Sukta 28
Sukta 8.28
Viśve Devāḥ (the Thirty-Three Gods)
This brief hymn invokes the Viśve Devāḥ—conceived as the “thirty-three” divine powers—to take their properly ordered seats on the sacrificial grass and uphold the right arrangement of the rite. It asks these all-gods to become comprehensive guardians on every side (front, back, above, below), and it culminates in a heptadic (sevenfold) vision of divine forces whose lights, weapons, and splendors are perfectly established.
Mantras
Mantra 1
ये त्रिंशति त्रयस्परो देवासो बर्हिरासदन् । विदन्नह द्वितासनन् ॥
Those gods who are thirty and three beyond, sat down upon the sacred grass; knowing indeed, they took their seats in the twofold order—establishing the right arrangement of the divine powers in the field of the offering.
Mantra 2
वरुणो मित्रो अर्यमा स्मद्रातिषाचो अग्नयः । पत्नीवन्तो वषट्कृताः ॥
Varuṇa, Mitra, and Aryaman—those who move with our offering of right-giving—together with the Fires: yoked with their Shaktis (consorts), they become the powers that bear our will-cry (vaṣaṭ) into fulfilment.
Mantra 3
ते नो गोपा अपाच्यास्त उदक्त इत्था न्यक् । पुरस्तात्सर्वया विशा ॥
May they be our guardians of the Rays—guarding us from the back and from every wrongward turning; from above and from below, and from the front with the whole totality of our being.
Mantra 4
यथा वशन्ति देवास्तथेदसत्तदेषां नकिरा मिनत् । अरावा चन मर्त्यः ॥
As the gods will and rule, so indeed it becomes; none diminishes their ordinance—no mortal, not even one rich in means.
Mantra 5
सप्तानां सप्त ऋष्टयः सप्त द्युम्नान्येषाम् । सप्तो अधि श्रियो धिरे ॥
Of the Seven, seven are their spear-points, seven their luminous powers; and sevenfold the splendours are set upon them—established as a complete perfection.
Frequently Asked Questions
They are the Viśve Devāḥ, the collective host of divine powers often counted as thirty-three (Vasus, Rudras, Ādityas, and related forms). The hymn calls them together as one coordinated presence.
Barhis is the sacred grass spread on the ritual ground as a seat for the gods. Saying they “sit” means they are successfully invited, present, and properly arranged to receive offerings and support the rite.
Sevenfold language in the Veda often signals completeness and stable order. Here it portrays the divine powers as perfectly equipped (seven spear-points), luminous (seven lights), and fully endowed (seven splendors).