Mantra 4

Sukta 56

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

अयं यो वक्रो विपरुर्व्यऽङ्गो मुखानि वक्रा वृजिना कृणोषि । तानि त्वं ब्रह्मणस्पत इषीकामिव सं नमः

IAST Transliteration

ayáṃ yó vakró víparuḥ vy-àṅgó múkhāni vakrā́ vṛjinā́ kṛṇóṣi | tā́ni tváṃ brahmaṇas-pate iṣī́kām-iva sáṃ namaḥ

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

This crooked, twisted-jointed, disjointed thing, that with crooked mouths works injury—those (mouths) do thou, O Lord of sacred speech, bend wholly down, as one (bends) a reed: (to thee) be reverence.

Word by Word

अयम्this (one)

यःwho

वक्रःcrooked, bent

विपरुः(one) with dislocated/loosened joints; a crippled one

वि-अङ्गःwith limbs apart/misshapen; deformed

मुखानिmouths, faces

वक्राcrooked (as mouths)

वृजिनाwrongs, harms, evils

कृणोषिyou make, you do

तानिthose (things)

त्वम्you

ब्रह्मणस्-पतेO Lord of prayer/sacred utterance (Brahmaṇaspati)

इषीकाम्a reed, stalk, straw

इवlike, as

सम्together, completely

नमःobeisance, homage

Attribution

Rishi: Bhṛgu (sectional attribution)

Devata: Brahmaṇaspati (Bṛhaspati) as lord of mantra-power

Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (probable; requires metrical verification)

Mantra Rasa

{"primary_rasa":"vira","secondary_rasa":"raudra","emotional_arc":"From recognition of threat to authoritative subjugation and closure in reverence.","listener_experience":"Protective confidence; sense of ‘closing’ the attacker’s capacity to harm.","intensity":6}