Rig Veda 1.154.2: Mandala 1, Sukta 154, Mantra 2
Sukta 1.154
- Rishi
- Dīrghatamas Āucathya
- Devata
- Viṣṇu
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
प्र तद्विष्णुः स्तवते वीर्येण मृगो न भीमः कुचरो गिरिष्ठाः । यस्योरुषु त्रिषु विक्रमणेष्वधिक्षियन्ति भुवनानि विश्वा ॥
prá tád viṣṇúḥ stavate vīryèṇa mṛgó na bhīmáḥ kucaró giri-sthā́ḥ | yásyorúṣu tríṣu vi-krámaṇeṣv adhi-kṣíyanti bhúvanāni víśvā ||
इसलिए विष्णु की ताकत की पूजा होती है। वो बिल्कुल शेर जैसा है जो पहाड़ पर रहता है। उनके तीन बड़े क़दम में सारी दुनिया बस जाती है। वो इतने बड़े हैं कि सब उनमें समा जाते हैं।
Word by Word
- प्र
- forth; in praise (intensifier)Indeclinableउपसर्ग/निपातRoot प्र (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- तत्
- that (deed/glory)Pronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन (अव्यक्त-सम्बन्ध: ‘that’)Role KarmaRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- विष्णोः
- of ViṣṇuNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी एकवचनRoot विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
- स्तवते
- is praised; one praises (him)Verbलट् (वर्तमाने), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमा पुरुष, एकवचनRole KartāRoot √स्तु (स्तुतौ)
- वीर्येण
- by (his) heroic powerNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot वीर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- मृगः
- a wild beast; deerNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot मृग (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- likeIndeclinableउपमा/तुलना-निपातRoot न (निपात)
- भीमः
- terrible; formidableAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (मृगः इति विशेषणम्)Role KartāRoot भीम (प्रातिपदिक)
- कुचरः
- roaming far/strangely; wide-rangingAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (मृगः इति विशेषणम्)Role KartāRoot कु-चर (प्रातिपदिक; कु + √चर)
- गिरिष्ठाः
- standing on the mountains; mountain-dwellingAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (वैदिके दीर्घ/प्लुति-प्रयोगः; ‘mountain-dwelling’)Role KartāRoot गिरि-स्था (समास: गिरि + √स्था)
- यस्य
- whosePronounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी एकवचनRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- ऊरुषु
- in the wide (spaces/regions)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी बहुवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot ऊरु (प्रातिपदिक)
- त्रिषु
- in threeNumeral(सर्वलिङ्ग), सप्तमी बहुवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot त्रि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
- विक्रमणेषु
- in the strides; in the step-takingsNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी बहुवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot वि-क्रमण (प्रातिपदिक; वि + √क्रम)
- अधि
- over; uponIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्यय (अधि + √क्षि)Root अधि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- क्षियन्ति
- dwell; abideVerbलट् (वर्तमाने), परस्मैपद, प्रथमा पुरुष, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot √क्षि (निवासे/क्षये; वैदिके ‘to dwell’)
- भुवनानि
- worlds; beings/realmsNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचनRole KartāRoot भुवन (प्रातिपदिक)
- विश्वा
- allAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन (भुवनानि इति विशेषणम्)Role KartāRoot विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: प्र | तत् | विष्णोः | स्तवते | वीर्येण | मृगः | न | भीमः | कुचरः | गिरिष्ठाः | यस्य | ऊरुषु | त्रिषु | विक्रमणेषु | अधि | क्षियन्ति | भुवनानि | विश्वा । Sandhi: (1) तद्विष्णुः → तत् + विष्णोः (अर्थतः षष्ठी: ‘of Viṣṇu’; संहितायां तद् + विष्णु- इति संयोगः)
- (2) विक्रमणेष्वधि → विक्रमणेषु + अधि (उकार + अ- इत्यत्र ‘ष्व’ संहितारूपम्)
- (3) अधिक्षियन्ति → अधि + क्षियन्ति (उपसर्ग-संयोगः)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Viṣṇu is praised for his might, like a formidable roaming creature dwelling on mountain heights; in his three wide strides all worlds find their dwelling.
Inner meaning
The ‘formidable wanderer on the heights’ is the free, untamed power of vast consciousness moving beyond the narrow mind. The ‘mountain’ is the elevated summit of awareness. All ‘worlds’—our physical, vital, mental formations—can truly settle (adhikṣiyanti) only when held within the wideness created by Viṣṇu’s triple expansion. Without that wideness, the parts of our being remain restless or fragmented.
Universal truth
All levels of life find harmony when consciousness becomes vast and elevated; true stability comes from inhabiting a larger awareness rather than clinging to limited viewpoints.
Themes
Viṣṇu as cosmic support, Ascent and height symbolism, All-world habitation
The seer
- Rishi
- Dīrghatamas Āucathya
- Lineage
- Aucathya
- Other hymns
- RV 1.140–1.164 (traditional), RV 1.158
Family tradition
Seer of layered symbolism; his hymns often encode yogic ascent in cosmic images.
Significance
He presents the gods not merely as external powers but as inner agencies of consciousness; Viṣṇu here is the ‘high-dwelling’ wideness in which the being can truly abide.
The deity
- Devata
- Viṣṇu
- Epithets
- Giriṣṭhā (mountain-dweller), Urukrama (wide-strider)
- Related deities
- Indra, Maruts (forces that accompany expansive movement), Sūrya
Cosmic role
Establishes the cosmic habitation by spanning the three worlds; upholds their stability through vastness.
Inner power
Capacity for inner wideness and fearless ranging beyond constricted mental boundaries.
In ritual
Where it is used
Praise of Viṣṇu’s power within śrauta recitations; often thematically paired with Indra-Viṣṇu expansiveness.
प्र तद्विष्णु॑: स्तवते वी॒र्ये॑ण मृ॒गो न भी॒मः कु॑च॒रो गि॑रि॒ष्ठाः । यस्यो॒रुषु॑ त्रि॒षु वि॒क्रम॑णेष्वधिक्षि॒यन्ति॒ भुव॑नानि॒ विश्वा॑ ॥
प्र । तत् । विष्णुः॑ । स्त॒व॒ते॒ । वी॒र्ये॑ण । मृ॒गः । न । भी॒मः । कु॒च॒रः । गि॒रि॒ऽस्थाः । यस्य॑ । उ॒रुषु॑ । त्रि॒षु । वि॒ऽक्रम॑णेषु । अ॒धि॒ऽक्षि॒यन्ति॑ । भुव॑नानि । विश्वा॑ ॥
pra | tat | viṣṇuḥ | stavate | vīryeṇa | mṛgaḥ | na | bhīmaḥ | kucaraḥ | giri-sthāḥ | yasya | uruṣu | triṣu | vi-kramaṇeṣu | adhi-kṣiyanti | bhuvanāni | viśvā
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4×11 syllables (approx.)
Strong, mobile rhythm; imagery of roaming is mirrored by the meter’s energetic forward motion.
Invokes courage and spaciousness; helps the mind ‘range’ freely while remaining uplifted.
- स्तवते (stavate)
- Literal: is praised. Symbolic: The soul’s affirmation that strengthens the channel to the higher power
- मृगः (mṛgaḥ)
- Literal: wild creature/deer. Symbolic: Free-moving consciousness-force, unbound by mental rigidity
- भीमः (bhīmaḥ)
- Literal: formidable. Symbolic: Awe-inspiring spiritual power that overcomes limitation
- कुचरः (kucaraḥ)
- Literal: roaming, ranging. Symbolic: Wide-ranging movement of awareness across inner planes
- गिरिष्ठाः (giriṣṭhāḥ)
- Literal: dwelling on the mountain. Symbolic: Established on the summit of consciousness
- उरुषु (uruṣu)
- Literal: wide. Symbolic: Vastness (bṛhat) that can contain all parts of the being
- त्रिषु विक्रमणेषु (triṣu vikramaṇeṣu)
- Literal: in the three strides. Symbolic: Triple expansion across planes; ascent and integration
- भुवनानि विश्वा (bhuvanāni viśvā)
- Literal: all worlds. Symbolic: All inner domains—body, life-force, mind, and their formations
Praise-stanza in Viṣṇu hymn; supports contemplative recitation on the three strides as cosmic foundations.
During stotra/śastra sequences; suitable for recitation before undertaking a difficult task or inner work.
Stuti to invoke protection through wideness and stable habitation of the rite/worlds.
Use when feeling mentally cramped: chant to re-establish ‘wide strides’—space around thoughts and emotions.
adhi-kṣíyanti from √kṣi ‘dwell’ (PIE *tḱey-? debated) with adhi ‘upon’: worlds ‘rest on’ the strides—image of stable supports. giri as ‘mountain’ is also the archetype of height/firmness; in inner reading, the elevated consciousness where Viṣṇu abides.
Vastness (uru), Threefold cosmos, Support/foundation of being
‘Worlds take habitation’ indicates ṛta as stable dwelling in right order, not chaos.
The height (giri) suggests a truth-elevation from which the lower worlds are rightly held.
Cosmic indwelling: all worlds reside within the divine’s measured expansion.
Yogic cosmology of planes; Aurobindonian ‘widening’ as a key movement of consciousness.
Mountain = summit of awareness; roaming beast = free dynamic consciousness; worlds = inner domains that settle when held in wideness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The three strides as universal foundations: all worlds ‘inhabit’ Viṣṇu’s steps. The animal-on-the-heights image conveys untamed divine freedom and sovereign range—psychologically, the liberated movement of consciousness that becomes the basis for all states of being.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The ‘threefold’ cosmology is widely Indo-European in poetic tradition. √kram ‘step’ is an inherited motion-root; the formulaic triṣu ... vikramaṇeṣu shows old compositional patterns (numeral + locative plural + action-noun).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi praises not a local god but an all-supporting principle: by naming Viṣṇu’s ‘wide strides’, he offers the seeker a contemplative key—locate one’s worlds in the vast steps of the divine.
Widen attention in three stages: body awareness, breath/life-force, thought-space; then feel all three ‘inhabited’ by a calm vastness.
ajna (height) and anahata (wide dwelling-space)
Three-part breathing (lower ribs–mid chest–upper chest) gently, then settle into natural breath.
From contracted mind to wide, high poise.
On each pāda, sense a ‘stride’ of awareness widening; end by resting as the witness in which body-life-mind can dwell peacefully.
Tri-svara with clear udātta on viṣṇuḥ, vīryeṇa, uruṣu, vikramaṇeṣu; keep svarita falls crisp at pāda cadence.
Let the simile phrase (mṛgo na bhīmaḥ…) flow as one unit; avoid breaking the energy mid-pāda.
: final visarga lightly released, : ‘gi-ri-ṣṭhāḥ’ retroflex ṣṭh, : ‘a-dhi-kṣi-yan-ti’ kṣi conjunct clean, : ‘vi-kra-ma-ṇe-ṣu’ retroflex ṇ, ṣ
Bright, confident, slightly elevated pitch on ‘heights’ imagery.
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