Atharva Veda 2.16.2: Kanda 2, Anuvaka 2, Sukta 16, Mantra 2

Sukta 16

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

द्यावा॑पृथिवी॒ उप॑श्रुत्या मा पातं॒ स्वाहा॑

Sanskrit recitationAtharva Veda 2.16.2

IAST Transliteration

dyā́vā-pṛthivī́ úpaśrutyā mā pātáṃ svā́hā

English Translation (Griffith/Whitney)

Heaven and Earth, by your attentive hearkening, guard me: svāhā.

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Word by Word

• द्यावापृथिवी: Heaven-and-Earth (the two)
• द्यावापृथिवी: कर्तृ (रक्षणक्रियायाः कर्तारौ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्यावापृथिवी (समाहार-द्वन्द्वः: द्यौस् + पृथिवी)

• उपश्रुत्या: by attentive hearing; by heeding
• उपश्रुत्या: करण (यया/येन—‘by attentive hearing/heed’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपश्रुति (प्रातिपदिकम्; उप-श्रु धातोः भाव/कर्मणि-नाम)

• मा: do not
• मा: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मा (निषेध-अव्ययम्)

• पातम्: protect (you two)
• पातम्: क्रिया
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (पालने) धातुः

• स्वाहा: svāhā (ritual exclamation)
• स्वाहा: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वाहा (निगद/यज्ञीय-निपातः)

Attribution

Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (specific ṛṣi attribution for this single mantra not securely fixed without padānukramaṇī consultation).

Devata: Dyāvā-Pṛthivī (Heaven and Earth)

Chandas: Anuṣṭubh-like cadence (short protective formula; exact metrical classification may be treated as a brief anuṣṭubh-pāda formula).

Mantra Rasa

Primary: shanta

Secondary: adbhuta