Rig Veda 10.18.5: Mandala 10, Sukta 18, Mantra 5
Sukta 10.18
- Rishi
- RV 10.18 funerary hymn seer tradition
- Devata
- Dhātṛ as the ordering cosmic power
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
यथाहान्यनुपूर्वं भवन्ति यथ ऋतव ऋतुभिर्यन्ति साधु । यथा न पूर्वमपरो जहात्येवा धातरायूंषि कल्पयैषाम् ॥
yáthāhā́ny anupūrváṃ bhávanti yáthā ṛtáva ṛtúbhir yánti sādhú | yáthā ná pū́rvam áparo jáhāty evā́ dhātar āyū́ṃṣi kalpaya eṣām ||
Wie die Tage in rechter Folge kommen, wie die Jahreszeiten recht mit den Jahreszeiten ziehen, wie das Spätere das Frühere nicht verlässt — so, o Dhātṛ, ordne ihnen ihre Lebensbahnen in geordneter Kontinuität.
Word by Word
- यथा
- just asIndeclinableसम्बन्ध/उपमानार्थक अव्यय (यथा = ‘as, just as’)Root यथा (अव्यय)
- अहानि
- daysNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन (दिनानि)Role KartāRoot अहन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- अनुपूर्वम्
- in due order, successivelyIndeclinable (adverbial accusative)नपुंसक एकवचन द्वितीया-रूपेण क्रियाविशेषण (क्रमेण)Role Adhikaraṇa (क्रम/रीति)Root अनुपूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- भवन्ति
- come to be, occurVerbलट् (वर्तमाने), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपदRoot भू
- यथा
- just asIndeclinableउपमानार्थक अव्ययRoot यथा (अव्यय)
- ऋतवः
- seasonsNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचनRole KartāRoot ऋतु (प्रातिपदिक)
- ऋतुभिः
- by/with the seasonsNounपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया बहुवचनRole KaraṇaRoot ऋतु (प्रातिपदिक)
- यन्ति
- go, proceedVerbलट् (वर्तमाने), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपदRoot या
- साधु
- well, properlyAdjective/Indeclinable (predicative)अव्ययीभाव/क्रियाविशेषणवत् प्रयोगः (well, rightly)Root साधु (प्रातिपदिक)
- यथा
- just asIndeclinableउपमानार्थक अव्ययRoot यथा (अव्यय)
- न
- notIndeclinableनिषेधRoot न (अव्यय)
- पूर्वम्
- before, earlierIndeclinable (adverbial)नपुंसक एकवचन द्वितीया-रूपेण क्रियाविशेषण (पूर्वतः)Role Adhikaraṇa (काल/क्रम)Root पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- अपरः
- the later one, the followingAdjective (substantivized)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot अपर (प्रातिपदिक)
- जहाति
- leaves, abandonsVerbलट् (वर्तमाने), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRoot हा
- एव
- just so, indeedIndeclinableनिश्चय/उपमेय-सम्बन्धे (just so)Root एव (अव्यय)
- धातर
- O Creator/OrdainerNoun (vocative)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन एकवचन (हे धातः)Role Sampradāna (addressed deity)Root धातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- आयूंषि
- lifetimes, spans of lifeNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot आयुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- कल्पय
- arrange, set in order, allotVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRoot कॢप्
- एषाम्
- of these (persons)Pronounषष्ठी बहुवचन (gen.)Role सम्बन्ध (possessor)Root एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (sandhi-resolved): यथा अहानि अनुपूर्वम् भवन्ति | यथा ऋतवः ऋतुभिः यन्ति साधु | यथा न पूर्वम् अपरः जहाति | एव धातर् आयूंषि कल्पय एषाम् || मुख्य सन्धयः: (1) यथाहा॑नि = यथा + अहानि (आ + अ → आ) । (2) ऋ॒तुभि॒र्यन्ति॑ = ऋतुभिः + यन्ति (विसर्गस्य ‘र्’ आदेशः) । (3) जहा॑त्ये॒वा = जहाति + एव (इ + ए → ये) । (4) धा॑त॒रायूं॑षि = धातर् + आयूंषि (र् + आ → रा) ।
The meaning
Outer meaning
As days follow in proper sequence and seasons move rightly, and as the later does not abandon the earlier, so may Dhātṛ arrange their life-spans in ordered continuity.
Inner meaning
The mantra invokes the cosmic Time-Order (r̥ta in time) to restore inner continuity after the rupture of death. Psychologically it asks that our life-movements proceed by true steps—no violent breaks, no abandonment of earlier gains—so the soul’s growth becomes a coherent progression rather than a fragmented struggle.
Universal truth
Harmony arises when life follows the law of right succession: each stage fulfills and carries forward the previous. Evolution is not rejection but integration—earlier becomes foundation for later.
Themes
cosmic-order-as-model, life-continuity, time-and-rita, post-funeral-restoration
The seer
- Rishi
- Tradition of the seers of RV 10.18 (funerary/continuity hymns)
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 10.18.4, Rig Veda 10.18.6, Rig Veda 10.18.8
Family tradition
Communal seer-utterance aimed at restoring r̥ta in the household after death-contact
Significance
The rishi’s vision links human healing to cosmic regularity: time’s right rhythm becomes the model for psychological integration and renewed life-direction.
The deity
- Devata
- Dhātṛ (the Arranger/Fashioner) manifesting as r̥ta-time
- Epithets
- āyus-kalpaka (arranger of life-courses), r̥ta-vidhātṛ (disposer according to order), anupūrva-kartṛ (maker of right succession)
- Related deities
- Savitar (impeller of right movement), Varuṇa (guardian of r̥ta), Mitra (harmonizing continuity)
Cosmic role
Orders time, destiny, and the measure of life; ensures continuity of worlds and beings through lawful progression.
Inner power
Power of integration: organizing memory, aspiration, and will so that the being advances without rupture.
In ritual
Where it is used
Antyeṣṭi / post-funeral reintegration blessings for the living
यथाहा॑न्यनुपू॒र्वं भव॑न्ति॒ यथ॑ ऋ॒तव॑ ऋ॒तुभि॒र्यन्ति॑ सा॒धु । यथा॒ न पूर्व॒मप॑रो॒ जहा॑त्ये॒वा धा॑त॒रायूं॑षि कल्पयैषाम् ॥
यथा॑ । अहा॑नि । अ॒नु॒ऽपू॒र्वम् । भव॑न्ति । यथा॑ । ऋ॒तवः॑ । ऋ॒तुऽभिः॑ । य॒न्ति॑ । सा॒धु । यथा॑ । न । पूर्व॑म् । अप॑रः । जहा॑ति । ए॒व । धा॒तः॒ । आयूं॑षि । क॒ल्प॒य॒ । ए॒षाम् ॥
yathā | ahāni | anu-pūrvam | bhavanti | yathā | ṛtavaḥ | ṛtu-bhiḥ | yanti | sādhu | yathā | na | pūrvam | aparaḥ | jahāti | eva | dhātaḥ | āyūṃṣi | kalpaya | eṣām
44
4 × ~11 syllables
Flowing yet firm; the repeated yathā… yathā… builds a rhythmic sense of continuity.
Induces mental alignment with cyclic order; soothing for grief, stabilizing for scattered prāṇa.
- अहानि (ahāni)
- Literal: days. Symbolic: successive states of consciousness and effort
- अनुपूर्वम् (anupūrvam)
- Literal: in right order, step by step. Symbolic: gradual, integrated spiritual progress
- ऋतवः (ṛtavaḥ) / ऋतु (ṛtu)
- Literal: seasons. Symbolic: cycles of inner development; periodic rhythms of sādhanā
- साधु (sādhu)
- Literal: rightly, well. Symbolic: in accord with r̥ta—true measure and harmony
- धातृ (dhātṛ)
- Literal: the fashioner/arranger. Symbolic: the cosmic intelligence that composes our life-pattern and destiny-movement
- आयूंषि (āyūṃṣi)
- Literal: life-spans, life-courses. Symbolic: lines of vital-mental energy allotted for growth and fulfillment
Blessing and re-ordering after funeral: prayer that the survivors’ life-courses conform to cosmic order (r̥ta) and remain continuous.
In rites that turn the survivors back toward ordered life and social continuity
Recitation as a blessing over the living, invoking ordered time and longevity
Used as a ‘reset’ mantra after disruption—bereavement, illness, major transitions—to re-establish routine, rhythm, and stepwise progress.
(ṛtu) from √ṛ 'to go, fit, rise in order' and linked to r̥ta-field: 'rightly timed order'. from anu + pūrva 'following the earlier' → sequentiality. √hā 'leave, abandon' (PIE *gʰeh₁- 'leave' debated; Vedic √hā is archaic). from √dhā 'to place, establish' → cosmic establisher (Dhātṛ). √kḷp 'to be fit, be in order' → 'arrange, fashion appropriately'. The verse explicitly models life-continuity on cosmic temporal order—r̥ta made biographical.
R̥ta as temporal order and ethical-psychological continuity, Dhātṛ as cosmic arranger of destinies
Central: days/seasons are r̥ta made visible; human life should mirror that order.
Truth is continuity without falsifying breaks—later does not ‘abandon’ earlier but fulfills it.
Sustenance through cyclic renewal; creation maintained by orderly recurrence and progression.
Integral/psychological Veda: time as a conscious power shaping the evolution of the embodied soul.
day-cycle implied
all seasons as the full round
Regularity of practice; cyclic waves of effort and rest; progressive integration of inner parts.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is 'time as the divine pattern'—cosmic succession (days/seasons) becomes the archetype for human longevity and orderly becoming. The gods are not distant agents but the very law of sequence (anupūrvam) shaping mortal continuity.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The formulaic yathā…yathā…yathā…evā pattern is an inherited Indo-European rhetorical structure (comparative analogy leading to an imperative). √dhā (Dhātṛ) and √kḷp (fit/arrange) preserve archaic notions of 'placing' and 'fitting' as world-making, comparable to other IE creation idioms.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The r̥ṣi appeals to Dhātṛ not for a miracle but for alignment: human life is to be 'fitted' into the same r̥ta that governs days and seasons. Reciprocity is expressed as conformity—by living in ordered succession, the community sustains the divine order that sustains them.
Align personal rhythm with cosmic rhythm: stepwise progress, integration of stages, continuity of aspiration.
ajna (ordering intelligence) with support of anahata (harmonizing continuity)
Box-breath in gentle counts (e.g., 4-4-4-4) to embody ‘anupūrva’ regularity; keep it soft, not forceful.
Collected, rhythmic, harmonized mind; confidence in gradual unfolding.
Reflect on one ‘day’ of practice and one ‘season’ of life: what is the next right step that does not abandon the previous? Offer the life-plan inwardly to Dhātṛ as the organizing intelligence.
Tri-svara; keep the repeated yathā clauses evenly lifted—avoid rushing; preserve udātta peaks on yáthā and dhā́tar.
Mark the parallelism: slight pause after each yathā phrase; final pāda as a clear invocation to Dhātṛ.
yathā: dental ‘th’ aspirated, anupūrvam: long ‘ū’ and clear ‘rv’ cluster, ṛtavaḥ/ṛtubhiḥ: vocalic ‘ṛ’ clean, not ‘ri’, jahāti: ‘h’ audible; long ‘ā’, āyūṃṣi: nasalized ‘ṃ’ before ‘ṣ’
Even, flowing, contemplative; maintain metrical steadiness.
3
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Rig Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
