Atharva Veda 2.25.2: Kanda 2, Anuvaka 3, Sukta 25, Mantra 2

Sukta 25

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

सह॑माने॒यं प्र॑थ॒मा पृ॑श्निप॒र्ण्यऽजायत । तया॒हं दु॒र्णाम्नां॒ शिरो॑ वृ॒श्चामि॑ श॒कुने॑रिव

Recitation with translationAtharva Veda 2.25.2

IAST Transliteration

sáhamānā́ iyáṃ prathamā́ pṛ́śniparṇy àjāyata | tayā́háṃ durnā́mnāṃ śíro vṛścā́mi śakúner iva |

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

This conquering Pṛśniparṇī was born the first of all; with her I hew off the head of the ill-named, as one (cuts off) a bird’s.

Translation

Diese sieghafte Pṛśniparṇī wurde als erste von allen geboren; mit ihr haue ich dem Übelbenannten den Kopf ab, wie man (ihn) einem Vogel abschlägt.

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Word by Word

• सहमाना: the enduring/overcoming (one)
• सहमाना: कर्तृ
• Type: Adjective (used substantively)
• Root: सहमान (√सह ‘to endure, overcome’ > सहमान ‘enduring, overcoming’)

• इयम्: this (she)
• इयम्: कर्तृ (apposition)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम् (sarvanāma-prātipadika)

• प्रथमा: first
• प्रथमा: कर्तृ (apposition)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रथम (prātipadika)

• पृश्निपर्णी: Pṛśniparṇī (a medicinal herb)
• पृश्निपर्णी: कर्तृ
• Type: Noun (herb-name)
• Root: पृश्निपर्णी (औषधिनाम; prātipadika)

• अजायत: was born / arose
• अजायत: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √जन् (जायते) ‘to be born, arise’

• तया: with her / by means of her
• तया: करण
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (sarvanāma-prātipadika)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: कर्तृ
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद् (sarvanāma-prātipadika)

• दुर्णाम्नाम्: of the ill-named (ones) / of those of evil name
• दुर्णाम्नाम्: सम्बन्ध (genitive)
• Type: Adjective (used substantively)
• Root: दुर्णामन् (दुर्- + नामन्) ‘ill-named; of evil repute’

• शिरः: head
• शिरः: कर्म
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (prātipadika)

• वृश्चामि: I cut off
• वृश्चामि: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √व्रश्च्/वृश्च् ‘to cut off, hew’

• शकुनेः: of a bird
• शकुनेः: सम्बन्ध (genitive in simile)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शकुनि (prātipadika)

• इव: like, as
• इव: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (avyaya)

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (often transmitted under Atharvan/Angiras lineages for bhaiṣajya hymns; specific r̥ṣi attribution depends on anukramaṇī tradition for AV 2.25).

Devata: Pṛśniparṇī (herb-deity/personified medicinal power).

Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (probable; standard for many AV healing/apotropaic verses—confirmable by full hymn metrical scan).

Mantra Rasa

Primary: vira

Secondary: adbhuta