Atharva Veda 20.49.6: Kanda 20, Anuvaka 5, Sukta 49, Mantra 6

Sukta 49

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

तत् त्वा॑ यामि सु॒वीर्यं॒ तद् ब्रह्म॑ पू॒र्वचि॑त्तये । येना॒ यति॑भ्यो॒ भृग॑वे॒ धने॑ हि॒ते येन॒ प्रस्क॑ण्व॒मावि॑थ

Recitation with translationAtharva Veda 20.49.6

IAST Transliteration

tát tvā yā́mi suvī́ryaṁ tád bráhma pūrvácittayé | yéna yátibhyo bhṛ́gave dháne hité yéna práskaṇvam ā́vitha ||

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

To that thy noble hero-power I come; to that holy utterance for the ancient forethought: whereby for the Yatis, for Bhṛgu, wealth was set in place; whereby thou didst succour Praskaṇva.

Translation

Zu jener deiner edlen Heldenkraft komme ich; zu jenem Brahman, dem heiligen Spruch, um der uralten Voraussicht willen: wodurch den Yatis, dem Bhṛgu, Reichtum festgesetzt wurde; wodurch du Praskaṇva beigestanden hast.

The meaning

What it says

The speaker approaches Indra’s noble hero-power and that brahman (sacred utterance) for ancient forethought—by which wealth was set for the Yatis and for Bhṛgu, and by which Indra aided Praskaṇva.

The inner meaning

Efficacy is grounded in precedent: the mind trusts the mantra because it remembers successful earlier rescues. ‘Brahman’ here is operative speech—strategic intelligence and sacred articulation that unlocks aid and resources.

The truth in it

Tradition is a technology of memory: when tested words are spoken with understanding, they reconnect the present to a lineage of solutions and protections.

What it is for

Kind of hymn

Paustika / Indra-stuti with itihāsa-validation

Its aim

To access Indra’s ‘suvīrya’ through brahman (mantra-power), leveraging precedent cases of aid for wealth and protection.

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Word by Word

Pada patha

तत् । त्वा । यामि । सुवीर्यम् । तत् । ब्रह्म । पूर्वचित्तये । येन । यतिभ्यः । भृगवे । धने । हिते । येन । प्रस्कण्वम् । आविथ ।

तत्

that (it)that (very power/virtue just praised)Pronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

त्वा

youthee (Indra as addressed agent)Pronounद्वितीया, एकवचन (एनक्लिटिक रूप)Role KarmaRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

यामि

I go / I approachI approach, I invoke, I go unto (ritual approach by speech)Verbलट्, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole KartāRoot या (धातु)

सु-वीर्यम्

good heroism / excellent strengthexcellent manly power/heroic might (effective strength to be transferred)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot वीर्य (प्रातिपदिक); उपसर्ग: सु-

तत्

thatPronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

ब्रह्म

sacred utterance / prayer; brahmansacred formulation; spell-like prayer (mantra as power)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)

पूर्व-चित्तये

for forethought / for prior intentionfor forethought/ancient insight; for the primeval understanding (traditional efficacy)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole SampradānaRoot चित्ति (प्रातिपदिक) with पूर्व- (उपपद/पूर्वपद)

येन

by whichwhereby, with which (instrumental relative)Pronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

यतिभ्यः

to/for the asceticsto the ascetics/strivers (yatis), to disciplined menNounपुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी/पञ्चमी, बहुवचनRole SampradānaRoot यति (प्रातिपदिक)

भृगवे

to BhṛguNounपुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole SampradānaRoot भृगु (प्रातिपदिक)

धने

in wealthin/for wealth, treasureNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot धन (प्रातिपदिक)

हिते

set/placed; beneficialplaced, established, set (wealth ‘set’/secured for them)Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (धने इति विशेषणम्)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot हित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √धा with नि-/हि?; lexical ‘हित’ = beneficial/placed)

येन

by whichwhereby, with whichPronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

प्रस्कण्वम्

Praskaṇva (name of a seer)Praskaṇva (a seer; beneficiary of Indra’s aid)Proper Nounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot प्र-स्कण्व (प्रातिपदिक; ऋषिनाम)

आविथ

you helped / you protectedthou didst help, didst protect (past aid as guarantee of present efficacy)Verbलिट् (परिपूर्ण/परोक्शभूत), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (वैदिक रूप)Role KartāRoot अव् (धातु) with आ- (उपसर्ग)

Sandhi Notes

• तत् त्वा यामि सु-वीर्यम् । तत् ब्रह्म पूर्व-चित्तये । येन यतिभ्यः भृगवे धने हिते येन प्र-स्कण्वम् आविथ । Sandhi:
• (1) तद् + त्वा → तत् त्वा (द् → त् before त्).
• (2) तद् + ब्रह्म → तत् ब्रह्म (द् → त् before ब्; written as तत्).
• (3) सु + वीर्यम् → सुवीर्यम् (उपसर्ग/पूर्वपद-संयोग).
• (4) प्र + स्कण्वम् → प्रस्कण्वम्. No further mandatory sandhi
• Vedic accents retained in source but not required for morphological segmentation

Seer, deity and metre

Rishi

RV-derived Indra hymn tradition; seer attribution follows RV parallels for this verse cluster.

Devata

Indra

Chandas

Triṣṭubh

Rasa

Vira and Shanta

Sayana's Commentary

The Seer

The Deity

The Metre

The Rite

In the Home

Substances

Healing Context

Magic Charm Layer

Symbols in this Mantra

Yogic Application

Chanting Notes

Practical Application

Scholarly Questions