Atharva Veda 2.11.1: Kanda 2, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 11, Mantra 1

Sukta 11

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

श्रेयःप्राप्तिः। दूष्या॒ दूषि॑रसि हे॒त्या हे॒तिर॑सि मे॒न्या मे॒निर॑सि । आ॒प्नु॒हि श्रेयां॑स॒मति॑ स॒मं क्रा॑म

IAST Transliteration

dū́ṣyā dū́ṣir asi hetyā́ hetír asi menyā́ menír asi | āpnuhi śréyāṁsam áti samáṁ krā́ma

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Thou art Dūṣyā, thou art the Spoiler; thou art Hetyā, thou art the Weapon; thou art Menyā, thou art Wrath. Win thou the Better; step thou beyond the level (of the equal).

Translation

दूष्या त्वमसि, दूषिरसि। हेत्या त्वमसि, हेतिरसि। मेन्या त्वमसि, मेनिरसि। आप्नुहि श्रेयांसम्; अति समं क्राम।

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Word by Word

• श्रेयः: the better (good), welfare
• श्रेयः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रेयस् (प्रातिपदिक; श्रेयस् < श्रि/श्री ‘to prosper’ से तुलनात्मक/श्रेष्ठार्थ) अथवा ‘श्रेयो’ (नपुंसक)

• प्राप्तिः: attainment, obtaining
• प्राप्तिः: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राप्ति (प्रातिपदिक; √आप् ‘to obtain’ + क्तिन्)

• दूष्या: O defiling one / O spoilable one
• दूष्या: Sambodhana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दूष्य (प्रातिपदिक; √दूष् ‘to spoil, defile’ से यत्/ण्यत्-प्रत्यय; ‘to be defiled/defiling’)

• दूषिः: defilement, corrupter
• दूषिः: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: दूषि (प्रातिपदिक; √दूष्)

• असि: you are
• असि: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (भू/अस् ‘to be’)

• हेत्या: O missile/weapon (harmful force)
• हेत्या: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun
• Root: हेति (प्रातिपदिक; √हि/हन् ‘to strike’ से ‘weapon/impulse’ अर्थ)

• हेतिः: missile, weapon; harmful impulse
• हेतिः: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: हेति (प्रातिपदिक)

• असि: you are
• असि: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस्

• मेन्या: O wrathful/jealous one (malign force)
• मेन्या: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: मेन्या (प्रातिपदिक; ‘क्रोध/ईर्ष्या/दुष्ट-मनस्’ प्रकार का)

• मेनिः: wrath, jealousy; malignity
• मेनिः: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेनि (प्रातिपदिक; ‘क्रोध/ईर्ष्या/दुष्टता’)

• असि: you are
• असि: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस्

• आप्नुहि: reach!, obtain!
• आप्नुहि: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √आप् (to obtain, reach)

• श्रेयांसम्: a better (state/thing), the better one
• श्रेयांसम्: Karma
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: श्रेयस् (प्रातिपदिक)

• अति: beyond, over
• अति: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अति (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)

• समम्: evenly, level; in an equal way
• समम्: Adhikaraṇa
• Type: Adjective/Adverb
• Root: सम (प्रातिपदिक)

• क्रम: step!, stride!
• क्रम: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √क्रम् (to step, stride)

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic/Aṅgirasa tradition (specific r̥ṣi not securely determinable from the single mantra excerpt).

Devata: Śreyas (prosperous superiority) as goal; hostile agencies personified as Dūṣyā/Hetyā/Menyā.

Chandas: Anuṣṭubh-like cadence (prose-tight Atharvanic anuṣṭubh; exact metrical scansion uncertain from the excerpted accent-text).

Mantra Rasa

Primary: raudra

Secondary: vira