Sukta 136
Rishi: Atharvanic (unspecified in input)
Devata: Oṣadhi (the Herb) and Pṛthivī (Earth-goddess)
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (probable)
อถรรพเวท 6.136 เป็นมนตร์รักษาอันสั้น ที่ยกย่องสมุนไพรซึ่งมิได้ระบุชื่อว่า “กำเนิดบนพระแม่ธรณี” แล้วนำมาทา/ประพรมเพื่อยึดให้ผมมั่นคง ทำให้หนาแน่น และให้เกิดใหม่ บทสวดดำเนินจากการถอนพืชด้วยความเคารพ ไปสู่ถ้อยคำสั่งตรงให้ผมแน่นแข็งและงอกขึ้นใหม่ และลงท้ายด้วยการประพรม/ชโลมยาสมุนไพร “รักษาสารพัด” เพื่อป้องกันผมร่วงและผมขาดเปราะ
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
केशदृंहणम्। दे॒वी दे॒व्यामधि॑ जा॒ता पृ॑थि॒व्याम॑स्योषधे । तां त्वा॑ नितत्नि॒ केशे॑भ्यो॒ दृंह॑णाय खनामसि
(คาถา) เสริมความแข็งแรงแก่เส้นผม: โอ้เทวี ผู้บังเกิดเหนือเทวี ในแผ่นดินนี้—โอ้โอสถ (โอษธิ) เจ้าเป็นเช่นนั้น เราขุดเจ้า—ผู้แผ่ไพศาล—ขึ้นมา เพื่อความมั่นคงแข็งแรงแก่เส้นผม
Mantra 2
दृंह॑ प्र॒त्नान् ज॒नयाजा॑तान् जा॒तानु॒ वर्षी॑यसस्कृधि
จงทำสิ่งเก่าแก่ให้มั่นคง; จงให้สิ่งที่ยังไม่เกิดได้ถือกำเนิด; และสิ่งที่เกิดแล้วนั้น จงทำให้เป็นไปตามกาล ให้ยืนยาวยิ่งขึ้นและอุดมยิ่งขึ้น.
Mantra 3
यस्ते॒ केशो॑ऽव॒पद्य॑ते॒ समू॑लो॒ यश्च॑ वृ॒श्चते॑ । इ॒दं तं वि॒श्वभे॑षज्या॒भि षि॑ञ्चामि वी॒रुधा॑
เส้นผมของท่านที่หลุดร่วง—ทั้งที่ถูกดึงออกพร้อมราก และที่ถูกตัดออก—ความวิบัตินั้นเอง ข้าพเจ้าพรมรดด้วย “โอสถรักษาสรรพโรค” และพรมรดด้วยพืชสมุนไพรอันทรงฤทธิ์ (vīrudhā).
Inside Sukta 136
How it unfolds
- How it opens
The herb is hailed as a goddess ‘born upon the Goddess’—Earth—establishing sanctity and legitimacy of vegetal power.
- What it asks
Strengthen the hair, firm what already exists, beget what is not yet present, and make growth enduring and abundant.
- Where its power lies
The mantra frames the plant as ‘all-healing’ (viśvabheṣajya) whose application directly counters the specific harm—hair falling with the root or being cut/broken.
- How it closes
The rite concludes with an act of besprinkling/unction using the potent plant, sealing the cure through tangible application.
Famous verses
केशदृंहणम् (keśadṛṃhaṇam) / ‘born upon the Goddess Earth’विश्वभेषज्या (viśvabheṣajyā)Kind of hymn
Bhaisajya (Healing) / Strikarmāṇi (Cosmetic/Body rites) (hair-strengthening)
What it is for
To prevent hair loss, strengthen hair at the roots, and promote new, lasting, abundant hair growth through mantra-empowered herbal application.
Who it is for
Householders and ritual specialists (Atharvanic practitioners) performing domestic healing/cosmetic rites for anyone experiencing hair-fall or wishing to enhance hair strength and growth.
Also used as
- Strikarmāṇi (cosmetic/body rite)
- Paustika (nourishing/augmenting effect; secondary)
The deity
The hymn treats the medicinal plant as a living goddess whose potency is grounded in Pṛthivī, the generative matrix that bears and empowers herbs. “Viśvabheṣajya” functions as the plant’s universal curative force, able to counter loss and restore integrity at the root.
Powers of the deity
- Dṛṃhaṇa: making firm/strong (rooting and thickening hair)
- Janana: generating what is not yet born (stimulating new hair growth)
- Vardhana: increasing longevity/abundance of what exists (sustained growth)
- Bheṣajya: healing and reversing damage (hair-fall, breakage, shorn loss)
- Śamana: calming/neutralizing the ‘mischief’ causing loss (doṣa-like disturbance)
Why the deity is called
Invoked to sanctify the act of digging up and applying the herb, and to command the plant-power to secure existing hair, regenerate new strands, and stop loss from the root or by cutting.
The seer
- Atharvanic (anonymous seer)Atharvan. Bhaiṣajya-mantras (healing charms) and strī/śarīra-karmāṇi (body-care rites), especially plant-based applications for strengthening, growth, and protection of bodily parts.
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 6.135 (adjacent bhaiṣajya/cosmetic-style charm in the same kanda cluster; edition-dependent)
- AV 6.137 (adjacent medicinal charm; edition-dependent)
- AV 2.31 (representative Atharvanic oṣadhi-type healing hymn; attribution varies by recension/edition)
Preparing for the rite
- Select a potent oṣadhi (unnamed in the hymn) from clean ground; approach with a respectful intention toward Pṛthivī.
- Prepare clean water for sprinkling or an herbal infusion/paste (as locally transmitted in practice).
- Seat the person; part/arrange hair so the scalp (root area) can be touched or sprinkled.
The rite
- Recite 6.136.1 while digging up/extracting the herb (khanana) and dedicating it ‘for hair-strengthening’ (keśa-dṛṃhaṇa).
- Recite 6.136.2 while preparing/applying the herb to the scalp/hair roots, verbally commanding firmness, new generation, and lasting abundance.
- Recite 6.136.3 while sprinkling (abhi-siñc) the treated area with the plant-juice/infusion as ‘viśvabheṣajya,’ targeting hair that falls from the root or is broken/shorn.
What it needs
- Oṣadhi (unnamed medicinal herb/plant)
- Earth/soil context (Pṛthivī invoked as source; optionally a pinch of clean earth)
- Water for sprinkling or as a medium for infusion
- Optional: simple paste/juice expressed from the plant (vīrudh)
When
Preferably in the morning after bathing, or at a regular grooming time; can be repeated over several days for reinforcement.
The main substance
Oṣadhi / Vīrúdh (an efficacious medicinal plant used for hair-strengthening)
Herbs
- Unspecified oṣadhi for keśa-dṛṃhaṇa (hair-firming)
- Vīrúdh understood as a potent creeper/plant used as a universal remedy (viśvabheṣajya)
How it is prepared
Dig up the plant with care; express juice or make a simple paste/infusion with clean water; apply to hair roots and/or sprinkle the scalp while reciting the mantras in sequence.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a short Atharvavedic healing charm used to strengthen hair at the roots, reduce hair-fall, and encourage new, lasting growth through an empowered herb application.
The main power is Oṣadhi (the medicinal herb) grounded in Pṛthivī (Earth-goddess). The hymn also names the plant’s curative force as viśvabheṣajya, the “all-healing remedy.”
The hymn describes digging up the plant for hair-strengthening, then applying it to the scalp/hair roots and finally sprinkling or wetting the affected area with the plant remedy while reciting the verses.
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