Atharva Veda 5.30.2: Kanda 5, Anuvaka 3, Sukta 30, Mantra 2
Sukta 30
यत् त्वा॑भिचे॒रुः पुरु॑षः॒ स्वो यदर॑णो॒ जनः॑ । उ॒न्मो॒च॒न॒प्र॒मो॒च॒ने उ॒भे वा॒चा व॑दामि ते
yát tvā́bhicerúḥ púruṣaḥ svó yád áraṇo jánaḥ | unmócanapramócané ubhé vācā́ vadāmi te ||
Whatsoever man hath wrought sorcery against thee—be he thine own, or be he alien folk— for unbinding and for full release I speak to thee the twofold spell with speech.
หากผู้ใดทำไสยเวททำร้ายท่าน (abhicāra)—จะเป็นคนของท่านเองหรือคนต่างถิ่นก็ตาม—เพื่อการคลายพันธะและการปลดปล่อยโดยสิ้นเชิง ข้ากล่าวคาถาสองชั้นนี้แก่ท่านด้วยวาจา.
The meaning
What it says
A counter-sorcery formula: whatever bewitchment has been practiced—by kin or outsider—the speaker utters a twofold spell for unbinding (unmocana) and complete release (pramocana).
The inner meaning
Names the social reality of harm (even from one’s own) and restores agency: the person is released from internalized fear, suspicion, and the ‘knot’ of suggestion.
The truth in it
Harm often arrives through relationships and words; healing also comes through words that disentangle and restore freedom.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Bhaisajya (counter-sorcery) / Abhicarika countermeasure
Its aim
To undo bewitchment regardless of whether the aggressor is kin or stranger, by a two-stage verbal ‘unbinding’ and ‘full release.’
Word by Word
Pada patha
यत् । त्वा॒ । अ॒भि॒चे॒रुः । पुरु॑षः । स्वः । यत् । अ॒र॒णः । जनः॑ । उ॒न्मो॒च॒न॒प्र॒मो॒च॒ने । उ॒भे । वा॒चा । व॒दा॒मि॒ । ते॒ ।
- यत्
- because/that whichwhatever (relative: any case whatsoever)Indeclinableसम्बन्धार्थक-अव्यय (यत् = ‘यद् कारणेन/यत्…तत्’)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) / यत् (सम्बन्ध-निपात)
- त्वा
- you (as object)thee (the patient/target of bewitchment)Pronounद्वितीया-एकवचन (एनक्लिटिक रूप)Role KarmaRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अभिचेरुः
- they practiced (sorcery) against / they assailedhave practised sorcery against, have bewitched (abhicāra: hostile ritual attack)Verbलिट् (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपदRole KartāRoot चर् (धातु) + अभि- (उपसर्ग)
- पुरुषः
- a mana man, some person (agent of sorcery; human adversary)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचनRole KartāRoot पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
- स्वः
- one’s own (kinsman)one’s own (kinsman/insider; ‘even a familiar’ as possible aggressor)Adjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचनRole KartāRoot स्व (प्रातिपदिक; ‘स्व/स्वीय’)
- यत्
- or if/that whichor if (again: alternative case)Indeclinableसम्बन्धार्थक-अव्ययRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) / यत् (सम्बन्ध-निपात)
- अरणः
- a stranger/outsidera stranger, alien, outsider (non-kin aggressor)Adjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचनRole KartāRoot अरण (प्रातिपदिक; ‘अपरिचित/अन्य’)
- जनः
- a personperson, folk (the hostile party in general)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचनRole KartāRoot जन (प्रातिपदिक)
- उन्मोचनप्रमोचने
- in (the rites of) unbinding and full releasefor unbinding and full release (technical pair: loosening bonds of sorcery and removing their residue)Noun (compound)नपुंसकलिङ्ग (समाहार-द्वन्द्व/समुच्चय-समास), सप्तमी/द्विवचन-रूप (वेदिक प्रयोग: -e)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot उन्मोचन (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; उन्मुच्/मुच् ‘to release’ से) + प्रमोचन (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; प्र+मुच्)
- उभे
- bothPronoun/Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-द्विवचनRole KarmaRoot उभ (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- वाचा
- with speech/wordswith speech, by formula (mantric utterance as instrument)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot वाच् (प्रातिपदिक)
- वदामि
- I speakI speak, I utter (performative: the act effects release)Verbलट् (वर्तमान), उत्तम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole KartāRoot वद् (धातु)
- ते
- to you/for youfor thee, to thee (beneficiary)Pronounचतुर्थी-एकवचन (एनक्लिटिक)Role SampradānaRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- यत् + त्वा → यत् त्वा (पद-विभाग). त्वा॑भिचे॒रुः = त्वा + अभिचेरुः (स्वर-संहितायां संयोग). स्वो = स्वः (विसर्ग-लोप/ओकारादेशः पदान्ते). यदर॑णो = यत् + अरणः (त् + अ → द्/दकार-आदेशः; संहितायां ‘यद’). उन्मोचनप्रमोचने: समास-रूप
- वेदिक सप्तमी/द्विवचन-प्रत्यय ‘-e’ (क्लासिकल -योः अपेक्षया)
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic tradition
- Devata
- Vāc / the power of release (unmocana) rather than a single deity; implicitly opposed to Abhicāra
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta and Vira
Sāyaṇa reads abhiceruḥ as abhicāra-kṛtaḥ—hostile rites that ‘bind’ the victim. The contrast svá/áraṇa underscores that harm may come from kin or outsider. Unmocana/pramocana are treated as technical terms: first loosening the binding, then removing the remaining constraint; ubhé vācā indicates a paired formula (two utterances or a two-part speech-act) that accomplishes release.
Atharvanic (anonymous counter-charm seer)
Protective counter-charms (pratiṣedha) against abhicāra; ritual unbinding through vāc and simple domestic acts.
Embodies Atharvanic confidence that hostile magic is reversible: bonds are not fate; they can be untied by correct speech and rite.
Vāc as Unmocanī/Pramocanī (power of release)
Vāc orders reality; in Atharvan practice she also ‘cuts’ and ‘unties’ hostile constraints created by words, oaths, and intentions.
Relieves psychosomatic affliction attributed to bewitchment: fear, insomnia, wasting, agitation.
Creates a verbal shield that neutralizes hostile intent irrespective of source.
4×8 syllables (standard anuṣṭubh)
Formulaic compound ‘unmocana-pramocane’ compresses ritual logic into metrical space; typical Atharvan charm diction.
Balanced and juridical: identification of offender-types, then the release-act.
Creates certainty and closure—useful for breaking obsessive fear of being cursed.
Identify the patient as ‘bound’ (by symptoms or accusation) and seat them facing east.
Perform a symbolic untying: loosen a knot/cord on the patient or untie a substitute cord while reciting the verse.
Recite the ‘two speeches’ (ubhé vācā) as a paired utterance: first naming the binding (abhicāra), then declaring release (unmocana/pramocana).
Dispose of the loosened cord or knots away from the dwelling (often at a crossroads or flowing water) to externalize the removed constraint.
Kauśika Sūtra: unmocana rites (release from bonds/witchcraft), applied to AV 5.30; edition-dependent numbering.
Atharvan priest as counter-sorcerer and diagnostician: he neutralizes abhicāra by reversing its binding mechanism through paired recitation and untying.
Recite while untying a cord/knot near the patient; then retie a fresh protective thread as a seal.
At first suspicion of bewitchment; at dusk/night when fear peaks; repeated for three nights if needed.
Householder-healer or Atharvan specialist; emphasis on calm authority in speech.
KauśS (pratiṣedha/abhicāra-pratīkāra ‘unbinding’ actions; exact numbering varies)
Use as an anti-anxiety ritual script; combine with practical conflict resolution when ‘svaḥ’ (kin) is implicated.
vāc (speech as operative tool); unmocana/pramocana (conceptual ‘bonds’ of sorcery)
Implied untying of knots/cords; sometimes a protective thread is re-tied after release (contextual).
The ‘bond’ is conceptual (curse, fear, oath), but is treated as a tangible knot: untying makes the invisible reversible.
Afflictions attributed to bewitchment/evil eye/curse; anxiety-driven symptoms.
Verbal counteraction: naming the threat universally (kin/stranger) + performative release (unbinding).
Manas-doṣa pacification (rajas/tamas agitation); supportive to satvavajaya (mind-strengthening) style interventions.
Cognitive reframing + reassurance ritual; trauma-informed ‘safety script’ to reduce hypervigilance.
Person suspected to be bewitched; household under occult anxiety.
Undo and fully release the victim from any sorcery performed by anyone, close or distant.
Mocana (untying) through vāc; often paired with physical untying of a knot or loosening a binding (ritual mimicry).
Abhicāra, malicious speech, curse-oaths, envy.
- abhiceruḥ
- hostile intention, psychological attack, rumor/curse as social poison
- svaḥ / araṇaḥ janaḥ
- harm from intimacy vs. harm from outside; total coverage of threat-field
- unmocana
- removing the first knot:解除 the constraint/suggestion
- pramocana
- final liberation: no residue of fear/hex remains
- ubhe vācā
- paired formula: diagnosis + release; or curse-cutting + protection-sealing
- vāc
- pharmakon: word as medicine and magic
Release from imagined or real hostile intention; cultivating inner sovereignty.
Maṇipūra (agency) and Viśuddha (speech), optional.
Exhale-lengthening while mentally repeating ‘unmocana… pramocana…’ as a letting-go sequence.
Two knots dissolve: first loosens (unmocana), second fully falls away (pramocana); a clean boundary of light remains.
From contracted vigilance to relaxed clarity.
Speak slowly and distinctly; after chanting, sit in silence and note the felt sense of ‘unbound’ body and mind.
Even, declarative Atharvan recitation; keep compounds crisp; slight lift on ‘ubhe vācā’.
Mark the contrast ‘svaḥ… araṇaḥ’; dwell lightly on ‘unmocana-pramocane’ to enact the release.
Clear, confident, non-aggressive; ‘therapeutic authority’.
If using a cord, untie one knot on ‘unmocana’ and the second on ‘pramocana’, then discard the old cord away from the home.
11 times
Feeling ‘hexed,’ socially targeted, or trapped in fear after conflict; household experiencing repeated misfortune interpreted as abhicāra.
After a cleansing bath or before sleep; also before entering contentious social spaces.
Reduced fear, restored confidence, sense of protection and release.
If paranoia is severe or persistent, seek mental-health support; avoid escalating accusations against family/others.
Again, no herb is explicit; the ‘material’ correlate is the knot/cord used as a proxy for sorcerous binding. The mantra’s semantics (unmocana/pramocana) map directly onto a physical untying, producing a tight speech–gesture isomorphism.
It presumes a social world where misfortune is plausibly attributed to human ritual aggression, including from ‘one’s own.’ The Atharvan priest mediates intra-community suspicion by offering a standardized release technology that does not require naming the culprit.
The technical nominal pair unmocana/pramocana is more characteristic of Atharvanic ritual vocabulary than RV poetic diction, reflecting a move toward procedural terminology (release-operations) in domestic magic.
Gopatha’s emphasis on bandha/mokṣa as ritual primitives aligns with this verse’s two-step release. The ‘two speeches’ can be read as the formal completion of a rite: declaration of the problem and declaration of its removal, which Gopatha-style exegesis treats as constitutive of efficacy.
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