Atharva Veda 18.3.4: Kanda 18, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 3, Mantra 4

Sukta 3

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

प्र॒जा॒न॒त्यऽघ्न्ये जीवलो॒कं दे॒वानां॒ पन्था॑मनुसं॒चर॑न्ती । अ॒यं ते॒ गोप॑ति॒स्तं जु॑षस्व स्व॒र्गं लो॒कमधि॑ रोहयैनम्

IAST Transliteration

prajānáty àghnye jīvalokáṃ devā́nāṃ pánthā́m anusáṃcarantī | ayáṃ te gopátis táṃ júṣasva svargáṃ lokám ádhi rohayaínam ||

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Knowing, O Cow whom none may slay, the world of living men, thou goest along the Gods’ own pathway in due course. This lord of cattle is for thee: accept him graciously; make him ascend unto the heavenly world above.

Translation

Wahai Lembu yang tidak boleh dibunuh (aghnyā), dengan mengetahui dunia manusia yang hidup, engkau meniti jalan para Dewa menurut ketetapan. Inilah penguasa ternak bagimu: terimalah dia dengan berkenan; angkatlah dia naik ke alam syurga di atas.

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Word by Word

• प्रजानती: knowing, recognizing
• प्रजानती: Kartā
• Type: Adjective (present participle)
• Root: प्र-√ज्ञा (जानाति) / प्रजानत् (प्रातिपदिक)

• अघ्न्ये: O inviolable one (cow)
• अघ्न्ये: (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun (vocative epithet)
• Root: अघ्न्या (प्रातिपदिक)

• जीवलोकम्: the world of the living
• जीवलोकम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: जीव-लोक (प्रातिपदिक)

• देवानाम्: of the gods
• देवानाम्: सम्बन्ध (genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)

• पन्थाम्: path
• पन्थाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पथिन्/पन्था (प्रातिपदिक)

• अनुसंचरन्ती: moving along, traversing
• अनुसंचरन्ती: Kartā
• Type: Verb-derived participle
• Root: अनु-सम्-√चर् (चरति) / अनुसंचरन्त् (प्रातिपदिक)

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Kartā (of ‘गोपतिः’ as predicate) / deictic
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम)

• ते: of you, your
• ते: सम्बन्ध (genitive)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम)

• गोपतिः: lord/guardian of cattle
• गोपतिः: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो-पति (प्रातिपदिक)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम)

• जुषस्व: accept, be pleased with
• जुषस्व: (क्रिया) —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √जुष् (जुषते)

• स्वर्गम्: heavenly
• स्वर्गम्: Karma (as goal with ‘रोहय’)
• Type: Adjective (used with लोकम्)
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)

• लोकम्: world
• लोकम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)

• अधि: up to, onto
• अधि: (क्रियाविशेषण/उपसर्ग)
• Type: Indeclinable (preverb)
• Root: अधि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)

• रोहय: cause to ascend, lead up
• रोहय: (क्रिया) —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √रुह् (रोहति) → causative √रुह् (रोहयति)

• एनम्: this one, him
• एनम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्/इदम् (सर्वनाम; एनद्-प्रयोग)

Attribution

Rishi: Traditionally associated with Atharvanic seers in the AV funeral book (18); specific r̥ṣi attribution varies by anukramaṇī tradition.

Devata: Aghnyā (the sacred Cow) / psychopompic auspicious power; implicitly the Gods’ path (devayāna).

Chandas: Triṣṭubh (probable; AV 18 frequently uses triṣṭubh/jagatī in funeral hymns—meter should be confirmed by pada-count).

Mantra Rasa

Primary: karuna

Secondary: shanta