Atharva Veda Sukta 83
Kanda 6Anuvaka 9Sukta 834 Mantras

Sukta 83

Rishi: Atharvanic healer tradition (anonymous/collective)

Devata: Sūrya and Candramas (as healers); disease-personification (Apaciti) as target

Chandas: Mixed/Anuṣṭubh tendency (AV healing verses often anuṣṭubh; first segment includes an exclamatory heading)

Sanskrit recitationAtharva Veda 6.83

Mantras

Mantra 1

भैषज्यम्। अप॑चितः॒ प्र प॑तत सुप॒र्णो व॑स॒तेरि॑व । सूर्यः॑ कृ॒णोतु॑ भेष॒जं च॒न्द्रमा॒ वोऽपो॑च्छतु

A remedy! Let the wasting sickness fly forth—like a fair-winged bird from its dwelling. Let the Sun make the medicine; let the Moon clear it away from you.

Mantra 2

एन्येका॒ श्येन्येका॑ कृ॒ष्णैका॒ रोहि॑णी॒ द्वे। सर्वा॑सामग्रभं॒ नामावी॑रघ्नी॒रपे॑तन

One is Eṇī, one is Śyenī, one is Kṛṣṇā, and two are Rohiṇī: the name of them all have I grasped—harmless to heroes—away, depart!

Mantra 3

अ॒सूति॑का रामाय॒ण्यऽप॒चित् प्र प॑तिष्यति । ग्लरि॒तः प्र प॑तिष्यति॒ स ग॑लु॒न्तो न॑शिष्यति

Asūtikā, Rāmāyaṇī—wasting sickness—shall fly forth; Glarita shall fly forth: of it, Galunta shall not remain behind.

Mantra 4

वी॒हि स्वामाहु॑तिं जुषा॒णो मन॑सा॒ स्वाहा॒ मन॑सा॒ यदि॒दं जु॒होमि॑

Bear hither thine own oblation, taking pleasure therein: with mind—Svāhā!—with mind, what offering here I make.

Frequently Asked Questions

Apaciti is a personified wasting or consuming sickness. The hymn treats it as an agent that can be commanded to depart from its ‘dwelling’ in the patient.

They represent complementary cosmic medicines: the Sun as restoring, vitalizing power and the Moon as cleansing, cooling removal of affliction. Together they enact both expulsion and recovery.

It functions as a ritual seal: the offering is mentally and verbally confirmed as accepted, so the healing action is ‘made effective’ and stabilized against return of the illness.

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