Rig Veda 2.32.2: Mandala 2, Sukta 32, Mantra 2
Sukta 2.32
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Dyāvā-Pṛthivī
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Bhayankara and Shanta (peace)
मा नो गुह्या रिप आयोरहन्दभन्मा न आभ्यो रीरधो दुच्छुनाभ्यः । मा नो वि यौः सख्या विद्धि तस्य नः सुम्नायता मनसा तत्त्वेमहे ॥
mā́ no guhyā́ rípa ā́yor áhan dábhān mā́ na ā́bhyo rī́radho ducchúnābhyaḥ | mā́ no ví yáuḥ sakhyā́ víddhi tásya naḥ sumnāyató mánasā tát tvā īmahe ||
গোপন শত্রু শক্তিয়ে আমাৰ অগ্ৰগামী আয়ু নাশ নকৰক; ওচৰ-দূৰৰ দুঃশুনা-অপকাৰেও আমাক নপীড়াওক। তোমালোকৰ সৈতে আমাৰ সখ্য ভাঙি নাযাওক; এই কথা জানি, অনুগ্ৰহ-অন্বেষী মনেৰে, তোমাৰ ৰক্ষাৰ সেই সত্যৰ বাবে আমি প্ৰাৰ্থনা কৰোঁ।
Word by Word
- मा
- do not / may notIndeclinableनिषेधार्थक अव्यय (prohibitive particle)Root मा (निषेध) / mā́
- नः
- to us / of usPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी (enclitic), बहुवचनRole SampradānaRoot अस्मद्
- गुह्याः
- hidden, secret (ones)Adjectiveप्रथमा बहुवचन (स्त्रीलिङ्ग) — ‘गुह्याः (स्त्रियः/वस्तूनि)’Role KartāRoot गुह्य (गुह् ‘to hide’ से) / guhya-
- रिपः
- enemyNounप्रथमा एकवचन (पुंलिङ्ग) — वैदिक रूप ‘रिपः’ = ‘रिपुः’Role KartāRoot रिपु / ripu-
- आयोः
- from (our) life / of lifetimeNounषष्ठी एकवचन (नपुंसकलिङ्ग) — ‘of life/long life’Role ApādānaRoot आयु / āyu-
- अहन्
- may he not strike/killVerbलुङ् (aorist), 3 एकवचन, परस्मैपदRoot हन् / han-
- दभत्
- may he not harm / injureVerbलोट्/विधिलिङ्-प्राय (injunctive/prohibitive use), 3 एकवचन, परस्मैपद (वेदिक) — ‘let him not harm/deceive’Root दभ् / dabh-
- मा
- do notIndeclinableनिषेधार्थक अव्ययRoot मा (निषेध) / mā́
- नः
- usPronounद्वितीया (enclitic), बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot अस्मद्
- आभ्यः
- from thesePronounपञ्चमी बहुवचन (त्रिलिङ्ग) — ‘from these’Role ApādānaRoot इदम् (प्रातिपदिक: अ- / एतद्-समूह) / ā- (deictic base)
- रीरधः
- do not injure / do not bring harmVerbलोट् (imperative/prohibitive), 2 एकवचन, परस्मैपद — ‘do not cause to fail/afflict’Root रीरध् (वेदिक; √राध्/रन्ध्-सम्बद्ध) / rīradh-
- दुच्छुनाभ्यः
- from evil afflictionsNounपञ्चमी बहुवचन (स्त्रीलिङ्ग) — ‘from evil harms/misfortunes’Role ApādānaRoot दुच्छुना / ducchunā-
- मा
- do notIndeclinableनिषेधार्थक अव्ययRoot मा (निषेध) / mā́
- नः
- usPronounद्वितीया (enclitic), बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot अस्मद्
- वि
- apart, asunderIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्यय (separative/intensive)Root वि / vi
- यौः
- may he not part/separateVerbलोट्/विधिलिङ्-प्राय (injunctive/prohibitive), 3 एकवचन, परस्मैपद — ‘let him not go/separate’Root या / yā- (वेदिक; ‘to go, to separate’)
- सख्या
- friendshipNounद्वितीया एकवचन (नपुंसकलिङ्ग; ‘friendship’ as abstract) — वैदिक ‘सख्या’Role KarmaRoot सखि / sakhí-
- विद्धि
- know / recognizeVerbलोट् (imperative), 2 एकवचन, परस्मैपदRoot विद् / vid-
- तस्य
- of that (one)Pronounषष्ठी एकवचन (पुं/नपुं)Role SambandhaRoot तद् / tad-
- नः
- ourPronounषष्ठी (enclitic), बहुवचनRole SambandhaRoot अस्मद्
- सुम्नायता
- with favor / benevolentlyAdjective (participial) / Kṛdantaतृतीया एकवचन (पुं/नपुं) — ‘सुम्नायता’ = ‘सुम्न-यत्’ (सुम्नं यच्छन्/इच्छन्) ‘with benevolence’Role KaraṇaRoot सुम्न / sumná-
- मनसा
- with (the) mindNounतृतीया एकवचन (नपुंसकलिङ्ग)Role KaraṇaRoot मनस् / manas-
- तत्त्वा
- truths / real principlesNounद्वितीया बहुवचन (नपुंसकलिङ्ग) — वैदिक संधि-रूप ‘तत्त्वा’ (< तत्त्वानि) ‘the true things/realities’Role KarmaRoot तत्त्व / tattva-
- ईमहे
- we seek / we imploreVerbलट् (present), 1 बहुवचन, आत्मनेपदRoot ई / ī- (वेदिक; ‘to seek, to go toward, to implore’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (संधि-निरसन): मा | नः | गुह्याः | रिपः | आयोः | अहन् | दभत् | मा | नः | आभ्यः | रीरधः | दुच्छुनाभ्यः || मा | नः | वि | यौः | सख्या | विद्धि | तस्य | नः | सुम्नायता | मनसा | तत्त्वा | ईमहे । (1) ‘आयोरहन्’ = ‘आयोः अहन्’ (विसर्ग-लोप/संधि). (2) ‘दभन्मा’ = ‘दभत् मा’ (त् + म् → न्म्, परसवर्ण/अनुनासिक संधि). (3) ‘न आभ्यः’ में ‘नः’ एन्क्लिटिक सर्वनाम
- पाठ में ‘न॑ आ॒भ्यो’ (उदात्त/स्वरित सहित). (4) ‘वि यौः’ पद-सीमा पर उपसर्ग ‘वि’ + क्रिया. (5) ‘तत्त्वेमहे’ = ‘तत्त्वा ईमहे’ (आ + ई → ए, स्वर-संधि)
The meaning
Outer meaning
May no hidden hostile powers strike down our forward life; may no harms from near or far afflict us. Let not our friendship with you be broken. Knowing this, with a mind seeking grace, we pray for your true protection.
Inner meaning
The sādhaka asks the cosmic supports (Heaven-Earth) to guard the progressive life-movement (āyuḥ) against ‘hidden enemies’—subconscient resistances, covert impulses, and inner distortions that sabotage growth. ‘Near and far harms’ are both immediate emotional disturbances and long-range habitual patterns. The ‘friendship’ (sakhyā) is the living alliance with the higher and the grounded; it must not be severed by doubt, inertia, or revolt. With a mind that seeks sumná (grace, benediction), the seeker asks for tat-tva—your truth/principle—i.e., the stable reality of protection through alignment with ṛta.
Universal truth
Most dangers to growth are subtle and hidden. Protection is maintained by faithful alliance with truth and by a mind oriented to grace rather than fear.
Themes
Protection against hidden forces, Preservation of divine friendship, Grace-seeking
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Lineage
- Bhārgava
- Other hymns
- RV 2.29 (appeal for protection to the Ādityas), RV 2.33 (Rudra as healer/protector—theme parallel)
Family tradition
Bhārgava safeguarding of the path: clear recognition of subtle obstacles and insistence on maintaining alliance with the supporting powers.
Significance
A practical psychological prayer: identify the real enemy as hidden sabotage and ask for protection rooted in truth rather than superstition.
The deity
- Devata
- Dyāvā-Pṛthivī
- Epithets
- protective pair (avitrī—carried from prior verse), friends/allies (sakhyā)
- Related deities
- Ādityas (guardians of ṛta), Varuṇa (law and protection)
Cosmic role
Stabilizing guardians of the world-order; they uphold the field where life can progress in ṛta.
Inner power
Psychic protection through balance: openness without drift (heaven) and firmness without inertia (earth).
In ritual
Where it is used
Apotropaic (protective) prayer within the hymn; used to ward off hidden harms and preserve the covenant with the sustaining powers.
मा नो॒ गुह्या॒ रिप॑ आ॒योरह॑न्दभ॒न्मा न॑ आ॒भ्यो री॑रधो दु॒च्छुना॑भ्यः । मा नो॒ वि यौ॑: स॒ख्या वि॒द्धि तस्य॑ नः सुम्नाय॒ता मन॑सा॒ तत्त्वे॑महे ॥
मा । नः॒ । गुह्याः॑ । रिपः॑ । आ॒योः । अह॑न् । द॒भ॒न् । मा । नः॒ । आ॒भ्यः । री॒र॒धः॒ । दु॒च्छुना॑भ्यः । मा । नः॒ । वि । यौः॑ । स॒ख्या । वि॒द्धि । तस्य॑ । नः॒ । सु॒म्न॒ऽय॒ता । मन॑सा । तत् । त्वा॒ । ई॒म॒हे॒ ॥
mā | naḥ | guhyāḥ | ripaḥ | āyoḥ | ahan | dabhan | mā | naḥ | ābhyaḥ | rīradhaḥ | ducchunābhyaḥ | mā | naḥ | vi | yauḥ | sakhyā | viddhi | tasya | naḥ | sumna-yatā | manasā | tat | tvā | īmahe
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4 pādas × ~11 syllables
Protective, cautionary cadence with repeated mā (do-not) giving a warding rhythm.
Creates a psychological boundary; calms fear by naming and negating threats, ending in prayerful alignment.
- गुह्याः (guhyāḥ)
- Literal: hidden. Symbolic: subconscient/latent movements that undermine progress
- रिपः (ripaḥ)
- Literal: hostile powers. Symbolic: inner adversaries—ignorance, false desire, depressive inertia
- आयोः (āyoḥ)
- Literal: of the life/forward movement. Symbolic: progressive life-force directed toward realization
- दभन् (dabhan)
- Literal: harm, injure, deceive. Symbolic: distort or sabotage the sadhana from within
- आभ्यः (ābhyaḥ)
- Literal: from near. Symbolic: immediate disturbances—reactivity, impulse, agitation
- दुच्छुना॑भ्यः (ducchunābhyaḥ)
- Literal: from misfortunes/harms. Symbolic: forces of suffering that cloud the mind and break rhythm
- सख्या (sakhyā)
- Literal: friendship. Symbolic: living bond with the supporting divine order (above-below harmony)
- सुम्नायतā (sumnāyatā)
- Literal: seeking favor/grace. Symbolic: receptive aspiration that invites protective help
- मनसा (manasā)
- Literal: with the mind. Symbolic: orientation of consciousness; the inner attitude is decisive
- तत्त्व (tat tvá / tattva)
- Literal: that truth/that principle. Symbolic: the stable truth-power of protection through ṛta-alignment
Apotropaic (protective) prayer within the hymn; used to ward off hidden harms and preserve the covenant with the sustaining powers.
Protective petitions within hymns to cosmic guardians; used when seeking safe passage of the rite and the sacrificer’s welfare.
Apotropaic (warding) recitation; reaffirmation of bond with the invoked powers.
Use when feeling inner sabotage (anxiety, self-sabotage, compulsions): recite slowly, then reaffirm one concrete truth-aligned intention.
ripa- ‘deceiver, hostile’ possibly from √rip/√lup semantic ‘injure/cheat’ (uncertain). ducchunā- ‘ill fortune’ (dus- ‘bad’ + kṣuna/śuna ‘harm’). sumná ‘grace, favor’ from su- ‘good’ + √man? (favorable thought/benediction).
protection of āyuḥ (forward life), hidden hostility as inner ignorance, sumná (grace) and sakhyā (friendship/covenant)
Threats are forces that break ṛta; protection is restoration/maintenance of right relation (sakhyā) with the cosmic supports.
Prayer asks for ‘that truth’—not mere safety, but truth-based safeguarding.
The world is sustained by stable supports; disorder enters through hidden breaches—hence the need for guardianship.
Vedic yoga ethics: protection arises from alignment and right consciousness, not from external fear.
Near/far = immediate vs deep-seated patterns; hidden = subconscient; horizon = protective boundary of balanced consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem of ‘hidden enemies’ that attack life from concealment—inner and outer. The prayer seeks preservation of sakhyā (covenant/friendship) with the cosmic parents so that the right order remains unbroken.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The prohibitive mā is a common Indo-Iranian/IE feature in prayer syntax. The abstract sakhyā ‘friendship’ and sumná ‘favor’ reflect an IE sacral-social grammar where the human-divine relation is framed as alliance and benevolence.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi speaks as one in alliance (sakhyā) with Heaven and Earth; he asks them to ‘know’ (viddhi) the condition of the seeker and to maintain protective grace. The reciprocity is ethical-psychological: alignment and trust invite protection.
Detecting and disarming hidden resistances; renewing alliance with truth-order.
Anāhata (sakhyā—bond/faith) and Ājñā (tattva—clear seeing)
Slow exhale emphasis: inhale 4, exhale 8 on each ‘mā’ line mentally; feel protection expanding on exhale.
Vigilant calm; protected openness.
After chanting, journal briefly: (1) what is the ‘hidden ripa’ today? (2) what truth-aligned action restores sakhyā? Then sit 5 minutes in quiet trust.
Triṣṭubh; repeated mā should be steady and firm; keep the negation phrases even, not rushed.
Sustain clarity on key clusters: guhyā́ ripaḥ, ducchunā́bhyaḥ; soften into sumnāyatā manasā (grace-seeking mind).
guhyāḥ: ‘hy’ conjunct clean, ripaḥ: light visarga at end if reciting with it, ducchunābhyaḥ: keep ‘cchu’ doubled; avoid simplifying, sakhyā: kh aspirated, tattvemahe: tt and tv conjuncts articulated, not swallowed
Firm, protective, low to mid pitch; end with a gentle, trusting tone.
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