Sukta 53
Sukta 7.53
Vasiṣṭha
Dyāvāpṛthivī (Heaven and Earth)
Triṣṭubh (probable)
تستدعي هذه الترتيلة الوجيزة لفاسيشثا دْيَافَا-بْرِثِفِي—السماء والأرض—معًا بوصفهما الوالدين الإلهيين الواسعين اللذين يُقيمان Ṛta (النظام الكوني). وتلتمس منهما أن يتصدّرا الذبيحة، وأن يأتيا مع «الشعوب الإلهية» (القوى المساندة)، وأن يمنحا العابدين كنوزًا وافرة وعافيةً دائمة.
Mantras
Mantra 1
प्र द्यावा यज्ञैः पृथिवी नमोभिः सबाध ईळे बृहती यजत्रे । ते चिद्धि पूर्वे कवयो गृणन्तः पुरो मही दधिरे देवपुत्रे ॥
بِاليَجْنَا أُقَدِّمُ لِلسَّماءِ، وبِالتَّعْظيمِ (نَمُه) لِلأَرْضِ—مُجْتَمِعَتَيْنِ غَيْرَ مُنْقَسِمَتَيْنِ—أَدْعُو وأُسَبِّحُ العَظِيمَتَيْنِ، الجَديرَتَيْنِ بالقُرْبانِ. فَحَتّى الكَفِيّونَ القُدَماءُ، مُرَنِّمينَ، جَعَلُوهُما في المُقَدَّمَة: القُوَّتَيْنِ العَظِيمَتَيْنِ المَوْلودَتَيْنِ مِنَ الآلِهَة.
Mantra 2
प्र पूर्वजे पितरा नव्यसीभिर्गीर्भिः कृणुध्वं सदने ऋतस्य । आ नो द्यावापृथिवी दैव्येन जनेन यातं महि वां वरूथम् ॥
يا أَيُّهَا الوالِدانِ المَوْلودانِ قَبْلَنا، اصْنَعا—بِكَلِماتٍ مُتَجَدِّدَةٍ—حُضورَكُما في مَقْعَدِ رِتا (Ṛta). تَعالَيا إلَيْنا، يا سَماءُ ويا أَرْضُ، مَعَ الشُّعوبِ/القُوى الإلهيّة؛ عَظيمٌ هُوَ وِقاءُكُما الوَاسِعُ المُحيطُ بِنا.
Mantra 3
उतो हि वां रत्नधेयानि सन्ति पुरूणि द्यावापृथिवी सुदासे । अस्मे धत्तं यदसदस्कृधोयु यूयं पात स्वस्तिभिः सदा नः ॥
يا سماءُ ويا أرضُ، حقًّا إنّ لكما مواضعَ كنوزٍ كثيرةً تُودَعُ للمعطي الكريم. فاجعلا فينا ما يزال ناقصًا؛ يا من لا يَكِلّ عطاؤكما—واحفظانا أبدًا بمواثيق السلامة والعافية.
Inside Sukta 53
How it unfolds
- Where it opens
The seer invokes Heaven and Earth together, vast and worship-worthy, as the ancient poets did—placing them first in the sacrificial vision.
- Development
They are addressed as the primordial Parents and asked to be established in the seat of Ṛta, arriving with allied divine powers to widen protection around the worshipper.
- Climax
A direct appeal for abundant treasure-bestowals and for the divine pair to supply whatever is still missing—unfailing in generosity.
- Where it settles
The hymn ends in an enduring request: continual guarding through svasti—harmonies of well-being and safe passage.
The deity: Dyāvāpṛthivī
- In the VedaPraised as the two vast, worthy-of-offering divine Parents (pitarā), set “in the forefront” by the ancient seers; they are invoked as a united pair who shelter and enrich the sacrificer.
- Cosmic functionThey form the fundamental cosmic dyad that frames the world: Heaven above and Earth below, supporting space, life, and the stable working of Ṛta in which gods and humans act.
- Inner significanceSymbolizes the harmonizing of higher vision (Dyauḥ) with grounded embodiment and stability (Pṛthivī), creating an inner ‘seat of Ṛta’ where right speech, right action, and protection arise.
The seer
- VasiṣṭhaVasiṣṭha gotra (Vasiṣṭha family of seers) · One of the foremost Rigvedic ṛṣis; principal seer of much of Maṇḍala 7, celebrated for hymns on Ṛta, royal prosperity, and the protection of the Bharatas (including Sudās).
Famous verses
sabādha īḻe bṛhatī yajatre
sadane ṛtasya
pāta svastibhiḥ sadā naḥ
Attributes of the deity
- Divine Parents (pitarā) and protectors (varūtha)
- Vastness and expansiveness (bṛhatī, mahī)
- Upholders of Ṛta (cosmic order)
- Bestowers of treasures and increase (ratnadheyāni)
- Invoked together as an inseparable pair (sabādha)
Also by this seer
- Large portions of Rig Veda Maṇḍala 7 (Vasiṣṭha Maṇḍala)
- Hymns to Varuṇa–Mitra emphasizing Ṛta and moral order (e.g., RV 7.86–7.89)
- Royal and communal protection hymns connected with Sudās and the Bharata lineage
The rite, step by step
- Prepare the altar and sacred fire; establish a calm, ordered ritual space (ṛtasya sadana).
- Recite RV 7.53.1 to invoke Heaven and Earth together, placing them ‘in front’ as first supports of the rite.
- Recite RV 7.53.2 as a formal invitation for the divine pair to arrive with the daivya jana (supporting divine powers) and to extend their protective shelter (varūtha).
- Recite RV 7.53.3 as the request for treasures, the filling of what is lacking, and continuous well-being (svastibhiḥ).
- Conclude with silent reverence and a short benediction for protection in all directions.
Offerings
- Ghee (ājya) into Agni
- Soma libation (where applicable)
- Grain/cakes (puroḍāśa) or simple oblations with namas (reverence)
- Praise-hymns (gīr) as the central ‘offering’ of speech
Frequently Asked Questions
They are Heaven and Earth praised together as a divine pair—the primordial Parents who support the world and make the sacrifice stable and effective.
It asks Heaven and Earth to come to the sacrifice, extend wide protection, grant many forms of wealth, and fill whatever is still lacking, while guarding the worshippers with well-being (svasti).
It means the ordered, truthful foundation of the rite and of life—where right speech and right action align with cosmic order, allowing protection and blessings to flow.
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