Atharva Veda 5.19.7: Kanda 5, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 19, Mantra 7

Sukta 19

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

अ॒ष्टाप॑दी चतुर॒क्षी चतुः॑श्रोत्रा॒ चतु॑र्हनुः । द्व्याऽस्या॒ द्विजि॑ह्वा भू॒त्वा सा रा॒ष्ट्रमव॑ धूनुते ब्रह्म॒ज्यस्य॑

Recitation with translationAtharva Veda 5.19.7

IAST Transliteration

aṣṭā-padī́ catur-akṣī́ cátuḥ-śrotrā cátur-hanúḥ | dvy-àsyā́ dvijíhvā bhūtvā́ sā́ rāṣṭrám áva dhūnute brahma-jyásya ||

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Eight-footed, four-eyed, four-eared, four-jawed—becoming two-faced and two-tongued, she shakes the kingdom down, the dread power that cleaves to the Brahman-injurer.

Translation

Berkaki lapan, bermata empat, bertelinga empat, berahang empat—menjadi bermuka dua dan berlidah dua, ia menggoncang kerajaan hingga jatuh: kuasa gerun yang melekat pada si pencelakai brāhmaṇa.

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Word by Word

• अष्टापदी: eight-footed
• अष्टापदी: Kartā
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टा-पदिन् (प्रातिपदिक) < अष्ट (संख्या) + पद (नाम)

• चतुरक्षी: four-eyed
• चतुरक्षी: Kartā
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्-अक्षिन् (प्रातिपदिक) < चतुर् + अक्षि (नेत्र)

• चतुःश्रोत्रा: four-eared
• चतुःश्रोत्रा: Kartā
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुः-श्रोत्र (प्रातिपदिक) < चतुः + श्रोत्र (कर्ण/श्रवणेन्द्रिय)

• चतुर्हनुः: four-jawed
• चतुर्हनुः: Kartā
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्-हनु (प्रातिपदिक) < चतुर् + हनु (हनु/जबड़ा)

• द्व्यस्या: two-mouthed
• द्व्यस्या: Kartā
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वि-अस्य (प्रातिपदिक) < द्वि + अस्य (मुख)

• द्विजिह्वा: two-tongued
• द्विजिह्वा: Kartā
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वि-जिह्वा (प्रातिपदिक) < द्वि + जिह्वा

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)

• सा: she/that (one)
• सा: Kartā
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• राष्ट्रम्: kingdom, realm
• राष्ट्रम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: राष्ट्र (प्रातिपदिक)

• अव: down, away (intensifier with verb)
• अव: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अव (उपसर्ग/निपात)

• धूनुते: shakes, shakes down/drives off
• धूनुते: Kriyā
• Type: Verb
• Root: धू (धातु)

• ब्रह्मज्यस्य: of the brahma-weapon’s bowstring / of the sacred bowstring
• ब्रह्मज्यस्य: Sambandha (genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मज्य (प्रातिपदिक) < ब्रह्मन् + ज्या (धनुषि प्रत्यञ्चा ‘bowstring’)

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic/Angirasa tradition

Devata: Brahmahatyā/Brahma-droha personified (as a destructive agency); rāṣṭra as affected sphere

Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (with heavy descriptive compounding)

Mantra Rasa

Primary: bhayankara

Secondary: raudra