Atharva Veda 4.3.6: Kanda 4, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 3, Mantra 6

Sukta 3

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

मू॒र्णा मृ॒गस्य॒ दन्ता॒ अपि॑शीर्णा उ पृ॒ष्टयः॑ । नि॒म्रुक्ते॑ गो॒धा भ॑वतु नी॒चाय॑च्छश॒युर्मृ॒गः

Recitation with translationAtharva Veda 4.3.6

IAST Transliteration

mūrṇā́ mṛgásya dántā ápiśīrṇā u pṛṣṭáyaḥ | nimrúkte godhā́ bhavatu nīcái āyáccha śayúr mṛgáḥ

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Broken be the beast’s teeth, and crumbled, yea, his back-bones (strength). In the hidden low place let there be but a lizard; hold the beast down low—let him lie prone.

Translation

Gebrochen seien die Zähne des Tieres, zerbröckelt, ja, seine Rückenknochen (seine Kraft). Am verborgenen, tiefen Ort sei nur eine Eidechse; drücke das Tier nach unten — es liege bäuchlings.

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Word by Word

• मू॒र्णा: the horn
• मू॒र्णा: Kartā (वर्णनात्मक-वाक्ये विषयः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मू॒र्णा- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘मू॒र्णा’ = शृङ्ग/सीङ्ग, horn)

• मृ॒गस्य: of the wild animal
• मृ॒गस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृग- (प्रातिपदिक)

• दन्ताः: teeth
• दन्ताः: Kartā (वर्णनात्मक-वाक्ये विषयः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दन्त- (प्रातिपदिक)

• अपि॑शीर्णाः: broken off / crumbled
• अपि॑शीर्णाः: Kartā (विशेषणरूपेण)
• Type: Adjective (past participle)
• Root: अपि-√शॄ (शॄ/शीर्ण ‘to break, crumble, fall off’) → शीर्ण (कृदन्त-भूतकृदन्त), उपसर्गः अपि

• उ: and / indeed
• उ: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उ (निपात)

• पृ॒ष्टयः॑: backs / ridges (of the back)
• पृ॒ष्टयः॑: Kartā (वर्णनात्मक-वाक्ये विषयः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृष्ठ- (प्रातिपदिक)

• नि॒म्रुक्ते॑: when/where (it is) sunk down / lowered
• नि॒म्रुक्ते॑: Adhikaraṇa
• Type: Adjective/Locative qualifier
• Root: नि-√म्रुच्/म्रुच् (वेद. ‘to slip down/withdraw’; ‘निम्रुक्त’ = ‘gone down, sunk, lowered’) → निम्रुक्त (कृदन्त-भूतकृदन्त), उपसर्गः नि

• गो॒धा: the iguana / monitor-lizard
• गो॒धा: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोधा- (प्रातिपदिक)

• भ॑वतु: let it be / may it become
• भ॑वतु: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (भवति)

• नी॒चाय॑च्छ: hold down / restrain
• नी॒चाय॑च्छ: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: नी-√यम् (यच्छति ‘to restrain, hold back’; with उपसर्ग नी) → यच्छ (आज्ञार्थे)

• श॒युः: lying down / couching
• श॒युः: Kartā (विशेषणरूपेण)
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: शयु- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘one who lies/couches’, ‘lairing/lying’)

• मृ॒गः: the wild animal
• मृ॒गः: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृग- (प्रातिपदिक)

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (not explicit in excerpt).

Devata: Mṛga/Vyāghra-class danger as adversary; godhā as counter-image; operative power is the charm’s coercion.

Chandas: Anuṣṭubh

Mantra Rasa

Primary: vira

Secondary: bhayankara