Atharva Veda 2.3.6: Kanda 2, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 3, Mantra 6

Sukta 3

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

शं नो॑ भवन्त्व॒प ओष॑धयः शि॒वाः । इन्द्र॑स्य॒ वज्रो॒ अप॑ हन्तु र॒क्षस॑ आ॒राद् विसृ॑ष्टा॒ इष॑वः पतन्तु र॒क्षसा॑म्

Recitation with translationAtharva Veda 2.3.6

IAST Transliteration

śáṃ no bhavantv apá óṣadhayaḥ śivā́ḥ | índrasya vájro ápa hantu rákṣasa ārā́d vísṛṣṭā íṣavaḥ patantu rákṣasā́m

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Be welfare unto us: let the Waters, let the Herbs be gracious. Let Indra’s thunderbolt smite the Rākṣasas away; from afar let the discharged arrows fly upon the Rākṣasas.

Translation

Niech będzie nam pomyślność: niech Wody, niech Zioła będą łaskawe. Niech piorun Indry uderzy w Rākṣasasy z daleka; z daleka niech wypuszczone strzały spadają na Rākṣasasy.

Ask anything about this verse...Ask

Word by Word

• शम्: auspiciously; for welfare
• शम्: विशेषणभावेन (क्रियाविशेषणम्)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शम् (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक) / √शम् (शमुँ) ‘शमने’ (निरुक्त-सम्बन्ध)

• नः: to/for us
• नः: Sampradāna
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्

• भवन्तु: let them be; may they become
• भवन्तु: (वाक्यक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (भवति)

• अपः: waters
• अपः: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: अप् (स्त्री) ‘जल’

• ओषधयः: herbs; medicinal plants
• ओषधयः: Kartā (अपः सह समुच्चितः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ओषधि (स्त्री) ‘herb, medicinal plant’

• शिवाः: beneficent; auspicious
• शिवाः: Kartṛ-विशेषणम्
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शिव (विशेषण) ‘कल्याण, शुभ’

• इन्द्रस्य: of Indra
• इन्द्रस्य: सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्द्र (पुं)

• वज्रः: the thunderbolt
• वज्रः: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: वज्र (पुं) ‘thunderbolt’

• अप: away; off
• अप: क्रियाविशेषणम्
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अप (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) ‘away, off’

• हन्तु: let (it) strike/kill
• हन्तु: (वाक्यक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √हन् (हनँ हिंसायाम्)

• रक्षः: the demon; evil spirit
• रक्षः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्षस् (नपुं) ‘demon, evil spirit’

• आरात्: from afar
• आरात्: Apādāna (स्थान/दूरत्व-निर्देशः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आरात् (अव्यय) ‘from afar’

• विसृष्टाः: released; discharged
• विसृष्टाः: Kartṛ-विशेषणम्
• Type: Adjective (Participle)
• Root: वि + √सृज् (सृजँ विसर्गे) / ‘विसृष्ट’ (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)

• इषवः: arrows
• इषवः: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: इषु (स्त्री) ‘arrow’

• पतन्तु: let them fly/fall
• पतन्तु: (वाक्यक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पत् (पतँ गतौ)

• रक्षसाम्: of the demons; of evil spirits
• रक्षसाम्: सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी) — लक्ष्यसम्बन्धः
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्षस् (नपुं) ‘demon, evil spirit’

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (often transmitted under Atharvan/Āṅgiras lineages for rakṣoghna material; specific r̥ṣi attribution for this single mantra is not fixed in the provided excerpt).

Devata: Āpaḥ and Oṣadhayaḥ (healing agents); Indra (as rakṣas-slayer) and his Vajra/Íṣavaḥ (apotropaic instruments).

Chandas: Mixed; predominantly Anuṣṭubh-like cadence with an expanded second pāda (Atharvanic flexibility in metrical realization).

Mantra Rasa

Primary: vira

Secondary: shanta