Rig Veda 8.18.14: Mandala 8, Sukta 18, Mantra 14

Sukta 8.18

Devata: Ādityas (protective continuum), with focus on adversary’s downfall under ṛta

Samhita Patha (Devanagari)

समित्तमघमश्नवद्दुःशंसं मर्त्यं रिपुम् । यो अस्मत्रा दुर्हणावाँ उप द्वयुः ॥

Recitation with translationRig Veda 8.18.14

Transliteration

sám it tám aghám aśnavad duḥśáṃsaṃ mártyaṃ ripúm | yó asmatrā́ durhánāvāṃ́ úpa dvayúḥ ||

Translation

Möge jenes Unheil den übelredenden sterblichen Feind ereilen, den verderblichen Widersacher, der hierher gegen uns kommt mit dem Willen zu schaden; der Doppelzüngige, der in Feindschaft herantritt, werde von seinem eigenen Missgeschick gepackt.

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Word by Word

• समित्तम्: altogether; most completely
• समित्तम्: Karaṇa (manner/degree) / Avyaya-bhāva
• Type: Indeclinable (adverbial) / Adjective used adverbially
• Root: सम्-इत्तम (प्रातिपदिक; इत्तम < इत् ‘going/impulse’/इति-त्म?; here adverbial superlative ‘most completely/altogether’)

• अघम्: evil; sin; harm
• अघम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अघ (प्रातिपदिक)

• अश्नवत्: consumed/overcame; obtained
• अश्नवत्: (implicit) Kartā = understood subject (e.g., Indra/Agni per context)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अश् (धातु) ‘to eat, consume, obtain’

• दुःशंसम्: ill-speaking; of evil report; malicious
• दुःशंसम्: Karma (qualifier of मर्त्यम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुः-शंस (प्रातिपदिक; शंस ‘praise/utterance’ with दुḥ- ‘bad’)

• मर्त्यम्: a mortal (man)
• मर्त्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)

• रिपुम्: enemy; hostile one
• रिपुम्: Karma (apposition to मर्त्यम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रिपु (प्रातिपदिक)

• यः: who
• यः: Kartā (of दुर्हणावान्/उप द्वयुः)
• Type: Pronoun (relative)
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• अस्मत्रा: here; in our sphere
• अस्मत्रा: Adhikaraṇa (locative sense: ‘here/among us’)
• Type: Indeclinable (adverb)
• Root: अस्म-त्रा (deictic adverb from अस्मद् + -त्रा)

• दुर्हणावान्: having harmful intent/power; injurious
• दुर्हणावान्: Kartā (predicate adjective of यः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्-हणावन्त् (प्रातिपदिक; हणा/हण ‘to strike/kill, injure’ with possessive -वत्)

• उप: towards; against; upon
• उप: (verbal modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable (preverb/particle)
• Root: उप (उपसर्ग/निपात)

• द्वयुः: acted duplicitously; made a double attack / sought twofold (against us)
• द्वयुः: (implicit) Kartā = यः
• Type: Verb
• Root: द्वि/द्वय (numeral base) + desiderative/denominative verb stem द्वयु- ‘to be double-minded / to seek twofold?’ (Vedic)