Atharva Veda 4.14.1 — Kanda 4, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 14, Mantra 1

Sukta 14

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

स्वर्ज्योतिः प्राप्तिः। अ॒जो ह्य॑१ग्नेरज॑निष्ट॒ शोका॒त् सो अ॑पश्यज्जनि॒तार॒मग्रे॑ । तेन॑ दे॒वा दे॒वता॒मग्रा॑ आय॒न् तेन॒ रोहा॑न् रुरुहु॒र्मेध्या॑सः

IAST Transliteration

svàrjyótiḥ prā́ptiḥ | ajó hí agnér ajániṣṭa śókāt sá apaśyaj janitā́ram ágre | téna devā́ devátām ágrā ā́yan téna rohā́n ruruhuḥ médhyāsaḥ

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Attainment of the light of heaven. For the Unborn was born from Agni’s burning heat; he beheld the Begetter in the beginning. Thereby the Gods first attained to godhead; thereby the consecrated climbed the ascents.

Translation

การบรรลุแสงแห่งสวรรค์ ผู้ยังไม่เกิดได้บังเกิดจากความร้อนเร่าร้อนของอัคนี (Agni) และในปฐมกาลเขาได้เห็นผู้ให้กำเนิด ด้วยสิ่งนั้นเหล่าเทพจึงบรรลุความเป็นเทพเป็นครั้งแรก ด้วยสิ่งนั้นผู้ผ่านพิธีชำระ/อภิเษกจึงไต่ขึ้นสู่ขั้นสูงและงอกงามขึ้นไป

Word by Word

• स्वर्ज्योतिः: heavenly light
• स्वर्ज्योतिः: Kartā (वाक्य-प्रस्ताव/शीर्षक-रूपेण) अथवा विशेष्य
• Type: Noun (समास) / Adjective-like epithet
• Root: स्वर्-ज्योतिस् (प्रातिपदिक)

• प्राप्तिः: attainment
• प्राप्तिः: Kartā (शीर्षक-रूपेण) अथवा विधेय
• Type: Noun (भाववाचक)
• Root: प्राप्ति (√आप् ‘to obtain’ + क्तिन्)

• अजः: the Unborn (one)
• अजः: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: अज (प्रातिपदिक)

• हि: indeed / for
• हि: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• अग्नेः: of Agni
• अग्नेः: सम्बन्ध (genitive relation) / षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)

• अजनिष्ट: was born / arose
• अजनिष्ट: क्रिया (मुख्य) — कर्ता: अजः
• Type: Verb
• Root: √जन् (जनि) ‘to be born, arise’

• शोकात्: from grief
• शोकात्: Apādāna
• Type: Noun
• Root: शोक (प्रातिपदिक)

• सः: he
• सः: Kartā
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• अपश्यत्: saw
• अपश्यत्: क्रिया (मुख्य) — कर्ता: सः
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पश् ‘to see’

• जनितारम्: the begetter / creator
• जनितारम्: Karma
• Type: Noun (कर्तृवाचक)
• Root: जनितृ (√जन् + तृच्; प्रातिपदिक)

• अग्रे: in the beginning / at first
• अग्रे: Adhikaraṇa (काल/देश-निर्देश)
• Type: Indeclinable (adverbial noun-form) / Noun
• Root: अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)

• तेन: by that / by him
• तेन: Karaṇa
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• देवाः: the gods
• देवाः: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)

• देवताम्: divinity / the state of being a god
• देवताम्: Karma (गन्तव्य/प्राप्तव्य) अथवा कर्म-प्रवृत्ति
• Type: Noun (भाव/समूह/पद)
• Root: देवता (प्रातिपदिक)

• अग्राः: foremost / first
• अग्राः: Kartā (देवाः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्) अथवा विधेय
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)

• आयन्: went / came
• आयन्: क्रिया (मुख्य) — कर्ता: देवाः
• Type: Verb
• Root: √इ ‘to go’ (उपसर्ग: आ-)

• तेन: by that
• तेन: Karaṇa
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• रोहान्: ascents / growths / heights
• रोहान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: रोह (प्रातिपदिक) / √रुह् ‘to grow, ascend’ (सम्बद्ध)

• रुरुहुः: they climbed / grew up
• रुरुहुः: क्रिया (मुख्य) — कर्ता: मेध्यासः
• Type: Verb
• Root: √रुह् ‘to grow, mount’

• मेध्यासः: the pure / fit-for-sacrifice (ones)
• मेध्यासः: Kartā
• Type: Adjective (substantivized) / Noun
• Root: मेध्य (प्रातिपदिक)

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (anukramaṇī attributions vary)

Devata: Agni / Svargajyotis (heavenly light) / cosmogonic principle (Aja, Janitṛ)

Chandas: Mixed/irregular (prose-like opening with metrical continuation; often treated as non-standard in Atharvanic cosmological passages)

Mantra Rasa

Primary: adbhuta

Secondary: shanta