Sukta 102
Sukta 7.102
Vasiṣṭha (traditional for this Parjanya cluster in RV 7)
Parjanya
Gāyatrī
এই সংক্ষিপ্ত গায়ত্রী-ছন্দের স্তোত্রে ‘দ্যৌঃ-পুত্র’ পর্জন্যকে আহ্বান করা হয়েছে—উদার বৃষ্টিদাতা হিসেবে, যিনি চারণভূমি, উদ্ভিদরাজি এবং গাভী ও অশ্বের উর্বরতাকে জাগিয়ে তোলেন। এতে তাঁর জীবনদায়িনী শক্তির প্রশংসা করা হয়েছে, তারপর সরাসরি যজ্ঞীয় নির্দেশ দেওয়া হয়: পর্জন্যকে মধুর হবি অর্পণ করো, যাতে তিনি সুশৃঙ্খল বৃদ্ধি (ইলা) ও কল্যাণ দান করেন।
Mantras
Mantra 1
पर्जन्याय प्र गायत दिवस्पुत्राय मीळ्हुषे । स नो यवसमिच्छतु ॥
পর্জন্যের উদ্দেশে গাও—দ্যৌর পুত্র, উদার দাতা, মীঢ়ুষ। তিনি আমাদের জন্য যবস্—চারণভূমি ও পোষণ—কামনা করুন।
Mantra 2
यो गर्भमोषधीनां गवां कृणोत्यर्वताम् । पर्जन्यः पुरुषीणाम् ॥
যিনি ঔষধি, গাভী ও অশ্বদের গর্ভ গঠন করেন—সেই পর্জন্য, পুরুষীণ—বহুসমৃদ্ধ।
Mantra 3
तस्मा इदास्ये हविर्जुहोता मधुमत्तमम् । इळां नः संयतं करत् ॥
তাঁর মুখেই হবি অর্পণ করো—অতিমধুময়। তিনি আমাদের জন্য ইলাকে সুসংবদ্ধ করুন—ঋত অনুসারে যথাযথ বণ্টন ও বৃদ্ধি।
Inside Sukta 102
How it unfolds
- Where it opens
A direct call to ‘sing forth’ to Parjanya, framed as Heaven’s son and the generous giver of pasture.
- Development
Parjanya’s power is specified as generative: he forms the ‘embryo’ of plants and ensures the fertility of cattle and horses—linking rain to all prosperity.
- Climax
The ritual turn: offer the sweetest oblation to him ‘at his mouth,’ making the hymn immediately actionable as sacrifice.
- Where it settles
A final petition for iḷā—ordered nourishment and well-distributed increase—so prosperity becomes stable, not merely momentary.
The deity: Parjanya
- In the VedaParjanya is praised as the bountiful giver and “son of Heaven,” who sets in motion rain and fecundity, forming the ‘embryo’ (garbha) of plants and nourishing cattle and horses.
- Cosmic functionRegulator of rains and seasonal vitality—he fertilizes earth, sustains vegetation and pasture, and thereby upholds food, herd-prosperity, and social stability.
- Inner significanceThe descending, life-renewing power that ‘impregnates’ the field of the mind—restoring freshness, growth, and right distribution of energies (iḷā as ordered nourishment).
The seer
- VasiṣṭhaVasiṣṭha-gotra (Maitrāvaruṇa/Āditya-associated seer line; traditional clan of Mandala 7) · Foremost among the Saptaṛṣi, celebrated as the principal seer of Rigveda Mandala 7 and as a paradigmatic priest-poet whose hymns combine ritual precision with royal and cosmic theology.
Famous verses
divas putrāya mīḻhuṣe
yo garbham oṣadhīnām
madhumattamam
Attributes of the deity
- Rain-bringer and fertilizing force
- Bountiful, generous giver (mīḻhuṣ)
- Source of pasture and increase (yavas)
- Creator of ‘embryo’ of plants and herd-fertility
- Receiver of sweet oblation; grants iḷā (ordered nourishment)
Also by this seer
- Large portions of Rigveda Mandala 7 (Vasiṣṭha family book)
- Hymns to Varuṇa–Mitra, Agni, Indra, and the Ādityas in RV 7
- Traditional association with Vasiṣṭha-dharma materials and later Vasiṣṭha-smṛti/legendary narratives (post-Vedic attribution)
The rite, step by step
- Prepare the fire (Agni) and seat the intention: increase of pasture, crops, and herd-fertility.
- Recite RV 7.102.1 as the invitatory praise to Parjanya, aligning the community’s voice with the rain-power.
- Recite RV 7.102.2 to name Parjanya’s generative action in plants, cows, and horses (fertility and continuity).
- Offer the oblation while reciting RV 7.102.3, explicitly ‘at his mouth’ (āsye) with sweetened havis.
- Conclude with a quiet request for iḷā—orderly distribution, nourishment, and sustained increase—observing signs of season and weather as auspicious confirmation.
Offerings
- Sweetened havis (e.g., ghee with honey or madhumat oblation)
- Ājya (clarified butter)
- Optional milk/curds offerings in agrarian contexts
Frequently Asked Questions
Parjanya is the Vedic power of rain and fertility. The hymn praises him as the generous “son of Heaven” who brings growth to plants and prosperity to cattle and horses.
It asks for yavas (pasture/sustaining increase) and for iḷā—meaning well-ordered nourishment, right distribution, and stable prosperity supported by timely rain.
It can be recited during a fire offering when seeking rain, crop growth, or herd well-being. The third verse explicitly directs offering a sweet oblation (madhumat havis) to Parjanya while praying for iḷā.
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