Rig Veda 7.60.7: Mandala 7, Sukta 60, Mantra 7
Sukta 7.60
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Mitra–Varuṇa
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion) and Shanta (peace)
इमे दिवो अनिमिषा पृथिव्याश्चिकित्वांसो अचेतसं नयन्ति । प्रव्राजे चिन्नद्यो गाधमस्ति पारं नो अस्य विष्पितस्य पर्षन् ॥
imé divó ánimiṣā pṛthivyā́ś cikitvā́ṃso acetásaṃ nayanti | pravrā́je cin nádyo gā́dham asti pā́raṃ no asyá viṣpitásya parṣan ||
Diese unblinzelnden Wächter von Himmel und Erde, die weisen Kenner, führen selbst den Unwahrnehmenden. Auch wo für den Wanderer Strömungen sind, gibt es eine Furt: mögen sie uns ans fernere Ufer dieser gefährlichen Weite hinübertragen.
Word by Word
- इमे
- thesePronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role KartāRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- दिवः
- of heavenNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, एकवचनम्Role Sambandha (genitive qualifier)Root दिव्/द्यौ (प्रातिपदिक: दिव्/द्यौ ‘heaven’)
- अनिमिषाः
- unblinkingAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role Kartā (with इमे) / ViśeṣaṇaRoot अ-निमिष (प्रातिपदिक; न्-निमिष् ‘to wink/blink’)
- पृथिव्याः
- of earthNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, एकवचनम्Role Sambandha (genitive qualifier)Root पृथिवी (प्रातिपदिक)
- चिकित्वांसः
- knowing, discerningAdjective/Participleपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role Kartā (with इमे) / ViśeṣaṇaRoot √चित् (to perceive/notice) → कृत्: क्त्वांस् (परिपूर्ण-भूतकृदन्त)
- अचेतसम्
- the unthinking/heedless (one)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot अ-चेतस् (प्रातिपदिक; चेतस् ‘mind, awareness’)
- नयन्ति
- they leadVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्Role KriyāRoot √नी (to lead)
- प्रव्राजे
- in the wandering/journeyNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, सप्तमी, एकवचनम्Role AdhikaraṇaRoot प्र-व्राज् (प्रातिपदिक/भाव: प्रव्राज् ‘wandering, journeying, going forth’)
- चित्
- evenIndeclinableअव्ययम्Role (particle)Root चित् (निपात)
- नद्यः
- riversNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role KartāRoot नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
- गाधम्
- a ford, a passable depthNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role Kartā (with अस्ति) / Predicate-nominativeRoot गाध (प्रातिपदिक; ‘ford, depth/passable place’)
- अस्ति
- there isVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role KriyāRoot √अस् (to be)
- पारम्
- to the far shore, acrossNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot पार (प्रातिपदिक; ‘far shore, crossing’)
- नः
- for us / of usPronounषष्ठी (एन्क्लिटिक), बहुवचनम्Role Sampradāna (beneficiary) / SambandhaRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- अस्य
- of thisPronounपुं/नपुंसकः, षष्ठी, एकवचनम्Role Sambandha (genitive qualifier)Root इदम् (सर्वनाम)
- विष्पितस्य
- of the wide/extended (one/thing)Adjectiveपुं/नपुंसकः, षष्ठी, एकवचनम्Role Sambandha (qualifier of अस्य)Root वि-ष्पित (प्रातिपदिक; ‘wide/extended, spread out’—RV usage)
- पर्षन्
- carry (us) across!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपदम्, मध्यमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्Role KriyāRoot √पॄ/पृ (to carry over, bring across; Vedic: ‘to ferry, save’)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolved as: इमे | दिवः | अनिमिषाः | पृथिव्याः | चिकित्वांसः | अचेतसम् | नयन्ति । प्रव्राजे | चित् | नद्यः | गाधम् | अस्ति | पारम् | नः | अस्य | विष्पितस्य | पर्षन् । Notes: (1) पृथिव्याः + चिकित्वांसः shows external sandhi with loss of visarga/hiatus handling in saṃhitā
- padapāṭha keeps पृथिव्याः | चिकित्वांसः. (2) चिन्नद्यः in saṃhitā = चित् | नद्यः (t + n → nn with assimilation). (3) नो = नः (enclitic gen./dat. ‘us’) before vowel. (4) पर्षन् is Vedic injunctive/imperative-like form used with lōṭ sense ‘carry across’
- treated here as lōṭ 2pl per RV idiom
The meaning
Outer meaning
These sleepless watchers of Heaven and Earth, the wise knowers, lead even the unperceiving mind. Even for the wanderer the rivers have a ford; may they carry us to the farther shore of this perilous expanse.
Inner meaning
Mitra–Varuṇa are ‘animiṣāḥ’—unblinking: constant inner vigilance of truth and harmony across ‘heaven and earth’—the higher mind and the physical-vital foundation. They can lead even the ‘acetasa’ (unperceiving) because their knowledge is intrinsic (cikitvāṃsaḥ). In the wandering state (pravrāje)—when consciousness is dispersed and the currents of life are turbulent—there is still a ‘gādha’ (ford): a practicable passage discovered by divine discernment. The prayer is for crossing to the ‘pāram’—the farther shore: a stable, luminous consciousness beyond the dangerous spread (viṣpita) of mixed existence.
Universal truth
Even in confusion and danger, there is a crossing. Persistent inner guardianship and truth-knowledge can guide us through life’s currents to a safer, higher ground of being.
Themes
crossing symbolism, divine guardianship, journey through peril, awakening of mind
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Other hymns
- RV 7.86 (Varuṇa: bonds, release, protection), RV 7.88 (Varuṇa: wideness and purification), RV 7.60.6 (good path beyond crookedness)
Family tradition
The Vasiṣṭha line often portrays the Ādityas as vigilant guardians and guides across danger; their hymns combine confession, protection, and the straight crossing to ṛta.
Significance
A yogic prayer for safe crossing: the gods are not distant; they are the unblinking awareness that can lead the unconscious through life’s currents to the farther shore.
The deity
- Devata
- Mitra–Varuṇa (guardians of Heaven and Earth)
- Epithets
- animiṣāḥ (unblinking), cikitvāṃsaḥ (wise knowers), pāra-dātārau (givers of the farther shore—implied)
- Related deities
- Pūṣan (guide), Sarasvatī (ford/crossing, inspiration), Agni (leader through difficulty)
Cosmic role
Cosmic watchmen maintaining the junction of heaven and earth; they oversee passages, boundaries, and lawful crossings.
Inner power
Unceasing inner mindfulness and protection; capacity to reveal a ‘ford’—a practical crossing through psychological turbulence.
In ritual
Where it is used
Prayers for protection, safe passage, and guidance; suitable in travel rites and expiatory contexts
इ॒मे दि॒वो अनि॑मिषा पृथि॒व्याश्चि॑कि॒त्वांसो॑ अचे॒तसं॑ नयन्ति । प्र॒व्रा॒जे चि॑न्न॒द्यो॑ गा॒धम॑स्ति पा॒रं नो॑ अ॒स्य वि॑ष्पि॒तस्य॑ पर्षन् ॥
इ॒मे । दि॒वः । अनि॑ऽमिषा । पृ॒थि॒व्याः । चि॒कि॒त्वांसः॑ । अ॒चे॒तस॑म् । न॒य॒न्ति॒ । प्र॒ऽव्रा॒जे । चि॒त् । न॒द्यः॑ । गा॒धम् । अ॒सि॒ । पा॒रम् । नः॒ । अ॒स्य । वि॒ष्पि॒तस्य॑ । प॒र्ष॒न् ॥
ime | divaḥ | ani-miṣā | pṛthivyāḥ | cikitvāṃsaḥ | acetasam | nayanti | pra-vrāje | cit | nadyaḥ | gādham | asi | pāram | naḥ | asya | viṣpitasya | parṣan
44
4 × 11
Watchful and urgent yet controlled; the last pāda turns into an explicit prayer for crossing.
Creates a protective atmosphere; helps the listener feel guided through uncertainty toward safety.
- अनिमिषा (animiṣā)
- Literal: unblinking, sleepless. Symbolic: unceasing vigilance of truth-consciousness; constant protection and awareness
- दिवः पृथिव्याः (divaḥ pṛthivyāḥ)
- Literal: of heaven and earth. Symbolic: higher mind/illumination (heaven) and embodied life (earth) held together in right order
- चिकित्वांसः (cikitvāṃsaḥ)
- Literal: wise, knowing. Symbolic: intrinsic knowledge that can guide through complexity
- अचेतसम् (acetasaṃ)
- Literal: unperceiving. Symbolic: confused or inert parts of mind-life
- प्रव्राजे (pravrāje)
- Literal: in wandering/exile. Symbolic: dispersed consciousness; seeker’s unstable phase; life’s transitional turbulence
- नद्यः (nadyaḥ)
- Literal: rivers/currents. Symbolic: streams of life-force, desires, thoughts, events that can sweep one away
- गाधम् (gādham)
- Literal: ford, shallow crossing. Symbolic: a workable passage—practical method or moment of grace to cross difficulty
- पारम् (pāram)
- Literal: farther shore. Symbolic: secure higher consciousness beyond peril and mixture
- विष्पितस्य (viṣpitasya)
- Literal: of the perilous expanse/spread. Symbolic: the dangerous wideness of saṃsāric mixture—where one can be lost without guidance
Protective crossing/prayer motif suited to journey and rite-transitions; recited within Soma liturgy sequences addressed to Mitra–Varuṇa.
At liminal times (journeys, transitions, crises); also as evening recitation invoking the ‘unblinking’ guardianship
Recitation as protective śānti; mental surrender and request for guidance to the farther shore
Use during anxiety, grief, or major life transitions: chant slowly, then visualize a ford appearing in turbulent waters; take one grounded step across.
animiṣa ‘unblinking’ = an- (neg.) + miṣa from √miṣ ‘to wink/blink’. cikitvāṃs- perfect participle from √cit/√cik ‘to perceive, notice, understand’ (intensive/strengthened stem). nadī ‘river’ from √nad ‘to roar/flow’ (streaming movement). gādha ‘ford, shallow/passable depth’ from √gāh ‘to plunge, enter’; paradoxically ‘gādham’ becomes the place where one can safely enter/cross—psychologically, a stable entry into difficult currents. parṣan from √pṛ ‘to carry over, bring across’ (cf. parā ‘across’). viṣpita: from vi- + √spit/√spiṭ (rare; sense ‘spread out, perilous expanse’ in RV usage), indicating a dangerous widened field of movement.
divine vigilance (animiṣa), guidance across peril (pāram, parṣan), knowledge-power (cikitvāṃs)
The ‘ford’ is ṛta made practical—right measure and right moment within flowing life-currents.
Truth is protective vigilance (animiṣā) and wise guidance (cikitvāṃsaḥ), not mere doctrine.
Crossing from mixed peril to stable farther shore suggests evolutionary transition between consciousness-levels.
Yoga of transition and ascent; resonates with Upaniṣadic ‘crossing over’ (tīrṇa/pāra) motifs though expressed in Vedic symbolic language.
Rivers = turbulent life-forces and thought-streams; ford = discovered method/grace; farther shore = stable higher consciousness; unblinking watchers = constant inner awareness guarding the journey.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘crossing to the farther shore’ mythologem: divine powers provide a gādha (ford) amid rushing nadyaḥ (currents). In inner terms, the gods establish a stable passage through turbulent life-forces, carrying the seeker beyond the perilous field (viṣpita).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- an- privative negation continues PIE *n̥-. nadī from √nad ‘roar/flow’ parallels PIE sound/flow roots (cf. ‘noise/roar’ families), while the ‘path/crossing’ complex (pāra-, par-) reflects the widespread IE metaphor of ‘beyond/over’ for transcendence (cf. English ‘far’, ‘forth’ are not direct cognates but share spatial metaphor; better: Latin per ‘through’ from PIE *per).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi positions the human as pravrājin (one who goes forth into the unknown). Mitra–Varuṇa respond as ever-watchful intelligences (cikitvāṃsaḥ, animiṣāḥ) who do not merely command but actively ‘lead’ and ‘carry across’—a pedagogy of safe passage through inner turbulence.
Invoke unblinking inner guardianship; feel heaven and earth within you being held in right relation; ask for the ‘ford’ through your present turbulence.
Mūlādhāra (earth stability) aligned with Ājñā (wise guidance)
Grounding breath: inhale down the spine to the base (earth), exhale up to the brow (heaven) for 12 rounds; then silent listening for the next ‘ford-step’.
From scattered wandering to held, guided continuity; from fear to trust.
When overwhelmed, do not fight the river—look for the ford: one simple stabilizing practice (sleep, truthful talk, a boundary, a prayer). Chant, then act on the smallest clear guidance.
Respect marked accents (e.g.,,,,, ). Keep the prayerful final pāda slightly more supplicatory in tone while maintaining Vedic pitch rules.
Hold steadiness on ‘animiṣā’; give bright clarity to ‘cikitvāṃsaḥ’; slow slightly on ‘gādham asti’ (the ford revealed); end with a sincere cadence on ‘parṣan’.
animiṣā: retroflex ṣ; keep short i vowels distinct, cikitvāṃso: nasal ‘āṃ’ before s; do not drop the nasalization, pravrāje: conjunct vr; long ā, viṣpitasya: retroflex ṣ; keep cluster ṣp clear
Protective, deep, steady; slightly softer on the final prayer phrase.
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