् । अनु । दीध्या॑नाः । अन्वैक्ष॑न्त । मन॑सा । चक्षु॑षा । च । अग्निः । तान् । अग्रे । प्र । मुमोक्तु । दे॒वः । विश्वक॑र्मा । प्र॒जया॑ । संररा॒णः ।
- ये
- who (those who)those who; whichever (persons), introducing the hostile/observing agentsPronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृ (अन्वैक्षन्त इत्यस्य)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → य-
- बध्यमानम्
- being bound, the one being tiedone being bound; the victim under restraint (physically or by spell/bondage)Participle (Passive)पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम् (कर्मपद-विशेषणम्)Role कर्म (अन्वैक्षन्त इत्यस्य)Root √बन्ध् (बन्धने) → बध्यमान (वर्तमानकृदन्त)
- अनु
- after, along, followingafter, along, in pursuit of; following with intentIndeclinableअव्ययम्Role क्रियाविशेषणम्Root अनु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- दीध्यानाः
- meditating, intent, thinkingthinking, brooding, intent upon (often with hostile concentration); mentally ‘kindling’ a planParticiple (Present)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम् (कर्तृ-विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ (अन्वैक्षन्त इत्यस्य)Root √ध्यै/√ध्याय् (चिन्तायाम्) → दीध्यान (वर्तमानकृदन्त)
- अनु
- after, in pursuitafter, along, in pursuit of; following with intentIndeclinableअव्ययम्Role क्रियाविशेषणम्Root अनु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- ऐक्षन्त
- they looked at, they beheldVerbलङ् (अनद्यतनभूत), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्Role मुख्यक्रियाRoot √ईक्ष् (दर्शने) → ऐक्षन्त (लङ्)
- मनसा
- with the mindwith the mind; by mental force/attention (a vehicle of magical efficacy)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, तृतीया, एकवचनम्Role करणRoot मनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- चक्षुषा
- with the eye, by sightwith the eye; by sight/evil-eye surveillanceNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, तृतीया, एकवचनम्Role करणRoot चक्षुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- च
- andand; coupling mind and eye as dual instruments of constraintIndeclinableअव्ययम्Role समुच्चयRoot च (अव्यय)
- अग्निः
- AgniAgni (Fire), the divine releaser and purifier; breaker of bonds and sorceryNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (प्र मुमोक्तु इत्यस्य)Root अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- तान्
- themthose (same persons); the watchers/hostile bindersPronounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्Role कर्म (प्र मुमोक्तु इत्यस्य)Root तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अग्रे
- in front, first, at the beginningin front, first, at the outset; before they can accomplish harmNoun (used adverbially)नपुंसकलिङ्गः, सप्तमी, एकवचनम् (अव्ययीभाववत्)Role अधिकरण (काल/देश-निर्देशः)Root अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- प्र
- forth, forward, completelyforth, forward, away; intensifier of releaseIndeclinableअव्ययम्Role क्रियाविशेषणम्Root प्र (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- मुमोक्तु
- may he release, let him freelet him loosen, release, set free; unbind (apotropaic counter-action)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role मुख्यक्रियाRoot √मुच् (मोचने) → मुमोक्तु (लोट्)
- देवः
- the godthe god; emphasizing divine authority over human/daemonic bindingNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (मुमोक्तु इत्यस्य; अग्निविशेषणम्)Root देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- विश्वकर्मा
- ViśvakarmanViśvakarman, the All-fashioner; cosmic artisan who restores proper orderNoun (proper name)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (संरराणः इत्यस्य; अथवा देवस्य समन्वयः)Root विश्वकर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक; नकारान्त) → विश्वकर्मा
- प्रजया
- with offspring, with progenywith progeny/offspring; by means of generative prosperity (life-force as protection)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, तृतीया, एकवचनम्Role करण/सह (सम्बन्ध-निर्देशः)Root प्रजा (प्रातिपदिक)
- संरराणः
- protecting, guarding, keeping safeprotecting, guarding, keeping safe; maintaining intactness and continuityParticiple (Present, middle sense)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम् (कर्तृ-विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ (विश्वकर्मणः विशेषणम्)Root √र (रक्षणे) + सम् → संरराण (वर्तमानकृदन्त, आत्मनेपद-प्रयोगः)
Sandhi Notes
- ये | बध्यमानम् | अनु | दीध्यानाः | अनु | ऐक्षन्त | मनसा | चक्षुषा | च || अग्निः | तान् | अग्रे | प्र | मुमोक्तु | देवः | विश्वकर्मा | प्रजया | संरराणः । मुख्य-सन्धयः:
- (1) अन्वैक्षन्त = अनु + ऐक्षन्त (उ + अ → व्, ‘अन्वै-’)
- (2) अग्निष्टानग्रे = अग्निः + तान् + अग्रे (विसर्ग-लोपः/सन्धिः; ‘अग्निः तान्’ → ‘अग्निस् तान्’; ततः ‘तान् अग्रे’ में न् + अ संयोगः; संहितायां ‘...ष्टानग्रे’ रूपम्)
- (3) मुमोक्तु देवो = मुमोक्तु + देवः (विसर्गः ओकारादेशः: देवः → देवो)
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic/Angirasa tradition (hymn-level attribution varies by anukramaṇī; commonly treated as Atharvanic).
- Devata
- Agni; Viśvakarman (as protective cosmic artisan).
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh-like cadence (Atharvanic mixed meters; often catalogued as Triṣṭubh in parallel diction).
- Rasa
- Vira and Shanta
Sāyaṇa takes the ‘bound one’ as the ritual client (or victim) constrained either by actual fetters or by hostile bandhana (magical binding). The pursuers are those who ‘follow’ with concentrated intent (dīdhya-) and with both mental and ocular power—i.e., surveillance and the evil eye. Agni is invoked as the primary bond-cutter (bandha-mocaka), acting ‘first’ to pre-empt the adversaries’ success. Viśvakarman’s protection is glossed as restoration of wholeness and social continuity; ‘with progeny’ signals the re-establishment of life, lineage, and auspicious increase as the counter-charm to binding and diminution.
Atharvanic/Angirasa transmission (individual ṛṣi uncertain for isolated verse)
Bandha-mocana (release from bonds), apotropaic counter-watching (mind/eye), protective rebuilding through Agni and cosmic craftsmanship.
Represents Atharvanic praxis where liberation is both ‘untying’ (mocana) and ‘reconstituting’ (sṛjana): protection is completed only when life-continuity (prajā) is restored.
Agni; Viśvakarman
Agni opens paths by burning impurity and breaking knots; Viśvakarman is the cosmic artisan who re-orders what has been distorted and guards the client’s ‘design’ (life-plan) toward continuity.
Psychosomatic release: reduces fear/constraint; restores vitality through ‘heat’ (agni) and re-integration (viśvakarman).
Counters hostile gaze/intent; unbinds fetters and stabilizes household lineage-protection (prajā).
4 pādas with triṣṭubh tendency; some Atharvanic irregularities due to conjuncts and accentual phrasing.
Mixed triṣṭubh with occasional hyper/defective syllables typical of AVŚ pragmatic diction.
Forward-driving, ‘pursuit-and-release’ rhythm: first half depicts tracking; second half snaps into liberation via pra- verbs.
Chanted with emphasis on pra mumoktu to enact ‘cutting’ and on saṃrarāṇaḥ to seal protection.
The Atharvan priest seats the client facing the domestic fire (or establishes a small fire if required by the rite).
A cord/bond (real or symbolic) is placed upon or near the client to represent the binding; alternatively, an existing fetter is touched as the locus of the spell.
While reciting the mantra, the priest performs a loosening gesture: untying a knot, drawing the cord away, or passing it off the body from head to foot to ‘remove’ constraint.
The priest then directs the apotropaic force outward: a forward casting motion (prá-) toward the imagined pursuers/watchers, signifying Agni’s precedence in unbinding them (i.e., neutralizing their agency).
A concluding protective act is performed for ‘prajā’: touching the client’s navel/loins or household emblem (as lineage-seat), or giving a blessing formula, to seal the restoration of increase and continuity.
Kauśika Sūtra: bandha-mocana / rakṣā-karman context (exact sutra numbering varies by edition; applied in rites for releasing from bonds and countering hostile ‘dṛṣṭi’/anvīkṣaṇa).
Atharvan/Brahman as bandha-mocaka and rakṣin: he identifies the hostile ‘watchers,’ transfers/neutralizes their intent, and ritually effects release through untying and fire-mediated protection.
Unknotting a cord around the client’s wrist/waist while reciting; fumigation or lamp-flame before the person to ‘burn off’ hostile gaze.
Dawn or at first lighting of the household fire; also immediately upon release from detention or after ominous ‘being watched’ experiences.
Atharvan priest (or senior household reciter) performs untying and protective sealing; may tie a fresh protective cord afterward.
General bandhana-mocana prayogas are treated in Kauśika; exact sūtra for AVŚ 2.34.3 requires collation with Kauśika anukramaṇī mapping.
Recite while consciously relaxing the body and releasing clenched hands; light a small flame/candle safely as Agni-focus.
bond/fetter (bandha) as the operative symbol of constraint; fire (Agni) as purifier and unbinder; progeny (prajā) as a protective life-force and social continuity marker
Implicit: ‘bond/fetter’ (bandha) as operative object; may be physically handled/untied in rite.
Agni explicit (purifying, unbinding fire).
The physical knot/rope externalizes constraint; fire is the transformative solvent; prajā is the re-seeded future that prevents relapse into vulnerability.
Bondage-affliction (bandhana): paralysis by fear, bewitchment, confinement, coercive control; also ‘evil eye’/hostile attention.
Apotropaic reversal: naming the watchers, invoking Agni to sever the binding, then Viśvakarman to rebuild protective vitality (prajā).
Agni as metabolic/psychic fire: restoring agni counters heaviness (kapha-tamas) and stagnation; ‘bandha’ parallels granthi/saṅga (obstruction).
Trauma-related hypervigilance, coercive control, anxiety from surveillance; ‘release’ practice as cognitive-emotional unbinding and safety re-establishment.
Client/person under constraint (literal prisoner or magically bound).
Unbinding and de-activation of hostile tracking (mind/eye), followed by protective reconstitution of life and lineage-strength.
Bandha-mocana by verbal identification + divine untying (pra-muc) + sealing with guardianship (saṃrarāṇa) and prajā-blessing.
Hostile watchers, envy/evil-eye, binding spells, coercion.
Progeny/continuity; household safety.
- बध्यमान (badhyamāna)
- psychic/ritual constraint; imposed limitation; binding-spell (bandhana)
- अनु दीध्याना (anu dīdhyānāḥ)
- hostile fixation; sustained will that ‘feeds’ a binding
- मनसा चक्षुषा (manasā cakṣuṣā)
- inner and outer surveillance; envy/evil-eye and mental projection
- अग्निः (agniḥ)
- purifier, opener of knots, catalytic truth
- प्र मुमोक्तु (pra mumoktu)
- decisive release; cutting the bandha at the root
- विश्वकर्मा (viśvakarmā)
- restoration of order; re-weaving fate/social body
- प्रजया (prajayā)
- life-force, continuity, social protection, renewed future
Release from internalized surveillance; ignite inner Agni to dissolve constriction; visualize Viśvakarman re-weaving a safe life-pattern.
Maṇipūra (Agni/transformative heat) and Mūlādhāra (safety, continuity).
Exhale-lengthening (e.g., 4-in/6-out) on pra mumoktu; brief kapalabhāti is optional only if steady and not anxious-prone.
A rope dissolving into sparks; then a golden lattice forming around the body like a protective blueprint.
From contracted vigilance to grounded clarity.
Recite 11 or 21 times; after each cycle relax jaw/eyes (countering cakṣuṣā), then place hand on navel (Agni) and lower abdomen (prajā continuity) for a few breaths.
Use AVŚ udātta/anudātta/svarita as transmitted; stress key releases: प्र मुमोक्तु, प्रजया, संररा॒णः.
Keep udātta peaks clear on dīdhyānāḥ/anvaikṣanta; do not flatten pra- compounds (pra mumoktu).
Steady, warm, slightly forceful on release-phrases; soften on prajā saṃrarāṇaḥ.
Pairing Agni (cutting) + Viśvakarman (rebuilding) is characteristic: end with a short silence to ‘seal’ the new order.
11 times
Feeling ‘bound’ by fear, coercion, legal/administrative entanglement, hostile attention, or persistent bad luck after being watched/envied.
Before confronting controlling situations; after returning home from hostile environments; during recovery after confinement or intimidation.
Sense of release, reduced hypervigilance, improved safety-confidence; symbolic restoration of continuity/prospects.
Not a substitute for legal/medical help in cases of abuse, imprisonment, or severe anxiety; use fire safely.
No explicit herb appears in this verse; the operative ‘substance’ is instead the bond itself (bandha) and Agni as the transforming medium. In Atharvanic therapeutics, such non-botanical ‘material anchors’ (cords, knots, fetters) function like pharmacological carriers: the mantra targets the constraint by acting upon its physical proxy, while Agni supplies purification and irreversible separation.
The verse presumes a world where coercion can be enacted by social actors through surveillance (‘with mind and eye’) and by ritualized binding. Relief is obtained not by civic authority but by priestly technology invoking high deities (Agni, Viśvakarman). The emphasis on ‘prajā’ frames wellbeing in lineage terms, reflecting household-centered social value and the priest’s role in safeguarding reproductive and patrimonial continuity.
The diction is strongly RV-like (Agni as releaser; Viśvakarman as cosmic agent), but the Atharvanic pragmatic framing is prominent: the hostile ‘watchers’ and the dual instrumentality of mind/eye align with AV’s developed vocabulary of apotropaic psychology. The verb anváikṣ- (‘watch, spy out’) and the explicit pairing of mental and ocular agency foreground a more ‘forensic’ magical anthropology than typical RV praise-hymn contexts.
Gopatha Brahmana characteristically rationalizes Atharvanic mantras through bandhu (correspondence): bonds are disorder; Agni is the principle that separates and purifies; Viśvakarman re-establishes form and completeness. Efficacy is thus grounded in cosmic maintenance: unbinding is not merely social release but restoration of ṛta-like order, with ‘prajā’ as the visible sign that the client’s integrity and auspicious continuity have been re-secured.
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