Rig Veda 7.40.4: Mandala 7, Sukta 40, Mantra 4
Sukta 7.40
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Varuṇa, with Mitra, Aryaman, Waters, and Aditi
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Karuna (compassion)
अयं हि नेता वरुण ऋतस्य मित्रो राजानो अर्यमापो धुः । सुहवा देव्यदितिरनर्वा ते नो अंहो अति पर्षन्नरिष्टान् ॥
ayáṃ hí netā́ váruṇa ṛtásya mitró rājāno aryámāpo dhúḥ | suháva devy áditir anarvā́ te no aṃhó áti parṣann áriṣṭān ||
આ વરુણ જ ઋત (સત્ય-વ્યવસ્થા)નો નેતા છે; મિત્ર અને અર્યમન રાજાઓ છે, અને આપઃ (જળો) ભારને ધારણ કરે છે. સુહવા (સુપ્રાર્થિત) દેવી અદિતિ, અચલ/અનર્વા, અમને અંહઃ (કષ્ટ/પાપ-સંકટ)થી પાર લઈ જાય—તે દેવશક્તિઓ અમને અરીષ્ટ (અક્ષત) રાખીને પાર કરાવે.
Word by Word
- अयम्
- this (one)Pronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- हि
- indeed, forIndeclinableनिपातः (अव्ययम्)Root हि (निपात)
- नेता
- leader, guideNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot नी (धातु) → नेतृ (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
- वरुणः
- VaruṇaNoun (Proper)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot वरुण (प्रातिपदिक)
- ऋतस्य
- of ṛta (cosmic order/truth)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, एकवचनम्Role Sambandha (Genitive)Root ऋत (प्रातिपदिक)
- मित्रः
- MitraNoun (Proper)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot मित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- राजानः
- kings, rulersNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role KartāRoot राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- अर्यमा
- AryamanNoun (Proper)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम् (वेदिक-रूपः: अर्यमा < अर्यमन्)Role KartāRoot अर्यमन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- अपः
- the watersNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, बहुवचनम् (वेदिक-रूपः: अपः)Role KarmaRoot अप् (प्रातिपदिक)
- धुः
- they have set/placed/establishedVerbलिट् (परिपूर्ण/परोक्श), प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्Root धा (धातु; वेदिक-विशेषः: धा/धव् ‘स्थापयति/धारयति/विधत्ते’)
- सुहवा
- easy to invokeAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम् (अदितेः विशेषणम्)Role Kartā (as qualifier)Root सु-हव (प्रातिपदिक; सु + हव ‘to call/invoke’)
- देवी
- goddessNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot देवी (प्रातिपदिक; देव)
- अदितिः
- AditiNoun (Proper)स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot अदिति (प्रातिपदिक)
- अनर्वा
- unfailing, not weakAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम् (अदितेः विशेषणम्)Role Kartā (as qualifier)Root अनर्वन् (प्रातिपदिक; a- + नर्वन् ‘weak/feeble’, hence ‘not feeble’)
- ते
- you (pl.)Pronounद्वितीया/चतुर्थी, बहुवचनम् (एन्क्लिटिक; ‘you’)Role Sampradāna (addressed to) / SambandhaRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- नः
- for us / of usPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी, बहुवचनम् (एन्क्लिटिक)Role Sampradāna (for us) / SambandhaRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अंहः
- distress, sin, troubleNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot अंहस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- अति
- across, beyondIndeclinableअव्ययम् (क्रियाविशेषण/उपसर्गार्थः)Root अति (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- पर्षन्
- may they carry (us) acrossVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्Root पॄ (धातु; ‘to carry across, save’)
- अरिष्टान्
- unharmed, uninjured (ones)Adjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्Role Karma (result/state)Root अरिष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (सन्धि-विग्रह): अयम् हि नेता वरुणः ऋतस्य मित्रः राजानः अर्यमा अपः धुः । सुहवा देवी अदितिः अनर्वा ते नः अंहः अति पर्षन् अरिष्टान् ॥ 1) वरुण ऋतस्य → वरुणः ऋतस्य (विसर्ग-लोप/पदसंयोग)
- 2) राजानो अर्यमा → राजानः अर्यमा (ओ + अ → अवग्रह/सवर्णदीर्घ-प्रकृति; संहितायां ‘राजानो’)
- 3) अर्यमा अपो → अर्यमा अपः (ओ-रूपः संहितायाम्; पदे ‘अपः’)
- 4) देव्यदितिः → देवी अदितिः (ई + अ → य्-आगमः: देव्यदितिः)
- 5) अदितिरनर्वा → अदितिः अनर्वा (विसर्गः + अ → र्-आदेशः: -र-)
- 6) ते नो अंहो → ते नः अंहः (ओ/ः संहितारूपाणि)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Varuṇa is the leader of ṛta (cosmic order). Mitra and Aryaman are kings, and the Waters uphold the burden. May the well-invoked, unfaltering goddess Aditi carry us beyond distress so we may cross over uninjured.
Inner meaning
The verse maps an inner governance: Varuṇa leads the seeker by the truth-law (ṛta), establishing conscience, wideness, and right measure. Mitra and Aryaman rule as harmonizing and ennobling powers—right relation and right aspiration/community within the being. The Waters (āpaḥ) uphold the ‘burden’: the foundational flow of consciousness and purification that sustains transformation. Aditi, the Infinite, is invoked as unfaltering support to carry the aspirant beyond ‘aṃhas’—distress, sin, constriction—so that the crossing (ati-parṣan) happens without inner injury (ariṣṭa): no fragmentation, no loss of soul-integrity.
Universal truth
Freedom from suffering is not escape but a lawful crossing: when truth-order leads, harmony and nobility govern, and the being is purified by deeper currents, the infinite consciousness bears one safely beyond limitation.
Themes
Guidance by Truth, Protection from distress, Purification, Safe crossing
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Lineage
- Vasiṣṭha (Maitrāvaruṇa)
- Other hymns
- RV 7.86 (Varuṇa and the law of truth), RV 7.87 (Varuṇa’s vastness and bonds), RV 7.88–7.89 (release and protection)
Family tradition
Strong Aditya orientation: ṛta, moral-spiritual law, confession and release under Varuṇa, and the wideness of Aditi.
Significance
A core Vasiṣṭha teaching: the path is a lawful crossing guided by truth (Varuṇa), harmonized by Mitra, ennobled by Aryaman, purified by the Waters, and made limitless by Aditi.
The deity
- Devata
- Varuṇa (lead), with Mitra, Aryaman, Waters, Aditi
- Epithets
- Varuṇa as netā of ṛta, Aditi as suhavā, anarvā
- Related deities
- Sūrya (seer of ṛta, thematic), Savitar (impeller on the path, thematic)
Cosmic role
Varuṇa: guardian of cosmic/moral order; Mitra: social-cosmic harmony; Aryaman: noble law of fellowship and right path; Waters: sustaining and purifying matrix; Aditi: infinite ground of the gods, unbinding grace.
Inner power
Ethical-spiritual rectitude that liberates; purification that supports endurance; infinite wideness that carries beyond distress without breaking the being.
In ritual
Where it is used
Aditya and Water invocations in Soma and purification contexts; prayers for release from fault/distress under Varuṇa.
अ॒यं हि ने॒ता वरु॑ण ऋ॒तस्य॑ मि॒त्रो राजा॑नो अर्य॒मापो॒ धुः । सु॒हवा॑ दे॒व्यदि॑तिरन॒र्वा ते नो॒ अंहो॒ अति॑ पर्ष॒न्नरि॑ष्टान् ॥
अ॒यम् । हि । ने॒ता । वरु॑णः । ऋ॒तस्य॑ । मि॒त्रः । राजा॑नः । अ॒र्य॒मा । अपः॑ । धुरिति॒ धुः । सु॒ऽहवा॑ । दे॒वी । अदि॑तिः । अ॒न॒र्वा । ते । नः॒ । अंहः॑ । अति॑ । प॒र्ष॒न् । अरि॑ष्टान् ॥
ayam | hi | netā | varuṇaḥ | ṛtasya | mitraḥ | rājānaḥ | aryamā | apaḥ | dhuritidhuḥ | su-havā | devī | aditiḥ | anarvā | te | naḥ | aṃhaḥ | ati | parṣan | ariṣṭān
44
4 × ~11
Sober, authoritative, ‘law-giving’ rhythm; then a softer, carrying cadence in the prayer to Aditi.
Induces conscience-like clarity and trust; a feeling of being guided and safely borne beyond difficulty.
- नेता (netā)
- Literal: leader, guide. Symbolic: the governing power that directs the journey of consciousness
- ऋतस्य (ṛtasya)
- Literal: of ṛta. Symbolic: of the truth-order; right law of becoming
- राजानः (rājānaḥ)
- Literal: kings. Symbolic: sovereign functions in the psyche—powers that rule and coordinate
- अपः (āpaḥ)
- Literal: waters. Symbolic: purifying consciousness-flows, deep vital-mental currents sustaining transformation
- धुः/धुर् (dhuḥ/dhur)
- Literal: they uphold the yoke/burden. Symbolic: support the work of yoga; bear the load of growth
- सुहवा (suhavā)
- Literal: well-invoked. Symbolic: readily responsive to sincere call
- अनर्वा (anarvā)
- Literal: unfaltering, not going astray. Symbolic: steady infinite support that does not fail amid crisis
- अंहः (aṃhaḥ)
- Literal: distress, sin, narrowness. Symbolic: constriction, guilt, suffering born of falsehood and division
- अति पर्षन् (ati parṣan)
- Literal: may they carry across. Symbolic: transcendence by a safe passage of consciousness
- अरिष्टान् (ariṣṭān)
- Literal: unharmed. Symbolic: integral wholeness preserved through transition
Protective crossing formula (ati-parṣ-) used in transitions and expiatory/protective segments; supports rites of purification (waters) and Aditya governance
When seeking protection, expiation, or safe passage through danger/transition; also in rites emphasizing ṛta and āpaḥ (lustration).
Recitation with offerings; possibly accompanied by water-sprinkling/purificatory acts in later practice contexts.
Use during inner crisis: chant to re-establish truth-order, then sit with the sense of being ‘carried across’ by wideness (Aditi).
netā from √nī ‘to lead’. aṃhas ‘distress/narrowness’ relates to √aṃh ‘to press, constrict’ (semantic ‘narrow’). parṣan from √pṛ ‘to carry over, bring across’ (as in ‘ferrying’ across danger). ap- ‘waters’ as plural feminine; dhúḥ is difficult in padapāṭha tradition; taken as ‘they bear/hold’ (supporting sense).
ṛta governance, crossing beyond aṃhas (constriction), Aditi as infinity
Explicit: Varuṇa is netā of ṛta—truth-order is the leading principle of the path.
Crossing beyond aṃhas requires alignment with satya; falsehood produces constriction and distress.
Waters uphold the burden: the cosmic substrate supports evolution; Aditi as infinite matrix of the gods.
Vedantic-inclined psychological interpretation: law (ṛta) + infinite (Aditi) as complementary principles of liberation.
Waters = purifying currents of consciousness; Varuṇa’s vast sky = wideness and law; crossing = transition to higher poise; distress = narrowing knots.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘ferrying across constriction’: the Aditya powers rule ṛta and, with the sustaining Waters, carry the seeker beyond aṃhas (narrow distress) into safety (ariṣṭa). It is the mythic crossing—inner passage from limitation to wideness.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √nī ‘lead’ and the leader-title netā are widely IE in function (guidance/leading). The ‘cross over’ verb-field (ati + √pṛ) uses spatial metaphor for existential liberation, common in IE poetics.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer recognizes Varuṇa as the inner governor of right order and asks for experiential deliverance: not merely pardon but a carried crossing beyond constriction, ensured by Aditi’s steadfast wideness and the Waters’ purifying support.
Truth-alignment and release: confess inwardly the ‘aṃhas’ as narrowing patterns; invoke Varuṇa to restore right law; feel the Waters washing; rest in Aditi’s wideness to cross beyond the knot.
Viśuddha (truth) and Sahasrāra (wideness/infinite) with supportive Svādhiṣṭhāna (waters/flow).
Slow coherent breathing (e.g., 5–5) while visualizing a cleansing stream; on exhale, release constriction; on inhale, widen into Aditi.
Purified, widened, ethically clear; a sense of safe passage.
After chanting, write one ‘truth-commitment’ (ṛta) for the day; then do a brief water-ritual (sip or wash hands) as a symbolic seal of inner purification.
Rigvedic accents: lift on ‘netā’, ‘ṛtasya’, deity names; soften and lengthen slightly on the prayerful ‘suhavā devy aditir’.
Mark the caesura after the first hemistich; keep ‘aṃho ati parṣan’ as a single purposeful flow.
(ayaṃ): anusvāra as nasalization before consonant, (ṛtasya): clear vocalic ṛ, (rājānaḥ): long ā; visarga lightly, (apo dhuḥ): ‘apo’ with short o; final ḥ audible but light, (suhavā): aspirate h; long ā, (anarvā): retroflex ṛv cluster, (aṃho): nasalized aṃ, (parṣan): retroflex ṣ
grave, steady, reassuring; let the final pāda feel like a gentle carrying across.
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