Mantra 3
Sukta 133
मृत्योरहं ब्रह्मचारी यदस्मि निर्याचन् भूतात् पुरुषं यमाय । तमहं ब्रह्मणा तपसा श्रमेणानयैनं मेखलया सिनामि
mṛtyór aháṃ brahmacārī́ yád ásmi niryā́can bhūtā́t púruṣaṃ yamā́ya | tám aháṃ bráhmaṇā tápasā śrámeṇā́nayainaṃ mékhalayā sināmi ||
From Death I—being a Brahmacārin—go forth, as one that is departing; from the being that would lead the man to Yama. Him I, with brahman, with tapas, with toil, lead back; this one I bind fast with the girdle.
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (anukramaṇī-dependent)
Devata: Brahmacārin-power; Death (Mṛtyu) and Yama as adversarial poles; Mekhalā as instrument
Chandas: Triṣṭubh-like expansion (exact metrical scan uncertain)
{"primary_rasa":"vira","secondary_rasa":"karuna","emotional_arc":"Confrontation with death → compassionate retrieval → resolute sealing.","listener_experience":"Hope under pressure; sense of being pulled back from the edge and safely held.","intensity":8}