Atharva Veda 4.15.14: Kanda 4, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 15, Mantra 14

Sukta 15

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

उ॒प॒प्रव॑द मण्डूकि व॒र्षमा व॑द तादुरि । मध्ये॑ ह्र॒दस्य॑ प्लवस्व वि॒गृह्य॑ च॒तुरः॑ प॒दः

IAST Transliteration

úpaprávad maṇḍūki várṣam ā́ vad tā́duri | mádhye hradásya plavasva vigṛ́hya catúraḥ padáḥ ||

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Speak forth, O Frog; call hither the Rain: cry out, O Tāduri. In the midst of the mere swim thou about, spreading abroad thy four feet.

Translation

Sprich hervor, o Frosch; rufe den Regen herbei; rufe laut, o Tāduri. Mitten im Teich schwimme umher, die vier Füße ausbreitend.

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Word by Word

• उप: near, towards; (as preverb) up/near
• उप: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उप (उपसर्ग) / उप (अव्यय)

• प्रवद: speak forth!; utter!
• प्रवद: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वद् (वदँ व्यक्तायां वाचि)

• मण्डूकि: O frog (female/‘frog-maiden’)
• मण्डूकि: सम्बोधन
• Type: Noun (vocative)
• Root: मण्डूक (प्रातिपदिक)

• वर्षम्: rain
• वर्षम्: कर्म
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)

• आ: towards, hither; (intensifier with verb)
• आ: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ (उपसर्ग) / आ (अव्यय)

• वद: speak!
• वद: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वद् (वदँ व्यक्तायां वाचि)

• तादुरि: O Tāduri (name/epithet; addressed being)
• तादुरि: सम्बोधन
• Type: Noun (vocative)
• Root: तादुरि (प्रातिपदिक; लोक/वैदिक-नाम)

• मध्ये: in the middle
• मध्ये: अधिकरण
• Type: Noun (locative used adverbially)
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)

• ह्रदस्य: of the lake/pond
• ह्रदस्य: सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ह्रद (प्रातिपदिक)

• प्लवस्व: float!; swim!
• प्लवस्व: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √प्लु (प्लुङ् गतौ/प्लवने) → प्लव्

• विगृह्य: having separated/spread out
• विगृह्य: —
• Type: Gerund
• Root: वि-√ग्रह् (ग्रहँ उपादाने) / √गृह् (गृहँ ग्रहणे) → ‘विगृह्य’

• चतुरः: four
• चतुरः: कर्म (विशेषणम्)
• Type: Adjective (numeral)
• Root: चतुर् (प्रातिपदिक)

• पदः: steps/feet
• पदः: कर्म
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद (प्रातिपदिक)

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (often treated as anonymous/collective for this rain-charm cycle)

Devata: Parjanya/Varṣa (Rain) mediated through frogs as rain-messengers

Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (with colloquial/onomatopoetic coloring)

Mantra Rasa

Primary: adbhuta

Secondary: hasya