Atharva Veda 3.22.2: Kanda 3, Anuvaka 3, Sukta 22, Mantra 2
Sukta 22
मि॒त्रश्च॒ वरु॑ण॒श्चेन्द्रो॑ रु॒द्रश्च॑ चेततु । दे॒वासो॑ वि॒श्वधा॑यस॒स्ते मा॑ञ्जन्तु॒ वर्च॑सा
mitráś ca váruṇaś céndro rudráś ca cetatu | devā́so viśvá-dhāyasaḥ té māñjantu várcasā ||
May Mitra and Varuṇa, and Indra and Rudra, give heed. May the Gods, sustainers of the whole, anoint me with splendour.
ขอให้มิตร (Mitra) และวรุณะ (Varuṇa) ทั้งอินทระ (Indra) และรุทระ (Rudra) สดับฟัง. ขอให้เหล่าเทพผู้ค้ำจุนสรรพสิ่ง เจิมข้าพเจ้าด้วยรัศมี (varcas).
Rishi: Atharvanic (Anukramaṇī uncertain/variable)
Devata: Mitra-Varuṇa, Indra, Rudra; collectively Devāḥ
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (probable; two pādas with compact cadence)
Primary: vira
Secondary: shanta
Sāyaṇa takes cetatu as ‘prabodhyatām/anujānantu’—let them become attentive and consenting. māñjantu is read in the concrete ritual sense: ‘let them smear/anoint’, i.e., confer visible lustre and authority, as if polishing a surface to shine.
Divine attention and consent, culminating in ritual anointing with splendour
Varcas ↔ tejas/ojas; anointing suggests snehana (uncting) as strengthening and calming.
Performance readiness ritual; confidence priming; somatic anchoring via self-anointing/grooming.
paustika
Self (petitioner)
Obtain divine attention and be ritually anointed with splendour/charisma.
Deity-witness invocation + unction (māñjana) as sympathetic embodiment of radiance.
Social undermining, fear, loss of presence
Prestige, success, leadership
Calls Mitra, Varuṇa, Indra, and Rudra to attend; then asks the all-sustaining gods to anoint the speaker with splendour (várchas).
A psychological ‘authorization’ sequence: first, attention and consent of order (Mitra-Varuṇa), power (Indra), and fierce protection/medicine (Rudra); then an embodied sealing through anointing—integrating social harmony, strength, and boundary-protection into one radiant self-state.
Lasting charisma is not mere display; it is sanctioned by alignment (ethics/order), capacity (strength), and protection (boundaries). When these ‘agree’, one’s presence naturally shines.
- Mitra-Varuṇa (मित्र-वरुण)
- social contract, truth, order, trustworthiness
- Indra (इन्द्र)
- agency, victory, confidence
- Rudra (रुद्र)
- protective intensity; medicine that can both wound and heal
- viśvadhāyasaḥ (विश्वधायसः)
- total support-system; the world’s holding power
- māñjantu (माञ्जन्तु)
- ritual sealing; embodiment of radiance
- várchas (वर्चस्)
- charisma, tejas, protective glow
Integrating order (Mitra-Varuṇa), power (Indra), and protective boundaries (Rudra) into a single radiant presence.
Maṇipūra (tejas) with protective framing in Anāhata
Steady ujjāyī (gentle) for composure; exhale on ‘māñjantu’.
A thin layer of golden unguent spreads over the skin as a protective sheen; four guardians stand at the quarters.
Composed readiness
Before action, align speech with truth (Mitra-Varuṇa), posture with strength (Indra), and boundaries with clarity (Rudra); then proceed.
Crisp deity-names; slight pause after each pair; smoother on ‘te māñjantu varcasā’.
Keep ‘cetatu’ as the attention-pivot; land clearly on ‘māñjantu’.
Mitra/Varuṇa: dental t, retroflex ṇ in Varuṇa., Indro: maintain sandhi if chanting in saṃhitā style., Rudra: clear dr cluster., viśvadhāyasaḥ: articulate dhāy (dh + āy).
Bright, confident, forward tone; avoid shouting.
Most effective when synchronized with the physical act of anointing; the final word ‘varcasā’ is treated as the sealing point.
11
Preparing for interviews, exams, leadership decisions, public speaking, conflict mediation.
Immediately before stepping into a public or demanding role; after bathing/grooming.
Composed confidence, clearer boundaries, improved social poise; sense of protection and authorization.
Use ethically; avoid as a tool for manipulation; if allergic to oils, perform symbolic anointing (touching forehead with clean water).
पदच्छेदः: मित्रः च वरुणः च इन्द्रः रुद्रः च चेततु । देवासः विश्वधायसः ते मा आञ्जन्तु वर्चसा । सन्धिः: (1) मित्रश्च = मित्रः + च (विसर्गस्य श्-आदेशः) (2) वरुणश्च = वरुणः + च (विसर्गस्य श्-आदेशः) (3) चेन्द्रः = च + इन्द्रः (अ + इ → ए) (4) रुद्रश्च = रुद्रः + च (विसर्गस्य श्-आदेशः) (5) देवासो = देवासः (पदपाठे विसर्गः; संहितायां ओ-रूपं) (6) विश्वधायसस्ते = विश्वधायसः + ते (विसर्गलोपः/सन्धिः) (7) मा॑ञ्जन्तु = मा + आञ्जन्तु (आगम-दीर्घः; आ-प्रारम्भे संधिः)
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