Atharva Veda 4.6.4: Kanda 4, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 6, Mantra 4

Sukta 6

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

यस्त॒ आस्य॒त् पञ्चा॑ङ्गुरिर्व॒क्राच्चि॒दधि॒ धन्व॑नः । अ॒प॒स्क॒म्भस्य॑ श॒ल्यान्निर॑वोचम॒हं वि॒षम्

IAST Transliteration

yás ta ā́syat pañcā́ṅgurir vakrā́c cid ádhi dhánvanaḥ | apaskámbhasya śalyā́n nír avocam aháṃ víṣam

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Whoso shot thee forth—the five-fingered one—even from the crooked bow: from Apaskambha’s barb have I spoken the poison out.

Translation

Wer dich abschoss – der Fünffingrige –, selbst aus dem krummen Bogen: aus Apaskambhas Widerhaken habe ich das Gift hinausgesprochen.

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Word by Word

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Kartā
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → य-

• ते: for you / your
• ते: Sampradāna
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → त्वद्/युष्मद्

• आस्यत्: sat / was seated
• आस्यत्: Kriyā
• Type: Verb
• Root: आस् (धातु) ‘to sit’

• पञ्चाङ्गुरिः: the five-fingered one (a being/creature with five digits)
• पञ्चाङ्गुरिः: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्चाङ्गुरि- (प्रातिपदिक; पञ्च + अङ्गुरि ‘finger/toe’)

• वक्रात्: from the crooked (place/thing)
• वक्रात्: Apādāna
• Type: Adjective (used substantively)
• Root: वक्र- (प्रातिपदिक) ‘crooked, bent’

• चित्: even
• चित्: (particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चित् (निपात/अव्यय)

• अधि: upon, over
• अधि: Adhikaraṇa
• Type: Indeclinable (preverb/preposition)
• Root: अधि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)

• धन्वनः: of the धन्वन् (bow / dry land)
• धन्वनः: Adhikaraṇa
• Type: Noun
• Root: धन्वन्- (प्रातिपदिक) ‘bow; arid land/desert’

• अपस्कम्भस्य: of the apaskambha (support/stake)
• अपस्कम्भस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपस्कम्भ- (प्रातिपदिक) ‘support/peg; (in AV) a kind of stake/support; also used in healing contexts’

• शल्यात्: from the splinter/thorn (foreign body)
• शल्यात्: Apādāna
• Type: Noun
• Root: शल्य- (प्रातिपदिक) ‘thorn, splinter; arrow; foreign body in wound’

• निः: out, forth
• निः: (with verb)
• Type: Indeclinable (preverb)
• Root: निस्/निः (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)

• अवोचम्: I have spoken / I uttered
• अवोचम्: Kriyā
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु) ‘to speak’

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Kartā
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• विषम्: poison
• विषम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष- (प्रातिपदिक) ‘poison’

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (attribution varies by anukramaṇī)

Devata: Anti-poison power; adversarial source (Apaskambha) implicitly targeted

Chandas: Anuṣṭubh-like (Atharvanic; operative extraction formula)

Mantra Rasa

Primary: raudra

Secondary: vira