Rig Veda 3.31.6: Mandala 3, Sukta 31, Mantra 6

Sukta 3.31

Rishi: Viśvāmitra Gāthina (Kauśika) (traditional circle attribution)

Devata: Saramā (as mythic power within the Indra/Angiras cycle; functionally allied to Indra and the seers)

Chandas: Triṣṭubh

Samhita Patha (Devanagari)

विदद्यदी सरमा रुग्णमद्रेर्महि पाथः पूर्व्यं सध्र्यक्कः । अग्रं नयत्सुपद्यक्षराणामच्छा रवं प्रथमा जानती गात् ॥

Transliteration

vídad yadī́ sarámā rugṇám adréḥ máhi pā́thaḥ pū́rvyaṃ sadhryàk kaḥ | ágraṃ nayat supády ákṣarāṇām ácchā rávaṃ prathamā́ jānatī́ gāt ||

Translation

Quand Saramā découvrit l’ouverture brisée du rocher — la grande voie primordiale, allant droit — comment en serait-il autrement ? — elle mena au premier rang les syllabes au pas ferme; la première, sachant, elle alla vers le cri.

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Word by Word

• विदत्: found / discovered
• विदत्: Kartā (with subject ‘सरमा’)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √विद् (vindati/veda) ‘to find, know’

• यदी: when / if
• यदी: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यद् (relative/conditional particle) + इ (emphatic)

• सरमा: Saramā (the divine hound/messenger)
• सरमा: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरमा (proper noun)

• रुग्णम्: broken / breached
• रुग्णम्: Karma (object/goal found)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रुग्ण (ppp of √रुज् ‘to break’)

• अद्रेः: of the rock / mountain
• अद्रेः: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (genitival relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अद्रि (stone, rock; also ‘mountain’)

• महि: greatly
• महि: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: महि (from मह्/महन् ‘great’; Vedic adverbial form)

• पाथः: path / track
• पाथः: Karma (what was found: the path/way)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाथस् (path, track, way)

• पूर्व्यम्: ancient / primeval
• पूर्व्यम्: Viśeṣaṇa of Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्व्य (ancient, former) < पूर्व

• सध्र्यक्: straight / directly
• सध्र्यक्: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सध्र्यक् (Vedic adverb ‘straight, directly’)

• कः: who? / someone
• कः: Kartā (of ‘नयत्’)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: क (interrogative/indefinite pronoun)

• अग्रम्: the front / the foremost (part)
• अग्रम्: Karma (object led)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्र (forepart, point, first)

• नयत्: led
• नयत्: Kriyā (with Kartā ‘कः’)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √नी (nayati) ‘to lead’

• सुपद्: of the well-stepping / sure-footed (ones)
• सुपद्: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुपद् (su- + पद् ‘good-footed; having good steps/footing’)

• अक्षराणाम्: of the imperishables / of the syllables (words)
• अक्षराणाम्: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (dependent on ‘अग्रम्’ as ‘foremost of…’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अक्षर (imperishable; syllable/word; also ‘letters’)

• अच्छा: towards
• अच्छा: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अच्छा (preverb/adverb ‘towards, to’)

• रवम्: cry / sound
• रवम्: Karma / goal of motion (with ‘अच्छा’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रव (cry, sound, roar)

• प्रथमा: first
• प्रथमा: Viśeṣaṇa of Kartā
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रथम (first)

• जानती: knowing
• जानती: Kartṛ-sāmānādhikaraṇa (describing the doer ‘सरमा’)
• Type: Participle
• Root: √ज्ञा (jānāti) ‘to know’

• गात्: went / came
• गात्: Kriyā (main action of the clause)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गा (gāti/gāyati; here ‘to go’)