Mantra 15

Sukta 6

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

येषां पश्चात् प्रपदानि पुरः पार्ष्णीः पुरो मुखा । खलजाः शकधूमजा उरुण्डा ये च मट्मटाः कुम्भमुष्का अयाशवः । तानस्या ब्रह्मणस्पते प्रतीबोधेन नाशय

IAST Transliteration

yéṣā́m paścā́t prápadāni puráḥ pārṣṇī́ḥ puró múkhāḥ | khalajā́ḥ śakadhūmajā́ urúṇḍā yé ca maṭmaṭā́ḥ kumbhámuṣkā ayā́śavaḥ | tā́n asyā́ brahmaṇaspate pratībodhéna nāśaya

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Whose fore-steps are behind, whose heels are set in front, whose faces are turned awry—threshing-floor born, dung-smoke born, the Urundas, and the Matmatas, the pot-groined, the ill-disposed: them, O Brahmaṇaspati, by thy counter-rousing vigilance destroy away from her.

Word by Word

• येषाम्: of whom / whose
• येषाम्: सम्बन्ध (genitive relation)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → येषाम्

• पश्चात्: behind; afterwards
• पश्चात्: अधिकरण (काल/दिशा-अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पश्चात् (अव्यय)

• प्रपदानि: fore-feet; steps; foreparts (lit. ‘front-steps’)
• प्रपदानि: विशेष्य (येषाम्… प्रपदानि) / कर्म (वर्णनात्मक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रपद (प्रातिपदिक)

• पुरः: in front; forward
• पुरः: अधिकरण (दिशा-अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरः (अव्यय)

• पार्ष्णीः: heels; hind-feet
• पार्ष्णीः: विशेष्य (येषाम्… पार्ष्णीः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्ष्णि (प्रातिपदिक)

• पुरः: in front
• पुरः: अधिकरण (दिशा-अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरः (अव्यय)

• मुखाः: faces; (as adj.) ‘faced’
• मुखाः: विशेषण (पार्ष्णीः… मुखाः)
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: मुख (प्रातिपदिक)

• खलजाः: ‘khalaja’-beings (a class of pests/creatures; lit. ‘born in/from threshing-floor?’)
• खलजाः: कर्तृ/विशेष्य (तान्… नाशय — ‘those …’)
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: खलज (प्रातिपदिक; बहुव्रीहि/तत्पुरुष-समासः, व्युत्पत्तिः अनिश्चित)

• शकधूमजाः: born of dung-smoke; smoke-bred (a class of vermin/pests)
• शकधूमजाः: कर्तृ/विशेष्य (तान्…)
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: शक-धूम-ज (समास; शक ‘dung/filth’ + धूम ‘smoke’ + ज ‘born’)

• उरुण्डाः: urundas (a named class of harmful creatures/pests)
• उरुण्डाः: कर्तृ/विशेष्य (तान्…)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उरुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक; लोक/वैदिक-नाम)

• ये: who; those who
• ये: सम्बन्ध/विशेष्य-निर्देश
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → ये

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)

• मट्मटाः: matmatas (a named class of pests/creatures)
• मट्मटाः: कर्तृ/विशेष्य (तान्…)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मट्मट (प्रातिपदिक; ध्वन्यात्मक/लोक-शब्द)

• कुम्भमुष्काः: kumbhamuṣkas (lit. ‘pot-scrotumed’; a named class of creatures/pests)
• कुम्भमुष्काः: कर्तृ/विशेष्य (तान्…)
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: कुम्भ-मुष्क (समास; कुम्भ ‘pot’ + मुष्क ‘testicle/scrotum’; बहुव्रीहि/नाम)

• अयाशवः: not swift; sluggish (as an epithet)
• अयाशवः: विशेषण (कुम्भमुष्काः…)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-याशु (नञ्-समास; याशु/याशु ‘swift/impetuous’?) → अयाशु (प्रातिपदिक)

• तान्: those (them)
• तान्: कर्म
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → तान्

• अस्याः: of this (fem.); from this
• अस्याः: सम्बन्ध (genitive: ‘of this [woman/thing]’) / अपादान (if abl.)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्/अयम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → अस्याः

• ब्रह्मणस्पते: O Lord of sacred speech (Brahmaṇaspati)
• ब्रह्मणस्पते: सम्बोधन
• Type: Noun (Vocative)
• Root: ब्रह्मणस्-पति (समास; ब्रह्मणस् ‘prayer/sacred utterance’ + पति ‘lord’)

• प्रतीबोधेन: by (your) rousing/awakening; by alerting
• प्रतीबोधेन: करण
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रति-बोध (प्रातिपदिक; ‘awakening/recognition’)

• नाशय: destroy; drive away
• नाशय: क्रिया
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश्/नाशय (धातु: नश् ‘to perish’ → caus. नाशयति ‘to destroy’)

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (hymn attributed in the Anukramaṇī to an Atharvan/Angiras-type seer for rakṣoghna material; exact name depends on recension lists).

Devata: Brahmaṇaspati (as spell-lord) and implicitly rakṣas/piśāca targets

Chandas: Mixed; predominantly Anuṣṭubh-like cadence with catalogic expansions (edition-dependent scansion).

Mantra Rasa

{"primary_rasa":"raudra","secondary_rasa":"bhayankara","emotional_arc":"Diagnosis-by-grotesque description → escalation through naming → decisive destruction command.","listener_experience":"Heightened alertness, protective anger on behalf of the vulnerable; cathartic banishment.","intensity":8}