Rig Veda 1.39.3: Mandala 1, Sukta 39, Mantra 3
Sukta 1.39
- Rishi
- Kaṇva
- Devata
- Maruts
- Chandas
- Trishtubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Raudra (fury)
परा ह यत्स्थिरं हथ नरो वर्तयथा गुरु । वि याथन वनिनः पृथिव्या व्याशाः पर्वतानाम् ॥
parā́ ha yát sthiráṃ hátha náro vartáyathā gurú | ví yāthana vanínaḥ pṛthivyā́ vy ā́śāḥ párvatānām ||
निश्चय ही, जब तुम, हे नरो (वीर), जो स्थिर है उसे भी आघात से गिरा देते हो और भारी द्रव्य-राशि को घुमा कर चलाते हो, तब तुम पृथ्वी के वनिनः (वन-उगाव/झाड़ियाँ) को अलग कर देते हो; पर्वतों की दिशाओं को तुम खोल देते हो।
Word by Word
- परा
- away, forthIndeclinableअव्ययRole उपपद-क्रियाविशेषण (गत्यर्थे)Root परा (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- ह
- indeed, surelyIndeclinableनिपातRole सम्बन्ध/उद्गार-निपातRoot ह (निपात)
- यत्
- what, that whichPronounनपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role कर्म (यत्… तद्-सम्बन्धे; ‘that which’)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- स्थिरम्
- firm, fixedAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role कर्म-विशेषणRoot स्थिर (प्रातिपदिक)
- हथ
- you strike, smiteVerbलिट् (परस्मैपद), मध्यमपुरुष, बहुवचनम्; वैदिक-रूपम् (हथ = हत्थ/हथ ‘you have smitten/struck’)Role क्रियाRoot हन् (धातु)
- नरः
- men, heroesNounपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृ (सम्बोधनार्थे/कर्तृवाचकः)Root नर (प्रातिपदिक)
- वर्तयथ
- you cause to turn, you rollVerbलट् (परस्मैपद), मध्यमपुरुष, बहुवचनम्Role क्रियाRoot वृत्/वर्त् (धातु) + णिच् (कारणार्थक) → वर्तयति
- गुरु
- the heavy (mass/weight)Adjective (used substantively)नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role कर्म (वर्तयथ… ‘the heavy [thing]’)Root गुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
- वि
- apart, asunderIndeclinableउपसर्गRole उपपद-क्रियाविशेषण (विभाग/विसरणे)Root वि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- याथन
- you drive away, repelVerbलट् (परस्मैपद), मध्यमपुरुष, बहुवचनम्; वैदिक-रूपम्Role क्रियाRoot याथय् (धातु; caus./denom. ‘to drive away, repel’)
- वनिनः
- of the wooded one / of the forested (one)Nounपुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी एकवचनम् (वनिन् ‘wooded one/forest-lord’)Role सम्बन्ध (genitive: ‘of the वनिन्’)Root वनिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- पृथिव्याः
- of the earthNounस्त्रीलिङ्गे षष्ठी एकवचनम्Role सम्बन्ध (genitive: ‘of the earth’)Root पृथिवी (प्रातिपदिक)
- व्याशाः
- the expanses, wide stretchesNounस्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृ/विषय (नामवाचकः—‘the stretches/expanses’)Root व्याश (प्रातिपदिक; ‘expanse, breadth’; RV usage) अथवा वि+अश्/अश्नोति-सम्बद्ध नाम
- पर्वतानाम्
- of the mountainsNounपुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी बहुवचनम्Role सम्बन्ध (genitive: ‘of the mountains’)Root पर्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (सन्धि-निरसन): परा | ह | यत् | स्थिरम् | हथ | नरः | वर्तयथ | गुरु | वि | याथन | वनिनः | पृथिव्याः | व्याशाः | पर्वतानाम् । विशेषम्: ‘यत्स्थिरम्’ = यत् + स्थिरम् (व्यञ्जन-सन्धि: त् + स् → त्स्)
- ‘हथ’ वैदिक-लिट्/पुरातन-रूपः (हन् धातोः) — पदपाठपरम्परायां ‘हथ’ इति दृश्यते
- ‘वि याथन’ उपसर्ग ‘वि’ सह क्रिया ‘याथन’ (विसारण/अपसारणार्थे)
The meaning
Outer meaning
When you strike down what is rigid and set the heavy mass in motion, you heroes; you drive apart the forest-growth of earth and open out the directions of the mountains.
Inner meaning
The Maruts break the rigidities (sthiram) in our nature—fixed habits, inert formations, and subconscious blockages. They set in motion what is ‘heavy’ (guru): the tamasic mass of the vital-physical. ‘Forest-growth of earth’ is the dense overgrowth of instinct and mechanical routine; ‘mountains’ are great obstacles or fixed structures of the being. The result is an opening of ‘directions’—new possibilities, widened consciousness, freer movement of the soul’s journey.
Universal truth
Transformation requires a force that can break rigidity and open new paths; liberation is often experienced as the widening of inner space and possibility.
Themes
obstacle-breaking, movement vs. rigidity, expansion of inner space
The seer
- Rishi
- Kaṇva
- Lineage
- Kāṇva
- Other hymns
- RV 1.39.1, RV 1.39.2, RV 1.39.4
Family tradition
Kaṇva’s Marut hymns celebrate the breaking of obstruction and the opening of paths—an inner geography of liberation.
Significance
The seer gives a psychology of progress: the divine forces do not merely protect; they actively reshape and widen the being.
The deity
- Devata
- Maruts
- Epithets
- naraḥ (heroes), breakers of rigidity (implied), openers of ways (implied)
- Related deities
- Indra (breaker of Vṛtra), Rudra
Cosmic role
They split clouds, move mountains metaphorically through storms, clear the atmosphere, and open the quarters with their winds.
Inner power
Force of liberation in the prāṇa that breaks tamas and unseals blocked currents; dynamic purification.
In ritual
Where it is used
Marut praise in contexts seeking removal of obstacles to the rite and to prosperity.
परा॑ ह॒ यत्स्थि॒रं ह॒थ नरो॑ व॒र्तय॑था गु॒रु । वि या॑थन व॒निन॑: पृथि॒व्या व्याशा॒: पर्व॑तानाम् ॥
परा॑ । ह॒ । यत् । स्थि॒रम् । ह॒थ । नरः॑ । व॒र्तय॑थ । गु॒रु । वि । या॒थ॒न॒ । व॒निनः॑ । पृ॒थि॒व्याः । वि । आशाः॑ । पर्व॑तानाम् ॥
parā | ha | yat | sthiram | hatha | naraḥ | vartayatha | guru | vi | yāthana | vaninaḥ | pṛthivyāḥ | vi | āśāḥ | parvatānām
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4 × ~11; strong verbs early in pādas create impact
Percussive, breaking rhythm; evokes striking and opening.
Helps release stuck energy; can catalyze inner ‘breakthrough’ moments.
- स्थिरम् (sthiram)
- Literal: the rigid, fixed. Symbolic: inertia, hardened habits, fixed mental-vital formations
- गुरु (guru)
- Literal: heavy. Symbolic: tamasic weight in the vital-physical
- वनिनः (vaninaḥ)
- Literal: forest-growth, thickets. Symbolic: dense subconscious/vital entanglements
- पृथिव्याः (pṛthivyāḥ)
- Literal: of the earth. Symbolic: the physical consciousness-field
- आशाः (āśāḥ)
- Literal: directions, quarters. Symbolic: opened ranges of experience and action
- पर्वतानाम् (parvatānām)
- Literal: of the mountains. Symbolic: major obstacles; fixed structures of nature
Praise of Marut power as obstacle-breakers; ritually supports the removal of impediments to the sacrifice’s progress (antarāya-nivṛtti).
When obstacles or stagnation are ritually/psychologically addressed; also in hymns accompanying Indra-Marut themes.
Invocation for obstacle-breaking and path-opening.
Use during periods of stagnation; chant before change-making actions or to break procrastination and fear.
√han ‘smite’ frames the removal of rigidity. guru ‘heavy’ (cf. later ‘guru’ as weighty) is here literal and symbolic: inertia/gravitation in being. √vṛt ‘turn’ suggests transformation by movement—breaking fixity. vanin ‘wooded, leafy’ from vana ‘forest’; in inner reading: tangled growth of the subconscient. āśā ‘direction/hope/opening’ from √aś ‘to reach, attain’ (semantic development to ‘aim/opening’), indicating widened possibility.
breaking inertia (tamas) through dynamic force, opening of ‘directions’ as expansion of consciousness, movement as instrument of ṛta (order through right dynamism)
Opening the ‘directions’ restores free movement of Ṛta in the being.
Truth is experienced as widened space and unobstructed movement.
From compacted mass to opened quarters—microcosmic re-creation of inner world.
Aurobindonian evolution: forces of Nature are transformed into conscious instruments widening the inner earth.
Mountains/forests = dense formations; storm-winds = liberating prāṇa that opens channels and directions.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘shakers of earth and mountains’ mythologem: Maruts as world-movers who break the fixed and roll the heavy. In psychological terms, they dismantle rigid patterns and uproot dense subconscient growth, opening new ‘quarters’ (āśāḥ) of possibility in consciousness.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √han ‘strike’ is a classic inherited IE poetic verb for divine combat/force. √vṛt ‘turn’ corresponds to a broad IE notion of turning/rolling as change (cf. English ‘wart’ is unrelated, but Latin vertere ‘turn’ is a well-known cognate line for PIE *wert-).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi recognizes the Maruts as agents of inner revolutions: their action is not random destruction but a clearing that enables widened order. Praise becomes a way to invite this transformative dynamism into the seeker’s terrain.
Break inertia; open inner space; release blocked prāṇa in the body.
Svādhiṣṭhāna (flow) and Maṇipūra (breakthrough force)
Brisk energetic breathing for a short round (e.g., kapalabhāti-lite), followed by quiet breathing while sensing ‘opened directions’.
Breakthrough dynamism leading to spaciousness.
Identify one ‘rigid’ pattern; chant while feeling a decisive strike of will; then sit and sense widening around the heart and head, as if new quarters open.
Keep the striking verbs (hatha, vartayathā, vi yāthana) clean with correct accent per markings; sustain cadence through consonant clusters.
Slightly stronger articulation on ‘parā ha yat’ and ‘vi’ to convey separation/opening; do not accelerate mid-verse.
hatha: aspirated ‘th’, naraḥ: flap ‘r’; visarga light, vartayathā: ‘rt’ cluster clear; long ā, vaninaḥ: dental ‘n’; short i, pṛthivyā: retroflex ṛ; ‘th’ aspirated, parvatānām: ‘rv’ cluster; long ā in nām
Clear, vigorous, percussive consonants; steady breath support.
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