Sukta 28
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (variable anukramaṇī attribution)
Devata: Bhava-Śarva (Rudra in dual form)
Chandas: Mixed; Atharvanic triṣṭubh/jagatī tendency with rubric
Mantras
Mantra 1
पापमोचनम् । भवा॑शर्वौ म॒न्वे वां॒ तस्य॑ वित्तं॒ ययो॑र्वामि॒दं प्र॒दिशि॒ यद् वि॒रोच॑ते । याव॒स्ये॑शा॑थे द्वि॒पदो॒ यौ चतु॑ष्पद॒स्तौ नो॑ मुञ्चत॒मंह॑सः
Sin’s loosening. Bhava and Śarva, I deem yours is the possession thereof—ye two whose presence shineth forth in every region of the quarters; ye who have mastery to aid both two-footed and four-footed: do ye release us from distress and sin.
Mantra 2
ययो॑रभ्यभ्व॒ उ॒त यद् दू॒रे चि॒द् यौ वि॑दि॒तावि॑षु॒भृता॒मसि॑ष्ठौ । याव॒स्येशा॑थे द्वि॒पदो॒ यौ चतु॑ष्पद॒स्तौ नो॑ मुञ्चत॒मंह॑सः
Ye twain who are assailing powers, and even that which is far away; ye twain, well-known among the missile-bearers, most sword-like: ye who have lordship over this man’s two-footed and his four-footed (folk), do ye release us from distress.
Mantra 3
स॒ह॒स्रा॒क्षौ वृ॑त्र॒हना॑ हुवे॒हं दू॒रेग॑व्यूती स्तु॒वन्ने॑म्यु॒ग्रौ। याव॒स्येशा॑थे द्वि॒पदो॒ यौ चतु॑ष्पद॒स्तौ नो॑ मुञ्चत॒मंह॑सः
The thousand-eyed, the Vṛtra-slayers—those two fierce ones—do I invoke with praise, far-ranging in their succour, an encircling rim (of guard): ye who have lordship over this man’s two-footed and four-footed, do ye release us from distress.
Mantra 4
यावा॑रे॒भाथे॑ ब॒हु सा॒कमग्रे॒ प्र चेद॑स्रा॑ष्ट्रमभि॒भां जने॑षु । याव॒स्येशा॑थे द्वि॒पदो॒ यौ चतु॑ष्पद॒स्तौ नो॑ मुञ्चत॒मंह॑सः
Ye twain who, together and in advance, repel the many (ills), who press your weaponed might among the peoples: ye who have lordship over this man’s two-footed and four-footed, do ye release us from distress.
Mantra 5
ययो॑र्व॒धान्नाप॒पद्य॑ते॒ कश्च॒नान्तर्दे॒वेषू॒त मानु॑षेषु । याव॒स्येशा॑थे द्वि॒पदो॒ यौ चतु॑ष्पद॒स्तौ नो॑ मुञ्चत॒मंह॑सः
From whose smiting no one at all escapes—among the gods or among men: ye who have lordship over this man’s two-footed and four-footed, do ye release us from distress.
Mantra 6
यः कृ॑त्या॒कृन्मू॑ल॒कृद् या॑तु॒धानो॒ नि तस्मि॑न् धत्तं॒ वज्र॑मु॒ग्रौ। याव॒स्येशा॑थे द्वि॒पदो॒ यौ चतु॑ष्पद॒स्तौ नो॑ मुञ्चत॒मंह॑सः
Whoso is a maker of kṛtyā, a worker at the root, a yātudhāna—upon him, O ye two fierce ones, do ye set the thunderbolt. Ye who have lordship over this man’s two-footed and four-footed, do ye release us from distress.
Mantra 7
अधि॑ नो ब्रूतं॒ पृत॑नासूग्रौ॒ सं वज्रे॑ण सृजतं॒ यः कि॑मी॒दी। स्तौमि॑ भवाश॒र्वौ ना॑थि॒तो॑ जो॑हवीमि॒ तौ नो॑ मुञ्चत॒मंह॑सः
Speak ye in power for us amid the battles, ye fierce twain; with the bolt hurl down the Kiṃīdin, whosoe’er he be. I laud Bhava and Śarva; in my need I call on them again and yet again: from anguish and from sin release ye us.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here pāpa is ‘fault/sin’ in the sense of a burden that attracts trouble, and aṃhas is a binding distress—calamity, anxiety, or affliction. The hymn asks Bhava–Śarva to ‘loosen’ and remove both.
Atharvanic protection is household-wide: the patron’s welfare includes family, workers, and livestock. By naming “two-footed and four-footed,” the hymn claims Rudra’s guardianship over the entire economic and ritual domain.
Kimīdin is a hostile, often occult or pest-like agent—something that ‘does harm’ in hidden ways. The hymn asks Rudra’s paired force to identify and strike down that threat, whether it is an enemy, sorcery, or an unseen affliction.
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