Mantra 8

Sukta 15

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

अष्ट च मेऽशीतिश्च मे ऽपवक्तार ओषधे । ऋतजात ऋतावरि मधु मे मधुला करः

IAST Transliteration

aṣṭá ca mé ’śītíś ca mé ’pavaktā́ra oṣadhe | ṛtájāta ṛtā́vari mádhu me madhulā́ karáḥ ||

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Eight for me, and eighty for me—O Herb—(be thou) the repellers. Born of Ṛta, O Ṛta-covering one: make for me sweetness, make (all) honeyed.

Translation

ఓ ఓషధీ! నాకు ఎనిమిదీ, నాకు ఎనభైయూ—(నీవు) అపవక్తార్ (దూరం చేసే/నివారించే శక్తి)గా ఉండుగాక. ఋతజాతా, ఓ ఋతావరి (ఋతాన్ని ఆవరించి/రక్షించేది)! నాకు మధురతను కలిగించు; అన్నిటినీ తేనెమయంగా చేయి।

Word by Word

• अष्ट: eight
• अष्ट: विशेषण (संख्याविशेषण) — कर्म/कर्तृ-सम्बन्धेन
• Type: Noun (Numeral)
• Root: अष्टन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)

• च: and
• च: सम्बन्धक (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (निपात)

• मे: of me / my
• मे: सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी) — ‘मम’
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)

• अशीतिḥ: eighty
• अशीतिḥ: विशेष्य/विशेषण-सम्बन्ध (संख्याविशेषण)
• Type: Noun (Numeral)
• Root: अशीति (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)

• च: and
• च: सम्बन्धक (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (निपात)

• मे: of me / my
• मे: सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)

• अपवक्तारः: speakers/utterers (esp. those who utter away/ward off; expellers by speech)
• अपवक्तारः: कर्तृ (स्तुत्य/आशीर्वचन-प्रयोगे ‘they as agents’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपवक्तृ (प्रातिपदिक; अप-√वच् ‘to speak’ + तृ)

• ओषधे: O herb / O medicinal plant
• ओषधे: सम्बोधन (आह्वान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ओषधि (प्रातिपदिक)

• ऋतजात: born of ṛta (cosmic order/truth)
• ऋतजात: सम्बोधन-विशेषण
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ऋतजात (समास-प्रातिपदिक: ऋत + जात)

• ऋतावरि: protecting/covering by ṛta; true-ordering (epithet of the herb)
• ऋतावरि: सम्बोधन-विशेषण
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ऋतावरि (समास-प्रातिपदिक)

• मधु: honey; sweetness
• मधु: कर्म/विधेय (याच्ञा/विधानार्थे ‘honey/sweetness’ as what is to be had)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधु (प्रातिपदिक)

• मे: for me / my
• मे: सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)

• मधुला: sweet; honeyed
• मधुला: कर्तृ-विशेषण (करः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मधुल (प्रातिपदिक; ‘sweet, honeyed’)

• करः: hand; maker/doing (here: the hand/act that makes it sweet)
• करः: कर्तृ (विधेय-कर्तृ: ‘the hand/act of making’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर (प्रातिपदिक)

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (exact r̥ṣi attribution varies by anukramaṇī for this hymn)

Devata: Oṣadhi (personified Herb), with Ṛta as legitimating principle

Chandas: Anuṣṭubh-like cadence (refrain-driven Atharvanic style)

Mantra Rasa

{"primary_rasa":"shanta","secondary_rasa":"adbhuta","emotional_arc":"From assertive charging (numbers) → reverent legitimation (ṛta) → soothing restoration (madhu).","listener_experience":"Protected and comforted; confidence that the remedy is ‘authorized’ by cosmic order.","intensity":5}