Atharva Veda 18.2.28: Kanda 18, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 2, Mantra 28

Sukta 2

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

ये दस्य॑वः पि॒तृषु॑ प्रवि॑ष्टा ज्ञातिमु॒खा अ॑हु॒ताद॒श्चर॑न्ति । प॒रा॒पुरो॑ नि॒पुरो॒ ये भर॑न्त्य॒ग्निष्टान॒स्मात् प्र ध॑माति य॒ज्ञात्

IAST Transliteration

yé dásyavaḥ pitṛ́ṣu pravíṣṭā jñātimukhā́ ahutā́daś cáranti | parāpuró nipuró yé bháranty agníṣ tā́n asmā́t prá dhamāti yajñā́t

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Those Dasyus who have entered among the Fathers, kinsmen-faced, who roam as eaters of the unoffered; those fortress-spoilers, fortress-breakers who bear away—Agni from this sacrifice blows them forth and drives them off.

Translation

父祖（Pitṛ）たちの中へ入り込み、親族の顔を装いながら、未供献（ahuta）を食らう者としてさまよい歩くダシュユ（Dasyu）どもよ。砦を荒らし、砦を破り、奪い去る者どもよ——アグニ（Agni）はこの祭（yajña）から彼らを吹き放ち、遠くへ追い払う。

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Word by Word

• ये: who (those who)
• ये: Kartā
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• दस्यवः: hostile men / foes
• दस्यवः: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: दस्यु (प्रातिपदिक)

• पितृषु: among the Fathers (ancestors)
• पितृषु: Adhikaraṇa
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)

• प्रविष्टाः: having entered
• प्रविष्टाः: Kartā
• Type: Participle (past passive) used adjectivally
• Root: वि-विश् (धातु) → प्रविष्ट (क्त-प्रत्यय)

• ज्ञाति-मुखाः: with kinsmen as their ‘faces’ / led by relatives
• ज्ञाति-मुखाः: Kartā
• Type: Adjective (compound)
• Root: ज्ञाति (प्रातिपदिक) + मुख (प्रातिपदिक) (समासः: बहुव्रीहिः/कर्मधारय-प्रायः)

• अहुतात्: from the unoffered (oblation) / from what is not sacrificed
• अहुतात्: Apādāna
• Type: Noun/Adjective (negated PPP) used substantively
• Root: आ-हु (धातु) → आहुत (क्त) + अ- (नञ्) → अहुत (प्रातिपदिक)

• अश्चरण्ति: they roam / they move about
• अश्चरण्ति: Kartā
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-चर् (धातु) (वेदिक-रूप: अश्चरन्ति)

• परापुरः: distant strongholds / far-off forts
• परापुरः: Karma
• Type: Adjective/Noun
• Root: परा + पुर (प्रातिपदिक) (समासः/निपात-पूर्वक-प्रातिपदिक)

• निपुरः: near strongholds / nearby forts
• निपुरः: Karma
• Type: Adjective/Noun
• Root: नि + पुर (प्रातिपदिक) (समासः/उपसर्ग-पूर्वक-प्रातिपदिक)

• ये: who
• ये: Kartā
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• भरन्ति: they bear / carry / bring
• भरन्ति: Kartā
• Type: Verb
• Root: भृ (धातु)

• अग्निः: Agni (fire)
• अग्निः: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)

• तान्: them
• तान्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• अस्मात्: from this
• अस्मात्: Apādāna
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• प्र: forth / forward
• प्र: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र (निपात)

• धमाति: blows (away)
• धमाति: Kartā
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्मा (धातु)

• यज्ञात्: from the sacrifice
• यज्ञात्: Apādāna
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic funerary tradition (AV 18)

Devata: Agni (as purifier/expeller); secondarily Pitṛs as protected recipients

Chandas: Anuṣṭubh

Mantra Rasa

Primary: vira

Secondary: raudra