Sukta 106
Sukta 1.106
Likely Kutsa Āṅgirasa (traditional for RV 1.106) or associated seer-family in anukramaṇī; requires confirmation by specific śākha anukramaṇī
Viśvedevāḥ / collective invocation (Indra, Mitra, Varuṇa, Agni, Maruts, Aditi; addressed also to Vasus)
Jagatī (probable for RV 1.106.1 by syllable length; needs metrical verification)
This hymn is a collective invocation to the Viśvedevāḥ—Indra, Mitra-Varuṇa, Agni, the Maruts, Aditi, and allied powers—seeking protection, increase, and safe passage through distress. A recurring refrain asks the Vasus, as generous helpers, to draw the worshipper out of every “difficult pass” like a chariot rescued from a narrow gorge. The closing verses widen the protection to cosmic supports—Aditi, Sindhu, Earth, and Heaven—so the sacrificer may be guarded without lapse.
Mantras
Mantra 1
इन्द्रं मित्रं वरुणमग्निमूतये मारुतं शर्धो अदितिं हवामहे । रथं न दुर्गाद्वसवः सुदानवो विश्वस्मान्नो अंहसो निष्पिपर्तन ॥
For help we call Indra, Mitra, Varuṇa, Agni, the Marut host, and Aditi. O Vasus, generous givers, as a chariot from a hard pass, carry us out from every straitness and inner distress.
Mantra 2
त आदित्या आ गता सर्वतातये भूत देवा वृत्रतूर्येषु शम्भुवः । रथं न दुर्गाद्वसवः सुदानवो विश्वस्मान्नो अंहसो निष्पिपर्तन ॥
O Ādityas, come for our total well-being; be powers of peace for us in the battles with the obstructors. O Vasus, generous givers, as a chariot from a hard pass, carry us out from every straitness and distress.
Mantra 3
अवन्तु नः पितरः सुप्रवाचना उत देवी देवपुत्रे ऋतावृधा । रथं न दुर्गाद्वसवः सुदानवो विश्वस्मान्नो अंहसो निष्पिपर्तन ॥
May the Fathers, the well-uttered ones, foster us; and may the Goddess, the daughter of the Gods, increaser of the Truth, foster us. O Vasus, generous givers, as one draws a chariot out of a difficult pass, so draw us out from every constriction and inner wrong.
Mantra 4
नराशंसं वाजिनं वाजयन्निह क्षयद्वीरं पूषणं सुम्नैरीमहे । रथं न दुर्गाद्वसवः सुदानवो विश्वस्मान्नो अंहसो निष्पिपर्तन ॥
We seek here with gracious boons Nārāśaṃsa, the forceful one who increases plenitude, and Pūṣan who founds a dwelling rich in heroic energies. O Vasus, generous givers, as from a hard pass a chariot is drawn out, so deliver us from every constriction and inner wrong.
Mantra 5
बृहस्पते सदमिन्नः सुगं कृधि शं योर्यत्ते मनुर्हितं तदीमहे । रथं न दुर्गाद्वसवः सुदानवो विश्वस्मान्नो अंहसो निष्पिपर्तन ॥
O Bṛhaspati, make for us always an easy and luminous going; the peace and right felicity that is set by Manu for thee—that we seek. O Vasus, generous givers, as one draws a chariot out of a hard pass, so draw us out from every constriction and inner wrong.
Mantra 6
इन्द्रं कुत्सो वृत्रहणं शचीपतिं काटे निबाळ्ह ऋषिरह्वदूतये । रथं न दुर्गाद्वसवः सुदानवो विश्वस्मान्नो अंहसो निष्पिपर्तन ॥
Kutsa called Indra, the slayer of the Coverer, the lord of effective power, from the strait when pressed down, for succour. O Vasus, generous givers, as one draws a chariot out of a hard pass, so draw us out from every constriction and inner wrong.
Mantra 7
देवैर्नो देव्यदितिर्नि पातु देवस्त्राता त्रायतामप्रयुच्छन् । तन्नो मित्रो वरुणो मामहन्तामदितिः सिन्धुः पृथिवी उत द्यौः ॥
With the gods may the Goddess Aditi guard us; may the divine Protector protect us, unwearied and unbroken. May Mitra and Varuṇa enlarge us; and Aditi, and the River of flowing force, and Earth, and Heaven.
Frequently Asked Questions
Viśvedevāḥ means “All the Gods.” Here it is a collective call to several key deities—Indra, Mitra, Varuṇa, Agni, the Maruts, Aditi—and especially the Vasus as generous protectors.
It compares human distress to being stuck in a narrow, dangerous mountain passage. The hymn asks the Vasus to pull the worshipper out of every tightness and trouble, just as a chariot is drawn safely out of a difficult gorge.
The ending widens the protection beyond one problem to the whole world around the worshipper. Aditi represents boundless safeguarding, while Sindhu, Earth, and Heaven stand for the stable cosmic supports that sustain life and order.