Atharva Veda 12.2.38: Kanda 12, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 2, Mantra 38

Sukta 2

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

मुहु॒र्गृध्यैः॒ प्र व॑द॒त्यार्तिं मर्त्यो॒ नीत्य॑ । क्र॒व्याद् यान॒ग्निर॑न्ति॒काद॑नुवि॒द्वान् वि॒ताव॑ति

IAST Transliteration

muhúr gṛ́dhyaiḥ prá vadaty ā́rtiṃ mártyo nī́tya | kravyā́d yā́n agnír ántikād anuví dvā́n vitā́vati

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Again and again the mortal, led as it were away, cries forth his anguish amid the ravening ones; but Agni, tracking them from near at hand, driveth off those flesh-devourers.

Translation

Immer wieder ruft der Sterbliche, gleichsam fortgeführt, seine Not unter den Gierigen aus; doch Agni, der sie aus nächster Nähe aufspürt, treibt jene Fleischverzehrer hinweg.

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Word by Word

• मुहुः: again and again; repeatedly
• मुहुः: Adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मुहुस् (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)

• गृध्यैः: with/through the greedy (ones); by the covetous
• गृध्यैः: Karaṇa
• Type: Adjective (used substantively)
• Root: गृध्य (प्रातिपदिक; गृध् ‘to desire, be greedy’ से)

• प्र: forth; forward (intensifier)
• प्र: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)

• वदति: speaks; utters
• वदति: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वद् (वदति) ‘to speak’

• आर्तिम्: distress; affliction
• आर्तिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: आर्ति (स्त्रीलिङ्ग प्रातिपदिक)

• मर्त्यः: a mortal
• मर्त्यः: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (पुंलिङ्ग प्रातिपदिक)

• नीत्य: having led; having brought
• नीत्य: —
• Type: Verbal indeclinable (gerund)
• Root: √नी (नी) + क्त्वा-प्रत्यय (त्वान्त/ल्यप्) → नीत्य

• क्रव्याद्: from the flesh-eater (demon/corpse-eater)
• क्रव्याद्: Apādāna
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रव्याद (पुंलिङ्ग प्रातिपदिक; ‘raw-flesh-eater’)

• यान: whom; which
• यान: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: य (सर्वनाम/यद्-प्रातिपदिक)

• अग्निः: Agni; fire
• अग्निः: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (पुंलिङ्ग प्रातिपदिक)

• अन्तिकात्: from near at hand; from close by
• अन्तिकात्: Apādāna
• Type: Noun (used adverbially)
• Root: अन्तिक (नपुंसकलिङ्ग प्रातिपदिक; ‘nearness’)

• अनुविद्वान्: knowing well; having found out; following and knowing
• अनुविद्वान्: Kartā (qualifier of अग्निः) / or of implied agent
• Type: Participle (adjectival)
• Root: अनु-√विद् (विद् ‘to know/find’) + क्तवतु/वत्-प्रत्यय → विद्वान्

• वितावति: extends/spreads out; drives away (contextual)
• वितावति: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-√ता/√तन् (अर्थ: ‘to stretch out, extend, spread’; caus./denom. uncertain in this form)

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (Anukramaṇī attribution for AV 12.2 commonly to Atharvan/Angiras line; verify per edition).

Devata: Agni (as kravyād-repeller; also anti-kravyād power).

Chandas: Mixed/Triṣṭubh-Jagatī tendencies in AV 12.2 (verify per pada count in recension).

Mantra Rasa

Primary: bhayankara

Secondary: vira