Atharva Veda 4.25.4: Kanda 4, Anuvaka 3, Sukta 25, Mantra 4

Sukta 25

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

अपे॒तो वा॑यो सवि॒ता च॑ दुष्कृ॒तमप॒ रक्षां॑सि॒ शिमि॑दां च सेधतम्। सं ह्यू॒३र्जया॑ सृ॒जथः॒ सं बले॑न॒ तौ नो॑ मुञ्चत॒मंह॑सः

IAST Transliteration

apétaḥ vā́yo savitā́ ca duṣkṛtám ápa rákṣāṁsi śímidāṁ ca sedhatam | sáṁ hí ūrjáyā sṛjáthaḥ sáṁ bálená táu no muñcatam áṁhasaḥ ||

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Driven off be the ill-wrought evil, O Vāyu and Savitar; drive ye away the Rākṣases and the Śimidā brood, and bar them. For ye send forth, in full, with vigor, in full with power: do ye release us from distress.

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Word by Word

• अपेतः: gone away; departed
• अपेतः: Kartā (with implied subject ‘वायुः’)
• Type: Adjective/Participle
• Root: अप-इ (√इ ‘to go’) → अपेत (ppp)

• वायो: O Wind
• वायो: (Address) Sambodhana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वायु (prātipadika)

• सविता: Savitar (the impeller, Sun-god)
• सविता: Kartā (co-agent with Wind)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सवितृ (prātipadika)

• च: and
• च: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• दुष्कृतम्: evil deed; wrongdoing; harm
• दुष्कृतम्: Karma (of ‘अपेतः’ = ‘let … go away’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुष्कृत (prātipadika)

• अप: away; off
• अप: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अप

• रक्षांसि: demons; harmful spirits
• रक्षांसि: Karma (of ‘सेधतम्’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्षस् (prātipadika)

• शिमिदाम्: of the Śimids (a class of hostile beings/witchcraft-afflictors)
• शिमिदाम्: Sambandha (genitive: ‘of the śimids’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिमिद् (prātipadika)

• च: and
• च: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• सेधतम्: ward off (you two); repel
• सेधतम्: Kriyā (addressed to two deities: Vāyu & Savitar)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √सिध्/सेध् (to ward off, repel, restrain)

• सम्: together; completely
• सम्: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्

• हि: indeed; for
• हि: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• ऊर्जया: with vigor; with nourishment/refreshing power
• ऊर्जया: Karaṇa (instrument: ‘with nourishment/strength’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऊर्जा (prātipadika)

• सृजथः: you two release/send forth; bestow
• सृजथः: Kriyā (of the two addressed deities)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √सृज् (to release, send forth, bestow)

• सम्: together; fully
• सम्: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्

• बलेन: with strength; by force
• बलेन: Karaṇa (instrument: ‘with strength’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बल (prātipadika)

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Kartā (resumptive: ‘those two’ = Vāyu & Savitar)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (sarvanāma)

• नः: for us; our
• नः: Sampradāna/Sambandha (for us / of us, beneficiary)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद् (sarvanāma)

• मुञ्चतम्: release (you two); set free
• मुञ्चतम्: Kriyā (request to the two deities)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √मुच् (to release, free)

• अंहसः: from distress/sin; from evil
• अंहसः: Apādāna (source: ‘from sin/distress’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अंहस् (prātipadika)

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (see Anukramaṇī for AV 4.25).

Devata: Vāyu and Savitar; also implicitly anti-demonic (rakṣoghna) function.

Chandas: Triṣṭubh (verify by metrical scan in the received pada text).

Mantra Rasa

Primary: vira

Secondary: bhayankara