Atharva Veda 2.18.3: Kanda 2, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 18, Mantra 3

Sukta 18

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

अ॒रा॒य॒क्षय॑णमस्यराय॒चात॑नं मे दाः॒ स्वाहा॑

Sanskrit recitationAtharva Veda 2.18.3

IAST Transliteration

arā́ya-kṣáyaṇam asyárā́ya-cā́tanam me dāḥ svā́hā

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Grant me, with svāhā, the wasting of this hostile one, the expulsion of the hostile power.

Translation

ఈ ‘అరాయ’ (శత్రు-శక్తి) యొక్క క్షయమును, అరాయను తరిమివేయుటను—నాకు ప్రసాదించు—స్వాహా.

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Word by Word

• अरा॒यक्षय॑णम्: (give) the ‘non-diminishing of wealth’ / ‘that which prevents loss of wealth’
• अरा॒यक्षय॑णम्: कर्म (याचना/प्रार्थना में ‘देहि’ का कर्म)
• Type: Adjective (compound)
• Root: अ-राय-क्षयण (प्रातिपदिक; अ- (नञ्) + राय (रै ‘धन’ से) + क्षयण (√क्षि ‘क्षय/निवास’ से कृत)

• असि: you are
• असि: — (सम्बन्ध/विधेय; copula)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (भू/अस्ति)

• राय॒चात॑नम्: the ‘driving away of (harm to) wealth’ / ‘warding off threats to wealth’
• राय॒चात॑नम्: कर्म (देहि/दाः का कर्म)
• Type: Noun (compound)
• Root: राय-चातन (प्रातिपदिक; राय ‘धन’ + चातन ‘दूर करना/नाश’ (√चत्/√चद् ‘छेदन/विनाश’ से कृत))

• मे: for me; my
• मे: सम्बन्ध (स्वामित्व/सम्बन्ध: ‘for me / my’)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)

• दाः: give (you should give)
• दाः: — (आज्ञा; क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (दान)

• स्वाहा: svāhā (hail; offering-formula)
• स्वाहा: — (मन्त्र-समापन/आहुत्यङ्ग)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वाहा (निपात/उद्गार)

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic/Anukramaṇī attribution for AV 2.18 (to be confirmed per śaunakīya anukramaṇī in the working edition).

Devata: Arā́y(a)-repulsion (apotropaic force); functionally addressed to the operative power behind the rite (often treated as a generalized protective agency).

Chandas: Likely Anuṣṭubh or a short mixed pāda-form; requires metrical confirmation against a pada-counted edition.

Mantra Rasa

Primary: bhayankara

Secondary: vira