Rig Veda 1.113.8: Mandala 1, Sukta 113, Mantra 8
Sukta 1.113
- Rishi
- Kutsa Āṅgirasa
- Devata
- Uṣas
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
परायतीनामन्वेति पाथ आयतीनां प्रथमा शश्वतीनाम् । व्युच्छन्ती जीवमुदीरयन्त्युषा मृतं कं चन बोधयन्ती ॥
parāyatī́nām ánv eti pā́tha āyatī́nām prathamā́ śáśvatīnām | vyucchántī jīváṁ udīráyanty uṣā́ mṛtáṁ káṁ caná bodháyantī ||
જેનાં પ્રસ્થાન છે તેમનાં પથને તે અનુસરે; આવનારાઓમાં તે પ્રથમ, શાશ્વત ક્રમવાળી. વ્યૂચ્છતી તે જીવને ઉદિરિત કરે છે; કોઈ મૃતાંને કદી જગાડતી નથી—પ્રાણને જ ઊઠાવે છે.
Word by Word
- परायतिनाम्
- of those who go away / of the departing (nights)Noun (participle used substantively)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive relation)Root परायती (√या + परा, वर्तमान-कृदन्त/शतृ)
- अन्वेति
- followsVerbलट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रिया (मुख्य क्रिया)Root √इ (अनु + √इ) अनु-एति
- पाथः
- the pathNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन (वेदिक रूप: पाथः = पाथस्)Role कर्मRoot पाथस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- आयतीनाम्
- of those who come / of the approaching (dawns)Noun (participle used substantively)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी बहुवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot आयती (आ + √या, वर्तमान-कृदन्त/शतृ)
- प्रथमा
- the firstAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्तृ (उषसः विशेषणम्)Root प्रथम (प्रातिपदिक)
- शश्वतीनाम्
- of the ever-recurring / perpetual (ones)Adjective (used substantively)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी बहुवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot शश्वत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- व्युच्छन्ती
- shining forth; dawningVerb (participle)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्तृ (उषा)Root √उच्छ् (वि + √उच्छ्) वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ)
- जीवम्
- the living (one); lifeAdjective (substantivized)पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनRole कर्मRoot जीव (प्रातिपदिक)
- उदीरयन्ती
- raising up; arousingVerb (participle)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्तृ (उषा)Root √ईर्/√ईरय् (उद् + √ईरय्) वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ)
- उषाः
- Uṣas (Dawn)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot उषस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- मृतम्
- the dead (one)Adjective (substantivized)पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनRole कर्मRoot मृत (√मृ + क्त) / मृत (प्रातिपदिक)
- कम्
- any (one)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनRole कर्म (मृतम् विशेषण-रूपेण: ‘any’)Root क (प्रश्न/अनिर्दिष्ट सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- चन
- even; at allIndeclinableअव्ययRole समुच्चय/निपात (emphatic/indefinite with ka-)Root चन (निपात)
- बोधयन्ती
- awakeningVerb (participle)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्तृ (उषा)Root √बुध् (चुरादि, बोधयति) वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (संहिता → पद): परायतिनाम् अन्वेति पाथः आयतीनाम् प्रथमा शश्वतीनाम् । व्युच्छन्ती जीवम् उदीरयन्ती उषाः मृतम् कम् चन बोधयन्ती । मुख्य संधि: (1) नाम्+अन्वेति → नामन्वेति (अनुस्वार/नासिक्य-संधि)
- (2) पाथः+आयतीनाम् → पाथ आयतीनाम् (वेदिक संहिता में विसर्ग-लोप/विसर्ग-परिवर्तन)
- (3) जीवम्+उदीरयन्ती → जीवमुदीरयन्ती (म् + उ → मु)
- (4) कं+चन → कं चन (निपात-योग; ‘कञ्चन’ अर्थ ‘कोऽपि/कोई भी’)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Uṣas (Dawn) follows the path of the departed nights and goes first before the arriving days; in her unbroken succession she awakens the living, but does not awaken the dead.
Inner meaning
The Dawn of illumination moves on the track of past states of consciousness (the “departed”) and precedes the new arrivals of awareness. When the inner light breaks, it raises the jīva (the waking soul-force) and stirs aspiration and right activity; it does not revive “deadness” (tamasic inertia, unconscious habit), but calls the life-force upward into conscious participation in the yoga of the day.
Universal truth
True awakening is progressive and lawful: illumination comes in a rhythm of succession, carrying the seeker forward by enlivening what is capable of growth while leaving inert patterns to fall away. Spiritual light does not negotiate with inner deadness; it strengthens life, clarity, and onward movement.
Themes
Perpetual succession, Awakening of life, Ascent of energy, Light vs. inertia
The seer
- Rishi
- Kutsa Āṅgirasa
- Lineage
- Āṅgirasa
- Other hymns
- RV 1.112, RV 1.113, RV 1.114
Family tradition
Āṅgiras seers are closely linked with the discovery of light (go/rays), the kindling of Agni, and the victory of illumination over the Coverer; Kutsa’s vision often emphasizes the progressive arrival of dawn and the opening of the path.
Significance
Kutsa’s Uṣas-hymn reads dawn not merely as a daily phenomenon but as a recurring inner event: the soul’s emergence from obscurity into ordered seeing. The seer highlights continuity (śaśvat) and the discriminating power of light that awakens the living aspiration but not the inert.
The deity
- Devata
- Uṣas
- Epithets
- vyucchantī (dawning), śaśvatī (ever-recurring)
- Related deities
- Sūrya, Agni, Indra
Cosmic role
She opens the day, reveals forms, and sets beings into motion; she is the initiator of the daily order and the revealer of the Sun’s domain.
Inner power
Awakening-force that lifts consciousness from subconscious night to active clarity; she quickens aspiration, perception, and the will to progress.
In ritual
Where it is used
Morning recitation/invocation of Uṣas within dawn-oriented praise; supportive to Agnihotra mood though not a fixed Agnihotra formula.
प॒रा॒य॒ती॒नामन्वे॑ति॒ पाथ॑ आयती॒नां प्र॑थ॒मा शश्व॑तीनाम् । व्यु॒च्छन्ती॑ जी॒वमु॑दी॒रय॑न्त्यु॒षा मृ॒तं कं च॒न बो॒धय॑न्ती ॥
प॒रा॒य॒ती॒नाम् । अनु॑ । ए॒ति॒ । पाथः॑ । आ॒ऽय॒ती॒नाम् । प्र॒थ॒मा । शश्व॑तीनाम् । वि॒ऽउ॒च्छन्ती॑ । जी॒वम् । उ॒त्ऽई॒रय॑न्ती । उ॒षाः । मृ॒तम् । कम् । च॒न । बो॒धय॑न्ती ॥
parāyatīnām | anu | eti | pāthaḥ | āyatīnām | prathamā | śaśvatīnām | vi-ucchantī | jīvam | ut-īrayantī | uṣāḥ | mṛtam | kam | cana | bodhayantī
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4 padas of ~11 syllables each
Forward-driving, expansive cadence suited to movement and proclamation
Creates a steady inner momentum—like steps along a path—supporting the sense of inevitable progress from darkness to light.
- uṣāḥ
- Literal: Dawn. Symbolic: Spiritual illumination; the first opening of higher consciousness
- pāthaḥ
- Literal: path, track. Symbolic: The ordained inner course (ṛta) by which consciousness evolves
- parāyatīnām
- Literal: of those departing. Symbolic: Past states dissolving; the receding darkness/night of ignorance
- āyatīnām
- Literal: of those coming. Symbolic: Incoming formations of awareness; new days of consciousness
- vyucchantī
- Literal: dawning, shining forth. Symbolic: Breakthrough of light in the mind and vital
- jīvam
- Literal: the living being. Symbolic: The soul-force in embodiment; the awakened aspirant-energy
- mṛtam
- Literal: the dead. Symbolic: Tamas, inertia, subconscious deadness; unresponsive nature
Dawn-time reflection on cyclic succession; supports the sacrificer’s ‘awakening’ (bodha) and upward stirring (udīr) before action and offering.
At daybreak; before or as the sacrificial fire is attended; also in personal dawn-sandhyā contemplation.
Praise/invocation to awaken right activity and perception; aligning the sacrificer with the day’s ṛta.
Use at the start of the day to invoke clarity: recite before meditation or work to ‘raise the jīva’ and drop tamasic inertia.
√i ‘go’ with preverbs parā- (away) and ā- (towards) frames the cosmic procession. śaśvat ‘ever-recurring’ signals cyclic time under ṛta. ud-√īr ‘raise up’ (udīray-) = upward stirring of life-energy. √budh ‘wake, know’ (bodhay-) is central to dawn semantics: awakening as cognition. mṛta here can be read as inert/unconscious states; Dawn awakens the living principle, not what is wholly ‘dead’—psychologically, illumination works where some life/aspiration remains.
cyclic time (śaśvat), awakening (bodha) as knowledge, life-force rising (ud-īr)
The ‘path’ and ‘succession’ express ṛta as a law of recurring illumination and forward evolution.
Dawn awakens what is living in us—capacity for true response—so truth can be seen and enacted.
Daily re-creation: manifestation is renewed when light re-enters the field of consciousness.
Vedāntic-yogic reading (Aurobindo/Kashyap): dawn as descent of higher light into mind and life.
dawn
Transition from subconscious obscurity to awakened mind; the rhythmic return of illumination that enlivens aspiration and right action.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The eternal recurrence of Dawn: she follows those that depart (nights) and precedes those that come (days). Inner myth: the law of succession in consciousness—illumination returns, raising the living aspiration and energizing the being; it cannot ‘awaken’ what is entirely inert, but it revives what still carries life.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The motion verb √i with preverbs (parā-, ā-) is a classic IE strategy for aspectual and directional nuance. √budh ‘wake’ has IE parallels (e.g., English ‘bid’ is not cognate, but PIE *bheudh- ‘be aware’ gives Eng. ‘beacon’ via Germanic developments; broadly, ‘awaken/notice’ is an inherited semantic field).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The Rishi observes Uṣas as a lawlike yet beneficent power who supports the living principle in humans. The implied reciprocity: the seeker must remain ‘living’ in aspiration; then Dawn can raise and awaken the inner being toward knowledge and action.
Invite the ‘dawn’ in the mind: notice the first clear perception and let it lead the day’s inner offering.
ājñā (clarity/seeing)
gentle nāḍī-śodhana for 6–12 rounds before recitation
From tamasic heaviness to sattvic wakefulness and luminous attention
Chant once slowly, then sit 3–5 minutes watching the ‘living’ impulse to rise (jīva-śakti). When dullness appears, do not wrestle it—return to the felt sense of dawn-light and begin again with a single deliberate action.
Mixed udātta/anudātta with svarita on sandhi; preserve Vedic accents as transmitted in Śākala tradition.
Keep udātta as the clear high point; allow svarita to fall-glide; avoid flattening the cadence across pādas.
uṣāḥ: clear retroflex ṣ, long ā, vyucchantī: articulate vyu- (not viyu-), double ‘cch’, udīrayantī: long ī; roll r lightly, mṛtam: vocalic ṛ, not ‘mritam’
Bright, steady, slightly rising tone at the start of each pāda; end with gentle release
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