Mantra 23
Sukta 4
ये अग्निजा ओषधिजा अहीनां ये अप्सुजा विद्युत आबभूवुः । येषां जातानि बहुधा महान्ति तेभ्यः सर्पेभ्यो नमसा विधेम
yé agnijā́ óṣadhijā́ ahīnā́m yé apsujā́ vidyútā ābabhūvúḥ | yéṣāṃ jātā́ni bahudhā́ mahā́nti tébhyaḥ sarpébhyo námāsā vidhéma ||
Those serpents that are fire-born, those that are herb-born; those that are water-born, that have arisen with the lightning-flash—whose births are manifold and mighty: to those serpents we, with reverence, would render worship.
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (hymn attributed in the Anukramaṇī to an Atharvan/Angiras-type seer; exact assignment depends on recension lists).
Devata: Sarpa/Ahi (serpent-kind) as the addressed power; implicitly Viṣa (poison) as the feared agency.
Chandas: Triṣṭubh-like cadence (as transmitted; metrical exactness varies with pada-resolution).
{"primary_rasa":"adbhuta","secondary_rasa":"shanta","emotional_arc":"From awe at manifold births to calm reverence (namas)","listener_experience":"Expanded perception; respectful alertness rather than fear","intensity":5}