Sukta 19
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (Anukramaṇī attribution for AV 5.19 commonly to Atharvan/Angiras-type seers; consult edition-specific Anukramaṇī for exact name).
Devata: Āpas (Waters) and the Devas as adjudicators; the ‘brahmajya’ as the ritual target.
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (4 pādas of ~8 syllables; AV practice with minor irregularities).
《阿闼婆吠陀》5.19是一首在社会与祭仪层面施加制裁的赞歌：它将“brahmajya”（伤害婆罗门者／杀害婆罗门者）标记为不净之人，判为不配分享共同体的繁荣与净化。诗歌呼请诸水（Āpas）作为至大的清净媒介，并请诸天神作为裁断者，从而剥夺罪犯的“水之份”（即祭仪参与、福祉与回归共同体的资格）。本颂的力量在于使罪业可见且必有后果：人格化、怪异可怖的“婆罗门杀罪”（brahmahatyā）被描绘为震动世界，迫使共同体实行排斥与／或赎罪。
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
ब्रह्मगवि अ॒ति॒मा॒त्रम॑वर्धन्त॒ नोदि॑व॒ दिव॑मस्पृशन्। भृगुं॑ हिंसि॒त्वा सृञ्ज॑या वैतह॒व्याः परा॑भवन्
婆罗门之母牛（brahma-gavī）增长至无量；却仍未触及天界，仿佛自高处也不能及天。伤害了婆利古（Bhṛgu）之后，斯林伽耶（Sṛñjaya）——维泰哈维耶（Vaitahavya）一族——遂遭败亡与倾覆。
Mantra 2
ये बृ॒हत्सा॑मानमाङ्गिर॒समार्प॑यन् ब्राह्म॒णं जनाः॑ । पेत्व॒स्तेषा॑मुभ॒याद॒मवि॑स्तो॒कान्या॑वयत्
凡将那宏伟的《Bṛhat-sāman》（布里哈特萨曼）、安吉罗萨（Āṅgirasa）所生之圣歌，奉献给婆罗门者——那些人，那些名为Pētva者——阿摩毗（Amavi）从两方为他们遮护，使他们的点滴赐予（微小恩惠）不受伤害。
Mantra 3
ये ब्रा॑ह्म॒णं प्र॒त्यष्ठी॑व॒न् ये वा॑स्मिञ्छु॒ल्कमी॑षि॒रे। अ॒स्नस्ते मध्ये॑ कु॒ल्यायाः॒ केशा॒न् खाद॑न्त आसते
凡轻蔑而向婆罗门吐唾者，或在此境内索取酬金（śulka）者——不沐浴者，坐在沟渠（kulya）之中，久居不去，啃噬自己的头发。
Mantra 4
ब्र॒ह्म॒ग॒वी प॒च्यमा॑ना॒ याव॒त् साभि वि॒जङ्ग॑हे । तेजो॑ रा॒ष्ट्रस्य॒ निर्ह॑न्ति॒ न वी॒रो जा॑यते॒ वृषा॑
只要婆罗门之牛（brahma-gavī）正被烹煮，她便不断侵袭、冲击；她夺去王国的炽烈威光（tejas）；不生勇士，不出如雄牛般的冠军。
Mantra 5
क्रू॒रम॑स्या आ॒शस॑नं तृ॒ष्टं पि॑शि॒तम॑स्यते । क्षी॒रं यद॑स्याः पी॒यते॒ तद् वै पि॒तृषु॒ किल्बि॑षम्
食其肉者，其食行甚残酷：贪渴之中吞啖其肉；而饮其乳者——那确是于祖灵（pitṛ）之前的罪垢（kilbiṣa）。
Mantra 6
उ॒ग्रो राजा॒ मन्य॑मानो ब्राह्म॒णं यो जिघ॑त्सति । परा॑ तत् सि॑च्यते रा॒ष्ट्रं ब्रा॑ह्म॒णो यत्र॑ जी॒यते॑
凶猛之王，自以为强盛，若欲杀害婆罗门；则其国土倾覆流失而归于败亡——凡使婆罗门受屈、被征服之处。
Mantra 7
अ॒ष्टाप॑दी चतुर॒क्षी चतुः॑श्रोत्रा॒ चतु॑र्हनुः । द्व्याऽस्या॒ द्विजि॑ह्वा भू॒त्वा सा रा॒ष्ट्रमव॑ धूनुते ब्रह्म॒ज्यस्य॑
八足、四目、四耳、四颚；化为双面、双舌——她便震撼并摇落王国：那附着于伤害婆罗门者的可怖之力。
Mantra 8
तद् वै रा॒ष्ट्रमा स्र॑वति॒ नावं॑ भि॒न्नामि॑वोद॒कम्। ब्र॒ह्माणं॒ यत्र॒ हिंस॑न्ति॒ तद् रा॒ष्ट्रं ह॑न्ति दु॒च्छुना॑
诚然，那国土流失而去，如破舟之水外泄。凡在其处加害婆罗门者——那国土便被恶运所击倒、所毁灭。
Mantra 9
तं वृ॒क्षा अप॑ सेधन्ति छा॒यां नो॒ मोप॑गा॒ इति॑ । यो ब्रा॑ह्म॒णस्य॒ सद् धन॑म॒भि ना॑रद॒ मन्य॑ते
诸树都把他拒退，说：“莫来近我们的荫凉。”——那位，噢那罗陀，竟将心念系于婆罗门正当之财者。
Mantra 10
वि॒षमे॒तद् दे॒वकृ॑तं॒ राजा॒ वरु॑णोऽब्रवीत्। न ब्रा॑ह्म॒णस्य॒ गां ज॒ग्ध्वा रा॒ष्ट्रे जा॑गार॒ कश्च॒न
“此事险恶，乃诸神所制，”伐楼那王宣告道；“凡在国中吞食婆罗门之牛者，无一人能安然守护（自保）。”
Mantra 11
नवै॒व ता न॑व॒तयो॒ या भूमि॒र्व्यऽधूनुत । प्र॒जां हिं॑सि॒त्वा ब्राह्म॑णीमसंभ॒व्यं परा॑भवन्
正是那九个九十之众，曾被大地抛弃而驱散：因其伤害民众，并对婆罗门女子施以凌辱；此等不可容受之行，使他们尽皆败亡。
Mantra 12
यां मृ॒ताया॑नुब॒ध्नन्ति॑ कू॒द्यंऽ पद॒योप॑नीम्। तद् वै ब्र॑ह्मज्य ते दे॒वा उ॑प॒स्तर॑णमब्रुवन्
人们把那物系缚在死去的女子身上——如墙之覆帷、如铺于足下的上衣；此物确为诸天所宣示：作为伤害婆罗门者的卧具（upastaraṇa）。
Mantra 13
अश्रू॑णि॒ कृप॑मानस्य॒ यानि॑ जी॒तस्य॑ वावृ॒तुः । तं वै ब्र॑ह्मज्य ते दे॒वा अ॒पां भा॒गम॑धारयन्
那哀恸者的泪水——那已围裹着被征服者的泪水；诸天神确已将此人视为“婆罗门杀害者”（brahmajya），使他不得分得水之份（apāṃ bhāga）。
Mantra 14
येन॑ मृ॒तं स्न॒पय॑न्ति॒ श्मश्रू॑णि॒ येनोन्दते॑ । तं वै ब्र॑ह्मज्य ते दे॒वा अ॒पां भा॒गम॑धारयन्
人们用以沐洗亡者之物，用以润湿胡须之物——诸天神确已将此人视为“婆罗门杀害者”（brahmajya），使他不得分得水之份（apāṃ bhāga）。
Mantra 15
न व॒र्षं मै॑त्रावरु॒णं ब्र॑ह्म॒ज्यम॒भि व॑र्षति । नास्मै॒ समि॑तिः कल्पते॒ न मि॒त्रं न॑यते॒ वश॑म्
对那婆罗门杀害者（brahmajya），密多罗—伐楼那之雨不降于其身；为他，集会不备；朋友也不能使任何事物归其掌控。
Inside Sukta 19
How it unfolds
- How it opens
The hymn frames Brahmanic merit and its guardianship, contrasting those who honor Brahmanic power with those who violate it.
- What it asks
That the brahmajya be identified and constrained—kept from the Waters’ portion and from the benefits of communal rites—so the community and rāṣṭra remain protected.
- Where its power lies
Sin is not abstract: brahmahatyā/brahma-droha becomes a monstrous, many-limbed force that clings to the offender and can shake the kingdom, proving the mantra’s juridical force.
- How it closes
The decisive withholding is pronounced: the Devas hold the offender back from Āpas—sealing exclusion until proper expiation/settlement.
Famous verses
apāṃ bhāgam adhārayan
rāṣṭram ava dhūnute
Kind of hymn
Abhicarika (Curse/Exclusion) with Dharmic-Social Sanction
What it is for
Ritually mark and impair the brahmajya—blocking purification, prosperity, and standing—while safeguarding the community/kingdom and affirming the inviolability of Brahmanic persons and liturgy.
Who it is for
Householders and ritual specialists (Atharvan priests) acting for a community or ruler; also patrons seeking to protect Brahmins and maintain social-ritual order.
Also used as
- Rakṣā (protective exclusion)
- Rājakarman (state/realm protection)
- Dharmic-social sanction (norm enforcement)
The deity
Āpas represent purifying, life-giving, prosperity-bearing power and also the communal ‘share’ of ritual participation; the Devas function as judges who allot or withhold that share. Brahmahatyā/Brahma-droha appears as a concrete, terrifying agency that clings to the offender and destabilizes society and kingship.
Powers of the deity
- Purify and reintegrate the worthy; refuse purification to the guilty
- Allot ‘bhāga’ (share) of ritual, prosperity, and social standing
- Expose and mark hidden wrongdoing through stigma and misfortune
- Personified brahmahatyā shakes rāṣṭra (polity), producing disorder until corrected
- Enable communal protection by enforcing boundaries around the polluted offender
Why the deity is called
To deny the brahmajya access to the Waters’ purificatory/prosperity portion and to enlist divine judgment so the offender is ritually and socially constrained, protecting Brahmins and the realm.
The seer
- Atharvan/Āṅgirasa-type seer (edition-specific Anukramaṇī attribution varies)Atharvan. Abhicarika and rakṣā-mantras that police dharma: exclusion of offenders, protection of the community/kingdom, and ritual control of pollution (pāpa) through binding/withholding formulas.
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 5.18
- AV 5.20
- AV 4.36
Preparing for the rite
- Identify the offender (or the threatened situation) and ritually define the boundary of the community/ritual space.
- Prepare clean water in a vessel as the emblem of Āpas and communal purification; keep it separate from the offender’s contact.
- Establish a protective perimeter (e.g., by sprinkling water around the ritual area) while intending ‘withholding’ rather than ‘granting’ to the offender.
The rite
- Recite the hymn with special emphasis on verses that ‘withhold the waters’ share’ and that describe brahmahatyā as clinging and realm-shaking.
- Perform a symbolic ‘non-admittance’ act: do not offer the prepared water to the offender; instead, keep it for the righteous or pour it away to signify exclusion.
- Optionally, recite over a boundary-marker (cord/line/threshold) to formalize social separation until expiation is completed.
What it needs
- Water (āpah) in a vessel (primary)
- Optional boundary marker (cord/line of darbha or thread)
- Optional ladle/sprinkling tool for perimeter sprinkling
When
When a grave offense against a Brahmin is alleged/known, during communal crisis, or prior to rites where purity and eligibility must be enforced.
The main substance
Water (Āpas) as the emblem of purification/prosperity and as the ‘share’ withheld from the offender
Amulets
- Optional boundary-cord/thread or darbha line as a separation marker
How it is prepared
Keep a vessel of clean water ritually ‘reserved’ for the worthy; during recitation, use it for perimeter sprinkling or symbolically deny it to the offender (withholding rather than bestowing).
Frequently Asked Questions
It ritually marks the offender as ineligible for purification and prosperity by declaring that the Devas withhold from him the ‘share of the Waters,’ i.e., access to cleansing rites and communal benefit.
In Vedic thought, waters carry purification, blessing, and reintegration. If waters are withheld, the person remains publicly and ritually ‘stuck’ in pollution, which enforces exclusion until expiation.
Both. The abhicarika edge excludes the offender, while the broader aim is protective: it defends Brahmins, stabilizes the kingdom (rāṣṭra), and reinforces the rule that harming Brahmanic persons/power endangers everyone.
Ask anything about Sukta 19 of the Atharva Veda
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Atharva Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
