Atharva Veda 10.3.2: Kanda 10, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 3, Mantra 2

Sukta 3

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

प्रैणा॑न्छृणीहि॒ प्र मृ॒णा र॑भस्व म॒णिस्ते॑ अस्तु पुरए॒ता पु॒रस्ता॑त्। अवा॑रयन्त वर॒णेन॑ दे॒वा अ॑भ्याचा॒रमसु॑राणां॒ श्वःश्वः॑

Recitation with translationAtharva Veda 10.3.2

IAST Transliteration

prá énān chṛṇīhi prá mṛṇā́ rabhásva maṇísté astu puraetā́ purástāt | ávārayanta varaṇéna devā́ abhyācā́ram ásurāṇāṃ śváḥśvaḥ ||

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Smite these forth; crush them forth; seize with onset: let thine amulet be a vanguard before thee. With Varana the Gods warded off the Asuras’ witchcraft, day by day.

Translation

จงตีเขาให้ถอย จงบดขยี้ให้กระเด็น จงพุ่งเข้ายึดไว้ ขอให้เครื่องรางของเจ้าจงเป็นกองหน้าอยู่เบื้องหน้า ด้วยวรณะ (Varana) เหล่าเทพได้กั้นกันมนตร์ดำของอสูรไว้ วันแล้ววันเล่า

The meaning

What it says

Commands to smite and crush foes; the amulet should go as a vanguard before the wearer. The gods, with Varana, continually warded off the Asuras’ witchcraft day after day.

The inner meaning

The psyche needs a ‘front-guard’ function: anticipatory defense rather than reactive panic. The divine precedent (“the gods did so daily”) reframes protection as consistent practice, not occasional crisis response.

The truth in it

Sustained protection is rhythmic and habitual: daily reinforcement of boundaries prevents hostile patterns from taking root.

What it is for

Kind of hymn

Abhicārika / Rakṣā (counter-sorcery; rival-crushing)

Its aim

To make the amulet an active vanguard that repels ongoing witchcraft (abhyācāra) and crushes rivals continually.

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Word by Word

Pada patha

प्र । एनान् । छृणीहि । प्र । मृणा । रभस्व । मणिः । ते । अस्तु । पुरः-एता । पुरस्तात् । अवारयन्त । वरणेन । देवाः । अभि-आचारम् । असुराणाम् । श्वः-श्वः

प्र

forth, forwardforth, away; intensifier (forceful expulsion)Indeclinableupasarga (preverb)Root प्र (upasarga)

एणान्

antelopes / deer (as objects)Nounmasculine, accusative pluralRole KarmaRoot एण (prātipadika)

शृणीहि

crush! / destroy!Verbimperative, 2nd person singular, parasmaipadaRoot √शृ (शृणोति/शृणाति ‘to break, crush, destroy’)

प्र

forth, forwardforth; completely (totalizing force)Indeclinableupasarga (preverb)Root प्र (upasarga)

मृणा

destroy!crush, destroy; break (command form)Verbimperative, 2nd person singular, parasmaipadaRoot √मृ (मृणाति ‘to crush, destroy, kill’)

रभस्व

seize! / lay hold!seize, attack; act with impetuous forceVerbimperative, 2nd person singular, ātmanepadaRoot √रभ् (रभते ‘to seize, grasp, attack’)

मणिः

the amulet / jewelamulet; charm-object (agent of protection/attack)Nounmasculine, nominative singularRole KartāRoot मणि (prātipadika)

ते

of you / yourfor thee; thy (belonging to the patron)Pronoungenitive singular (enclitic)Role Sampradāna (possessor/beneficiary sense)Root त्वद् (pronominal base)

अस्तु

let it belet it be; may it become (injunctive wish)Verbimperative/benedictive sense, 3rd person singular, parasmaipadaRoot √अस् (अस्ति ‘to be’)

पुरएता

a forerunner, going in frontNoun (used adjectivally)masculine, nominative singularRole Kartā (as predicate-noun of मणिः)Root पुरएतृ (prātipadika; ‘going before, leader’)

पुरस्तात्

in front, beforein front; before (spatial protection)IndeclinableadverbRole AdhikaraṇaRoot पुरस्तात् (prātipadika)

अवारयन्त

they warded off / kept awaythey warded off; they kept back (mythic precedent for efficacy)Verbimperfect, 3rd person plural, parasmaipadaRoot √वृ (वारयति ‘to ward off, restrain, keep away’)

वरुणेन

by VaruṇaNounmasculine, instrumental singularRole KaraṇaRoot वरुण (prātipadika)

देवाः

the godsthe gods; divine powers (authorizing exemplum)Nounmasculine, nominative pluralRole KartāRoot देव (prātipadika)

अभ्याचारम्

sorcery / hostile magicNounmasculine, accusative singularRole KarmaRoot अभ्याचार (prātipadika)

असुराणाम्

of the Asurasof the Asuras; demonic adversaries (mythic enemies, model for human rivals)Nounmasculine, genitive pluralRole Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (possessor/source relation)Root असुर (prātipadika)

श्वः-श्वः

day by day / each dayday by day; continually (iterative protection)Indeclinablereduplicated adverbRole Adhikaraṇa (time)Root श्वस्/श्वः (prātipadika)

Sandhi Notes

• प्रैणा॑न् → प्र + एणान् (upasarga + accus. pl.)
• छृणीहि is taken as शृणीहि (imper. 2sg of √शृ ‘crush’)
• प्र मृ॒णा remains प्र + मृणा (imper. 2sg of √मृ ‘destroy’)
• पुरए॒ता is a single compound/pada ‘purā-etā’ (forerunner)
• पुरस्ता॑त् is avyaya
• अवा॑रयन्त is imperfect 3pl of √वृ/वारय ‘ward off’
• श्वःश्वः is treated as the repeated avyaya ‘śvaḥ-śvaḥ’

Seer, deity and metre

Rishi

Atharvanic tradition (amulet hymn complex; variable).

Devata

Varana-maṇi; gods as exemplars in the second hemistich.

Chandas

Mixed (first pāda extended; overall anuṣṭubh-like with prose-expansion typical of AV charms)

Rasa

Vira and Bhayankara

Sayana's Commentary

The Seer

The Deity

The Metre

The Rite

In the Home

Substances

Healing Context

Magic Charm Layer

Symbols in this Mantra

Yogic Application

Chanting Notes

Practical Application

Scholarly Questions