Atharva Veda 15.13.4: Kanda 15, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 13, Mantra 4

Sukta 13

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

ये॒३न्तरि॑क्षे॒ पुण्या॑ लो॒कास्ताने॒व तेनाव॑ रुन्द्धे

IAST Transliteration

yé́ ’ntárikṣe púṇyā́ lokā́s tā́n evá ténā́va runddhe

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

What meritorious worlds there are in the mid-air—those, even those, by that (knowledge and observance) he verily secures unto himself.

Translation

Quels que soient les mondes méritoires dans l’espace intermédiaire — ceux-là, oui ceux-là, il se les assure en vérité par cela (par la connaissance et l’observance).

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Word by Word

• ये: which / those (who/that)
• ये: कर्तृ (सापेक्ष-कर्तृ; ‘लोकाः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → य-

• अन्तरिक्षे: in the mid-air / atmosphere
• अन्तरिक्षे: अधिकरण
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तरिक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)

• पुण्याः: holy, meritorious
• पुण्याः: कर्तृ (विशेषण-रूपेण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)

• लोकाः: worlds / realms
• लोकाः: कर्तृ
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)

• तान्: those (them)
• तान्: कर्म
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (निपात)

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

• अव: down, back; (as preverb)
• अव: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अव (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)

• रुन्धे: he/she/it restrains, blocks, shuts off
• रुन्धे: क्रिया
• Type: Verb
• Root: रुध् (धातु) ‘to obstruct, restrain, block’

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (Vratya-cycle; specific ṛṣi not explicit in the given excerpt)

Devata: Loka/puṇya (merit-realms) as the effective object; implicitly the Vratya as merit-conduit

Chandas: Prose-like Atharvanic anuṣṭubh-leaning cadence (not a strict RV-style metrical verse)

Mantra Rasa

Primary: adbhuta

Secondary: shanta