Atharva Veda 18.2.42: Kanda 18, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 2, Mantra 42

Sukta 2

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

निरि॒मां मात्रां॑ मिमीमहे॒ यथाप॑रं॒ न मासा॑तै । श॒ते श॒रत्सु॒ नो पु॒रा

IAST Transliteration

nírīmā́ṃ mā́trāṃ mimīmahe yáthā́paraṃ ná mā́sātai | śaté śáratsu no purā́

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Out this measure we do mete, that it be not thereafter spent in months: a hundred autumns—so for us, as in the days of old.

Translation

ഞങ്ങൾ ഈ അളവ് പുറത്തോട്ടായി അളക്കുന്നു; പിന്നെ അത് മാസങ്ങളിലായി ക്ഷയിക്കാതിരിക്കട്ടെ. ഞങ്ങൾക്ക്—പുരാതനകാലത്തെപ്പോലെ—നൂറു ശരദൃതുക്കൾ വരെ.

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Word by Word

• निः: out, forth (as a preverb/intensifier)
• निः: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: निः (उपसर्ग/निपात)

• इमाम्: this (f.)
• इमाम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• मात्राम्: measure, portion, fixed amount
• मात्राम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मात्रा (प्रातिपदिक)

• मिमीमहे: we measure out / we apportion
• मिमीमहे: Kartā
• Type: Verb
• Root: √मा (माने/मितौ) — reduplicated present stem मिमी-

• यथा: so that, as
• यथा: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)

• अपरम्: further, later, next
• अपरम्: —
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपर (प्रातिपदिक)

• न: not
• न: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (निषेध-अव्यय)

• मासातै: by/after a month; month-wise (month-related interval)
• मासातै: Adhikaraṇa
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक) + अतय्/अति (अव्यय/तद्धित-प्रयोगः) — पदपाठे ‘मासातै’ (समास/निपात-योग)

• शते: in a hundred (i.e., over a hundred)
• शते: Adhikaraṇa
• Type: Numeral/Adjective
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक)

• शरत्सु: in (many) autumns/years
• शरत्सु: Adhikaraṇa
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरद् (प्रातिपदिक)

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

• पुरा: formerly, before, long ago
• पुरा: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (variable)

Devata: Āyus; expulsion of āyur-hāni

Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (refrain-form)

Mantra Rasa

Primary: shanta

Secondary: vira