Atharva Veda 2.5.7: Kanda 2, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 5, Mantra 7

Sukta 5

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

वृषा॒यमा॑णो अवृणीत॒ सोमं॒ त्रिक॑द्रुकेष्वपिबत् सु॒तस्य॑ । आ साय॑कं म॒घवा॑दत्त॒ वज्र॒मह॑न्नेनं प्रथम॒जामही॑नाम्

IAST Transliteration

vṛṣāyámāṇo avṛṇīta sómaṃ trikádrukeṣv apibat sutásya | ā sā́yakaṃ maghávā́datta vájram áhann enaṃ prathamajám ahī́nām ||

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Waxing bull-like, he chose the Soma; at the three pressings he drank of the pressed. Then the Bounteous took in hand the missile, the thunderbolt; and he smote him, the first-born of the serpents.

Translation

Stierhaft anschwellend erwählte er den Soma; bei den drei Pressungen trank er vom Gepressten. Da ergriff der Freigebige (Maghavan) das Geschoss, den Vajra, den Donnerkeil, und erschlug ihn damit, den Erstgeborenen der Schlangen.

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Word by Word

• वृषायमाणः: acting like a bull; raging/impetuous
• वृषायमाणः: Kartā
• Type: कृदन्त (वर्तमान कृदन्त)
• Root: वृषाय (धातु) ← वृष (प्रातिपदिक ‘वृष’/‘वृषन्’ से) + आय (नामधातु)

• अवृणीत: chose
• अवृणीत: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वृ (वृञ् वरणे ‘choose’)

• सोमम्: Soma (the pressed soma)
• सोमम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोम (प्रातिपदिक)

• त्रिकद्रुकेषु: in the three kadru(k)-vessels/pressings (ritual setting)
• त्रिकद्रुकेषु: Adhikaraṇa
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिकद्रुक (प्रातिपदिक; ‘त्रि’+‘कद्रुक’)

• अपिबत्: drank
• अपिबत्: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पा (पाने ‘drink’)

• सुतस्य: of the pressed (soma)
• सुतस्य: सम्बन्ध (genitive)
• Type: Noun (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Root: सुत (√सु ‘press/express’ से निष्पन्न कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)

• आ: forth; towards; then
• आ: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)

• सायकम्: arrow; missile
• सायकम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सायक (प्रातिपदिक)

• मघवा: the bountiful one (Indra)
• मघवा: Kartā
• Type: Noun/Adjective (epithet)
• Root: मघवन् (प्रातिपदिक; इन्द्र का विशेषण)

• अदत्त: gave
• अदत्त: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (दाने ‘give’)

• वज्रम्: thunderbolt
• वज्रम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वज्र (प्रातिपदिक)

• अहन्: slew; struck down
• अहन्: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √हन् (हिंसागत्योः ‘strike/kill’)

• एनम्: him
• एनम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक; एनद्-रूप)

• प्रथमजाम्: the first-born (female/collective as a class-term)
• प्रथमजाम्: Karma (apposition to एनम्) / विशेषण
• Type: Adjective (used substantively)
• Root: प्रथमजा (प्रातिपदिक; ‘first-born’)

• अहीनाम्: of the undiminished/unyielding ones
• अहीनाम्: सम्बन्ध (genitive)
• Type: Adjective (genitive plural qualifier)
• Root: अहीन (प्रातिपदिक; ‘not lacking/undiminished’)

Attribution

Rishi: Traditionally Indraic/Angiras-type attribution for such mythic slaying verses; precise r̥ṣi assignment should be verified against the AVŚ anukramaṇī for 2.5.

Devata: Indra (Maghavan), with the adversary as Ahi/Vṛtra (serpent-obstructor)

Chandas: Triṣṭubh-like cadence (to be confirmed by metrical scansion; not the common anuṣṭubh)

Mantra Rasa

Primary: raudra

Secondary: vira