Sukta 57
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (unspecified here)
Devata: Bheṣaja; Rudra as lord of healing
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh
اٹھرو وید 6.57 ایک مختصر پانی کے ذریعے شفا کا منتر ہے جو تیز درد کو ردر کے تیر کے طور پر پیش کرتا ہے اور انہیں پاک پانی (جالاش) سے شفا دیتا ہے۔ بار بار چھڑکنے اور آخری دعا کے ذریعے، یہ منتر ایک مخصوص درد سے لے کر مکمل تحفظ تک پھیل جاتا ہے جہاں زمین اور پانی خود بھیشج (علاج) بن جاتے ہیں۔
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
जलचिकित्सा। इ॒दमिद् वा उ॑ भेष॒जमि॒दं रु॒द्रस्य॑ भेष॒जम्। येनेषु॒मेक॑तेजनां श॒तश॑ल्यामप॒ब्रव॑त्
یہ، بیشک، علاج ہے، یہ ردر کا علاج ہے، جس سے وہ تیر کو، تیز نوکیلا، سیکڑوں کانٹوں والا، دور بھگاتا ہے۔
Mantra 2
जा॒ला॒षेणा॒भि षि॑ञ्चत जालाषेणोप॑ सिञ्चत । जा॒ला॒षमु॒ग्रं भे॑ष॒जं तेन॑ नो मृड जी॒वसे॑
جالاش سے ہم پر چھڑکاؤ، جالاش سے قریب چھڑکاؤ۔ جالاش ایک طاقتور علاج ہے، اس سے ہم پر زندگی کے لیے مہربان ہو۔
Mantra 3
शं च॑ नो॒ मय॑श्च नो॒ मा च॑ नः॒ किं च॒नाम॑मत्। क्ष॒मा रपो॒ विश्वं॑ नो अस्तु भेष॒जं सर्वं॑ नो अस्तु भेष॒जम्
ہمیں خیر ہو، ہمیں خوشی ہو، اور ہمیں کچھ بھی نقصان نہ پہنچے۔ زمین اور پانی، سب ہمارے لیے علاج ہوں، سب بلا استثنا ہمارے لیے علاج ہوں۔
Inside Sukta 57
How it unfolds
- How it opens
Begins by identifying the present act/medium as ‘the remedy’ and explicitly naming it as Rudra’s remedy capable of countering his own arrow.
- What it asks
Repeated sprinkling with jālāṣa so the patient receives life (jīvase) and relief from disease.
- Where its power lies
The water is declared ‘ugraṃ bheṣajam’ (a potent remedy) and is credited with driving away the keen-pointed, hundred-barbed arrow of pain.
- How it closes
A comprehensive śānti formula: may nothing harm us; Earth and Waters—indeed everything—become remedy, ‘sarvaṃ… bheṣajam’.
Famous verses
idaṃ rudrasya bheṣajam
jālāṣam ugraṃ bheṣajam
sarvaṃ no astu bheṣajam
Kind of hymn
Bhaiṣajya (Healing) / Jala-cikitsā (Water-therapy)
What it is for
Removal of sharp/acute afflictions, stabilization of health, and establishment of a protective environment in which Earth and Waters act as continuous remedies.
Who it is for
Householders, village healers (bhaiṣajika), Atharvanic practitioners, or anyone performing a simple domestic healing rite using water and mantra.
Also used as
- Jala-cikitsā (water-therapy)
- Shantika (pacificatory protection)
- Rudra-śamana (appeasement of Rudra through his own remedy)
The deity
Bheṣaja here is the personified power of remedy embodied in consecrated water (jālāṣa), operating under Rudra’s authoritative healing sovereignty—Rudra who both sends the ‘arrow’ of pain and withdraws it through medicine.
Powers of the deity
- Drives away acute, piercing pains figured as an arrow with many barbs
- Restores life-force (jīvase) through sprinkling/ablution
- Purifies and shields the patient so that ‘nothing at all’ harms them
- Universalizes cure by making Earth and Waters supportive medicines
Why the deity is called
Invoked to authorize water as a potent therapeutic agent, to retract Rudra’s painful ‘missile’ from the body, and to establish comprehensive well-being and protection after treatment.
The seer
- Atharvan (Atharvanic seer, unspecified)Atharvan. Bhaiṣajya-mantras focused on practical therapeutics—especially apotropaic cures that remove pain/disease conceptualized as missiles, and water-based lustration (abhiṣeka) for restoring vitality.
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 6.16 (bheṣaja/āyuṣya tendencies)
- AV 6.91 (Rudra-healing themes)
- AV 4.9 (waters as healing; thematic parallel)
Preparing for the rite
- Collect clean water in a vessel (preferably from a flowing or ‘living’ source if available).
- Seat the patient facing east or north; calm the breath and set the intention of removing ‘Rudra’s arrow’ (piercing pain).
- Optionally sanctify the water by touching it with the right hand and mentally dedicating it to Rudra-as-healer (bheṣaja).
The rite
- Recite 6.57.1 over the water, visualizing the barbed arrow of pain being withdrawn/driven away.
- Recite 6.57.2 while sprinkling (abhiṣiñc-) the water on the patient—first broadly ‘upon’, then ‘close upon’ (repeated application).
- Recite 6.57.3 as a sealing benediction, extending the remedy to the whole environment (Earth and Waters) and to all possible harms.
What it needs
- Water (jālāṣa) as the primary medicinal medium
- Vessel for water (kalaśa/pātra)
- Optional: a small bunch of kuśa grass or leafy twig for sprinkling
When
As soon as acute pain arises; also suitable at dawn or after bathing for convalescence and protection.
The main substance
Consecrated water (jālāṣa)
How it is prepared
Use clean water; recite the mantras over it to ‘install’ bheṣaja-power, then sprinkle on the patient (optionally with kuśa/leaf) and conclude with the universal remedy benediction.
Frequently Asked Questions
It targets acute, piercing pains and sudden afflictions described as Rudra’s ‘arrow,’ using consecrated water to drive the pain away and restore vitality.
Jālāṣa is medicinal/consecrated water used for sprinkling or ablution; the hymn treats it as a potent bheṣaja (remedy) empowered under Rudra’s healing authority.
The practitioner recites the verses over water, sprinkles it on the patient (repeatedly as stated), and ends with a sealing prayer that Earth and Waters—and everything—become remedial and protective.
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