Atharva Veda 20.70.2: Kanda 20, Anuvaka 7, Sukta 70, Mantra 2

Sukta 70

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

दे॒व॒यन्तो॒ यथा॑ म॒तिमच्छा॑ वि॒दद् व॑सुं॒ गिरः॑ । म॒हाम॑नूषत श्रु॒तम्

Recitation with translationAtharva Veda 20.70.2

IAST Transliteration

devayánto yáthā matím ácchā vidád vásuṃ gíraḥ | mahā́ amánūṣata śrutám

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

God-seeking, so that their thought may reach straight unto the treasure, the sacred utterances—greatly have they devised the Heard Tradition.

Translation

Göttersuchend, damit ihr Denken geradewegs zum Schatz gelange, — die heiligen Worte (giraḥ). Groß haben sie die gehörte Überlieferung (śruti) geordnet.

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Word by Word

• देवयन्तः: worshipping (ones), god-seeking
• देवयन्तः: कर्तृ
• Type: Adjective (present participle used substantively)
• Root: देवयन्त् (< देवयति; √दिव्/देव् ‘to shine; to worship’)

• यथा: as, just as
• यथा: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (indeclinable)

• मतिम्: thought, intention, understanding
• मतिम्: कर्म
• Type: Noun
• Root: मति (प्रातिपदिक)

• अच्छा: towards, unto
• अच्छा: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अच्छा (indeclinable)

• विदत्: (he) found/obtained
• विदत्: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √विद् (विन्दति ‘to find, obtain’)

• वसुम्: wealth, good (treasure)
• वसुम्: कर्म
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसु (प्रातिपदिक)

• गिरः: songs, hymns, utterances
• गिरः: कर्तृ
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिर् (प्रातिपदिक)

• महाम्: great
• महाम्: कर्म
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक)

• अनूषत: they praised, they celebrated
• अनूषत: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √नू/नव् (नूयते/नवते; ‘to praise, to celebrate’)

• श्रुतम्: the heard (famed) thing; what is renowned
• श्रुतम्: कर्म
• Type: Adjective/Noun (past passive participle used substantively)
• Root: श्रुत (ppp of √श्रु ‘to hear’)

Attribution

Rishi: Rigvedic attribution (borrowed into AV 20; r̥ṣi per RV source)

Devata: Indra / general deities via devayantaḥ (functional focus on mantra-speech)

Chandas: Triṣṭubh-type (RV-derived)

Mantra Rasa

Primary: shanta

Secondary: adbhuta