Rig Veda 2.27.10: Mandala 2, Sukta 27, Mantra 10
Sukta 2.27
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Varuṇa
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
त्वं विश्वेषां वरुणासि राजा ये च देवा असुर ये च मर्ताः । शतं नो रास्व शरदो विचक्षेऽश्यामायूंषि सुधितानि पूर्वा ॥
tváṃ víśveṣāṃ varuṇāsi rājā́ yé ca devā́ ásura yé ca mártāḥ | śatáṃ no rāsva śarádo vi-cákṣe 'śyāma āyū́ṃṣi su-dhítāni pū́rvā ||
أنتَ، يا فَرونا (Varuṇa)، ملكُ الجميع—للآلهة الذين هم أَسورا (Asura: سادةُ الكينونة) وللبشر الفانين. هَبْ لنا مئةَ خريفٍ، أيها واسعُ البصر؛ لِنَبْلُغْ أمدَ الحياةِ الراسخَ المُحكَمَ الذي وُضِعَ أمامنا.
Word by Word
- त्वम्
- thouPronounपुंलिङ्ग/सर्वलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- विश्वेषाम्
- of allAdjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root विश्व (सर्व)
- वरुण
- O VaruṇaNoun (proper)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन; एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot वरुण (देवनाम)
- असि
- art / areVerbलट् (वर्तमान); मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचनRole (सम्बन्ध/विधेय)Root अस् (असँ)
- राजा
- kingNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole विधेय (predicate nominative)Root राजन्
- ये
- who (those who)Relative pronounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (अन्तर्निहित ‘सन्ति’)Root यद् (यः)
- च
- andIndeclinableसमुच्चयRoot च
- देवाः
- godsNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (अन्तर्निहित ‘सन्ति’)Root देव
- असुराः
- Asuras (lords)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (अन्तर्निहित ‘सन्ति’)Root असुर
- ये
- who (those who)Relative pronounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (अन्तर्निहित ‘सन्ति’)Root यद् (यः)
- च
- andIndeclinableसमुच्चयRoot च
- मर्ताः
- mortalsNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (अन्तर्निहित ‘सन्ति’)Root मर्त
- शतम्
- a hundredNumeral (used adjectivally)नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन (परिमाण)Role कर्म (रास्व इत्यस्य)Root शत
- नः
- to us / for usPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी; बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्प्रदान (दत्तेः)Root अस्मद्
- रास्व
- giveVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ); मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot रा (रासृ/रा दाने)
- शरदः
- autumns; yearsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; बहुवचनRole कर्म (रास्व इत्यस्य)Root शरद्
- विचक्षे
- O far-seeing oneNoun/Adjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन; एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot वि-चक्ष् (चक्षँ दर्शन)
- अश्याम
- may we attainVerbविधिलिङ् (सम्भावना/प्रार्थना); उत्तमपुरुष; बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot अश्/अश्नु (अश् व्याप्तौ/अश्नुते प्राप्तौ) → Vedic optative stem
- आयूंषि
- lifetimes; vital spansNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; बहुवचनRole कर्म (अश्याम इत्यस्य)Root आयुस्
- सुधितानि
- well-established; well-arrangedAdjective (past participial)नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; बहुवचन (आयूंषि-विशेषण)Role कर्म-विशेषणRoot सु-धित (सु + धा/धी; ‘well-ordered/firmly set’)
- पूर्वा
- former; earlier (as before)Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; बहुवचन (आयूंषि-विशेषण; वैदिके ‘पूर्वा’ रूपम्)Role कर्म-विशेषणRoot पूर्व
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (सन्धिविग्रह): त्वं | विश्वेषाम् | वरुण | असि | राजा | ये | च | देवाः | असुराः | ये | च | मर्ताः || शतम् | नः | रास्व | शरदः | विचक्षे | अश्याम | आयूंषि | सुधितानि | पूर्वा || 1) ‘विचक्षेऽश्याम’ = ‘विचक्षे + अश्याम’ (ए/अ → एऽ). 2) ‘आयूंषि’ वैदिक-बहुवचन (आयुस् → आयूंषि). 3) ‘नः’ एन्क्लिटिक सर्वनाम
- अर्थतः दानक्रियायां चतुर्थी (सम्प्रदान) ग्रहणीयः।
The meaning
Outer meaning
You, Varuṇa, are king of all—of the gods and of mortals. Grant us a hundred autumns, O wide-seeing; may we attain the well-founded spans of life set before us.
Inner meaning
Varuṇa as inner sovereign is the vast Truth-Consciousness that rules both the luminous powers (devāḥ asura—‘lords of being’) and the mortal nature. To ask for ‘a hundred autumns’ is not merely longevity but a full ripening of the being through cycles of maturity—time enough for the yoga of truth to establish itself. Vicakṣe (wide-seeing) points to Varuṇa’s all-comprehending vision that detects falsehood and restores alignment. ‘Well-founded life-spans’ (sudhitāni āyūṃṣi) indicate life-currents placed on a stable basis—life organized by truth, not by desire and accident.
Universal truth
True sovereignty is truth and vastness within; when life is founded on inner law, time becomes ripening rather than decay. The aim is not mere length of days but well-founded, meaningful duration.
Themes
Longevity, Divine kingship, Right vision
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Lineage
- Bhṛgu (traditional later attribution)
- Other hymns
- RV 2.28 (Varuṇa), RV 1.24 (Varuṇa, related themes)
Family tradition
In Mandala 2, Varuṇa appears as moral and cosmic sovereign; the family’s approach treats kingship as truth-governance and protection through purity.
Significance
The rishi’s Varuṇa is not punitive but integrative: a wide-seeing truth that grants stable life for the work of realization.
The deity
- Devata
- Varuṇa
- Epithets
- rājā (king), vicakṣa (wide-seeing), asura (lord of being, implied by context)
- Related deities
- Mitra (harmony), Aryaman (right path), Sūrya (seeing light), Agni (inner priest aligned to ṛta)
Cosmic role
Guardian of ṛta and satya; sovereign of cosmic law; overseer of moral order and the vast waters/sky (symbol of infinity).
Inner power
Truth-seeing consciousness that binds the being to right measure and releases it from falsehood; grants stable life-force and inner protection.
In ritual
Where it is used
Varuṇa-prayer for protection, right order, and well-founded life
त्वं विश्वे॑षां वरुणासि॒ राजा॒ ये च॑ दे॒वा अ॑सुर॒ ये च॒ मर्ता॑: । श॒तं नो॑ रास्व श॒रदो॑ वि॒चक्षे॒ऽश्यामायूं॑षि॒ सुधि॑तानि॒ पूर्वा॑ ॥
त्वम् । विश्वे॑षाम् । व॒रु॒ण॒ । अ॒सि॒ । राजा॑ । ये । च॒ । दे॒वाः । अ॒सु॒र॒ । ये । च॒ । मर्ताः॑ । श॒तम् । नः॒ । रा॒स्व॒ । श॒रदः॑ । वि॒ऽचक्षे॑ । अ॒श्याम॑ । आयूं॑षि । सुधि॑तानि । पूर्वा॑ ॥
tvam | viśveṣām | varuṇa | asi | rājā | ye | ca | devāḥ | asura | ye | ca | martāḥ | śatam | naḥ | rāsva | śaradaḥ | vi-cakṣe | aśyāma | āyūṃṣi | sudhitāni | pūrvā
44
4×11 (approx.)
Regal and authoritative; strong openings (‘tvaṃ… rājā’) with petitionary close.
Instills ethical gravity and trust in inner governance; steadies the will toward long-term ripening.
- राजा (rājā)
- Literal: king. Symbolic: Inner sovereign principle that governs and integrates the being
- असुर (asura)
- Literal: lord of being (older Vedic sense). Symbolic: Power of conscious existence; the greater beings in us aligned to truth
- विचक्षे (vicakṣe)
- Literal: wide-seeing. Symbolic: All-comprehending awareness that perceives truth/falsehood
- शतं शरदः (śataṃ śaradaḥ)
- Literal: a hundred autumns. Symbolic: Full cycles of ripening; sufficient time for integral maturation
- आयूंषि (āyūṃṣi)
- Literal: life-spans, vital durations. Symbolic: Life-force currents and their allotted rhythms
- सुधितानि (sudhitāni)
- Literal: well-set, well-founded. Symbolic: Life established on truth, stable order, right measure
- पूर्वा (pūrvā)
- Literal: former, set before. Symbolic: Given soul-intention/dharma-line already placed in front of us to realize
Varuṇa-prayers for longevity and right vision; employed in rites seeking stability, protection, and purification from fault (āgaḥ) in the Varuṇa sphere.
Varuṇa invocations in soma rites and expiatory/protective contexts; also in prayers for health and longevity.
Recitation accompanying offerings or as a vow/prayer for life-order and purification.
Use for life-stability during transitions; for aligning lifestyle with truth (sleep, speech, commitments) and praying for mature longevity.
varuṇa: from √vṛ ‘cover/encompass’ → the all-enveloper who holds beings within law. rājā: √rāj ‘shine, rule’ → sovereignty of consciousness. asura: in early RV often ‘lordly’ (asu ‘life-breath’ + ra/ura strength interpretations), not later demonized sense. vi-cákṣe: vi- + √cakṣ ‘see’ (PIE *kʷekʷ- ‘see’ in broad IE visual roots) → discriminating, all-ranging vision. śarád: ‘autumn’ as mature season → symbol of ripened cycles of life and growth. su-dhítāni: su- ‘well’ + √dhā ‘set, place’ → well-founded life-terms (inner stability).
Sovereignty of ṛta (Varuṇa as rājā), Long life as stable foundation for sādhanā, Vision/discernment (vi-cakṣ)
Varuṇa as king enforces ṛta across gods and mortals—order is universal, not sectarian.
Vicakṣa vision is satya-seeing; sudhitāni indicates life founded on truth.
Sovereign law holding cosmos together; time as cycles of ripening under truth.
Ethical-spiritual monism of the Veda: one truth-sovereignty governing all planes.
autumn (explicit)
Autumn as ripened consciousness; vast sky-water as wideness and truth that holds life-measure.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Varuṇa as universal sovereign whose vision and law encompass gods and mortals alike; the boon is ‘hundred autumns’—not mere duration, but a ripened continuity enabling the growth of truth-conscious living.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- rājā from √rāj resonates with IE sacral kingship vocabulary; √dhā in su-dhítāni is PIE *dʰeh₁- ‘put, set’ (cf. Greek τίθημι, Latin faciō via different root but same semantic domain of placing/doing). śatáṃ ‘hundred’ continues PIE *ḱm̥tóm.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi seeks to live under Varuṇa’s encompassing kingship: longevity and ‘well-set’ life-terms are requested as conditions for sustained alignment with ṛta and the widening discernment (vi-cakṣ) Varuṇa embodies.
Surrender to inner truth-sovereignty; examine life-structure and ask for ‘well-founded’ rhythms.
Viśuddha (truth) to Sahasrāra (vast law)
Slow exhale emphasis (e.g., 4-6) to feel ‘binding to measure’; brief inner confession/release before chanting.
Quiet accountability; stable resolve; long-view patience.
Begin with ‘tvaṃ… rājā’ as an act of inner enthronement of truth. Then ask for time as ripening: commit to one practical truth-alignment (speech, habit, vow). End in silence imagining a vast sky settling the mind.
Strong udātta emphasis at the opening (tvám… váruṇa… rājā́); keep pitch lift on vicákṣe.
Chant first hemistich with regal steadiness; second hemistich more supplicatory, slightly softer.
Maintain long ā in rājā, vicakṣe: clear kṣ cluster, aśyāmāyūṃṣi: sustain long ūṃ nasalization lightly
Deep, steady, dignified; avoid haste.
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