Rig Veda Sukta 59
Mandala 7Sukta 5912 Mantras

Sukta 59

Sukta 7.59

Rishi

Vasiṣṭha

Devata

Viśve Devāḥ (Agni, Varuṇa, Mitra, Aryaman, Maruts)

Chandas

Anuṣṭubh (probable; short pādas—traditional classification may vary by recension)

Este himno de Vasiṣṭha invoca a los Viśve Devāḥ — en especial a Agni, Varuṇa, Mitra, Aryaman y los Maruts— para una protección paso a paso, una guía segura y un «refugio de paz» asentado en torno al adorador. Culmina en la célebre plegaria Tryambaka (Mahāmṛtyuñjaya), que pide la liberación del vínculo de la muerte, permaneciendo a la vez arraigado en amṛtatva, la plenitud imperecedera.

Recitation with translationRig Veda 7.59

Mantras

Mantra 1

यं त्रायध्व इदमिदं देवासो यं च नयथ । तस्मा अग्ने वरुण मित्रार्यमन्मरुतः शर्म यच्छत ॥

A quien protegéis paso a paso, oh Dioses, y a quien conducís hacia adelante—concededle, oh Agni, Varuṇa, Mitra, Aryaman y Maruts, un amparo: una paz que cobija (śárman).

Mantra 2

युष्माकं देवा अवसाहनि प्रिय ईजानस्तरति द्विषः । प्र स क्षयं तिरते वि महीरिषो यो वो वराय दाशति ॥

Con vuestro amparo, oh Dioses, el amado sacrificante que ofrece la oblación trasciende las fuerzas hostiles. Gana una morada y despliega ampliamente los grandes impulsos de la potencia: aquel que os da para vuestra elección y deleite.

Mantra 3

नहि वश्चरमं चन वसिष्ठः परिमंसते । अस्माकमद्य मरुतः सुते सचा विश्वे पिबत कामिनः ॥

Vasiṣṭha no os olvida en absoluto, ni siquiera en el último instante. Por eso hoy, oh Maruts, junto con nuestro Soma prensado, bebed —todos vosotros— gozando del deseo del alma.

Mantra 4

नहि व ऊतिः पृतनासु मर्धति यस्मा अराध्वं नरः । अभि व आवर्त्सुमतिर्नवीयसी तूयं यात पिपीषवः ॥

Vuestra ayuda nunca es abatida en las batallas para aquel a quien habéis complacido, oh héroes. Hacia vosotros se vuelve una recta intención siempre más nueva; venid presto, vosotros que ansiáis acrecentar nuestra plenitud.

Mantra 5

ओ षु घृष्विराधसो यातनान्धांसि पीतये । इमा वो हव्या मरुतो ररे हि कं मो ष्वन्यत्र गन्तन ॥

Venid, pues, vosotros de riquezas fulgurantes; expulsad las tinieblas, para que se cumpla el beber. Estas ofrendas están dispuestas para vosotros, oh Maruts; en verdad, ¿por qué habríais de ir a otra parte?

Mantra 6

आ च नो बर्हिः सदताविता च नः स्पार्हाणि दातवे वसु । अस्रेधन्तो मरुतः सोम्ये मधौ स्वाहेह मादयाध्वै ॥

Venid y sentaos en nuestro barhis, y sed nuestros auxiliadores; dadnos las riquezas deseables. Oh Maruts, infalibles, en la miel del Soma — svāhā — aquí deleitaos y acrecentad en nosotros el arrobamiento.

Mantra 7

सस्वश्चिद्धि तन्वः शुम्भमाना आ हंसासो नीलपृष्ठा अपप्तन् । विश्वं शर्धो अभितो मा नि षेद नरो न रण्वाः सवने मदन्तः ॥

Aun por sí mismos, sus cuerpos, engalanándose, han volado aquí — como cisnes de lomo azul oscuro. Que toda la hueste se asiente en torno a mí; como varones heroicos, regocijándose, embriagados de gozo en el prensado.

Mantra 8

यो नो मरुतो अभि दुर्हृणायुस्तिरश्चित्तानि वसवो जिघांसति । द्रुहः पाशान्प्रति स मुचीष्ट तपिष्ठेन हन्मना हन्तना तम् ॥

Oh Maruts, oh Vasus: quien, con voluntad torcida y hostil, pretende abatirnos y trastornar incluso nuestras percepciones interiores, devolvedlo a las ataduras de la Druh (el engaño); con vuestro golpe más ardiente, herid a ese.

Mantra 9

सांतपना इदं हविर्मरुतस्तज्जुजुष्टन । युष्माकोती रिशादसः ॥

Oh Maruts, los que abrasáis (la impureza), aceptad esta ofrenda y deleitaos en ella; que vuestra protección sea la nuestra, oh destructores del dañador.

Mantra 10

गृहमेधास आ गत मरुतो माप भूतन । युष्माकोती सुदानवः ॥

Oh Maruts, señores del sacrificio doméstico, venid aquí; no os apartéis de nosotros. Que vuestra ayuda salvadora sea la nuestra, oh generosos dadores.

Mantra 11

इहेह वः स्वतवसः कवयः सूर्यत्वचः । यज्ञं मरुत आ वृणे ॥

Aquí, aquí os elijo para el sacrificio, oh Maruts — fuertes por vuestra propia fuerza, poetas-videntes, con el Sol como vuestra piel luminosa.

Mantra 12

त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे सुगन्धिं पुष्टिवर्धनम् । उर्वारुकमिव बन्धनान्मृत्योर्मुक्षीय मामृतात् ॥

Ofrecemos adoración en el sacrificio al Tres-Ojos — fragante, acrecentador de plenitud. Como el pepino maduro (urvāruka) se suelta de su tallo, así sea yo liberado del vínculo de la muerte — mas no de la inmortalidad.

Inside Sukta 59

How it unfolds

  1. Where it opens

    A direct appeal to the Gods who protect “at each step” and lead onward, asking for śarma—sheltering peace.

  2. Development

    The hymn expands from general protection to a vivid gathering of divine forces, especially the Maruts, envisioned as an arriving, radiant host that encircles and strengthens the worshipper.

  3. Climax

    The liberation motif: the prayer to Tryambaka for release from mṛtyu’s bond—an existential turning from mere safety to freedom.

  4. Where it settles

    An affirmation of continued connection to amṛta (immortality/deathless fullness), ending in steadiness, protection, and well-being under divine order.

The deity: Viśve Devāḥ

  • In the VedaThe hymn addresses the “All Gods” as a coordinated divine assembly: Agni as the ritual mouth and carrier, Varuṇa and Mitra as guardians of ṛta and social truth, Aryaman as patron of noble fellowship and right alliance, and the Maruts as vigorous storm-hosts who arrive in shining ranks. The closing verse venerates Tryambaka (Rudra), fragrant and nourishment-increasing, as the power who can loosen death’s binding.
  • Cosmic functionTo protect and lead the human journey (path-safety, right direction), uphold ṛta in society and nature, and remove constriction—culminating in liberation from mṛtyu’s bond while affirming continuity with immortality.
  • Inner significanceA movement from external safeguarding to inner integration: divine order steadies the mind, the Maruts’ energizing force gathers scattered vitality, and Tryambaka represents the healing awareness that releases fear and clinging without severing one’s connection to the deathless ground.

The seer

  • VasiṣṭhaVasiṣṭha gotra (one of the Saptarṣi; traditional Brahmarṣi lineage) · Foremost seer of Mandala 7, celebrated for hymns on ṛta (cosmic order), kingship, protection, and the ethical power of Varuṇa–Mitra; closely linked with the Bharata/Tr̥tsu tradition and the Sudās cycle.

Famous verses

śarma yacchata
Verse 7.59.1Sets the hymn’s core request: the Gods’ step-by-step protection and onward guidance, culminating in the gift of śarma (protective peace).Read verse 7.59.1 →
सस्वश्चिद्धि तन्वः शुम्भमाना आ हंसासो नीलपृष्ठा अपप्तन् । विश्वं शर्धो अभितो मा नि षेद नरो न रण्वाः सवने मदन्तः ॥
Verse 7.59.7A signature Marut passage: the host arrives like dark-backed swans and is asked to settle all around, expressing communal divine support and energized joy at the pressing.Read verse 7.59.7 →
urvārukam iva bandhanān mṛtyor mukṣīya māmṛtāt
Verse 7.59.12The renowned Mahāmṛtyuñjaya mantra: a compact Vedic prayer for healing and liberation—release from death’s bondage without falling away from immortality.Read verse 7.59.12 →

Attributes of the deity

  • Collective protection and guidance (trāṇa + naya)
  • Ṛta/ethical sovereignty (Varuṇa–Mitra)
  • Social harmony and right belonging (Aryaman)
  • Vital force, courage, and ecstatic uplift (Maruts)
  • Healing fragrance, nourishment, and release from bondage (Tryambaka/Rudra)

Also by this seer

  • Primary authorship of much of Rig Veda Mandala 7 (Vasiṣṭha Maṇḍala)
  • Hymns to Varuṇa and Mitra-Varuṇa emphasizing ṛta, truth, and moral law
  • Royal and battle-context hymns associated with Bharata/Tr̥tsu lore (traditional association)
  • Later Vedic/Itihāsa memory as a paradigmatic guru-seer and ritual authority (śrauta tradition)

The rite, step by step

  • Establish the fire or sacred focus (Agni) and seat the intention: protection on the path and peace as shelter.
  • Invoke the Viśve Devāḥ as a unified host; name key deities (Agni, Varuṇa, Mitra, Aryaman, Maruts) and request guidance and refuge.
  • Invite the Marut-host to “settle around” the worshipper—symbolically gathering strength, clarity, and communal support.
  • Conclude with the Tryambaka offering: pray for loosening from the ‘bandhana’ of death like a ripe gourd from its stalk, while remaining in amṛta.
  • Seal with a quiet moment of steadiness (śarma/peace) and dedication of merit to all beings (optional, in later usage).

Offerings

  • Ghṛta (ghee) oblations into Agni
  • Soma (where applicable in śrauta setting)
  • Fragrant substances/incense or symbolic ‘sugandhi’ offering (later domestic practice)
  • Water and simple oblations (anna) in non-śrauta settings

Frequently Asked Questions

Because it prays to Tryambaka (Rudra) for victory over death: “May I be released from the bond of death, not from immortality.” It became the best-known Vedic healing and protection verse in later tradition.

They are the “All Gods” invoked as a unified divine assembly—here especially Agni, Varuṇa, Mitra, Aryaman, and the Maruts—called to protect, guide, and grant sheltering peace.

Ask the divine powers to guard you at every step, gather strength and support around you, and free you from fear and bondage—ultimately even the bondage of death—while keeping you rooted in life’s deeper, deathless reality.

Ask anything about Sukta 59 of the Rig Veda

Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.

Not sure where to start?

A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.

Read Rig Veda in the Vedapath app

Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.

Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play

Continue reading in the Vedapath app

Open in App
Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play