Atharva Veda 2.18.2: Kanda 2, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 18, Mantra 2

Sukta 18

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

स॒प॒त्न॒क्षय॑णमसि सपत्न॒चात॑नं मे दाः॒ स्वाहा॑

Sanskrit recitationAtharva Veda 2.18.2

IAST Transliteration

sapatnakṣáyaṇam asi sapatnacā́tanaṃ me dāḥ svā́hā

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Thou art the wasting of the rival; bestow on me the driving forth of the rival—svāhā.

Translation

Du bist das Verzehren des Rivalen (sapatna); gewähre mir das Austreiben des Rivalen — svāhā.

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Word by Word

• सपत्नक्षयणम्: (my) dwelling/abode that destroys rivals (lit. rival-destroying habitation)
• सपत्नक्षयणम्: कर्म (मे दाः इत्यस्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सपत्न-क्षयण (प्रातिपदिक; समास)

• असि: you are
• असि: (सम्बन्ध/विधेय-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)

• सपत्नचातनम्: rival-expelling / rival-driving-away (charm/means)
• सपत्नचातनम्: कर्म (मे दाः इत्यस्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सपत्न-चातन (प्रातिपदिक; समास)

• मे: to/for me; my
• मे: सम्बन्ध (मम)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)

• दाः: give (grant)
• दाः: क्रिया
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)

• स्वाहा: svāhā (ritual exclamation at offering)
• स्वाहा: (मन्त्र-उद्गार/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वाहा (निपात/उद्गार)

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (often transmitted under Atharvan/Āṅgirasa lineages for sapátna rites; specific r̥ṣi attribution depends on anukramaṇī tradition).

Devata: Sapátna-kṣayaṇa / Sapátna-cātana (personified rival-destruction and rival-expulsion power; effectively the mantra’s operative ‘deity’).

Chandas: Anuṣṭubh-like cadence (short imperative formula; exact metrical classification is fluid for such svāhā-formulas).

Mantra Rasa

Primary: vira

Secondary: raudra