Mantra 8

Sukta 2

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

मस्तिष्कमस्य यतमो ललाटं ककाटिकां प्रथमो यः कपालम्। चित्वा चित्यं हन्वोः पूरुषस्य दिवं रुरोह कतमः स देवः

IAST Transliteration

mastíṣkam asya yatamáḥ lalā́ṭaṃ kakā́ṭikāṃ prathamó yáḥ kapā́lam | citvā́ cityáṃ hánvor púruṣasya dívaṃ ruroha katamáḥ sá deváḥ

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Which is his brain, which his forehead, which his nape—who was the first that fashioned the skull? Having built the builded frame of the man from the two jaws, to heaven he mounted: which god was he?

Word by Word

• मस्तिष्कम्: brain, marrow (head-substance)
• मस्तिष्कम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मस्तिष्क (प्रातिपदिक)

• अस्य: of him/its
• अस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• यत्: which (that)
• यत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• तमः: the highest/uppermost
• तमः: Viśeṣaṇa (of यत्)
• Type: Adjective (superlative)
• Root: तम (प्रातिपदिक; superlative base)

• ललाटम्: forehead
• ललाटम्: Karma (apposition to यत्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ललाट (प्रातिपदिक)

• ककाटिकाम्: (back/upper) part of the head; occiput/nape-region
• ककाटिकाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: ककाटिका (प्रातिपदिक)

• प्रथमः: first
• प्रथमः: Viśeṣaṇa (of यः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रथम (प्रातिपदिक)

• यः: who/which
• यः: Kartā (relative subject)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• कपालम्: skull, skull-bowl
• कपालम्: Karma (predicate/apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपाल (प्रातिपदिक)

• चित्वा: having piled up/constructed
• चित्वा: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (prior action)
• Type: Verb (absolutive)
• Root: √चि (चिनोति)

• चित्यम्: a pile/altar (that which is to be piled)
• चित्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: चित्य (प्रातिपदिक; from √चि)

• हन्वोः: of/in the two jaws
• हन्वोः: Adhikaraṇa / Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: हनु (प्रातिपदिक)

• पूरुषस्य: of the man/person
• पूरुषस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूरुष (प्रातिपदिक)

• दिवम्: to heaven, the sky
• दिवम्: Karma (goal as object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिव्/द्यौ (प्रातिपदिक)

• रुरोह: ascended, climbed
• रुरोह: Kriyā (main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √रुह् (रोहति)

• कतमः: which one (of them)?
• कतमः: Kartā (interrogative subject)
• Type: Pronoun/Adjective
• Root: कतम (प्रातिपदिक; interrogative superlative)

• सः: he/that
• सः: Kartā (correlative)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• देवः: god, deity
• देवः: Kartā / Predicate nominative
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic speculative seer (hymn-level attribution varies)

Devata: Kaḥ / the divine constructor (Prajāpati/Skambha); implicit: Puruṣa as constructed microcosm

Chandas: Triṣṭubh-like (scansion-dependent)

Mantra Rasa

{"primary_rasa":"adbhuta","secondary_rasa":"shanta","emotional_arc":"From clinical questioning to wonder, ending in reverent uncertainty that pacifies fear.","listener_experience":"Awe and steadiness; feeling of the head being ‘held’ by a larger intelligence.","intensity":5}