Rig Veda Sukta 149
Mandala 10Sukta 1495 Mantras

Sukta 149

Sukta 10.149

Devata

Savitṛ

Ce bref hymne à Savitṛ (le divin Impulseur) célèbre sa puissance cosmique d’« attelage », par laquelle la Terre et le Ciel sont fixés dans leur juste ordre, et par laquelle l’espace intermédiaire et l’océan sont contenus dans une loi inattaquable. Il évoque ensuite l’emblème aviaire de Savitṛ (Garutmān), se mouvant selon le dharma, et s’achève sur la vigilance éveillée et dévotionnelle du poète, attendant l’impulsion activatrice de Savitṛ comme on guette le rayon resplendissant du Soma.

Recitation with translationRig Veda 10.149

Mantras

Mantra 1

सविता यन्त्रैः पृथिवीमरम्णादस्कम्भने सविता द्यामदृंहत् । अश्वमिवाधुक्षद्धुनिमन्तरिक्षमतूर्ते बद्धं सविता समुद्रम् ॥

Savitṛ, par ses attelages, mit la Terre sur sa juste voie ; dans le soutien il affermit le Ciel. Tel un cheval, il tira le lait du monde médian en tumulte ; Savitṛ lia l’Océan dans l’inattaquable — établissant les rythmes ordonnés de l’existence.

Mantra 2

यत्रा समुद्रः स्कभितो व्यौनदपां नपात्सविता तस्य वेद । अतो भूरत आ उत्थितं रजोऽतो द्यावापृथिवी अप्रथेताम् ॥

Là où l’Océan, étayé, s’étendit au loin — Savitṛ, Apām Napāt, le « Fils des eaux », le sait. De là naquit la Terre ; de là l’étendue fut soulevée ; de là Ciel-et-Terre s’élargirent : ainsi les mondes ordonnés se manifestèrent.

Mantra 3

पश्चेदमन्यदभवद्यजत्रममर्त्यस्य भुवनस्य भूना । सुपर्णो अङ्ग सवितुर्गरुत्मान्पूर्वो जातः स उ अस्यानु धर्म ॥

Ensuite advint cet Autre — adorable — dans l’immensité de l’être immortel. Le Garutmān aux belles ailes de Savitṛ naquit le premier ; il se meut selon la loi de cet (éternel) ordre, portant dans son vol l’élan de la vérité.

Mantra 4

गाव इव ग्रामं यूयुधिरिवाश्वान्वाश्रेव वत्सं सुमना दुहाना । पतिरिव जायामभि नो न्येतु धर्ता दिवः सविता विश्ववारः ॥

Comme les vaches vers l’enclos, comme les coursiers ardents dans l’élan, comme la mugissante, au cœur bienveillant, trait pour son veau — ainsi que Savitṛ descende en nous, le Soutien du ciel, riche de tous les biens désirables ; qu’il vienne à nous comme l’époux vers l’épouse, pour établir en nous le juste mouvement et la plénitude.

Mantra 5

हिरण्यस्तूपः सवितर्यथा त्वाङ्गिरसो जुह्वे वाजे अस्मिन् । एवा त्वार्चन्नवसे वन्दमानः सोमस्येवांशुं प्रति जागराहम् ॥

Ô Savitṛ au faîte d’or ! Comme les Aṅgirasas t’invoquèrent en cette plénitude de force, ainsi moi aussi, te chantant pour secours et te vénérant, je veille tourné vers toi — tel celui qui guette le rayon éclatant de Soma — jusqu’à ce que ton impulsion devienne agissante en nous.

Inside Sukta 149

How it unfolds

  1. Where it opens

    Savitṛ’s ‘harnessing powers’ set Earth in right course and make Heaven firm—cosmic architecture established by divine impulsion.

  2. Development

    The hymn expands to the midspace and waters: the surging antarikṣa is ‘milked’ like a horse, and the ocean is bound within the unassailable order.

  3. Climax

    The appearance of Savitṛ’s Garutmān (fair-winged, law-moving) underscores that even swift cosmic forces move only according to dharma/ṛta.

  4. Where it settles

    The poet turns personal: like one watching for Soma’s ray, he remains wakeful in praise, seeking Savitṛ’s active help and inner activation.

The deity: Savitṛ

  • In the VedaSavitṛ is the golden, radiant Impeller who sets all beings in motion, establishes the measures of the worlds, and drives the rhythms of day, life, and sacrifice. He is praised as the power that ‘yokes’ (yantraiḥ) the cosmos into right course and activates the ordered law (dharma/ṛta) by which things move.
  • Cosmic functionHe initiates and regulates movement: fixing Earth and Heaven, stirring the midspace, and bounding the waters—thus maintaining cosmic order and the timely unfolding of creation.
  • Inner significanceSavitṛ signifies the awakening impulse of consciousness—the inner ‘prompting’ that turns inertia into right action, aligns the mind with truth-order (ṛta), and makes aspiration steady and luminous.

Famous verses

सविता यन्त्रैः पृथिवीमरम्णादस्कम्भने सविता द्यामदृंहत् । अश्वमिवाधुक्षद्धुनिमन्तरिक्षमतूर्ते बद्धं सविता समुद्रम् ॥
Verse 10.149.1Core cosmological statement: Savitṛ establishes Earth and Heaven, energizes midspace, and bounds the ocean—showing him as the regulator of cosmic order and rhythm.Read verse 10.149.1 →
पश्चेदमन्यदभवद्यजत्रममर्त्यस्य भुवनस्य भूना । सुपर्णो अङ्ग सवितुर्गरुत्मान्पूर्वो जातः स उ अस्यानु धर्म ॥
Verse 10.149.3Highlights dharma/ṛta as the governing law: Savitṛ’s Garutmān is ‘born first’ and moves according to that law, linking divine impulsion with truth-ordered motion.Read verse 10.149.3 →
हिरण्यस्तूपः सवितर्यथा त्वाङ्गिरसो जुह्वे वाजे अस्मिन् । एवा त्वार्चन्नवसे वन्दमानः सोमस्येवांशुं प्रति जागराहम् ॥
Verse 10.149.5Devotional culmination: the worshipper’s vigilant praise and waiting for Savitṛ’s activation, expressed through the vivid simile of watching for Soma’s shining ray.Read verse 10.149.5 →

Attributes of the deity

  • Impeller and awakener (prasavitṛ)
  • Golden radiance and summit (hiraṇya imagery)
  • Cosmic stabilizer of Earth–Heaven–Midspace
  • Upholder of law/order (ṛta/dharma)
  • Bestower of force and plenitude (vāja)
  • Linked with the swift, truth-bearing bird emblem (Garutmān)

Also by this seer

  • RV 10.149 is transmitted without a secure rishi attribution; no additional hymns can be confidently assigned on internal evidence alone.

The rite, step by step

  • Prepare the altar/fire (if in an agnihotra-style setting) and seat the officiant facing east.
  • Recite the hymn as an invocation to Savitṛ at daybreak, contemplating the stabilization of Earth and Heaven and the bounding of the waters.
  • Mentally ‘yoke’ one’s intention to ṛta: resolve to act in right measure and timing.
  • Conclude with a request for help/impulsion (avase), maintaining wakeful attention until the desired clarity and momentum arise.

Offerings

  • Ghee (ājya) into fire (where applicable)
  • Oblations accompanying Savitṛ praise (general havis)
  • Water/mental offering of reverence (namas) in non-fire recitation contexts

Frequently Asked Questions

Savitṛ is the divine Impeller—identified with the sun’s awakening power—who sets beings in motion and keeps the worlds moving in right order.

It says Savitṛ ‘harnesses’ the cosmos: he makes Earth steady, Heaven firm, energizes the midspace, and bounds the ocean within an unbreakable law of order (ṛta/dharma).

Garutmān symbolizes swift movement that still follows dharma, while the Soma-ray simile expresses the worshipper’s alert, expectant devotion—waiting for Savitṛ’s activating impulse within.

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