Sukta 70

Kind of hymn

Paustika (Cattle/Household prosperity); Apotropaic/Practical veterinary charm

What it is for

A cow that is rejecting or neglecting her calf becomes steadily attached, follows it, and nurses it reliably.

Who it is for

Householders, herdsmen, dairy-keepers, and Atharvanic practitioners performing practical rites for livestock welfare.

Also used as

• Bhaisajya (practical veterinary/animal-care)
• Shantika (pacifying refusal/agitation)
• Bandhana (compulsion/attachment formula)

The deity

Aghnyā is the inviolable cow as a sacral, life-sustaining being; in this hymn she is addressed as a mother whose attention can be ritually ‘fastened’ to her calf. The operative power is bandhana applied to manas—compelling fixation, attachment, and following behavior.

Powers of the deity

• Binds and stabilizes attention (manas) toward a chosen object
• Restores maternal bonding and nursing
• Induces following/returning behavior (anugamana)
• Protects household prosperity through cattle well-being

Why the deity is called

To compel the cow’s mind and affection to settle firmly on her calf so she accepts it, follows it, and gives milk without refusal.

The seer

• Atharvanic household tradition (anādeśya/anonymous charm lineage)Atharvan. Domestic and cattle-charms (paustika), especially bandhana-type ‘mind-binding’ formulas used for nursing, return, attachment, and protection of livestock.

Other hymns of this seer

• AV 6.69 (cattle/domestic prosperity charm corpus-adjacent)
• AV 6.71 (household/veterinary charm corpus-adjacent)
• AV 6.72 (paustika-style domestic charm corpus-adjacent)

Preparing for the rite

• Bring cow and calf together in a calm enclosure; restrain gently if needed.
• Purify speech and intention (brief ācamana or silent centering); face the pair.
• Optionally mark/trace the calf’s track near the cow to emphasize ‘following’ imagery.

The rite

• Recite each mantra with the refrain clearly, directing the words toward the cow’s head/ears.
• After each recitation, guide the calf to the udder; maintain close contact until suckling begins.
• Repeat the refrain as a ‘binding’ formula while the cow sniffs/licks the calf, reinforcing acceptance.

What it needs

• Symbolic ‘binding’ supports drawn from the hymn’s imagery (optional): a small piece of wheel-wood/cord as a token of fastening; dust from the calf’s track (pada)
• No required medicinal herb is specified; the hymn works primarily by verbal compulsion (mantra-bandhana).

When

At first refusal to nurse; ideally immediately after calving or when reuniting separated cow and calf.

Amulets

• A simple binding-cord or small wheel-wood token (symbolic of pradhi/upadhi/nabhya fastening)
• Dust/earth from the calf’s footprint-track (pada) as a ‘following’ token

How it is prepared

Keep the token/cord near the cow’s head or tie loosely to the stall-post while reciting; if using track-dust, touch it lightly to the cow’s muzzle as the refrain is spoken (symbolic reinforcement, not a required pharmacological step).