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Mantra · Eight Vedic ghee offerings asking Ishana and the gods for long life

Ayushya Suktam

यो ब्रह्मा ब्रह्मण उज्जहार प्राणैः शिरः कृत्तिवासाः पिनाकी । ईशानो देवः स न आयुर्दधातु तस्मै जुहोमि हविषा घृतेन ॥

Also known as Yo Brahma Brahmana

In Devanagari, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English — with the meaning of every word, and the one syllable most people pronounce wrongly.

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What the Ayushya Suktam is

The Ayushya Suktam, the hymn of the life-span in the South Indian Yajurveda chanting books, is eight Vedic mantras in which every offering of ghee is joined to a prayer for long life. Its seers are unnamed and no samhita passage is cited for it; it is known as a homam text, and for that reason is also called a Ghrita Sukta, a hymn of ghee. Verse 1 addresses Ishana, the hide-clad bearer of the Pinaka bow; Verse 2 a radiant one risen from the waters who loosens the nooses of death; Verse 3 the light of Brahman, praised as a golden sun. Verse 4 names Shri, Lakshmi, Ambika and Shashthi, Verse 5 the daughters of Daksha and their families. Verse 6 placates the ancient hosts that cut life short, Verse 7 turns to the One from whom the world arises, and Verse 8 lists every class of gods and ancestors. The text is printed here without accent marks; chanting with the svaras is learned from a teacher.

A birthday rite fed with ghee

The Ayushya Suktam was made for the fire rather than for silent reading. According to tradition, the rite it accompanies, the Ayushya Homam, is among the household ceremonies set out in the Baudhayana Grihya Sutra (3.7), and the verbs of the hymn say plainly what is happening at the altar: "I offer", "we strengthen with ghee", "may they accept this ghee". In the rite, svaha is added as each offering is poured. The family custom in South India is to hold the Homam on a child's first birthday and afterwards on the day of the birth star each year. The choice of deities fits that setting. Verse 4 invokes Shashthi, whom folk tradition regards as the guardian of infants, and gives her the name Indrasena; the Mahabharata knows her as Devasena, consort of Skanda. Verse 6 asks the life-shortening hosts not to harm "our children, nor our men". The opening line carries a Puranic memory in a single clause, naming Shiva as the one who tore away Brahma's head. The Shiva Purana tells that episode at length as the origin of Bhairava; the sukta recalls it only to establish who holds power over life. Verse 7 then sets the prayer for more years inside the whole span of creation, naming the One into whom the world returns at its end.

The mantra, in six scripts

DevanagariSanskrit & Hindiयो ब्रह्मा ब्रह्मण उज्जहार प्राणैः शिरः कृत्तिवासाः पिनाकी । ईशानो देवः स न आयुर्दधातु तस्मै जुहोमि हविषा घृतेन ॥

Tamilயோ ப்ரஹ்மா ப்ரஹ்மண உஜ்ஜஹார ப்ராணைஃ ஶிரஃ க்ருத்திவாஸாஃ பிநாகீ । ஈஶாநோ தேவஃ ஸ ந ஆயுர்ததாது தஸ்மை ஜுஹோமி ஹவிஷா க்ருதேந ॥

Teluguయో బ్రహ్మా బ్రహ్మణ ఉజ్జహార ప్రాణైః శిరః కృత్తివాసాః పినాకీ । ఈశానో దేవః స న ఆయుర్దధాతు తస్మై జుహోమి హవిషా ఘృతేన ॥

Kannadaಯೋ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮಾ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮಣ ಉಜ್ಜಹಾರ ಪ್ರಾಣೈಃ ಶಿರಃ ಕೃತ್ತಿವಾಸಾಃ ಪಿನಾಕೀ । ಈಶಾನೋ ದೇವಃ ಸ ನ ಆಯುರ್ದಧಾತು ತಸ್ಮೈ ಜುಹೋಮಿ ಹವಿಷಾ ಘೃತೇನ ॥

Malayalamയോ ബ്രഹ്മാ ബ്രഹ്മണ ഉജ്ജഹാര പ്രാണൈഃ ശിരഃ കൃത്തിവാസാഃ പിനാകീ । ഈശാനോ ദേവഃ സ ന ആയുര്ദധാതു തസ്മൈ ജുഹോമി ഹവിഷാ ഘൃതേന ॥

EnglishRoman transliterationyo brahmā brahmaṇa ujjahāra prāṇaiḥ śiraḥ kṛttivāsāḥ pinākī | īśāno devaḥ sa na āyurdadhātu tasmai juhomi haviṣā ghṛtena ||

“The god clad in a hide, the bearer of the Pinaka bow, who tore away the head of Brahma together with its life-breaths - may that god Ishana grant us long life. To him I offer oblation with ghee.”

यो: yo — who
ब्रह्मा: brahmā — Brahma
ब्रह्मण: brahmaṇa — of Brahma
उज्जहार: ujjahāra — tore away
प्राणैः: prāṇaiḥ — with the life-breaths
शिरः: śiraḥ — the head
कृत्तिवासाः: kṛttivāsāḥ — clad in a hide
पिनाकी: pinākī — bearer of the Pinaka bow
ईशानो: īśāno — Ishana, the ruler
देवः: devaḥ — god
स: sa — he
न: na — to us
आयुर्दधातु: āyurdadhātu — may grant long life
तस्मै: tasmai — to him
जुहोमि: juhomi — I offer
हविषा: haviṣā — with oblation
घृतेन: ghṛtena — with ghee

Ayushya Suktam lyrics in full

The eight verses of the sukta, followed by the Vishnu mantra and the peace chant that most chanting books add.

All 10 verses, in Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English, each with its meaning. Choose a script:

Download the Ayushya Suktam PDFAll 10 verses with their meanings, in Sanskrit. Free to print and keep.

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Verse 1

यो ब्रह्मा ब्रह्मण उज्जहार प्राणैः शिरः कृत्तिवासाः पिनाकी ।
ईशानो देवः स न आयुर्दधातु तस्मै जुहोमि हविषा घृतेन ॥

The god clad in a hide, the bearer of the Pinaka bow, who tore away the head of Brahma together with its life-breaths - may that god Ishana grant us long life. To him I offer oblation with ghee.

Verse 2

विभ्राजमानः सरिरस्य मध्या-द्रोचमानो घर्मरुचिर्य आगात् ।
स मृत्युपाशानपनुद्य घोरानिहायुषेणो घृतमत्तु देवः ॥

The radiant one who came forth from the midst of the waters, shining with the glow of heat - may that god drive away the dreadful nooses of death and partake of this ghee here for our long life.

Verse 3

ब्रह्मज्योति-र्ब्रह्म-पत्नीषु गर्भं यमादधात् पुरुरूपं जयन्तम् ।
सुवर्णरम्भग्रह-मर्कमर्च्यं तमायुषे वर्धयामो घृतेन ॥

The light of Brahman that placed in the wives of Brahma the embryo of many forms, the victorious one - that golden, shining sun who is worthy of worship we strengthen with ghee for long life.

Verse 4

श्रियं लक्ष्मी-मौबला-मम्बिकां गां षष्ठीं च यामिन्द्रसेनेत्युदाहुः ।
तां विद्यां ब्रह्मयोनिग्ं सरूपामिहायुषे तर्पयामो घृतेन ॥

Shri, Lakshmi, Aubala, Ambika, the Cow, and Shashthi whom they call Indrasena - that Vidya, born of Brahman and of like form, we satisfy here with ghee for long life.

Verse 5

दाक्षायण्यः सर्वयोन्यः स योन्यः सहस्रशो विश्वरूपा विरूपाः ।
ससूनवः सपतयः सयूथ्या आयुषेणो घृतमिदं जुषन्ताम् ॥

The daughters of Daksha, sources of all beings, with their own offspring, in thousands, of every form and of varied forms - with their sons, their husbands and their hosts, may they accept this ghee for our long life.

Verse 6

दिव्या गणा बहुरूपाः पुराणा आयुश्छिदो नः प्रमथ्नन्तु वीरान् ।
तेभ्यो जुहोमि बहुधा घृतेन मा नः प्रजाग्ं रीरिषो मोत वीरान् ॥

The divine hosts of many forms, the ancient ones who cut life short and strike down our men - to them I offer ghee in many ways. Do not harm our children, nor our men.

Verse 7

एकः पुरस्तात् य इदं बभूव यतो बभूव भुवनस्य गोपाः ।
यमप्येति भुवनग्ं साम्पराये स नो हविर्घृत-मिहायुषेत्तु देवः ॥

The One who was here before all, from whom the protector of the world came into being, and into whom the world returns at the end - may that god partake here of our oblation of ghee for long life.

Verse 8

वसून् रुद्रा-नादित्यान् मरुतोऽथ साध्यान् ऋभून् यक्षान् गन्धर्वाग्श्च पितॄग्श्च विश्वान् ।
भृगून् सर्पाग्श्चाङ्गिरसोऽथ सर्वान् घृतग्ं हुत्वा स्वायुष्या महयाम शश्वत् ॥

The Vasus, Rudras, Adityas, Maruts and Sadhyas, the Ribhus, Yakshas, Gandharvas and all the ancestors, the Bhrigus, the serpents, the Angirasas and all the rest - having offered ghee, we honour them always for a good long life.

Verse 9

विष्णो त्वं नो अन्तमश्शर्मयच्छ सहन्त्य ।
प्रतेधारा मधुश्चुत उथ्सं दुह्रते अक्षितम् ॥

O Vishnu, conquering one, our nearest friend, grant us shelter. Your streams flowing with honey draw from the spring that never runs dry.

Shanti

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥

Om. Peace, peace, peace.

The syllable people get wrong

In Verse 4 the word brahmayonigṃ (ब्रह्मयोनिग्ं) is written with the Taittiriya sign for an anusvara before a sibilant; it is said as a soft nasal "gum", brahma-yo-ni-gum, not as a hard g followed by m. The same sound returns in prajāgṃ, bhuvanagṃ and ghṛtagṃ.

When the Ayushya Suktam is chanted

Festival. Ayushya Homam on a birthday or birth-star day

Questions

The line reads "he who tore away the head of Brahma, with its life-breaths". It identifies the god before naming him: clad in a hide, holding the Pinaka bow, he is Ishana, a name of Shiva as ruler. The verse then asks that god to grant long life and ends with the offering itself, "to him I offer oblation with ghee". The point of recalling Brahma's head is that the deity addressed has authority over life and breath.

Ghee is named in every one of the eight verses. The worshippers offer it to Ishana, ask the radiant one to eat it, strengthen the golden sun with it, satisfy the goddesses with it, and pour it out for the divine hosts and ancestors. Because the text is spoken over the fire while the ladle is emptied, it is sometimes called a Ghrita Sukta, a sukta of ghee, as well as a sukta of life-span.

The verse is a prayer of appeasement. It describes the divine hosts of many forms as ancient and as those who strike down men, then offers them ghee "in many ways" and asks them not to harm the family's children or its men. Vedic ritual often honours a feared power rather than ignoring it, so that the same forces that could shorten a life are asked, with an offering, to leave it whole.

The eight verses beginning "Yo brahma brahmana" are the sukta proper and appear in every chanting book. Most books then add a separate Vishnu mantra, "Vishno tvam no antamah", which asks Vishnu, the nearest friend, for shelter and speaks of his honey-streams drawn from a spring that never dries, followed by the peace chant. Both are printed here as Verse 9 and Shanti; the long-life prayer itself ends at Verse 8.

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