Mantra 41
Sukta 3
देवेभ्यः कमवृणीत मृत्युं प्रजायै किममृतं नावृणीत । बृहस्पतिर्यज्ञमतनुत ऋषिः प्रियां यमस्तन्व१मा रिरेच
devébhyaḥ kám avṛṇīta mṛtyúṃ prajā́yai kím amṛ́taṃ návṛṇīta | bṛ́haspátir yajñám atanuta ṛ́ṣiḥ priyā́ṃ yamás tanvàm ā́ rireca
For the Gods—who was it chose Death for the progeny? why chose he not immortality? Bṛhaspati, the Seer, stretched forth the Sacrifice; Yama relinquished his dear body.
Rishi: Atharvanic funerary attribution; seer-function foregrounded in the verse itself (ṛṣiḥ).
Devata: Bṛhaspati; Yama; Death (Mṛtyu) as concept-force.
Chandas: Triṣṭubh (typical of elevated mythic narration).
{"primary_rasa":"shanta","secondary_rasa":"karuna","emotional_arc":"From astonishment/protest at mortality → solemn acceptance through priestly order (Bṛhaspati) and lawful relinquishment (Yama).","listener_experience":"A sense of cosmic explanation that cools fear; grief is held within ritual intelligibility.","intensity":6}