Rig Veda 8.18.5: Mandala 8, Sukta 18, Mantra 5
Sukta 8.18
- Devata
- Ādityas
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
ते हि पुत्रासो अदितेर्विदुर्द्वेषांसि योतवे । अंहोश्चिदुरुचक्रयोऽनेहसः ॥
té hí putrā́so aditéḥ vidúr dveṣā́ṃsi yótave | aṃhóś cid uru-cákrayo 'nehásaḥ ||
Denn sie, die Söhne der Aditi, wissen die Feindschaften abzuwehren; selbst aus Bedrängnis heraus sind sie weitberädert, ohne Enge dahinschreitend.
Word by Word
- ते
- theyPronounपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role KartāRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- हि
- indeed, forIndeclinableनिपातःRoot हि (निपात)
- पुत्रासः
- sonsNounपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role KartāRoot पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- अदितेः
- of AditiNounस्त्रीलिङ्गे षष्ठी एकवचनम्Root अदिति (प्रातिपदिक)
- विदुः
- they knowVerbलिट् (परस्मैपदम्), प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्Root √विद् (विदँ ज्ञाने)
- द्वेषांसि
- hatreds, hostile actsNounनपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया बहुवचनम्Role KarmaRoot द्वेषस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- योतवे
- to repel / to yoke awayVerbतुमर्थे दातिव-प्रत्ययान्तः (वैदिकः), अव्ययवत्; ‘to yoke/ward off/drive away’Role Prayojana (purpose)Root √यु (युजँ संयमने/योजने) → योतृ/योतु (Vedic infinitive base)
- अंहोः
- of distress, of sinNounनपुंसकलिङ्गे षष्ठी एकवचनम्Root अंहस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- चित्
- evenIndeclinableअव्ययम् (अपि/एव-अर्थे)Root चित् (निपात)
- उरुचक्रयः
- wide-wheeled (far-ranging)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role KartāRoot उरु-चक्र (बहुव्रीहि/कर्मधारय-समास; प्रातिपदिक)
- अनेहसः
- unharmed, untroubledAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role KartāRoot अ-नेहस् (प्रातिपदिक; नञ्-समास)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: ते | हि | पुत्रासः | अदितेः | विदुः | द्वेषांसि | योतवे | अंहोः | चित् | उरुचक्रयः | अनेहसः । 1) ‘अदितेर्विदुः’ इति संहितायां र् + व् संयोगः। 2) ‘योतवे अंहोः’ इत्यत्र संहितायां ‘योतवेऽंहोः’ (ए + अ → एऽ) अवग्रहः। 3) ‘उरुचक्रयोऽनेहसः’ इत्यत्र ‘उरुचक्रयः अनेहसः’ (अः + अ → ओऽ) विसर्ग-सन्धिः।
The meaning
Outer meaning
The sons of Aditi know how to drive away hostilities; even from distress they are wide-wheeled, moving without constriction.
Inner meaning
Hostilities (dveṣāṃsi) are inner and outer forces of division—hatred, doubt, denial, and the pressure of the subconscient. The Ādityas, as powers of truth and wideness, know the art of yoking them away (yotave): they re-align the movements so opposition loses its grip. ‘Uru-cakrayaḥ’ (wide-wheeled) indicates vast, steady progress; ‘anehasaḥ’ (without constriction) points to freedom from narrowness—the hallmark of solar consciousness.
Universal truth
The surest victory over resistance is wideness: when consciousness expands into truth, hostility cannot find a hold, and even suffering becomes a passage into greater freedom.
Themes
repelling hostility, freedom from distress, Āditya-vastness
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 8.18.1, Rig Veda 8.18.2, Rig Veda 8.18.3, Rig Veda 8.18.4
Significance
The seer emphasizes a practical psychology: truth-powers are not abstract; they actively remove inner hostilities and convert distress into spacious motion.
The deity
- Devata
- Ādityas (sons of Aditi)
- Epithets
- uru-cakrayaḥ (wide-wheeled), anehasaḥ (unconstricted)
- Related deities
- Aditi, Indra (as slayer of coverer; complementary), Agni (as leader of inner sacrifice; complementary)
Cosmic role
Protectors and wideners of the journey of beings; they maintain freedom of movement against forces of narrowing and conflict.
Inner power
Widening force that dissolves hostility; luminous mastery that redirects energies and establishes spacious progress.
In ritual
Where it is used
Apotropaic/protective use: repelling hostility and distress; recitable in contexts of seeking social harmony and inner freedom from constriction.
ते हि पु॒त्रासो॒ अदि॑तेर्वि॒दुर्द्वेषां॑सि॒ योत॑वे । अं॒होश्चि॑दुरु॒चक्र॑योऽने॒हस॑: ॥
ते । हि । पु॒त्रासः॑ । अदि॑तेः । वि॒दुः । द्वेषां॑सि । योत॑वे । अं॒होः । चि॒त् । उ॒रु॒ऽचक्र॑यः । अ॒ने॒हसः॑ ॥
te | hi | putrāsaḥ | aditeḥ | viduḥ | dveṣāṃsi | yotave | aṃhoḥ | cit | uru-cakrayaḥ | anehasaḥ
Not securely identifiable; compact statement with strong caesura after yotave.
Energetic and liberating; the ‘wide wheel’ image gives a rolling, expansive feel.
Breaks the sense of oppression; evokes courage and spaciousness during difficulty.
- पुत्रासः अदितेः (putrāsaḥ aditeḥ)
- Literal: sons of Aditi. Symbolic: truth-powers born of infinity: luminous faculties in the seeker
- द्वेषांसि (dveṣāṃsi)
- Literal: hostilities, hates. Symbolic: forces of division—inner negativity and opposing impulses
- योतवे (yotave)
- Literal: to yoke/drive away. Symbolic: to harness and redirect energies; disciplined removal of obstruction
- अंहोः (aṃhoḥ)
- Literal: distress, narrowness, trouble. Symbolic: psychological suffering and constriction of consciousness
- उरुचक्रयः (uru-cakrayaḥ)
- Literal: wide-wheeled. Symbolic: vast, stable progress; large capacity to move through worlds
- अनेहसः (anehasaḥ)
- Literal: unconstricted, without pressure. Symbolic: freedom from narrowing; expansive peace-power
Apotropaic/protective use: repelling hostility and distress; recitable in contexts of seeking social harmony and inner freedom from constriction.
Chant during periods of conflict, harassment, or inner negativity; use as an affirmation of widening beyond distress.
√vid (knowledge) is central to Āditya function as law-knowers. dveṣa ‘hate/hostility’ from √dviṣ ‘to hate’. uru ‘wide’ contrasts with aṃhas/nehas ‘narrowness/anguish’, encoding the Vedic polarity: vastness vs. constriction. cakra ‘wheel’ (PIE *kʷekʷlo-) is a classic Indo-European image of movement/order.
vastness (uru) versus constriction (aṃhas/nehas), Rita as free, unobstructed movement
Hostilities are forces of anṛta (crookedness); Ādityas restore ṛta by widening and right re-yoking.
Truth as freedom from constriction (anehas).
Evolution through resistance: distress becomes a field for expansion into wideness.
Vedic psychology of transformation: opposition converted by higher law and wideness.
day (solar wideness)
When the inner ‘wheels’ widen (capacity of consciousness), the journey becomes smooth; hostility is outpaced and dissolved.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is the ‘repulsion of hostile powers’ by the Ādityas: they know the art of turning back division (dveṣa) and restoring wide movement (uru-cakra), freeing the being from aṃhas (anguish).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- cakra ‘wheel’ corresponds to PIE *kʷekʷlo- (cf. Greek kýklos, English wheel via different root but conceptually parallel). √dviṣ relates to PIE *dwei- ‘to fear/avoid’ in some proposals; more securely, Indo-Iranian preserves a specialized hostility lexeme. The uru vs. aṃhas polarity is a shared archaic poetic device mapping space to psyche.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The Rishi relies on the Ādityas’ knowledge-power (viduḥ) as an active protection: the human asks not only for comfort but for a divine widening that dissolves inner hostility and outer enmity.
Identify a present ‘dveṣa’ (resentment, fear, self-attack). Offer it to the Ādityas and feel the consciousness widen until the hostility loses force.
anahata
brisk_energetic 3-part breathing (diaphragm–ribs–upper chest) for 9 rounds, then slow exhale while chanting once
Expansive courage; release from constriction.
After chanting, practice ‘widening’: feel space around the body in all directions; hold the difficulty inside that space without reacting; then act from the widened state.
Śākha-specific svara not provided; chant with a strong lift on ‘dveṣāṃsi’ and a broadening tone on ‘uru-cakrayaḥ’.
Phrase clearly: te hi putrāso aditer | vidur dveṣāṃsi yotave || aṃhoś cid | urucakrayo ’nehasaḥ; do not rush the final compound.
putrāsaḥ: tr conjunct; long ā, aditer: d dental; short e, dveṣāṃsi: ṣ retroflex; nasal ṃ, yotave: yo long o; v soft, urucakrayaḥ: ru-ru clear; cakra with ‘kr’ cluster, ’nehasaḥ: initial elision from a-nehasaḥ; keep n sound clear
Bright and expansive; slightly stronger volume in second half to embody ‘wideness’.
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