Apāmārga
Apāmārga · apa-mārga, “that which wipes away”
Arka has other meanings too: see all meanings of Arka.
Grammar: masculine noun, from apa + mṛj (to wipe away): “that which wipes away”. The kośa of the Agni Purāṇa gives Śaikharika, Pratyakparṇī and Mayūraka as other names for it (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 363).
Meaning: a sacred plant whose sticks are offered as samidh (fuel for the sacred fire) in homa, above all as the samidh of the graha Budha; its leaves, flowers and roots are used in remedies.
In the scriptures: the Agni Purāṇa uses the apāmārga in the homa for the grahas, in rites for a desired fruit, and in medicine.
The samidh of Budha. Among the things prepared for a consecration, for the graha-śānti of Sūrya and the other grahas the samidhs are of arka, palāśa, khadira, apāmārga, aśvattha, udumbara and śamī, a hundred and eight of each; if these cannot be had, homa is done with yava and tila in their place (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 95). In the graha-yajña the samidhs for the grahas are, in order: arka for Sūrya, palāśa for Candra, khadira for Kuja, apāmārga for Budha, pippala for Bṛhaspati, udumbara for Śukra, śamī for Śani, dūrvā for Rāhu and kuśa for Ketu; they are offered with madhu (honey), ājya (ghee) and dadhi (curd) (Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 164, 167).
Homa for a desired fruit. One who desires much gold offers homa with samidhs of apāmārga; in vaśīkaraṇa (bringing under control) the homa is of samidhs of śākoṭa, vacā and apāmārga (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 260). In the rite that wards off abhicāra (hostile rites), after Sudarśana is worshipped on the drawn cakra, homa is done in order with ājya, apāmārga samidh, akshata, tila, mustard, pāyasa, cow’s ghee and the mūla-mantra, a thousand homas with each; by this rite all bhūtas and the like are destroyed (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 306).
In remedies. A paste of bilva root, apāmārga, dhātakī, pāṭalā and kuṭaja removes toothache, and the same cooked in ghee removes mouth disease (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 292). When the grahī Bhīshaṇī seizes a child on the second day after birth, a paste of pippalī ground with kṛshṇā, apāmārga and candana is applied (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 299). Among the yogas for a son, new flower-tips of apāmārga are drunk with buffalo milk (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 302).
Related terms: Samidh · Homa · Budha · Graha-śānti · Arka · Palāśa
Sources
- Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 95, 164, 167, 260, 292, 299, 302, 306, 363