Atharva Veda 20.124.1: Kanda 20, Anuvaka 13, Sukta 124, Mantra 1

Sukta 124

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

कया॑ नश्चि॒त्र आ भु॑वदू॒ती स॒दावृ॑धः॒ सखा॑ । कया॒ शचि॑ष्ठया वृ॒ता

Recitation with translationAtharva Veda 20.124.1

IAST Transliteration

káyā naś citrá ā́ bhuvad ūtī́ sadā́vṛdhaḥ sakhā́ | káyā śácīṣṭhayā vṛtā́ ||

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

By what means shall the wondrous Friend, ever waxing, become for us a help? By what most potent might, when chosen, shall he come to our side?

Translation

ด้วยวิธีใดเล่า มิตรผู้พิสดาร ผู้เจริญเพิ่มพูนไม่ขาด จะเป็นความคุ้มครองแก่เรา? ด้วยฤทธิ์อันแรงกล้าที่สุดประการใด เมื่อถูกเลือกแล้ว ท่านจะหันมาสู่ฝ่ายเรา

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Word by Word

• कया: by which? (by what means?)
• कया: करण
• Type: Pronoun/Interrogative adjective
• Root: क (किम्-प्रातिपदिक) + या (स्त्री. प्रातिपदिक)

• नः: of us / our
• नः: सम्बन्ध
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्

• चित्रः: the bright/variegated one (i.e., a splendid one)
• चित्रः: कर्तृ
• Type: Adjective (used substantively)
• Root: चित्र (प्रातिपदिक)

• आ: towards, hither; (as preverb) ‘forth/unto’
• आ: —
• Type: Indeclinable (preverb/particle)
• Root: आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)

• भुवत्: may (it) become / may (it) come
• भुवत्: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)

• ऊतिः: help, aid, protection
• ऊतिः: कर्तृ
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऊति (स्त्री. प्रातिपदिक; √अव्/√उ ‘to help, protect’ से ‘help/protection’)

• सदा: always
• सदा: अधिकरण (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)

• वृधः: growing, increasing; ever-strengthening
• वृधः: कर्तृ (विशेषणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वृध (प्रातिपदिक; ‘वर्धमान/वर्धक’)

• सखा: friend
• सखा: कर्तृ
• Type: Noun
• Root: सखि (प्रातिपदिक)

• कया: by which?
• कया: करण
• Type: Pronoun/Interrogative adjective
• Root: क (किम्-प्रातिपदिक) + या (स्त्री. प्रातिपदिक)

• शचिष्ठया: by the most powerful/most skillful (aid/means)
• शचिष्ठया: करण
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शचिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक; शची ‘power/skill’ से सुपरलेटिव् ‘most powerful/most skillful’)

• वृता: chosen / selected
• वृता: —
• Type: Participle (past passive) used adjectivally
• Root: √वृ (वृणोति ‘to choose’) → वृता (कृदन्त)

Attribution

Rishi: RV source attribution (Indra hymn tradition).

Devata: Indra (implied by śacī and sakhā usage in RV context).

Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (common for such compact interrogative stanzas; AV 20 preserves RV meter).

Mantra Rasa

Primary: vira

Secondary: adbhuta