Nehal Rajvanshi
The Night (of Amavasya) hath come, the gatherer of treasures, bestowing strength, prosperity, and riches.
Atharvaveda
In the Vedas, the Moon is more than a celestial body. It is associated with Manas (the mind), with emotion and fertility and with the measured rhythm of time through its waxing and waning. It is revered as Chandra and is often identified with Soma — the nourishing, life-sustaining essence spoken of across Vedic literature.
Of the four Vedas, Atharva Veda contains hymns that are closely tied to lived experiences — protection, wellbeing, continuity, renewal and healing.
In one section of the text, three hymns are dedicated to the Moon:
Amāvasya — the dark moon
Pūrnimā — the full moon
Sūrya–Chandra — the Sun and Moon together
In this edition of Moon Rhythms, we share these hymns simply as verses to read and reflect upon—poetic acknowledgements of the Moon’s phases and their significance.
Amāvasya
The Amāvasya hymn from the Atharvaveda addresses the dark moon night as that of rest and peace. The hymn contains prayers for prosperity and strength, but also for protection. It acknowledges the stillness and uncertainty of the dark night. Yet it calls this night “a gatherer of treasures” – suggesting that even in invisibility there is potency and inward gathering.
Some commentaries on these hymns, personify Amavasya as well as Purnima as goddesses. In this hymn, she is addressed directly and invoked for wellbeing and abundance.
यत्ते देवा अकृण्वन् भागधेयममावास्ये संवसन्तो महित्वा । तेना नो यज्ञं पिपृहि विश्ववारे रयिं नो धेहि सुभगे सुवीरम् ॥ १ ॥
अहमेवास्म्यमावास्या मामा वसन्ति सुकृतो मयीमे । मयि देवा उभये साद्याश्चेन्द्रज्येष्ठाः समगछन्त सर्वे ॥ २ ॥
आगन् रात्री सङ्गमनी वसूनामूर्जं पुष्टं वस्वावेशयन्ती । अमावास्यायै हविष विधेमोर्जं दुहाना पयसा न आगन् ॥ ३ ॥
अमावास्ये न त्वदेतान्यन्यो विश्वा रूपाणि परिभूर्जजान । यत्कामास्ते जुहुमस्तन् नो अस्तु वयं स्याम पतयो रयिणाम् ॥ ४ ॥
“O dark night of rest and peace, integrative spirit of divine bliss, since by virtue of your greatness and grandeur, pious sages and brilliant people abiding together happily offer their part of homage to you in yajna, for that reason, O universal power of peace, harbinger of good fortune, pray grace and fulfil our yajna with success and bring us wealth, honour and excellence worthy of the brave.
Truly I am Amavasya, all integrative power of Divinity. All people of noble action integrate and live in me. All divinities of nature and humanity, and both Sadhyas, men of accomplishment, and Indrajyeshthas, those with Indra as their supreme, come and rest in me.
Amavasya night is come, the confluence of all centres of rest, harbinger of energy, replenishment of health and wealth of peace and refreshing joy. We honour and adore Amasvasya with homage of holy materials. May the night come with showers of energy and streams of life-giving milk.
O Amavasya, divine spirit of peace and total integration, universal shelter cover of love and union,
none other than you creates and comprehends these world forms of life. We pray, may all that we love and desire with yajnic homage for fulfilment, be true and be accomplished, and may we be masters of wealth, honour and excellence.”
Pūrnimā
The Pūrnimā hymn in Atharvaveda celebrates fullness. The Moon is described as complete in every direction — before, after and in the middle. The hymn also includes an invocation to Prajāpati, the lord of creation, connecting the Full Moon to the sustaining order of life.
Here too, the night of Purnima is treated as sacred—it is to be honoured and approached through offering.
पौर्णमासी जिगाय । तस्यां देवैः संवसन्तो महित्वा नाकस्य पृष्ठे समिषा मदेम ॥ १ ॥
वृषभं वाजिनं वयं पौर्णमासं यजामहे । स नो ददात्वक्षितां रयिमनुपदस्वतीम् ॥ २ ॥
प्रजापते न त्वदेतान्यन्यो विश्वा रूपाणि परिभूर्जजान । यत्कामास्ते जुहुमस्तन् नो अस्तु वयं स्याम पतयो रयीणाम् ॥ ३ ॥
पौर्णमासी प्रथमा यज्ञियासीदह्नां रात्रीणामतिशर्वरेषु । ये त्वां यज्ञैर्यज्ञिये अर्धयन्त्यमी ते नाके सुकृतः प्रविष्टाः ॥ ४ ॥
“Full and perfect before, full and perfect after, full and perfect in the middle, the full moon night, all comprehensive sustaining spirit of Divinity, reigns supreme over all. Resting and abiding in peace and union with divinities and the greatness and grandeur of the light of perfection, may we, we pray, rejoice with food, energy and enlightenment on the heights of heaven.
We honour, adore and join the virile, all conquering full moon of the night of light divine, spirit of the light of life. May the light divine give us unviolated, inviolable and imperishable wealth, honour
and excellence of life.
O Prajapati, creator and sustainer of the life forms of existence, no one other than you, Lord Supreme, creates and comprehends all the forms of life in existence. We pray, may that we love and, for which we adore and worship you with yajna, be true and fulfilled. May we be masters of wealth, honour and excellence.
Paurnamasi, full moon night, light divine of life, is the first and foremost adorable among days and nights both dark and starry. Adorable Paurnamasi, divinity of life, those who love and worship you with yajnas and yajnic homage, they, holy of thought and action, enter and abide in the heaven of bliss.”
Surya & Chandra
The third hymn turns to the relationship between the Sun and Moon. They are described as moving in succession and in so doing, arranging time and seasons.
The Moon is said to be “born anew” each cycle. The word darśa is said to refer to the first visible crescent — the moment of reappearance after conjunction.
पूर्वापरं चरतो मययैतौ शिशू क्रीडन्तौ परि यातोऽर्णवम् । विश्वान्यो भुवना विचष्ट ऋतूंरन्यो विदधज्जायसे नवः ॥ १ ॥
नवोनवो भवसि जायमानोऽह्नां केतुरुषसामेष्यग्रम् । भागं देवेभ्यो वि दधास्यायन् प्र चन्द्रमस्तिरसे धीर्घमायुः ॥ २ ॥
सोमस्याम्शो युधां पतेऽनूनो नाम वा असि । अनूनं दर्श मा कृधि प्रजया च धनेन च ॥ ३ ॥
दर्शोऽसि दर्शतोऽसि समग्रोऽसि समन्तः । समग्रः समन्तो भूयासं गोभिरश्वैः प्रजया पशुभिर्गृहैर्धनेन ॥ ४ ॥
“One after the other, two bright children play with wondrous energy going round the seas across space. One illuminates all regions of the universe, the other, you, O moon, keeping and displaying your time and seasons, are born anew every month.
O sun, rising anew every day, you become young and ever fresh, flag symbol of the dawns and days, and ascend to the zenith. O moon when you rise you bear the divinities share of energy for them and bring long life for living beings.
O Sun, O Moon, reflection of Soma, lord supreme creator and bliss of existence, O divine protector and promoter of the struggle of life, you are faultless, perfect and full for sure. O light all blissful, make me full and perfect, wanting in nothing. Bless me with wealth and progeny.
O Moon, you are beautiful, beatific, perfect every way, in every part. I pray I too may be whole, perfect and full every way of life, with cows, horses, progeny, cattle, houses, wealth, honour and excellence.”
Traditionally, these hymns were recited at specific turning points of the lunar month — on Amāvasya (the dark moon), on Pūrnimā (the full moon), and upon the sighting of the first visible crescent.
Found together in Book VII of the Atharvaveda, they correspond to the Amāvasya Sūkta, the Pūrnimā Sūkta, and the Sūrya–Chandra Sūkta. Vedic ritual texts indicate their association with lunar observances and offerings aligned to these phases. These hymns were invocations to the nights of Amavasya and Purnima – to invoke the energies and blessings of these nights.
Please note: We approach this article simply as a sharing of verses – not as scholarly commentary. The translations belong to the scholars and authors who have worked extensively on the Atharvaveda.