Atharva Veda 1.21.2: Kanda 1, Anuvaka 3, Sukta 21, Mantra 2

Sukta 21

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

वि न॑ इन्द्र॒ मृधो॑ जहि नीचा॒ य॑च्छ पृतन्य॒तः । अ॒ध॒मं ग॑मया॒ तमो॒ यो अ॒स्माँ अ॑भि॒दास॑ति

Recitation with translationAtharva Veda 1.21.2

IAST Transliteration

ví na índra mṛ́dho jahi nīcā́ yaccha pṛtanyatáḥ | adhámam gamaya támo yó asmā́n abhídāsati ||

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Scatter, O Indra, and smite away from us the hostile powers; hold the battling foe down low. Drive into the nethermost darkness him who assails us with malice.

Translation

بَدِّدْ يا إندرا واضرِبْ عنّا قُوى العداوة؛ واحبِسِ العدوَّ المُحارِبَ في أسفلِ سُفْلٍ. وادفَعْ إلى أعمقِ الظُّلمةِ مَن يَهجُمُ علينا بسوءِ قصدٍ.

Ask anything about this verse...Ask

Word by Word

• वि: apart, away (intensifier with the verb)
• वि: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वि (upasarga) अथवा अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक

• नः: to us, for us
• नः: Sampradāna
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्

• इन्द्र: O Indra
• इन्द्र: सम्बोधन
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)

• मृधः: hostilities, harms, foes
• मृधः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृध्/मृधा (प्रातिपदिक; ‘hostility, harm, foe’)

• जहि: strike down, slay
• जहि: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन्

• नीचाः: down, low (downwards)
• नीचाः: Adhikaraṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नीच (प्रातिपदिक)

• यच्छ: restrain, hold back
• यच्छ: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: यम्

• पृतन्यतः: from the one(s) who fight/attack
• पृतन्यतः: Apādāna
• Type: Adjective/Participle
• Root: पृतन्यत् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √पृतन्/पृतन्य ‘to fight, wage battle’)

• अधमम्: lowest, most base
• अधमम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अधम (प्रातिपदिक)

• गमय: cause to go, drive (away)
• गमय: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (णिच् causative: गमय-)

• तमः: darkness
• तमः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: तमस् (प्रातिपदिक)

• यः: who
• यः: Kartā
• Type: Pronoun (relative)
• Root: यद्

• अस्मान्: us
• अस्मान्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्

• अभिदासति: assails, harms, attacks
• अभिदासति: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दास् (वैदिक: ‘to harm/assail’; with अभि-)

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic/Angiras-type attribution typical for Indra-protective charms in AVŚ Book 1 (exact r̥ṣi as per Anukramaṇī varies by tradition).

Devata: Indra

Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (4 pādas of 8 syllables; with Vedic metrical flexibility)

Mantra Rasa

Primary: raudra

Secondary: vira