Atharva Veda 2.23.2: Kanda 2, Anuvaka 3, Sukta 23, Mantra 2

Sukta 23

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

आपो॒ यद् वो॒ हर॒स्तेन॒ तं प्रति॑ हरत॒ यो॒३स्मान् द्वेष्टि॒ यं व॒यं द्वि॒ष्मः

IAST Transliteration

ā́po yád vo háraḥ téna táṃ práti harata yó ’smā́n dvéṣṭi yáṃ vayáṃ dvíṣmaḥ

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

O Waters, what taking-away power is yours—therewith bear him back in requital, even him who hateth us, whom we ourselves do hate.

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Word by Word

• आपः: waters
• आपः: कर्तृ
• Type: Noun
• Root: अप् (प्रातिपदिक) → आप्-

• यत्: which/that (thing)
• यत्: कर्म
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• वः: to/for you (pl.)
• वः: सम्प्रदान
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम)

• हरः: the ‘hará’ (remover/stealer; here: harmful force/affliction)
• हरः: कर्तृ
• Type: Noun
• Root: हर (प्रातिपदिक)

• तेन: with that / by that
• तेन: करण
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• तम्: him/that (one)
• तम्: कर्म
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• प्रति: back against; towards
• प्रति: (दिशा/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति

• हरत: carry/drive (it) away
• हरत: क्रिया
• Type: Verb
• Root: √हृ (हरति)

• यः: who
• यः: कर्तृ
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• अस्मान्: us
• अस्मान्: कर्म
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)

• द्वेष्टि: hates
• द्वेष्टि: क्रिया
• Type: Verb
• Root: √द्विष् (द्वेष्टि)

• यम्: whom
• यम्: कर्म
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• वयम्: we
• वयम्: कर्तृ
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)

• द्विष्मः: hate
• द्विष्मः: क्रिया
• Type: Verb
• Root: √द्विष् (द्विष्मः)

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic/Angiras-type attribution (specific r̥ṣi assignment depends on the Anukramaṇī for AVŚ 2.23; to be confirmed against the user’s recension metadata).

Devata: Āpaḥ (Waters), as purifiers and agents of reversal/counter-harm.

Chandas: Likely Anuṣṭubh (to be verified against metrical scansion in the pada tradition for AVŚ 2.23.2).

Mantra Rasa

Primary: vira

Secondary: shanta