Atharva Veda 9.3.8 — Kanda 9, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 3, Mantra 8

Sukta 3

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

अक्षु॑मोप॒शं वित॑तं सहस्रा॒क्षं वि॑षू॒वति॑ । अव॑नद्धम॒भिहि॑तं॒ ब्रह्म॑णा॒ वि चृ॑तामसि

IAST Transliteration

ákṣum upáśaṃ vítataṃ sahasrā́kṣaṃ viṣūváti | avánaddham abhíhitaṃ bráhmaṇā ví cṛtāmasi

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

The eye-beset covering, outspread, thousand-eyed, lying athwart—bound about and laid on—this, with sacred spell, we cut apart.

Translation

കണ്ണുകളാൽ നിറഞ്ഞ ഈ ആവരണം—വിരിച്ചിട്ടത്, സഹസ്രാക്ഷം (ആയിരം കണ്ണുകളുള്ളത്), കുറുകെ കിടക്കുന്നത്—ചുറ്റി ബന്ധിച്ച് വെച്ചിരിക്കുന്നത്—ഇതിനെ ഞങ്ങൾ ബ്രഹ്മ (മന്ത്രശക്തി)കൊണ്ട് വെട്ടി വേർതിരിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• अक्षुम्: axle/axis (as an object)
• अक्षुम्: कर्म
• Type: Noun
• Root: अक्षु (प्रातिपदिक; ‘अक्षु’ = धुरा/अक्षः, ‘axle/axis’)

• उपशम्: appeasement, calming (charm/means)
• उपशम्: कर्म
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपश (प्रातिपदिक; ‘उपश’ = उपशमन/शमन, calming/appeasement)

• विततम्: stretched out, spread
• विततम्: कर्म
• Type: Adjective (past passive participle)
• Root: वि-तन् (धातु √तन् ‘to stretch’); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त ‘वितत’

• सहस्राक्षम्: thousand-eyed (having countless eyes)
• सहस्राक्षम्: कर्म
• Type: Adjective (compound)
• Root: सहस्र + अक्ष (तत्पुरुष/बहुव्रीहि-समास; प्रातिपदिक)

• विषूवति: divergent, spreading apart
• विषूवति: कर्म
• Type: Adjective (with -वत्)
• Root: विषूवत् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘विषूवत्’ = apart, in opposite directions, divergent)

• अवनद्धम्: bound, fastened
• अवनद्धम्: कर्म
• Type: Adjective (past passive participle)
• Root: अव-नह् (धातु √नह् ‘to bind’); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त ‘अवनद्ध’

• अभिहितम्: laid on, imposed, set upon
• अभिहितम्: कर्म
• Type: Adjective (past passive participle)
• Root: अभि-धा (धातु √धा/√धा ‘to place, set’; here ‘अभिहित’ = placed upon/assigned/laid on); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त

• ब्रह्मणा: by sacred power / by brahman (spell, prayer)
• ब्रह्मणा: करण
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)

• वि: apart, asunder, forth
• वि: —
• Type: Indeclinable (preverb)
• Root: वि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)

• चृतामसि: we move forth / we proceed (asunder)
• चृतामसि: कर्तृ
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-चृ (धातु √चृ ‘to move, go, roam; to proceed’); लट्/वर्तमाने, परस्मैपद

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic domestic tradition (not specified here)

Devata: Brahman (spell-power) and the personified binding/covering (upaśa) as addressed object

Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (probable)

Mantra Rasa

Primary: vira

Secondary: shanta