Atharva Veda 9.10.4 — Kanda 9, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 10, Mantra 4

Sukta 10

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

उप॑ ह्वये सु॒दुघां॑ धे॒नुमे॒तां सु॒हस्तो॑ गो॒धुगु॒त दो॑हदेनाम्। श्रेष्ठं॑ स॒वं स॑वि॒ता सा॑विषन्नो॒ऽभीऽद्धो घ॒र्मस्तदु॒ षु प्र वो॑चत्

IAST Transliteration

úpa hvaye sudúghāṃ dhenúm etā́ṃ suhásto godhúg út dohád enām | śréṣṭhaṃ saváṃ savitā́ sāviṣan no ’bhí-iddhó gharmás tád u sú prá vocat

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Hither I call this well-yielding milch-cow: let the deft-handed cow-milker draw her out. Savitṛ hath impelled for us the best impulsion; kindled up, the Gharma—this indeed hath he auspiciously proclaimed.

Translation

మంచిగా పాలు ఇచ్చే ఈ ధేనువును నేను ఇక్కడికి ఆహ్వానిస్తున్నాను; సుహస్తుడైన గో-దోహకుడు ఆమెను దోహనము చేయుగాక. సవితా మా కొరకు శ్రేష్ఠమైన ‘సవ’ (ప్రేరణ/ఉత్సాహం)ను ప్రవర్తింపజేశాడు; ప్రజ్వలితమైన ‘ఘర్మ’ (తప్త పాత్ర/అగ్ని-తాపం) — ఇదే — నిశ్చయంగా మంగళంగా ప్రకటించింది.

Word by Word

• उप: near, towards (prefix/particle)
• उप: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उप (उपसर्ग/निपात)

• ह्वये: I call, I invoke
• ह्वये: Kartā (अहं) / क्रिया
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ह्वे (ह्वयति) / √ह्वा (आह्वाने)

• सुदुघाम्: well-milking, yielding good milk
• सुदुघाम्: Karma (विशेषण) / कर्मपद-विशेषण
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-दुघा (प्रातिपदिक; दुह् ‘to milk’ से)

• धेनुम्: the cow
• धेनुम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धेनु (प्रातिपदिक)

• एताम्: this
• एताम्: Karma (धेनुम् का निर्देश)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• सुहस्तः: having good hands, deft-handed
• सुहस्तः: Kartā (दोहकः/गोदुग् का विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-हस्त (प्रातिपदिक)

• गोधुक्: the cow-milker
• गोधुक्: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो-दुह् (कृदन्त/नाम; √दुह् ‘to milk’)

• उत: and, also
• उत: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उत (निपात)

• दोहदेनाम्: her for milking / her milking-time
• दोहदेनाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दोहद (प्रातिपदिक; ‘milking/desire-to-milk’)

• श्रेष्ठम्: best, most excellent
• श्रेष्ठम्: Karma (सवम् का विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)

• सवम्: impulsion/rite (the ‘sava’)
• सवम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सव (प्रातिपदिक; ‘impulsion/pressing/rite’)

• सविता: Savitar (the impeller deity)
• सविता: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: सवितृ (प्रातिपदिक)

• साविषत्: impelled, set in motion
• साविषत्: क्रिया (कर्तृ = सविता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √सू (सवति) / causative √सू → सवयति; here aorist ‘caused/impelled’

• नः: for us / our
• नः: Sampradāna/Adhikaraṇa (contextual: ‘for us’)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)

• अभि: towards, upon
• अभि: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अभि (उपसर्ग/निपात)

• आद्धः: kindled, set/placed (ablaze)
• आद्धः: Kartā/विशेषण (घर्मः का)
• Type: Participle
• Root: √धा (आ-धा; ‘to place, to kindle’), past participle

• घर्मः: heat; the hot drink/oblation (gharma)
• घर्मः: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: घर्म (प्रातिपदिक)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम)

• उ: indeed, just
• उ: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उ (निपात)

• षु: now, pray (Vedic particle)
• षु: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: षु (वैदिक निपात)

• प्र: forth, forward
• प्र: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र (उपसर्ग/निपात)

• वोचत्: spoke, uttered
• वोचत्: क्रिया (कर्तृ = घर्मः)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (वक्ति)

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic/Angirasa tradition.

Devata: Savitṛ; also Dhenu as personified abundance; Gharma as potency.

Chandas: Likely Triṣṭubh-like cadence in parts; hymn is not purely metrical instruction here.

Mantra Rasa

Primary: shringara

Secondary: shanta