Rig Veda Sukta 109
Mandala 10Sukta 1097 Mantras

Sukta 109

Sukta 10.109

Rishi

Unknown/unspecified in input (traditional Anukramaṇī assigns RV 10.109 to a specific seer; not provided here)

Devata

Āpaḥ (Waters) / Ṛta; with Mātariśvan invoked

Chandas

Triṣṭubh (probable for RV 10.109)

Este himno trata un grave «brahma-kilbiṣa» (ofensa contra el orden sagrado y la santidad brahmánica) y muestra cómo los poderes cósmicos —en especial las Aguas que se mueven en Ṛta— hablan primero de la falta y de su remedio. Subraya la restitución (devolver lo tomado injustamente), la purificación mediante las divinas Āpaḥ y el reingreso en la armonía con los dioses, culminando en un culto renovado y en la recta condición dentro de Ṛta.

Recitation with translationRig Veda 10.109

Mantras

Mantra 1

तेऽवदन्प्रथमा ब्रह्मकिल्बिषेऽकूपारः सलिलो मातरिश्वा । वीळुहरास्तप उग्रो मयोभूरापो देवीः प्रथमजा ऋतेन ॥

Ellos hablaron primero de la falta contra el Brahman, la Palabra sagrada: el océano sin orillas, las Aguas, Mātariśvan. Portadores de fuerza, el temible Tapas, el dador de dicha—estas Aguas divinas, nacidas las primeras, avanzan por la Verdad.

Mantra 2

सोमो राजा प्रथमो ब्रह्मजायां पुनः प्रायच्छदहृणीयमानः । अन्वर्तिता वरुणो मित्र आसीदग्निर्होता हस्तगृह्या निनाय ॥

Soma, el Rey, fue el primero en devolver de nuevo a la Brahmajāyā, la Esposa de la Palabra, sin admitir la injusticia. Varuṇa y Mitra siguieron como guardianes de la ṛta; Agni, el Hotṛ, tomándola de la mano, la condujo hacia adelante.

Mantra 3

हस्तेनैव ग्राह्य आधिरस्या ब्रह्मजायेयमिति चेदवोचन् । न दूताय प्रह्ये तस्थ एषा तथा राष्ट्रं गुपितं क्षत्रियस्य ॥

«Sólo por la mano debe tomarse el derecho sobre ella», dijeron; «ésta es la Brahmajāyā, la esposa del brahmán». Ella no se prestó a ser apresada por la mano de un mensajero. Así queda guardado el reino del Kṣatriya: preservado dentro de la ṛta.

Mantra 4

देवा एतस्यामवदन्त पूर्वे सप्तऋषयस्तपसे ये निषेदुः । भीमा जाया ब्राह्मणस्योपनीता दुर्धां दधाति परमे व्योमन् ॥

De ella hablaron los dioses antiguos, y los siete ṛṣi que se sentaron en el ardor del tapas. Terrible en poder es la esposa del brahmán cuando es conducida rectamente (a la ley sagrada); ella impone una consecuencia difícil de soportar en el cielo supremo.

Mantra 5

ब्रह्मचारी चरति वेविषद्विषः स देवानां भवत्येकमङ्गम् । तेन जायामन्वविन्दद्बृहस्पतिः सोमेन नीतां जुह्वं न देवाः ॥

El brahmacārin avanza, temblando contra los poderes del veneno; llega a ser un miembro de los dioses. Con esa fuerza Bṛhaspati recobró a la esposa que le había seguido; guiada por Soma, vino a los dioses como la cuchara de ofrenda (juhū), apta para el cumplimiento interior del sacrificio.

Mantra 6

पुनर्वै देवा अददुः पुनर्मनुष्या उत । राजानः सत्यं कृण्वाना ब्रह्मजायां पुनर्ददुः ॥

De nuevo los dioses la devolvieron; de nuevo también los hombres. Los reyes, haciendo verdad, restituyeron otra vez a la esposa del brahmán, devolviendo el poder a su ley legítima.

Mantra 7

पुनर्दाय ब्रह्मजायां कृत्वी देवैर्निकिल्बिषम् । ऊर्जं पृथिव्या भक्त्वायोरुगायमुपासते ॥

Habiendo devuelto de nuevo a la esposa del brahmán, se hicieron sin culpa ante los dioses. Compartiendo la fuerza y la sustancia de la tierra, se acercan en culto al de Amplios Pasos, el que concede el vasto recorrido.

Inside Sukta 109

How it unfolds

  1. Where it opens

    The hymn opens with the cosmic witnesses—the boundless waters and Mātariśvan—speaking first about a brahma-kilbiṣa, placing moral fault under the gaze of Ṛta.

  2. Development

    It expands the theme through ancestral authority: gods and the seven ṛṣis in tapas recognize the fearsome consequence of violating brahmanic sanctity, stressing that sacred order is not negotiable.

  3. Climax

    Restitution becomes the turning point: by giving back what was wrongly held, the doer becomes ‘nikilbiṣa’ (faultless) in the presence of the gods—purification is achieved through right action, not mere words.

  4. Where it settles

    The hymn resolves in restored participation in divine worship and the sharing of earth’s strength, approaching the Wide-Stepping One (Uru-gāya) as the symbol of regained spaciousness, freedom, and right course.

The deity: Āpaḥ moving in Ṛta

  • In the VedaThe Āpaḥ are “devīḥ” (divine), “prathamajāḥ” (first-born) and “mayobhūḥ” (bringers of bliss), vast as the ocean and aligned with Ṛta; they cleanse, carry potency, and restore wholeness. Mātariśvan appears as a cosmic messenger/impeller linked with the spread of sacred force, while Viṣṇu as Uru-gāya is approached as the Wide-Stepping one who grants the vast path.
  • Cosmic functionTo purify and re-establish Ṛta after transgression: the Waters wash away fault, re-knit social and cosmic bonds, and enable a return to divine favor; the hymn frames restitution as the practical hinge by which disorder is healed.
  • Inner significanceĀpaḥ signify the cleansing current of conscience and truth—an inner re-alignment where confession, restitution, and renewed worship dissolve guilt and restore clarity. Ṛta here is not abstract law alone but lived harmony: right action repairs the psyche and the world simultaneously.

The seer

  • Jāhuṣa (as per traditional Anukramaṇī attribution for RV 10.109)A late (10th Maṇḍala) seer associated with reflective, quasi-legal and expiatory themes—especially the moral and ritual gravity of offenses touching brahman (sacred power) and their correction through restitution and purification.

Famous verses

āpo devīḥ prathamajā ṛtena
Verse 10.109.1Sets the doctrinal frame: the first speakers on the offense are cosmic—Āpaḥ and Mātariśvan—who move by Ṛta and bring bliss through purification; it anchors the hymn in truth-order rather than personal opinion.Read verse 10.109.1 →
देवा एतस्यामवदन्त पूर्वे सप्तऋषयस्तपसे ये निषेदुः । भीमा जाया ब्राह्मणस्योपनीता दुर्धां दधाति परमे व्योमन् ॥
Verse 10.109.4Invokes the authority of the ancient gods and the seven seers and stresses the formidable power of brahmanic sanctity (“Brahman’s spouse”) when rightly established—warning that transgression carries a hard consequence.Read verse 10.109.4 →
punardāya
Verse 10.109.7Provides the practical resolution: ‘punardāya’ (giving back) restores faultlessness with the gods and culminates in renewed worship, explicitly linking ethical restitution to ritual reintegration.Read verse 10.109.7 →

Attributes of the deity

  • Purifying and fault-removing (pāvanī, kilbiṣa-nāśinī)
  • Aligned with Ṛta (truth-order) and moral repair
  • Primordial/first-born and all-encompassing (oceanic vastness)
  • Bliss-giving and strength-bearing (mayobhūḥ, vīḻuharāḥ)
  • Mediating restitution and reconciliation with the gods

Also by this seer

  • Attributed in tradition to select hymns in the late Rigvedic corpus (10th Maṇḍala), often with penitential, social-ritual, or expiatory emphasis
  • Associated with hymnic material that links Ṛta (cosmic order) with ethical repair and ritual correctness

The rite, step by step

  • Saṅkalpa: acknowledge the transgression and intention to restore Ṛta through truth and restitution
  • Punardāna: return/restore what was wrongly taken or withheld (the hymn highlights ‘punardāya’—giving back)
  • Āpaḥ-prokṣaṇa: sprinkling/ablution with clean water while reciting verses to invoke the devīḥ Āpaḥ and Ṛta
  • Agni-sākṣitva (optional): witness of Agni for sincerity of repair and reintegration into yajña-order
  • Upāsanā: renewed approach in worship to the divine powers (ending gesture aligns with approaching Uru-gāya/Viṣṇu)
  • Śānti: conclude with a settling prayer for restored harmony in mind, household, and community

Offerings

  • Pure water for sprinkling/ablution
  • Ghee (ājya) into fire if performed with Agnihotra-style witness
  • Simple oblations (milk, barley) as locally traditional supports to expiation rites
  • Dāna (gift/restitution) to the rightful party or to a learned officiant as a ritualized form of repair

Frequently Asked Questions

It focuses on a serious sacred fault (brahma-kilbiṣa) and explains how Ṛta is restored through truth, purification by the divine Waters (Āpaḥ), and especially by giving back what was wrongly taken.

In the Veda, Waters are divine purifiers and carriers of Ṛta. Here they represent the power that washes away guilt and re-establishes right order when one makes proper restitution.

It means “giving back again”—restitution. The hymn presents restitution as the decisive act that removes the fault and allows one to return to worship and harmony with the gods.

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