Mantra 6

Sukta 131

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

अहल कुश वर्त्तक

IAST Transliteration

ahál kuśa varttaka

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

O Ahalā—kuśa-grass—(O) quail!

Word by Word

• अह॑ल: ‘Ahal’ (a name/folk term; exact referent uncertain in this isolated fragment)
• अह॑ल: Kartā (सम्भाव्यः) / अथवा सम्बोधन-प्रयोगः
• Type: Noun (proper/folk term)
• Root: अहल (प्रातिपदिक; अव्युत्पन्न/नाम) अथवा अहल्- (धातु: चलने/कम्पने—अनिश्चित)

• कुश: kuśa grass (sacred grass)
• कुश: Karma (सम्भाव्यः) / अथवा Kartā (सन्दर्भानुसार)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुश (प्रातिपदिक)

• वर्त्तक: quail / partridge (vartāka bird)
• वर्त्तक: Kartā (सम्भाव्यः) / अथवा Karma (सन्दर्भानुसार)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्त्तक (प्रातिपदिक) < वर्त् (धातु) / ‘वर्तक’ नाम

Attribution

Rishi: Uncertain in isolation (AV 20 is largely RV-derived; r̥ṣi assignment requires full hymn colophon).

Devata: Invoked auxiliaries (Ahalā; kuśa as sacral substance; varttaka as sign/agent).

Chandas: Uncertain from the truncated pāda; likely part of a larger metrical unit (often Triṣṭubh/Jagatī in AV 20 borrowings).

Mantra Rasa

{"primary_rasa":"bhayankara","secondary_rasa":"shanta","emotional_arc":"A quick call in the face of threat → immediate settling through summoned supports.","listener_experience":"A brief jolt of alertness followed by boundary-calm.","intensity":4}