Atharva Veda 20.68.1: Kanda 20, Anuvaka 7, Sukta 68, Mantra 1

Sukta 68

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

सु॒रू॒प॒कृ॒त्नुमू॒तये॑ सु॒दुघा॑मिव गो॒दुहे॑ । जु॒हू॒मसि॒ द्यवि॑द्यवि

Recitation with translationAtharva Veda 20.68.1

IAST Transliteration

surūpakṛtnúm ū́taye sudúghām iva godúhe | juhū́masi dyávi-dyavi

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

For aid we pour oblation to the fair-working One, as to a good-milking cow at milking; day after day we offer.

Translation

मदद के लिए हम भगवान को पूजा करते हैं। जैसे अच्छी गाय दूध देती है, वैसे ही वो काम करता है। रोज़-रोज़ हम यह करते हैं।

The meaning

What it says

A daily offering for help: oblation is poured to the ‘fair-working one’ for aid, likened to milking a good-milking cow; day after day the offering is made.

The inner meaning

The deity is approached as a dependable source, like a well-cared-for cow: steady nurture comes from steady relationship. The mind learns trust in incremental gain through repeated practice (dyavi-dyavi).

The truth in it

Sustainable abundance is cultivated through consistent, respectful engagement with the sources of nourishment—work, discipline, community, and the sacred—rather than sporadic desperation.

What it is for

Kind of hymn

Paustika / Soma-liturgical

Its aim

To obtain steady, repeatable aid and abundance through daily offering, conceptualized as ‘milking’ benefit from the deity.

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Word by Word

Pada patha

सुरूपकृत्नुम् । ऊतये । सुदुघाम्-इव । गोदुहे । जुहूमसि । द्यवि-द्यवि ।

सुरूपकृत्नुम्

the well-formed/beautifully-shaped (one)the well-formed/beautifully-working one; a beneficent power effective in action (epithet of the invoked deity)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot सुरूपकृत्नु (प्रातिपदिक; सु-रूप + कृत्नु)

ऊतये

for help; for protectionfor aid; for protective help and furtheranceNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot ऊति (प्रातिपदिक)

सुदुघाम्

the good-milking (cow)Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot सुदुघा (प्रातिपदिक; सु-दुघा)

इव

like; asIndeclinableअव्ययRoot इव

गोदुहे

at/for the cow-milker (milking-man)at the milking; in the act/place of drawing milk (image of extraction of benefit)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole अधिकरणRoot गोदुह (प्रातिपदिक; गो + दुह)

जुहूमसि

we offer; we pour as oblationwe offer/we pour (into the fire); perform the oblation as a speech-actVerbलट् (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot हु (धातु)

द्यवि

in heaven; in the skyNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (वेदिक रूप)Role अधिकरणRoot द्यौ/दिव् (प्रातिपदिक)

द्यवि

in heaven—again (day by day / repeatedly)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (पुनरुक्ति)Role अधिकरणRoot द्यौ/दिव् (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• सुरूपकृत्नुम् ऊतये सुदुघाम् इव गोदुहे । जुहूमसि द्यवि द्यवि ।
• 1) सुरूपकृत्नुम् + ऊतये: अन्त्य -म् परे स्वरादौ (ऊ-) अनुनासिकान्तः, संधि-परिवर्तनं न दृश्यते (पदविरामे पृथक्).
• 2) सुदुघाम् + इव: -म् परे स्वरादौ, व्यवहारतः पृथक् उच्चारणम्
• संधि-लोप/अनुस्वार-परिवर्तनं न लिखितम्.
• 3) द्यवि द्यवि: पुनरुक्ति (वेदिक), अर्थे ‘प्रतिदिनम्/नित्यं’ इति

Seer, deity and metre

Rishi

Rigvedic provenance

Devata

Likely Indra or a Soma-associated beneficent deity addressed as ‘surūpakṛtnu’ (context-dependent)

Chandas

Anuṣṭubh-like cadence (requires full metrical verification)

Rasa

Shanta and Shringara

Sayana's Commentary

The Seer

The Deity

The Metre

The Rite

In the Home

Substances

Healing Context

Magic Charm Layer

Symbols in this Mantra

Yogic Application

Chanting Notes

Practical Application

Scholarly Questions