Atharva Veda 1.21.1: Kanda 1, Anuvaka 3, Sukta 21, Mantra 1

Sukta 21

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

शत्रुनिवारणम्। स्वस्ति॒दा वि॒शां पति॑र्वृत्र॒हा वि॑मृ॒धो॑ व॒शी। वृषेन्द्रः॑ पु॒र ए॑तु नः सोम॒पा अ॑भयंक॒रः

Recitation with translationAtharva Veda 1.21.1

IAST Transliteration

svastidā́ viśā́m pátir vṛtrahā́ vimṛ́dho vaśī́ | vṛ́ṣéndraḥ púra étu naḥ somapā́ abháyaṃkaraḥ ||

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

The Giver of welfare, the Lord of the clans, Vṛtra-slayer, controller of the hostile assailants—bull-like Indra—let him go before us, the Soma-drinker, the maker of fearlessness.

Translation

Yeh mantra Indra ki dua hai. Woh sabki bhalai karta hai, sab logon ka malik hai. Indra ne dushmanon ko haraya hai, bura logon ko control mein rakhta hai. Woh taange jaisa balwan hai. Hum maangte hain ki woh hamare aage chalta rahe. Woh Som ras peeta hai aur humse durr bhagata hai.

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Word by Word

• स्वस्तिदा: bestowing welfare
• स्वस्तिदा: Kartā
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वस्ति-द (प्रातिपदिक: स्वस्ति + दा ‘देने’)

• विशाम्: of the clans/people
• विशाम्: Adhikaraṇa
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश् (प्रातिपदिक: विश् ‘जन/कुल/प्रजा’)

• पतिः: lord, protector
• पतिः: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: पति (प्रातिपदिक)

• वृत्रहा: slayer of Vṛtra (obstacle-slayer)
• वृत्रहा: Kartā
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: वृत्र-हन् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘वृत्र’ + ‘हन्’=slayer)

• विमृधः: hostile foes/opponents
• विमृधः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वि-मृध् (प्रातिपदिक: विमृध् ‘विरोध/शत्रु/हानिकर’)

• वशी: mighty, controlling
• वशी: Kartā
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वशिन् (प्रातिपदिक: वशिन् ‘वशी/नियन्ता’)

• वृषेन्द्रः: bull-like Indra (strong Indra)
• वृषेन्द्रः: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृष-इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक; ‘bull-like Indra’)

• पुरः: in front, before (us)
• पुरः: Adhikaraṇa
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरस् (अव्यय/उपसर्गार्थक; ‘in front, before’)

• एतु: let (him) go/come
• एतु: Kartā
• Type: Verb
• Root: इ (धातु: इ ‘to go’)

• नः: for us / of us
• नः: Sampradāna
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)

• सोमपाः: Soma-drinker
• सोमपाः: Kartā
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: सोम-पा (प्रातिपदिक; ‘Soma-drinker’)

• अभयङ्करः: fear-dispelling, making (us) fearless
• अभयङ्करः: Kartā
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-भय-कर (प्रातिपदिक; ‘making fearlessness’)

Attribution

Rishi: Indra-focused Atharvanic tradition (specific r̥ṣi attribution varies by Anukramaṇī; commonly treated as an Indra-stuti within Atharvanic collections).

Devata: Indra (as Vṛtrahan, Somapā, Abhayaṃkara).

Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (4 pādas of ~8 syllables; Atharvanic anuṣṭubh style).

Mantra Rasa

Primary: vira

Secondary: shanta