Atharva Veda 2.18.5: Kanda 2, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 18, Mantra 5

Sukta 18

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

स॒दा॒न्वा॒क्षय॑णमसि सदान्वा॒चात॑नं मे दाः॒ स्वाहा॑

Sanskrit recitationAtharva Veda 2.18.5

IAST Transliteration

sadā́nvā́kṣáyaṇam asi sadā́nvā́cā́tanaṃ me dā́ḥ svā́hā

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Thou art ever-following, inexhaustible; ever-following, unassailable: grant thou that to me. Svāhā.

Translation

നീ സദാ അനുഗമിക്കുന്നവൻ, അക്ഷയൻ; സദാ അനുഗമിക്കുന്നവൻ, അപ്രതിഹതൻ; അതെനിക്ക് ദാനം ചെയ്യേണമേ—സ്വാഹാ।

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Word by Word

• सदा: always
• सदा: Adhikaraṇa (काल-अधिकारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)

• अन्वाक्षयणम्: (a) constant non-decay/imperishability; (rit.) a means of continual preservation
• अन्वाक्षयणम्: Karma/Prādānya (असि के साथ विधेय-नाम; ‘तुम … हो’)
• Type: Noun (abstract/ritual term)
• Root: अन्वाक्षयण (प्रातिपदिक; अनु-आ-√क्षि/क्षय ‘क्षय/नाश’ + युच्/ल्युट्-प्रत्यय; नामधातु-निर्मित)

• असि: you are
• असि: (क्रिया; कर्ता = त्वम्/अदृश्य ‘you’)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (भू/सत्तायाम्)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Adhikaraṇa (काल-अधिकारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)

• अन्वाचातनम्: constant driving-away/removal (of harm); continual dispelling
• अन्वाचातनम्: Karma (देय-वस्तु)
• Type: Noun (abstract/ritual term)
• Root: अन्वाचातन (प्रातिपदिक; अनु-आ-√चत्/चात् ‘चलाना/हटाना/भंग करना’ + युच्/ल्युट्-प्रत्यय; भाववाचक)

• मे: for me; to me / my
• मे: Sampradāna/Adhikaraṇa (स्वामित्व/हित-संबन्ध: ‘for me / my’)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)

• दाः: give (grant)
• दाः: (क्रिया; कर्ता = त्वम्/अदृश्य ‘you’), कर्म = अन्वाचातनम्
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (दाने)

• स्वाहा: svāhā (hail!; offering-formula)
• स्वाहा: (मन्त्र-समापन/आहुत्यनुज्ञा)
• Type: Indeclinable (ritual exclamation)
• Root: स्वाहा (निपात/उद्गार)

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (specific r̥ṣi attribution for this single mantra is not uniform across ancillary lists; commonly treated as Atharvan/Angiras-type rakṣā material).

Devata: Rakṣā (protective power) embodied in the consecrated object/act; functionally a personified protective efficacy rather than a single named deva.

Chandas: Anuṣṭubh-like cadence (short, formulaic charm-line; exact metrical scansion is secondary to performative diction here).

Mantra Rasa

Primary: shanta

Secondary: vira