Atharva Veda 3.2.6: Kanda 3, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 2, Mantra 6

Sukta 2

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

अ॒सौ या सेना॑ मरुतः॒ परे॑षाम॒स्मा॑नैत्य॒भ्योज॑सा॒ स्पर्ध॑माना । तां वि॑ध्यत॒ तम॒साप॑व्रतेन॒ यथै॑षाम॒न्यो अ॒न्यं न जा॒नात्

Recitation with translationAtharva Veda 3.2.6

IAST Transliteration

asáu yā́ sénā marutaḥ párēṣām asmā́n eti abhy òjasā spárdhamānā | tā́m vidhyata támasā́pavraténa yáthaiṣām anyó anyáṃ ná jānā́t ||

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Yonder—what host of the others, O Maruts, advanceth upon us, striving against us with might— that smite ye with darkness, with perverted ordinance, so that among them one may not know another.

Translation

Tamta - jakaż armia innych, o Marutowie, posuwa się ku nam, rywalizując z nami z mocą - tę uderzcie ciemnością, z odwróconym porządkiem, tak by między nimi jeden drugiego nie mógł poznać.

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Word by Word

• असौ: that (yonder one)
• असौ: Kartā
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• या: which
• या: Kartā
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• सेना: army, host
• सेना: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेना (प्रातिपदिक)

• मरुतः: the Maruts (storm-gods)
• मरुतः: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: मरुत् (प्रातिपदिक)

• परेषाम्: of the others, of the enemies
• परेषाम्: Adhikaraṇa
• Type: Adjective (used substantively)
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)

• अस्मान्: us
• अस्मान्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• एति: comes, advances
• एति: (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: इ (धातु)

• अभि: towards, against
• अभि: (क्रियाविशेषणम्)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अभि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)

• ओजसा: with strength, by force
• ओजसा: Karaṇa
• Type: Noun
• Root: ओजस् (प्रातिपदिक)

• स्पर्धमाना: contending, challenging
• स्पर्धमाना: Kartā
• Type: Participle (present middle)
• Root: स्पर्ध् (धातु) → स्पर्धमान (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)

• ताम्: that (army), her
• ताम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• विध्यत: pierce (you all), strike
• विध्यत: (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्यध् (धातु)

• तमसा: with darkness
• तमसा: Karaṇa
• Type: Noun
• Root: तमस् (प्रातिपदिक)

• अपव्रतेन: with (a state of) broken vow / disorder
• अपव्रतेन: Karaṇa
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: अपव्रत (प्रातिपदिक)

• यथा: so that, in such a way that
• यथा: (उपपद-सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)

• एषाम्: of these (of them)
• एषाम्: Adhikaraṇa
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• अन्यः: one (other)
• अन्यः: Kartā
• Type: Adjective (used substantively)
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)

• अन्यम्: another
• अन्यम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective (used substantively)
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)

• न: not
• न: (निषेधः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)

• जानात्: may know, should recognize
• जानात्: (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (hymn attributed within the AV martial-protective corpus; specific r̥ṣi assignment depends on anukramaṇī tradition).

Devata: Maruts (invoked as martial allies; also the mantra’s operative agency is ‘tamas’ as a confounding power).

Chandas: Triṣṭubh (11-syllable cadence typical of martial/imperative diction)

Mantra Rasa

Primary: vira

Secondary: raudra