Sukta 177
Sukta 10.177
Pataṅga / Solar-bird (mystic Sun); associated with Asura (sovereign) and the Marīcīs (rays)
This brief but highly mystical hymn contemplates Pataṅga, the “winged” solar principle, as the hidden Sun of consciousness perceived by seers through heart and mind. It links the Sun-bird to Asura’s māyā (sovereign shaping power), the Marīcīs (rays of illumination), and to Vāk (the inspired Word) guarded at the station of Ṛta (truth-order).
Mantras
Mantra 1
पतंगमक्तमसुरस्य मायया हृदा पश्यन्ति मनसा विपश्चितः । समुद्रे अन्तः कवयो वि चक्षते मरीचीनां पदमिच्छन्ति वेधसः ॥
The illumined seers behold with heart and mind the Winged One, anointed by the Asura’s power of shaping. Within the ocean of consciousness the poets discern; the knowers seek the station of the Rays (the home of illuminations).
Mantra 2
पतंगो वाचं मनसा बिभर्ति तां गन्धर्वोऽवदद्गर्भे अन्तः । तां द्योतमानां स्वर्यं मनीषामृतस्य पदे कवयो नि पान्ति ॥
The Winged One bears the Word in the mind; the Gandharva spoke it within the womb of things. That shining, sun-bright inspiration the seers guard and drink in at the station of Ṛta (the Truth-Order).
Frequently Asked Questions
Pataṅga is the “winged one,” a symbolic form of the Sun—an inner light that enlightened seers perceive through heart and mind, not only with the physical eyes.
Here Asura means a sovereign, ordering power, and māyā means the capacity to shape or form. The hymn suggests the Sun’s revelation works through a higher intelligence that organizes vision and insight.
It is the stable ground of truth-order—where inspired understanding becomes clear, protected, and assimilated. The seers “guard and drink” the shining inspiration there, meaning they preserve it and live by it.