Atharva Veda 4.25.4: Kanda 4, Anuvaka 3, Sukta 25, Mantra 4

Sukta 25

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

अपे॒तो वा॑यो सवि॒ता च॑ दुष्कृ॒तमप॒ रक्षां॑सि॒ शिमि॑दां च सेधतम्। सं ह्यू॒३र्जया॑ सृ॒जथः॒ सं बले॑न॒ तौ नो॑ मुञ्चत॒मंह॑सः

IAST Transliteration

apétaḥ vā́yo savitā́ ca duṣkṛtám ápa rákṣāṁsi śímidāṁ ca sedhatam | sáṁ hí ūrjáyā sṛjáthaḥ sáṁ bálená táu no muñcatam áṁhasaḥ ||

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Driven off be the ill-wrought evil, O Vāyu and Savitar; drive ye away the Rākṣases and the Śimidā brood, and bar them. For ye send forth, in full, with vigor, in full with power: do ye release us from distress.

Translation

ليُطرَد الشرّ المصنوع بسوء، يا فايُو وسافيتار؛ واطردا الرّاكشاس (Rākṣasa) وزمرة شيميدَا (Śimidā)، واصدّاهما. فإنكما تُطلقان القوّة الحيويّة (ūrjā) كاملةً، وتُطلقان البأس كاملًا؛ فأطلقانا من الضيق (aṃhas).

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Word by Word

• अपेतः: gone away; departed
• अपेतः: Kartā (with implied subject ‘वायुः’)
• Type: Adjective/Participle
• Root: अप-इ (√इ ‘to go’) → अपेत (ppp)

• वायो: O Wind
• वायो: (Address) Sambodhana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वायु (prātipadika)

• सविता: Savitar (the impeller, Sun-god)
• सविता: Kartā (co-agent with Wind)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सवितृ (prātipadika)

• च: and
• च: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• दुष्कृतम्: evil deed; wrongdoing; harm
• दुष्कृतम्: Karma (of ‘अपेतः’ = ‘let … go away’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुष्कृत (prātipadika)

• अप: away; off
• अप: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अप

• रक्षांसि: demons; harmful spirits
• रक्षांसि: Karma (of ‘सेधतम्’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्षस् (prātipadika)

• शिमिदाम्: of the Śimids (a class of hostile beings/witchcraft-afflictors)
• शिमिदाम्: Sambandha (genitive: ‘of the śimids’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिमिद् (prātipadika)

• च: and
• च: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• सेधतम्: ward off (you two); repel
• सेधतम्: Kriyā (addressed to two deities: Vāyu & Savitar)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √सिध्/सेध् (to ward off, repel, restrain)

• सम्: together; completely
• सम्: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्

• हि: indeed; for
• हि: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• ऊर्जया: with vigor; with nourishment/refreshing power
• ऊर्जया: Karaṇa (instrument: ‘with nourishment/strength’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऊर्जा (prātipadika)

• सृजथः: you two release/send forth; bestow
• सृजथः: Kriyā (of the two addressed deities)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √सृज् (to release, send forth, bestow)

• सम्: together; fully
• सम्: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्

• बलेन: with strength; by force
• बलेन: Karaṇa (instrument: ‘with strength’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बल (prātipadika)

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Kartā (resumptive: ‘those two’ = Vāyu & Savitar)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (sarvanāma)

• नः: for us; our
• नः: Sampradāna/Sambandha (for us / of us, beneficiary)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद् (sarvanāma)

• मुञ्चतम्: release (you two); set free
• मुञ्चतम्: Kriyā (request to the two deities)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √मुच् (to release, free)

• अंहसः: from distress/sin; from evil
• अंहसः: Apādāna (source: ‘from sin/distress’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अंहस् (prātipadika)

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (see Anukramaṇī for AV 4.25).

Devata: Vāyu and Savitar; also implicitly anti-demonic (rakṣoghna) function.

Chandas: Triṣṭubh (verify by metrical scan in the received pada text).

Mantra Rasa

Primary: vira

Secondary: bhayankara