Mantra 2

Sukta 21

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

वि न इन्द्र मृधो जहि नीचा यच्छ पृतन्यतः । अधमं गमया तमो यो अस्माँ अभिदासति

IAST Transliteration

ví na índra mṛ́dho jahi nīcā́ yaccha pṛtanyatáḥ | adhámam gamaya támo yó asmā́n abhídāsati ||

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Scatter, O Indra, and smite away from us the hostile powers; hold the battling foe down low. Drive into the nethermost darkness him who assails us with malice.

Word by Word

• वि: apart, away (intensifier with the verb)
• वि: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वि (upasarga) अथवा अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक

• नः: to us, for us
• नः: Sampradāna
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्

• इन्द्र: O Indra
• इन्द्र: सम्बोधन
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)

• मृधः: hostilities, harms, foes
• मृधः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृध्/मृधा (प्रातिपदिक; ‘hostility, harm, foe’)

• जहि: strike down, slay
• जहि: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन्

• नीचाः: down, low (downwards)
• नीचाः: Adhikaraṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नीच (प्रातिपदिक)

• यच्छ: restrain, hold back
• यच्छ: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: यम्

• पृतन्यतः: from the one(s) who fight/attack
• पृतन्यतः: Apādāna
• Type: Adjective/Participle
• Root: पृतन्यत् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √पृतन्/पृतन्य ‘to fight, wage battle’)

• अधमम्: lowest, most base
• अधमम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अधम (प्रातिपदिक)

• गमय: cause to go, drive (away)
• गमय: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (णिच् causative: गमय-)

• तमः: darkness
• तमः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: तमस् (प्रातिपदिक)

• यः: who
• यः: Kartā
• Type: Pronoun (relative)
• Root: यद्

• अस्मान्: us
• अस्मान्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्

• अभिदासति: assails, harms, attacks
• अभिदासति: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दास् (वैदिक: ‘to harm/assail’; with अभि-)

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic/Angiras-type attribution typical for Indra-protective charms in AVŚ Book 1 (exact r̥ṣi as per Anukramaṇī varies by tradition).

Devata: Indra

Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (4 pādas of 8 syllables; with Vedic metrical flexibility)

Mantra Rasa

{"primary_rasa":"raudra","secondary_rasa":"vira","emotional_arc":"From alarm to decisive domination—harm is named, struck, pinned, and expelled.","listener_experience":"A surge of protective fierceness; cathartic release of fear into command.","intensity":8}