Atharva Veda 20.132.3: Kanda 20, Anuvaka 14, Sukta 132, Mantra 3
Sukta 132
Sanskrit (Devanagari)
क॒र्क॒रि॒को निखा॑तकः
IAST Transliteration
karkarikáḥ níkhātakaḥ
English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)
The karkarika—(as) the thing to be buried.
Translation
कर्करिका को भी ज़मीन में गाड़ना है।
Word by Word
कर्करिकःthe ‘karkarika’ (a rattling/creaking creature; commonly taken as a cricket/grasshopper-like insect)
कर्करिकः:
Kartā
TypeNoun
Rootकर्करिक (प्रातिपदिक) < कर्कर (अनुकरण/ध्वन्यात्मक-शब्द) + इक (तद्धित)
निखातकःthe digger; one who digs (burrows)
निखातकः:
Kartā
TypeNoun (agent) / Adjective
Rootनि-√खन् (खन् ‘खानने’) + क (कृदन्त-प्रत्ययः; कर्तरि)
Attribution
Rishi: Uncertain (khila material)
Devata: Functional: earth-sealing/binding force
Chandas: Formulaic; meter not determinable
Mantra Rasa
Primary: raudra
Secondary: bhayankara
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
Not sure where to start?
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.