Mantra 6
Sukta 2
असौ या सेना मरुतः परेषामस्मानैत्यभ्योजसा स्पर्धमाना । तां विध्यत तमसापव्रतेन यथैषामन्यो अन्यं न जानात्
asáu yā́ sénā marutaḥ párēṣām asmā́n eti abhy òjasā spárdhamānā | tā́m vidhyata támasā́pavraténa yáthaiṣām anyó anyáṃ ná jānā́t ||
Yonder—what host of the others, O Maruts, advanceth upon us, striving against us with might— that smite ye with darkness, with perverted ordinance, so that among them one may not know another.
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (hymn attributed within the AV martial-protective corpus; specific r̥ṣi assignment depends on anukramaṇī tradition).
Devata: Maruts (invoked as martial allies; also the mantra’s operative agency is ‘tamas’ as a confounding power).
Chandas: Triṣṭubh (11-syllable cadence typical of martial/imperative diction)
{"primary_rasa":"vira","secondary_rasa":"raudra","emotional_arc":"From imminent threat to confident summoning of overwhelming allies, ending in enemy disarray.","listener_experience":"Courage and strategic calm; sense of being backed by storm-power.","intensity":8}