Rig Veda 8.73.4: Mandala 8, Sukta 73, Mantra 4
Sukta 8.73
- Rishi
- Atri
- Devata
- Aśvins
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
कुह स्थः कुह जग्मथुः कुह श्येनेव पेतथुः । अन्ति षद्भूतु वामवः ॥
kúha sthaḥ kúha jagmathuḥ kúha śyénāiva petathuḥ | ánti ṣád bhūtu vām ávaḥ ||
ક્યાં છો તમે? ક્યાંથી આવ્યા છો? ક્યાં શ્યેન (બાજ)ની જેમ ઉડી આવ્યા? તમારું સહાય-બળ અમારામાં નજીક જ સ્થિર થઈ બેસે.
Word by Word
- कुह
- where?Indeclinableप्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (स्थान/दिशा-वाचक)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot कुह (प्रश्नाव्यय)
- स्थः
- you two stand/areVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद; मध्यमपुरुष, द्विवचनRole Kartā (युष्मद्-द्वयम्) / क्रियाRoot स्था (धातु)
- कुह
- where?Indeclinableप्रश्नार्थक-अव्ययRole AdhikaraṇaRoot कुह (प्रश्नाव्यय)
- जग्मथुः
- you two have goneVerbलिट् (परिपूर्ण/परोक्श भूत), परस्मैपद; मध्यमपुरुष, द्विवचनRole Kartā (युष्मद्-द्वयम्) / क्रियाRoot गम् (धातु)
- कुह
- where?Indeclinableप्रश्नार्थक-अव्ययRole AdhikaraṇaRoot कुह (प्रश्नाव्यय)
- श्येनेव
- like a falconNoun + Indeclinableश्येनः: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (उपमान-प्रयोग); इव: उपमावाचक अव्ययRole Karaṇa (उपमान-रूपेण) / क्रियाविशेषणRoot श्येन (प्रातिपदिक) + इव (अव्यय)
- पेतथुः
- you two have flownVerbलिट् (परिपूर्ण/परोक्श भूत), परस्मैपद; मध्यमपुरुष, द्विवचनRole Kartā (युष्मद्-द्वयम्) / क्रियाRoot पत् (धातु)
- अन्ति
- near, close byIndeclinableदेश/सामीप्य-वाचक अव्ययRole AdhikaraṇaRoot अन्ति (अव्यय)
- सत्
- being (present)Adjective (participle)वर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ/सत्-रूप); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोगे ‘सत्’ = ‘being’/‘present’)Role Adhikaraṇa (अन्ति इत्यस्य विशेषण/पूरक) / क्रियाविशेषणRoot अस् (धातु) → सत् (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
- भूतु
- let it beVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ/विधिलिङ्-सदृश), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रिया (आशीर्वाद/विधान)Root भू (धातु)
- वाम्
- for you two / of you twoPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी द्विवचन (enclitic) — ‘of you two / to you two’Role Sampradāna (हित-सम्बन्धे) / सम्बन्धRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- अवः
- help, protectionNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (RV में ‘अवः’ = सहायता/रक्षा)Role Kartā/कर्म (भूतु इत्यस्य विधेय-रूपेण ‘help’ as what should be)Root अवस् (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सन्धि-निरसन): कुह | स्थः | कुह | जग्मथुः | कुह | श्येन इव | पेतथुः | अन्ति | सत् | भूतु | वाम् | अवः । विशेष: ‘श्येनेव’ = श्येन + इव (स्वर-सन्धि/एव-रूप). ‘षद्भूतु’ पाठ में प्रायः ‘सद् भूतु’ (सत् + भूतु) संधि/संहितारूप
- यहाँ सत् (अस्-धातुज कृदन्त) + भूतु (भू-लोट्) = ‘सद्भूतु/सद् भूतु’—अर्थ: ‘निकट (अन्ति) उपस्थित/सत् (सन्) सहायता (अवः) वाम् भूतु’ = ‘आप दोनों के लिए सहायता निकट रहे/हो’।
The meaning
Outer meaning
The poet asks the Aśvins: Where are you? From where have you come? From where have you flown like a falcon? May your help be seated near at hand within us.
Inner meaning
In moments when the inner aid seems absent, the seeker calls the swift powers of rescue. The ‘falcon-flight’ is the sudden descent of luminous force from higher planes. The questioning expresses the soul’s urgency and vigilance, refusing delay until the help becomes intimate and established.
Universal truth
When guidance feels distant, sincere inquiry and insistence reopen the channel; the higher help can arrive swiftly when called with wakeful intensity and receptivity.
Themes
Invocation urgency, Aśvin epiphany, Śyena symbolism
The seer
- Rishi
- Atri
- Lineage
- Ātreya
- Other hymns
- RV 5.40 (Atri and the release of light), RV 8.73.3-7
Family tradition
Ātreya hymns often show an urgent call for restoration and the recovery of light; the refrain suggests a repeated practice of ‘bringing help near’.
Significance
Atri’s voice models the seeker’s insistence: the soul does not accept obscurity as final, but calls the swift gods until the aid becomes present.
The deity
- Devata
- Aśvins
- Epithets
- Dasrā (wondrous), Nā́satyā (truthful), swift-flying like the śyena
- Related deities
- Uṣas, Sūrya, Sarasvatī, Indra
Cosmic role
Messengers and restorers moving between worlds; they answer crises quickly and inaugurate dawn-movements.
Inner power
Sudden interventions—intuitive flashes, rapid healing of the nervous-vital, and the return of confidence and direction.
In ritual
Where it is used
Morning Aśvin invocation; used when seeking swift aid, safe travel, or healing.
कुह॑ स्थ॒: कुह॑ जग्मथु॒: कुह॑ श्ये॒नेव॑ पेतथुः । अन्ति॒ षद्भू॑तु वा॒मव॑: ॥
कुह॑ । स्थः॒ । कुह॑ । ज॒ग्म॒थुः॒ । कुह॑ । श्ये॒नाऽइ॑व । पे॒त॒थुः॒ । अन्ति॑ । सत् । भू॒तु॒ । वा॒म् । अवः॑ ॥
kuha | sthaḥ | kuha | jagmathuḥ | kuha | śyenāiva | petathuḥ | anti | sat | bhūtu | vām | avaḥ
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3×8 (approx.)
Interrogative, quick pulses (‘kuha…kuha…kuha’) creating urgency.
Builds a searching intensity that culminates in the calm settling refrain—psychologically moving from quest to arrival.
- kuha
- Literal: where?. Symbolic: the seeker’s acute awareness of inner absence; a goad that breaks tamas
- jagmathuḥ
- Literal: you two have come. Symbolic: descent/approach of higher forces into the field of practice
- śyenā iva
- Literal: like a falcon. Symbolic: swift, sure, high-to-low movement of illumination; piercing vision-force
- petathuḥ
- Literal: you two have flown. Symbolic: movement of the gods through subtle worlds; rapid intervention
- anti ṣad bhūtu
- Literal: may it be seated near. Symbolic: stabilization of grace as an inner habitus, not a fleeting visit
- avaḥ
- Literal: help. Symbolic: effective protection and right guidance in the inner journey
A call in perceived delay: intensifies invocation when divine aid seems absent; ritually, a prompting refrain to draw the deities nearer.
At dawn or at the start of a journey/undertaking; also in personal prayer when help feels delayed.
Recited as an urgent call; offerings may accompany in formal rites.
Use during confusion or spiritual dryness: repeat the ‘kuha’ questions inwardly, then rest in the refrain to invite presence.
(kuha) interrogative of place. from √gam 'go' (PIE *gʷem- 'come/go'). from √pat 'fly, fall' (PIE *pet- 'fly' widely attested). (śyena-) 'falcon'—a recurrent Vedic figure for swift seizure/bringing (often of Soma), inwardly the sharp-winged movement of aspiration or illumined will.
Divine presence/absence as states of consciousness, Aspiration calling down help
The Aśvins’ ‘right swiftness’ restores the true course when the path is lost.
Nā́satyā quality: help that is trustworthy and precise, not misleading impulse.
Descent of higher force (like the falcon) into the human field to reawaken order.
Integral-psychological Vedism (Aurobindo/Kashyap)
dawn
The falcon symbolizes intuitive mind-force that cuts through obscurity and brings swift orientation.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is the 'hidden/roaming helpers' whose swift flight is likened to a falcon; the devotee calls them from wherever they move. Psychologically it is the moment when the seeker feels the divine powers withdrawn and intensifies the call to restore their near presence.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √gam (jagmathuḥ) reflects PIE *gʷem-; √pat (petathuḥ) reflects PIE *pet- 'fly'. The repeated interrogative kuha is a rhetorical device (anaphora) typical of archaic Indo-European hymn style to heighten immediacy.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi confronts the experiential gap—'where are you?'—and converts it into invocation-power. The Aśvins are asked to shift from roaming cosmic motion to intimate indwelling help (anti sat).
Call the ‘swift help’ when guidance feels absent; shift from questioning to receptive stillness on the refrain.
Ājñā (searching inquiry) moving to Anāhata (nearness/established help).
3 short attentive inhalations on the three ‘kuha’ phrases, then one long exhale on ‘anti ṣad bhūtu vām avaḥ’.
Alert seeking → quiet receptivity.
Do not force answers mentally; let the inquiry intensify sincerity, then allow the response to descend as calm certitude.
Vedic accents per recension; emphasize the interrogatives without shouting; keep the refrain level and grounded.
Each ‘kuha’ slightly lifted; after the third, soften and lengthen into the refrain to signal arrival.
kuha: keep short u, light aspiration on h, sthaḥ: final ḥ audible, jagmathuḥ: clear gm cluster; final ḥ, śyenāiva: śye- with palatal ś; ‘iva’ lightly joined, petathuḥ: dental t, not retroflex
Bright and questioning in first half; warm and settling in the refrain.
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