Atharva Veda 7.83.3: Kanda 7, Anuvaka 9, Sukta 83, Mantra 3
Sukta 83
उदु॑त्त॒मं व॑रुण॒ पाश॑म॒स्मदवा॑ध॒मं वि म॑ध्य॒मं श्र॑थाय । अधा॑ व॒यमा॑दित्य व्र॒ते तवाना॑गसो॒ अदि॑तये स्याम
úd úttamaṁ váruṇa pā́śam asmád ávā́dhamam ví madhyamáṁ śrathāya | áthā vayám ādítya vraté tavā́nāgaso áditaye syāma ||
Lift from us, O Varuṇa, the uppermost noose; cast away the nethermost; loosen, asunder, the middle. Then may we, O Āditya, in thy ordinance, guiltless, belong to Aditi—may we be for Freedom.
โอ้ วรุณะ โปรดยกบ่วงชั้นบนสุดออกจากเรา; โปรดสลัดทิ้งชั้นล่างสุด; โปรดคลายชั้นกลางให้แตกออก. แล้วโอ้ อาทิตยะ ในกฎวัตรของท่าน ขอให้เราปราศจากโทษ เป็นของอทิติ—ขอให้เราเป็นเพื่อเสรีภาพ.
The meaning
What it says
Varuṇa is asked to lift the uppermost noose, cast away the nethermost, and loosen the middle. Then, under the Āditya’s ordinance, the speakers may be guiltless and belong to Aditi (unbinding/freedom).
The inner meaning
A threefold release: conscious guilt (upper), unconscious fear (lower), and habitual tension (middle). The mind seeks to return to lawful order (vrata) without self-punishment, entering spaciousness (Aditi).
The truth in it
Healing and freedom often require loosening constrictions at multiple levels—moral, emotional, and somatic—so one can live in alignment without fear.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Bhaisajya / Apotropaic (release from Varuṇa’s bonds; expiation)
Its aim
To remove Varuṇa’s punitive fetters (interpretable as illness, curse, or juridical-moral constraint) and restore the client to guiltlessness within the divine ordinance.
Word by Word
Pada patha
उत् । उत्तमम् । वरुण । पाशम् । अस्मत् । अव । अधमम् । वि । मध्यमम् । श्रथाय । अथ । वयम् । आदित्य । व्रते । तव । अनागसः । अदितये । स्याम ।
- उत्
- up, out (prefix)up, out (a releasing motion; ‘lift off’ the bond)Indeclinableउपसर्ग (prefix)Root उत् (उपसर्ग) / ud-
- उत्तमम्
- the highest, uppermostAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक; तमप्-प्रत्ययान्त, उच्/उद्-तुलनार्थे से) / uttama
- वरुण
- O VaruṇaNounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRoot वरुण (प्रातिपदिक) / varuṇa
- पाशम्
- noose, bondNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot पाश (प्रातिपदिक) / pāśa
- अस्मत्
- from usPronounपञ्चमी, बहुवचन (अस्मत् = अस्मदः)Role ApādānaRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) / asmad
- अव
- down, away (prefix)down, away (removal; ‘cast down’ the lower bond)Indeclinableउपसर्ग (prefix)Root अव (उपसर्ग) / ava-
- अधमम्
- the lowestthe lowest, nethermost (the ‘bottom’ noose; the most degrading constraint)Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot अधम (प्रातिपदिक; तमप्-प्रत्ययान्त) / adhama
- वि
- apart, asunder (prefix)apart, asunder (disentangling; loosening by separation)Indeclinableउपसर्ग (prefix)Root वि (उपसर्ग) / vi-
- मध्यमम्
- the middleAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot मध्यम (प्रातिपदिक) / madhyama
- श्रथाय
- loosen! unbind!loosen, slacken (imperative; unbind the fetter’s tightness—Sayana: śithilīkuru)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदRoot श्रथ् (धातु) / śrath
- अथ
- thenthen, thereafter (ritual sequence: after unbinding, entry into vow)Indeclinableअव्ययRoot अथ (अव्यय) / atha
- वयम्
- wePronounप्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) / asmad
- आदित्य
- O ĀdityaNounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRoot आदित्य (प्रातिपदिक) / āditya
- व्रते
- in (your) ordinance/vowin the vow/law (Varuṇa’s ordinance; moral-ritual order)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot व्रत (प्रातिपदिक) / vrata
- तव
- of you, yourthy, of thee (Varuṇa’s jurisdiction)Pronounषष्ठी, एकवचनRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) / yuṣmad
- अनागसः
- sinless, guiltlessAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole Kartā (वयम्-विशेषण)Root अनागस् (प्रातिपदिक; नञ्-समास) / anāgas
- अदितये
- for Aditifor Aditi / to Aditi (unbinding, freedom; also ‘undividedness’ as wholeness)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole SampradānaRoot अदिति (प्रातिपदिक) / aditi
- स्याम
- may we beVerbविधिलिङ् (optative), उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदRoot अस् (धातु) / as
Sandhi Notes
- उत् + उत्तमम् + वरुण + पाशम् + अस्मत् + अव + अधमम् + वि + मध्यमम् + श्रथाय । अथ + वयम् + आदित्य + व्रते + तव + अनागसः + अदितये + स्याम । मुख्य सन्धि-विच्छेद:
- (1) उदुत्तमम् → उत् + उत्तमम् (उद्/उत्-उपसर्ग + उत्तमम्; द्/त् + उ → दु/तु-प्रयोग)
- (2) पाशमस्मत् → पाशम् + अस्मत् (म् + अ → म)
- (3) अस्मदवाधमम् → अस्मत् + अव + अधमम् (त् + अ → द; अव + अधमम् → अवाधमम्)
- (4) मध्य॒मं श्रथाय → मध्यमम् + श्रथाय (अनुस्वार/विसर्ग-रहित संधि)
- (5) अधा वयम् → अथ + वयम् (पाठभेद/निग्रह: अथ/अधा; यहाँ अथ ग्रहण)
- (6) तवाना॑गसो → तव + अनागसः (अ + अ → आ; ओ-रूप पाठानुसार)
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Traditionally Atharvanic seer(s) associated with Varuṇa-release hymns (exact attribution varies by anukramaṇī)
- Devata
- Varuṇa (as Āditya); Aditi as the state/goal of unbinding
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh-like cadence (needs metrical verification per pada-count in recension)
- Rasa
- Shanta and Karuna
Sayana glosses pāśa as Varuṇa’s binding punishment arising from āgas (offence against ṛta/vrata), and takes the threefold ‘upper/middle/lower’ as a complete removal of bonds in every direction/degree. śrathāya is explained as ‘make slack/loose’ (śithilīkuru), so that the binding force of the pāśa ceases. ‘For Aditi’ is read as restoration to unbrokenness (aditi = akhaṇḍitā), i.e., freedom from constriction and from the consequences of transgression.
Atharvanic Varuṇa-release seer(s) (anukramaṇī attribution variable)
Bandhana-mocana (release from bonds): expiatory-healing charms where moral/juridical imagery treats illness and misfortune as fetters of Varuṇa.
Shows the Atharvan blending of ethics and medicine: wrongdoing, fear, and illness are ‘bonds’ that can be ritually loosened into Aditi’s unbound state.
Varuṇa (Āditya) leading to Aditi (unbinding)
Enforcer of ṛta and moral law; binds transgressors and releases the penitent/restored into lawful freedom; Aditi is the unbound matrix of belonging.
Relieves constraint-associated illness (spasm, edema, ‘binding’ afflictions) via release and reintegration into order.
Guards against the return of punitive misfortune when one lives within vrata.
4 pādas of ~11 syllables (verify per śākhā reading; Atharvanic text may show minor irregularities)
Atharvanic Triṣṭubh often tolerates resolution and compound compression; caesura commonly after Varuṇa/pāśam.
Broad, juridical, petitionary—suited to confession/release.
Creates a sense of untying in stages; longer meter supports solemn breath and penitential calm.
Seat the patient/sacrificer facing north or east; establish a calm, purified space (ācamana, prokṣaṇa).
Prepare a cord/noose substitute (string or grass-band) and place it lightly upon the patient (neck/arm) to materialize ‘pāśa’.
Recite the mantra while the Atharvan-priest lifts the ‘upper’ portion of the cord upward (úd), lowers the ‘lower’ portion away (áva), and then loosens the middle by separating strands (ví … śrathāya).
Remove the cord and cast it away to a liminal place (crossroad/flowing water) as the physical ‘export’ of the bond.
Conclude with a brief confession/expiatory formula and a vow of restraint (vrata) consistent with Varuṇa’s order.
Kauśika Sūtra: Varuṇa-pāśa / anāgasya-prāyaścitta context (exact sutra-number requires edition alignment)
Atharvan/Brahman officiant: performs binding-then-unbinding gesture, recites for release (mokṣaṇa), and supervises expiatory reintegration into vrata.
Recite while untying a cord around the patient’s wrist/waist or loosening knots on a thread; dispose of the cord away from the house.
At confession/expiation moments, after nightmares/omens, during prolonged illness attributed to ‘Varuṇa’s bond’.
Atharvan officiant leads confession/resolve, performs untying, and prescribes vrata-like restraint afterward.
KauśS: Varuṇa-pāśa release/expiation rites (bandhana-mocana; numbering varies by edition).
Used as a values-alignment prayer during stress, paired with symbolic untying (knot-release) ritual.
pāśa (noose/bond) as the operative symbol of disease/culpability; vrata (ordinance) as the moral-ritual mechanism of binding/release
The pāśa is the operative material-symbol: imagined cords around the person are lifted, dropped, and loosened, mapping to multi-layered constraint.
Bondage-afflictions: illness as curse/punishment, psychosomatic constriction, fear of retribution; also expiation-related distress.
Appeal to Varuṇa to unbind layered fetters; restoration of anāgas (guiltlessness) and re-entry into vrata (regulated life).
‘Granthi’ (knots), vāta-bandha (constriction), and manasika doṣa (guilt/fear) affecting prāṇa-vāyu; expiation as mental-ojas restoration.
Stress-related somatic tension, moral injury/guilt, anxiety disorders framed as ‘tightening’; therapeutic release and recommitment to values.
Individual or household under perceived curse, oath-violation, or unexplained illness/misfortune.
Loosen and remove Varuṇa’s bonds at all levels; restore guiltlessness and freedom (Aditi).
Petition + staged untying imagery (upper/lower/middle) functioning as a ritual ‘knot-release’ script.
Varuṇa’s punitive binding; recurring misfortune due to perceived transgression.
Freedom/health through lawful belonging
- पाश (pāśa)
- constraint as illness, curse, guilt, or anxiety
- उत्तम/मध्यम/अधम (uttama/madhyama/adhama)
- layers of bondage (surface behavior, habitual patterns, deep fear/karma)
- श्रथाय (śrathāya)
- therapeutic unbinding; release of spasm/constraint
- व्रत (vrata)
- restorative discipline; alignment that prevents re-binding
- अनागस् (anāgas)
- release from self-accusation; restored innocence
- अदिति (aditi)
- freedom, wholeness, expansive safety
Unbinding practice: notice where life feels ‘tied,’ then release in three layers (surface–habit–deep fear).
Viśuddha (truth/confession) and Anāhata (release of tightness).
Long exhale with the sense of loosening knots; optional silent mantra on exhale: śrathāya.
Three cords around the body (head/chest/abdomen) being lifted, dropped, and loosened into open sky-ocean.
Penitential clarity moving into spacious equanimity.
Pair recitation with a concrete ethical resolve (vrata) that prevents re-binding; end with a moment of ‘Aditi’ spaciousness.
If recited in Atharvanic style, keep a steady recitative with slight lift on vocatives (varuṇa, āditya).
Mark the threefold action: ut… av… vi…; then the resolution: adhā… anāgaso… aditaye…
Solemn, clear, slightly softened (expiatory).
Effective with an actual cord/knot as ritual prop; the staged verbs correspond to staged untying.
3 times
When illness or misfortune is experienced as ‘binding’—guilt, oath anxiety, legal/moral stress, recurring nightmares.
At evening reflection or before sleep; also during a simple knot-release ritual.
Psychological relief, reduced fear/guilt, renewed commitment to orderly living; sense of protection.
Avoid spiraling into superstition or self-blame; seek professional help for severe anxiety/trauma.
No explicit plant is named; the operative ‘substance’ is semiotic and materialized as a cord/noose. Atharvanic therapeutics often treat illness as ‘binding’; here the ritual technology externalizes the pathology/culpability into a manipulable object, enabling release without pharmacology.
Varuṇa’s pāśa presumes a moral-juridical cosmos where transgression produces enforceable constraint. The priest mediates reintegration into vrata, implying a household’s dependence on specialist ritual expertise to negotiate guilt, illness, and social legitimacy.
The diction is strongly RV-like (Varuṇa, pāśa, āgas, vrata, Aditi). The threefold spatial metaphor (upper/middle/lower) is a compact Atharvanic intensification of RV release-formulas, emphasizing totality of unbinding through enumerated positions.
Gopatha’s Atharvanic theology regularly frames mantras as operative speech that ‘cuts’ or ‘loosens’ constraints when paired with correct karman. This verse exemplifies that model: efficacy arises from aligning speech (śrathāya) with enacted loosening, restoring the sacrificer to ṛta/vrata.
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