Rig Veda 8.8.6: Mandala 8, Sukta 8, Mantra 6
Sukta 8.8
- Rishi
- Kaṇva lineage
- Devata
- Aśvins
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
यच्चिद्धि वां पुर ऋषयो जुहूरेऽवसे नरा । आ यातमश्विना गतमुपेमां सुष्टुतिं मम ॥
yác cid dhí vām purā́ ṛ́ṣayo juhūré ávase narā | ā yātam aśvinā́ gátam úpemā́ṃ suṣṭutíṃ máma ||
Welche Hilfe auch die Seher der Vorzeit euch, o Helden, zum Beistand anriefen — zu eben der kommt nun, o Aśvins; kommt heran zu diesem meinem wohlgefügten Lobpreis; möge die uralte Antwort in uns wieder erwachen.
Word by Word
- यत्
- that whichPronoun (relative)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole Karma (यत् = ‘that which’ as object of ‘did’)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) / यद्-शब्द
- चित्
- even, indeedIndeclinableनिपात (emphatic)Root चित् (निपात)
- हि
- for, indeedIndeclinableनिपात (causal/asseverative)Root हि (निपात)
- वाम्
- of/for you twoPronounषष्ठी/द्वितीया, द्विवचन (enclitic)Role Sampradāna/Adhikaraṇa (contextual: ‘for you two’ / ‘of you two’)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम) → वाम्
- पुरा
- formerly, of oldIndeclinableकालवाचक अव्ययRole Adhikaraṇa (time)Root पुरा (अव्यय)
- ऋषयः
- seersNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
- जुहूरे
- have offered (sacrificially)Verbलिट् (परिपूर्ण/परफेक्ट), आत्मनेपद, 3 पुरुष, बहुवचनRoot हु (धातु) [जुहोति]
- अवसे
- for help, for aidNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole Sampradāna (purpose/benefit)Root अवस् (प्रातिपदिक) / अवस्- ‘help, aid’
- नरा
- O two men/heroesNoun (vocative epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, द्विवचन (Vedic voc. = नरा)Role SambodhanaRoot नर (प्रातिपदिक)
- आ
- hitherIndeclinable (preverb)उपसर्ग (directional: ‘towards, hither’)Root आ (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- यातम्
- come (you two)!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, 2 पुरुष, द्विवचनRoot या (धातु) [याति]
- अश्विना
- O AśvinsNoun (vocative proper)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, द्विवचनRole SambodhanaRoot अश्विन् (प्रातिपदिक; द्विवचन देवता-नाम)
- गतम्
- go/come (you two)!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, 2 पुरुष, द्विवचन (Vedic injunctive/imperative usage alongside यातम्)Root गम् (धातु) [गच्छति]
- उप
- near, up toIndeclinable (preverb)उपसर्ग (near, towards)Root उप (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- इमाम्
- thisPronoun (demonstrative)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम) → इमाम्
- सुष्टुतिम्
- well-made praise, good hymnNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole Karma (apposition to इमाम्)Root सु- + स्तुति (प्रातिपदिक)
- मम
- myPronounषष्ठी, एकवचनRole Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (possessor)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम) → मम
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution: यच्चिद्धि → यत् + चित् + हि
- वां पु॒र → वाम् + पुरा (Vedic shortening/orthography)
- जुहू॒रेऽव॑से → जुहूरे + अवसे (’अ’ after ’ए’ with avagraha)
- आ या॑तमश्वि॒ना → आ + यातम् + अश्विना
- ग॑त॒मुपे॒मां → गतम् + उप + इमाम् (उप + इ- → उपे-)
- सु॑ष्टु॒तिं मम॑ → सुष्टुतिम् + मम
The meaning
Outer meaning
Whatever help the ancient seers once invoked from you, O heroes, for that same help come now, O Aśvins; come near to this my well-made praise.
Inner meaning
The seeker aligns with the perennial stream of realization: the same divine response that answered the forefathers can answer now. ‘Seers of old’ are past heights of consciousness within the lineage and within oneself (earlier moments of clarity). The mantra reopens the channel of invocation—suṣṭuti (well-made praise) is not flattery but a rightly formed inner word that matches the truth-vibration, enabling the Aśvins’ swift restorative action in mind and prāṇa.
Universal truth
Spiritual aid is timeless: when the call is true and well-shaped, the same grace that acted in the past becomes present again; tradition is a living continuity of inner experience.
Themes
ancestral precedent, invocation for help, mantric continuity
The seer
- Rishi
- Kaṇva lineage (speaker in first person within Kāṇva stream)
- Lineage
- Kaṇva
- Other hymns
- RV 1.46 (Aśvins), RV 1.47 (Aśvins), RV 8.8.1-15 (Aśvins, Kāṇva/Vatsa milieu)
Family tradition
Kāṇvas preserve the sense of ‘repeatable revelation’: the hymn is crafted to reproduce an inner state in which gods become present powers.
Significance
The rishi stands as a conduit: by recalling the ancient invocation, he reactivates the archetypal response in the present seeker.
The deity
- Devata
- Aśvinau
- Epithets
- narā (heroes), swift helpers, restorers
- Related deities
- Uṣas, Soma, Agni
Cosmic role
They answer calls for rescue, healing, and right passage; guardians of transitions and renewals.
Inner power
Reopening blocked channels of response; restoring confidence that the inner law works; quick harmonization of dualities (mind/prāṇa, will/feeling).
In ritual
Where it is used
Aśvin invocation at Soma rite / dawn offering (general)
यच्चि॒द्धि वां॑ पु॒र ऋष॑यो जुहू॒रेऽव॑से नरा । आ या॑तमश्वि॒ना ग॑त॒मुपे॒मां सु॑ष्टु॒तिं मम॑ ॥
यत् । चि॒त् । हि । वा॒म् । पु॒रा । ऋष॑यः । जु॒हू॒रे । अव॑से । न॒रा॒ । आ । या॒त॒म् । अ॒श्वि॒ना॒ । आ । ग॒त॒म् । उप॑ । इ॒माम् । सु॒ऽस्तु॒तिम् । मम॑ ॥
yat | cit | hi | vām | purā | ṛṣayaḥ | juhūre | avase | narā | ā | yātam | aśvinā | ā | gatam | upa | imām | su-stutim | mama
32
4×8 (probable)
Narrative-assertive then inviting; a ‘remembering’ cadence followed by a close approach.
Builds faith through recollection, then turns it into immediate invocation; stabilizes the mind’s trust in the process.
- पुरा ऋषयः (purā ṛṣayaḥ)
- Literal: seers of old. Symbolic: earlier realizations; ancestral stream of awakened consciousness
- जुहूरे (juhūre)
- Literal: they offered/invoked. Symbolic: inner offering of will and speech; aspiration poured into the subtle fire
- अवसे (avase)
- Literal: for help. Symbolic: protecting and fostering power that sustains the sadhana
- आ यातम्... उप (ā yātam... upa)
- Literal: come... near. Symbolic: intimate descent of higher influence into the psychological being
- सुस्तुतिम् (suṣṭutim)
- Literal: well-praised / well-made hymn. Symbolic: rightly tuned mantra; accurate formation of thought and feeling
Continuation of soma-invitation; legitimizes the present call by ancestral precedent (ṛṣis purā).
At the beginning of offerings when continuity with ancestral rite is emphasized.
Recitation to invite presence near the altar; reaffirming efficacy of praise and offering.
Use when motivation is low: chant to reconnect with your own ‘past victories’ and the lineage of practice—‘what worked before can work now’.
: perfect/middle 3pl from √hu ‘to pour into fire, invoke’ (PIE *gʰeu- ‘pour’). (avase): ‘help/protection’ from √av ‘protect, favor’—indicates the devatā’s function as saviors. : su- + √stu ‘praise’—rightly formed praise as an instrument of approach (upa).
lineage of revelation (ṛṣi tradition), efficacy of mantra across time, divine help (avas) as rescue in inner struggle
Ṛta; Smṛti as living continuity (not later technical term, but Vedic sense of remembrance); Satya in right-formed speech
Ṛta is dependable across time; the same order answers the same truth-call.
Suṣṭuti is speech aligned with satya; it attracts the true powers.
Re-manifestation: the past revelation becomes present event through mantra.
Integral-Vedic psychology: time as rhythmic recurrence of realizations when conditions are recreated.
Dawn (implicit Aśvin time)
Reawakening of inner ‘morning’—a fresh start where old help becomes newly active.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘ancient invocation repeated’ mythologem: what the forefathers called for, the present seeker calls for again. It asserts continuity of the divine response—revelation as a repeatable inner act.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √hu ‘pour/invoke’ from PIE *gʰeu- ‘pour’ connects sacrifice with libation across IE traditions. √stu ‘praise’ has IE parallels in laudatory speech-acts; the su- prefix marks the Vedic emphasis on ‘rightly formed’ utterance as effective.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi situates himself within a lineage of reciprocal exchange: earlier seers invoked for help and received it; now he offers ‘su-stuti’ and asks the same rescuing powers to draw near—relationship grounded in trust in R̥ta’s repeatable law.
Reconnection with the ‘ancient response’—trust in grace; strengthen the channel of invocation.
Viśuddha (truth-formed speech) supporting Ājñā (clarity).
Box-breath 4-4-4-4 for 4 rounds, then chant on long exhale to steady speech and mind.
Steady remembrance and receptive confidence.
Before chanting, recall one concrete moment of inner help in your life. Chant 9/27 times, then sit 2 minutes feeling that help as a present force, not a memory.
Ṛgvedic accents throughout; elevate udatta on deity-name and key verbs (ā yātam, gatam). Exact pattern needs pada-accented source.
Keep ‘yat cid dhi vām’ flowing (avoid chopping); give a clear call on ‘ā yātam aśvinā’.
juhūre: long ‘ū’, avase: ‘v’ soft, not ‘w’, suṣṭutim: retroflex ‘ṣṭ’ cluster clean; short ‘u’ in ‘tu’, gatam: dental ‘t’
Calm, assured, invitational; slightly softer on the recollective first pāda, clearer call on the second.
9
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.
