Atharva Veda 5.17.1: Kanda 5, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 17, Mantra 1
Sukta 17
ब्रह्मजाया। तेऽवदन् प्रथ॒मा ब्र॑ह्मकिल्बि॒षेऽकू॑पारः सलि॒लो मा॑त॒रिश्वा॑ । वी॒डुह॑रा॒स्तप॑ उ॒ग्रं म॑यो॒भूरापो॑ दे॒वीः प्र॑थम॒जा ऋ॒तस्य॑
brahmajā́yā | té ’vadan prathamā́ brahmakilbíṣe ’kū́pāraḥ saliló mātaríśvā́ | vīḍúharās tápa ugráṃ mayobhū́r ā́po devī́ḥ prathamajā́ ṛtásya
‘The Brahman’s Wife’: thus have they declared. First, in the sin against holy power, there is a shoreless flood—Mātariśvan. Shame-removers, fierce is the ardour, well-being-bearing: the Waters, goddesses, first-born of Order.
‘బ్రహ్మజాయా’—అని వారు ప్రకటించారు. మొదట, బ్రహ్మశక్తికి విరోధమైన పాపంలో, మాతరిశ్వన్ వలె తీరంలేని జలప్రవాహం ఉంది. లజ్జను తొలగించేవి; ఉగ్రమైన తపస్సు; క్షేమాన్ని మోసుకొచ్చేవి—ఋతస్య ప్రథమజా దేవ్యః ఆపః (జలాలు) ।
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (anonymous/collective; transmitted as a prāyaścitta formula)
Devata: Āpaḥ (Waters), with Mātariśvan as purifier; Ṛta as the underlying principle
Chandas: Mixed/irregular (Atharvanic prose-verse tendency; not securely fixed as a single classical meter)
Primary: karuna
Secondary: shanta
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