Rig Veda 1.142.10: Mandala 1, Sukta 142, Mantra 10
Sukta 1.142
- Rishi
- Dīrghatamas Āucathya
- Devata
- Tvaṣṭṛ
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Vira (heroism)
तन्नस्तुरीपमद्भुतं पुरु वारं पुरु त्मना । त्वष्टा पोषाय वि ष्यतु राये नाभा नो अस्मयुः ॥
tán nas turī́pam ádbhutaṃ purú vā́raṃ purú tmanā́ | tváṣṭā póṣāya ví ṣyatu rāyé nā́bhā no asma-yúḥ ||
एक अद्भुत शक्ति हमारे लिए आए जो जल्दी मदद करे। यह बहुत तरह से हमारी रक्षा करे, बहुत बड़ी अपने आप में। त्वष्ट्र देवता इस्से फैला दे हमारे लिए। इस्से हमारे पास धन और समृद्धि आए, वो हमसे जुड़ा न हो।
Word by Word
- तत्
- thatPronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole Karma (विधेय-विशेष्य; ‘that [wonder]’)Root तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- नः
- our / for usPronounषष्ठी, बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक) ‘our’Role सम्बन्ध (genitive of relation)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- तु
- indeed / butIndeclinableनिपातRoot तु (निपात)
- उरीपम्
- wide, far-reaching (protective/beneficent)Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole Karma (तत्-विशेषण)Root उरीप (प्रातिपदिक; RV-विशेषण)
- अद्भुतम्
- marvellous, wondrousAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole Karma (तत्-विशेषण)Root अद्भुत (प्रातिपदिक)
- पुरु
- much, manyAdjective (indeclinable use)अव्ययवत् (RV में अविकारी)Role (विशेषण-उपपद)Root पुरु (अव्यय/विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
- वारम्
- choice boon / protection / favourNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole Karma (तत् का विशेष्य/अर्थ-सम्बन्ध)Root वार (प्रातिपदिक)
- पुरु
- much, greatlyAdjective (indeclinable use)अव्ययवत् (RV में अविकारी)Role (विशेषण-उपपद)Root पुरु (अव्यय/विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
- त्मना
- by (his) own self/powerNounपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole Karaṇa (instrumental: ‘by/with his own self/power’)Root त्मन् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘self, person, own power’)
- त्वष्टा
- Tvaṣṭṛ (the divine artisan)Noun (proper)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot त्वष्टृ (प्रातिपदिक; देवता)
- पोषाय
- for nourishment / prosperityNounपुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole Sampradāna (dative: ‘for nourishment/prosperity’)Root पोष (प्रातिपदिक)
- वि
- apart, forth, widelyIndeclinable (preverb)उपसर्गRoot वि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- ष्यतु
- may he impel / set in motionVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, तृतीया-पुरुष, एकवचनRole Kriyā (मुख्य क्रिया)Root √ष्य (धातु; Vedic ‘to set in motion/drive/impel’; with वि-)
- राये
- for wealthNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग (RV), चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole Sampradāna (dative: ‘for wealth’)Root राय्/राय (प्रातिपदिक; ‘wealth, bounty’)
- नाभा
- a navel/hub (bond, centre)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā/विधेय-नाम (predicate nominative: ‘(as) a navel/hub’)Root नाभि/नाभा (प्रातिपदिक; ‘navel, hub, kinship-bond’)
- नः
- of us / ourPronounषष्ठी, बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक) ‘of us/our’Role सम्बन्धRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अस्मयुः
- kindly, friendly (to us)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā/विधेय-विशेषण (qualifying Tvaṣṭā)Root अस्मयु (प्रातिपदिक; ‘friendly, kindly, well-disposed’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सन्धि-निरसन): तत् + नः + तु + उरीपम् + अद्भुतम् + पुरु + वारम् + पुरु + त्मना । त्वष्टा + पोषाय + वि + ष्यतु + राये + नाभा + नः + अस्मयुः । मुख्य सन्धि: तन् + नः → तन्नः (दन्त्य-नकार संयोग)
- तु + उरीपम् → तुरीपम् (उ + उ → ऊ/उ-लोप प्रकार; संहिता में ‘तु’ + स्वरारम्भ)
- वि + ष्यतु (उपसर्ग-योग)
The meaning
Outer meaning
A prayer for a wondrous swift-helping power to become a manifold protection; may Tvaṣṭṛ spread it out for increase (poṣa), and by this ‘navel’ bind us to wealth, not turning away from us.
Inner meaning
Tvaṣṭṛ is the divine Fashioner who shapes forms and capacities in the being. The ‘wondrous swift-help’ is the descending formative power that quickly rearranges inner substance into a many-sided shelter (psychic protection, right structure). ‘Poṣa’ is true increase—growth of consciousness and strength. ‘Nābhi’ (navel) is the central knot/axis of plenitude in us (integrative center) through which the riches of higher life (rāyī) are connected and distributed.
Universal truth
Growth is not mere accumulation but right formation. When the formative intelligence works in us, it spreads a protective order and connects us to a central source of plenitude from which true prosperity—material and spiritual—can flow.
Themes
Tvaṣṭṛ the Fashioner, increase (poṣa), spiritual wealth (rāyī), centrality (nābhi)
The seer
- Rishi
- Dīrghatamas Āucathya
- Lineage
- Aucathya
- Other hymns
- RV 1.142, RV 1.143, RV 1.140
Family tradition
Symbolist seer who often turns artisan/cosmic-creator images into inner psychology—formation, protection, and plenitude as yogic processes.
Significance
He emphasizes the need of right formation (tvaṣṭṛ) for the inner yajña: the being must be shaped into a fit vessel for divine descent and increase.
The deity
- Devata
- Tvaṣṭṛ
- Epithets
- adbhuta (wondrous working), poṣāya (giver of increase), nābhi (center of plenitude, implied function)
- Related deities
- Viśvakarman, Pūṣan (nourisher), Agni (transformer), Soma (increase/bliss)
Cosmic role
Divine artisan/fashioner: shapes creatures, forms, and capacities; spreads and organizes prosperity and protection in the worlds.
Inner power
Formative intelligence that refashions psychological substance; builds a stable, many-sided protection and channels plenitude from the center outward.
In ritual
Where it is used
Invocations for prosperity (poṣa, rāyī) and right formation of offerings/instruments; Tvaṣṭṛ appears in contexts of crafting, begetting, and ensuring well-formed results.
तन्न॑स्तु॒रीप॒मद्भु॑तं पु॒रु वारं॑ पु॒रु त्मना॑ । त्वष्टा॒ पोषा॑य॒ वि ष्य॑तु रा॒ये नाभा॑ नो अस्म॒युः ॥
तत् । नः॒ । तु॒रीप॑म् । अद्भु॑तम् । पु॒रु । वा॒ । अर॑म् । त्मना॑ । त्वष्टा॑ । पोषा॑य । वि । स्य॒तु॒ । रा॒ये । नाभा॑ । नः॒ । अ॒स्म॒ऽयुः ॥
tat | naḥ | turīpam | adbhutam | puru | vā | aram | tmanā | tvaṣṭā | poṣāya | vi | syatu | rāye | nābhā | naḥ | asma-yuḥ
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4 × ~11 syllables
Compact and forceful; conveys swift aid and spreading protection.
Instills confidence and a sense of being ‘held’ by a larger order; good for stabilizing will.
- तुरीपम् (turīpam)
- Literal: swift-helping, quick-aiding. Symbolic: Rapid grace/assistance of higher power in κρίσις; sudden re-ordering
- अद्भुतम् (adbhutam)
- Literal: wondrous. Symbolic: Suprarational intervention; the marvelous working of consciousness-force
- पুরু वारम् (puru vāram)
- Literal: many shelters/defences. Symbolic: Multi-layered protection: clarity, calm, strength, right circumstance
- त्वष्टा (tvaṣṭā)
- Literal: Tvaṣṭṛ, the Fashioner. Symbolic: Formative intelligence shaping the instrument (mind-life-body) for the divine work
- पोषाय (poṣāya)
- Literal: for increase/nourishment. Symbolic: True growth: expansion of capacity, harmony, and strength
- नाभा (nābhā)
- Literal: by/through the navel (center). Symbolic: Central integrative node of plentitude; axis of distribution of force
- राये (rāye)
- Literal: to wealth, bounty. Symbolic: Spiritual riches: light, force, joy, right means
- अस्मयुः (asmayuḥ)
- Literal: not turning away/ not hostile. Symbolic: Unwithdrawing grace; steadfast benevolence of the shaping power
Blessing/fruit (phala) orientation: asking the Fashioner to shape increase and establish the ‘hub’ of prosperity for the sacrificer
When seeking increase, protection, or successful formation of the rite’s fruits; ancillary to offering sequences.
Prayer for expansion/spreading (vi ṣyatu) of prosperity and protection; establishing a central bond (nābhi) to bounty.
Use for building inner stability during change; chant before creative work, healing, or life-restructuring to invoke right formation and sustainable growth.
tvaṣṭṛ from √tvaṣ/√tvakṣ ‘to fashion, build, make’ (artisan-god; formative intelligence). poṣa from √puṣ ‘to thrive, prosper’ (growth). rāy from √rā ‘to give’ → wealth as ‘that which is given’ (inner gifts). nābhi ‘navel’ (PIE *nébʰ- ‘navel’, cf. Lat. umbo in function; direct cognates in IE include Old Prussian nabis).
formation (tvaṣṭṛ) as manifestation of consciousness into ordered faculties, poṣa as integral growth of being, rāyī as spiritual plenitude rather than material gain
Right formation is a manifestation of ṛta: harmony of parts around a true center (nābhi).
The ‘wondrous’ works when formation aligns with truth of being (puru tmanā: abundant by its own self-nature).
Cosmic craftsmanship—spreading out forms and shelters; creation as organized plenitude.
Integral Vedic symbolism: creator-god as psychological shaper of the instrument for higher consciousness.
A central ‘navel’ of calm power in the being from which protection and growth radiate; rapid aid as sudden re-patterning of inner forces.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Tvaṣṭṛ as the cosmic artisan spreading out prosperity and establishing a ‘navel’ (hub) of riches: mythically the Fashioner gives form and increase. Innerly, the formative intelligence organizes the being around a central plenitude, so growth is stable and self-sustaining.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- nābhi ‘navel’ preserves an ancient body-term with Indo-European correspondences, showing how embodied anatomy becomes cosmological metaphor (‘hub’ of abundance). The root √puṣ (thrive) reflects an inherited semantic domain of growth and nourishment found widely in Indo-European agrarian-religious vocabulary.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi asks Tvaṣṭṛ not simply to ‘give’ but to ‘spread/shape’ (vi ṣyatu) increase—implying a yogic formation of capacities. The reciprocity is transformative: the human offers the rite; the Fashioner returns as an organizing power that stabilizes inner wealth (rāyī) around a central coherence (nābhi).
Invoke the inner Fashioner to reorganize life and mind around a true center; feel protection spreading as a field.
Maṇipūra (navel-center) as ‘nābhi’ of distribution; supported by Anāhata for protective wideness.
Breath into the navel center: slow inhale to Maṇipūra, slow exhale feeling a protective sphere expand outward (vi ṣyatu).
Centered, strengthened, constructively expansive.
After chanting, place attention at the navel center and sense a luminous knot of steadiness. Let it ‘bind’ scattered energies into coherent order; then allow that order to spread as calm protection into speech, action, and relations.
Tri-svara; keep emphasis on ‘adbhutam’ and ‘tvaṣṭā’; sustain cadence through ‘vi ṣyatu’.
Mark the semantic turns: (1) wondrous help, (2) manifold shelter, (3) spreading for increase, (4) binding to wealth—each pāda slightly resolves.
‘tvaṣṭā’ with clear ṣṭ conjunct, ‘poṣāya’ long ō and ā, ‘vi ṣyatu’ separate vi + ṣy (do not collapse), ‘nābhā’ long ā; ‘rāye’ long ā
Firm, steady, grounding (centered in the belly).
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