Rig Veda 8.47.7: Mandala 8, Sukta 47, Mantra 7
Sukta 8.47
- Devata
- Ādityas
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
न तं तिग्मं चन त्यजो न द्रासदभि तं गुरु । यस्मा उ शर्म सप्रथ आदित्यासो अराध्वमनेहसो व ऊतयः सुतयो व ऊतयः ॥
na táṃ tigmáṃ caná tyájo na drā́sad abhí táṃ gurú | yásmā u śárma sa-prátha ādityāso arā́dhvam anehasaḥ vo ūtáyaḥ su-ūtáyaḥ vo ūtáyaḥ ||
Kein scharfer Angriff, kein erdrückendes Gewicht falle auf ihn. Dem, für den ihr weiten Schutz ausbreitet, o Ādityas, seid gnädig; eure Hilfen mögen zu uns kommen, unversehrt, eure guten Hilfen.
Word by Word
- न
- notIndeclinableनिषेध (negation)Root न
- तम्
- him/that (one)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot तद्
- तिग्मम्
- sharp, fierceAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole Karma (विशेषण)Root तिग्म
- चन
- evenIndeclinableअव्यय (emphatic particle, often with negation)Root चन
- त्यजः
- you should abandon/leaveVerbलोट् (imperative); मध्यम पुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRoot त्यज
- न
- notIndeclinableनिषेधRoot न
- द्रासत्
- let (it/he) not harm/assailVerbलुङ्/अोरिस्ट (injunctive/aorist form used with prohibitive sense); तृतीय पुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRoot द्रस्
- अभि
- towards, againstIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्ययRoot अभि
- तम्
- him/that (one)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot तद्
- गुरु
- the heavy/weighty (one)Adjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot गुरु
- यस्य
- whosePronounपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी एकवचनRole Adhikaraṇa (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)Root यद्
- मा
- of me / myPronounषष्ठी एकवचन (enclitic)Role Adhikaraṇa (सम्बन्ध)Root अस्मद्
- उ
- indeedIndeclinableनिपात (emphasis)Root उ
- शर्म
- shelter, protectionNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनRole Karma (as ‘shelter’ sought) / or Kartā depending on construalRoot शर्मन्
- सप्रथः
- widely extended, far-spreadingAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole Kartā (विशेषण)Root स-प्रथ
- आदित्याः
- O ĀdityasNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचनRole KartāRoot आदित्य
- आराध्वम्
- grant, be favorableVerbलोट् (imperative); मध्यम पुरुष; बहुवचन; परस्मैपदRoot राध्
- अनेहसः
- of the unharming/harmless (ones)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी बहुवचनRole Adhikaraṇa (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)Root अ-नेहस्
- वः
- of youPronounषष्ठी बहुवचन (enclitic)Role Adhikaraṇa (सम्बन्ध)Root युष्मद्
- ऊतयः
- helps, protectionsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचनRole KartāRoot ऊति
- सुतयः
- pressings/offerings (of Soma)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचनRole KartāRoot सुति
- वः
- of youPronounषष्ठी बहुवचन (enclitic)Role Adhikaraṇa (सम्बन्ध)Root युष्मद्
- ऊतयः
- helps, protectionsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचनRole KartāRoot ऊति
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (sandhi-resolved): न | तम् | तिग्मम् | चन | त्यजः | न | द्रासत् | अभि | तम् | गुरु | यस्य | मा | उ | शर्म | सप्रथः | आदित्याः | आराध्वम् | अनेहसः | वः | ऊतयः | सुतयः | वः | ऊतयः । प्रमुख संधि/संयोग: (1) चन = च + न (निपात-समुच्चय, ‘even’ with negation)
- (2) द्रासदभि → द्रासत् + अभि (त् + अ → दभि/दभि-प्रकारेण संहितापाठ)
- (3) यस्मा उ → यस्य + मा + उ (संहितापाठ में ‘यस्य मा उ’)
- (4) अरा॑ध्वमने॒हसो॑ → आराध्वम् + अनेहसः (म् + अ → मने… संहिता-संधि)
The meaning
Outer meaning
May no sharp attack or heavy blow fall on the one for whom you spread a wide shelter, O Ādityas. Be gracious; may your harmless, good helps come to us.
Inner meaning
The ‘sharp’ (tigma) and the ‘heavy’ (guru) are inner assaults: piercing thoughts, harsh speech-imprints, acute anxiety; and crushing burdens: guilt, fatigue, oppressive subconscious weight. The Ādityas can ‘spread wide’ (sa-pratha) a shelter in consciousness—expansive peace that makes impacts non-injurious. Grace (arādhvam) here is the turning of higher law into compassionate support for the struggling aspirant.
Universal truth
What harms us most is not the event but the narrowness that makes it unbearable. Wideness of consciousness is the true shelter; it neutralizes both sharp shocks and heavy pressures.
Themes
Protection-from-attack, Expansion-of-conscious-shelter, Āditya-law-and-grace
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 8.47.5-9 (refrain-based sequence)
Family tradition
Maṇḍala 8 protective litany to Ādityas; seer not identifiable from excerpt.
Significance
A classic yogic formula: protection is not mere defense but an inner widening (sapṛthā śarma) that makes the being resilient and receptive to grace.
The deity
- Devata
- Ādityas
- Epithets
- sapṛtha-śarma (wide shelter givers), anehasaḥ (harmless), su-ūtayaḥ (good helps)
- Related deities
- Aditi, Mitra, Varuṇa, Aryaman
Cosmic role
Guardians who maintain balance and prevent destructive forces from striking the aspirant; expand the domain of ṛta in the human instrument.
Inner power
They create spacious peace and lawful harmony, dissolving both acute and chronic inner afflictions.
In ritual
Where it is used
Apotropaic (warding) prayer within Āditya invocations
न तं ति॒ग्मं च॒न त्यजो॒ न द्रा॑सद॒भि तं गु॒रु । यस्मा॑ उ॒ शर्म॑ स॒प्रथ॒ आदि॑त्यासो॒ अरा॑ध्वमने॒हसो॑ व ऊ॒तय॑: सु॒तयो॑ व ऊ॒तय॑: ॥
न । तम् । ति॒ग्मम् । च॒न । त्यजः॑ । न । द्रा॒स॒त् । अ॒भि । तम् । गु॒रु । यस्मै॑ । ऊँ॒ इति॑ । शर्म॑ । स॒ऽप्रथः॑ । आदि॑त्यासः । अरा॑ध्वम् । अ॒ने॒हसः॑ । वः॒ । ऊ॒तयः॑ । सु॒ऽऊ॒तयः॑ । वः॒ । ऊ॒तयः॑ ॥
na | tam | tigmam | cana | tyajaḥ | na | drāsat | abhi | tam | guru | yasmai | oṃ iti | śarma | sa-prathaḥ | ādityāsaḥ | arādhvam | anehasaḥ | vaḥ | ūtayaḥ | su-ūtayaḥ | vaḥ | ūtayaḥ
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Approx. 4×11 with an extended refrain; strong negation openings (na…na…) emphasize protection.
Twofold negation gives a firm ‘warding’ beat; then the shelter phrase opens the cadence.
Creates a protective command-tone followed by spacious relief; effective for calming fear of attack or overwhelm.
- ति॒ग्मम् (tigmam)
- Literal: sharp, pointed. Symbolic: piercing mental formations; acute hostility; cutting self-judgment
- त्यजः (tyajaḥ)
- Literal: assault/attack (cast/throw). Symbolic: sudden impulses and hostile suggestions thrown into the mind
- गुरु (guru)
- Literal: heavy. Symbolic: crushing inertia, sorrow, burden of past impressions
- शर्म (śarma)
- Literal: shelter, peace. Symbolic: inner safe-space of wideness and calm
- स-प्रथः (sa-prathaḥ)
- Literal: widely spread. Symbolic: expansion into bṛhat; spacious consciousness
- अरा॑ध्वम् (arādhvam)
- Literal: be gracious, show favor. Symbolic: let the higher powers consent to act in the human being
Apotropaic/protective prayer; can function as a ‘rakṣā’ verse within recitational sequences seeking removal of hostile strikes and oppressive forces.
When seeking immunity from harm, illness, hostile forces, or social conflict; also during vows/fasts dedicated to truth
Recitation as a verbal ‘shield’; optionally paired with water sprinkling or silent resolve to truthfulness (Āditya ethic)
Use when facing criticism, panic spikes, or oppressive workload; recite to shift from contraction to wideness.
tig ‘sharp’ from √tij/tikṣ ‘to sharpen’ (cf. tikṣṇa); psychological ‘edge’ of hostile force. guru ‘heavy’ from √gur ‘to weigh down’; in inner sense, tamasic pressure. śarma ‘shelter/peace’ from √śṛ/śam ‘to quiet, make happy’; sa-pratha ‘wide-spread’ from pra-√prath ‘to broaden’, indicating expansion of protective consciousness. arādhvam from √rādh ‘to succeed, accomplish, be gracious’; the Gods ‘fulfil’ the seeker by establishing safety in ṛta.
Ṛta as sheltering order (śarma sa-pratha), Grace/fulfilment (√rādh)
The Ādityas’ shelter is the field of ṛta where disorder cannot effectively strike.
Protection is linked with living in truth; grace supports the truthful alignment.
Expansion (prath) as a creative act—widening the inner world.
Integral-yogic reading: wideness as a spiritual defense and condition for higher descent.
Weapons and weights become thought-forms and burdens; the canopy becomes the widened consciousness-field.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is ‘the wide shelter of the Ādityas’: cosmic law-powers spread (pra√prath) a protective field (śarma) so that neither the sharp missile nor the heavy oppression can strike. It is the mythic image of ṛta as a shielded space of right-being.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- pra-√prath ‘to broaden’ corresponds to an archaic IE poetic motif of ‘wide’ protection (breadth = safety). √rādh ‘to accomplish/prosper’ has Indo-Iranian resonance (Avestan rāδ- ‘to succeed/benefit’). The paired opposites ‘sharp/heavy’ reflect a common IE stylistic binarism to cover the full spectrum of threat.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The speaker requests not objects but conditions of consciousness: that the Gods widen peace (śarma) and neutralize both acute and oppressive harms. The reciprocity is ethical-cosmic: by turning to Āditya-order, the seeker becomes eligible for their ‘fulfilment’ (arādhvam).
Establish inner wideness as protection; release fear of ‘sharp’ and ‘heavy’ impacts.
Ajna (discernment against sharp attacks) and Sahasrara/sky-like wideness (sapṛtha)
Inhale imagining expansion above the head; exhale imagining a canopy of peace spreading around you; repeat with refrain.
From defensive vigilance to spacious, protected composure.
Use as a ‘widening shield’ before difficult conversations: chant once, pause, feel space; then repeat refrain 9 times.
Not fully reconstructible; keep the double ‘na…na…’ as clear, firm low-to-mid intonation; let ‘śarma sapratha’ open with a gentle rise.
Emphasize consonant clarity in tigmam/guru; soften into ‘śarma’ and keep refrain even.
tigmam: hard t, clear g-m cluster, drāsat: retroflex ṛ not present; keep long ā, sapratha: articulate pra-tha cleanly, arādhvam: long ā, voiced dhv cluster
Firm at start, then broad and soothing; avoid harshness.
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