Atharva Veda 2.11.1: Kanda 2, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 11, Mantra 1

Sukta 11

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

श्रेयःप्राप्तिः। दूष्या॒ दूषि॑रसि हे॒त्या हे॒तिर॑सि मे॒न्या मे॒निर॑सि । आ॒प्नु॒हि श्रेयां॑स॒मति॑ स॒मं क्रा॑म

IAST Transliteration

dū́ṣyā dū́ṣir asi hetyā́ hetír asi menyā́ menír asi | āpnuhi śréyāṁsam áti samáṁ krā́ma

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Thou art Dūṣyā, thou art the Spoiler; thou art Hetyā, thou art the Weapon; thou art Menyā, thou art Wrath. Win thou the Better; step thou beyond the level (of the equal).

Translation

أنتِ دُوشْيَا (Dūṣyā)؛ أنتِ المُفْسِدَة. أنتِ هِتْيَا (Hetyā)؛ أنتِ السِّلاح. أنتِ مِينْيَا (Menyā)؛ أنتِ الغَضَب. انْتَزِعي الأَفْضَل؛ واخْطِي خُطْوَةً تَتَجَاوَزِينَ بِهَا مُسْتَوَى المُتَسَاوِينَ.

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Word by Word

• श्रेयः: the better (good), welfare
• श्रेयः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रेयस् (प्रातिपदिक; श्रेयस् < श्रि/श्री ‘to prosper’ से तुलनात्मक/श्रेष्ठार्थ) अथवा ‘श्रेयो’ (नपुंसक)

• प्राप्तिः: attainment, obtaining
• प्राप्तिः: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राप्ति (प्रातिपदिक; √आप् ‘to obtain’ + क्तिन्)

• दूष्या: O defiling one / O spoilable one
• दूष्या: Sambodhana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दूष्य (प्रातिपदिक; √दूष् ‘to spoil, defile’ से यत्/ण्यत्-प्रत्यय; ‘to be defiled/defiling’)

• दूषिः: defilement, corrupter
• दूषिः: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: दूषि (प्रातिपदिक; √दूष्)

• असि: you are
• असि: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (भू/अस् ‘to be’)

• हेत्या: O missile/weapon (harmful force)
• हेत्या: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun
• Root: हेति (प्रातिपदिक; √हि/हन् ‘to strike’ से ‘weapon/impulse’ अर्थ)

• हेतिः: missile, weapon; harmful impulse
• हेतिः: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: हेति (प्रातिपदिक)

• असि: you are
• असि: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस्

• मेन्या: O wrathful/jealous one (malign force)
• मेन्या: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: मेन्या (प्रातिपदिक; ‘क्रोध/ईर्ष्या/दुष्ट-मनस्’ प्रकार का)

• मेनिः: wrath, jealousy; malignity
• मेनिः: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेनि (प्रातिपदिक; ‘क्रोध/ईर्ष्या/दुष्टता’)

• असि: you are
• असि: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस्

• आप्नुहि: reach!, obtain!
• आप्नुहि: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √आप् (to obtain, reach)

• श्रेयांसम्: a better (state/thing), the better one
• श्रेयांसम्: Karma
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: श्रेयस् (प्रातिपदिक)

• अति: beyond, over
• अति: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अति (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)

• समम्: evenly, level; in an equal way
• समम्: Adhikaraṇa
• Type: Adjective/Adverb
• Root: सम (प्रातिपदिक)

• क्रम: step!, stride!
• क्रम: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √क्रम् (to step, stride)

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic/Aṅgirasa tradition (specific r̥ṣi not securely determinable from the single mantra excerpt).

Devata: Śreyas (prosperous superiority) as goal; hostile agencies personified as Dūṣyā/Hetyā/Menyā.

Chandas: Anuṣṭubh-like cadence (prose-tight Atharvanic anuṣṭubh; exact metrical scansion uncertain from the excerpted accent-text).

Mantra Rasa

Primary: raudra

Secondary: vira