Mantra 1

Sukta 70

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

अघ्न्याः। यथा मांसं यथा सुरा यथाक्षा अधिदेवने । यथा पुंसो वृषण्यत स्त्रियां निहन्यते मनः । एवा ते अघ्न्ये मनोऽधि वत्से नि हन्यताम्

IAST Transliteration

aghńyāḥ | yáthā māṃsáṃ yáthā surā́ yáthā́kṣā adhidévane | yáthā púṃso vṛṣaṇyát striyā́ṃ ní-hanyate mánaḥ | evā́ te aghnye máno ’dhí vatsé ní hanyatām ||

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

O Cow inviolable: as meat, as surā, as dice in the gaming-hall; as the mind of a man in heat is fastened upon a woman—so, O Aghnyā, let thy mind be fastened firmly upon thy calf.

Translation

ಹೇ ಅಘ್ನ್ಯಾ (ಅವಧ್ಯ ಗೋವೇ)! ಹೇಗೆ ಮಾಂಸದ ಮೇಲೆ, ಹೇಗೆ ಸುರಾ ಪಾನದ ಮೇಲೆ, ಹೇಗೆ ಜೂಜಿನ ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಪಾಶೆಗಳ ಮೇಲೆ; ಹೇಗೆ ಕಾಮಾತುರ ಪುರುಷನ ಮನಸ್ಸು ಸ್ತ್ರೀಯ ಮೇಲೆ ದೃಢವಾಗಿ ಅಂಟಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತದೋ—ಅದೇ ರೀತಿ, ಹೇ ಅಘ್ನ್ಯೇ, ನಿನ್ನ ಮನಸ್ಸು ನಿನ್ನ ಕರುದ ಮೇಲೆ ದೃಢವಾಗಿ ನೆಲಸಲಿ.

Word by Word

अघ्न्याः(O) cows / inviolable ones

यथाjust as / as

माम्सम्flesh

यथाjust as

सुराliquor / intoxicant

यथाjust as

अक्षाःdice

अधिदेवनेin/at the gambling-place

यथाjust as

पुंसःof a man

वृषण्यत्(when) aroused / lustful

स्त्रियाम्in/with a woman

निहन्यतेis struck down / is fixed upon / is driven

मनःmind

एवthus / just so

तेyour

अघ्न्येO cow / O inviolable one

मनःmind

अधिupon / over

वत्सेon/at the calf

निहन्यताम्let it be fixed/pressed down / let it be driven

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (household/cattle charm corpus)

Devata: Aghnyā (the cow as sacral being) / manas-binding efficacy

Chandas: Mixed/expanded Anuṣṭubh-like (Atharvanic prose-verse cadence with repeated yathā clauses)

Mantra Rasa

{"primary_rasa":"shringara","secondary_rasa":"adbhuta","emotional_arc":"From worldly compulsion (craving, gambling, lust) to domesticated purpose (maternal bonding).","listener_experience":"A sense of firm ‘setting’—the mind is made to lock onto its proper object.","intensity":6}