Rig Veda 10.72.5: Mandala 10, Sukta 72, Mantra 5
Sukta 10.72
- Rishi
- Bṛhaspati / Angirasa-tradition
- Devata
- Aditi
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
अदितिर्ह्यजनिष्ट दक्ष या दुहिता तव । तां देवा अन्वजायन्त भद्रा अमृतबन्धवः ॥
áditi r hí ajaniṣṭa dákṣa yā́ duhitā́ táva | tā́ṃ devā́ ánv ajāyanta bhadrā́ amṛ́ta-bandhavaḥ ||
فإنّ أديتي حقًّا وُلِدَتْ منك، يا دَكشا، ابنةً لك؛ وبعدها وُلِدَتِ الآلهةُ—قوى مباركةٌ موثوقةٌ بالخلود، أبناءُ السَّعةِ اللامتناهية.
Word by Word
- अदितिः
- Aditi (the goddess)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot अदिति- (प्रातिपदिक)
- हि
- indeed, forIndeclinableनिपात (अव्यय)Root हि (निपात)
- अजनिष्ट
- was born, came into beingVerbलुङ् (अorist), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRoot √जन् (जनीँ प्रादुर्भावे)
- दक्ष
- O Dakṣa (or: Dakṣa)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन/प्रथमा, एकवचन (हे दक्ष / दक्षः)Role सम्बोधनRoot दक्ष- (प्रातिपदिक)
- या
- whoPronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- दुहिता
- daughterNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (या…दुहिता…)Root दुहितृ- (प्रातिपदिक)
- तव
- of you, yourPronounषष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- ताम्
- herPronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- देवाः
- the godsNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot देव- (प्रातिपदिक)
- अनु
- after, followingIndeclinableउपसर्ग (पश्चात्/अनुगमन-अर्थे)Root अनु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- अजायन्त
- were born, came to beVerbलुङ् (अorist), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचनRoot √जन् (जनीँ प्रादुर्भावे)
- भद्राः
- auspicious, благ, graciousAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (देवाः इति विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ (देवाः…भद्राः)Root भद्र- (प्रातिपदिक)
- अमृतबन्धवः
- having immortality as kin / whose kinship is with the immortal (i.e., immortal-linked)Noun/Adjective (compound epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (देवाः इति विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ (देवाः…अमृतबन्धवः)Root अमृत-बन्धु- (समास; प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: अदितिः | हि | अजनिष्ट | दक्ष | या | दुहिता | तव | ताम् | देवाः | अनु | अजायन्त | भद्राः | अमृतबन्धवः || 1) अदि॑ति॒र्ह्यज॑निष्ट = अदितिः + हि + अजनिष्ट (विसर्ग-लोपः; हि-आगमेन संधिः)
- 2) तां दे॒वा = ताम् + देवाः (अनुस्वार/म् + द् → ंद्; लेखने ‘तां’)
- 3) अन्व॑जायन्त = अनु + अजायन्त (उपसर्ग-संधिः: अनु + अ- → अन्व-)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Aditi is born from Dakṣa as his daughter; after her the gods are born—benign powers bound to immortality.
Inner meaning
From right-forming intelligence (Dakṣa) arises Infinity (Aditi) as a ‘daughter’—a produced realization: when the mind and will become rightly ordered, they give birth to wideness and liberation. Then the gods—inner luminous powers—come forth as beneficent faculties (bhadrāḥ) naturally allied to immortality (amṛtabandhavaḥ): once wideness is established, the higher powers can manifest and act harmoniously.
Universal truth
A disciplined, rightly formed intelligence can open into freedom; from freedom arise the higher harmonies of life—powers that naturally serve the immortal in us.
Themes
Aditi as source, Immortality, Emanation of the Gods, Inner wideness
The seer
- Rishi
- Bṛhaspati (Angirasa-tradition)
- Lineage
- Āṅgirasa
- Other hymns
- RV 2.23 (Bṛhaspati and the birth of right thought), RV 1.113 (Uṣas and the birth of the gods in awakening—parallel theme), RV 10.72 (sequence of births)
Family tradition
Angirasa emphasis on the birth of the gods within the human being through the inner sacrifice and the Word.
Significance
The seer maps inner genealogy: right formation → wideness → emergence of divine faculties; a practical psychology of spiritual evolution.
The deity
- Devata
- Aditi (with the Devas as her offspring)
- Epithets
- mātā devānām (mother of the gods—traditional), urvī (wide, implied), amṛtasya janitrī (begetter of immortality—traditional sense)
- Related deities
- Ādityas (Varuṇa, Mitra, Aryaman, Bhaga, etc.), Dakṣa
Cosmic role
Aditi is the infinite field that births and sustains the Ādityas and the cosmic order of wideness.
Inner power
The capacity to live in boundless consciousness where higher powers can descend without distortion.
In ritual
Where it is used
Verses to Aditi/Ādityas used for wholeness, protection, release from constriction; doctrinal support for invoking immortality (amṛtatva).
अदि॑ति॒र्ह्यज॑निष्ट॒ दक्ष॒ या दु॑हि॒ता तव॑ । तां दे॒वा अन्व॑जायन्त भ॒द्रा अ॒मृत॑बन्धवः ॥
अदि॑तिः । हि । अज॑निष्ट । दक्ष॑ । या । दु॒हि॒ता । तव॑ । ताम् । दे॒वाः । अनु॑ । अ॒जा॒य॒न्त॒ । भ॒द्राः । अ॒मृत॑ऽबन्धवः ॥
aditiḥ | hi | ajaniṣṭa | dakṣa | yā | duhitā | tava | tām | devāḥ | anu | ajāyanta | bhadrāḥ | amṛta-bandhavaḥ
44
4×~11 syllables
Genealogical, declarative rhythm—each pāda feels like a step in a lineage.
Instills confidence and auspiciousness; supports the feeling of ‘benign powers’ gathering within.
- duhitā (दुहिता)
- Literal: daughter. Symbolic: a derived emergence; a new power born from a prior principle
- Aditi (अदिति)
- Literal: infinite/unbound. Symbolic: wideness, liberation, infinite consciousness
- Dakṣa (दक्ष)
- Literal: forming power/skill. Symbolic: right organization, effective intelligence and will
- devāḥ (देवाः)
- Literal: gods. Symbolic: luminous faculties/powers of consciousness
- bhadrāḥ (भद्राः)
- Literal: auspicious/benign. Symbolic: harmonious forces that heal and integrate
- amṛtabandhavaḥ (अमृतबन्धवः)
- Literal: kin/bound to immortality. Symbolic: powers allied to the deathless consciousness; supports of spiritual continuity
Verses to Aditi/Ādityas used for wholeness, protection, release from constriction; doctrinal support for invoking immortality (amṛtatva).
Invocatory/reflective use in discussions of Ādityas and cosmic order; adaptable for daily recitation for protection/wideness.
Use to cultivate ‘auspicious inner company’: begin the day by invoking wideness (Aditi) and inviting higher faculties (devāḥ) to govern speech and action.
‘daughter’ from √duh ‘to milk’ (also ‘one who yields/nourishes’ in old etymological play) + feminine formation; suggests a power that ‘draws forth nourishment’. : a- ‘not’ + mṛta from √mṛ ‘to die’ → deathless; bandhu ‘bond/kin’ indicates inherent affiliation with immortality.
immortality (amṛta) as a state of being, emanation of gods from infinity, benign harmony (bhadra) as divine signature
Benign gods ‘bound to immortality’ are the executors of ṛta when consciousness is widened and rightly formed.
Satya as lived wideness—truth not merely known but inhabited as Aditi.
Genealogy of principles: formation gives rise to infinity-experience; infinity births divine powers.
Strongly Upaniṣadic in trajectory (immortality through inner realization), compatible with integral yoga psychology.
Birth = emergence of new consciousness; ‘daughter’ = realized wideness produced by discipline; gods = illumined functions in mind-life-body.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Genealogy as metaphysics: Aditi is ‘daughter’ of Dakṣa, yet mother of the Gods. The mythologem encodes that the Infinite (Aditi) becomes accessible through right formation (Dakṣa), and from that wideness the luminous powers (devāḥ) arise as forces of immortality in the human.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- amṛta (deathless) parallels IE negated ‘death’ formations (cf. Greek a-mbrotos). The kinship vocabulary (bandhu) reflects a common IE tendency to express metaphysical belonging via family bonds.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The ṛṣi seeks entry into the amṛta-condition by aligning with Aditi’s wideness; the Gods are not remote beings but ‘amṛta-bandhavaḥ’—powers that fasten the seeker to the deathless consciousness when invoked.
Contemplate the sequence: disciplined right formation (Dakṣa) → inner wideness (Aditi) → descent/awakening of luminous faculties (devāḥ).
Ajna (right formation) opening into Sahasrara (wideness/limitlessness)
Slow inhalation imagining widening above the crown; exhale offering mental formations into that wideness; 9 rounds.
Settled wideness with gentle joy and protection.
Practice ‘right formation’ by simplifying motives and aligning actions; then rest in wideness; invite the ‘benign gods’ as qualities—clarity, harmony, courage, truth-speaking.
Tri-svara; maintain clear udātta on Aditiḥ and Dakṣa; keep bhadrāḥ amṛtabandhavaḥ warmly resonant.
Let the second hemistich broaden in tone, as it speaks of the gods’ benign birth.
Aditiḥ: pronounce final ḥ distinctly, duhitā: aspirate dh lightly; keep long ī in -tā, amṛta: clear vocalic ṛ (as ‘ri’ with retroflex quality)
Soft, expansive, maternal warmth; avoid harsh attack.
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