Sukta 123
Rishi: RV source attribution (solar hymn tradition; preserved in AV 20).
Devata: Sūrya; also implicitly Rātrī as personified counterpart.
Chandas: Triṣṭubh.
This brief Triṣṭubh hymn praises Sūrya’s divine majesty as the power that gathers the “outspread” cosmos into ordered rhythm, making day and night alternate without rupture. By portraying Night as extending her garment only after the Sun’s chariot is yoked, it sacralizes regularity itself as protection—dispelling fear, inauspicious darkness, and disorder through the dependable course of time (ṛta).
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
तत् सूर्य॑स्य देव॒त्वं तन्म॑हि॒त्वं म॒ध्या कर्तो॒र्वित॑तं॒ सं ज॑भार । य॒देदयु॑क्त ह॒रितः॑ स॒धस्था॒दाद् रात्री॒ वास॑स्तनुते सि॒मस्मै॑
यह सूरज की देवता वाली बात है, यह उसकी महत्व की बात है। बनाने वाले ने बीच में फैली हुई चीज़ को इकठा कर दिया। जब उसने पीले घोड़े जोड़े, तभी रात ने उसके लिए अपना कपड़ा फैला दिया।
Mantra 2
तन्मि॒त्रस्य॒ वरु॑णस्याभि॒चक्षे॒ सूर्यो॑ रू॒पं कृ॑णुते॒ द्योरु॒पस्थे॑ । अ॒न॒न्तम॒न्यद् रुश॑दस्य॒ पाजः॑ कृ॒ष्णम॒न्यद्ध॒रितः॒ सं भ॑रन्ति
मित्र और वरुण की नज़र के नीचे सूरज आसमान में अपना रूप बनाता है। उसकी चमक का एक हिस्सा बड़ा है और चमकदार, दूसरा हिस्सा अंधेरा है। पीले घोड़े दोनों को साथ ले चलते हैं।
Inside Sukta 123
How it unfolds
- How it opens
It opens by declaring the Sun’s godhead and majesty—his power to gather the outspread cosmos into a centered order.
- What it asks
Implicitly seeks the orderly transition of day to night (and back) as a guarantee of safety, auspiciousness, and stability in the world and in the practitioner.
- Where its power lies
The hymn asserts efficacy through cosmic testimony: when Sūrya yokes his tawny steeds, Night necessarily follows in proper measure; under Mitra–Varuṇa’s gaze his form is lawfully established.
- How it closes
It closes by affirming Sūrya’s unified twofold manifestation—boundless shining and dark veiling—borne together by the harit, i.e., order persists even through alternation.
Famous verses
rātrī vāsaḥ tanute
mitrasya varuṇasyābhicakṣe
Kind of hymn
Cosmological / Apotropaic (Time-ordering; protection through solar regularity)
What it is for
Stabilization of day–night rhythm and removal of fear/inauspiciousness associated with darkness; reinforcement of lawful order and moral clarity through the Sun’s regulated manifestation.
Who it is for
Householders and ritual practitioners seeking protection at twilight/nightfall, travelers, watchmen, and anyone performing rites requiring auspicious timing and steadiness of mind.
Also used as
- Raksha (apotropaic)
- Cosmological/Ṛta-regulatory
- Daivika (solar invocation)
The deity
Sūrya is the visible manifestation of cosmic order (ṛta) whose radiance and course regulate perception, time, and auspiciousness; Rātrī appears as the complementary veiling power that covers the world in due sequence. Mitra–Varuṇa function as the moral-juridical “overseeing gaze” under which Sūrya assumes form in heaven.
Powers of the deity
- Orders day and night and maintains cyclical time
- Gathers and stabilizes the ‘outspread’ world into coherence
- Reveals and conceals through light/dark alternation
- Protects by regularity: dispels dread, confusion, and inauspicious darkness
- Upholds ṛta under Mitra–Varuṇa’s supervision (oath, truth, right measure)
Why the deity is called
To ritually harness the Sun’s dependable course as a protective force—securing cosmic rhythm, pushing back nocturnal danger, and aligning the practitioner with ṛta guarded by Mitra–Varuṇa.
The seer
- RV-source attribution (Sūrya hymn tradition; preserved in AV 20)Angiras. Cosmological-ṛta charms and apotropaic recitations that stabilize time-order (day/night), ward nocturnal fear, and affirm lawful oversight (Mitra–Varuṇa) against disorder and transgression.
Other hymns of this seer
- AV.20.122
- AV.20.124
- AV.20.125
Preparing for the rite
- Choose a clean, open spot with sight of the sky (ideally east-facing).
- Perform simple ācamana (sipping water) and mental saṃkalpa for protection and steadiness of ṛta.
- If available, prepare a small vessel of clean water for sprinkling and a clean cloth as a symbolic ‘vāsas’ (covering).
The rite
- Recite 20.123.1 at the moment the Sun’s presence is felt as ordering power (sunrise or the approach of dusk), contemplating the yoking of the harit (tawny steeds/rays) and the orderly arrival of Night’s garment.
- Recite 20.123.2 invoking the ‘overseeing gaze’ of Mitra–Varuṇa, contemplating the Sun’s twofold aspect (shining/boundless and dark/veiling) as a single regulated process.
- Conclude by sprinkling water around oneself or the threshold, mentally ‘sealing’ the space in the Sun’s lawful regularity.
What it needs
- Clean water (for ācamana/sprinkling)
- Clean cloth (symbolic of ‘vāsaḥ’/covering)
- Optional: a small thread/cord as a simple protective band
When
Sunrise or the liminal junctions (sandhyā), especially dusk when fear of night is culturally salient.
The main substance
Clean water (symbolic purification and boundary-making)
Amulets
- Clean cloth as symbolic ‘vāsaḥ’ (protective covering)
- Simple thread/cord worn as a protective band (optional)
How it is prepared
Keep water in a clean vessel; after recitation, sprinkle lightly at the threshold or around the body/bedspace while contemplating the Sun’s regular course enclosing the space in ṛta.
Frequently Asked Questions
It teaches that the Sun’s regular motion is itself divine protection: night arrives only in proper sequence, and the alternation of light and darkness is governed by ṛta (cosmic law).
They represent oversight of truth, covenant, and right measure; the hymn says the Sun manifests “under their gaze,” linking solar regularity with moral and cosmic order.
It is suited for sunrise or dusk recitation to calm fear of night, mark a protected boundary (e.g., home threshold), and align one’s mind and timing with the steady rhythm of day and night.
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