Atharva Veda 4.37.8: Kanda 4, Anuvaka 4, Sukta 37, Mantra 8

Sukta 37

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

भी॒मा इन्द्र॑स्य हे॒तयः॑ श॒तमृ॒ष्टीर॑य॒स्मयीः॑ । ताभि॑र्हविर॒दान् ग॑न्ध॒र्वान॑वका॒दान् व्यृऽषतु

Sanskrit recitationAtharva Veda 4.37.8

IAST Transliteration

bhīmā́ índrasya hetáyaḥ śatamṛṣṭī́r ayasmáyīḥ | tā́bhir haviradā́n gandharvā́n avakādā́n vy-ṛṣatu ||

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Terrible are Indra’s missiles, iron, with a hundred edges: with these let them smite apart the Gandharvas, eaters of the oblation, the Avakāda-eaters.

Translation

インドラの投げ武器は、まことに恐るべし。鉄より成り、百の刃を具す。これらをもって、供物を食らうガンダルヴァ（Gandharva）、アヴァカーダ（Avakāda）を食らう者どもを、打ち散らし裂け。

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Word by Word

• भीमाः: terrible, fearsome
• भीमाः: Kartā
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भीम (प्रातिपदिक)

• इन्द्रस्य: of Indra
• इन्द्रस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)

• हेतयः: missiles, weapons, darts
• हेतयः: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: हेति (प्रातिपदिक)

• शतमृष्टीः: hundred-pointed (hundred-spiked)
• शतमृष्टीः: Karma (appositional/object-like descriptor)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शतमृष्टि (प्रातिपदिक; शत + मृष्टि)

• अयसमयीः: made of iron
• अयसमयीः: Karma (descriptor in apposition)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अयसमय (प्रातिपदिक; अयस् + मयट्)

• ताभिः: with those (with them)
• ताभिः: Karaṇa
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम)

• हविरदान्: havis-eating (oblation-devouring)
• हविरदान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective (used substantively)
• Root: हविरद (प्रातिपदिक; हविस् + अद् ‘to eat’ → ‘havis-eater’)

• गन्धर्वान्: Gandharvas
• गन्धर्वान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्धर्व (प्रातिपदिक)

• अवकादान्: biting/tearing down (harmful)
• अवकादान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective (used substantively)
• Root: अवकाद (प्रातिपदिक; अव + काद/कद् ‘to bite/tear’ → ‘one who bites down/gnaws’; used as epithet)

• वि: apart, asunder, away
• वि: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वि (उपसर्ग)

• अव्यृऽषतु: let them drive away / scatter (them)
• अव्यृऽषतु: Kriyā (main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वृष्/√वृज् (धातु; वैदिक-रूपेण ‘to drive off, scatter, cast away’), उपसर्गः वि

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (hymn attributed in the AV ancillary tradition to Atharvan/Angiras-type seers; exact r̥ṣi assignment varies by anukramaṇī).

Devata: Indra’s weapons (Indra as implicit divine agent); anti-Gandharva force.

Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (predominant in this section; verse-form consistent with 8-syllable quarters).

Mantra Rasa

Primary: raudra

Secondary: vira