Rig Veda 7.56.20: Mandala 7, Sukta 56, Mantra 20
Sukta 7.56
इमे रध्रं चिन्मरुतो जुनन्ति भृमिं चिद्यथा वसवो जुषन्त । अप बाधध्वं वृषणस्तमांसि धत्त विश्वं तनयं तोकमस्मे ॥
imé radhráṃ cit marúto junanti bhṛ́miṃ cid yáthā vásavo juṣánta | ápa bādhadhvaṃ vṛ́ṣaṇas támāṃsi dháttá víśvaṃ tánayaṃ tókám asmē ||
Diese Maruts treiben selbst den Trägen und Strauchelnden voran, wie die Vasus sich an rechter Bewegung erfreuen. O Starke, stoßt die Finsternisse fort; setzt in uns die ganze Ordnung fest — unsere Nachkommenschaft und unser wachsendes Geschlecht.
Prayer for removal of darkness/obstruction and for integral increase (tanaya/toka) in the sacrificer; suitable in Soma contexts seeking protection and growth.
tamas as obscuration, integrality (viśvam), growth/continuity of being (tanaya, toka)
Right movement (as Vasus ‘delight’) is the lived expression of ṛta in action.
Expulsion of tamas enables truth to become operative in mind and life.
From chaos/stumble to ordered formation; establishment of a complete ‘world’ within (viśvam).
Vedic integralism: transformation of nature (prakṛti) by higher powers; not world-negation but world-formation.
pre-dawn to sunrise (implied by ‘thrust away darknesses’)
Wind = driving prāṇa; darkness = subconscient cover; sunrise = emergence of clarity and right rhythm.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The storm-host as the remover of darkness and the impeller of stalled movement: they drive even the errant and weak forward and clear tamas. Innerly, they are the energies that correct inertia and wandering, and establish a complete growth (viśvam tanayam tokam) in the aspirant.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- tamas ‘darkness’ reflects PIE *temH- (cf. Sanskrit tamas, Greek temenos? not direct; but Germanic dim, Latin tenebrae in the same semantic domain). √bhram ‘wander’ aligns with PIE *bʰrem-/*bʰer- extensions (semantic wander/turn). √dhā (PIE *dʰeh₁-) again shows archaic stability of core verbal lexicon.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi asks the Maruts not only to protect but to actively transform: remove obscuration and install completeness and growth. The relationship is pedagogic/operative—divine forces are invoked as inner workers of evolution rather than external benefactors alone.
Bring attention to the weakest habit or most confused movement; invoke Marut-force to ‘drive it forward’ and set a new right rhythm.
muladhara (tamas/inertia) to manipura (drive) integration
Kapalabhati-light (if suitable) 30 strokes to expel ‘tamāṃsi’, then slow coherent breathing while chanting the last pāda for ‘establishment’.
Clearing and rebuilding; from tamasic drag to sattvic-rajasic right force.
Do not identify with the ‘radhra/bhṛmi’ parts—offer them. After chanting, take one concrete right action immediately to anchor the new movement (Vasu-like stability).
Rigvedic accentuation; give firm articulation on imperative forms (apa bādhadhvam, dhatta).
Slightly lengthen the pause after ‘tamāṃsi’ to mark the turning point from clearing to establishing.
junanti: soft ‘j’, clear ‘na’, bhṛmiṃ: vocalic ṛ, anusvāra before m, bādhadhvam: aspirate ‘dh’, conjunct ‘dhv’ clean, tamāṃsi: long ā, retroflex ṇ not present—keep dental n, tanayaṃ tokam: keep both nasals clear, avoid elision
Forceful on the clearing commands, then warm and steady on the establishing prayer.
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.
