Rig Veda 8.55.2: Mandala 8, Sukta 55, Mantra 2
Sukta 8.55
- Rishi
- Kāṇva / Kāṇvāyana
- Devata
- Indra, with imagery of luminous supporting powers
- Chandas
- Not securely determinable from excerpt alone
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
शतं श्वेतास उक्षणो दिवि तारो न रोचन्ते । मह्ना दिवं न तस्तभुः ॥
śatáṃ śvetā́sa ukṣáṇo diví tā́ro ná rocante | mahnā́ diváṃ ná tastabhuḥ ||
Hundert helle Stiere leuchten am Himmel wie Sterne; durch Größe stützen sie den Himmel selbst — so steht das Himmelsgewölbe, getragen von den Kräften des Lichts.
Word by Word
- शतम्
- a hundredNoun (numeral)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (संख्यावाचक)Role विशेषण (उक्षणः इति विशेष्यस्य)Root शत (प्रातिपदिक)
- श्वेतासः
- white, brightAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole विशेषण (उक्षणः)Root श्वेत (प्रातिपदिक)
- उक्षणः
- bulls (strong ones)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (रोचन्ते, तस्तभुः इत्ययोः)Root उक्षन् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘bull’)
- दिवि
- in heaven, in the skyNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग (द्यौः), सप्तमी, एकवचनRole अधिकरणRoot दिव्/द्यौ (प्रातिपदिक)
- तारः
- starsNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole उपमान (न-उपमा; रोचन्ते इत्यस्य)Root तार (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- like, asIndeclinableउपमावाचक अव्ययRole सम्बन्ध/उपमान-निर्देशकRoot न
- रोचन्ते
- they shineVerbलट् (वर्तमाने), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचनRole क्रिया (कर्तृ: उक्षणः)Root रुच् (दीप्तौ)
- मह्ना
- by (their) mightNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करणRoot मघन्/मह्न् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘might, greatness’)
- दिवम्
- the heaven, the skyNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग (द्यौः), द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (तस्तभुः)Root दिव्/द्यौ (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- like, asIndeclinableउपमावाचक अव्ययRole उपमान-निर्देशकRoot न
- तस्तभुः
- they have propped up / upheldVerbलिट् (परोक्ष/परिपूर्ण), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचनRole क्रिया (कर्तृ: उक्षणः)Root स्तभ् (स्तम्भे ‘to prop, support’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद: शतम् | श्वेतासः | उक्षणः | दिवि | तारः | न | रोचन्ते || मह्ना | दिवम् | न | तस्तभुः || 1) ‘श्वेतास उक्षणो’ इत्यत्र संहितायां ‘श्वेतासः’ (प्रथमा बहु) + ‘उक्षणः’ (प्रथमा बहु) — विसर्गलोप/संहितारूपेण पाठभेदः सम्भवः। 2) ‘दिवि’ सप्तमी एकवचन (द्यौः) — स्थानवाचक। 3) ‘दिवं न’ इत्यत्र ‘दिवम्’ (द्वितीया) + ‘न’ (उपमा) — सन्ध्यभावः विशेषः नास्ति।
The meaning
Outer meaning
A hundred bright bulls shine in heaven like stars; by their greatness they uphold the heaven.
Inner meaning
The ‘bright bulls’ are powerful luminous energies (ukṣaṇaḥ as vigorous powers) in the higher consciousness (divi). They shine like stars—fixed points of light, many yet ordered. Their greatness upholds ‘heaven’: the luminous mind-plane is sustained by these strong radiances—stable powers of clarity, intuition, and force. In an Aurobindonian reading, these are the multiple Indric energies or Marut-like powers that support the wide field of consciousness so it does not collapse back into obscurity.
Universal truth
Higher consciousness is maintained by a plurality of steadfast lights—disciplined powers and insights that together uphold a stable inner heaven.
Themes
cosmic-support, luminous-powers, heaven-imagery
The seer
- Rishi
- Kāṇva / Kāṇvāyana tradition
- Lineage
- Kāṇva
- Other hymns
- RV 8.55 (hymn context), RV 1.62–1.64 (cows/rays and Marut powers—imagery parallels, not same family)
Family tradition
Kāṇva imagery often uses luminous cattle/bulls and starry heaven to describe ordered powers of light sustaining the inner world.
Significance
The verse is a contemplative vision: the inner heaven is not vague but architected by many strong lights—an ontology of supporting powers.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra (hymnic context)
- Epithets
- supporter of heaven (implied), lord of luminous powers (implied)
- Related deities
- Maruts (storm-lights/powers), Ādityas (order/ṛta), Sūrya (illumination)
Cosmic role
Organizer and upholder of the luminous world; gathers and empowers the shining forces that sustain the higher plane.
Inner power
Capacity to assemble many lights into a stable, supporting order in consciousness.
In ritual
Where it is used
Praise/vision verse within Indra hymn; may accompany contemplation of Indra’s supporting powers in Soma rite (general)
श॒तं श्वे॒तास॑ उ॒क्षणो॑ दि॒वि तारो॒ न रो॑चन्ते । म॒ह्ना दिवं॒ न त॑स्तभुः ॥
श॒तम् । श्वे॒तासः॑ । उ॒क्षणः॑ । दि॒वि । तारः॑ । न । रो॒च॒न्ते॒ । म॒ह्ना । दिव॑म् । न । त॒स्त॒भुः॒ ॥
śatam | śvetāsaḥ | ukṣaṇaḥ | divi | tāraḥ | na | rocante | mahnā | divam | na | tastabhuḥ
Visionary and expansive; balances multiplicity (śatam) with stability (tastabhuḥ).
Creates a spacious, starry stillness; supports visualization of stable lights in the mind.
- शतम् (śatam)
- Literal: a hundred. Symbolic: multiplicity/completeness of powers; many-sided force
- श्वेतासः (śvetāsaḥ)
- Literal: white/bright. Symbolic: purity and luminous clarity
- उक्षणः (ukṣaṇaḥ)
- Literal: bulls. Symbolic: strong uplifting energies; vigorous powers of illumination
- दिवि (divi)
- Literal: in heaven. Symbolic: in the luminous mind-plane / higher consciousness
- तारः (tārāḥ)
- Literal: stars. Symbolic: steady points of light—guiding truths/insights
- रोचन्ते (rocante)
- Literal: they shine. Symbolic: self-revealing knowledge; radiance of consciousness
- मह्ना (mahnā)
- Literal: by greatness. Symbolic: by expansive power (bṛhat) and intensity
- दिवम् तस्तभुः (divaṃ tastabhuḥ)
- Literal: they upheld the heaven. Symbolic: they stabilize the higher consciousness against relapse
Praise of Indra’s luminous forces; can function as an image of supporting powers invoked in Soma praise.
During Indra-stotra sequences; also suited to nightly or dawn contemplation because of star imagery.
Recitation as descriptive praise (stuti) rather than direct petition.
Use to stabilize meditation: visualize many steady lights upholding the ‘inner sky’ of awareness, preventing collapse into distraction.
√ruc ‘shine’ (PIE *lewk- ‘light’ is a broader cognate field though not a direct one-to-one); √stabh ‘support’ indicates establishing firmness; ukṣan- ‘bull’ as concentrated force; div- ‘sky/heaven’ as luminous consciousness-field.
Bṛhat (vastness) implied by mahnā, supporting of the luminous order (R̥ta as upheld structure)
Stars symbolize r̥ta: many lights arranged in law; the heaven stands by ordered greatness.
Rocante: truth is self-luminous; it shines by its own nature.
Cosmic architecture: heaven upheld by powers—suggests consciousness-worlds maintained by supporting forces.
Vedic cosmopsychology: ‘heaven’ as plane of mind upheld by luminous energies.
night (implied by stars)
Bulls = strong illumined energies; stars = stable insights; sky/heaven = wide mind-plane held steady by greatness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘support of heaven’ mythologem: luminous powers (ukṣaṇaḥ) uphold the div (heaven). Psychologically, the higher mind is stabilized by multiple forces of light, preventing collapse into obscurity.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √stabh ‘support’ relates to a common IE semantic field of ‘stiffening/props’ (cf. Germanic ‘stiff’ as a distant semantic cousin). div-/dyu- is a well-known PIE *dyew- ‘sky, brightness’ complex (dyauḥ/div).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The r̥ṣi contemplates Indra’s domain as a structured luminosity: the god is approached through his supporting hosts/powers. The hymn internalizes cosmic imagery as a map for stabilizing the seeker’s own ‘heaven’ of consciousness.
Stabilize the ‘inner sky’ by placing many steady lights of attention (stars) across awareness.
Ājñā (star-like points of light) with Sahasrāra (heaven-space)
Slow_meditative breathing; on inhale feel ‘lights appear’; on exhale feel ‘heaven upheld’.
Open, luminous witnessing; stable wide awareness.
In meditation, imagine 100 small white-gold lights spread across the mind-sky; each is a truth-point (tārā). Let them hold the space until thoughts quiet naturally.
Requires śākala svara notation source; not safely reconstructible here.
Let ‘śataṃ śvetāsa’ open the space; brighten on ‘tārā na rocante’; give a firm, grounding cadence to ‘tastabhuḥ’.
śvetāsaḥ: ś + v cluster; final ḥ light, ukṣaṇo: kṣ conjunct; short o, rocante: ‘c’ as ‘ch’ in IAST translit conventions? (here ‘c’ is palatal ‘ch’ sound in Sanskrit); keep it crisp, mahnā: ‘h’ clear; long ā, tastabhuḥ: retroflex/aspirate not present; keep ‘stabh’ cluster clear; final ḥ light
Spacious, resonant, slightly softened to evoke night-sky vastness.
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