Word

Atharvaveda

Sanskrit

अथर्ववेद

IAST

athervaveda

In General

Atharva Veda, the last of the four Veda Samhita is a collection of Mantras mostly with a meter. It is a Veda of Health and healing and not of sorcery (abichara kriya) as many modern thinkers blame. A.V. gives a more detailed picture about the social structure and intellectual pursuit of Vedic society than any other Veda. It is divided into 20 Kanda each having several suktas. This veda has in all 730 suktas containing a total of 5987 mantas composed by 160 rishis. One third of mantras in A.V. deals with plants and another one third with treatment and the remaining part deal with all other subject.

A.V. is as old and sacred as other three Veda. A.V. is also called by the name Brahma Veda, Atherva-Angirasa Veda, Bhaishajya Veda and Kshatra Veda. Of the ten major Upanishads three of them, namely Mandukya, Mundaka, Prasna belongs to Atharva Veda.

Veda

Unlike other Vedas, most of the mantras in A.V. are original and not borrowed from Rig_Veda. The mantras of the A.V. were revealed to the descendants of disciples of the seers, Athervan and Angirasa. All the subjects like philosophy medicine, polity in the text is not particular to a kanda but spread over several kandas without any repetition. The mantra 11.4 describes on how the body is energized by the life energy, the Prana. The mantra 10.2 describes the various body parts of body. The mantra 5.2 deal with several specific diseases. A.V. also deals extensively with the topic of state and its administration. The mantras 3.4 and 3.3 states the custom of the land as the king is elected by a council and the circumstance at which he could be deposed. The mantas 7.12.2 and 12.1.56 gives the details, as how, the king was advised by several governing councils such as sabha, samiti, sangam etc.

The bhumi sukta (12.1) of Atherva Veda is an ode to earth. Going through the verses we will accept the fact that no poet on earth has expressed better idea on the mother earth. The sukta begin with the idea that earth is not a mere physical structure of sand and rock, but an organization upheld by the truth (sathyam), vastness (brhat) eternal order of truth in movement (rtam), insight (diksha), askesis or austerities (tapas), the power of the Word or prayer and the collaborative activity between man and the cosmic powers (Yajna). All the modern idea on earth protection is covered in the subsequent verses.