Atharva Veda 5.21.6: Kanda 5, Anuvaka 3, Sukta 21, Mantra 6
Sukta 21
यथा॑ श्ये॒नात् प॑त॒त्रिणः॑ संवि॒जन्ते॒ अह॑र्दिवि सिं॒हस्य॑ स्त॒नथो॒र्यथा॑ । ए॒वा त्वं दु॑न्दुभे॒ऽमित्रा॑न॒भि क्र॑न्द॒ प्र त्रा॑स॒याथो॑ चि॒त्तानि॑ मोहय
yáthā śyēnā́t patatríṇaḥ saṃvijánte áhardivi siṃhásya stanáthor yáthā | evā́ tvaṃ dundubhe ’mítrān abhí kranda prá trāsayā́tho cittā́ni mohaya
As, at the hawk, the winged creatures quiver together, day and night; as at the lion’s thunder-roar: even so, O Drum, cry against the foes; drive them forth in terror, and bewilder their minds.
Jaise baaz ko dekh ke sab panchi dar ke maare kaanp jaate hain, din raat. Jaise sher ki aawaz se sab dar jaate hain. Waise hi dhol, tum dushmano pe zor se bajna. Unhe bhagaa do, darao. Unka dimaag ghuma do.
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (hymn to the dundubhi; seer attribution varies by anukramaṇī lists)
Devata: Dundubhi (personified war-drum) as the operative power; implicitly Indraic battle-force
Chandas: Predominantly Anuṣṭubh-like cadence with Atharvanic flexibility (mixed/irregular pāda lengths occur in this hymn)
Primary: vira
Secondary: raudra
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Atharva Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.