Ayushya Suktam
‘Svayushya mahayama sasvat’
(May we grow better with Life that is granted before)
This Sukta is from Yajurveda to ensure long health and remedy incase any change in health occurs. This is employed in recitation and as formulas for homa, well known as ‘Ayushya Homa’. It is worthwhile to know the text to help in the discussion. Hence the text is reproduced here for the benefit of those who like to have access to the mantras in original.
There are positive experiences owing to the Upasana of the same. The Health of the devotees get maintained and in case difference occurs it would be redressed. The mantras of the sukta are to follow thus.
1. Yo brahma brahmana ujjabhara pranaih sirah kruttivasah pinaki
Isano devah sa na ayurdadhatu tasmai juhomi havisha ghrutena..
2. Vibrajamanah sarirasya madhyatrocamano gharma rucirya aagat
samrutyupasa napanudya ghoran ihayusheno ghruta mattu devah.
3. Bhramha jyotir bhrahmapatnishu garbham yamadadhat puru
rupam jayantam suvarnarambha grahamarka marcyam tamayushe vardhayamo ghrutena..
4. Shriyam lakshmi maubala mambikam gam shashtim ca yaamindrasenetyudahuh tam vidyam brhamayonigum sarupa mihayushe tarpayamo ghrutena.
5. Daakshayanyah sarvayonyah sa yonyah sahasraso visvarupa virupa sasunavah sapatayah sayuthya ayusheno ghrutamidam jushantam.
6. Divyaganah bahurupa puranah ayuschido nah pramathnantuviran
tebhyo juhomi bahudha ghrutena manah prajagum ririsho mo ta viran.
7. Ekah purastat ya idam babhuva yato babhuva bhuvanasya gopah
yamapyeti bhuvanagum samparayae sa no havir ghrutamihayushe
attu devah!
8. Vasun rudran adityan marutotha sadhyan
yakshan gandharvagumscangiraso sarvan ghrutagum hutva svayushya mahayama sasvat.
9. Vishno tvam antamas sarma yaccha sahantya
Vratedharaa madhuscyuta utsam duhrate akshitam.
This is one of the popular suktas, quite well practiced in the Indian tradition. Mere recitation per day would be good enough to evoke and ensure maintenance of normal health like temperature 98.4 degrees of heat in the body. Also like balancing the BP 120/80. The blood flow is health and differences any can be corrected through some means or the other.
Mantras are sure sources of benefit since the sounds are vibrant enough to influence the system knowingly and unknowingly. The truth lies in faith and experience only. Guru is the surety to the Upasana mode and very rich in the Vedic Tradition. In the fast growing progress in all fields the Vedic mantras remain constant and yielding results irrespective of changes in the activity.
This sukta is taught to Veda students in the Vedadhyayana Kendra, J P Nagar, Bangalore. Also under Kendra prayer this sukta is recited and it hardly involves a few seconds to complete the short sukta of 8 mantras. We may get scared of time. But strictly speaking the time taken to recite the famous Gayatri mantra is only 2 and half seconds that anybody can afford. In a minute of 60 seconds one can recite 20 times which is a great gain.
The word Ayuh in Sanskrit has five and more meanings. It means body, mind, long life, quick healing, freedom from untoward changes incidents and accidents. When the related deities that are mentioned in the sukta are revered with the ghee offering or any other suitable dravya and also in a homa performance or mere prayer with folded hands would amount to the reaping of the rewards or results known and unknown. This Sukta itself indicates the prayoga (applications) directions and material offered in case the Havana were to be undertaken with the mantras turned into yajus employable at the homa..
The verbs signify the viniyoga in the hymn. It is specifically mentioned that clarified butter is the prime offering to the deities whose names are taken and related to the aspect of Life and progress of the devotees in the subject. Every word in the sukta is of great eminence and power and the effect increases as they are uttered repeatedly. Let us consider a few expressions found in this sukta to catch the message.
The expression ‘isano devah sa nah ayurdadhatu’ in the hymn clearly states that the deity who is by name Isana, the overlord of all, should accord long life. Isana is the name of Lord Rudra who is Mrutyunjaya, the universal healer and a bhishak. He is also regarded as Maha Vishnu. Also we see another prayer: sa mrutyupasan apanudyaghoran ihayushenah’ meaning that Lord should obviate the strong ghastly nooses of the death and the forms of obstacles thrown at us and provide us relief and comfort. Here we remember the Mrutyunjaya mantra where the Lord is requested to obviate the pasa, bandhas and ensure immortality (Tryambakam yajamahe….mrutyormukshiya mamarutat). Rudra is Vishnu and vice versa. They are organizing forces for world administration.
We do not know pain when we come into this world since our mother who gives birth to us experiences all that labour pain thereby God gives 50% rebate of pain to us while at birth when we are pushed into this world. But we get to know of the balance 50% of it at the time of leaving the world. That is called maranabadha (pain at the time of death) when the life, the prana does not exit quickly. We make a prayer that the Lord should ensure less potency of pain, if at all, when we leave our body. The traditional solution is When the Lord’s name is taken the exit would be pain free. (‘sunayasena maranam vina dainyana jivita…aradhita govinda pada yugmaih siddhyati) . We need to pray for easy death, not troubled or bothered one.
Also we see the prayer again ‘tamayushe vardhayamo ghrutena’ meaning we revere him for balance in the state of health and happiness when breathing one’s life by offering of Ghee. We have the mention of deities in the sukta who should guard our life and support happiness (ayusheno jushantam).
In the 6th mantra, the devotee includes all his people to be protected with health when he says ’ma nah prajagum ririsho (trouble) mota veeran’. Here the devotee refers and includes his kith and kin to be also taken care for health and happiness. , Healing and cure is ensured to them too with this mantra.. The defense forces are also accounted in the prayer (mota viran). If they are safe, our safety is secured.
This Veda always preaches ethical generality. Therefore, Vedas are great eternal and meant for proper action and peace. How not we endeavor to recite a word or mantra from Veda per day when so much of assurance and hope is invested in these mantra-set.
In the 8th Verse, we have mention of ten Gods at a palace. They are Vasus, Rudras, Adityas, Maruts, Sadhyas, Yakshas, Gandharvas etc who would extend care of health to the devotees throughout. These are the guardians of Health care. They are the Divine personnel in the realm of Gods constantly at work protecting the devotees. In other words they form the group of Ayurdevatas.
Various Deities of Veda and later parts are the functionaries marking and guarding the fate of the beings born on land while Lord Vishnu is the ‘antimo devah’, Vishnu is the deity Final, to grant yet higher benefits. Here the prayer is ‘svayushyamahayama sasvat’ meaning ’may we grow with our own life span granted for us before coming into this world.
It is necessary to ask for security of life on the earth. The same in other way is seen in the “camakam” when we recite to make prayer dirghayutvam ca me’ ‘anamitram ca me’ ‘abhayam ca me…’ full life is sure when there are non-enemies, health and fearlessness. This is the ensured security we solicit to occur with the help of Yajna that one does.
Ultimately in the 9th mantra, we have the praise to Sri MahaVishnu to whom the prayers are submitted for counter signature of the desires and the Health care issues both for the doctors, patients, the animals and all beings that breath life here on Earth. It is so since He is deemed as the finale deity of the deities and of all gods,. He is submitted with a prayer: Sarma (Happiness and peace) yaccha(bless us). Sarma (peace and Happiness) is the finale of happiness meaning liberation and yaccha is the verb means to provide. He provides summarily the beatitude and freedom from servitude. Happiness the goal of all pursuits, which would be granted by the paramatam Vishnu need be ensured.
Our Puranas say that Gods grant us desires and would if they admire put us at the entrance of the road for Moksha, but do not grant Liberation. But Vishnu grants the End, the Liberation, the Janma rahitya. So this Ayushya sukta is one tool for Health care and longevity and Veda in Principle contains thousands of such formulas. It is best to revert always to Vedic Healing laying Trust on the Vedic gods.
In this manner, we have many other suktas of Veda, which have grown popular in the Indian Tradition. Our life span is rewarded when we pick up such helpful suktas and mantras of the Vedas and reduce into our routine life that the routine would be stout and ensured.
In the same strain we have suktas like ‘svatino mimeetam,’ ‘Aano Bhadra sukta,’ ‘Bhagya suktam’ etc that are the tools to win and realized the grace of the respective deities and the Deity.
Life is Precious. Time is precious. But Life is more precious than Time. It is so because life is short and time is an ever-flow like Mahanadi. Ayush the span of time is most precious and hence we have the instruction: ‘Anushasca kanasascaiva vidyamartham ca sadhayet.. ‘. Vidya and sense and supporting wealth have to be acquired on installments constantly.
Om Tat Sat