Atharva Veda 8.7.4: Kanda 8, Anuvaka 1, Sukta 7, Mantra 4

Sukta 7

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

प्र॒स्तृ॒ण॒ती स्त॒म्बिनी॒रेक॑शुङ्गाः प्रतन्व॒तीरोष॑धी॒रा व॑दामि । अं॒शु॒मतीः॑ का॒ण्डिनी॒र्या विशा॑खा॒ ह्वया॑मि ते वी॒रुधो॑ वैश्वदे॒वीरु॒ग्राः पु॑रुष॒जीव॑नीः ॥४ यद् वः॒ सहः॑ सहमाना वी॒र्यं॑१यच्च॑ वो॒ बल॑म्। तेने॒मम॒स्माद् यक्ष्मा॒त् पुरु॑षं मुञ्चतौषधी॒रथो॑ कृणोमि भेष॒जम्

Recitation with translationAtharva Veda 8.7.4

IAST Transliteration

prastṛṇatī́ stambinī́r ékaśuṅgāḥ pratanvatī́r óṣadhīr ā́ vadāmi | aṃśumatī́ḥ kāṇḍinī́r yā́ viśā́khā hváyāmi te vīrúdho vaiśvadevī́r ugrā́ḥ puruṣajī́vanīḥ ||4|| yád vaḥ sáhaḥ sahamānā vī́ryaṃ yác ca vo bálaṃ | ténenám asmā́d yákṣmāt púruṣaṃ muñcataúṣadhīr átho kṛṇomi bheṣajám

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Herbs that spread abroad, stalk-bearing, single-spiked, that widely stretch themselves—these do I address. The ray-endowed, the jointed, those that are many-branched, I call—ye plants, All-gods’ own, fierce, preservers of man’s life. What conquering might is yours, what potency, and what your strength—therewith, O herbs, release this man from this yakṣma; so do I make the remedy.

Translation

ข้าพเจ้ากล่าวแก่เหล่าสมุนไพร: ผู้แผ่คลุมไปทั่ว ผู้มีลำต้น ผู้มีรวงเดี่ยว ผู้ยืดขยายออกกว้างไกล. ข้าพเจ้าเรียกหาผู้มีรัศมี ผู้เป็นปล้องเป็นข้อ ผู้แตกกิ่งก้านมาก—โอ้พืชทั้งหลาย ผู้เป็นของเหล่าเทพทั้งปวง (Vaiśvadevī) ผู้ดุเดือด ผู้ธำรงชีวิตมนุษย์. ฤทธิ์ที่ชนะได้ของพวกท่าน ความกล้า และกำลังของพวกท่าน—ด้วยสิ่งนั้น โอ้สมุนไพรทั้งหลาย จงปลดมนุษย์ผู้นี้จากยักษฺมะ (yakṣma, โรคซูบผอม/วัณโรค) แล้วข้าพเจ้าจักกระทำให้เป็นยา (bhaiṣajya).

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Word by Word

• प्रस्तृणती: spreading out
• प्रस्तृणती: Kartā (विशेषणरूपेण ओषधीः)
• Type: Adjective (participle)
• Root: प्र-स्तृ (धातु) / स्तृणत् (वर्तमान कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)

• स्तम्बिनीः: having stalks; stalked
• स्तम्बिनीः: Kartā (विशेष्यः—ओषधीः)
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: स्तम्बिन् (प्रातिपदिक)

• एकशुङ्गाः: single-spiked / one-tufted
• एकशुङ्गाः: Kartā (विशेषणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक-शुङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)

• प्रतन्वतीः: spreading/expanding
• प्रतन्वतीः: Kartā (विशेषणम्)
• Type: Adjective (participle)
• Root: प्र-तन् (धातु) / तन्वत् (वर्तमान कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)

• ओषधीः: herbs, healing plants
• ओषधीः: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: ओषधि (प्रातिपदिक)

• वदामि: I speak / I declare
• वदामि: Kriyā (मुख्यक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)

• अंशुमतीः: having shoots/rays; sprouting
• अंशुमतीः: Kartā (विशेषणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अंशुमत् (प्रातिपदिक)

• काण्डिनीः: having stems/segments
• काण्डिनीः: Kartā (विशेषणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काण्डिन् (प्रातिपदिक)

• याः: which (those)
• याः: Kartā (सम्बन्धसूचकः—ओषधीः)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• विशाखाः: many-branched
• विशाखाः: Kartā (विशेषणम्)
• Type: Adjective/Noun
• Root: वि-शाखा (प्रातिपदिक)

• ह्वयामि: I call/invoke
• ह्वयामि: Kriyā
• Type: Verb
• Root: ह्वे/ह्वा (धातु)

• ते: of you / for you
• ते: सम्बन्ध (सम्बोधन/सम्बन्धः—‘of you/for you’)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• वीरुधः: creeping plants, herbs
• वीरुधः: Kartā (ओषधी-पर्यायः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीरुध् (प्रातिपदिक)

• वैश्वदेवीः: belonging to the All-gods (Viśve Devāḥ)
• वैश्वदेवीः: Kartā (विशेषणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वैश्वदेवी (प्रातिपदिक)

• उग्राः: fierce, potent
• उग्राः: Kartā (विशेषणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उग्र (प्रातिपदिक)

• पुरुषजीवनीः: life-giving to a man; restoring vitality
• पुरुषजीवनीः: Kartā (विशेषणम्)
• Type: Adjective/Noun
• Root: पुरुष-जीवनी (प्रातिपदिक)

• यत्: that which
• यत्: Karma (अर्थे—‘that (power) which…’)
• Type: Pronoun/Conjunctional
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• वः: of you (pl.)
• वः: सम्बन्ध
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• सहः: strength, might
• सहः: Karma/Viśeṣya (यत्…सहः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस् (प्रातिपदिक)

• सहमाना: enduring; prevailing
• सहमाना: Kartā (विशेषणम्—ओषधीः)
• Type: Adjective (participle)
• Root: सह् (धातु) / सहमान (वर्तमान आत्मनेपद कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)

• वीर्यम्: vigor, potency
• वीर्यम्: Karma (यत्…वीर्यम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीर्य (प्रातिपदिक)

• यत्: and that which
• यत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun/Conjunctional
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• च: and
• च: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)

• वः: of you
• वः: सम्बन्ध
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्

• बलम्: strength
• बलम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: बल (प्रातिपदिक)

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

• इमम्: this
• इमम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• अस्मात्: from this
• अस्मात्: Apādāna
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• यक्ष्मात्: from disease/consumption
• यक्ष्मात्: Apādāna
• Type: Noun
• Root: यक्ष्म (प्रातिपदिक)

• पुरुषम्: the man/person
• पुरुषम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)

• मुञ्चत: release (you all)
• मुञ्चत: Kriyā
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)

• ओषधीः: O herbs
• ओषधीः: Kartā (सम्बोधिताः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ओषधि

• अथ: then
• अथ: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)

• कृणोमि: I make/prepare
• कृणोमि: Kriyā
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)

• भेषजम्: medicine, remedy
• भेषजम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: भेषज (प्रातिपदिक)

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (collective/anonymous in many oṣadhi hymns; requires pada-index confirmation for 8.7).

Devata: Oṣadhayaḥ (Herbs), with a Vaiśvadeva (All-gods) coloring.

Chandas: Mixed; predominantly triṣṭubh/jagatī-like cadence in the first portion with an anuṣṭubh-like closing hemistich (edition-dependent).

Mantra Rasa

Primary: adbhuta

Secondary: vira