Rig Veda 1.156.4: Mandala 1, Sukta 156, Mantra 4
Sukta 1.156
- Rishi
- Dīrghatamas Aucathya
- Devata
- Viṣṇu
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
तमस्य राजा वरुणस्तमश्विना क्रतुं सचन्त मारुतस्य वेधसः । दाधार दक्षमुत्तममहर्विदं व्रजं च विष्णुः सखिवाँ अपोर्णुते ॥
tám asya rājā váruṇas tám aśvínā krátum sacanta mārútasya védhasaḥ | dādhā́ra dákṣam uttamáṃ áhār-vidaṃ vrjáṃ ca víṣṇuḥ sákhivā́n apa-ūrṇute ||
वरुण राजा उसकी तरफ देखता है जैसे कोई राजा देखता है। अश्विन उसकी इच्छा के साथ जुड़ जाते हैं। मरुत की शक्ति सही फैसला करती है जो दिन लाती है। विष्णु दोस्त बनके उसके लिए चमकता हुआ रास्ता खोल देता है।
Word by Word
- तमस्य
- of the darkness / of the dark (one)Noun/Pronounतमस्य = तम (नपुं.) षष्ठी एकवचन (gen. sg.)Role सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)Root तम (प्रातिपदिक) + अस्य (सर्वनाम-षष्ठी)
- राजा
- kingNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्तृ (subject) (appositional)Root राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- वरुणः
- VaruṇaNoun (Proper)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्तृ (subject) (apposition to राजा)Root वरुण (प्रातिपदिक)
- तमः
- darknessNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनRole कर्म (object)Root तमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- अश्विना
- the AśvinsNoun (Proper, dual)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा द्विवचनRole कर्तृ (co-subject)Root अश्विन् (प्रातिपदिक; dual deity)
- क्रतुम्
- resolve / sacred power / planNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनRole कर्म (object)Root क्रतु (प्रातिपदिक)
- सचन्ते
- they accompany / they joinVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot √सच् (सचते) ‘to accompany, to join’
- मारुतस्य
- of the Marut / MarutaAdjective/Nounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)Root मारुत (प्रातिपदिक)
- वेधसः
- of the wise one / of the ordainerNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)Root वेधस् (प्रातिपदिक) ‘wise one, disposer’
- दाधार
- has held / upheldVerbलिट् (परोक्ष/परफेक्ट), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot √धृ (धारयति) ‘to hold, support’
- दक्षम्
- strength / skillNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनRole कर्म (object)Root दक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) ‘skill, strength’
- उत्तमम्
- highest / bestAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन (दक्षम् इति विशेषणम्)Role कर्म (object-qualifier)Root उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक; superlative of उद्/उत् + तम)
- अहर्विदम्
- knowing the day / day-findingAdjective (Kṛdanta compound)पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन (दक्षम् इति विशेषणम्)Role कर्म (object-qualifier)Root अहर् + विद् (कृदन्त-समास; ‘day-knowing’)
- व्रजम्
- the enclosure / cattle-penNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनRole कर्म (object)Root व्रज (प्रातिपदिक) ‘enclosure, pen, stall’
- च
- andIndeclinableसमुच्चय-अव्ययRoot च
- विष्णुः
- ViṣṇuNoun (Proper)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्तृ (subject)Root विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
- सखिवान्
- having (them) as friends / friendlyAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (विष्णोः विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ-विशेषणRoot सखि + वत् (प्रातिपदिक; possessive ‘having as friend’)
- अपोर्णुते
- opens / uncoversVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot अप + √वृ (वृणोति/वृणुते) ‘to open, uncover’
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (sandhi-resolution): तमस्य | राजा | वरुणः | तमः | अश्विना | क्रतुम् | सचन्ते | मारुतस्य | वेधसः || दाधार | दक्षम् | उत्तमम् | अहर्विदम् | व्रजम् | च | विष्णुः | सखिवान् | अपोर्णुते । प्रमुख-सन्धयः: (1) वरुणस्तमः → वरुणः तमः (विसर्ग-सन्धि: अः + त → स्त् लेख्यरूपे ‘स्त’)
- (3) सचन्त मारुतस्य → सचन्ते मारुतस्य (पदपाठ में ‘सचन्ते’; संहितापाठ में ‘सचन्त’ रूप-लोप/पदविभाग-भेद)
- (4) व्रजं च विष्णुः → व्रजम् च विष्णुः (अनुस्वार/मकार-परिवर्तन)
- (5) अपोर्णुते = अप + ओर्णुते (उपसर्ग ‘अप’ + धातु √वृ; संधि से ‘अपो-’)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Varuṇa the king regards him with sovereign protection; the Aśvins ally with his purposeful will; the Marut-wise power upholds the highest discernment that discovers the Day; Viṣṇu as Friend unveils the luminous enclosure (vraja) for him.
Inner meaning
The seeker in the inner sacrifice is supported by a coordinated action of divine powers: Varuṇa establishes vastness, law, and right limitation (a protective moral-spiritual order); the Aśvins (swift twin forces of illumination and healing) yoke themselves to the seeker’s kratu—effective will and right resolve; the Marut-force (dynamic thought-winds) sustains the supreme dakṣa—clear discriminative intelligence that finds the “Day” (conscious illumination). Then Viṣṇu, the all-pervading Friend, opens the hidden ‘vraja’: the luminous enclosure where the rays/cows of knowledge are held captive by obscurity. The verse describes an inner breakthrough: will becomes effective, discernment becomes luminous, and the sealed light is unveiled.
Universal truth
Spiritual progress is not one power alone but a harmony: ethical vastness (Varuṇa), swift remedial forces (Aśvins), energizing inspirations (Maruts), and the all-pervading expansive consciousness (Viṣṇu). When will is aligned and discernment is upheld, illumination dawns and hidden knowledge is released.
Themes
Light vs Darkness (release of the covered light), Inner development (coordination of divine powers in the seeker), Cosmic order (Varuṇa and ṛta), Unveiling / opening of the enclosure (vraja)
The seer
- Rishi
- Dīrghatamas Aucathya (attributed for RV 1.156 in many traditions; verse-level attribution uncertain)
- Lineage
- Aucathya (traditional attribution)
- Other hymns
- RV 1.140, RV 1.158, RV 1.159, RV 1.164
Family tradition
Āṅgirasa-linked visionary tradition emphasizing symbolic cosmology and inner light (not merely ritual)
Significance
The seer-voice here is archetypally ‘visionary’: it frames liberation as unveiling of hidden Light through coordinated divine faculties—law, will, discernment, and expansion.
The deity
- Devata
- Viṣṇu (with Varuṇa, Aśvins, Maruts as associated powers)
- Epithets
- sakhivān (Friend), urugāya (wide-going, implied by Viṣṇu’s nature), trivikrama (three-striding, thematic)
- Related deities
- Indra, Varuṇa, Aśvins, Maruts, Agni
Cosmic role
Opens and measures the worlds; releases the hidden light and establishes the spaciousness in which ṛta can be lived.
Inner power
Expansive consciousness that removes the inner covering and makes the seeker a companion of the gods (sacathā).
In ritual
Where it is used
General Viṣṇu-stotra usage; adaptable within Soma rites where Viṣṇu’s 'wide steps' and release of light are praised (exact Śrauta viniyoga varies by tradition).
तम॑स्य॒ राजा॒ वरु॑ण॒स्तम॒श्विना॒ क्रतुं॑ सचन्त॒ मारु॑तस्य वे॒धस॑: । दा॒धार॒ दक्ष॑मुत्त॒मम॑ह॒र्विदं॑ व्र॒जं च॒ विष्णु॒: सखि॑वाँ अपोर्णु॒ते ॥
तम् । अ॒स्य॒ । राजा॑ । वरु॑णः । तम् । अ॒श्विना॑ । क्रतु॑म् । स॒च॒न्त॒ । मारु॑तस्य । वे॒धसः॑ । दा॒धार॑ । दक्ष॑म् । उ॒त्ऽत॒मम् । अ॒हः॒ऽविद॑म् । व्र्ज॒म् । च॒ । विष्णुः॑ । सखि॑ऽवान् । अ॒प॒ऽऊ॒र्णु॒ते ॥
tam | asya | rājā | varuṇaḥ | tam | aśvinā | kratum | sacanta | mārutasya | vedhasaḥ | dādhāra | dakṣam | ut-tamam | ahaḥ-vidam | vrjam | ca | viṣṇuḥ | sakhi-vān | apa-ūrṇute
44
4 pādas × ~11 syllables (with Vedic resolution/irregularities possible)
Forward-driving, declarative cadence suited to coordinated powers acting in sequence.
Builds a sense of ordered ascent: protection → will → discernment → revelation; supports a meditative ‘opening’ at the end (aporṇute).
- वरुण (Varuṇa)
- Literal: king, guardian of ṛta, the all-encompassing one. Symbolic: inner law, vastness, purity and right boundary that protects the yoga
- अश्विना (Aśvinā)
- Literal: the two Aśvins, divine horsemen. Symbolic: twin powers of swift help—illumination + healing that make the will workable
- क्रतु (kratu)
- Literal: will, resolve, intelligent purpose. Symbolic: effective soul-will that can execute the sacrifice inwardly
- मारुतस्य वेधसः (mārutasya vedhasaḥ)
- Literal: Marut-wise inspired power. Symbolic: dynamic inspired intelligence; thought-forces that energize discernment
- दक्ष (dakṣa)
- Literal: skill, capacity, discernment. Symbolic: clear discriminative intelligence aligned to truth
- अहर्विद (ahar-vid)
- Literal: finder of the day. Symbolic: consciousness that discovers illumination (the Day) within
- व्रज (vraja)
- Literal: enclosure, pen, fold. Symbolic: luminous cave/holding of hidden rays of knowledge awaiting release
- विष्णु (Viṣṇu)
- Literal: the pervader. Symbolic: expansive consciousness that ‘measures out’ and opens higher worlds
- अपोर्णुते (aporṇute)
- Literal: unveils, opens out. Symbolic: removes coverings; revelation of concealed light
General Viṣṇu-stotra usage; adaptable within Soma rites where Viṣṇu’s 'wide steps' and release of light are praised (exact Śrauta viniyoga varies by tradition).
General praise/invocation in Viṣṇu-related recitation; adaptable to dawn/illumination-focused practice.
Recitation as stotra/śastra-like praise; inwardly, offering of will (kratu) and discernment (dakṣa) into the fire of aspiration.
Use as a mantra for removing inner coverings: before study/meditation, invoke right order (Varuṇa), effective will (kratu), and unveiling of knowledge (vraja).
Key roots: krátu (often linked with √kr/√kṛ 'to make/do' → formative will, effective intention); dákṣa from √dakṣ 'to be able, be competent' → discerning capacity that accomplishes; víṣṇu from √viṣ/√viś 'to pervade' (traditional) and hymnically the 'wide-strider' who measures out; apa-ūrṇute: apa 'away' + (ā)√vṛ/√ūrṇu 'to cover/uncover, spread' → 'uncover, unveil'; áhār-vidam: ahaḥ 'day/light' + √vid 'to know/find' → 'finder of the day' (discoverer of illumination). Symbolic justification: vrajá as 'enclosure' becomes the psychic holding of rays (go = light/knowledge) behind obstruction; Viṣṇu 'unveils' it by widening and releasing.
Ṛta (truth-order maintained by Varuṇa), illumination (ahaḥ, 'day'), wideness/pervasion (Viṣṇu), integrated will and discernment (kratu, dakṣa)
Varuṇa’s sovereignty implies guarding ṛta; Viṣṇu’s unveiling enables living in ṛta through illumination.
Dakṣa as truth-discernment; ahar-vid as discovery of satya-light.
Revelation of hidden light (vraja) as a recurring creation motif: worlds open when the cover is removed.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral (Aurobindo-style): ascent through powers culminating in revelation of higher consciousness.
Dawn-to-daybreak transition (symbolic ‘finding the Day’)
From obscurity to illumination: energized thoughts (Maruts) uphold discernment; expansive consciousness (Viṣṇu) opens the sealed knowledge-light.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The unveiling/opening of the vraja (enclosure) by Viṣṇu: a classic RV pattern where the luminous riches (often figured as cows/rays/knowledges) are held in a closed space and must be released by a divine power. Here the action is coordinated with Varuṇa (ṛta-king), the Aśvins (swift helpers), and the Marut-wise force—suggesting an integrated ascent where law, healing illumination, and dynamic energy support the release of Light.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √vid in áhār-vidam corresponds to PIE *weyd- 'to see/know' (cf. Latin vidēre, English wit/wise). Varuṇa’s name is often connected with covering/binding semantics (Skt √vṛ 'cover' is Indo-European; cf. English 'wrap'), resonating with the verse’s apa-ūrṇute 'unveils'—a thematically charged opposition of covering/uncovering. The semantic field of 'king/law' (rājā; Varuṇa as ṛta-guardian) aligns with Indo-European sacral sovereignty motifs.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The verse portrays reciprocity as inner collaboration: the seeker is 'held' by Varuṇa’s sovereign law, strengthened by the Aśvins’ joining to kratu (effective will), and supported by the Marut-wise power that establishes dakṣa (discerning competence). In response, Viṣṇu as sakhivān (intimate ally) performs the decisive grace-act—unveiling the sealed luminous store—indicating that right order and disciplined will invite the widening power to release concealed knowledge-light.
Unveiling practice: feel a protective vastness (Varuṇa) around the mind, align will (kratu), then rest in clear discernment (dakṣa) until an inner ‘daylight’ appears.
Ājñā (discernment/light) and Anāhata (friendship/support)
Nadi-śodhana-like balancing breath (to invoke Aśvinā) followed by gentle kumbhaka on the sense of vastness (Varuṇa/Viṣṇu).
From active clarity to receptive revelation (opening of the inner cave).
Begin with a brief self-offering: ‘May my will be effective and true.’ Chant slowly; after the final pada, sit in silence imagining a sealed chamber of light opening within the brow/heart.
Mixed udatta/anudatta/svarita as per Śākala tradition; key lifts often occur on deity-names (Varuṇa, Aśvinā, Viṣṇu) and action-verb aporṇute.
Maintain clear rise on accented syllables in deity invocations; let the final cadence broaden on ‘viṣṇuḥ sakhivām̐ aporṇute’.
Differentiate vṛ- clusters: ‘vrajaṃ’ with clear ‘vr’ onset, ‘aporṇute’ pronounce as a-poor-nu-te (retroflex ṇ), Keep ‘dakṣam’ with clear kṣ conjunct, ‘aśvinā’ with short a, clear śv conjunct
Steady, regal, opening into a softer revelatory tone at the end.
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