Sukta 58
Sukta 10.58
Manas (to be recalled) with Yama as the deathward attractor in the imagery
This hymn is a therapeutic invocation to recall and re-seat the wandering mind (manas) back into the living body and the “home of life” (kṣaya), especially when it strays toward Yama—the deathward pull in the imagery. Refrain-like verses enumerate many places the mind may have gone (death, waters, plants, past and future), and the singers ritually “turn it back” for continued life, coherence, and wellbeing.
Mantras
Mantra 1
यत्ते यमं वैवस्वतं मनो जगाम दूरकम् । तत्त आ वर्तयामसीह क्षयाय जीवसे ॥
If your mind has gone far away to Yama Vaivasvata, that very mind we turn back to you here—for abiding in the home of life, for living.
Mantra 2
यत्ते दिवं यत्पृथिवीं मनो जगाम दूरकम् । तत्त आ वर्तयामसीह क्षयाय जीवसे ॥
If your mind has gone far away to Heaven, if to Earth, that very mind we turn back to you here—for stable dwelling, for living.
Mantra 3
यत्ते भूमिं चतुर्भृष्टिं मनो जगाम दूरकम् । तत्त आ वर्तयामसीह क्षयाय जीवसे ॥
If your mind has gone far away to the Earth with four quarters, that very mind we turn back to you here—for stable dwelling, for living.
Mantra 4
यत्ते चतस्रः प्रदिशो मनो जगाम दूरकम् । तत्त आ वर्तयामसीह क्षयाय जीवसे ॥
If your mind has gone far away into the four directions, that very mind we turn back to you here—for stable dwelling, for living.
Mantra 5
यत्ते समुद्रमर्णवं मनो जगाम दूरकम् । तत्त आ वर्तयामसीह क्षयाय जीवसे ॥
Whatever in you—your mind—has gone far away into the oceanic surge of the Inconscient, that we turn back to you here, for your settled dwelling and for your living.
Mantra 6
यत्ते मरीचीः प्रवतो मनो जगाम दूरकम् । तत्त आ वर्तयामसीह क्षयाय जीवसे ॥
Whatever in you—your mind—has gone far away along the streaming rays and down the slopes of movement, that we turn back to you here, for your settled dwelling and for your living.
Mantra 7
यत्ते अपो यदोषधीर्मनो जगाम दूरकम् । तत्त आ वर्तयामसीह क्षयाय जीवसे ॥
Whatever in you—your mind—has gone far away into the Waters and into the Plants, that we turn back to you here, for your settled dwelling and for your living.
Mantra 8
यत्ते सूर्यं यदुषसं मनो जगाम दूरकम् । तत्त आ वर्तयामसीह क्षयाय जीवसे ॥
Whatever in you—your mind—has gone far away toward the Sun and toward the Dawn, that we turn back to you here, for your settled dwelling and for your living.
Mantra 9
यत्ते पर्वतान्बृहतो मनो जगाम दूरकम् । तत्त आ वर्तयामसीह क्षयाय जीवसे ॥
Whatever in you—your mind—has gone far away to the great mountains, that we turn back to you here, for your settled dwelling and for your living.
Mantra 10
यत्ते विश्वमिदं जगन्मनो जगाम दूरकम् । तत्त आ वर्तयामसीह क्षयाय जीवसे ॥
Whatever in you—your mind—has gone far away into this entire moving world, that we turn back to you here, for your settled dwelling and for your living.
Mantra 11
यत्ते पराः परावतो मनो जगाम दूरकम् । तत्त आ वर्तयामसीह क्षयाय जीवसे ॥
Whatever in you—your mind—has gone far away to the farther regions beyond, that we turn back to you here, for your settled dwelling and for your living.
Mantra 12
यत्ते भूतं च भव्यं च मनो जगाम दूरकम् । तत्त आ वर्तयामसीह क्षयाय जीवसे ॥
Whatever in you—your mind—has gone far away into what has been and what is to be, that we turn back to you here, for your settled dwelling and for your living.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a healing hymn that ‘calls back’ a person’s mind when it feels lost, scattered, or drawn toward death or unconsciousness. The refrain turns the mind back “here” for stable dwelling and living.
Yama represents the deathward direction—the realm the mind may drift toward in severe illness, shock, or despair. The hymn does not worship Yama here; it uses him as the image of danger from which the mind is recalled.
Traditionally it can be recited as a supportive recovery prayer for someone who has fainted, is very ill, frightened, or mentally unsettled. The recitation is paired with calming actions like water-sprinkling, herbal support, or a simple fire offering, to help the person feel present and grounded.