Sukta 32
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (often transmitted under Atharvan/Angiras rubric for rakṣohā hymns)
Devata: Agni (as rakṣohā, demon-burner)
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (predominant in AV apotropaic stanzas; this verse conforms to anuṣṭubh-like cadence)
اے وی ۶.۳۲ ایک مختصر راکشوہا (دیو نکالنے والا) منتر ہے جو گھر کی آگ اور الہی حاکمیت کو ہتھیار بنا کر یاتودھان، راکشس اور پشاچ کو گھر اور اس کی حدود سے بھگانے کے لیے استعمال کرتا ہے۔ یہ اگنی کی آتشین جوابی حملہ، رودر کی جسمانی معذور کرنے والی طاقت، اور مترا-ورن کے قانونی-حفاظتی نظام کو ملاکر حملہ آوروں کو خاندان یا اس کے قیام گاہ کا پتہ لگانے سے قاصر بنا دیتا ہے، اور آخر کار انہیں یم کے حوالے کر دیتا ہے۔
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
यातुधानक्षयणम्। अ॒न्त॒र्दा॒वे जु॑हुता॒ स्वे॒३तद् या॑तुधान॒क्षय॑णं घृ॒तेन॑ । आ॒राद् रक्षां॑सि॒ प्रति॑ दह॒ त्वम॑ग्ने॒ न नो॑ गृ॒हाणा॒मुप॑ तीतपासि
جلتی ہوئی آگ میں اپنے مقام پر گھی کی آہوتی دیجیے، یہ یاتودھانوں کو تباہ کرنے والا ہے۔ اے اگنی، دور سے راکشسوں کو جلا بھاگ، وہ ہمارے گھروں کو جلانے اور لوٹنے کے لیے قریب نہ آئیں۔
Mantra 2
रु॒द्रो वो॑ ग्री॒वा अश॑रैत् पिशाचाः पृ॒ष्टीर्वोऽपि॑ शृणातु यातुधानाः । वी॒रुद् वो॑ वि॒श्वतो॑वीर्या य॒मेन॒ सम॑जीगमत्
اے پشاچو، ردر تمہارے گلاں کو مارے، اے یاتودھانو، وہ تمہاری پیٹھوں کو بھی کچل ڈالے۔ ساری طاقتوں والا یہ لیانا پودا، یم کے ساتھ، تم سب کو لے اڑا۔
Mantra 3
अभ॑यं मित्रावरुणावि॒हास्तु॑ नो॒ऽर्चिषा॒त्त्रिणो॑ नुदतं प्र॒तीचः॑ । मा ज्ञा॒तारं॒ मा प्र॑ति॒ष्ठां वि॑दन्त मि॒थो वि॑घ्ना॒ना उप॑ यन्तु मृ॒त्युम्
اے متر ورن، ہمارے لیے یہاں بے خوفی ہو، اپنے شعلے سے کھانے والوں کو پیچھے دھکیل دو۔ وہ ہمارے رشتہ دار کو نہ پائیں، ہماری مضبوط جگہ کو نہ پائیں، آپس میں رکاوٹ بن کر، ہماریں روکنے والے موت کی طرف چلے جائیں۔
Inside Sukta 32
How it unfolds
- How it opens
The hymn opens by installing Agni as ‘yātudhāna-kṣayaṇa’ (the yātudhāna-waster) through a ghee oblation in the kindled inner fire.
- What it asks
Burn back and keep away rākṣasas/yātudhānas/piśācas; prevent their approach to the houses and their ability to locate kin or the household’s foundation.
- Where its power lies
Rudra’s violence, the all-potent vīrudh, and the ordered guardianship of Mitra–Varuṇa are marshaled as a combined force that disables, expels, and renders the attackers self-thwarting.
- How it closes
The final seal is juridical and terminal: fearlessness is established ‘here,’ the devourers are driven rearward by flame, and the hinderers are sent to Mṛtyu/Yama (death/removal).
Famous verses
yātudhāna-kṣayaṇam
abha̍yaṃ … iha astu naḥ
Kind of hymn
Abhicarika (Apotropaic/Counter-sorcery)
What it is for
Repel, scorch, disable, and expel yātudhānas/piśācas/rākṣasas; establish fearlessness; protect kin, home, and foundation (pratiṣṭhā) from torment, disease-like harassment, and intrusion.
Who it is for
Householders maintaining the gārhapatya/household fire; Atharvanic ritualists performing protective rites for a family, dwelling, or settlement edge.
Also used as
- Rakṣohā (demon-expelling)
- Gṛha-rakṣā (household protection)
- Śāntika (fearlessness/appeasement as outcome)
The deity
Agni is the household flame as purifier and demon-burner, turning the domestic hearth into a defensive fortress; Rudra supplies violent disabling force; Mitra–Varuṇa stabilize order and safe boundaries; Vīrudh functions as a binding/protective plant-power; Yama is the terminal destination of expulsion.
Powers of the deity
- Burning and repelling rākṣasas/yātudhānas at a distance (pratidahana)
- Purification and boundary-defense through flame/arcis
- Bodily paralysis and crushing of hostile beings (Rudra’s smiting)
- Binding/warding potency through plant-power (Vīrudh)
- Rendering the household unfindable/unknowable to attackers (concealment of jñātāra/pratiṣṭhā)
- Consignment of threats to Yama (final removal/death)
Why the deity is called
To convert sacred fire and divine guardianship into an active counter-attack that prevents hostile spirits from approaching, recognizing, or harming the household, and to expel them decisively beyond the human sphere.
The seer
- Atharvanic/Āṅgirasa rakṣohā transmitters (anonymous Atharvanic tradition)Atharvan. Apotropaic and counter-sorcery charms (rakṣohā): fire-offerings, boundary-protection, expulsion of piśācas/yātudhānas, and household safeguarding against nocturnal/liminal threats.
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 6.31
- AV 6.33
- AV 8.6 (rakṣohā cycle, traditional association)
Preparing for the rite
- Kindle and steady the household fire (gārhapatya-like hearth), ensuring clean fuel (samid/dāru).
- Prepare ghṛta for oblation; keep a small quantity reserved specifically for rakṣohā offering.
- If using plant-protection (vīrudh), gather a fresh creeper/plant strand and keep it near the hearth or threshold as a warding token.
- Mark the protected zone mentally/physically: hearth, doorway, and the house’s ‘standing-place’ (pratiṣṭhā).
The rite
- Recite 6.32.1 while offering ghṛta into the fire, explicitly directing Agni to burn back rākṣasas ‘from afar’ and to keep them from nearing the houses.
- Recite 6.32.2 as a forceful expulsion: invoke Rudra’s disabling strike and the plant-power (vīrudh) to carry the attackers away, consigning them to Yama.
- Recite 6.32.3 to seal protection: invoke Mitra–Varuṇa for fearlessness, drive the devourers rearward with flame, and declare that the hinderers, mutually obstructed, go to Death.
What it needs
- Agni (kindled household fire)
- Ghṛta (ghee) for oblation
- Samid/Dāru (fuel sticks/wood)
- Vīrudh (a creeper/plant strand; optional but thematically aligned)
When
Preferably at dusk/nightfall (rakṣas time), at the threshold of sleep, or whenever signs of haunting/torment are perceived; also suitable at house-entry, after pollution, or during protective boundary rites.
The main substance
Ghṛta (ghee) offered into Agni
Herbs
- Vīrudh (protective creeper/plant; species not specified)
Amulets
- Threshold/doorway warding token (plant strand tied/placed near entry)
- Hearth-centered protective boundary (fire as living amulet)
How it is prepared
Clarify and warm ghṛta for clean oblation; kindle a steady, smokeless flame with dry samid; if using vīrudh, use a fresh strand and place/tie it at the threshold or near the hearth while reciting the expulsion verse.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is used to protect a household by burning back and expelling hostile beings (rākṣasas, yātudhānas, piśācas), establishing fearlessness and preventing intrusion or harassment.
Because Agni is the immediate household protector; the ghee oblation ritually “arms” the flame so it can repel and scorch threats from a distance and keep them from nearing the home.
Mitra–Varuṇa enforce order, boundaries, and safety so attackers cannot find kin or the household’s foundation, while Yama represents final removal—sending the threats away to the realm of death/awayness.
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