Rig Veda 1.97.8: Mandala 1, Sukta 97, Mantra 8
Sukta 1.97
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Short meter with refrain
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
स नः सिन्धुमिव नावयाति पर्षा स्वस्तये । अप नः शोशुचदघम् ॥
sá naḥ síndhum iva nāváyā́ti parṣa svastáye | ápa naḥ śóśucad aghám ||
Que él nos haga cruzar, como una barca sobre el río, sobre la gran crecida, para nuestro bienestar; quema y aparta de nosotros el mal que se adhiere.
Word by Word
- सः
- he (that one)Pronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → स
- नः
- for us / to usPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी, बहुवचनम् (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्प्रदानRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- सिन्धुम्
- the river/streamNounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्म (उपमान-रूपेण)Root सिन्धु (प्रातिपदिक)
- इव
- like, asIndeclinableउपमा-अव्ययम्Root इव
- नावया
- by a boatNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, तृतीया, एकवचनम्Role करणRoot नाव्/नौ (प्रातिपदिक) → नावया
- अति
- over, acrossIndeclinable (preverb)उपसर्गःRoot अति
- पर्षा
- carry (us) across!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे), परस्मैपदम्, मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role (वाक्य-क्रिया)Root पॄ/पॄष् (धातु: ‘पारयति/पर्षति’ = to carry across)
- स्वस्तये
- for well-being, for safetyNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, चतुर्थी, एकवचनम्Role सम्प्रदानRoot स्वस्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
- अप
- away, offIndeclinable (preverb)उपसर्गःRoot अप
- नः
- from us / for usPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी, बहुवचनम् (एन्क्लिटिक)Role अपादान (वियोग-भावे) / सम्प्रदानRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- शोशुचत्
- may it blaze away / may it be driven offVerbलोट्/विधिलिङ्-प्रायः (आशीर्वाद/प्रार्थना), परस्मैपदम्, तृतीयपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role (वाक्य-क्रिया)Root शुच् (धातु: to shine/burn; desiderative/intensive-like reduplication in Vedic)
- अघम्
- evil, sin, harmNounनपुंसकलिङ्गम्, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot अघ (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: सः नः सिन्धुम् इव नावया अति पर्षा स्वस्तये । अप नः शोशुचत् अघम् ॥ 1) न॒: = नः (अस्मदः एन्क्लिटिक-रूपम्)
- 2) सिन्धु॑मिव = सिन्धुम् + इव (म् + इ → मि)
- 3) ना॒वयाति॑ = नावया + अति (आ + अ → आ; संहिता-लेखनम्)
- 4) पर्षा स्वस्तये: संधिः न विशेषः (आ + स्)
- 5) शोशु॑चद॒घम् = शोशुचत् + अघम् (त् + अ → द्/द्-आदेशः वैदिक-संहितायाम्)
The meaning
Outer meaning
May he carry us across for well-being, as by a boat over the great flood (sindhu); burn away from us the clinging evil.
Inner meaning
The ‘sindhu’ is the vast surge of life and the subconscient—powerful, moving, sometimes overwhelming. Agni as inner guide ferries the seeker across this flood toward ‘svasti’ (a state of true well-being: harmony, rightness, safe arrival). The refrain insists that the crossing succeeds by purification: what clings must be burned off, or it will drag us back into the flood.
Universal truth
Well-being is not mere comfort but safe passage to a higher harmony; crossing the flood of life requires both guidance and inner cleansing.
Themes
Well-being formula, Crossing the flood, Agni as saving power
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 1.97.4, Rig Veda 1.97.5, Rig Veda 1.97.6, Rig Veda 1.97.7
Significance
This verse universalizes the prior ‘foes’ into the great flood itself: the whole mass of lower nature to be crossed toward svasti.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- pāraga (one who carries across, implied), rakṣitā (protector, implied), śośucat (burning)
- Related deities
- Soma (bliss that supports crossing), Indra (force to break obstacles), Varuṇa (cosmic order over waters)
Cosmic role
Guide across waters; establisher of svasti by purification and right direction.
Inner power
Psychic fire as sure guidance through the subconscient; transforms turbulence into steady progress.
In ritual
Where it is used
Prayer for svasti (well-being) and safe passage; suitable in daily lamp-lighting, homa, or before important transitions
स न॒: सिन्धु॑मिव ना॒वयाति॑ पर्षा स्व॒स्तये॑ । अप॑ न॒: शोशु॑चद॒घम् ॥
सः । नः॒ । सिन्धु॑म्ऽइव । ना॒वया॑ । अति॑ । प॒र्ष॒ । स्व॒स्तये॑ । अप॑ । नः॒ । शोशु॑चत् । अ॒घम् ॥
saḥ | naḥ | sindhum-iva | nāvayā | ati | parṣa | svastaye | apa | naḥ | śośucat | agham
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2 padas; imagery-rich first pada + fixed refrain
Flowing ‘sindhum iva’ followed by a firm landing on ‘svastaye’; refrain purges residue.
Soothes anxiety about life’s magnitude; gives confidence of safe arrival and inner cleansing.
- सिन्धु (sindhu)
- Literal: river, ocean, flood. Symbolic: vast life-force and subconscient depths; overwhelming movement of nature
- नावया (nāvayā)
- Literal: by a boat. Symbolic: support of right practice; vessel of inner guidance
- अति पर्ष (ati parṣa)
- Literal: carry across. Symbolic: lead beyond limitation into a new status of being
- स्वस्तये (svastaye)
- Literal: for well-being, safety. Symbolic: harmonious truth-state; settled peace and rightness
- अघम् (agham)
- Literal: evil/harm. Symbolic: adhesive obscurity that endangers the passage
Svastivācana-like protective usage: for safe passage and well-being, internal and external.
Morning intention-setting; before crossing thresholds (new job, move, healing)
Light a lamp; imagine the mind as a boat; offer one fear into the flame on each refrain
Use as a ‘flood-crossing’ mantra during overwhelm or grief: stabilize, widen, and move toward svasti.
svastí from su 'good' + asti 'being' (√as, PIE *h₁es-): well-being as good mode of being. síndhu as 'river/ocean/flood' becomes a psychological symbol of overwhelming currents. The repeated crossing lexicon consolidates the hymn’s apotropaic intent.
Svastí (good-being), Crossing beyond danger, Purification from agha
Crossing the flood is passage from chaotic movement to ordered truth-life.
Svasti implies settling into the true rhythm of being.
Emergence of stable harmony from the vast undifferentiated flow (waters).
Integral Yoga: transformation of life-nature (waters) by psychic fire toward a harmonious truth-state.
Flood = emotional-vital currents and subconscient surges; boat = mantra-breath discipline; fire = discerning will that purifies during passage.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The salvific crossing of the flood (sindhu) to attain svasti (good-being). The flood is the archetypal danger—cosmic or psychological—over which the divine Fire provides passage.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- svasti transparently contains √as (PIE *h₁es-), and the crossing verb complex aligns with PIE *per- 'across'. The boat-crossing motif is widely IE, here crystallized into a compact performative utterance.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi requests not only protection but a positive state—svasti—as the destination. Agni’s role is both remover (burning away agha) and guide (ferrying across), completing the inner journey from peril to stable good-being.
Move from overwhelm to svasti: feel the ‘flood’ without drowning; rest in Agni as the steady pilot.
muladhara (safety) and manipura (will)
Slow coherent breathing (5–6 breaths/min). Mentally ride the inhale as ‘boat rising’, exhale as ‘boat gliding’; refrain as releasing impurities into flame.
Safe, held, quietly progressing.
During emotional surges, do 10 minutes: repeat mantra; on ‘svastaye’ feel a settled inner safety; on refrain release one clinging pattern.
Rigvedic tones; allow ‘sindhum iva’ to flow smoothly; land clearly on ‘svastaye’; refrain decisive.
Keep nasal in ‘sindhum’; pronounce ‘sv’ cluster cleanly in ‘svastaye’.
sindhum: dental n; final m audible, nāvayā: long ā; yā long, parṣa: ṣ retroflex; avoid ‘parsa’, svastaye: ‘sva’ as one cluster; short a in -ta-
Cool-flowing in first pada, warm-purifying on refrain.
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