Rig Veda 1.116.14: Mandala 1, Sukta 116, Mantra 14
Sukta 1.116
आस्नो वृकस्य वर्तिकामभीके युवं नरा नासत्यामुमुक्तम् । उतो कविं पुरुभुजा युवं ह कृपमाणमकृणुतं विचक्षे ॥
āsnó vṛ́kasya vártikām abhī́ke yuváṃ narā nāsatyā amumuktam | utó kavíṃ puru-bhujā yuváṃ ha kṛ́pamāṇam akṛṇutaṃ vi-cákṣe ||
من فكَّيِ الذئب، في المواجهةِ القريبة، أطلقتُما—يا نَاسَتْيَا—السُّمَّانة. وكذلك، يا ذَوَي العطاءِ الواسع، جعلتُما الكَفِيَّ الذي كان يتألّم ذا بَصَرٍ مُبِين—فحوّلتما العذابَ إلى تمييزٍ وبصيرة.
Protective and transformative invocation: rescue from danger and conversion of grief into insight.
Deliverance from darkness (devouring force), Transformation of suffering into discernment (vi-cakṣ), R̥ta as rescue at the crisis point
Rescue restores right movement of life-force, preventing it from being consumed by hostile patterns.
Truth manifests as discernment—seeing things as they are, not as fear distorts.
Transmutation: pain and peril converted into higher sight; salvation of the ‘small’ seed of good.
Yoga of transformation: suffering is not final; it can be alchemized into consciousness.
Night-to-dawn crisis (implicit Aśvin timing)
Wolf = predatory subconscious; quail = fragile aspiration; rescue = emergence of protected psychic movement; clear sight = dawn in the mind.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Rescue from the wolf’s jaws and transformation of a suffering seer into clear vision. Inner sense: the Ashvins save the vulnerable psychic element from devouring darkness and then elevate the poet’s consciousness from lamentation to discriminative sight—turning crisis into awakening.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The predator-rescue motif is broadly IE. √muc ‘release’ and √cakṣ ‘see’ reflect ancient verbal roots; the vi- prefix intensifies discernment, a common IE strategy of preverb + root to nuance action.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi emphasizes two levels of grace: outer protection and inner transformation. The Ashvins do not only remove danger; they reshape consciousness so the rishi becomes vi-cakṣe—fit to perceive and speak truth under R̥ta.
Release from inner compulsion; cultivate vicakṣa—clear witnessing awareness.
Mūlādhāra (fear/grip) to Ājñā (clear seeing) axis.
Extended exhale (inhale 4, exhale 6) while visualizing the ‘jaws’ loosening; 12 rounds.
From contracted fear to spacious witnessing and discernment.
Name the ‘wolf’ pattern silently; then repeat the mantra and feel the Aśvins’ presence as a swift protective light around the vulnerable aspiration in the heart.
Tri-svara; keep the dramatic rise controlled on ‘vṛkasya’ and ‘amumuktam’.
Articulate the consonant clusters: ‘āsno vṛkasya vartikām’; pause after ‘abhīke’.
: long ā; dental s, : vocalic ṛ clear (vṛ), : rt cluster crisp; long āṃ, : double mu; ktm ending clean, : vi-cak-ṣe, keep ṣ retroflex and audible
Start firm/dark (peril), end bright/steady (vision).
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Rig Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
