Atharva Veda 7.39.1: Kanda 7, Anuvaka 4, Sukta 39, Mantra 1

Sukta 39

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

आपः। दि॒व्यं सु॑प॒र्णं प॑य॒सं बृ॒हन्त॑म॒पां गर्भं॑ वृष॒भमोष॑धीनाम्। अ॒भी॒प॒तो वृ॒ष्ट्या त॒र्पय॑न्त॒मा नो॑ गो॒ष्ठे र॑यि॒ष्ठां स्था॑पयाति

Recitation with translationAtharva Veda 7.39.1

IAST Transliteration

ā́paḥ | divyáṃ supárṇaṃ payasáṃ bṛhántam apā́ṃ gárbhaṃ vṛṣabhám óṣadhīnām | abhī́pato vṛṣṭyā́ tarpáyantam ā́ no goṣṭhé rayiṣṭhā́ṃ sthāpayāti ||

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Waters! The heavenly fair-winged one, the great nourishment—waters’ embryo, the bull of herbs—descending, with rain refreshing: may it establish for us, within the cow-stall, wealth most rich.

Translation

Oh mga Tubig! Ang makalangit na may magandang pakpak, ang dakilang pagkain, ang sanggol ng mga tubig, ang toro ng mga halaman, na bumababa, na nagpapaliglig sa ulan: sana ay itatag nito para sa amin, sa loob ng kulungan ng mga baka, ang pinakamayamang yaman.

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Word by Word

• आपः: waters
• आपः: Kartā
• Type: Noun
• Root: अप् (प्रातिपदिक) → आप्-

• दिव्यम्: heavenly, celestial
• दिव्यम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक; दिव् ‘द्युत्/स्वर्ग’ से) → दिव्य-

• सुपर्णम्: the fair-winged one (bird; often the sun/Agni as a bird)
• सुपर्णम्: Karma
• Type: Noun (also used adjectivally)
• Root: सुपर्ण (प्रातिपदिक) → सुपर्ण-

• पयसः: of milk; of sap/nourishing fluid
• पयसः: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पयस् (प्रातिपदिक) → पयस्-

• बृहन्तम्: great, vast
• बृहन्तम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बृहन्त् (प्रातिपदिक) → बृहन्त्-

• अपाम्: of the waters
• अपाम्: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अप् (प्रातिपदिक) → अप्-

• गर्भम्: embryo; womb; inner essence
• गर्भम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गर्भ (प्रातिपदिक) → गर्भ-

• वृषभम्: bull (fertilizing/strong one)
• वृषभम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृषभ (प्रातिपदिक) → वृषभ-

• ओषधीनाम्: of the herbs/medicinal plants
• ओषधीनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ओषधि (प्रातिपदिक) → ओषधि-

• अभीपतः: flying toward; swooping upon
• अभीपतः: Karma
• Type: Participle (verbal adjective)
• Root: अभि-√पत् (पत् ‘गत्यर्थ’) → अभीपत् (वर्तमान कृदन्त/शतृ)

• वृष्ट्या: with rain; by rainfall
• वृष्ट्या: Karaṇa
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृष्टि (प्रातिपदिक) → वृष्टि-

• तर्पयन्तम्: satisfying; causing to be filled/refreshed
• तर्पयन्तम्: Karma
• Type: Participle (causative present)
• Root: √तृप् (तर्पणे) → तर्पयत् (णिच्; शतृ)

• आ: toward; hither
• आ: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)

• नः: for us / of us
• नः: Sampradāna (beneficiary) / Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम) → नः

• गोष्ठे: in the cowshed; in the cattle-pen
• गोष्ठे: Adhikaraṇa
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक) → गोष्ठ-

• रयिष्ठाम्: the richest; most prosperous (fortune)
• रयिष्ठाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective (superlative)
• Root: रयिष्ठा (प्रातिपदिक; superlative of रयि ‘wealth’) → रयिष्ठा-

• स्थापयाति: sets/establishes; causes to be placed
• स्थापयाति: Kartā (implicit subject: आपः) / main predicate
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्था (गतिनिवृत्तौ/स्थितौ) → स्थापयति (णिच्) ; here Vedic variant 3sg

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (hymn-level attribution varies by anukramaṇī)

Devata: Āpas (Waters) / Rain-nourishment as divine agency

Chandas: Triṣṭubh-like cadence (longer pādas; not strict anuṣṭubh)

Mantra Rasa

Primary: shanta

Secondary: adbhuta