Rig Veda 7.2.6: Mandala 7, Sukta 2, Mantra 6
Sukta 7.2
उत योषणे दिव्ये मही न उषासानक्ता सुदुघेव धेनुः । बर्हिषदा पुरुहूते मघोनी आ यज्ञिये सुविताय श्रयेताम् ॥
utá yóṣaṇe divyé mahī́ na uṣásā-náktā su-dúgheva dhenúḥ | barhi-ṣádā puru-hūté maghónī ā́ yajñíye suvitā́ya śrayetām ||
Puissent les deux jeunes déesses, Uṣas et Naktā, l’Aurore et la Nuit, être pour nous immenses comme une vache au lait abondant. Qu’elles s’asseyent sur le Barhis, ô vous qu’on invoque maintes fois, dispensatrices de richesse; qu’elles s’inclinent vers l’œuvre sacrificielle — pour une marche heureuse et une vaste félicité.
Invocation of time-powers that regulate the rite; psychologically, harmonizing alternating states (illumination/rest) so they support the sacrifice and ‘good passage’.
rhythm of manifestation, abundance (magha) as fullness of being, support of the yajña (inner work)
Day-night alternation is ṛta embodied; aligning practice with it harmonizes inner evolution.
Dawn reveals satya; night protects it by inward assimilation.
The worlds renew through cyclic emergence and withdrawal; consciousness grows by repeated dawns.
Integral yoga symbolism: complementary powers required for wholeness
dawn and night (paired)
Dawn = illumination; Night = inward peace/assimilation; Cow/milk = rays of knowledge and nourishing joy.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The paired goddesses Dawn and Night as cosmic regulators who ‘sit on the barhis’ and nourish like a cow—mythically, the alternation of light and darkness is turned into supportive powers for the seeker’s progress.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- náktā ‘night’ reflects PIE *nokʷts (Latin nox, Greek nýx, English night). This inherited lexeme anchors a shared Indo-European cosmology of day/night powers, here poetically personified and integrated into the sacrificial psychology.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi does not fear Night as mere darkness; he calls both Dawn and Night as ‘bountiful’ supports. The reciprocity is a harmonization: the seeker offers the yajña, and the time-powers grant suvitā—right passage and widening felicity.
Alternate contemplation: (1) Dawn—invite clear light into mind; (2) Night—let the light settle into quiet depth.
ajna (clarity) with sahasrara (vastness)
Nadi-śodhana (alternate nostril) to embody the paired powers and establish suvitā (smooth passage).
Balanced wakefulness—clear, wide, and quietly supported.
At dawn, chant once then sit facing light; at night, chant once then lie/sit in darkness, offering the day into quiet assimilation.
Keep a soft udatta rise on uṣāsānaktā and maghonī; let the cadence fall gently on suvitāya śrayetām.
u-ṣā-sā-nak-tā; su-du-ghe-va dhe-nuḥ; ba-rhi-ṣa-dā; su-vi-tā-ya.
Maintain long vowels: uṣāsā (ā), naktā (ā), Retroflex ṣ in barhiṣadā, In śrayetām, keep ‘śr’ cluster clear and light
Soft, wide, and soothing; allow spacious pauses between pādas.
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