Atharva Veda 2.31.4: Kanda 2, Anuvaka 4, Sukta 31, Mantra 4

Sukta 31

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

अन्वा॑न्त्र्यं शीर्ष॒ण्य॑१मथो॒ पार्ष्टे॑यं॒ क्रिमी॑न्। अ॒व॒स्क॒वं व्य॑ध्व॒रं क्रिमी॒न् वच॑सा जम्भयामसि

Sanskrit recitationAtharva Veda 2.31.4

IAST Transliteration

ánvā́ntryaṃ śīrṣaṇyàm átho pārṣṭéyaṃ krímīn | avaskaváṃ vyàdhvaráṃ krimīn vácasā jambhayāmasi ||

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

The intestinal worm, the worm that haunts the head, and also the worm that dwells in the flank—these worms; the Avaskava, the Vyadhvara worms—these worms we, by our sacred utterance, do crush and grind to ruin.

Translation

หนอนในลำไส้ หนอนที่สิงอยู่ที่ศีรษะ และหนอนที่อาศัยอยู่ที่สีข้าง—หนอนเหล่านี้; หนอนอวัสกวะ (Avaskava) หนอนวยาธวระ (Vyādhvara)—หนอนเหล่านี้ เราทั้งหลายด้วยวาจาศักดิ์สิทธิ์ (มนต์) จะบดขยี้ให้แหลกและทำลายให้สิ้น.

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Word by Word

• अनु: after; along; following
• अनु: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनु

• आन्त्र्यम्: the intestinal (worm/affliction); intestinal one
• आन्त्र्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: आन्त्र्य (प्रातिपदिक; आन्त्र ‘intestine’ से)

• शीर्षण्यम्: the head(-dwelling) one; cranial (worm/affliction)
• शीर्षण्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: शीर्षण्य (प्रातिपदिक; शीर्षन् ‘head’ से)

• अथो: and also; moreover
• अथो: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथो (अथ + उ)

• पार्ष्टेयम्: the back/side/heel-region one (worm/affliction)
• पार्ष्टेयम्: Karma
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: पार्ष्टेय (प्रातिपदिक; पृष्ठ/पार्श्व/पार्ष्णि-सम्बद्ध)

• क्रिमीन्: worms
• क्रिमीन्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृमि (प्रातिपदिक)

• अवस्कवम्: the ‘avaskava’ (a kind of worm/parasite; name of a harmful creature)
• अवस्कवम्: Karma
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: अवस्कव (प्रातिपदिक; ‘अव-स्कव’ प्रकार का)

• वि: apart; asunder; intensively (prefix)
• वि: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वि

• अध्वरम्: the ‘adhvara’ (here: a named worm/evil; lit. ‘ritual’, but in AV often a proper/technical designation)
• अध्वरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अध्वर (प्रातिपदिक)

• क्रिमीन्: worms
• क्रिमीन्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृमि (प्रातिपदिक)

• वचसा: with (our) speech; by an utterance
• वचसा: Karaṇa
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचस् (प्रातिपदिक)

• जम्भयामसि: we crush; we paralyze; we make (them) powerless
• जम्भयामसि: Kartā
• Type: Verb
• Root: जम्भ् (धातु; ‘to crush, to bite, to paralyze’)

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic seer tradition (often transmitted under Atharvan/Angiras attribution for bhaiṣajya hymns; specific r̥ṣi for 2.31 varies by anukramaṇī tradition).

Devata: Kṛmi (worms) as the addressed adversary; vāc/mantra as operative power; implicitly the healing force allied with Atharvanic speech.

Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (predominant in AV healing charms; this verse conforms to anuṣṭubh-like cadence though AV metrics can be flexible).

Mantra Rasa

Primary: raudra

Secondary: vira