Sukta 90
Sukta 1.90
Collective deities invoked for well-being (svasti) / protective powers (plural ‘te amṛtāḥ’)
This hymn is a prayer to the collective “Immortal Powers” (amṛtāḥ)—often understood as the Ādityas and allied guardians of ṛta—to grant svasti (well-being), protection, and a secure inner and outer peace. It asks that hostile forces and ill-will be driven away, while the worlds of experience (night, dawn, earth-region, and heaven) become “honeyed” (madhu), i.e., harmonious, auspicious, and supportive of right living.
Mantras
Mantra 1
ऋजुनीती नो वरुणो मित्रो नयतु विद्वान् । अर्यमा देवैः सजोषाः ॥
May Varuṇa and Mitra, knowing the straight lead, guide us; and Aryaman, in one accord with the Gods.
Mantra 2
ते हि वस्वो वसवानास्ते अप्रमूरा महोभिः । व्रता रक्षन्ते विश्वाहा ॥
For they are the true possessors of the riches of being; undeluded, by their great powers they guard the laws of right working day by day.
Mantra 3
ते अस्मभ्यं शर्म यंसन्नमृता मर्त्येभ्यः । बाधमाना अप द्विषः ॥
May they, the Immortal Powers, grant to us a sheltering peace for the mortals—driving far away the hostile forces that oppose the soul’s advance.
Mantra 4
वि नः पथः सुविताय चियन्त्विन्द्रो मरुतः । पूषा भगो वन्द्यासः ॥
May Indra and the Maruts, and Pūṣan and Bhaga—powers worthy of our reverence—clear and set out our paths for a happy going and right fulfillment.
Mantra 5
उत नो धियो गोअग्राः पूषन्विष्णवेवयावः । कर्ता नः स्वस्तिमतः ॥
And may our thoughts, led by the rays of Light, be made to move rightly—O Pūṣan, O Viṣṇu of wide going—become for us the maker of a state filled with well-being.
Mantra 6
मधु वाता ऋतायते मधु क्षरन्ति सिन्धवः । माध्वीर्नः सन्त्वोषधीः ॥
Sweet is the Breath (the winds) moving in the law of Truth; sweet flow the rivers of being. May the healing powers in us become honeyed—filled with delight and harmony.
Mantra 7
मधु नक्तमुतोषसो मधुमत्पार्थिवं रजः । मधु द्यौरस्तु नः पिता ॥
Honeyed be our night and our dawn; honeyed the earthly realm of movement. Honeyed be Heaven, our father—so that all states of consciousness are filled with delight and rightness.
Mantra 8
मधुमान्नो वनस्पतिर्मधुमाँ अस्तु सूर्यः । माध्वीर्गावो भवन्तु नः ॥
Honeyed be for us the Lord of the forest-growth; honeyed be the Sun. May the Cows—rays of illumination—become honeyed for us, yielding delight and knowledge together.
Mantra 9
शं नो मित्रः शं वरुणः शं नो भवत्वर्यमा । शं न इन्द्रो बृहस्पतिः शं नो विष्णुरुरुक्रमः ॥
Peace to us from Mitra, peace from Varuṇa; peace to us may Aryaman become. Peace to us from Indra and Bṛhaspati; peace to us from Viṣṇu of the wide stride—may all these powers establish harmony in our being.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a prayer for svasti (well-being) and protection, asking the Immortal Powers who uphold cosmic order to grant peace and drive away hostile influences.
They are a collective group of divine guardians—often understood as the Ādityas and allied deities—who protect ṛta (right order) and support human life with auspiciousness.
“Madhu” literally means honey, and in this hymn it signifies sweetness, harmony, and auspiciousness—wishing that all times and realms of experience become supportive and rightly ordered.