Atharva Veda 20.4.2: Kanda 20, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 4, Mantra 2
Sukta 4
आ ते॑ सिञ्चामि कु॒क्ष्योरनु॒ गात्रा॒ वि धा॑वतु । गृ॒भा॒य जि॒ह्वया॒ मधु॑
ā té siñcāmi kukṣyór ánu gā́trā ví dhāvatu | gṛbhā́ya jihváyā mádhu
For thee I pour it into the belly; may it run, spreading through the limbs. Seize thou, with thy tongue, the sweet draught.
เรารินสิ่งนั้นให้แก่ท่านลงสู่ท้อง; ขอให้มันไหลแล่น แผ่ไปตามอวัยวะทั้งปวง. จงใช้ลิ้นคว้าเอาน้ำดื่มอันหวานนั้นเถิด.
The meaning
What it says
The offerer pours Soma ‘into’ the deity’s belly; it is wished to run through the limbs; the deity is urged to seize the sweet draught with the tongue.
The inner meaning
A vivid psychosomatic script: let nourishment be fully received, digested, and distributed. The ‘tongue’ is discernment/acceptance; the ‘limbs’ are capacities—let the chosen energy permeate all functions.
The truth in it
What is truly taken in (accepted) must circulate through the whole being to become power; partial reception yields partial results.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Śrauta-Soma (offering/acceptance formula; embodied ingestion imagery)
Its aim
To effect the deity’s full acceptance and internalization of Soma, maximizing the return of strength and boon to the sacrificer
Word by Word
Pada patha
आ । ते॑ । सि॒ञ्चा॒मि॒ । कु॒क्ष्योः । अ॒नु॒ । गात्रा॑ । वि । धा॑वतु । गृ॒भा॒य । जि॒ह्वया॑ । मधु॑ ।
- आ
- towards; hitherhither/into; marks the act of pouring as directed toward the deityIndeclinableउपसर्ग/निपात (क्रियाविशेषक)Root आ (उपसर्ग) / आ (अव्यय)
- ते
- to youto thee/for thee; the deity addressed (Indra in context)Pronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी एकवचन (enclitic ‘te’ = ‘to/for you’ or ‘of you’; here dative)Role SampradānaRoot युष्मद्
- सिञ्चामि
- I pour; I sprinkleI pour/sprinkle; the priest’s performative act of libationVerbलट्, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRoot √सिच् (सिञ्चति)
- कुक्ष्योः
- in the two flanks/belliesinto the belly/sides; i.e., for filling/satiating the deityNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी/सप्तमी द्विवचन (here locative dual: ‘in/at the two bellies/flanks’)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot कुक्षि-
- अनु
- along; followingalong, following; indicates pervasion/spreadingIndeclinableअव्यय (क्रियाविशेषक)Root अनु (अव्यय/उपसर्ग)
- गात्रा
- the limbs; the body-partsthe limbs/body; the drink is imagined to course through the whole frameNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot गात्र-
- वि
- apart; widely; forthapart, widely; intensifier of spreading/pervadingIndeclinableउपसर्ग (क्रियाविशेषक)Root वि (उपसर्ग)
- धावतु
- let it run/flowlet it run/stream; optative/jussive: may the draught course throughVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRoot √धाव् (धावति)
- गृभाय
- to grasp; to seizeseize! take hold!; imperative urging the deity to grasp/acceptVerbal formतुमर्थे दातिव-प्रत्ययान्त (वेदिक infinitive), ‘to seize/hold’Role Prayojana (purpose)Root √ग्रह्/गृभ् (गृह्णाति/गृभ्णाति) → गृभाय (वेद. infinitive)
- जिह्वया
- with the tonguewith the tongue; organ of tasting/acceptanceNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot जिह्वा-
- मधु
- honey; sweetnesssweetness, honey; here the sweet Soma-draught (pleasant, invigorating)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन (here object: accusative)Role KarmaRoot मधु-
Sandhi Notes
- आ | ते | सिञ्चामि | कुक्ष्योः | अनु | गात्रा | वि | धावतु | गृभाय | जिह्वया | मधु ।
- 1) ‘कुक्ष्योरनु’ = ‘कुक्ष्योः अनु’ (विसर्ग-लोपः/सन्ध्यभावः; पदपाठे पृथक्).
- 2) ‘गात्रा वि’ = ‘गात्रा | वि’ (पदविभाग; संहितायां केवलं संयोगः).
- 3) ‘धा॑वतु’ लोट्-रूपं
- ‘वि’ उपसर्गः क्रियायाः ‘धावतु’ इत्यनेन संबध्यते (‘वि-धावतु’ = ‘let it flow/spread out’)
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- RV-tradition attribution
- Devata
- Indra (by immediate hymn context)
- Chandas
- Hymnic meter likely Triṣṭubh/Jagatī; exact determination requires full stanza context
- Rasa
- Adbhuta and Shanta
Sāyaṇa takes ‘siñcāmi’ as the actual libation/pouring of Soma; the imagery of coursing through belly and limbs signifies complete satiation and energizing. ‘gṛbhāya’ is an urging to accept the offering; ‘madhu’ is Soma as sweet, exhilarating essence.
Unknown (RV-derived; Indra Soma context)
Embodied offering language; ensuring full ‘acceptance’ of oblation and maximal boon-return.
Transforms ritual ingestion into a model for inner practice: receive fully, digest, and let power pervade life.
Indra (contextual)
Receives Soma to amplify vīrya; then acts as remover of obstacles and giver of strength.
Symbolic strengthening of digestion/assimilation (agni) and vitality (ojas) through the Soma paradigm.
Strengthened Indra implies stronger protection against obstruction and adversarial forces.
Two cola with vivid verbs (siñcāmi, vidhāvatu, gṛbhāya).
Pragmatic excerpting for ritual moment: emphasis on action-verbs rather than full stanza symmetry.
Flowing and kinetic; mimics spreading liquid through ‘gātrā’.
Somatic suggestion—listeners ‘feel’ circulation and fullness.
As Soma is poured/served (conceptually to the deity), the reciter utters ‘ā te siñcāmi…’ synchronizing speech with the libation act.
The jussive ‘vi dhāvatu’ frames the desired internal effect: complete pervasion/satiation.
The imperative ‘gṛbhāya’ accompanies the moment of offering acceptance (presentation at the fire/ritual vessel), while the Brahman oversees correctness.
Vaitāna Sūtra (Soma offering acts; pouring/portioning accompanied by mantras).
Adhvaryu-like action (pouring) is mirrored in the mantra’s first person; Brahman/Atharvan ensures the act is ritually ‘safe’ and efficacious.
Recite before taking tonic/medicine/food for recovery, visualizing the remedy spreading through the body; can be used as a ‘blessing of nourishment’.
Before the first bite/sip; during convalescence; after fasting.
Householder as self-officiant; optionally a family elder recites for the patient.
Pair with warm, simple nourishment (gruel, milk, honey-water if appropriate) as a Soma-analogue.
Soma (sweet madhu); Tongue (jihvā as acceptance-organ); Body/limbs (gātrā as total pervasion)
Soma-as-madhu is ‘pleasant potency’: power that is willingly received. Belly and limbs encode the full metabolic circuit—intake → digestion → distribution.
Debility/poor assimilation (symbolic; not a named disease in the verse)
kukṣi (belly), jihvā (tongue), gātrā (limbs)
Autosuggestive ‘distribution’ imagery: supports the notion of complete nourishment and systemic circulation (ojas/vyāna).
Agni (digestive fire) and ojas formation; vyāna-vāyu as distributing principle; madhu as sattvic potency (symbolic).
Mindful eating/ingestion cues; guided imagery for gut–brain regulation and embodied relaxation.
Deity’s acceptance; sacrificer’s strength as outcome
Ensure full acceptance and internalization of the offering so the deity’s boon-return is maximized; secondarily, model complete assimilation for the sacrificer.
Imitative magic (liquid pervading limbs) + imperative to the organ of acceptance (tongue) + sweetness as binding/attracting quality.
Partial offering, ritual ‘non-acceptance’, weakness from incomplete nourishment
Strength, success, vitality
- सिञ्चामि (siñcāmi)
- intentional investment; deliberate feeding of what one wants to strengthen
- कुक्ष्योः (kukṣyoḥ)
- center of assimilation; digestion of experience into strength
- गात्रा (gātrā)
- totality of faculties; distributed competence
- जिह्वया (jihvayā)
- acceptance, taste, discernment; the gateway of consent
- मधु (madhu)
- pleasant potency; bliss that empowers rather than dulls
Assimilation: receive nourishment/experience fully and let it distribute evenly through life.
manipura
moderate
A warm golden liquid enters the belly, then branches as light through arms/legs/spine; tongue as a gate that ‘accepts’.
Embodied, grounded awareness with gentle vitality.
Chant 3 or 7 times before meals when rebuilding strength; eat slowly, maintaining the image of even distribution (no ‘stuck’ places).
Flowing recitation; slightly lengthen long vowels in siñcāmi, dhāvatu, jihvayā.
Emphasize action verbs: siñcā́mi / ví dhā́vatu / gṛbhā́ya; and body terms kukṣyóḥ, gā́trā.
Warm, nourishing tone; not martial.
Works well as ‘medicine mantra’ because it provides a complete ingestion-distribution script; keep attention in belly while chanting.
7 times
Recovery, building strength, improving digestion/assimilation, or making nourishment feel ‘effective’.
Before medicine/tonic; before meals in convalescence; after stress that disrupts appetite.
Greater calm around eating, improved sense of nourishment, steadier energy; enhanced compliance with healing regimen.
Not a replacement for medical care; avoid honey for infants; follow dietary restrictions for conditions like diabetes.
The mantra maps Soma’s ingestion onto a bodily physiology (belly → limbs), turning the plant-drink into a totalizing energizer. This is a ritualized ‘somatic technology’ rather than a medical prescription.
The first-person ‘I pour’ presumes an authorized ritual agent whose speech and action jointly compel divine consumption; efficacy is monopolized by trained officiants within patronized sacrifice.
The imagery and lexicon (siñc-, kukṣi, gātra, jihvā, madhu) are strongly RV. The tight coupling of deictic particles and imperatives is typical of archaic ritual diction.
Gopatha’s emphasis on mantra as operative force aligns with the verse’s performativity: the spoken ‘pouring’ and ‘seizing’ are not descriptions but causative operators that secure acceptance and thus the boon.
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