Atharva Veda 13.2.22: Kanda 13, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 2, Mantra 22
Sukta 2
वि द्यामे॑षि॒ रज॑स्पृ॒थ्वह॒र्मिमा॑नो अ॒क्तुभिः॑ । पश्य॒न् जन्मा॑नि सूर्य
ví dyā́m eṣi rájaḥ pṛthv áhar mímāno aktúbhiḥ | páśyan jánmāni sūrya
Forth through the heaven thou goest, through the broad mid-air, meting out the day by nights; beholding births, O Sūrya.
你穿行于苍天，越过广阔的中空，以诸夜分度白昼；观照万类之生起，哦，苏利耶（Sūrya）。
The meaning
What it says
Sūrya moves forth through heaven and the broad midspace, measuring day by nights, beholding births.
The inner meaning
The psyche’s ‘sun’ is vigilant awareness: it moves through inner spaces, regulates cycles (sleep/wake), and witnesses all emergences (new thoughts, impulses, beginnings) without being deceived.
The truth in it
Time and life become intelligible when illuminated by a steady witness; order arises from reliable cycles and clear seeing.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Paustika / Apotropaic (Solar order, protection, and auspicious regulation of time)
Its aim
To invoke Sūrya as measurer of time and all-seeing witness, stabilizing cosmic/social order and dispelling disorder through solar surveillance.
Word by Word
Pada patha
वि । द्याम् । एषि । रजः । पृथु । अहः । मिमानः । अक्तुभिः । पश्यन् । जन्मानि । सूर्य ।
- वि
- apart, forth (prefix)forth, apart; distributively—marking the sun’s spreading-out courseIndeclinableupasarga (prefix)Root वि (upasarga)
- द्याम्
- the sky, heaventhe heaven (sky); the upper luminous realm traversed by SūryaNounfeminine, accusative singularRole KarmaRoot द्यौ (prātipadika)
- एषि
- you go, you movethou goest, movest; the sun’s regular onward motionVerbpresent (laṭ), 2nd person singular, parasmaipadaRoot इ (धातु)
- रजः
- space, mid-air, regionthe airy space/atmospheric region (rajas); the mid-region to be crossedNounneuter, accusative singularRole KarmaRoot रजस् (prātipadika)
- पृथु
- broad, widebroad, wide; emphasizing the vast expanse of rajasAdjectiveneuter, accusative singular (agreeing with रजः)Role KarmaRoot पृथु (prātipadika)
- अहः
- dayday; the measurable daylight-period produced/marked by the sunNounneuter, accusative singularRole KarmaRoot अहन्/अहः (prātipadika)
- मिमानः
- measuring outmeasuring out, meting; (Sayana) ‘apportioning’ time and order by his courseVerbpresent participle active (śatṛ), masculine nominative singularRole KartāRoot मा (धातु; √mā ‘measure’)
- अक्तुभिः
- with nights / by night-timeswith nights/dark intervals (aktú); by alternation of night-units (temporal reckoning)Nounmasculine, instrumental pluralRole KaraṇaRoot अक्तु (prātipadika)
- पश्यन्
- seeingseeing, beholding; the all-seeing surveillance of Sūrya (apotropaic witness)Verbpresent participle active (śatṛ), masculine nominative singularRole KartāRoot पश् (धातु)
- जन्मानि
- births, becomingsbirths, generations, creatures’ origins; all living becomings under his gazeNounneuter, accusative pluralRole KarmaRoot जन्मन् (prātipadika)
- सूर्यः
- the SunNounmasculine, nominative singularRole KartāRoot सूर्य (prātipadika)
Sandhi Notes
- द्यामे॑षि → द्याम् + एषि (m-final before vowel)
- रज॑स्पृ॒थ्वह॒र्मिमा॑नो → रजः + पृथु + अहः + मिमानः (visarga before voiceless p; compound-like close junction in saṃhitā)
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Traditionally associated with solar seers in AV 13.2 (to be verified per Anukramaṇī for this hymn-unit).
- Devata
- Sūrya (Sun).
- Chandas
- Predominantly Triṣṭubh/Jagatī style in solar hymns; this verse is best treated as a mixed/irregular pāda-set pending metrical scan by edition.
- Rasa
- Adbhuta and Shanta
Sāyaṇa glosses rajas as the antarikṣa to be traversed; ‘mimānaḥ’ is the sun’s measuring and establishing of kāla (time) by the alternation of day and night (aktú). ‘Paśyan janmāni’ underscores Sūrya as sākṣin (witness) of all beings—hence fit for rites of revelation, protection, and moral constraint.
Solar hymn tradition in AVŚ 13.2 (specific seer per anukramaṇī requires confirmation)
Paustika solar invocations: protection through illumination, regulation of time, and all-seeing witness of Sūrya.
Represents Atharvan use of Sūrya not only as deity but as a cosmic regulator—timekeeping itself becomes protective magic.
Sūrya
Traverses heaven and midspace, establishes temporal order by cycling day/night, and serves as universal witness to births and events.
Supports vitality, circadian regulation, and dispels ‘darkness’ (fear, confusion); traditionally linked with eye/vision well-being.
Strong apotropaic: nothing harmful can hide from the sun’s seeing; restores order by exposure.
Likely 4 pādas with variable syllable counts; Atharvanic solar verses often show flexible scanning.
Irregularities may arise from recensional sandhi and formulaic expansions; performance focuses on forward-moving gait matching ‘going forth’.
Processional, moving rhythm—suggests the sun’s steady travel.
Energizing clarity; evokes wakefulness and moral vigilance.
At sunrise, the Atharvan priest faces east, standing on clean ground (or on kuśa if prescribed in the local tradition).
He performs ācamana and establishes silence (mauna) briefly, then recites the mantra while gazing toward the rising orb (sūryadarśana).
If used apotropaically, he circumambulates the protected person/space once (pradakṣiṇā) while reciting, treating Sūrya as the ‘seeing’ guardian.
Conclude with a short oblation or offering of water (arghya) to Sūrya where the domestic tradition integrates it.
Kauśika Sūtra: Sūrya-sūkta prayoga.
Atharvan/Brahman as time-regulator and apotropaic witness-invoker; he ‘installs’ Sūrya’s seeing as a protective constraint.
Recite at sunrise to establish right timing, protect beginnings, and invoke Sūrya as witness before duties; suitable before journeys or important announcements.
Dawn/sunrise; also when beginning a new venture (janma—‘birth’ of a project).
Householder can recite; an Atharvan officiant may integrate it into protective morning rites.
Morning recitation paired with brief sunlight exposure and setting the day’s schedule.
Sūrya himself functions as ‘substance’: light as the purifying pharmakon. The mantra’s medicine is illumination and regulated time.
Disorders of rhythm and ‘darkness’: lethargy, depressive heaviness, sleep-cycle disturbance (supportive use); also ‘hidden’ afflictions in Atharvanic sense (unseen influences).
Eyes (implicit via seeing/witness); also whole-body vitality via day/night regulation.
Invokes solar illumination and time-regulation to restore order; the ‘seeing’ of Sūrya exposes and loosens concealed causes of distress.
Supports agni and circadian dinacaryā; vāta/kapha imbalance associated with irregular routine and heaviness; Sūrya-related practices align with morning activation.
Sleep hygiene/circadian entrainment; light exposure therapy as adjunct for seasonal or circadian-related mood issues.
Household and practitioner; activities dependent on timing (travel, work, agriculture).
To bring protective order through Sūrya’s regulated cycles and all-seeing witness; to dispel hidden harm and stabilize time-bound activities.
Invocation of cosmic surveillance and temporal measurement—placing one’s life under the sun’s ‘schedule’ and witness.
Hidden threats, deception, disorder of timing, inauspicious beginnings.
Regularity of work, successful beginnings, safe daily cycles.
- vi…eṣi (वि…एषि)
- unfolding of consciousness; daily re-emergence of order
- dyām (द्याम्)
- higher mind/ideals; the ‘clear’ domain
- rajaḥ pṛthu (रजः पृथु)
- the in-between field—emotions, social space, liminality where disorder can arise
- ahaḥ (अहः)
- clarity, activity, discernment
- aktubhiḥ (अक्तुभिः)
- cycles of rest, concealment, and renewal; the measure that makes time intelligible
- paśyan (पश्यन्)
- witness-consciousness; moral surveillance that deters wrongdoing
- janmāni (जन्मानि)
- all beginnings: children, projects, karmic results coming to light
Witnessing awareness moving through inner ‘spaces’ while keeping steady rhythm; contemplation of time as sacred order.
Manipura (solar vitality) and Ajna (seeing/witness).
Sūrya-bhedana (right-nostril breathing) gently in the morning if appropriate; otherwise simple steady inhalation/exhalation in sync with the mantra’s gait.
A sun-path traveling through the inner sky; day/night cycles smoothing into a stable circadian wheel.
Alert steadiness; wakeful clarity without agitation.
Chant at sunrise facing east; then sit 3 minutes observing breath and light sensation behind the eyes; keep daily routines regular as the lived ‘ṛta’.
Maintain forward-flowing cadence; slight lift on sūrya vocative at end.
Keep clear separation: ahar-mimānaḥ / aktubhiḥ; do not swallow consonant clusters.
Bright, clear tone; slightly rising energy through the first half, settling at paśyan janmāni.
Effective as a morning ‘dṛṣṭi-bandhana’ (binding by witness): conclude by looking toward sunlight briefly (without staring at the sun).
12 times
Starting a new job/project, travel, exams; when life feels out of rhythm or plagued by ‘hidden’ worries.
At sunrise or before beginning an important task; also after waking from disturbing dreams to reassert order.
Clarity, punctuality, confidence in beginnings, reduced sense of hidden threat; supportive improvement in daily rhythm.
If using sunlight exposure, avoid staring directly at the sun; mantra is supportive and not a substitute for clinical treatment for sleep/mood disorders.
No explicit herb/amulet occurs here; efficacy is cosmological: Sūrya’s temporal ‘measuring’ (mimānaḥ) functions as the operative power, replacing materia medica with a time-ordering, disorder-dispelling agency.
By foregrounding Sūrya as universal witness of ‘births,’ the verse supports norms of accountability; the Atharvan priest mediates this surveillance, reinforcing priestly authority as the manager of cosmic order applied to social order.
The diction is strongly RV-like (rajas, aktú, mimānaḥ). The Atharvanic tendency is functional redeployment: RV cosmology is operationalized for domestic/apotropaic ends.
Gopatha frequently grounds Atharvanic efficacy in correspondences between cosmic order and ritual order; this mantra’s ‘measuring’ motif aligns with that logic—time-regulation becomes a ritual technology for stabilizing the human sphere.
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