Atharva Veda 4.20.7 — Kanda 4, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 20, Mantra 7

Sukta 20

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

क॒श्यप॑स्य॒ चक्षु॑रसि शु॒न्याश्च॑ चतुर॒क्ष्याः । वी॒ध्रे सूर्य॑मिव॒ सर्प॑न्तं॒ मा पि॑शा॒चं ति॒र॒स्क॑रः

IAST Transliteration

kaśyápasya cákṣur asi śunyā́ś ca caturakṣyā́ḥ | vī́dhre sū́ryam iva sárpantam mā́ piśācáṃ tiráskáraḥ ||

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Thou art the eye of Kaśyapa, and of Śunī the four-eyed. O wise one, as the Sun [reveals], so do not thou hide from me the creeping Piśāca.

Translation

เจ้าคือดวงตาของกัศยปะ (Kaśyapa) และเป็นดวงตาของศุนี (Śunī) ผู้มีสี่ตา. โอ้ผู้รู้แจ้ง จงเปิดเผยดุจดวงอาทิตย์ อย่าปิดบังปิศาจปิศาจะ (Piśāca) ผู้เลื้อยคลานจากข้า.

Word by Word

• कश्यपस्य: of Kaśyapa
• कश्यपस्य: सम्बन्ध (genitive relation)
• Type: Noun (Proper)
• Root: कश्यप (प्रातिपदिक)

• चक्षुः: eye; sight
• चक्षुः: कर्तृ/विशेष्य (predicate-nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्षुस् (प्रातिपदिक)

• असि: you are
• असि: (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)

• शुन्याः: of the Śunyā (female being/tribe)
• शुन्याः: सम्बन्ध (genitive relation)
• Type: Noun/Adjective (tribal/being-name used substantively)
• Root: शुन्य (प्रातिपदिक)

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय (connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• चतुरक्ष्याः: of the four-eyed (female being)
• चतुरक्ष्याः: सम्बन्ध (genitive relation)
• Type: Noun/Adjective (used substantively)
• Root: चतुरक्षी (प्रातिपदिक; चतुर्+अक्षि)

• वीध्रे: O Vīdhra (name/title addressed)
• वीध्रे: सम्बोधन
• Type: Noun (vocative)
• Root: वीध्र (प्रातिपदिक)

• सूर्यम्: the sun
• सूर्यम्: कर्म (object of comparison/seeing)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)

• इव: like; as
• इव: उपमान-सूचक
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• सर्पन्तम्: creeping; crawling
• सर्पन्तम्: कर्म (object; ‘the one creeping’)
• Type: Participle (verbal adjective)
• Root: सृप् (धातु) → सर्पत् (वर्तमान कृदन्त/शतृ)

• मा: do not
• मा: निषेध
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मा

• पिशाचम्: a Piśāca; demon
• पिशाचम्: कर्म (object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिशाच (प्रातिपदिक)

• तिरस्करः: one who drives away; one who puts aside
• तिरस्करः: कर्तृ (agent: ‘one who wards off/puts aside’)
• Type: Noun (agent) / used as predicate or address
• Root: तिरस् (अव्यय/उपसर्ग-भाव) + कृ (धातु) → तिरस्कर (प्रातिपदिक/कर्तृवाचक)

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic (often linked to Kaśyapa traditions in ancillary lore; anukramaṇī varies)

Devata: Oṣadhi as ‘eye’; Sun as illuminating paradigm; target: piśāca

Chandas: Anuṣṭubh

Mantra Rasa

Primary: adbhuta

Secondary: bhayankara