Rig Veda 2.27.17: Mandala 2, Sukta 27, Mantra 17
Sukta 2.27
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Varuṇa
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
माहं मघोनो वरुण प्रियस्य भूरिदाव्न आ विदं शूनमापेः । मा रायो राजन्त्सुयमादव स्थां बृहद्वदेम विदथे सुवीराः ॥
mā́haṃ maghóno varuṇa priyásya bhūrídā́vna ā́ vidam śū́nam āpéḥ | mā́ rāyó rājan suyámād áva sthāṃ bṛhád vadema vidáthe suvī́rāḥ ||
Oh Varuṇa, que no caiga yo de la amada gracia del Dador generoso; que alcance la amplia dicha que viene de las Aguas (Āpaḥ). Oh Rey, que no se deslice la plenitud de la riqueza lejos de la buena guía de tu Ley. Que pronunciemos lo Vasto (Bṛhat) en la asamblea, nosotros de buenos héroes.
Word by Word
- मा
- do notIndeclinableनिषेधार्थक अव्ययRoot मा (निषेध) अव्यय
- अहम्
- IPronounपुं/स्त्री (सर्वनाम), प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot अस्मद्
- मघोनः
- of the bountiful oneNoun (epithet)पुं., षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root मघवन्
- वरुण
- O VaruṇaNoun (deity)पुं., सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot वरुण
- प्रियस्य
- of the dear (one)Adjectiveपुं./नपुं., षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root प्रिय
- भूरिदाव्नः
- of the much-giving oneNoun (epithet)पुं., षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root भूरिदावन्
- आ
- towards; forthIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्यय (आ-)Root आ (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- विदम्
- may I find/obtainVerbलुङ् (आorist), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot √विद् (विदँ ज्ञाने)
- शूनम्
- in vain; empty-handedAdjective (used adverbially)नपुं., द्वितीया, एकवचन (क्रियाविशेषणवत्)Role कर्म/क्रियाविशेषणRoot शून
- आपेः
- of help/assistanceNounस्त्री., षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root आपि
- मा
- do notIndeclinableनिषेधार्थक अव्ययRoot मा (निषेध) अव्यय
- रायः
- from/of wealthNounस्त्री., षष्ठी/पञ्चमी, एकवचन (वेदे बहुधा षष्ठी-प्रयोगः)Role सम्बन्ध/अपादान (सन्दर्भानुसार)Root राय्/रायि (रायः)
- राजन्
- O kingNounपुं., सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot राजन्
- सुयमात्
- from good restraint/disciplineNoun/Abstractनपुं./पुं., पञ्चमी, एकवचनRole अपादानRoot सु-यम (सु + यम)
- अव
- down; awayIndeclinableउपसर्ग (अव-)Root अव (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- स्थाम्
- you two should stand/abideVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, द्विवचन; परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot √स्था (ष्ठा गतिनिवृत्तौ)
- बृहद्वदेम
- may we speak greatlyVerbविधिलिङ्/लोट्-प्राय (आशीर्लिङ्-भाव), उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot √वद् (वदँ व्यक्तायां वाचि)
- विदथे
- in the rite/assemblyNounनपुं., सप्तमी, एकवचनRole अधिकरणRoot विदथ
- सुवीराः
- having good heroes; strong in sons/menAdjectiveपुं., प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (विशेषण)Root सु-वीर
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सन्धि-विग्रह): मा अहम् मघोनः वरुण प्रियस्य भूरिदाव्नः आ विदम् शूनम् आपेः । मा रायः राजन् सुयमात् अव स्थाम् बृहद् वदेम विदथे सुवीराः । 1) माहं = मा + अहम् (स्वर-सन्धि)
- 2) भूरिदाव्न आ = भूरिदाव्नः + आ (विसर्ग-लोपः)
- 3) शूनमापेः = शूनम् + आपेः (अनुस्वार/मकार-सन्धि)
- 4) राजन्त्सुयमादव = राजन् + सुयमात् + अव (पदसंयोग; त्-आगम/संहितायां संयोग-रूप)
- 5) बृहद्वदेम = बृहद् + वदेम (व्यञ्जन-सन्धि)
The meaning
Outer meaning
A prayer to Varuṇa not to lose the beloved grace of the bountiful giver; to attain wide happiness from the Waters; to prevent spiritual riches from slipping away from right guidance; and to speak the Vast in the assembly, becoming possessed of heroic powers.
Inner meaning
The seeker asks Varuṇa (the power of vastness, law, and right order) to keep the soul from falling out of the divine friendship (priya) and from the steady stream of inner clarity (āpas). The ‘waters’ are the flowing purities of consciousness that bring śūna—wide ease, openness, and felicity. The fear is not outer loss but inner decline: that the plenitude of light-force (rāyaḥ) might ‘slip down’ from su-yamā—good governance, right self-rule under ṛta. The culmination is to ‘speak bṛhat’: to utter and embody the Vast in the inner assembly (vidatha), becoming suvīrāḥ—rich in true heroism, i.e., courageous soul-powers that can carry the yoga through resistance.
Universal truth
Spiritual progress depends on fidelity to inner truth and right order. When consciousness remains aligned with a higher law, clarity and joy flow naturally; when alignment is lost, the inner wealth dissipates. The mature fruit is a vast speech and vast being—living from a widened consciousness that generates steadfast strength and noble action.
Themes
Prayer for stability of inner wealth, Alignment with cosmic law, Purification and felicity through the Waters, Inspired speech in the vidatha (truth-assembly)
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada (Bhārgava)
- Lineage
- Bhṛgu (Bhārgava)
- Other hymns
- RV 2.1–2.43 (Gṛtsamada corpus, including Āditya/Varuṇa and Agni hymns), RV 2.27–2.28 (Āditya/Varuṇa-focused sequence)
Family tradition
The Bhṛgus are strongly associated with Agni and the inner fire-discipline; Gṛtsamada’s hymns often emphasize right order (ṛta), protection by the Ādityas, and the securing of inner wealth through truth.
Significance
Gṛtsamada’s voice here is that of a disciplined seeker: he values not mere boons but continuity of grace, purity of the inner currents, and the capacity to manifest the Vast through truthful speech and courageous soul-action.
The deity
- Devata
- Varuṇa (Āditya); with implicit Āpas
- Epithets
- Rājan (King), Bhūridāvān (bountiful giver), Priya (beloved, friendly), Āditya (son/power of Aditi—Infinity)
- Related deities
- Mitra, Aryaman, Bhaga, Aditi, Āpas, Agni (as inner sacrifice-fire)
Cosmic role
Guardian of ṛta (cosmic order), measurer and holder of the worlds, regulator of the waters and the moral law that binds falsehood.
Inner power
The inward sovereign that establishes truth, self-rule, and purity; it prevents the ‘falling away’ of consciousness and stabilizes the descent of spiritual wealth.
In ritual
Where it is used
Āditya/Varuṇa śastra-stotra context; used in pravargya/pressing-related recitations in some traditions as a Varuṇa-oriented prayer (general protective hymn usage).
माहं म॒घोनो॑ वरुण प्रि॒यस्य॑ भूरि॒दाव्न॒ आ वि॑दं॒ शून॑मा॒पेः । मा रा॒यो रा॑जन्त्सु॒यमा॒दव॑ स्थां बृ॒हद्व॑देम वि॒दथे॑ सु॒वीरा॑: ॥
मा । अ॒हम् । म॒घोनः । व॒रु॒ण॒ । प्रि॒यस्य॑ । भू॒रि॒ऽदाव्नः॑ । आ । वि॒द॒म् । शून॑म् । आ॒पेः । मा । रा॒यः । रा॒जन् । सु॒ऽयमा॑त् । अव॑ । स्था॒म् । बृ॒हत् । व॒दे॒म॒ । वि॒दथे॑ । सु॒ऽवीराः॑ ॥
mā | aham | maghonaḥ | varuṇa | priyasya | bhūri-dāvnaḥ | ā | vidam | śūnam | āpeḥ | mā | rāyaḥ | rājan | su-yamāt | ava | sthām | bṛhat | vadema | vidathe | su-vīrāḥ
44
4 pādas of ~11 syllables each (with Vedic resolution/variation possible)
Firm, forward-driving cadence suited to ethical resolve and expansive affirmation.
Builds a sense of uprightness and widening; the closing ‘bṛhad vadema’ lands as a mantric expansion in the listener’s chest and breath.
- varuṇa
- Literal: the Āditya deity associated with cosmic order and encompassing sky/waters. Symbolic: the power of vastness, moral-spiritual law (ṛta), and the inner Judge who restores right alignment
- priya
- Literal: beloved, dear. Symbolic: the intimate grace/friendship of the Divine that sustains the sadhaka
- bhūridāvān
- Literal: bountiful giver. Symbolic: the divine abundance pouring higher consciousness and force
- āpaḥ / āpeḥ
- Literal: waters. Symbolic: streams of clarity, purification, and luminous flow in consciousness
- śūna
- Literal: ease, happiness, welfare. Symbolic: wide inner openness and settled felicity born of purity
- rāyaḥ
- Literal: riches, wealth. Symbolic: spiritual plenitude: light, power, joy, and right capacity
- su-yamā
- Literal: good guidance, good governance. Symbolic: right self-rule under ṛta; the inward reins that keep energies aligned
- bṛhat
- Literal: the Vast. Symbolic: widened consciousness (bṛhat-bhāva) and true mantric speech from it
- vidatha
- Literal: assembly, session of worship. Symbolic: the inner gathering of powers in the being where truth is affirmed
- suvīra
- Literal: having good heroes/sons, heroic. Symbolic: possessed of strong soul-forces (vīrya) capable of overcoming inner resistance
General Varuṇa-invocation within Soma and daily recitation contexts; used for purification, release from fault (enas), and establishing ṛta (no single exclusive Śrauta assignment certain from the verse alone)
Invocations seeking protection, right order, and purification; also suitable for daily recitation when establishing vows/discipline.
Recitation with offering/mental oblation to Varuṇa; emphasis on confession-alignment and request for steadfast inner wealth.
As a daily ‘alignment’ mantra: before meditation or after moral-psychological turbulence, to restore inner law, clarity, and wideness.
Key terms: Varuṇa (likely from √vṛ ‘to cover, encompass’ → the all-encompassing sovereign who binds by law; also ‘wide’ governance). rayí- ‘wealth’ from √rā ‘to give, bestow’ → not mere goods but plenitude of being. su-yamá- from su- ‘good’ + yamá- (√yam ‘to hold, restrain, govern’) → right inner control aligned with ṛta. vidám from √vid ‘know, find’ → attainment through knowledge. ā́pas ‘waters’ from PIE *h₂ep- ‘water’ (cf. Lat. aqua, Av. āp-) → symbolically the flowing purities/inspirations. bṛhád from √bṛh ‘to grow, expand’ → the Vast, the widened truth-plane (Bṛhat). śūná- ‘ease, wellbeing’ (semantic field of comfort/felicity) → inner settled happiness when the being is aligned.
Ṛta (cosmic order and right law), Bṛhat (the Vast; widened consciousness), Rayi (plenitude of being), Su-yama (right self-governance)
Explicit: su-yamā (good guidance) and the prevention of decline from right governance; Varuṇa as the keeper of ṛta.
Truth as stable possession—spiritual wealth must not ‘slip down’ from right guidance.
Waters as sustaining currents of manifestation; Vast speech as creative articulation of higher consciousness.
Proto-Vedāntic and yogic symbolism (Aurobindonian psychological reading): ascent/descent dynamics and widening into bṛhat.
Waters = flowing clarity/purification; Vastness = widened consciousness; ‘slipping down’ = lapse into lower vital-mental habits.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is the sovereign maintenance of ṛta by Varuṇa: the seeker prays not to ‘fall down’ from the divine governance (su-yama) and not to lose rayí (plenitude). The Waters (āpas) function as the mythic medium of purification and right flow—bestowing śūna (felicity) and enabling bṛhat-vāc (vast truth-speech). The ‘assembly’ (vidatha) is the archetypal scene where truth is spoken and the soul becomes ‘suvīra’—filled with victorious inner powers.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- ā́pas ‘waters’ continues PIE *h₂ep- (cf. Avestan āp-, Latin aqua). √vid ‘know/find’ is PIE *weyd- (cf. English wit, Latin vidēre). √bṛh ‘grow’ aligns with PIE *bʰerǵʰ- ‘rise/high’ (semantic overlap in expansion/growth; cf. Germanic berg ‘mountain’ as ‘height’). √yam ‘hold/restrain’ reflects PIE *yem- ‘hold’ (cf. Latin emere? debated; clearer in Indo-Iranian yama-/yam- as restraint). These inherited roots support the verse’s inner logic: knowledge-attainment (vid), right restraint (yam), and expansion into vastness (bṛh).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- It is reciprocal and juridical-mystical: the ṛṣi approaches Varuṇa as ‘rājan’ (sovereign) whose su-yama (right governance) stabilizes rayí (inner wealth). The ṛṣi offers truth-speaking (bṛhad vadema) in the vidatha as the return-gift: inspired speech and alignment are the human side of the covenant, while Varuṇa’s side is protection from decline, bestowal of felicity (śūna), and preservation of heroic soul-powers (suvīra).
Alignment to inner law: feel a vast, calm sovereignty above the mind; invite a descent of clear ‘waters’ through the being.
ājñā (clarity and right seeing) / viśuddha (truthful vast speech)
Slow equal breathing (sama-vṛtti) with a gentle pause after exhale while contemplating ‘bṛhat’.
Widened, quiet, ethically luminous awareness; steadying of will and speech.
Begin with a brief self-offering: ‘Let my energies be governed by truth.’ On ‘āpaḥ’ imagine a cool, clear flow washing obscurations. On ‘bṛhad vadema’ speak inwardly from spaciousness, not from impulse.
Vedic tri-svara (udātta/anudātta/svarita) as per śākhā tradition; preserve udātta peaks on key vocatives (e.g., varuṇa, rājan) and on emphatic prohibitives ‘mā’.
Keep ‘mā’ clipped and emphatic; lengthen the udātta-bearing syllable; avoid flattening cadence at pāda ends—let the Triṣṭubh fall be clean.
varuṇa: clear retroflex ṇ, bhūridāvnaḥ: articulate dāv- with long ā, āpeḥ: long ā; keep p unaspirated, bṛhat: vocalic ṛ, not ‘bri’, suvīrāḥ: long ī; visarga as soft echo before pause
Steady, deep, and spacious; end each pāda with a slight release into silence.
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