Atharva Veda 5.17.1: Kanda 5, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 17, Mantra 1

Sukta 17

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

ब्रह्मजाया। तेऽवदन् प्रथ॒मा ब्र॑ह्मकिल्बि॒षेऽकू॑पारः सलि॒लो मा॑त॒रिश्वा॑ । वी॒डुह॑रा॒स्तप॑ उ॒ग्रं म॑यो॒भूरापो॑ दे॒वीः प्र॑थम॒जा ऋ॒तस्य॑

IAST Transliteration

brahmajā́yā | té ’vadan prathamā́ brahmakilbíṣe ’kū́pāraḥ saliló mātaríśvā́ | vīḍúharās tápa ugráṃ mayobhū́r ā́po devī́ḥ prathamajā́ ṛtásya

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

‘The Brahman’s Wife’: thus have they declared. First, in the sin against holy power, there is a shoreless flood—Mātariśvan. Shame-removers, fierce is the ardour, well-being-bearing: the Waters, goddesses, first-born of Order.

Translation

„Die Frau des Brahmanen“ — so haben sie es verkündet. Zuerst, bei der Verfehlung gegen die heilige Brahman-Kraft (brahma-kilbiṣa), ist da eine uferlose Flut — Mātariśvan. Scham-Vertreiberinnen, gewaltig ist die Glut des Tapas, heilbringend: die Wasser, Göttinnen, erstgeboren aus Ṛta, der Ordnung.

Ask anything about this verse...Ask

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मजाया: the wife of Brahman / Brahman’s consort
• ब्रह्मजाया: कर्तृ (वाक्ये विषय/उद्देश्यः)
• Type: Noun (compound)
• Root: ब्रह्मन् + जाया

• ते: they
• ते: कर्तृ
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्

• अवदन्: spoke, said
• अवदन्: क्रिया
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद्

• प्रथमा: first, foremost
• प्रथमा: कर्तृ (विशेषण-सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रथम

• ब्रह्मकिल्बिषे: in/at the sin (offence) against Brahman; in the brahma-guilt
• ब्रह्मकिल्बिषे: अधिकरण
• Type: Noun (compound)
• Root: ब्रह्मन् + किल्बिष

• अकूपारः: boundless, having no far shore
• अकूपारः: कर्तृ/विशेष्य (मातरिश्वा इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)
• Type: Adjective/Noun
• Root: अकूपार

• सलिलः: water, flood
• सलिलः: कर्तृ/विशेष्य
• Type: Noun
• Root: सलिल

• मातरिश्वा: Mātariśvan (Vedic deity/epithet, often of Vāyu/Agni as wind-bringer)
• मातरिश्वा: कर्तृ
• Type: Noun (proper/epithet)
• Root: मातरिश्वन्

• वीडुहराः: bearing/bringing strength (or vigor); strength-bearers
• वीडुहराः: कर्तृ
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: वीडुहरा

• तपः: heat, austerity, ardor
• तपः: कर्म (उग्रं इत्यस्य विशेष्यं वा)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस्

• उग्रम्: fierce, intense
• उग्रम्: कर्म/विशेषण
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उग्र

• मयोभूः: bringing delight/welfare; beneficent
• मयोभूः: कर्तृ (विशेषण-सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Adjective/Noun
• Root: मयोभू

• आपः: the waters
• आपः: कर्तृ
• Type: Noun
• Root: अप्

• देवीः: goddesses; divine
• देवीः: कर्तृ (विशेषण-सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: देवी

• प्रथमजाः: first-born
• प्रथमजाः: कर्तृ (विशेषण-सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Adjective (compound)
• Root: प्रथम + जा

• ऋतस्य: of Ṛta (cosmic order/truth)
• ऋतस्य: सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋत

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (anonymous/collective; transmitted as a prāyaścitta formula)

Devata: Āpaḥ (Waters), with Mātariśvan as purifier; Ṛta as the underlying principle

Chandas: Mixed/irregular (Atharvanic prose-verse tendency; not securely fixed as a single classical meter)

Mantra Rasa

Primary: karuna

Secondary: shanta