Atharva Veda 3.29.1: Kanda 3, Anuvaka 3, Sukta 29, Mantra 1

Sukta 29

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

अविः। यद् राजा॑नो वि॒भज॑न्त इष्टापू॒र्तस्य॑ षोड॒शं य॒मस्या॒मी स॑भा॒सदः॑ । अवि॒स्तस्मा॒त् प्र मु॑ञ्चति द॒त्तः शि॑ति॒पात् स्व॒धा

IAST Transliteration

avíḥ | yád rājā́no vibhájante iṣṭā-pūrtásya ṣoḍaśáṃ yámasyāmī́ sabhā-sádaḥ | avís tasmā́t prá muñcati dattáḥ śití-pāt svadhā́ ||

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

When the kings apportion the sixteenth share of merit—of sacrifice and pious work—for Yama, those assembly-sitters; from that doth the ewe, when given, release (a man): the white-footed—svadhā.

Translation

Das Schaf. Wenn die Könige den sechzehnten Anteil des Verdienstes—aus Opfer und frommem Werk—für Yama zuteilen, jene, die in der Versammlung sitzen: davon löst das Schaf, wenn es gegeben ist, (den Menschen) los; die Weißfüßige—svadhā.

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Word by Word

• अविः: the ewe; sheep
• अविः: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: अवि- (प्रातिपदिक)

• यत्: that which
• यत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्- (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• राजानः: kings; rulers
• राजानः: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्- (प्रातिपदिक)

• विभजन्ते: they apportion; distribute
• विभजन्ते: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भज् (भजँ सेवायाम्/विभागे) + वि-

• इष्टापूर्तस्य: of the meritorious works (sacrifices and charitable acts)
• इष्टापूर्तस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: इष्टापूर्त- (समास-प्रातिपदिक)

• षोडशम्: the sixteenth (share/portion)
• षोडशम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective (numeral)
• Root: षोडश- (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)

• यमस्य: of Yama
• यमस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम- (प्रातिपदिक)

• अमी: these (those)
• अमी: Kartā
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अदस्- (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• सभासदः: assembly-sitters; members of the council
• सभासदः: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: सभासद्- (समास-प्रातिपदिक)

• अविः: the ewe; sheep
• अविः: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: अवि- (प्रातिपदिक)

• तस्मात्: from that; from him/therefrom
• तस्मात्: Apādāna
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्- (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• प्र: forth; forward
• प्र: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र (उपसर्ग)

• मुञ्चति: releases; sets free
• मुञ्चति: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √मुच् (मुचँ मोक्षणे)

• दत्तः: given; bestowed
• दत्तः: Kartā (विशेषणरूपेण) / Sambandha
• Type: Adjective/Participle
• Root: √दा (डादाने/दाने) → दत्त (क्त)

• शितिपात्: from the ‘śitipāta’ (name/epithet; lit. ‘white-falling/white-clad’)
• शितिपात्: Apādāna
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: शितिपात- (प्रातिपदिक; विशेषण)

• स्वधा: Svadhā; the ancestral oblation-formula / self-power
• स्वधा: —
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वधा (प्रातिपदिक)

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (hymn-family attribution uncertain in this excerpt)

Devata: Yama; Pitṛs (via svadhā)

Chandas: Mixed/irregular (AV narrative-prose-like metricality; not securely determinable from excerpt)

Mantra Rasa

Primary: bhayankara

Secondary: shanta