Rig Veda 2.38.2: Mandala 2, Sukta 38, Mantra 2
Sukta 2.38
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Savitṛ
- Chandas
- Trishtubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
विश्वस्य हि श्रुष्टये देव ऊर्ध्वः प्र बाहवा पृथुपाणिः सिसर्ति । आपश्चिदस्य व्रत आ निमृग्रा अयं चिद्वातो रमते परिज्मन् ॥
víśvasya hí śruṣṭáye devá ūrdhváḥ prá bā́havā pṛthú-pāṇiḥ sísarti | ā́paś cid asya vratá ā́ ni-mṛ́grā ayáṃ cid vā́to ramate pári-jman ||
Car pour l’écoute et la réponse de tout, le dieu s’élève vers le haut ; aux larges mains, il étend ses bras. Même les eaux se soumettent à sa loi (vrata) et prennent les formes qui leur sont assignées ; même ce vent se meut avec joie autour de sa course.
Word by Word
- विश्वस्य
- of all, of the wholeAdjective (used substantively)पुं/नपुं, षष्ठी एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive relation)Root विश्व (प्रातिपदिक) सर्व
- हि
- indeed, forIndeclinableनिपातRoot हि (निपात)
- श्रुष्टये
- for obedience/ready-hearing (for attentive service)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी एकवचनRole सम्प्रदान (purpose/beneficiary)Root श्रुष्टि (स्त्री. प्रातिपदिक) < √श्रु (श्रवणे) (भाव/इच्छा-नाम)
- देवः
- the godNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- ऊर्ध्वः
- upright, aloftAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (देवः इति विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ (देवस्य विशेषणम्)Root ऊर्ध्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- प्र
- forth, forwardIndeclinable (preverb)उपसर्गः (सिसर्ति इत्यस्य)Root प्र (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- बाहवा
- (his) two armsNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा द्विवचनRole कर्तृ (सिसर्ति—क्रियायाः सह-कर्तृ/अङ्ग-कर्तृ)Root बाहु (प्रातिपदिक)
- पृथुपाणिः
- broad-handedAdjective (compound)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (देवः इति विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ (देवस्य विशेषणम्)Root पृथु-पाणि (समास; पृथु + पाणि)
- सिसर्ति
- moves, advances, goes forthVerbलट् (वर्तमाने), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रिया (कर्तृ—देवः)Root √सृ (सरणे)
- आपः
- the watersNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (निमृग्रा—क्रियायाः)Root आप्/आपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- चित्
- evenIndeclinableनिपात (अपि/एव-भावे)Root चित् (निपात)
- अस्य
- of him, hisPronounपुं/नपुं, षष्ठी एकवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- व्रते
- in (his) ordinance, in (his) lawNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी एकवचनRole अधिकरण (in/under the ordinance)Root व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
- आ
- towards, intoIndeclinable (preverb)उपसर्गः (निमृग्रा इत्यस्य)Root आ (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- निमृग्रा
- (the waters) duly ordered/cleansed (under his ordinance)Participle (verbal adjective)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन (आपः इति विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ (आपः—‘निमृग्रा’ = having been/being cleansed/ordered)Root नि-√मृज् (मार्जने/शोधने) → निमृग्रा (वेदिक रूप; क्त/क्तवतु-सम्बद्ध कृत्, स्त्री. बहु.)
- अयम्
- thisPronounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्तृ (रमते—क्रियायाः)Root इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- चित्
- evenIndeclinableनिपातRoot चित् (निपात)
- वातः
- the windNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot वात (प्रातिपदिक) < √वा (गत्यादौ/वायौ)
- रमते
- takes pleasure, moves at easeVerbलट् (वर्तमाने), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रिया (कर्तृ—वातः)Root √रम् (क्रीडायाम्/रमणे)
- परि
- aroundIndeclinable (preverb/adverb)उपसर्ग/क्रियाविशेषणम् (रमते इत्यस्य)Root परि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- ज्मन्
- in the circuit/track (in the course of going round)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी एकवचन (वेदिक)Role अधिकरणRoot ज्मन् (प्रातिपदिक; वेदिक ‘पथ/मार्ग/परिभ्रमण’ अर्थे)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: विश्वस्य | हि | श्रुष्टये | देवः | ऊर्ध्वः | प्र | बाहवा | पृथुपाणिः | सिसर्ति || आपः | चित् | अस्य | व्रते | आ | निमृग्रा | अयम् | चित् | वातः | रमते | परि | ज्मन् || 1) बाहवा पृथुपाणिः: ‘बाहवा’ (प्रथमा द्वि.) + ‘पृथुपाणिः’ (प्रथमा एक.)—समुच्चय/विशेषण-सम्बन्धः, बाहवौ देवस्य
- 2) आपश्चिदस्य = आपः + चित् + अस्य (विसर्ग-लोप/श्च्-सन्धि)
- 3) व्रत आ = व्रते + आ (पदविरामे सन्ध्यभावः; संहितायां ‘व्रत आ’)
- 4) अयं चिद्वातो = अयम् + चित् + वातः (म् + च् → ंच्; ततः चिद्वातः)
- 5) परिज्मन् = परि + ज्मन् (उपसर्ग-संयोगः)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Savitṛ rises upward for the attentive hearing of all; he extends his wide hands/arms. Even the waters submit to his ordinance and take their proper forms; even the wind moves joyfully on its circuit.
Inner meaning
The awakener Power (Savitṛ) lifts consciousness upward so the whole being becomes capable of “hearing” (śruṣṭi) the divine impulsion. His “wide hands” are the many effective energies of the Truth that reach into all parts of the nature. The waters (āpaḥ)—the flowing currents of life and consciousness—consent to the inner law (vrata) and assume right formations (ordered movements rather than chaotic surge). The wind (vāta)—the prāṇic-vital movement—no longer wanders by compulsion but “delights” to move in the true orbit of the soul’s rhythm.
Universal truth
When the higher Light-Will awakens, even the most restless forces—emotion, life-energy, thought-currents—accept an inner order; freedom is not lawlessness but joyful motion in the right measure.
Themes
Cosmic regulation, Breath and life-flows, Savitṛ as ordainer, Nature obeying Truth
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Lineage
- Bhārgava (traditionally connected with the Bhṛgu lineage)
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 2.1, Rig Veda 2.3, Rig Veda 2.23, Rig Veda 2.38
Family tradition
Seer of RV Maṇḍala 2, many hymns to Agni and the solar powers; a tradition of inner sacrifice and right ordering of energies.
Significance
Gṛtsamada’s vision often shows the ascent from human disorder to the solar law—how the divine impulsion organizes speech, will, and life into ṛta.
The deity
- Devata
- Savitṛ
- Epithets
- devaḥ, ūrdhvaḥ, impeller (prasavitā), ṛtasya gopā (protector of order, by later Vedic usage)
- Related deities
- Sūrya, Uṣas, Mitra-Varuṇa, Indra, Agni
Cosmic role
Solar power of impulsion: sets beings in motion, establishes right courses, awakens and directs all movements in the cosmos.
Inner power
The luminous Will that initiates ascent, makes the nature receptive, and compels the life-forces to accept right form without violence—through delighted obedience.
In ritual
Where it is used
Sāvitrī-related invocations within morning/evening offerings; general solar hymns in soma and agnihotra sequences (contextual use rather than a single fixed rite).
विश्व॑स्य॒ हि श्रु॒ष्टये॑ दे॒व ऊ॒र्ध्वः प्र बा॒हवा॑ पृ॒थुपा॑णि॒: सिस॑र्ति । आप॑श्चिदस्य व्र॒त आ निमृ॑ग्रा अ॒यं चि॒द्वातो॑ रमते॒ परि॑ज्मन् ॥
विश्व॑स्य । हि । श्रु॒ष्टये॑ । दे॒वः । ऊ॒र्ध्वः । प्र । बा॒हवा॑ । पृ॒थुऽपा॑णिः । सिस॑र्ति । आपः॑ । चि॒त् । अ॒स्य॒ । व्र॒ते । आ । निऽमृ॑ग्राः । अ॒यम् । चि॒त् । वातः॑ । र॒म॒ते॒ । परि॑ऽज्मन् ॥
viśvasya | hi | śruṣṭaye | devaḥ | ūrdhvaḥ | pra | bāhavā | pṛthu-pāṇiḥ | sisarti | āpaḥ | cit | asya | vrate | ā | ni-mṛgrāḥ | ayam | cit | vātaḥ | ramate | pari-jman
44
4 pādas of ~11 syllables each
Forward-driving, expansive, with a clear lift in the middle and a firm cadence.
Creates an ascending, energizing feel suitable for Savitṛ: it “raises” attention and steadies the breath into a rhythmic orbit.
- śruṣṭi/śruṣṭaye
- Literal: hearing, attentive listening, readiness to respond. Symbolic: inner receptivity; the soul’s consent to the divine impulsion
- Savitṛ (devaḥ ūrdhvaḥ)
- Literal: the god who impels; rising upward. Symbolic: the ascending Power of illumination and right impulsion lifting consciousness
- pṛthupāṇiḥ
- Literal: wide-handed. Symbolic: vast reach of the divine Force distributing energies to all parts of the being
- bāhavā
- Literal: arms. Symbolic: powers of action; executive energies of the will
- vrata
- Literal: vow, ordinance, law. Symbolic: truth-law (ṛta) as a living rule shaping inner movements
- āpaḥ
- Literal: waters. Symbolic: currents of consciousness, life-force, and emotional flow taking right form
- vātaḥ
- Literal: wind. Symbolic: prāṇa; vital dynamism and breath-movement
- parijman
- Literal: going around, circuit. Symbolic: right orbit of energies around the psychic center; regulated rhythm
Recited for establishing right movement and obedience of forces (prāṇa/waters) before undertaking sacrificial action; supports the ‘setting in order’ (ṛtu/vrata) aspect of Savitṛ.
At dawn or in solar invocations when establishing right order and auspicious impulsion for the rite.
Recitation to invite Savitṛ to impel the rite and harmonize the elements (waters, winds) under vrata.
Use at the start of meditation to establish receptivity and inner order; recite before pranayama to align prāṇa with a calm, delighted rhythm.
śruṣṭi from √śru ‘hear’ with sense-shift ‘hearing’→‘obedience/response’. √sṛ ‘flow, move’ (sisarti) expresses dynamic extension. vrata ‘law, vow’ is the stable form of ṛta in action. vāta ‘wind’ from √vā ‘blow’; psychologically prāṇa. ni-mṛgrāḥ is a rare/obscure form; contextual sense indicates ‘brought down into regulated channels’ under Savitṛ’s ordinance.
Vrata (divine law as regulative principle), Rita (order manifesting as obedient nature), Prāṇa regulation (vāta under law)
Explicit via vrata: the cosmic and psychological ordinance that even waters and wind obey.
Truth becomes effective when the being ‘hears’ and responds; receptivity is the door of satya in action.
Ordering of the flowing elements into appointed forms; regulation of movement into a true circuit.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral (Aurobindo-style) reading: ascent of consciousness and transformation of nature under the solar Will.
dawn/morning ascent (implied by Savitṛ’s rising)
Waters = consciousness-currents; wind = prāṇa; rising = ascent of awareness under the illumined will.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ordainer-god whose raised arms set all nature into obedient rhythm: waters and wind follow his circuit. Innerly, Savitṛ lifts the consciousness and extends the powers of action so that life-flows and breath move joyfully within the law of truth, not in chaotic impulse.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √śru ‘hear’ corresponds to PIE *ḱleu̯- ‘hear’ (cf. Greek klúō). √vā ‘blow’ (vāta) connects to PIE *h₂weh₁- / *weh₁- ‘blow’ sets. The inherited poetic parallelism ‘even X, even Y’ (āpaś cid… ayam cid…) is a common Indo-European intensifying device.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi describes Savitṛ not as a distant sun but as a present regulator of the seeker’s inner elements: waters (vital currents) and wind (breath) become obedient and joyful. The hymn functions as an alignment spell: by recognition of the vrata, the practitioner’s forces consent to order.
Receptivity (śruṣṭi) to the higher impulsion; allow inner movements to take ‘right form’ under a calm solar will.
Anahata to Ajna axis (harmonizing prāṇa and lifting to illumined direction)
Gentle nāḍī-śodhana or equal breathing (sama-vṛtti) while contemplating ‘wind moving in delight on its course’.
Awakened, uplifted, harmonized; quiet joy in regulated movement.
Begin with one minute of stillness; chant slowly, then sit and observe breath and emotional currents ‘consenting’ to an inner law; end by offering the day’s actions to Savitṛ’s direction.
Use Vedic svara as in Śākala tradition: observe marked udātta on accented syllables and svarita falls; maintain steady pitch-drift rather than melodic singing.
Lean on udātta peaks in ‘viśvasya’, ‘deva’, ‘ūrdhvaḥ’, ‘vrate’, ‘vātaḥ’; let svarita resolve gently to avoid harsh drops.
śruṣṭaye: keep retroflex ṣṭ cluster crisp (śru-ṣṭa-ye), pṛthupāṇiḥ: vocalic ṛ short and clear; long ā in pāṇiḥ, parijman: pronounce j as voiced palatal; keep final n light
Bright, lifted, steady; slight expansion on ‘ūrdhvaḥ’ to embody ascent.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
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.
