Mantra 11

Sukta 6

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

ये कुकुन्धाः कुकूरभाः कृत्तीर्दूर्शानि बिभ्रति । क्लीबा इव प्रनृत्यन्तो वने ये कुर्वते घोषं तानितो नाशयामसि

IAST Transliteration

yé kukuṇdhā́ḥ kukū́rabhāḥ kṛ́ttīr dūrśā́ni bíbhrati | klībā́ iva prá-nṛtyanto vané yé kurváte ghóṣaṃ tā́ni itó nāśayāmasi

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Those Kukuṇdhas, dog-shaped, who wear hides and rough tufts; who, like impotent wretches, dance forth in the forest and raise a clamour—those from hence we cause to perish, we drive away.

Translation

जो कुकुन्ध (कुकुन्धाः), कुत्ते-से रूप वाले (कुकूरभाः) हैं, जो चर्म (खालें) और खुरदरे गुच्छे/झब्बे (दूर्शानि) धारण करते हैं; जो नपुंसक-से दीन जनों की भाँति नाचते हुए वन में कोलाहल (घोष) करते हैं—उनको हम यहाँ से नाश करते हैं, हम उन्हें दूर हाँक देते हैं।

Word by Word

येwho (those who)

कुकुन्धाः(certain) birds/creatures called kukundha

कुकूरभाः(certain) birds/creatures called kukūrabha

कृत्तीन्skins, hides

दूर्शानि(rough) garments/cloaks (lit. ‘dūrśa’-items)

बिभ्रतिthey bear, carry, wear

क्लीबाःimpotent/effeminate ones (as a simile-term)

इवlike, as

प्रनृत्यन्तःdancing about, capering

वनेin the forest

येwho (those who)

कुर्वतेthey make, they raise

घोषम्a noise, shout, din

तान्them

इतःfrom here, hence

नाशयामसिwe drive away, we destroy

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (Anukramaṇī attribution uncertain at single-verse granularity)

Devata: Rakṣas (as adversary); the operative power is the mantra itself

Chandas: Anuṣṭubh-like (with Atharvanic irregularities)

Mantra Rasa

{"primary_rasa":"vira","secondary_rasa":"bhayankara","emotional_arc":"From eerie forest-noise to contempt and banishment.","listener_experience":"Fear is reduced by seeing the threat as ridiculous; confidence rises.","intensity":6}