Atharva Veda 13.2.26: Kanda 13, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 2, Mantra 26

Sukta 2

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

यो वि॒श्वच॑र्षणिरु॒त वि॒श्वतो॑मुखो॒ यो वि॒श्वत॑स्पाणिरु॒त वि॒श्वत॑स्पृथः । सं बा॒हुभ्यां॒ भर॑ति॒ सं पत॑त्रै॒र्द्यावा॑पृथि॒वी ज॒नय॑न् दे॒व एकः॑

Recitation with translationAtharva Veda 13.2.26

IAST Transliteration

yó viśvácārṣaṇir utá viśvató-mukho yó viśvatáspāṇir utá viśvatáspṛthaḥ | sáṃ bāhúbhyāṃ bhárati sáṃ patátrair dyā́vā-pṛthivī́ janáyan devá ékaḥ

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

He who is of all peoples, and hath faces on every side; he who hath hands on every side, and is broad on every side—he beareth all together with his arms, all together with his wings, generating Heaven and Earth, the one God.

Translation

هو الذي يَشمل جميعَ الشعوب، وله وجوهٌ من كلِّ جهة؛ وهو الذي له أيدٍ من كلِّ جهة، وهو واسعٌ من كلِّ ناحية—بذراعَيْه يحملُ الكلَّ معًا، وبجناحَيْه يضمُّ الكلَّ معًا، مُولِّدًا السماءَ والأرضَ، الإلهَ الواحد.

The meaning

What it says

A one God with faces, hands, breadth in every direction bears all with arms and wings, generating Heaven and Earth.

The inner meaning

The integrated Self holds opposites together: perception (many faces), agency (many hands), and spaciousness (breadth) become unified; inner fragmentation is gathered into one sustaining awareness.

The truth in it

Reality’s sustaining principle is all-pervasive and multi-functional; protection arises from recognizing the One that contains the many.

What it is for

Kind of hymn

Śānti / Apotropaic (Cosmic totality, universal protection, and stabilization)

Its aim

To invoke an all-pervading, all-seeing, all-acting divine power (solar/creator) for comprehensive protection and world-stabilization—suitable for warding diffuse threats.

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Word by Word

Pada patha

यः । विश्वचर्षणिः । उत । विश्वतोमुखः । यः । विश्वतस्पाणिः । उत । विश्वतस्पृथः । सम् । बाहुभ्याम् । भरति । सम् । पतत्रैः । द्यावापृथिवी । जनयन् । देवः । एकः ।

यः

who (he who)who; relative pronoun introducing the praised powerPronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

विश्वचर्षणिः

(he who is) of all peoples / belonging to all menbelonging to all peoples/seeing all races; universal lordship over communitiesAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot विश्व-चर्षणि (प्रातिपदिक; चर्षणि ‘जन/मनुष्य’)

उत

and alsoand also; connective intensifierIndeclinableअव्ययम्Root उत (निपात/अव्यय)

विश्वतोमुखः

having faces on all sides; all-facedhaving faces on all sides; all-directional presence and perceptionAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot विश्वतः-मुख (प्रातिपदिक)

यः

whowho; resuming the relative constructionPronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

विश्वतस्पाणिः

having hands on all sides; all-handedhaving hands on all sides; power to grasp/act everywhere (omnipotent agency)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot विश्वतः-पाणि (प्रातिपदिक)

उत

and alsoand also; further intensificationIndeclinableअव्ययम्Root उत (निपात/अव्यय)

विश्वतस्पृथः

broad/extended on all sidesbroad on all sides, all-encompassing expanse; cosmic pervasionAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot विश्वतः-पृथु (प्रातिपदिक; पृथु ‘विस्तीर्ण’)

सम्

together; completelytogether, completely; totalizing actionIndeclinableअव्ययम् (उपसर्गः)Root सम् (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)

बाहुभ्याम्

with (his) two armswith (his) arms; instruments of support and bearingNounपुंलिङ्गः, तृतीया, द्विवचनम्Role KaraṇaRoot बाहु (प्रातिपदिक)

भरति

bears; carries; supportshe bears, supports; sustaining function (cosmic maintenance)Verbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Root √भृ (भरणे)

सम्

together; completelytogether, wholly; repeated for parallelismIndeclinableअव्ययम् (उपसर्गः)Root सम् (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)

पतत्रैः

with wingswith wings/feathers; swift, far-reaching movement (solar/bird imagery)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, तृतीया, बहुवचनम्Role KaraṇaRoot पतत्र (प्रातिपदिक)

द्यावापृथिवी

heaven and earthHeaven-and-Earth; the cosmic pair as produced/orderedNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग-द्वन्द्वः, द्वितीया, द्विवचनम् (समाहार/युगलार्थे)Role KarmaRoot द्यावा-पृथिवी (द्वन्द्व-समास; द्यौ/द्यावा + पृथिवी)

जनयन्

generating; producingbegetting, generating; creative act establishing the worldVerb (participle)वर्तमान-कृदन्तः (शतृ), पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot √जन् (जनने) → जनय (णिच्)

देवः

the godthe god; the singular divine agentNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)

एकः

one; singleone, sole; monadic emphasis—one power behind multiplicityAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot एक (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• यः | विश्वचर्षणिः | उत | विश्वतोमुखः | यः | विश्वतस्पाणिः | उत | विश्वतस्पृथः | सम् | बाहुभ्याम् | भरति | सम् | पतत्रैः | द्यावापृथिवी | जनयन् | देवः | एकः ।
• 1) उत इति निपातः ‘च/अपि’ अर्थे।
• 2) विश्वतः + मुख → विश्वतोमुख (समासे ‘विश्वतः’ अव्ययपूर्वपदत्वात् रूपम् स्थिरम्)।
• 3) विश्वतः + पाणि → विश्वतस्पाणि (समासे ‘विश्वतस्-’ इति अव्ययपूर्वपद-रूपम्; प्रथमा एकवचने -पाणिः)।
• 4) विश्वतः + पृथु → विश्वतस्पृथु (प्रथमा एकवचने -पृथः; वैदिके ‘पृथः’ इति रूपं दृश्यते)।
• 5) सम् उपसर्गः ‘भरति’ इत्यनेन क्रियापदेन सह ‘सम् भरति’ = ‘सम्भरति’ अर्थः (पाठे पदविभागेन सम् पृथक्)।
• 6) द्यावा-पृथिवी इति द्वन्द्वसमासः
• मन्त्रभाषायां ‘द्यावापृथिवी’ इति संयुक्तरूपेण कर्मपदम्।

Seer, deity and metre

Rishi

To be verified per AV Anukramaṇī for 13.2.

Devata

Sūrya/Creator-like ‘one god’ (solarized cosmic agent).

Chandas

Jagatī/Triṣṭubh-like extended line; confirm by metrical scan.

Rasa

Shanta and Adbhuta

Sayana's Commentary

The Seer

The Deity

The Metre

The Rite

In the Home

Substances

Healing Context

Magic Charm Layer

Symbols in this Mantra

Yogic Application

Chanting Notes

Practical Application

Scholarly Questions