Atharva Veda 1.21.1: Kanda 1, Anuvaka 3, Sukta 21, Mantra 1

Sukta 21

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

शत्रुनिवारणम्। स्वस्ति॒दा वि॒शां पति॑र्वृत्र॒हा वि॑मृ॒धो॑ व॒शी। वृषेन्द्रः॑ पु॒र ए॑तु नः सोम॒पा अ॑भयंक॒रः

Recitation with translationAtharva Veda 1.21.1

IAST Transliteration

svastidā́ viśā́m pátir vṛtrahā́ vimṛ́dho vaśī́ | vṛ́ṣéndraḥ púra étu naḥ somapā́ abháyaṃkaraḥ ||

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

The Giver of welfare, the Lord of the clans, Vṛtra-slayer, controller of the hostile assailants—bull-like Indra—let him go before us, the Soma-drinker, the maker of fearlessness.

Translation

സ്വസ്തിദാതാവും വിശങ്ങളുടെ അധിപതിയും വൃത്രഹന്താവും വൈരിയായ ആക്രമകരെ വശപ്പെടുത്തുന്നവനുമായ—വൃഷഭസദൃശനായ ഇന്ദ്രൻ—സോമപാനി, അഭയം വരുത്തുന്നവൻ, ഞങ്ങളുടെ മുമ്പിൽ മുമ്പായി പോകട്ടെ.

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Word by Word

• स्वस्तिदा: bestowing welfare
• स्वस्तिदा: Kartā
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वस्ति-द (प्रातिपदिक: स्वस्ति + दा ‘देने’)

• विशाम्: of the clans/people
• विशाम्: Adhikaraṇa
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश् (प्रातिपदिक: विश् ‘जन/कुल/प्रजा’)

• पतिः: lord, protector
• पतिः: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: पति (प्रातिपदिक)

• वृत्रहा: slayer of Vṛtra (obstacle-slayer)
• वृत्रहा: Kartā
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: वृत्र-हन् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘वृत्र’ + ‘हन्’=slayer)

• विमृधः: hostile foes/opponents
• विमृधः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वि-मृध् (प्रातिपदिक: विमृध् ‘विरोध/शत्रु/हानिकर’)

• वशी: mighty, controlling
• वशी: Kartā
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वशिन् (प्रातिपदिक: वशिन् ‘वशी/नियन्ता’)

• वृषेन्द्रः: bull-like Indra (strong Indra)
• वृषेन्द्रः: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृष-इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक; ‘bull-like Indra’)

• पुरः: in front, before (us)
• पुरः: Adhikaraṇa
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरस् (अव्यय/उपसर्गार्थक; ‘in front, before’)

• एतु: let (him) go/come
• एतु: Kartā
• Type: Verb
• Root: इ (धातु: इ ‘to go’)

• नः: for us / of us
• नः: Sampradāna
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)

• सोमपाः: Soma-drinker
• सोमपाः: Kartā
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: सोम-पा (प्रातिपदिक; ‘Soma-drinker’)

• अभयङ्करः: fear-dispelling, making (us) fearless
• अभयङ्करः: Kartā
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-भय-कर (प्रातिपदिक; ‘making fearlessness’)

Attribution

Rishi: Indra-focused Atharvanic tradition (specific r̥ṣi attribution varies by Anukramaṇī; commonly treated as an Indra-stuti within Atharvanic collections).

Devata: Indra (as Vṛtrahan, Somapā, Abhayaṃkara).

Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (4 pādas of ~8 syllables; Atharvanic anuṣṭubh style).

Mantra Rasa

Primary: vira

Secondary: shanta