Rig Veda Sukta 5
Mandala 10Sukta 57 Mantras

Sukta 5

Sukta 10.5

Rishi

Dīrghatamas Āucathya (traditional for RV 10.5)

Devata

Mystic One/Agni-Sūrya principle (hymn is enigmatic; often treated as addressing a hidden cosmic principle rather than a single named deity)

Chandas

Jagatī (probable for RV 10.5; many verses are Jagatī in indices)

Dieser rätselhafte Hymnus betrachtet ein einziges verborgenes kosmisches Prinzip — erfahren als Agni‑Sūrya, das innere Feuer und der solare Seher —, das den Überfluss wie ein „Ozean“ trägt und die geheime Spur enthüllt, die in den Quell des Lebens gelegt ist. Er schreitet durch Bilder verborgener Nahrung, der Pfade des Ṛta (Wahrheits‑Ordnung) und der kosmogonischen Umarmung von Sein und Nichtsein in der Weite der Aditi und gipfelt in Agni als dem Erstgeborenen des Ṛta und der Quelle sowohl von Kraft als auch von Fülle.

Recitation with translationRig Veda 10.5

Mantras

Mantra 1

एकः समुद्रो धरुणो रयीणामस्मद्धृदो भूरिजन्मा वि चष्टे । सिषक्त्यूधर्निण्योरुपस्थ उत्सस्य मध्ये निहितं पदं वेः ॥

Einer ist der Ozean, die tragende Grundlage der Füllen; aus unserem Herzen schaut der Vielgeborene und offenbart. Er heftet das Euter an den verborgenen Sitz; inmitten der Quelle hat er die Spur, den Tritt des Suchenden, niedergelegt.

Mantra 2

समानं नीळं वृषणो वसानाः सं जग्मिरे महिषा अर्वतीभिः । ऋतस्य पदं कवयो नि पान्ति गुहा नामानि दधिरे पराणि ॥

Im selben Nest sich kleidend, sind die mächtigen Männlichen mit ihren Rossen zusammengekommen. Die Kavi hüten den Tritt der Ṛta; im Verborgenen haben sie die höchsten Namen niedergelegt.

Mantra 3

ऋतायिनी मायिनी सं दधाते मित्वा शिशुं जज्ञतुर्वर्धयन्ती । विश्वस्य नाभिं चरतो ध्रुवस्य कवेश्चित्तन्तुं मनसा वियन्तः ॥

Die Ṛta-Gehende und die durch Māyā Wirkende fügen sich zusammen; nachdem sie abgemessen haben, gebären sie das Kind und nähren es. Sie wandeln um den Nabel des Alls, des Unwandelbaren; selbst des Kavi Faden weben sie mit dem Geist aus.

Mantra 4

ऋतस्य हि वर्तनयः सुजातमिषो वाजाय प्रदिवः सचन्ते । अधीवासं रोदसी वावसाने घृतैरन्नैर्वावृधाते मधूनाम् ॥

Denn die Bahnen der Ṛta schließen sich dem Wohlgeborenen an; die Antriebe (íṣaḥ) gesellen sich zur Vāja, zur Fülle der Kraft, aus dem vordersten Himmel. Die beiden Welten, sich in ein Gewand hüllend, wachsen durch geklärte Fülle (ghṛta) und durch Speisen der Wonne, durch die Süßigkeiten des Honigs.

Mantra 5

सप्त स्वसॄररुषीर्वावशानो विद्वान्मध्व उज्जभारा दृशे कम् । अन्तर्येमे अन्तरिक्षे पुराजा इच्छन्वव्रिमविदत्पूषणस्य ॥

Die sieben rötlichen Schwestern hob er, erwacht und wissend, aus der Süße empor — zum Schauen. Diese Uralten waren im Zwischenraum (antarikṣa) eingeschlossen; suchend fand er das verborgene Gehege des Pūṣan.

Mantra 6

सप्त मर्यादाः कवयस्ततक्षुस्तासामेकामिदभ्यंहुरो गात् । आयोर्ह स्कम्भ उपमस्य नीळे पथां विसर्गे धरुणेषु तस्थौ ॥

Sieben feste Grenzmarken zimmerten die Seher im Sein; und von ihnen vermag nur ein einziger Weg die Enge zu durchschreiten. Dort steht der tragende Pfeiler des Höchsten in seinem verborgenen Nest, gegründet in der Öffnung der Wege, in den tragenden Fundamenten.

Mantra 7

असच्च सच्च परमे व्योमन्दक्षस्य जन्मन्नदितेरुपस्थे । अग्निर्ह नः प्रथमजा ऋतस्य पूर्व आयुनि वृषभश्च धेनुः ॥

Nichtsein und Sein sind im höchsten Himmel zusammengefügt: bei der Geburt des Dakṣa, im weiten Schoß der Aditi. Dort ist Agni für uns der Erstgeborene der Ṛta, uralt im Leben, zugleich Stierkraft und Kuh des Überflusses.

Inside Sukta 5

How it unfolds

  1. Where it opens

    A single sustaining reality is proclaimed—an ‘ocean’ of plenitudes—known from within the heart and indicated through secret symbols of nourishment and a hidden path.

  2. Development

    The hymn elaborates the concealed mechanics of Ṛta: impulses and powers join the well-born order; Heaven and Earth are ‘clothed’ and grow through ghee, food, and sweetness—images of both ritual and cosmic nutrition.

  3. Climax

    The paradox of asat and sat held together in the highest heaven, in Dakṣa’s birth within Aditi’s lap—cosmogony stated as a unity of opposites.

  4. Where it settles

    Agni is affirmed as the first-born of Ṛta, ancient in life, simultaneously bull (force) and cow (abundance), leaving the listener anchored in a practical-theological certainty: the hidden source is accessible through Ṛta.

The deity: Hidden One

  • In the VedaDescribed through paradox and symbol: a single sustaining “ocean” of riches, a many-born knower arising from the heart, who fixes the secret udder in a hidden seat and establishes the seeker’s track within the fountain; aligned with Ṛta’s pathways and with Agni as first-born in Aditi’s expanse where being and non-being meet.
  • Cosmic functionTo found and maintain Ṛta (truth-order), mediate between the worlds, and generate nourishment, light, and intelligibility—making the hidden source of plenitude accessible through the right path.
  • Inner significanceThe inward flame of insight that turns the heart into a seer: it discovers the concealed ‘footing’ (pada) of truth within experience, reconciles opposites (asat/sat), and transforms desire and impulse into ordered understanding.

The seer

  • Dīrghatamas ĀucathyaĀucathya (connected with the Ucathya/Angirasa-associated seer families in later tradition) · A visionary poet of highly symbolic, “riddle-like” hymns that probe cosmogony, Ṛta, and the hidden workings of speech and light; he is especially known for paradoxical formulations and layered imagery.

Famous verses

ekaḥ samudro dharuṇo rayīṇām
Verse 10.5.1Sets the hymn’s signature riddle: the One as ocean-base of riches, the many-born seer in the heart, and the hidden ‘udder’ and ‘track’ placed within the fountain—core imagery for the whole sukta.Read verse 10.5.1 →
ऋतस्य हि वर्तनयः सुजातमिषो वाजाय प्रदिवः सचन्ते । अधीवासं रोदसी वावसाने घृतैरन्नैर्वावृधाते मधूनाम् ॥
Verse 10.5.4Articulates the operative principle of Ṛta through ‘paths’ and shows the cosmic-ritual economy: the worlds grow by ghṛta, food, and sweetness—linking metaphysics to yajña.Read verse 10.5.4 →
asac ca sac ca parame vyoman
Verse 10.5.7Provides the culminating cosmogonic statement (asat/sat in the highest heaven within Aditi) and resolves it in Agni as first-born of Ṛta, the double emblem of power and plenty.Read verse 10.5.7 →

Attributes of the deity

  • One-yet-many (ekaḥ… bhūrijanmā)
  • Hidden nourishment (udder in the secret seat)
  • Ṛta-path maker (vartanayaḥ of Ṛta)
  • Cosmogonic polarity-holder (asat and sat together)
  • Agni as first-born of Ṛta
  • Bestower of abundance (bull-force and cow-plenty)

Also by this seer

  • Rig Veda Mandala 1 hymns traditionally linked to Dīrghatamas (notably the riddle/cosmogony cluster such as RV 1.164 in later attributions)
  • Hymns and verses cited in later Vedic-Brāhmaṇa discussions as examples of cryptic (parokṣa) expression and symbolic theology

The rite, step by step

  • Ācamana and sankalpa: establish intention to align with Ṛta and awaken inner Agni
  • Kindle or attend the household/sacrificial fire (Agni), maintaining silence briefly for inward ‘heart-seeing’ (hṛdā dṛṣṭi)
  • Recite RV 10.5 verses with attention to key symbols (ocean, fountain, track/pada, Ṛta-paths)
  • Offer oblations while contemplating the ‘hidden udder’ as the concealed source of nourishment and clarity
  • Conclude with a short prayer for Ṛta-guidance (right path), abundance, and steadiness of mind
  • Śānti/closing: dedicate the fruit of the rite to universal order and well-being

Offerings

  • Ghee (ghṛta) as primary oblation
  • Milk or milk-products (symbolic resonance with udder/cow imagery, where appropriate)
  • Grain or simple food-offering (anna) as ‘nourishment of Ṛta’
  • Optional: soma-substitute offerings in later practice (where tradition permits)

Frequently Asked Questions

The hymn does not focus on a single named god in a simple way. It points to a hidden cosmic principle expressed through Agni (inner fire) and Sūrya-like seership, closely tied to Ṛta (truth-order).

It suggests that the highest reality holds together opposites that the ordinary mind separates. The hymn places both sat (manifest existence) and asat (unmanifest or not-yet) within the supreme expanse, in Aditi’s boundlessness.

These are symbols for concealed nourishment and guidance. The ‘udder’ represents the hidden source of plenty, the ‘fountain’ the wellspring of life, and the ‘track/pada’ the discoverable path of Ṛta that the seeker can follow through insight and right ritual.

Ask anything about Sukta 5 of the Rig Veda

Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.

Not sure where to start?

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.

Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play

Continue reading in the Vedapath app

Open in App
Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play