Durva Suktam

Durva Sukta is a portion from the Taittiriya Aranyaka of Krishna Yajur Veda. It is also incorporated in the first few chapters of the Maha Narayana Upanishad.

The verses of Durva Suktam appear to speak about the glories of Durva Devi. In a deeper note, it contains the codes that denote the very sound form of Kundalini energy – the potential shakti in one, which leads to enlightenment once aroused and activated through the chakras.

Duhu + Urva = Durva

Gross usage: Durva grass has medicinal properties and is popularly used to worship Ganapathi.

Duhu: Difficult, painful

Urva: Kill – Grass that is difficult to kill.

Kundalini shakti is at the base of the human body, which is said to rise up the spinal cord. This energy lies dormant at the base of the spine, at the energy centre called the Muladhara chakra and Ganapathi is the presiding deity of this chakra. This is stated in Ganapathi Atharva Shirisha.

Durva is that shakti energy that is extremely difficult to kill or painful to access and is widely spread in all human beings.

There are some prominent verses in this Suktam, that actually talks about the Spinal cord. The verses (KaaNDaat kaaNDaat prarohanti parusHaH(f) prusHaH(f) pari) literally sounds like a vision of our Central Nervous system.  

S.No	Chant	Word meaning	Veda pushpanjali meaning
1	Sahasra Parama devi | Shata-mula | Shata-ankura	Sahasra Parama devi – Thousands beyond female deity Shata-mula – hundreds – roots or origins Shata-ankura – hundreds – Sprouts or manifestations	Oh Devi! You are beyond the efforts of thousands and millions! You are arising from hundreds of roots and manifesting in innumerable varieties (or forms).
2	Sarvagm haratu me papan durva dussvapna nashani	Sarvam – all Haratu – forcibly take away Me – mine Papan – Papam – sins Durva- Sacred grass Dussvapna – Duhu (bad) + svapna (dreams) + nashani (destroyer) – destroyer of bad dreams.	Thou destroy all my sons, Durva, the holy grass, the destroyer of all nightmares. Subtly, the nightmare means, the entire Universe. When Devi (Shakti) has fully risen and reached its culmination, it destroys our waking state projection (Dussvapna) and leads to an experience of ‘I am consciousnesses.
3	Kandaat kandat prarohanti parusha(f) parusha(f) pari	Kandaat-kandat – section by section Prarohanti – Pra + rohanti – manifestly rises Parushaha-parushaha – through every knot Pari – through and above	Thou rise through sections, cutting through each of our mental knots, You expand our consciousness in hundreds and thousands of ways.   In Sugarcane, long sections are called kandas and knots are called Parushahas. Similarly, in our spinal column, each vertibra is the kanda and each interstitial disc space is called as Parushaha. When Kundalini shakti (devi) is activated, it rises through the Spinal cord breaking the kandas breaking the parushahas. Here the destruction of mental fears, habits and likes are mentioned and not the physical destruction of the spine.
4	Evano durvep pratanu sahasrena shatena cha	Te – they Brahmaloke – region of brahma Tu –one’s Parantha – final departure Kale – time (at the time of final departure) Paramruthat – attained immortality ( with the supreme) Pari – them Mucyanti – dissolve (dissolve themselves or get themselves liberated) Sarve – (te sarve) – they all
5	Ya shatena pratanoshi sahasrena virohasi	Ya – she who Shatena – hundred (of) ways Pratanoshi – pra + tanoshi – Pra (manifestly) + expand Sahasrena – thousands Virohasi – Vi + rohasi – Specially + rise	She (the Devi, Shakti) who expands in hundreds of ways and rises in thousands of sadhakas consciousness. Dearest amba, for Thee only, we worship with offerings of havihi!
6	Tasyaaste devishtake vidhema havisha vayam	Tasyaha – for (your) Te – your Devi – Goddess Ishtake – liking (dearest) Vidhema – vi + dhema – worship Havisha – offerings of havihis (food offerings in the fire) Vayam – all of us
7	Ashvakrante rathakrante vishnukrante vasundhara	Ashvakrante – Ashva + krante – horses (ashva) footsteps  Rathakrante -  Ratha + krante – chariot (Ratha) Footsteps Vishnukrante – Vishnu + krante – Vishnu’s footsteps Vasundhara – Vasum +dhara – treasure + bearer – Planet earth	At every breath, at every step towards the spiritual quest, which is a treasure house of Vishnu consciousness, I hold thee (earth) respectfully to my mind (head), so that Thee may instill positive thoughts and resolutions in me and hence protect me through every step.   Here Ashva krante means Horse’s footsteps, however ashva can be taken as a-shava meaning non-breath or samaddhi state.   Ratha krante means Chariot’s footsteps, however, here Ratha means human body   Vishnu Krante means Vishnu’s footsteps – however, here it means entire universe. Subtle meaning of Vishnu is the centre of the spiritual heart.
8	Shirasa dharayish yami rakshasva maam padepade	Shirasa – head (to my) Dharayishyami – I will hold Thee Rakshashva – protect Maam – me Pade-pade – at every step