Atharva Veda 2.16.3: Kanda 2, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 16, Mantra 3

Sukta 16

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

सूर्य॒ चक्षु॑षा मा पाहि॒ स्वाहा॑

Sanskrit recitationAtharva Veda 2.16.3

IAST Transliteration

sū́rya cakṣúṣā mā pāhi svā́hā

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

O Sūrya, with thine eye do thou protect me—svāhā.

Translation

O Sūrya, mit deinem Auge beschütze mich — svāhā.

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Word by Word

• सूर्यः: the Sun (as a deity)
• सूर्यः: कर्तृ
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)

• चक्षुषा: with (his) eye; by sight
• चक्षुषा: करण
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्षुस् (प्रातिपदिक)

• मा: me
• मा: कर्म
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मा (अव्यय)

• पाहि: protect (you)
• पाहि: (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु) ‘रक्षणे’

• स्वाहा: svāhā (ritual exclamation of offering)
• स्वाहा: (मन्त्र-निपातः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वाहा (निपात/अव्यय)

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (specific ṛṣi attribution for this short svāhā-mantra is often generalized; requires padapāṭha-anukramaṇī confirmation for AVŚ 2.16).

Devata: Sūrya (as protective ‘Eye’/Seer).

Chandas: Likely Anuṣṭubh-fragment / short formulaic pāda; metrically a brief imperative svāhā-formula rather than a full stanza (confirmable by pada-count in the anukramaṇī).

Mantra Rasa

Primary: vira

Secondary: shanta