Atharva Veda 12.2.53: Kanda 12, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 2, Mantra 53

Sukta 2

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

अविः॑ कृ॒ष्णा भा॑ग॒धेयं पशू॒नां सीसं॑ क्रव्या॒दपि॑ च॒न्द्रं त॑ आहुः । माषाः॑ पि॒ष्टा भा॑ग॒धेयं॑ ते ह॒व्यम॑रण्या॒न्या गह्व॑रं सचस्व

IAST Transliteration

avíḥ́ kṛṣṇā́ bhāgadhéyaṃ paśūnā́ṃ sī́saṃ krav-yā́d ápi candráṃ ta āhuḥ | mā́ṣāḥ́ piṣṭā́ bhāgadhéyaṃ te havyám araṇyānyā́ gā́hvaraṃ sacasva

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

A black ewe is the rightful portion among the beasts; and lead, men say, is thy portion also, O flesh-devouring one, yea even the shining share. Pounded beans are thy allotted due, an oblation meet for offering: O Araṇyānī, cleave thou to the deep woodland hollow.

Translation

แกะเพศเมียสีดำคือส่วนอันชอบธรรมของเจ้าท่ามกลางสัตว์ทั้งหลาย; และผู้คนกล่าวว่า ตะกั่วก็เป็นส่วนของเจ้าด้วย โอ้ผู้กินเนื้อ แม้ส่วนอันส่องประกายก็เป็นของเจ้า. ถั่วมาษะ (māṣa) ที่ตำแล้วคือส่วนที่จัดสรรแก่เจ้า เป็นเครื่องบูชาที่ควรถวาย: โอ้อรัณยานี (Araṇyānī เทวีแห่งพงไพร) จงแนบอยู่กับโพรงลึกในหุบพงดงดิบเถิด.

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Word by Word

• अविः: ewe; female sheep
• अविः: कर्तृ
• Type: Noun
• Root: अवि- (प्रातिपदिक)

• कृष्णा: black, dark
• कृष्णा: कर्तृ
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृष्ण- (प्रातिपदिक)

• भागधेयम्: share, allotted portion (offering-portion)
• भागधेयम्: कर्म
• Type: Noun
• Root: भागधेय- (प्रातिपदिक)

• पशूनाम्: of the cattle/animals
• पशूनाम्: सम्बन्ध
• Type: Noun
• Root: पशु- (प्रातिपदिक)

• सीसम्: lead (metal)
• सीसम्: कर्म
• Type: Noun
• Root: सीस- (प्रातिपदिक)

• क्रव्याद्: from the flesh-eater; carrion-eater
• क्रव्याद्: अपादान
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रव्याद्- (प्रातिपदिक)

• अपि: also; even
• अपि: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)

• चन्द्रम्: the moon; the shining one
• चन्द्रम्: कर्म
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्र- (प्रातिपदिक)

• ते: of/for you
• ते: सम्प्रदान/सम्बन्ध
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्- (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• आहुः: they have said; they call
• आहुः: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अह् (ब्रू/वद्-अर्थे) / √अह् ‘कथने’

• माषाः: black gram beans
• माषाः: कर्तृ
• Type: Noun
• Root: माष- (प्रातिपदिक)

• पिष्टाः: ground, pounded
• पिष्टाः: कर्तृ
• Type: Adjective (past participle)
• Root: √पिष् (पेषणे) → पिष्ट (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)

• भागधेयम्: share; allotted offering
• भागधेयम्: कर्म
• Type: Noun
• Root: भागधेय- (प्रातिपदिक)

• ते: your; for you
• ते: सम्प्रदान/सम्बन्ध
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्- (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• हव्यम्: oblation; what is to be offered
• हव्यम्: कर्म
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: हव्य- (प्रातिपदिक)

• अरण्यान्या: Araṇyānī (goddess of the forest)
• अरण्यान्या: कर्तृ
• Type: Noun (proper/theonym)
• Root: अरण्यानि- (प्रातिपदिक; देवीनाम) / अरण्यानी

• गह्वरम्: cave; deep hollow; thicket-depth
• गह्वरम्: कर्म
• Type: Noun
• Root: गह्वर- (प्रातिपदिक)

• सचस्व: attach yourself; accompany; resort (to)
• सचस्व: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √सच् (समवाये/सेवने ‘to accompany, attach oneself’)

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic/anonymous (book-level attribution varies; not explicit in the provided excerpt)

Devata: Araṇyānī; and secondarily the Kravyād (as a hostile power to be satisfied/repelled)

Chandas: Not securely determinable from the excerpt alone (mixed/prose-like Atharvanic cadence possible)

Mantra Rasa

Primary: bhayankara

Secondary: shanta