Mantra 30
Sukta 1
अग्निर्मा गोप्ता परि पातु विश्वतः उद्यन्त्सूर्यो नुदतां मृत्युपाशान्। व्युच्छन्तीरुषसः पर्वता ध्रुवाः सहस्रं प्राणा मय्या यतन्ताम्
agnír mā́ goptā́ pári pātu viśvátaḥ udyán sū́ryo nudatāṁ mṛtyupāśā́n | vyùcchantī́r uṣásaḥ párvatā dhruvā́ḥ sahásraṁ prāṇā́ máy yā́ yatantām ||
May Agni, my guardian, protect me round about from every side; may the rising Sun drive far away the nooses of Death. May the Dawns, shining forth—steadfast as the mountains—set within me a thousand breaths of life.
अग्नि, मेरा गोप्ता, मुझे चारों ओर से सर्वतः रक्षा करे; उदित होता सूर्य मृत्यु के पाशों को दूर हटा दे। व्युच्छित होती उषाएँ—पर्वतों-सी ध्रुव—मेरे भीतर प्राणों के सहस्र प्रवाह स्थापित करें।
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (exact r̥ṣi attribution depends on Anukramaṇī for AVŚ 17.1)
Devata: Agni, Sūrya, Uṣas (as protective and life-restoring powers)
Chandas: Mixed/triṣṭubh-like cadence (requires metrical verification against pada counts in critical edition)
{"primary_rasa":"vira","secondary_rasa":"karuna","emotional_arc":"Fear of mortality → strong protective rally → tender restoration of breath.","listener_experience":"Courage with relief; a sense of being ‘pulled back’ into life.","intensity":7}