Atharva Veda 3.19.4: Kanda 3, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 19, Mantra 4

Sukta 19

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

तीक्ष्णी॑यांसः पर॒शोर॒ग्नेस्तीक्ष्ण॑तरा उत॑। इन्द्र॑स्य॒ वज्रा॒त् तीक्ष्णी॑यांसो॒ येषा॒मस्मि॑ पु॒रोहि॑तः

Recitation with translationAtharva Veda 3.19.4

IAST Transliteration

tīkṣṇī́yāṁsaḥ paraśór agnéḥ tīkṣṇá-tarā utá | índrasya vájrāt tīkṣṇī́yāṁso yéṣām ásmi puróhitaḥ ||

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Keen-edged beyond Agni’s axe are they, yea keener yet; keener than Indra’s thunderbolt are they, for whom I stand appointed Purohita.

Translation

إنهم أحدُّ من فأسِ أَغني—بل أشدُّ حدًّا؛ وأحدُّ من وَجْرَةِ إندرا (صاعقته) هم، أولئك الذين أُقيمُ لهم بوروهيتا مُعيَّنًا.

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Word by Word

• तीक्ष्णीयांसः: sharper (comparatively)
• तीक्ष्णीयांसः: Kartā (विधेय-विशेषण; ‘they are sharper’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीक्ष्ण (प्रातिपदिक; तिक्ष्ण- ‘sharp’) + ईयस् (तद्धित-प्रत्यय; comparative) → तीक्ष्णीयस्

• परशोः: of the axe
• परशोः: सम्बन्ध (genitive; ‘of the axe’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परशु (प्रातिपदिक; ‘axe’)

• अग्नेः: of Agni
• अग्नेः: सम्बन्ध (genitive; ‘of Agni’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक; ‘Agni’)

• तीक्ष्णतराः: sharper (more sharp)
• तीक्ष्णतराः: Kartā (विधेय-विशेषण; ‘(they are) sharper’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीक्ष्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + तर (तद्धित-प्रत्यय; comparative) → तीक्ष्णतर

• उत: and; also
• उत: — (समुच्चय/अन्वय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उत (निपात/अव्यय)

• इन्द्रस्य: of Indra
• इन्द्रस्य: सम्बन्ध (genitive; ‘of Indra’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक; ‘Indra’)

• वज्रात्: from/than the thunderbolt
• वज्रात्: Apādāna (ablative; ‘than/from the thunderbolt’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वज्र (प्रातिपदिक; ‘thunderbolt’)

• तीक्ष्णीयांसः: sharper
• तीक्ष्णीयांसः: Kartā (विधेय-विशेषण; पुनरुक्ति-बल)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीक्ष्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + ईयस् (comparative) → तीक्ष्णीयस्

• येषाम्: of whom; whose
• येषाम्: सम्बन्ध (genitive; ‘of whom/whose’)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• अस्मि: I am
• अस्मि: — (सम्बन्ध/कोपुला; ‘I am’)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु; ‘to be’)

• पुरोहितः: purohita; officiating priest
• पुरोहितः: Kartā/प्रधानीय-कर्तृ (वाक्य-कर्तृ; ‘(I) am the priest’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरोहित (प्रातिपदिक; ‘purohita, placed in front; priest’)

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic seer (traditional attribution within AV war/host hymns; specific r̥ṣi varies by anukramaṇī tradition)

Devata: Indra (victory), Agni (fiery sharpness), and the empowered host/weapons as functional recipients

Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (predominant in AV martial charms; metrical exactness may vary by pada reading)

Mantra Rasa

Primary: vira

Secondary: raudra