Atharva Veda 15.10.2: Kanda 15, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 10, Mantra 2

Sukta 10

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

श्रेयां॑समेनमा॒त्मनो॑ मानये॒त् तथा॑ क्ष॒त्राय॒ ना वृ॑श्चते॒ तथा॑ रा॒ष्ट्राय॒ ना वृ॑श्चते

Sanskrit recitationAtharva Veda 15.10.2

IAST Transliteration

śréyāṁsaménam ātmáno mānayét táthā kṣatrā́ya ná vṛ́ścate táthā rāṣṭrā́ya ná vṛ́ścate

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Let him honour this man as better than himself; so is the Kṣatra not shorn away, so is the Realm not shorn away.

Translation

అతనిని తనకంటే శ్రేష్ఠుడిగా భావించి గౌరవించాలి; అప్పుడు క్షత్రం (క్షాత్రబలం) క్షీణించదు; అప్పుడు రాష్ట్రం కూడా క్షీణించదు.

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Word by Word

• श्रेयांसम्: the better/ श्रेष्ठ (one)
• श्रेयांसम्: कर्म
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेयस् (प्रातिपदिक; श्रेयस् < श्रि/श्री ‘to prosper, be auspicious’ से तुलनात्मक/श्रेष्ठार्थक)

• एनम्: him/this (person)
• एनम्: कर्म
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• आत्मनः: of oneself / of the self
• आत्मनः: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)

• मानयेत्: should honor / should esteem
• मानयेत्: (क्रिया) —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √मान् (मानयति) ‘to honor, esteem’

• तथा: thus / in the same way
• तथा: (क्रियाविशेषण) —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)

• क्षत्राय: for kṣatra (royal power / the warrior order)
• क्षत्राय: सम्प्रदान
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षत्र (प्रातिपदिक)

• न: not
• न: (निषेध) —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (निषेध-अव्यय)

• वृश्चते: is cut off / is destroyed
• वृश्चते: (क्रिया) —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वृश्च् ‘to cut, hew, destroy’

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: (क्रियाविशेषण) —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)

• राष्ट्राय: for the realm/kingdom (state)
• राष्ट्राय: सम्प्रदान
• Type: Noun
• Root: राष्ट्र (प्रातिपदिक)

• न: not
• न: (निषेध) —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (निषेध-अव्यय)

• वृश्चते: is cut off / is destroyed
• वृश्चते: (क्रिया) —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वृश्च् ‘to cut, hew, destroy’

Attribution

Rishi: Traditionally connected with Atharvanic royal-theology strata (Bṛhaspati/Indra complex in the surrounding verses)

Devata: Kṣatra and Rāṣṭra (as institutional powers), with implicit Brahmanic sanction

Chandas: Prose/Anuṣṭubh-like cadence (late Atharvanic political prose style)

Mantra Rasa

Primary: vira

Secondary: shanta